Independence Day Weekend

This past long weekend was pretty good. I found time for dress-shopping (not successful yet) and my first-ever minor league baseball game on Country Music Night, complete with post-game fireworks. I went the wrong way on Bleecker St. and stumbled upon a newish soda fountain, where I enjoyed a chocolate malt. I tried Aroma again, ate birthday-cake-flavored ice cream, and did yoga. I'm looking forward to this weekend, and to the next one!

New Year's Day

From this afternoon's greeting to the New Year at Kos. 

I have one goal for 2015, and that is to live more, or:

to continue going to the gym regularly and run at least one 5k;

to continue playing violin;

to continue reading regularly;

to continue finding joy in small details;

to spend more time with friends and family;

to make more trips;

to take more advantage of this city;

to take more photos;

to make every day count.

Here's to the new year!

The Fourth

For the first time in five years, fireworks were set off from the East River. I was impressed by the display from Brooklyn Heights, which really was spectacular, and it was great to see everyone cheering the most dazzling fireworks. For a few moments, some people had started to cheer "U.S.A, U.S.A." I am glad I went.

Color of the Day

I grew up not celebrating Valentine's Day, but I think it can be a good reminder to treat yourself and to spend time with friends and loved ones. The hearts around the City are a nice, visually-pleasing bonus. Happy day!

B-day Diary Part 2

After admiring the Empire State Building, I headed to Cafe Lalo, not sure what to expect. When I got there, there was room at the bar by the windows for me, and I settled on peppermint tea, Belgian Chocolate Cake, and a candle. I received the tea in a bright yellow cup that lifted my spirits, and the waitress brought me a cake as "Happy Birthday" played on the speakers (which I didn't expect.) The waitress lit the candle three times so that I could blow out it out. Blow it out I did, and I dug into the mousse-y cake while sipping tea (I think I might have been disappointed by previous Lalo visits because I had opted for mostly crumb-like cakes, which can become dry by the evening's end). I was wished a happy birthday on my way out, and I walked happy in the rain until I boarded the train at Lincoln Center. The evening ended with phone calls and messages from friends, family, and others. It was a good start to twenty-six. A really good start.

B-day Diary

I began the day by waking up sleepy and then running to my first-ever pilates class, which I really enjoyed. Feeling energized, I set out uptown, walking down avenues that were unknown to me, enjoying the quiet, and stumbling upon greenery, bright blue doors, and still-hanging Christmas decorations. With a fancy smoothie in hand, I walked around Greenwich Village, Union Square, Chelsea, and finally Midtown, attentive to my surroundings but also in search of new clothes and a lotion. I ended up only with the lotion and my Sephora birthday gift, but I did it to the tune of music I really enjoyed (including spa-like music at Anthropologie.)

Birthday

I wasn't sure what to expect from my birthday this year, but I was very pleasantly surprised. On Friday, I walked into a decorated office and ate a strawberry cake with co-workers. I planned to treat myself well on Saturday with fitness, shopping, and of course, cake. While it rained as it had on birthdays past, I had a wonderful birthday that left me ecstatic about all the surprises I saw and full from all of attention that was paid to me.

Hallowee-kend

Some shots following the start of a really nice weekend.

The Fourth

Fireworks on the beach at Coney Island. A good decision.

24 Hours of "Swann's Way"

A 24-hour-reading of "Swann's Way" (with free champagne and madeleines) in Chelsea was too tempting not to miss, even on a rainy Tuesday night.

An hour's worth of listening led me to conclude that I liked the idea more than the execution, though I still found the reading (not to mention the soft madeleines, with their freshly sprinkled sugar) enjoyable enough. I preferred the lecture-like opener by Adam Gopnik in the beginning, which was more engaging. All in all, it was a few hours well spent.

Love, Love, Love

Valentine's Day is a lovely occasion for meeting with a friend. Love was in the City today, and around me, in so many different forms, no matter how I or other people chose to celebrate it. Love, Love, Love.