Another visitor and the arrival of Hurricane Sandy

Whew. It has been a whirlwind of a last week. (I mean this in the figurative and the literal sense).

Before I go into my usual spiel that consists of what I've been up to the last seven days, I would first like to thank those of you who have reached out to me during the last few days to make sure I was safe and sound. I am one lucky gal... not only to have so many people that love and care for me, but also because I made it out completely unscathed. You are truly some of the best. Thank you so much.

Before Hurricane Sandy decided to make her grand entrance, I had yet another visitor arrive to hang out with me this weekend.

Ladies and Gents: Meet Caroline Gaskin. One of my best friends since the 6th grade (crazyyy right?).

She arrived superrrr late on Thursday evening (I'm talkin' 1:00am), so it was straight to bed almost immediately. The next morning, we went for a little stroll around the neighborhood (and I took her to the promenade, of course).

After getting some delicious breakfast at Clark's Diner across the street, we decided to venture out to Williamsburg, Brooklyn (aka the hippest area of New York City) to try to find some items of clothing at thrift stores that could ultimately be our Halloween costumes for the weekend adventures. Caroline, being the fitness lady that she is, suggested that we run there. It was such a wonderful 3 mile trek! (I was slightly dying by the end of it all.... but she was completely fine. Didn't want to tell her that, though).

We were successful in our finds! Later in the post, you'll see what we came up with as far as costumes go.

Friday evening, Caroline and I made our way into Midtown Manhattan to get some Mexican food and a couple of drinks during happy hour.

We also found ourselves in Times Square.

And Caroline posed with some of the regulars.

And we indulged in some late-night pizza.

On Saturday morning, Allison, Caroline, and I decided to go to Iris Cafe. (You knew it was coming... I have to introduce everyone to this place).

Later in the day, we went to H & M and then strolled on over to my favorite area of Central Park.

It was such a beautiful fall day... all of the leaves were starting to finally change into their autumn colors.

With the storm making its way towards us, I thought that this might be the one and only time I would see the leaves like this. I soaked up as much of our time there as I could.

Later in the day, we had dinner at a little Polish restaurant down the street, called Teresa's (you might remember it from one of the breakfasts I had very early on).

There's a photo of my tasty avocado salad and Caroline's delicious dinner of homemade soup and a blintze... I think that's how you spell it. It was SO GOOD. Ridiculously good.

After dinner, we made our way back to the room to get ready for the evening... We decided to dress up (in the hopes that everyone else in New York would be doing the same).

And here are the final costumes! I decided to be the Morton Salt Girl (because it was supposed to possibly rain later in the night), Caroline was a cute, little flapper gal, and Allison was a jellyfish. It doesn't get any more eclectic than that in my opinion.

The whole night was a blast! We ventured all around Greenwich Village and showed off our costumes (Allison was quite the hit with hers in particular).

And so many other people were dressed up! Actually, pretty much everyone in New York City was dressed up that night. It was so much fun.

The next morning, Caroline and I decided to go BACK to Teresa's for breakfast... we just couldn't stay away. It was too delicious. Here she is with her brie and mushroom omelet.

Unfortunately, the threat of Sandy forced Caroline to cut her trip short. She was supposed to stay until Monday morning, however, she changed her flight to Sunday evening in order to get out while she still could... In hindsight, the fact that she was able to make this work is amazing. I've talked to people who are STILL stuck in New York City with no chance of getting home until the coming weekend.

I hated to see her go, but I knew it was for the best. And we had such a wonderful time :).

After she left, Allison and I decided to kick our preparation for Sandy into high gear. It was clear that she would be arriving (and would definitely cause some damage to the city), so we decided it would be better if we rode out the storm in Queens with her family.

Before leaving, I made a quick trip to the grocery store to stock up on some apples and carrots. It was a mad house... took me 45 minutes to check out, and nothing was left on the shelves.

For the rest of Sunday through today (Wednesday), Allison and I were with her family. Although it was a slightly terrifying time (we didn't know if a tree was going to fall on the house or if the power would go out), it was also a very relaxing time. I have been "go go go" the last three weeks, so it was so nice to hunker down, sleep, and enjoy some home-cooked meals.

