So I am moving in under 2 weeks now, actually I check in for my program in 2 weeks today. Getting closer! It was so cold last week here (2 degrees on most mornings with wind chills around -8) and I worked so much between my 2 jobs (around 60 hours- woohoo!) that I wanted one last trip to NYC. I am going to miss it being a little over 2 hours away and able to pick up and go, basically, whenever I feelt like it. I wanted to go, but it wasn't exactly planned so M and I didn't end up leaving until almost 1. When I walked out of my house it almost felt like a heat wave since the temperature was closer to 20 than the 2-5 degrees I was used to feeling. I thought I dressed warm enough: cashmere blend socks, Ugg boots, pants, layered tops with wool sweater, coat, hat, gloves, etc. I forgot how cold it gets in the City with the wind blowing between the buildings.
We drove in through the Holland Tunnel and because we left so late we didn't hit a bit of traffic. I was worried about the parking situation, but with only 5 minutes of searching on one street we ended up finding a spot on W Broadway near Prince Street. We parked right by the Chobani restaurant/store (I went in there once and it was $3+ for a regular-sized container of yogurt and $5+ if you want a specialty- YIKES!). We walked the few blocks to Georgetown Cupcake and picked up an order that I had placed well before Christmas. Then we went to Peanut Butter and Co. on Sullivan Street for lunch. It's only a small little restaurant, but they have the most amazing sandwiches (the bread is awesome!). We each got the Lunchbox special (smooth pb, strawberry jelly, and a side of carrots and chips), along with a jar of peanut butter to take home. I didn't want to carry it around all day, but this will play out nicely later.
We walked up to catch the train to the UES so I could go to Laduree and get one last box of macarons. Luckily, there wasn't a huge line and we were able to walk right in without waiting in the cold. It must have been that they weren't as busy as they have been in the past (I was there in the summer and mid fall and the lines were insane!), but the service was super friendly and not rushed. We walked all the day down to the Plaza Hotel along Central Park to check out the Eloise exhibit/store. It was really cute and I am obsessed with Eloise since I was young. While in the Plaza we had some really yummy strawberry fro-yo too. Although from all my layers I was getting warm and once I went outside I started shivering. That's when I really got cold. Plus it was starting to get dark and the temperature dropping.
We continued our journey down Fifth Ave to Rockefeller Center and watched the ice skating. I've always wanted to skate there, but it's always super packed. It wasn't super packed Saturday, but it was too cold for a 3 hour skating session out doors. I ended up going in J Crew and found a nice warm scarf that I had been wanting since before Thanksgiving. It was on clearance with an additional 50% off. SCORE! I picked that up and it kept me super warm and cozy for the rest of the trip. I wanted to get a drink from Pret a Manger, but I got there too late and they ended up being closed.
Off to Times Square we went so I could visit American Eagle, Aerie, Forever 21, and the Disney Store. Normally I try to avoid TS at all costs, and I don't know if it was the date/time/weather, but it wasn't terribly crowded. It was actually one of the better experiences I have had in TS. We went over to the Hard Rock Cafe to eat and got our fav pulled pork sandwiches. I also got a Southern Rock (fav drink), but it was way more than I could finish.
After dinner we ran into Sanrio since it was right by the Subway station and then found the train we needed to get back to the car. We waited and got on a pretty empty train and here is where NYC began to affect me like I have never been affected before. There was an older man sitting across from us that you could tell was homeless. I know, I know, there are a lot of people everywhere that are homeless, especially NYC. There were many others that were homeless that we saw over the course of the day (including a girl panhandling for money saying she was poor, but then had nice clothes on and covered in piercings/tattoos- another story, another day), and I feel bad, but I am never to the point of tears. Well the man was eating from a partial sleeve of broken Ritz crackers. I felt terrible and as I sat there in my warm clothes, with a belly full of food, and on my way to my warm car to take me back to my warm house, I felt compelled to do something for this man. But what? I don't carry much cash on me, so that was out. I didn't have any food on me, but cupcakes and they aren't actually healthy. Or did I? I had forgotten all about the fresh jar of peanut butter I was carrying in my purse all day. When I opened my bag I realized that I also had a Kind Bar too, which is something else actually healthy. When we were getting off the train at Prince Street I handed the jar of peanut butter and Kind bar to the man. He seemed a bit startled as he took them and thanked me profusely. As I was walking out of the train he said to me that he loved me. I was walking away with tears in my eyes that something so simple could mean so much to someone.
It was a good day overall, even with the cold, and I am going to miss NYC, but I will be back. 11 days until departure!
No comments:
Post a Comment