Big Gay Icecream & a Piano Bar

Wednesday the 30th was a great day! Ali and her mom, Sus, landed in New York and were here until Sunday. It is always so fun to show friends around the city and to see familiar faces. Especially those that lived with you for 9 months.

Before we met up with Ali and Sus, after work Dannijo had company happy hour. My internal love for bonding was going crazy. We all went to the Brass Monkey which was just a few blocks away and sat on the rooftop bar. I've said it at least 50 times and here I am to say it again - I could not have asked for a better summer internship. The people at Dannijo teach me something new every day, whether it be sales, social media, new restaurants to try, PR or good wine, I'm lucky to spend four days a week with them.

Every day I am excited to go to work and see them; it is weird to think that soon I won't see them. The company is pretty small and so it is like a family. Truly I was beyond blessed this summer to know each one of these people and work for Dannijo, it'll be hard to say goodbye.

After happy hour I met up with Ali and Sus in the West Village with Fran. Susanna was seeing Mamma Mia that night, another item she had to check off of her bucket list. We ran up and surprised Ali and Sus at Rosemary's then walked over to Big Gay Icecream, yes that is the name of the store.

Surrounded by unicorns, rainbows and the Golden Girls, Big Gay Icecream is always packed and usually has a line out of the door with everyone trying to try the "Salty Pimp" or the "Bea Arthur."

The line was totally worth the wait, and the calories were worth it as well. So many treats packed into one, this might be the best icecream in the city. Ali's mom had been wanting to go to Marie's Crisis, a gay piano bar, and literally we looked up from Big Gay Icecream and Marie's Crisis was two doors down. How fitting, no?

I think I died and went to heaven a little bit that night. We walk down the stairs and "Under the Sea" is playing. Everyone is gathered around the piano with a drink in their hand singing along, and they ALL have good voices. I killed the vibe a little.

Songs from Les Miserables and Wicked were sung. Of course I sang "No One Mourns the Wicked" at the top of my lungs. Many people in the bar were in shows off-Broadway and they all knew each other somehow. If you're into musicals, this is the place to be.

Marie's Crisis is in a basement and it is always so funny to me how in New York you could never know what was going on above or below you unless you look.

Bryant Park, Freedom Tower & Elphaba

To start our second to last week in New York we made lists upon lists of things we still wanted to do, things we wanted to see, and places we wanted to eat, and we mapped each day out perfectly. On the list for Monday after work was to go see a free movie in Bryant Park.

Many people ask me why I love New York so much and sometimes I can't put it into words. It's the rush of the city, how there is always something to do, and so much more. Being in Bryant Park underneath the huge building lights with families and their children, lovers, and single people (hi), made me appreciate this city so much. Another event checked off the bucket list. It is funny to think my first meal in the city was in Bryant Park.

Tuesday, my day off of work, was bound & determined to be a good day. I began my day solo, which I surprising like in this big city. My destination was the World Trade Center Memorial Museum that recently opened in May. I was a little nervous to go. To me I felt a little weird paying to see and hear things about that day, but then after talking to my parents it all made sense that I had to go - it was the biggest event that happened during my life so far.

I was so happy I went. Happy sounds like a weird word to describe such a tragedy, but then museum was so well-done. I was there for about 3 hours.

In the beginning you walk in and there are photos of people's reactions to the twin towers being hit. The photos leave you speechless. To know now just how small this city is, and to think of how many people knew someone in those buildings, or even close in that area, is really just unreal.

The next few parts of the museum you are allowed to take photos in. There are pieces of the firetrucks, some structural pieces, photos, and a wall with a powerful quite by Virgil.

After looking at these pieces, you walk in doors to the actual museum, where no photography is allowed. The museum walks you through each minute of the events happening - the World Trade Center buildings, the Pentagon, and the plane that landed in the field.

No one talks during the museum, it's so powerful and beautifully done. So many artifacts from the twin towers being hit are on display, you get chills looking at almost everything. One of the most memorable videos I watched was when Matt Lauer from the Today Show finds out about the first building being hit. Other videos are played throughout that you have to walk into different rooms for, some are graphic so that is why you have to actually make the choice to enter.

