Eric's Last Day

Embracing the brightness of Times Square post Broadway musical.

After my family left on Friday, Eric stayed through Tuesday morning. We explored and enjoyed the city and the beautiful weather (finally!). On the last night, we went to go see Avenue Q (which was amazing and hillarious), then walked around Times Square to find an authentic New York Pizza place.

MOMA

Posing with the New York Public Library Lion on our way to the MOMA.

Room filled with people's name, height and date on the walls - you can tell the median height and cute lines way below from the kids who were measured.

Horse and king-like figure outlined entirely of cigarettes.

Eric with a crazy Picasso sculpture.

On Sunday Eric and I went to MOMA to see all the crazy and creative pieces it holds. From Warhol to Picasso and Van Gogh, it was a great museum to visit and a must-see when in NYC.

Exploring With Eric

Eric and his new sunglasses from "Little Chinatown" in the vast Chinatown district.

Making our way to Mullberry St. (aka. Little Italy).

The HUGE line that wraps around the park for the Shake Shack - and totally worth it!

At the fountain post-Shake Shack lunch in Madison Square Park.

Staten Island Ferry

Taking the Staten Island Ferry for a free ride on the water.

The Statue of Liberty!

Downtown Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge on the right.

Eric and me at the front of the ferry (it was windy as you can tell from my hair).

Empire State Building By Night

Eric at the top after a 1 hour wait.

Up at the windy top enjoying the view.

The Hudson river and bright Times Square radiates its many lights.

At the entrance of the building...a little awkward but a nice man took it for us so we only got one shot!

Out & About As Usual

At Il Cantinori getting VIP treatment with a free bottle of prosecco for being "bellas" :)

View from The New York Palace of St. Patrick's Cathedral...also the courtyard from the TV show Gossip Girl.

Abuelita & my mom posing in front of the hotel gates.

Posing in the Giorgio Armani Beauty conference room.

Cassie and I had a date at Il Cantinori because it's deemed as the "it" place for celebrities to go...and we know now why: the service was amazing - very attentive, the food was fresh and deliciously prepared, and to top it off, they gifted us a bottle of prosecco because their credit card machine was acting up and we had to wait 5 mintues (when we honestly didn't notice any delay, but did enjoy the perks!). My family then came to visit briefly during my second to last week at L'Oreal. They stayed at the posh New York Palace where Gossip Girl is filmed and is just an amazing hotel on its own.

Brunch Date # I lost count now

Beautiful Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue

After our seriously delicious brunch at Jojo - a quaint Jean-George (famous chef) establishment in New York's Upper East Side.

Posing in front of Columbus Circle

The best lemon-custard tart I have ever tried from Bouchon Bakery :)

Meat Packing District & NYC RW Pick #4

If you can't tell, my sandals are on the left - they broke mid-stroll through the meat packing district.

Luckily Cassie had just bought a pair of shoes and let me borrow the one's she had on!

This is Fig & Olive for brunch in the meat packing district - SO adorable with all the italian style decoration. I didn't include a picture of Vento - another meat packing district restaurant, and Cassie & my NYC RW Pick #3 - because I mistakenly erased it : / But it is a notable place to try....so far, so good. No restaurant has disappointed!

Rosa Mexicano Dinner: NYC RW Pick #2

Tam and I posing in the front as we (impatiently) wait for Cassie because we were craving mexican food badly!

With the guacamole poster for which they are so famous.

They have designated guacamole stands that move around from table to table and freshly prepare their guacamole for the table - and it was completely up to my standards.

NYC Restaurant Week Pick #1

Trying to capture the swanky vibe at Kittichai in the 60 Thompson Hotel - a definite must if in the area!

Most amazing dessert - fresh fruit with white chocolate and some other fruit that makes the dipping sauce pistachio green! I got fried cinnamon bananas with caramel-vanilla ice cream, YUM!

Even the bathroom had a swanky mood with all the fresh flowers and candle-light.

Washington Square at night

THE NYC RESTAURANT WEEK started July 12 and actually lasts 3 weeks until the 31st. My partner in crime, Cassie, and I went to Kittichai after many recommendations from my co-workers at Giorgio Armani Beauty (GAB for short). They all raved about it so we went to check it out - and were not disappointed one bit: the service was amazing, the ambiance was great, and the food above the rest! We only hope it continues this way.

Nick's Visit!

At the Bodies Exhibit (poster in the back right).

Making cinnamon rolls from scratch!

Out double layer, whole wheat, asparagus, mushroom, goat cheese, mozzarella and fresh tomato pizza!

Celebrating the Fourth at my friend Leslie's (from Paris) house in Scarsdale, NY.

I luckily had a 4 day paid! weekend for the 4th of July. Nick came from Wednesday evening through Sunday and we did lots of walking and cooking, and celebrated our four years (!) together. The Fourth was spent at Leslie's with friends from BU, home and Paris - we cooked out and kept it low key - just what I needed. It was a wonderful mid-summer break from all the hustle and bustle of my New York life.