Month: May 2015

My week in Instagrams: 5/31/15

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This week was a weird one. It started off with some workdays while everyone else was off for the holiday, and as people came trudging back in, I was off on my staycation. My plans to act like a tourist lasted exactly two days (luckily I did almost everything I was planning on) before I got hit with a whopper of a head cold. The past two days have been spent in bed, which is both a blessing and a curse – I’m not missing any work, but man, I’m on vacation! Oh well.

Here’s a look at all that happened before I crashed.

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After work on Sunday, I settled on the lawn in Union Square with my kindle. I was so engrossed in We’ll Always Have Paris that I was nearly late for church, whoops!

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Before work on the holiday (Monday), the weather was so nice that I decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge rather than take the train under it. It’s so refreshing to get to the office already feeling like you’ve accomplished something!

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Some friends threw a picnic for Memorial Day at Prospect Park (practically my backyard!) so I headed there after work and met this guy, Zeus, who DOES NOT like having his picture taken.

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Tuesday was my friend Katie’s birthday, and even though we threw her a surprise party the weekend before, we wanted to do something special on the actual day. A group of us headed to Butcher Bar in Astoria to indulge in Southern food. The brisket (smoked for 12 hours, as it should be) and Shiner took me straight back to Texas!

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On my first day of staycation, I nabbed half-off tickets to Mamma Mia!, which is closing in September. It was fantastic.

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On Thursday, Becca and I headed to an open house at One World Observatory. Luckily the tickets were free, because as you can see, it was a tiny bit foggy!

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I also had a chance to check out the Whitney Museum of American Art at its new home in the Meatpacking District. It was a lot more fun than art museums usually are, since I actually understood the historical context of the pieces, and there is a beautiful outdoor space as well!

IMG_4302Finally, Thursday night, Becca and I headed to an exclusive shopping event at Anthropologie where I did not buy a hat, but did pick up the grapefruit thyme candle I’ve had my eye on for many months.

Today, I’m going to head to church (my first venture outside in days!) Hope you all had a great week!

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Staycationing

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My friends had a picnic on Monday for Memorial Day, gathering around lunchtime with food, blankets and softballs. I came wandering over to the lawn about 5 hours late, dressed in full business attire, and had this conversation with a friend who ran over to greet me:

“Yeah, I had to work today, but it’s all right because I got comp time and I’m taking a staycation at the end of the week.”

“Didn’t you JUST take a staycation?!”

Photo by Samy Ruby

Photo by Samy Ruby

Why yes, yes I did. Back in April, I took a week off for my birthday and spend it frolicking around New York City and volunteering at She is Free. I’m taking one in August, too, when my sister flies out for her nineteenth birthday.

So why do I love a staycation so much?

The long and short of it is: I get a ridiculous amount of paid time off (SO GRATEFUL, by the way) and I just can’t afford to travel for ALL of it. Seriously, after working every holiday, I ended up with 22 days to take off this year, which is just nuts for an entry-level position. But with an entry-level job comes an entry-level salary, making it hard to escape as much as I’d like. By the time the year is over (at the end of September, per my company’s calendar) I’ll have been to Phoenix, Cleveland, Boston and Los Angeles, plus these three staycations. Even though I keep my trips cheap-ish by taking the bus or staying with friends and family, it’s just not feasible to add even more to that schedule.

Money aside, I live in one of the top tourist destinations in the world. There’s just a ridiculous amount to do here, and it doesn’t have to be outrageously expensive (although NYC’s reputation as pricey is well-deserved). With a staycation, I can act like I’m on vacation by taking advantage of this wonderful place, but still sleep in my own bed at night.

Visiting Grand Army Plaza on my last staycation - walking distance from my house!

Visiting Grand Army Plaza on my last staycation – walking distance from my house!

So with all of that said: I’m on staycation until Monday! I scored discount tickets to Mamma Mia! tonight, my roommate and I are going to the World Trade Center Observatory and an event at Anthropologie tomorrow, Friday is the Awaken event, Saturday is a college friend’s birthday, and Sunday will bring a full day of church. It’s amazing how easy it is to fill the days!

So tell me: Are you a fan of the staycation? What else should I do in NYC?

My week in Instagrams: 5/24/15

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This was one of those weeks that was SO fun and SO busy that I just didn’t document much of it at all.  There was brunch with an old friend and her mom, a workshop with Restore NYC, a roommate date with pretzels at Sigmund’s and ice cream at Van Leeuwen, a gallery for 100 cameras, dinners and shopping, birthday drinks for one friend and a surprise picnic for another. Plus it’s Fleet Week (hellooooo sailors!), and there were errands to run and – of course – 40 hours of work to do. I almost can’t even believe I squeezed it all into 7 days!

Here are the few pictures I did take!

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Friday FryDay! After a long work week Emmie and I headed to New York Burger Co. for fries and a side of burgers, because that’s how we roll.

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We decided to walk from Chelsea to the West Village for Jenn’s party, and I’m SO glad we did! The sky was spectacular and the World Trade Center sparkles during golden hour.

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Last night’s festivities were in Astoria, a neighborhood I rarely venture to (it’s not far from me in Crown Heights but it takes an hour and a half on the trains). We picnicked in Astoria Park and then I insisted on a stroll to the waterfront to watch the sun set over the East River.

This upcoming week looks to be just as busy, with Memorial Day providing an excuse to spend alllllllllllll day every day outside basking in the glorious sunshine! I’m working the holiday but taking some time off at the end of the week for a little staycation. On the agenda so far: the opening ofOne World Observatory on Thursday and Awaken NYC on Friday. What else should I do to feel like a tourist in NYC?!

Catching up via Instagram

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Prepare yourselves! It’s been a while since I’ve done an Instagram post, so this is going to be quite the photo dump. Here’s what I’ve been up to the past few weeks.

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During the last week of community groups, our Monday night dinner was held in Tribeca. I spent the afternoon exploring the neighborhood, and then was delighted to discover our hosts have a rooftop with quite a view!

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Meet my favorite pair of shoes! I bought these babies at Target on Black Friday years ago, and recently went an entire year without them as they sat in storage after my move. I’m so excited to have them back in my life!

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For my birthday, I gathered my closest friends at Berg’n, a fabulous beer hall just down the street from my apartment.

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My ever-generous parents bought me a Kindle, the only gift I asked for this year, and my sister sprang for the case. I’m already obsessed with my newest toy, and I can tell it’s going to make my goal of reading 30 books this year a lot more attainable.

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My roomie and I have a birthday brunch tradition! This time we went to Egg in Williamsburg, and the duck hash and mimosas were to die for.

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More blooms! I know, I know. I can’t help it though. The first is from a birthday-evening stroll to Park Slope, and the second is from our recent visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

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It wouldn’t be an Instagram catch-up without some food! In the early part of this week I found myself in the Financial District twice: first for a friend’s birthday at Clinton Hall, and then for a girls’ night at Shorty’s. Sorry not sorry for my love of beer and bar food.

IMG_4011_2Finally, this week wrapped up yesterday with an afternoon at Prospect Park. I always say I may not have a yard, but when this is within walking distance – who cares?!

What have you been up to?

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