Catching up via Instagram: 9/13/15

September 13, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister Leave a comment

If this post had a subtitle it would be: Well, that was a weird week. I spent the Monday holiday working in a mostly-empty office, Tuesday sleeping off a sinus infection, Thursday at jury duty, and Wednesday and Friday working like normal. Now my parents are coming on Wednesday, my best friend gets here in two weeks and I leave for Africa in a little over a month. WHEW.

In the meantime, some little glimpses into this wild and crazy life:

Sundays are my FAVORITE day of the week, and last week I splurged on some fresh flowers and an iced coffee on my way home from running errands. Sometimes the little indulgences are my favorites!

I had to get vaccinated for my upcoming trip to Swaziland, but is there anything worse than getting poked and prodded? I finally promised myself I could have sweet potato fries for dinner after going to urgent care, and it worked like a charm – plus now I probably won’t get typhoid!

My pastors recently moved into a beautiful new apartment in the financial district, and Jessi invited some of the girls over for a barbecue on their rooftop. The views were to die for!

My friend Jess and I are leading a community group together this fall, and we couldn’t resist a planning meeting over fro-yo.

I’m a tiny bit Mindy Kaling-obsessed, so when I heard she was the latest celebrity to design a burger for Umami, I knew I had to have it! I dragged the girls out for burgers, fries and drinks at the end of the week. The burger is delicious, but I wouldn’t expect anything else from Ms. Kaling!

So that’s it – scenes from the whirlwind. I’m so excited for the weeks to come!

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My favorite parks in NYC

September 9, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister 3 Comments

One thing that has really surprised me since moving to New York is how much I LOVE spending time outside here! I was always the inside kid, preferring to read a book indoors while the other kids were splashing in a pool or pelting snowballs at each other. But here in New York, I spend as much time in the great outdoors as possible.

I think it’s a combination of factors. For one, the weather here definitely isn’t always conducive to being outdoors. In the winter, it’s entirely too cold and requires too many layers of clothing just to make it to the office. And in the summer, it’s hot and humid and if you go outside for fifteen minutes you need another shower. I’ve never really lived in a place where being comfortable outside was really a rare and special occurrence (except summers in Texas and Arizona, but even those were just a couple months out of the year, not six or seven), so I take advantage of it here.

I also love the outdoors in NYC because you can go to a park, not see the city for all the trees, but still be a stone’s throw from a cup of coffee or a subway station. As in, I can sit outside with a book and as soon as I hit my personal limit on being outdoors, I can just… go inside. No long car rides required.

With that said, here are my favorites of the more than 1700 parks in NYC!

Prospect Park

Prospect Park – designed by the same people who did Central Park in Manhattan – is about a 30-minute walk from my apartment, so I try to treat it like my backyard! Long Meadow is my default for picnics and hanging out with a book.

McCarren Park

McCarren Park is tucked between Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn, and is a great spot to kill time before plans in either of those neighborhoods. It also has great softball fields we use for kickball games!

East River State Park

This is probably my favorite spot for views of Manhattan (big words, I realize!) East River State Park is also home to Smorgasburg on Saturdays, so how can you go wrong?

Brooklyn Heights Promenade & Brooklyn Bridge Park

Lumping these two together because they’re super close. (The photo above was taken from the promenade, looking down on the park). There are great views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge (duh!) and – hint hint – a great spot to watch the Fourth of July fireworks!

Astoria Park

The only Queens park to make the list, but only because it’s the only Queens park I’ve been to! Though it’s a bit of a trek from Brooklyn, Astoria Park is a great spot to picnic and watch the sun set over the East River.

Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park is still my top choice for lunch breaks. It’s gorgeous year round, central to my office, and prime for people-watching – especially now that NYU students are back in town!

High Line

The High Line was built on an abandoned elevated railroad track on the west side of Manhattan. You can still see the tracks between the plants and the walkway! It’s a great spot to relax, watch the tourists, and enjoy being literally above the insanity for a bit.

Elevated Acre

Elevated Acre is built in between office buildings in the Financial District. I’m sure it’s crazy during the week with office workers milling about, but it’s a very relaxing spot on the weekends! It also has unique views of Brooklyn and Governors Island.

Riverside Park

Riverside Park is a trek for me, but always worth it! Nestled between the Upper West Side and the Hudson River, it’s such a peaceful oasis away from the city.

Bryant Park

Bryant Park is pretty much the opposite of Riverside Park, but just as awesome. It occupies a couple city blocks smack in the center of midtown and as such is always filled with office workers taking breaks, but only because it’s a great spot to take a momentary break from the chaos of New York City.

Hudson River Park

I love Hudson River Park, especially around Houston Street. It’s got great views of downtown and New Jersey, is close to a lot of bars and coffee shops, and is usually pretty calm and peaceful. I’ve heard it’s a popular spot to work out, but uh, I wouldn’t know anything about that.

Central Park

How could I not include Central Park? Its size and scope is truly mind-boggling. Even after a year and a half, I see something new every time I visit!

What’s your favorite park in New York City?

NYC from the water

September 4, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister 2 Comments

As much as I love seeing cities from above, for my friend Emmie’s birthday this summer we decided to see our city from another perspective: The water! Three of us grabbed tickets to Circle Line Sightseeing’s Harbor Lights Cruise and set off on the most exciting after-work adventure any of us had had in a while.

