I arrived on Wednesday night, significantly later than expected due to weather delays. The previous day it was 65 degrees and sunny, and when I woke up at 7:30 am on Wednesday morning there was a blizzard that had already deposited a few inches of snow-- talk about bipolar weather. So I finally arrived in New York City, where I was amazed at how linear the city was due to its grid organization. I've never seen a city so evenly spaced, and flying in was breath-taking due to the bright lights of the city. I met up with Andrea's friend, Julie, because due to unforeseen circumstances, Andrea was in Florida when I arrived. I settled into the apartment, met Andrea's roommate Jessie, and went to bed.
On Thursday, I met up with a friend for some pizza and a walk around Central Park. Good news, dear friends, Straight From NY pizza in Salem tastes EXACTLY like the pizza I ate on Thursday. So even if they have a hard time keeping orders straight, they do make a delicious replica of the famous pizza. Julie's sister was stage-managing a show off-Broadway-- it was a rock and roll opera called "Goodbar" and probably one of the strangest shows I have ever seen, but an all-around great experience. Finally, Andrea arrived and we did some much-needed catching up.
Friday morning we tried to rush tickets to see "Mountaintop" with Samuel L. Jackson, unsuccessfully, but it did give me a chance to see Times Square (can you say sensory overload?!), and see some of the city. I got a tour of Columbia University, which has a beautiful campus, and experienced some very incredible wind. People told me New York was windy, but I didn't realize how windy it actually was. We went ice skating in Bryant Park with Julie for hours, and had a blast. I forgot how fun ice skating is! We then met up with Jessie and went to a wonderful book store where I tried desperately hard not to get sucked into buying something, but what can I say? Book stores are my biggest weakness. I bought Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende, and plan to start it as soon as I finish my current book.
We then went to Max Brenner, something I have been waiting to do since Andrea first told me about it last spring break, when she was visiting her brother. Max Brenner is a restaurant that specializes in chocolate. They have regular food too, but who wants regular food when you could just eat chocolate? They even make special hot chocolate drinking mugs-- called hug mugs, which to my delight, I received one for my birthday! Max Brenner completely lived up to my expectations, probably even exceeded expectations. The three of us split a chocolate fondue, and we each ordered exceptional cocktails. I got a White Russian, made with white chocolate instead of milk. It was an incredibly delectable experience. I highly recommend Max Brenner if you are ever in New York City. See here for more information: http://www.maxbrenner.com/about.html. For our post-dessert dinner, we ventured into Chinatown to look for the sketchiest Chinese restaurant we could find. Andrea's brother recommended a place that has closed, so we began our search for a real gem. We found one, after going into fun little shops and wandering around for quite some time, where I got some delicious steamed dumplings, as per a recommendation from a friend. Later that evening we did some crayon art, which is the main decor of Andrea's apartment.
Saturday and Sunday were days of relaxation, days where we sat on the couch and watched bad chick flicks on TBS. Saturday night we went to a fun, hole-in-the-wall called Mac Bar and I pretty much died of happiness. My love of Mac 'n' Cheese is so strong, and this wonderful restaurant had so many options that I was just overwhelmed with joy. Now, normally, I'm a Macaroni and Cheese purist; that is, I prefer it completely unadulterated, just the cheesy, cheesy macaroni. But Mac Bar convinced me to broaden my horizons, so I ordered Carbonara, that had pancetta, peas, and parmesan cheese; it was fabulous. Again, if you are ever in New York, find this place. We went out that night and explored Brooklyn and the Lower Eastside. Sunday night, Andrea had some school friends over and it was wonderful to meet the people I've been hearing about all semester. On Monday, I packed up and came back to Denver. Thanks Andrea, Jessie, and Julie, you all are wonderful and I had an incredible time with you!
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