Our NYC love affair

This is a 7 day photo diary of my friend, Hannah's, visit. I picked her up from JFK Saturday afternoon, we dropped off her bags in Astoria, and headed straight to Central Park since the weather was beautiful. (I was a serious Tourist Nazi and didn't give her a moment of down time). We arrived too late for the row boats (which I've never done and have been dying to find someone to go with)...actually, we couldn't find the boat house, so we vowed to return before the week was over.



We came home to change and then headed down to East Village for a gorgeous rooftop party. The weather was beautiful and I thought the view was super impressive, especially for a first time visitor. I think Hannah was more excited about drinking out of a red solo cup... apparently they are iconic for American house parties.



I couldn't wait to make breakfast in the morning. It's my favorite meal to cook and frankly no one ever sticks around for it. (wah wah wah). I feel like when you cook for one you kinda half ass it so it was nice to make full breakfasts and loved getting the chance to experiment with different ingredients. (I used my new London mug and Hannah used my NYC mug).



It was another gorgeous afternoon and we headed down to Battery Park to catch a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. In all my years in NY I have actually never been so I was extremely excited. Perhaps even more than Hans.



The views were absolutely magnificent but we both had pictured the statue differently. Hannah said it seemed much bigger in the movies and she imagined it to be closer to Manhattan. I had imagined her taller and more slender and was surprised that she was quite fat. Lady Libs is a heffer! (no disrespect)



After we got off the ferry we walked the Brooklyn Bridge, my absolute favorite thing to do in NYC on a gorgeous day. There's something so magical about watching the city change colors as the day goes on.





I was in awe at this view of Brooklyn. As the sun set the city looked like it was made of clay.



The following Monday was a rainy day so we decided to check out the Guggenheim. My those winding floors are a strain on the butt and calves! I was so sore later. Doesn't Hannah look like a little Urban Outfitter's model?



We decided to walk to Fifth Avenue after. We were quite hungry but it was close to dinner time so we decided to stop in FAO Schwartz for some candy. Yummmm.



We had the most amazing Thai I've had in NYC at Sripaphai in Woodside. They are the only place I've ever found that has my childhood favorite, Kao Mun Gai (chicken rice).

The following Tuesday was another rainy day so we headed to The Met. The art is amazing but I just love the architecture of the building as well.



After a day of culture we took the subway down to Times Square. As a New Yorker, we avoid this place at all costs, so it always surprises me when visitors are so impressed. But I can understand why...and it's not so bad when you're not in a hurry to get through the crowd. We sat on the bleachers and enjoyed our chocolate purchases from Hershey's and watched the people and the lights.



I couldn't stand the thought of waiting on line for 2 hours or paying $18 for the Empire State Building so I took Hannah to 230 Fifth, a bar with a great view of the building. (Any excuse to pop in a bar right?) We enjoyed a glass of wine and then stopped by the Gansevoort Hotel on Park Ave for another rooftop view. (And an excuse for another drink!)



My good friend, Tim, was working and he got us to stick around for more than one. He was done shortly after so we got him to come back with us for a homemade Thai dinner by me. By the time we were done eating we were proper drunk and decided why not have some more? We hung out at a local bar and just got silly. Here we are playing telephone with bar condiments.



I had to work Wednesday afternoon which gave Hannah a chance to sleep in a bit. (The only break she got and it was much needed after the night we had). She came to meet me in Soho later in the afternoon and we headed to Delicatessen for dinner. Hannah and I shared the tuna tartar and a lobster roll (it was her first time having lobster!). My girlfriend, Kristin, also came to dinner and it was just a perfect girl's night. We had yummy cookies and milk for dessert and I thought all that was missing was a game of Girl Talk and some cosy pajamas. But it wasn't quite time for bed yet. After dinner we headed out to a few different bars in the Lower East Side. It was a completely unplanned night and it turned out to be a blast. Who needs men when you have such good girlfriends, right? (All we did was look all night. ; ) )



The sun finally came back out on Thursday and we went back to Central Park on a hunt for the row boats. It's something I've always wanted to do and no boy would ever go with me. (wah wah wah) We got there at 4pm and there was no wait at all. We just handed them the money and deposit and we had a row boat for an hour. Poor Hannah was in charge of the rowing since my hand was still bandaged. I was secretly thankful and wished I had a little parasol held over my head as well. ; ) I have to say this might be my most favorite thing I've done in New York. It was just...perfect. All that was missing was a bottle of champagne. While Hannah rowed we talked about her plans of moving to New York and how much fun we would have and how great it would be if we got married. I wondered if other couples in the adjacent row boats were having the same talk.





Here are our mug shots, having tea in our London and NYC mugs. How fitting.



It was our last day together in NYC and we had a really big night planned so we decided to take it easy and go for a walk in the afternoon. We got some NY bagels from Brooklyn Bagels for breakfast and took a stroll to Astoria Park (another favorite of mine as well). It was nice to just chat about our lives and again we dreamed about our life together in NYC.



That evening, her last night in NYC, I had 4 birthday parties to attend. Eeep! How was I gonna fit it all in? Well, I just couldn't. I made it to 3 and a half. We made it to 5 bars and fit in 12 hours of drinking. I'd say that's pretty impressive.



Here we are showing off our engagement ring for the first time. We argued over who got to wear the ring and switched off throughout the night. We might just have to get two.



At last call it sunk it that I only had 2 more hours of Hannah. I was seriously bummed.



I actually passed out right when I got home from the bar and was pretty sad that I didn't get to stay up with her until the car service came. I woke up at 9 AM, so disoriented, looked to my left and realized she was gone. I just had this sinking feeling. I walked around the rest of the day as if my puppy had died. She was with me 24/7 for 7 days and never once did I get tired of her company. In fact, my apartment now feels empty without her. My life no longer has meaning...ok, ok...I'm going a bit far. hahah. But seriously, it may have been one of the most amazing weeks ever. Have you ever had a best friend that you just wished could be by your side every minute? I am daydreaming of our wedding and how much fun we'd have living together. The first things we'd register for would be 1) A ginger cat 2) a tea set and 3) an omelette maker.

I love having visitors in NYC because it gives me a chance to slow down and take in the beauty of this city. I was reminded of how much I love this city and learned how much I love my friend. (Could she be any more perfect?)