Day 9 and 10 - I Heart NY

After having shopped to my heart's content in Jersey City outlets and using up all the credit on my US phone to pay one last phone call to all my NY peeps before I headed back to Euroland, I had not really done much in the last 2 days of my American adventure. I caught up on sleep, had my first salad after a week of pure grease, and had a few last minute catch-ups with family and family friends near the area. Sitting in my room in my aunt's Jersey City flat thinking about my imminent trip back to Vienna then London I couldn't help but wish I didn't have to.

Sure thing, my one week stint in New York may not seem like enough time for the average person to fall head over heels in love with a city - but call me a romantic, call me cheesy or a dirty cheat, because fact is I've cheated on London with New York and I liked it. LOVED IT.

Farewell U. S. of A. Till later NYC. No doubt we will reunite soon and our next meeting will be ten times better than the last.

Day 8 - The Wild Wild West Village

I have to confess the title of this post may be a little misleading as I actually started out in the East - with a little excursion across the Brookyln Bridge, an acclaimed rite of passage for every New Yorker wannabe. So braving my hangover by downing some water and some OJ I trekked across the Brooklyn Bridge on a beautiful Friday morning as many Manhattanites and Brooklyners have done before me. There's not much to say about walking down Brooklyn Bridge, except for that it's breathtakingly beautiful. You'll see the most beautiful view of Manhattan and Brooklyn, not to mention it seems to be a walk popular amongst the New Yorker love birds. Now I keep hearing from New Yorkers that you either love Manhattan or you love Brooklyn. Whether this is true, I have no idea but having already given my heart to Manhattan I felt a little naughty sitting in a park at Brookyln Heights having a sandwich *wink*.







Brooklyn and I enjoyed about a good half an hour together before I had to rush back to Manhattan for a lunch date with an old school friend. After convincing me that American beer can be good (courtesy of Brooklyn Lager) she strung me along to the best pizza in New York, Artichokes on 14th Street and after having had a staple diet of pizza, beer and other unhealthy goodies for the past week I think I acquired enough of a palette to distinguish between amazing and crap pizza. On that note, Artichokes was delicious! Especially their artichoke pizza. I recommend it to anyone who wants to try some proper New Yorker pizza plus it'll probably fill you up for the rest of the day, if not the entire weekend.

'Why is it that in New York, guys actually want to date?' I asked my friend, taking a swig of Brooklyn Lager.
'Well it's all about dating in Manhattan, but it kind of puts more pressure on having good dates. You have fewer chances to redeem yourself.'
'Interesting.'


So having figured out that dating in New York won't exceed the blessed 'third date' most of the time, I grudgingly finished off my lager and pizza before heading to the West Village for a coffee date with a New Yorker beau. We went to this coffee house near Bleecker Street called West 11th Café. It's a cute little café near to a variety of trendy looking bars and restaurants, and I think it may be around the corner of where Julianne Moore. No I didn't stalk her whereabouts but my date and I did happen to bump into her on our way to the café where she met my clumsy-looking gaze with a friendly and approving smile. It was a few seconds before I could shake off the effects of starstruckness and turn to my unimpressed companion who informed me that she did happen to live somewhere around the corner. I guess it takes more than Julianne Moore to impress someone who models part-time for Marc Jacobs.

After a few cups of coffee, smoothies and splitting a sandwich we went for a walk along the Hudson river. When in New York one MUST watch the sunset by the Hudson river. It has the most spectacular view of the New Jersey skyline. There was no better way to spend my last evening in Manhattan.

The sun set and reality set back in. It was back to John and Broadway equipped with a box of Magnolia Bakery muffins as a 'see you later' treat for my New York ladies. A few glasses of wine, pastry, and a 'Sleepless in Seattle' session later, I had to pack my bags and hop aboard the train back to good ol' Jersey City. Goodbye Manhattan, I had a blast.

Night 7 - Cupcakes, Marc Jacobs and Booze. Oh my!

Flying high from my rencontre with Johnny Fontane and escaping the Italian-American charm with all my decency and honour intact I continued the journey to seek out the Magnolia Bakery for a decent calorie-packed snack. Renowned for having the 'best cupcakes in New York', according to the ever-so accurate Carrie Bradshaw, I knew I could not leave the Big Apple without taking a big bite out of those tempting little icing-topped devils. Already having memorised most of the New York Subway system I hopped aboard the 1 Uptown train to Bleecker Street.



Bleecker Street, I would say is probably one of the more trendier areas of New York. Whilst the Upper East Side is impeccably clean (by city standards of course), the Bleecker Street area was a little more rough around the edges. Not rough like Harlem or anything, but let's just say the Shoreditch of New York sans the frame-wearing twats. After slipping in and out of Bleecker Street's many boutiques and vintage shops I finally found the Magnolia Bakery. Having had sunk my teeth into pastry heaven, my day was perfected by looking up and seeing a Marc Jacobs across the road. Of course being a student and being very very bad at managing my finances I had to pry myself away from the Marc Jacobs boutique and visit Bookmarc across the road. This shop is a perfect place to get presents for female friends or family because it's Marc Jacob's merchandise for decent prices. By decent prices I mean you won't have to shell out 100 bucks for a pair of tights or something. Bookmarc mainly holds books, hence the name, for aspiring photographers, designers and others in the fashion or media biz, but it also stocks cute little bags, rucksacks and Marc Jacobs stationary and stuff. If that wasn't enough to convince you to check out the store, maybe the insanely handsome shop keepers will.

Now onwards to the more interesting part of the day/night - Manhattan Thursdays. After cabbing it back to my homegirl's Manhattan loft in John and Broadway, I quickly dumped my shopping and popped open a few bottles of wine with the ladies for some pre-Piano's drinks. Now you'll have to excuse me for the many references to Sex and the City, but living in a loft with 4 other New Yorker women just resonates SATC in my mind over and over. After conversing about our various love lives over a few glasses of Pinot Grigio it was time to slip on our dancing shoes for a proper Manhattan night out in Piano's Bar on Ludlow Street.




We may have not left the house till midnight but the party was in full swing till the early hours of the morning. The drinks were cheap, the music was cheesy, and the company was great and unlike the cheap club-life of London there was a distinct lack of street fights and vomit. Brilliant. To add the cherry on the sundae, the girls and I were promptly joined by a Ferragamo model and his mates followed swiftly by the beautiful Marc Jacobs shopkeeper/models. In deep conversation with one of the Marc Jacobs party I was pleasantly surprised to realise that this man was not only gorgeous and stylish but ridiculously clever as well.
LET'S HEAR IT FOR NEW YORK.