new york = great friends, great food, happy girl

I am forever grateful for the 4 years I spent in New York City. I remember people telling me, "Enjoy being in college while you can, you will look back and wish you had appreciated it more." This is not the case for me. I knew how good it was while I had it. I laid down and rolled around in it, enjoying every precious moment.

With that said, I feel the same way about this time in my life now. Maybe it's a good thing to appreciate every stage in your life. My Dad always tells me, "Focus on the blessings." He is so wise.

When this small town life starts to get a little dull, I so enjoy going back to the city that was once mine. It is exciting and fun and exhausting... I am not used to walking so much any more. My suburbia legs were struggling to keep up with the pace.

I had 4 places on my list to go to, one of them thanks to my blogger friend Amy at Elephant Eats. Thanks, Amy!

Fishs Eddy
City Bakery
Levain Bakery
Popover Cafe

I am so proud that at least one thing was not food related. Most of my places to visit are food related. I'm just saying.

My dear friend, Jill, joined me on Saturday afternoon. We took the 6 downtown to 23rd street and walked a little ways to City Bakery for some of the best hot chocolate ever. It was thick and creamy, like they just melted a dark chocolate candy bar into a mug and slopped a homemade marshmallow on top.

Fishs Eddy is one of my favorites. I shop online sometimes for cute dishes and glasses.

But nothing beats the real store. So authentic and cool.

After a fun night celebrating my wonderful friend Ame's birthday, we woke up early to have breakfast with Chris, who is in the city from LA looking for grad schools. He is beyond hysterical. He had Ame and I in tears, laughing, the whole breakfast.

Sitting across the table from these 2 was good for my heart. It was bursting with happiness.

This place was not new to me. Popover Cafe and I go way back. I've been going there since I was a freshman in college, especially whenever my sister was in town to visit.

They make eggy, delicious popovers served with whipped strawberry butter. They are so different and delicious. It's one of my favorite places to eat breakfast. They also have the best hot drinks - chai latte and Mexican hot chocolate being my favorites.

When I think of enjoying a relaxing breakfast on a chilly winter morning, I think about Popover Cafe on the Upper West Side. There are some Sunday mornings that I consider taking the train up just to enjoy breakfast there and then come home again. But then my good sense kicks in.

Side note: After opening his bacon and cheese omelette and saying, "There is an entire pig in here...." Chris put it in his popover and exclaimed, "This is the best decision I have made all day!"

Next stop: Levain Bakery. Home of the most delicious, outrageous, Heavenly cookies on the planet.

It's a hole-in-the-wall type of place. Just my style. Low key, easy going and so delicious. They only make 4 types of cookies so you know they do them right. See the huge bags of sugar? And the dough balls about to be put in the oven? Huge mounds of dough. That's a good way to bake a cookie.

I got a dark chocolate chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk. They serve milk with their cookies. Does it get better than that?

(Christi, these look a lot like your cookies!!)

Chris and Ame both had their signature cookie, chocolate chip walnut. I agree with their decision because I got to try it. See how big they are? My cookie is the size of my hand.

After our breakfast together, we sadly parted ways. Chris went off to work, Ame to church and I went to Penn Station to take my train home. My grandfather upgraded me to Amtrak, which means a much shorter and comfortable trip. Thanks, Nana and Papa! :)

It was a wonderful weekend. I got to go to all the places on my list and still had time to lay around Ame's apartment, reading and relaxing. But it was the first time I felt disconnected from the city in a way. I think it's all a part of my transition into realizing that my life is different now.

I was sad to leave it all behind... again. But then, after a 2 hour ride, my train pulled into Wilmington station and I stared out the window at a handsome man standing on the platform with his hands in his pockets... smiling and eagerly looking through the windows of the train to find me.