First Girls Trip of the Summer

I have quite a few rounds of visitors coming this summer. My mom came two weeks ago and my friends Julie and Emily came this last weekend. 

There are multiple ways to see New York. You can follow the "touristy" agenda and visit all the museums, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Time Square etc. or you can see New York  the "local" way. It all depends on what kind of trip you want to have. The "touristy" way is usually for people who are first timers to the city or have money to spend. Attractions are cool! But they are also pricey and crowded. Here is a list of "local" things to do while in the city. 

1.) Central Park

2.)Bubby's (resturaunt in Tribeca)

3.) Magnolia Bakery (Upper West Side)

4.) Brooklyn Flea Market

5.) Smorgasburg (Brooklyn) 

Bubby's 

Bubby's restaurant was very yummy. I am not going to deny that I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast! But... it is pricey. Bubby's is trendy and organic. It is worth trying if you are willing to drop around $30/person on one meal. I thought it was a little over priced but I don't regret trying it out. The restaurant has a photo booth in the basement and I hear a lot of famous people go here to eat! 

~~~~

Magnolia Bakery 

If you go to Magnolia's, definitely try their banana pudding. Their cupcakes are over rated in my opinion, but the pudding and their cheesecake brownies are two thumbs up! 

~~~~

Sugar Plum

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Time Square

Brooklyn Flea Market

Brooklyn

Smorgasburg 

Having my friends Julie and Emily in town this last weekend was a blast. The three of us had such a good time together exploring New York. It was slightly stressful for me because I was the one in charge of the navigation. I have been here for more than a month now, but I am still not an expert with directions. I am constantly referring to my Google Maps app as well as the subway map. I am making mistakes less and less but I still make them. It is one thing when I get myself lost but I feel awful getting lost when my friends are with me. It is hard always being in charge because I know if we get lost the blame is on me! haha Luckily I have nice, patient and understanding friends. They didn't get too upset with me when I led them astray. The first night Julie was here we accidentally took the wrong train that  led us to the Bronx.Yeah.... it was not good. Julie was freaking out and I felt bad that we were lost, in projects, alone, at midnight. I am use to getting lost and usually it is by myself so I wasn't too scared but Julie had fear written all over her poor face. haha luckily we made it out safe and alive. 

I am not much of a planner but I really wanted Julie and Emily's time here to be worth while. Traveling through New York isn't always easy. There is so much to see and limited time in one day. However, I think we did a pretty good job and covered a lot of ground in less than a week. The three of us went to Brooklyn, the Upper East Side, The Upper West Side, West Village, Soho, Union Square, Time Square, Central Park, and the Bronx (total accident). I have to hand it to Julie and Emily! They were troopers and traveled all day on blistered feet. If there is one piece of advice I would give people who visit New York is to wear comfortable walking shoes. The shoes you wear make a huge difference! Seriously, I would recommend walking around in your running shoes. They may not be the most stylish thing but they are the most practical and you will enjoy your trip so much more if you are comfortable.You walk 80 percent of the time and ride the subway 20 percent. There is very little time when you are sitting. Emily had the biggest blisters on her feet that I had ever seen. She was having fun! But I could tell she was in pain. 

~~~

Yankees Baseball Game

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Going to a Yankees baseball game has been a top priority of mine. I don't even like baseball. I think it is boring but I have been dying to go to a game since I got here. I am not a huge sports fan but I love going to sporting events. The stadium atmosphere is so exciting. It doesn't matter whether I am attending a basketball, baseball, football, golf or croquet game. I think they are all so much fun! 

~~~

Julie and I are "those girls" you know the ones that go to a sporting event and start taking a million selfies/pictures. We probably have a picture in front of every sign and on every level of the Yankees stadium. We are always like, "Um excuse me, can you take a picture for us." It is awkward but true. 