As soon as we got going and were allowed to roam about, we made a beeline for the front of the boat so we could stand outside. (Pro tip: wear water proof shoes. Trust me.) Inside, there were food and drinks and guides pointing out the landmarks, but we were perfectly content out in the elements, providing our own commentary to bewildered tourists.

The cruise took us from 42nd Street on the Hudson river, down south of Manhattan, and up the East River to Long Island City before looping back. On the way back we sailed out to the Statue of Liberty, perfectly timed at sunset!

Midtown and the Financial District

Had literally never seen the downtown skyline from this angle before!

Bridges: The Brooklyn Bridge in the foreground; the Manhattan Bridge behind

The Williamsburg Bridge with midtown behind

Midtown Manhattan, including the Empire State Building

Long Island City, Queens, as the boat was turning around

Sailing under the Manhattan Bridge, with views of the Brooklyn Bridge, downtown Manhattan and a stunning sunset

Downtown Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge

The Statue of Liberty

Downtown Manhattan

If you want to go, and I highly suggest you do, you can purchase tickets here, or at Pier 83 (walk west on 42nd Street until you get to the Hudson River). Our tickets were $36 each, which we agreed was great value for a sail that lasted about two hours, but there are less expensive options available. I also have to give a shoutout to Circle Line’s customer service: We originally booked for a day that turned out to be rainy, and although the cruise still went on, we were allowed to swap our tickets out later in the week, no questions asked.

This cruise is my favorite thing I’ve done in New York so far (and I realize I use the term “favorite” a lot, but it’s true!) I already can’t wait to do it again!

My favorite place for views in NYC: Top of the Rock

September 2, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister 8 Comments

Y’all know how much I love a good observatory when I’m traveling. I saw Boston from the Prudential Tower and LA from the Getty, and tried to see NYC from One World Trade, though those efforts were foiled by fog.

Luckily, there is no shortage of places in NYC with views. My personal favorite is Top of the Rock, the three-story observatory at the peak of 30 Rockefeller Center. Rockefeller Center is hands-down my favorite part of the city for many reasons, including the fact that it’s a beacon for the best of the best in both journalism and comedy. The views – of the Empire State Building and Central Park especially – are just a bonus!

I first visited Top of the Rock in 2008 as a wide-eyed teenager visiting the city. Most of that trip is a whirlwind in my memory, but I do remember pressing my nose against the glass, in awe of this city, while my mom hovered several feet from the edge and warned me not to fall. (Rest assured, mothers – the only open level is the top, and it only opens down to the floor below it.) Since moving here, I’ve itched to go back – but waited for a special occasion to justify the $30 price tag.

Such an occasion presented itself in August in the form of my sister’s 19th birthday! As you know, she visited Brooklyn and we had the time of our lives, but we did venture into the city for a few special treats. I bought our tickets not knowing what she would think – and she loved it as much as I do! In fact, we stayed well over two hours so we could watch the sunset from arguably the very best spot.

If you want to go: Tickets can be bought here in advance for $30, or purchased on arrival. There are several entrances to 30 Rock; you want the one on 50th Street. There’s a gift shop at the top. I highly recommend arriving about an hour before sunset to enjoy the best of all worlds – golden hour, sunset, and the twinkling lights. Have fun!

Lately on Instagram: 8/30/15

August 30, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister 2 Comments

These posts were getting a little tedious to write every week, especially those weeks I don’t post as much on Instagram. Instead of scrambling every Sunday, I’m going to be posting whenever there’s enough content – probably closer to every two weeks – and supplementing with more Currently and Day in the Life posts. Sound good? That’s a real question – let me know what you think!

Last week I was invited to an event in midtown where I didn’t know anyone. I’m a big advocate for saying yes to things, and it’s rare for me to be outside my comfort zone since I developed a close group of friends here in NYC. So I went, stayed about 30 minutes, and ducked out fashionably early (that’s a thing, right?) Luckily I was just a few blocks from my favorite part of the city – Rockefeller Plaza – so I wandered over to see it all lit up, read a book, and laugh at the fact that someone at the event called me brave. Would you ever have thought?!

After over a year, I still can’t get over Bryant Park. It’s the most random park filled with suits and squeezed between skyscrapers just a few blocks from Times Square – yet it always feels like the most peaceful oasis.

My church hosts quarterly gatherings for the whole team, and they’re always catered. Usually it’s mediocre Italian food but last week we had a taco truck! If you’ve read anything on this site at all, you probably know that tacos are one of my love languages. I made sure Emmie, Kelli and I got there 30 minutes early and didn’t even complain about sitting on the sidewalk. Because tacos!

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Brunch is forever my favorite meal, and one I indulged in twice this week – at Petite Abeille in Flatiron and at Colina Cuervo in Crown Heights. I’m partial to sweet, high-carb treats, as you can probably tell!

Yesterday was a quintessential New York summer day, and it bums me out to think that summer is coming to a close. There was a rooftop barbecue in Hell’s Kitchen, followed by a spontaneous trip uptown (181st Street!) to see my friend Kelli’s place in Washington Heights. A solid hour away from my neighborhood in Brooklyn, it was like going on vacation – without even leaving New York City!

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A Life of Genuine Delight

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