We watched a lot of Law and Order SVU.

And carved some pumpkins.

All the while, her dogs kept watch on the storm brewing outside.

I don't think I can say enough times how lucky we were during this storm. Millions lost power, many lost their homes or personal belongings, and even some lost their lives. We were all safe, and besides the lights flickering a few times, we never even lost our power. I felt (and still feel) extremely blessed.

These photos below were taken just down the street from Allison's house. Trees were uprooted everywhere... many of them pulling up the sidewalks with them. I've never seen anything like it.

I can't even put into words how much sadness I feel for the people of New York and all of the others affected by Hurricane Sandy. This city that I've fallen in love with is a little broken at the moment. It pains me to see it in shambles like it is.

My 22nd birthday is tomorrow, and as excited as I am to turn one year older, it is also a little strange for me. There are so many people who have lost everything from this storm... I don't NEED anything at all for my birthday. I've decided that all I want is a slice of some good, old fashioned New York cheesecake and to spend some time outside in this beautiful city. That would really be the best birthday of all.

If you were thinking of getting me something for my birthday (and even if you weren't), it would really mean a lot if you put it to better use (I like clothes and all of that, but this is a little bit better). There are several ways to help out those in need, but to make it easy, here is a link to donate to the Red Cross. All proceeds will go directly to storm victims and disaster relief. I donated just a little bit ago.

Thank you all so much! Now, to enjoy my last night as a 21-year-old.

<3
Nat

PS: This is on a church located right down the street from me. It's been up for awhile, but I find it very fitting at the moment.

Yeeahhh Oprah. You tell 'em.

Wine and cheese in Central Park, Sushi in Greenwich Village, and Donuts in Williamsburg

Another visitor has come and gone...

My wonderful, fabulous, fantastic boyfriend, Bobby, made the trek up to the Big Apple! And we had the best time. Ever. 

THURSDAY

From the moment he arrived on Thursday morning, we were on the move nonstop. Duh. That's the way I do things. There's no time to rest, relax, or sleep when you come to visit me! (This is a word of warning for those of you that were thinking about it).

Anyway, I immediately whisked him away to Tazza to grab a delicious cup of coffee. I showed him around the neighborhood, and of course, we ended up down at the promenade (hence the photo above). 

We didn't even go back to the room before I made sure he had a Metrocard in hand... and we were off to Central Park! The only thing that I've wanted to do since moving to New York City is have a "wine and cheese" date in Central Park. Obviously, I had to wait for Bobby to come visit to make this happen... and I was one happy gal.

We purchased the homemade cheese and bread from a place a few blocks from the East entrance to the park (called Grace's Marketplace). And the wine came from a place near the marketplace.

I don't know how long we sat there... definitely a couple of hours at least. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and I couldn't have imagined a better person to spend it with. Ah. One of my favorite moments.

After Central Park, we made our way to Times Square in search of the "diviest" of all dive bars. And we found it! Jimmy's Corner may be one of my new favorite bars in New York. You can tell that all of the "locals" (locals of Times Square?) show up every evening. It was simple... much unlike the insanity of Times Square, AND the bartender gave us an entire basket of Munchies for free. SO great.

Later in the evening, I introduced Bobby to the bocce call at Floyd's... If I can remember correctly, I believe I won. :). It was the perfect ending to a perfectly perfect day.

FRIDAY

Like every other person that has come to visit me, I made sure to bring Bobby to Iris Cafe for breakfast.

He ordered the french dip sandwich and I ordered the avocado sandwich. Both were prettttyyyy good, but I do have to say that it wasn't the best Iris Cafe adventure. That's alright! Still delish.

In the early afternoon, we made our way to the Lower East Side to go to some shows for CMJ (if you don't know what CMJ is, check it out here).

We were able to see Turbo Fruits at the Cake Shop.

As well as Twerps at Piano's.

I believe our favorite band from the day, however, was The Orwells... they are only in high school, and they absolutely killed it at the showcase. SO awesome.

