New York State of Mind

     There are certain things that we have come to expect while taking a holiday in NYC: the naked cowboy and gal, delicious bagels, and over-priced Dunkin Donuts are just a few. These past few days, I was trying to decide if this post should be about the wonderful food I got during Restaurant Week or the straight from the source urban, summertime fashion, but decided against both. I mostly didn't want to get punched in the face for accosting strangers or taking 1,823 flash pictures of my dimly-lit entrees. Instead, I am choosing to share with you the unexpected parts of my journey and why they made the trip that much more enjoyable.

• Alternative Housing

          Up until recently, I was physically, mentally, and spiritually preparing myself for my least favorite portion of NY visits: the digs. Typically, as anyone in the "Girls" age or social bracket knows, staying in the city (which is normally Brooklyn) means a moist couch in a windowless room in 8,000 degree weather. By the grace of God and all things good, one of the friends that I visited offered a place in his soon-to-be renovated townhouse in Astoria. Queens is severely underrated and in my opinion is a quick-service food mecca. Astoria somehow allows you to drink Bud Light on the porch in the morning and still feel like you're infinitely classier than the Brooklyn Brats. Bonus points. Townhomes usually offer more space to breathe and on this trip I managed to snag my own bed with an air-conditioned room. Thanks Greg!

• Alternative Activities

          When my friend Julie suggested I take a class with her at a fabulously equipped spa that we shall call "Breathe", my initial reaction was panic. Of course I wanted to see Julie. Of course I wanted to finally see how the other half that doesn't go to Planet Fitness lives. To be honest, exercise was the last thing on my mind as I was about to eat my weight in glorious, RW food. In a last minute decision, I joined Julie for this class and have to say it was a great choice. Although I am paralyzed from the neck down as I write this, I enjoyed fitting in some exercise on my vacay. The spa offerings post devil-workout weren't half bad, either.

• Alternative Meal

          I was super excited to eat my farm fresh burrata in the "New American" atmosphere at The Lambs Club Bar in the Theatre District. After some subway finagling and more than one unsolicited marriage proposal (I'm only partially kidding), I had made it to the promised land! Something immediately seemed wrong. What is this Barbounia and what have you done with my Lambs Club? Miscommunication had landed my sister and I with a reservation at a contemporary, Mediterranean eatery, farm to table nowhere in sight. My initial reaction was hanger (in preparation for the workout, I didn't eat lunch). Then I realized I was being foolish, for I was in one of the top food destinations in the world. When in the Mediterranean, do as they do, eat falafel. My triad included the previously mentioned falafel with two dipping sauces. One of these was mango and my instinct to survive must have kicked in because it was so dark for all I know it could have been applesauce. Lindsay got a trio of hummus, baba ganoush, and tzatziki, served with grilled flatbread. I may have stolen all the tzatziki for my little chickpea nuggets of joy. For our entrees, I chose a summer vegetable gnocchi dish and the sister ate something that resembled a lamb pot pie. For dessert, I ordered a rose water panna cotta. Lindsay got something that had a billion components, one of which was milk gelato. Molto Bene! The only damper on the meal was the most bizarre couple sitting next to us, watching every move we made. If you're out there reading this somewhere, know that your creepy habits went noticed. 

Sometimes it's hard to focus and enjoy a trip when things change in a New York minute. Although my trip wasn't as planned, it ended up exceeding my expectations. By the end of my journey, I felt like this lil dude, ready for more adventure, and maybe some cheese.