The Big Apple

 "I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps."

New York was such an adventure! Every time I visit this city it just keeps getting better. 

I arrived around 7pm at JFK on a frigid 30 degree Saturday night. The freezing wind greeted me with nothing close to a warm welcome. Low 40s to 20s were my sunny days in the city, while socal was having summery weather back home. 

I stayed in Washington Heights, Manhattan; a short commute to the city via subway. My brothers showed me around the city, touring the NY high line, central park, Washington Square, SOHO/NOHO, brooklyn bridge, & etc. Among one of those sites was McGee's Pub; the inspiration for the well acclaimed show, How I Met Your Mother. Surprisingly enough, it looked absolutely nothing like McClaren's.

The museums were quite captivating. My favorite was the Museum of Natural History because I, myself am fascinated with dinosaurs. I browsed through glass windows containing the bones of prehistoric mammals losing track of time. At MOMA, we stumbled upon a giant baby representation made up of various colored stuffed animals. It was the only happy art piece throughout the entire collection since the artist had a very dark view on life. His explanation on this artwork was that he found light in babies since they are born pure and therefore, are given a symbol of hope and joy. 

What I loved the most was experiencing my first snowfall!! It was a wonderful sight to see! The soft snow fell gently on my face as I headed straight for the subway station - Thank goodness for waterproof makeup! I remember passing by a lady with an umbrella in the snow. I thought it was the silliest thing ever but she was better off than me since the snow had already drenched my face. Weird to say, but an umbrella can come in handy in a snow storm. 

Random fact: salt makes snow melt faster. Who knew that an everyday seasoning can do so much in the east coast?!

Let's talk about food. NY pizza is by far the best pizza I've ever had!! The texture was just on point. Every crunchy bite was so mouth-watering that I just didn't want to stop. I loved how big the slices were and easily you can fold it in half for easier consumption. 

I had my first ramen bowl in East Village at Ippudo NY. where the intimate ambiance was shared with dim lighting and ongoing conversations between guests. As my order, the akamaru modern (pork soup noodles topped with ippudo's secret "umami dama" miso paste, pork chashu, cabbage, sesame kikurage mushrooms, scallions, and fragrant garlic oil) made it's way to my table, my amiable waitress greeted me with a smile and bowed, wishing me a wonderful dining. And so, within a moments notice, I devoured my bowl in minutes to fill my empty stomach and keep me warm before I traveled back home in the snow that night. 

The Friday before my departure, my brother booked a 7pm reservation for 4 at Mario Batalii & Joe Bastianich's Babbo Ristorante. Located in Greenwich Village, we dressed up in fancy attire to suit the  atmosphere. I wore a warm navy blue fuzzy sweater with black high waisted skinnies and black heeled booties. I had the pleasure of dressing up my brother's partner in a maroon and gray pin striped dress shirt, light khaki slacks, black sleek leather dress shoes, and a charcoal gray pea coat. He looked extra spiffy that night! I ordered their barbecued skirt steak which was seasoned perfectly and cooked to perfection! After finishing my plate I surely wanted seconds! 

Tiffany's. Chanel. Louis Vuitton. Sak's. Fifth avenue was definitely one of my favorite spots because this was the mecca of designer shops in the city. You could spot so many fashionable women and men dressed up in lovely clothes perusing the streets going on a shopping day or just simply going for a stroll. One thing i noticed was that no matter how freezing the temperatures were, New Yorkers still dressed up in style as if the cold never bothered them anyway!! Now that's amazing!

As my week came to an end, I came to a conclusion that New York is the city for me. Within one week, I immediately blended in with their day to day lifestyle. It has all the characteristics I want in a city; Fashion, Social scenes, fancy bars, & nightlife adventures. 

  

If I can make it in this city, I can make it anywhere. 

 

XO, Lara