In between the music sets, we decided to wander around. Somehow, we ended up in Chinatown, and Bobby got the fantastic idea to grab some bubble tea!

This bubble tea, which came from Kung Fu Tea, is seriously the most delicious bubble tea I've ever had (I haven't had a lot of bubble tea, but I can pretty much guarantee this is some of the best). If you are ever in Chinatown, GO THERE. I sucked my down in literally 2 minutes.

After all of the CMJ Showcase stuff, Bobby and I ventured to some bars in the Lower East Side and the East Village. For dinner, we had some delicious artisan pizza (near Times Square again.. no idea how this happened).

Once again, a perfect ending to a perfectly perfect day.

SATURDAY

After grabbing some much-needed coffee and muffins for breakfast at Tazza, we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge.

We almost walked all the way across. It was (once again) an absolutely beautiful day in New York!

Afterward, we made our way to the Meatpacking District so that I could introduce Bobby to The Highline.

I think he loved it as much as I do. We walked up and down the whole thing, and sat on a bench for a few minutes to rest our legs and do some people watching.

Then, we wandered around the corner to the Chelsea Market and bought ourselves a delicious banana and Nutella crepe to share!

Then, we made our way back to Brooklyn Heights to get ready for our evening. We got all dressed up for a date, but completely forgot to get a photo of ourselves. Oops. That's alright.

Anyway, dinner was absolutely amazing. AMAZING, I tell you.

We had sushi at Marumi in Greenwich Village.

Just look at that spread. I believe we devoured all of it (except for one, little piece of sushi that neither of us could even think of eating, because our stomachs were so full).

We also gave sake another try...

And it was SO. GOOD. Delicious.

This was another favorite moment from his visit.

After our incredible sushi dinner, we wandered around to some hilarious bars in Greenwich Village and in the East Village.

Once again, for the third time, it was a perfect ending to a perfectly perfect day.

SUNDAY

This was the day Bub had to leave :(.

...but not before I made him walk around the city a little more.

This time, I took him over to Williamsburg, Brooklyn so we could grab a delicious brunch somewhere. I didn't realize how hard this was going to be! It took us about an hour to find one that satisfied what we wanted (which was literally the most simple of breakfasts.. eggs and sausage/bacon).

But finally, we found it at a little place that I can't remember the name of. It was a diner. That's all I've got for ya. We were both delirious from our lack of food.

It was quite tasty.

But I was still hungry, so when we got to the Williamsburg Flea Market, I made Bobby split this donut with me.

That right there is an amazing, homemade, orange something-or-other donut from a little place called Dough. There is always a line for this place, so I figured what better time to stop and get one (when I could share it with Bobby)?

After walking around the flea market for quite awhile (and drooling over all of the furniture we couldn't buy), we decided to make our way back to Brooklyn Heights so he could get his stuff together to leave for the airport.

This time, I suggested that we take the ferry!

And it dropped us off right by Brooklyn Heights Park! We got such a beautiful view of the skyline coming in.

Before he left, I had to introduce him to some good New York falafel. We each had a huge falafel platter, and then we wandered back down to the promenade to watch the sunset.

It was so beautiful.

Yep. Check out Lady Liberty.

:)

It was such a perfect ending to a perfectly perfect trip.

I had the most wonderful weekend, and it was so hard to say goodbye. (But, good news: He will be back again in November for a few days. Wooohoo).

MONDAY

A day of such much-needed R & R.

TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY

A LOT of stuff at my internship. I mean, it was extremely busy. I was sweating both days from how much I was walking around/lifting/carrying things, if that tells you anything. But it was still wonderful. I love the people I work with so much.

This little guy got me through most of it.

TODAY

I've been catching up on a lot of homework, etc. In a little bit, I'm heading up to the Bryant Park area to meet with the head of A & R for Warner Music Group. (How cool, right?!). Thanks to my wonderful songwriting professor, Drew Ramsey, for setting that little meeting up for me. I can't wait to chat and pick her brain a bit about the industry.