During the museum I was surprised I did not cry. It brings so many feelings all at once, not many people did. Seeing shoes people took off so they could run faster brings strange emotions, seeing photographs of people absolutely covered in dust makes you cringe, and seeing photos of people jumping out of the windows make you feel a little weak.

The museum walks you through a large timeline, ending with dedications to the people whose lives were taken and what the World Trade Center site was like when people were still looking for their family members.

If anyone visits New York, I would highly recommend visiting this museum. It is so informative and beautifully done. You really do leave speechless. Now after the museum the Freedom Tower means so much more, and this city as a family is incredible.

Tuesday night I checked another event off of my bucket list, yes that's right, three down in 24 hours. Susanna, Frances and I saw Wicked on Broadway. Even though I had seen Wicked before, I knew it was not going to be the same experience that I had in Nashville that was provided by the Gershwin Theatre. Susanna and I had bought tickets that weekend and Fran was unsure about wanting to go, then the day of decided she would try the lottery that night for a $30 front row seat. Luck was on her side that night, her name was drawn! We were so happy that all of us got to go.

Wicked is everything I could ever want in a musical and more. The story is so entertaining and the songs are addicting. Everyone from high school knows my obsession with Wicked. I've kept it more under-wraps in college, but Tuesday night it was fully unleashed & I was on cloud nine.

My face was probably priceless when: Elphaba and Galinda put on the green glasses in Oz while singing "One Short Day," when Elphaba flies during "Defying Gravity" and this Elphaba even did the wheezing like Idina (bless her asthma), and when Elphaba and Glinda sing "For Good." The musical was everything I remembered it to be, but seeing it on Broadway just made it even more special.

I sang along with every song in my head and now the soundtrack is still on repeat, one week later. (Still wondering why I can't sing and why I don't have the jawline like Idina.....)

Baseball, Rooftops & Masks

Well, I'm really behind on blogging.
 
Friday Susanna and I ventured into a new city we had never been to, the beautiful Bronx. Oh yes. The ride on the subway wasn't too bad and we were really there in no time. Right when we arrived the sun was setting and it was absolutely beautiful! My dad laughed at me when I told him where I was sitting. I said it was right across from the batter... I could basically hear him laughing over the phone, but I was correct! I just didn't say exactly the right words, but I 100% was directly across from the batter. I win.

The two of us bought tickets a while back to go to the Yankee's game and the night had finally come. We were ready to eat Dippin' Dots out of a baseball hat and wave our foam fingers while yelling for Derek Jeter. We did these things and more.

On Saturday the 26th, yes that's how behind I am, we had a SoHo filled day. For brunch the three roomies went to Isola Trattoria & Crudo in the Mondrian SoHo hotel. The space was unreal. It was in a greenhouse with huge chandeliers hanging. The natural light was shining in and some people, the diva's in the city, brunched with their sunnies on. I got a margarita pizza because one can never have too many slices, right?

The restaurant made me feel like I was in Italy or Greece. I loved it! That afternoon we ventured to the rooftop of the hotel. We made a full day out of this one building. On the rooftop was Sonny's Soda Shoppe. There were lights strung from side to side, blue seats like the ocean, pink & white walls and gelato. The whole hotel was meant to feel like you were in Capri. You could get a drink with gelato in it. What more could you ask for? Sadly though I didn't indulge, and like a 40 year old man I got beer. Cheers.

The view at the top of Sonny's Soda Shoppe was one we hadn't really seen. It was much lower than views like the Empire State Building and you could see the streets. One side was Freedom Tower and then way in the distance on the other side you could see a little bit of Times Square, found mainly from the H&M tower. Hi Anna Wintour! Rain hit for a little bit, just a sprinkle though. It didn't stop us from leaving. I love rooftops in New York because you get to see every single side of the city. The view is unreal.

Finally we left the Mondrian, we should have just moved in that day. At night we went to the McKittrick Hotel and let me tell you, I was terrified. Here are some photos of the reviews:

Getting taken into random rooms?! Masks?! No thank you. I don't care if Chuck Bass went to a party like this in Gossip Girl, I would like to not be in a mask 24/7 and be on my toes constantly wondering I am going to be dragged into a secret room. Thankfully the place wasn't too much like this, it was actually really cool. There was a train in the hotel, the rooftop looked like a garden, and a lady downstairs (where the masks are) was singing songs like "Fever." Yes, I was in heaven. So no need for anxiety, the McKittrick was speak easy fun, so much that on Sunday I laid in bed. All day.

