Lately on Instagram

July 12, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister Leave a comment

You may have noticed that with the exception of my trip to Boston, I haven’t been on Instagram quite as much lately. I attribute most of that to my new Snapchat obsession, although I’ll admit that life has just been a little hectic lately with fewer moments to slow down and appreciate the little things. Still, I wanted to share a bit of what I’ve been up to in NYC lately!

My friend Breanna has been driving our church’s truck back to its home in Brooklyn after services lately, and sometimes I get to ride along! I snapped this while cruising over the Manhattan Bridge a couple weeks ago and it basically carried me through the next few days of early wake-up calls and work on work on work.

I popped into Best Buy a couple weeks ago for new earphones – for someone with a reputation for being “adult” and “responsible,” I lose and break those things more often than is really reasonable. It gets expensive, especially when I grab other trinkets off the shelves such as this Kate Spade phone case!

There was a crazy storm here one evening that seriously reminded me of the monsoons we used to get in Colorado and Arizona. But the payoff was an incredible sunset!

The Fourth of July weekend was weirdly gloomy, but that didn’t stop a group of us from gathering under the Brooklyn Bridge for a six-hour picnic (getting good fireworks spots is seriously competitive!) Eventually the skies cleared up…

… and we were rewarded for our perseverance with another stunner of a sunset! As well as an incredible fireworks display.

Wednesday was the anniversary of one of the best days of my life – four years ago, I woke up at 1 a.m. (seriously) to drive from my Orlando apartment (betcha didn’t know I lived in Florida for about 5 minutes!) to the coast to watch the last-ever space-shuttle launch. I got to report, photograph and blog about the event for the Orlando Sentinel and it was 100% the highlight of my career.

I guess July is always my month, because Thursday was also an anniversary – one year from meeting my best friend Emmie! We met up at the spot where we met – Chloe’s Soft Serve near Union Square – to stuff our faces, reminisce, and hide from a rainstorm that came out of nowhere. Here’s to another year of adventure!

And yesterday, by some miracle, my roommates and I were all free so we gathered for some Korean BBQ (cooked right at our table!) and the Minions movie (which I highly recommend).

Follow me on Instagram here.

A Red Sox game at Fenway Park

July 8, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister 4 Comments

Fact that could get me eaten alive here in NYC: I’m a Red Sox fan. My grandfather is from Boston, so we kids were raised to cheer for the Sox and (perhaps more importantly) against the Yankees. So when I went to Boston, I knew that hitting up a game at Fenway Park was a priority – I even chose my travel dates to correspond with some home games against the Orioles.

I knew that Fenway would be cool. It’s the oldest ballpark in America, having opened in 1912. (I watched the centennial celebration 3 years ago and might have been super emotional about it). Honestly though, I was blown away. Though it’s obviously been renovated over the years, Fenway truly retains a vintage feel. I may as well have been at a game back in the early years.

Other favorite things about the park: Part of the ticketed area is outside, so the bars and shops on that street are ticket-holders only. My seat (grandstand 8!) was in the shade. SAM ADAMS SUMMER ALE ON TAP.

Things that could have been better: the Red Sox. Seriously terrible this season. Guess I’ll just have to go back and see them win sometime!

Boston from above: Visiting the Prudential Tower

July 3, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister 5 Comments

One of the first things I knew I wanted to do when I started planning my trip to Boston was head to the Skywalk Observatory at the Prudential Center. I think heading to the top of the tallest building is a great way to get a lay of the land in the new city, plus it provides great photo opportunities 😉

I was originally planning to visit after a Red Sox game, but the weather was grim and most of the observatory was closed for a private event. I came back the next day, when the weather was perfect and the entire Skywalk was open.

The observatory wraps all the way around the tower, letting you look out at Boston from every angle. It’s also home to the Dreams of Freedom museum, an exhibition celebrating immigration’s role in Boston’s history. I learned so much about the city’s history I didn’t know (something I thought impossible after walking the entire Freedom Trail!) plus it made me feel like I really got my money’s worth – although the views alone were more than enough!