And laterr.... If you have nothing going on about 8pm Central/ 9pm Eastern time tonight, you should grab your computer and watch me take part in a LIVE stream of a writer's round, put on by Mod City Mag.

Stream it live here: www.youtube.com/modcitymag

And TONIGHT, another visitor is coming to visit me! One of my bests, Caroline Gaskin, is making the trek up here for a few nights :). Can't wait to show her around.

I will update you all next week. Enjoy your Thursday!

<3

Nat

Four visitors and a VIP Ben Gibbard show!

You know how there's a saying that "pictures can say a thousand words"?

Photo credit: Darcy Wade

Well, that saying is going to be the foundation for this entire blog post. 

I just spent practically one whole week with some of my favorite people in the entire world. We did way too much, stayed out way too late, got way too little sleep, and had way too much fun. Even if I had an entire day to write this blog post, I don't think I would be able to explain every single thing that happened. Therefore, I am not even going to try! Instead, I am going to give you a mishmash of photos and briefly explain what is going on in each one.

My first visitor arrived on Thursday morning.

Yay Sarah!

My second visitor arrived on Thursday afternoon.

Woohoo Darcy!

We were three strong.

My third visitor arrived at about 10:30pm that evening. As soon as she stepped in the door, we made our way to the Lower East Side for a night on the town.

(Michelle was happy, I promise). At this point, it was probably 3:00am... we'd all been awake for far too long.

The four of us did quite a lot the next day.

I took them to my favorite spot in Central Park.

And then, we visited the MoMa. I believe Darcy was in art heaven.

And then we had a delicious Italian dinner (with pear ginger cocktails) near Times Square.

Photo credit: Darcy Wade

And then, I took them to the insanity that is Times Square.

My final visitor arrived Friday evening.

With Mackenzie finally here, we were complete!

A lot of stuff happened after that.

We stuffed our faces with bagels down by the promenade.

And hung out with people on the subway.

And scarfed down Malaysian food in Little Italy (I know... what? It was SO GOOD).

And hung out with other people that were visiting New York City at the same time.

And ate eclairs larger than our own heads at a diner at 12:00am.

And walked around the Williamsburg Flea Market.

And ate some delicious New York City street cart food.

Basically, I had a complete blast with all of them! It was so so sad to see them go... However, I do have to say that my body hated me after those five days. I had slept very little, and I was starting to feel a little insane. I miss my best friends already! What a perfect fall break it was :).


On Tuesday evening, after I said my final "farewell" to my last visitor, I got a call from my supervisor at Bank Robber Music asking me for a favor... he reallyyyyy needed someone to sell merchandise for a Ben Gibbard show that was going on later that night. Ben Gibbard... as in, from Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service. His music DEFINED my middle school and high school life. Despite feeling like I had been run over by five trucks in a row, I couldn't say no!

So, at about 7pm, I arrived at the HiFi in the East Village to set up the merch table. The guy literally handed me a box of CDs and a box of LPs and told me to do whatever I wanted to make it look nice. I did my best.

Sorry for the terrible photo quality... This was from my phone. And it was very dark inside the venue.

Turns out, this whole show was SUPER VIP. As in, you pretty much had to be in the music industry here in NYC in order to get in. This means, there were only about 50 people there in total. This means, it was a super intimate show... Ben Gibbard played by himself... Just him and his guitar (and occasional piano) for about 2 hours.

There he is! I know.. it doesn't really look like anything. But I promise it's him.

And he played EVERYTHING from Death Cab songs to Postal Service songs to covers to his new, solo stuff. It was so perfect.

I met so many random people... Such as, a writer for the New York Times and a girl that I'm pretty sure offered me some sort of job (?). No idea. As the night progressed, people got drunker and drunker, and they were more willing to buy merchandise from me. At the beginning of the show, someone came up to me and told me that I would probably not sell a single thing, because most of the people there were industry guys (who get their music for free). I decided to prove him wrong! And I did. In total, I believe I sold 6 of the vinyl and 7 of the CDs. Hoorayyy.

What a fun, fun night :).