Last weekend, one of my good friends (who works for Google on the West Coast) decided to use some of her precious vacation days to visit us East Coasters. Let's just call her ".E".
While I'm at it, I'll just go ahead and introduce the rest of the group. From the NYC bunch, there is also ".D", ".M", and technically ".R" (because she spends more time in Abu Dhabi than she does in her NYC apartment.) And, at the last minute, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that ".J", who currently resides in Boston, would be around to join us for the festivities!
I love each of these girls for their distinctive personalities. .E has an infectious enthusiasm for just about anything you can get excited about. .M is the wittiest person I know. .J says the "darndest" things. .R is the best person to eat with. And .D makes me laugh until my sides hurt.
Now that we're spread out across the U.S., I miss them more than ever -- especially the ease of gallivanting down a few flights of stairs to chat at midnight, always having buddies to round up for Woodchuck ciders, quesadillas, and chicken tenders at our favorite campus hotspot, and knowing that there are people nearby who share my core values and can relate to my experiences. There just isn't enough time or social "structure" to build these types of friendships out of school.
Despite the distance and our "real world" responsibilities, I guess I'm comforted by the fact that our interactions at this much-needed reunion were never awkward. For me, that's the test of a true friendship: picking up seamlessly where you left off.
Anyways, here's a few snapshots of my weekend!
Our first stop of the day was brunch at Cafe Mogador in St. Marks (apparently, the go-to destination in NYC for all things delicious.) They have an amazing concoction of eggs, hollandaise, and tomato / green pepper sauce over english muffin halves that they call the Moroccan Benedict. As usual, I forgot to snap a picture. But no worries, because Google Image is my friend! Amongst many photos of Pope Benedict XVI, I managed to snag this one:
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| Pope Benedict XVI would approve. |
Next, we decided to hop on the subway and head down to Soho for some shopping. I cannot begin to express how much I love love LOVE Soho shopping. There are so many cheap, fashionable boutiques that sell their wares at ridiculously cheap prices. I'll admit that most of the clothes are trashy and stripper-chic, but these stores have a few quality, demurely cut and amply sized pieces hidden in their racks. My steal of the day (from Mystique Boutique, below) was a buttery soft faux-leather jacket for $39.99. I had purchased the Caslon Ruffled Faux Leather Jacket during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, only to promptly send it back. It was too boxy and big (even in XS), had a hefty price tag, and definitely didn't feel as high quality as my wonderful find!
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| Absolutely love. |
Not surprisingly, the rest of the day was dedicated to more eating. .R and .M graciously offered to let us use their apartment for one of our classic college traditions -- a creatively named potluck! In preparation for our Epeek PeekNeek, we found our way to Manhattan's Upper West Side to buy yummy fudz. Guess what I bought?
Yup, a dozen cream puffs bursting with rich custard from the famed Beard Papa's! If you haven't heard of this chain, they're the catalyst for a massive cream puff revolution that has swept over Japan and major cities in the U.S. (with considerable Asian populations) such as NYC and San Francisco. They have plenty of creative cream puff flavors: pumpkin, earl grey, coffee, green tea (my favorite!), etc. and fill the cream puffs with custard only when you order them -- how's that for fresh?! The only thing I don't understand is why they have franchised stores in Russia and not Philadelphia. How heartbreaking. Perhaps I should change that...
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| Gettin' jiggy wit mah cream puff. |
Finally, remember how I mentioned that .R was the best person to eat with? Here's some incontrovertible proof:
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| From left to right: Chocolate Chip Walnut Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter |
On our way back from Beard Papa's, .R took me on a mini detour to a tiny bakeshop called Levain Bakery. Tucked away on an adorable side street, with little steps leading down into what seems like a basement, is a fantastic bakery that makes the best cookies in the world. Okay, so that claim is wildly subjective... but, if you're like me and you like your cookies warm, gooey, and massive -- this is most definitely the place for you.
Cafe Mogador
101 Saint Marks Pl. # 1
New York, NY 10009
(212) 677-2226
Make reservations -- this place is packed on the weekends!
Beard Papa's
2167 Broadway
New York, NY 10024
(212) 799-3770
Levain Bakery
167 West 74th St.
New York, NY
(212) 874-6080
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