As you can see in the collage of pictures above we just couldn't quite get it right. In every one of the pictures something was wrong with my hair, or her hair, or her boobs would be hanging out. We seriously took like twelve pictures and I still don't think any of them turned out cute of me. I don't know what is going on with my hair this summer.  The humidity makes me not want to do anything with it, so I end up looking like a slob everyday! Not too mention it has been raining every other day since I have been in New York. There has been no point in getting ready. If I am not getting wet from the rain than I am getting sweaty and gross from the heat and humidity. 

~~~~

Julie is my best friend. We have been friends since my sophomore year of college when we were randomly paired as roommates (fate). It is great having her here as my visitor for the week. When the two of us get together we do NOT stop talking. Seriously. By the end of the night last night my throat was dry from all the talking and laughing we had done in just one evening. We had weeks and weeks of things to catch up on. We talked about everything: boys, religion, hair, waxing, food, memories, you name it!! I will have to admit, I don't remember one thing about the game. Did we win,tie, lose? I don't know! 

Gray's Papayas 

Hot Dogs & Smoothies 

Upper West Side, New York

72nd Street

Julie and I felt like because we were going to a baseball game that we needed to eat a hot dog for dinner. The two just seem to make sense together. We figured that the hot dogs at the game would be a little pricey so we went to the next best thing, Gray's Papaya's. There isn't too much to Gray's Papaya's other than it is yummy, simple and inexpensive. Their slogan is, "when you are hungry, broke or in a hurry." Well we were all of those things last night so Gray's was the place for us. It was delicious but if you ever go there make sure you have cash! The don't take credit cards! 

It is actually kind of funny that Julie and I are both in New York together because two years ago we were on a girls trip here, staying with my cousin who was living in the city at the time. We spent 10 days shopping, eating and exploring New York. I would have never imagined that two years later I would be living here and that Julie would be visiting me! I am no expert on the city but I feel a little more like a New Yorker everyday. 

I have learned that you take an umbrella with you everywhere you go. Even on the hottest days you have to carry one in your bag because in an instant it could start to rain. I have learned that pedestrians ALWAYS have the right-of-way. I mean I guess the same rule applies in Utah, but in New York, pedestrians do not care whether the light it red, yellow or green. They will cross whenever they want to cross and the people driving cars just have to deal with it. 

After being in New York for about a month, nothing surprises me anymore. There is every kind of person here. I feel like I could die my hair pink with red,white and blue highlights in it, shave it into a mow hawk, walk around in my underwear and people wouldn't bat an eye!! haha. It is so easy to be an individual here. People in New York are use to different, and that is one of the reasons why I like it here. I feel like I can be whoever I want to be and it does not matter. 

Even though people can be odd/crazy/weird/different, you accept their lifestyle even if it isn't one that you would choose for yourself. Be who you want to be, believe what you want to believe and allow other people the same opportunity. I think the difference in people is what makes life so great. No matter what anyone chooses to believe or no matter how anyone chooses to live their life, people need to be true to who they are. Nobody but yourself can tell you how to feel or what to expect. We are all individuals and how we choose to express that is up to us. I love this quote I came across the other day, it said "Stay close to anything that makes you feel glad you are alive."  Right now New York is making me feel glad and alive. I can't wait for the awesome week Julie and I are going to have!

~~~~

A Weekend in New York With My Momma

My mom is so cool. I seriously love her to death. She came to the city this weekend so we could spend a little girl time together. It seems like I am always sharing my mom with my brother and sisters but this time I had her all to myself. The weekend went by way too fast. I wish I could rewind time back to Thursday night when she came into the city. The two of us had a lot of time to talk and catch up about our lives. It's funny because as I am getting older I am really starting to view my parents as my good friends rather than just my mom and just my dad. I mean my mom will always be my mom and my dad will always be my dad but they have already played the "mother" and "father" roles when they raised me. Now it seems like my parents are there for encouragement and support rather than discipline, which is exactly what I need at this stage of my life. I need a cheerleader and a guidance couselor and my parents have been great at being both.  

The pictures give a short summary of the weekend. We really scored on the resturaunts we choose. I love cafes and coffee shops and New York has one on every corner. One of my favorite places that we ate at this weekend was the Chobani resturaunt in Soho. First off, I have been obsessed with Chobani yogurt for years. When I saw there was a Chobani resturaunt, I went crazy.  I guess this particular one in Soho is the first and only, so unfortunately if you are a Chobani lover as well and want to try out this place then you will have to come to New York. They have yogurt/fruit cup options on the menu as well as sandwiches, bagels and salads. They also have coffee and tea. I can't remember the name of the sandwich we ordered but the Toasted Coconut Chobani was TO DIE FOR. It was better than eating ice cream. 

Chobani, SOHO

Like I have said before, New York has so many things to do that won't cost you a dime. One of these things is walking across the High Line next to Chelsea Market. The High Line is a 1-mile park built on a section of the elevated former New York Central Railroad. It is super pretty and super free. I recommend getting lunch somewhere in Chelsea Market and taking it up to the High Line to eat. The High Line is such a great view of the city.

Sarahbeth's 

I am on a coconut kick for some reason, so if there is something cocnut on a menu you can guarentee I will order it. Sarahbeth's is on the upper eastside of Manhattan. It is a little pricey but I honestly think it is worth it. There are so many yummy dishes on the menu it was so hard for me to decide what to order. I want to go back and try their Lemon Ricotta pancakes or their Goat Chesse and Spinach Omelette. Hats off to the chef on my waffle though, it was delicious. 

Bye bye momma! I will miss you being here. Such a great weekend!