Tennessee in the City

The weekend was finally here and my family was in town for four days! My mom, my grandma, my aunt Abbay and Kendall all flew in on Saturday the 19th and I was happy as a clam. They landed at 11:30 am and I went to meet them at their hotel, Eventi, around noon. I was so excited to see their faces and hearing Kendall say, "aww there's Dadoo!" melted my heart. It's been weird not being home this summer, but I was so happy for everyone to be together in New York. Except for my dad, who sat this girls trip out.

On Saturday we went to eat lunch at Eataly and even though the wait was long, the food did not disappoint. We were able to get a glass of wine and walk around while waiting for our table, so we looked at all of the cheeses, coffee options, the Nutella store, cookbooks, and more. It felt like we were in Italy. Finally we were seated where we all got either pizza or pasta. Kendall and I split the margherita pizza and it was definitely the best one I've ever eaten.

After lunch we walked to Washington Square Park. My mom always says I am Sally in When Harry Met Sally when she orders food, so I had to show them where Sally dropped Harry off in NYC - the arch. Between the sand art, chalk on the streets, the piano man and children playing in the fountain, there were so many things to see! From Washington Square Park we walked through the West Village and up to Meatpacking. I got to show my lovely little Dannijo buzzer that I click every morning to be buzzed up, The High Line and the rest of 14th Street in Meatpacking. We did a little shopping on lower 5th then headed to dinner. 

If you can't tell by these photos, my sister is so old now and the cutest. She's way cooler than I am, is that awkward? For dinner we went to The Smith which I had been wanting to try all summer. I got the grilled shrimp with jalepeno grits which felt like a little slice of home & Oxford. Saturday was the night I met up with the roomies at Buddakan for Fran's birthday dinner, so I split from my family after dinner for them to go to sleep. They were tired from traveling so the overlapping of plans worked perfectly.

Sunday morning we were up far too early! We ate breakfast at 10 at The Smile, the love of my life. I met my family in SoHo at 9:30ish. We were first in the restaurant because we had not a second to waste of time in the city. I got my usual, the waffle, and suggested the chocolate scone to my grandma so I could also have a bite too, of course.

After breakfast we hit the streets of SoHo to shop. The cute little blue purse is my new favorite bag. It's not black, which literally all my other purses are. I love it! We hit the usual spots in SoHo for shopping - Zara, H&M, Brandy Melville, Sam Edelman, Georgetown Cupcakes and Piperlime. I ran over to Fran's birthday brunch at Laduree for a bit. The Laduree gardens are so beautiful in SoHo and you feel like you're in Versailles. Everyone in my family got their first bites of macarons and they all loved them. My mom's comment: "It looks like a baby hamburger." Well, okay sure, I guess.

For a late lunch we ate at Lure, which I had seen written all over the city. Not sure I would ever go back, but it was nice. The restaurant was decorated like the inside of a nice yacht. Everyone split orders of fish and chips, along with Bloody Marys and Mimosas. We continued shopping after lunch, then went back to the hotel to change for dinner and free wine at the hotel. What hotel serves free wine from 5-6?! A heavenly hotel, that's who.

Sunday night I ate the best dinner that I've ever had in New York. We went back to SoHo to go to Mercer Kitchen. So many cool things about this place. It's a hotel, you walk downstairs to get to the restaurant which is all black, and the food is insanely good. Here's my cute little fam bam in the city:

 No one really is crazy about this photo of us because we are awkwardly posed, but hey, it's the only group photo we got.

Mom (my grandma, yes tricky I know that I call her mom also) taking the city by storm in the taxi

Once again Monday morning we were up and at it in the Upper East Side by 9 am. I was able to not work on Monday which was so sweet of Dannijo, I was happy to have the extra time with my family and it worked out perfectly since I had worked on one of my off days. To begin the day we went to the Central Park Reservoir, I love this place. 

The Upper East Side around 90th St. was super residential, I loved it. What I would give to be able to go in one of these! So many moms walking their dogs and pushing babies in strollers. I would love to be an Upper East Side stroller baby on a Monday morning.