I highly recommend visiting the Skywalk Observatory if you’re ever in Boston. There’s also a lounge two stories up where you can grab a meal or just a drink. The ticket kiosk can be tricky to find (or maybe that’s just me!) it’s inside the Shops at Prudential Center (basically a shopping mall) on the ground floor near the escalators that go down into the basement. Alternatively, you can just take the elevator to the 50th floor and buy your tickets there! It might just be the New Yorker in me, but I thought the ticket prices were basically a steal. Don’t forget to check before your visit to make sure the whole space is open!

What’s your favorite place in the world to get great views?

My week in Instagrams: Boston edition

June 30, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister Leave a comment

I’m back from what turned out to be an incredibly rejuvenating four days in Boston, Massachusetts! While I sort out my thoughts and edit the 200+ photos I took over the coming days, here are the Instagrams I posted while I was gone – they turned out to form a great overview of my trip.

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As soon as I stepped out of the South Station bus terminal, I knew I would fall in love with Boston. The blue skies and perfect weather (which lasted my entire stay) certainly helped, but I suspect this city would have charmed me regardless.

On day 1 I walked the entirety of the Freedom Trail, and then some (let’s just say if I spot a waterfront I will go out of my way to explore it). This shot is from the Charlestown Bridge during golden hour, and it makes me want to jump in a sailboat and forget all my worries!

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On day 2 I finally achieved a lifelong bucket-list item: A Red Sox game in Fenway Park! I’m a Red Sox fan, but any baseball fan would appreciate the oldest park in America – it opened in 1912 and retains much of that vintage feel.

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Another golden hour shot because Boston is just so photogenic! I was basically obsessed with the weather, the architecture and taking photos throughout my stay.

On day 3 I finally made my way to the top of the Prudential Tower! I’m so thankful for better weather than my visit to the World Trade Center a few weeks ago – I could see all of Boston and then some.

Finally on day 4 before hopping back on the Megabus, I ventured out to Cambridge to visit Harvard University. It was pretty cool to explore the campus and the surrounding area – just being there made me feel a little bit smarter!

I’ll be posting more in-depth content on my Boston trip over the coming weeks, but in the meantime you can follow me on Instagram here!

Currently…

June 21, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister Leave a comment

Hey friends! I had plans for blog posts this week… and then that real-life thing got a little nuts and I work-work-worked a lot more than usual, both job-work and church-work. I barely even Instagrammed, although I continued to take my daily lunch breaks in the park – gotta avoid that burnout!

So today, on the summer solstice, I bring you my first Currently post in quite a while! Let’s catch up a bit. I’d like to promise more exciting posts this week, but I’m just not sure if I’ll have the time – I’m working straight through Tuesday and then heading to BOSTON for the first time! So there are definitely posts to look forward to in the not-so-distant future.

Reading… Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod, because I’ll read anything with Paris in the title
Watching… Private Practice, again. Inside Amy Schumer. Sherlock, now, thanks to friends making me watch the first episode last night.
Trying… to get some work done despite the bleak, bleak weather outside my window
Cooking… Let’s see, I made sweet potato and kale hash a couple times recently, and went on a bit of a Polish kick with pierogies, sausage and sauerkraut, although all I did was heat them up.
Eating… Nothing at the moment, and today will be filled with Trader Joe’s salads on my lunch break and before church. Cheap and delicious.
Drinking… Water & coffee – I feel like this answer never changes
Calling… My father later. Remember to call yours too!

Texting… It’s 10 a.m. on a Sunday, so all of my friends are sound asleep.
Tweeting… mostly complaints about the weather. STOP RAINING, NYC.
Going… to Boston this week, finally!
Loving… the fact that a TON of my friends recently moved to my neighborhood, so going out on the weekends is way less of a pain.
Thinking… about how little sleep I got last night & will get for the rest of the week.
Listening (to)… Nothing at the moment, but the ’90s throwback playlist has been my commuting soundtrack all week long.
Celebrating… SUNDAY! It’s my favorite day of the week, even when I’m in the office. And it’s a short workweek for me!
Starting… to nail down plans for my vacation without planning out TOO much. And yes I wait until the last minute – because I prefer to be spontaneous once I’m there.

Have a great week!

A Life of Genuine Delight

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Author: Leigh Anne Zinsmeister