For brunch we went to the original Sarabeth's. Eating out is sometimes hard for me, and Sarabeth's was one of the places that I didn't love the menu since I don't eat eggs or meat. It was omelet city. Abbay had been before and said that their English muffins were so good and she was correct. I got that, peppers & potatoes (random), coffee and a peach mimosa. Sarabeth's reminded me of Weston's Bakery in Gilmore Girls, all that was missing was the owner, Fran Weston.

Once we were stuffed to the point we didn't think we could walk, Kendall and I split from the group and went to walk to The Met. We had to have a Serena and Blair moment together there. I absolutely loved having Kendall in town and I wish she never had to leave or could have spent the whole summer with me. She wore Dannijo on Monday and it just added to her coolness. Oh, and three cheers for new Converse!

Originally we planned to then take the subway from The Met to The Plaza, but we walked through Central Park instead. Literally we walked from 92nd to 59th, no quick or easy walk. Thankfully we had Central Park to distract us and I made Kendall pose next to everything we saw. Like this awkward photo of her sitting on Alice in Wonderland.

Finally we made it to The Plaza where our first stop was the Eloise store. Kendall and I's favorite movie is Eloise at The Plaza at Christmastime and we watch it every time it comes on TV in the winter. Luckily our family was running late to meet us there so we sat in the kids room and watched a little bit of the original movie. My aunt Abbay bought my cousin, Ella, the cutest Eloise toys and I wanted to be a kid again. After walking around and our mouths all watering at the desserts at the bottom of The Plaza, Kendall and I decided to split a cake push-pop, which is one of the greatest ideas anyone has had.

There's something so glamorous about The Plaza, and no matter how many times I've been, I always love coming back. As fun though as walking around and seeing The Plaza, we had shopping to get done. We shopped all the way down Fifth Ave until we hit Rockefeller Center. We saw them preparing for a summer concert, 5SOS, that was happening the next day.

Who knows how long we had been walking and we were all exhausted, but we still had one more place to visit on the list - the ever so crowded Times Square. Since my family had never been to New York before I wanted to make sure they saw everything. I showed them the red steps, where some of the plays were (hello Idina and Wicked!), the Forever21 which is my personal favorite, and we also saw a Project Runway taping happening. This was also set up in Times Square but I'm not really sure what it is or when it was placed there.

Finally after we finished shopping at Forever21 we headed back for the free happy hour at the hotel and to get ready for dinner, Susanna & Frances were coming too. All my people in one place!

For dinner we went to Stanton Social where it is all mini-plates that are meant for sharing. A phone call did have to be made to switch the reservation because we found a Nordstrom Rack and how could we have passed that opportunity up? We got too much food per our usual at dinner and ate the mini meals like: red snapper tacos, mac-n-cheese, chicken and waffle, chicken tacos and more. 

We were all members of the Clean Plate Club that night. It was so nice to see the roomies again since I had been staying at the hotel with my family and I really did miss seeing them because I now associate the city with having them by my side.

To top of the last night in the city we headed to see the city from the best view: the top of the Empire State Building. This was top on my family's list and I was happy to go back since I had only been once. The view is unreal. It's crazy to think that back in October I was up there and I was hoping and praying I would be able to come back to New York for the summer, and there I stood again in that exact spot with that dream fulfilled.

Seeing the city from up high is such a strange feeling. It seems so small and quiet. I loved knowing my surroundings better because I was able to really find where places were that I could see from the top.

It was just a bit windy up there if you couldn't tell

The last day of the family in the city was sad, I didn't want them to leave! Tuesday morning we checked off the last thing on the list that we all wanted to do which was going to visit Ground Zero and see the Freedom Tower up close. It is the strangest feeling standing there looking into that water and that deep hole that you can't see the bottom of. Every time I go I get chills. This coming week I want to go to the actual museum that just opened up in May.

Last and final stop in the city? Dylan's Candy Bar. Kendall was in heaven. We took photos in the photo booth and got a bag of candy for the road. We then all went to Grand Central to eat lunch and look around. Had to check off another Gossip Girl scene for Kendall! 

The time then came and it was time to say goodbye. I hated seeing them leave but I was so happy to know I would be able to see them again in about two and a half weeks. If they would have come earlier in the summer saying bye would have been worse. 

I'm so thankful to have these people in my life and I couldn't believe that I was so lucky to have them come visit me for four days. 

Adios family, see you August 9th!