NYC

I rolled into Penn Station (not Grand Central) Thursday evening.

Jordan and boyfriend Jay met me to take me to Brooklyn.

Boyfriend Jay carried my huge suitcase all over the trains and stairs and sidewalks from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The best.

Although Bushwick looked very ragged in the dark, we popped into The Johnsons for a drink and then to Pizza Party for pizza.

The Johnsons is this grungy chill space bar with wood paneling and diamond print vinyl booths. But also hides on the floors and mid mod furniture scattered about? So obviously first surprised that there were hip things behind the graffiti and old buildings.

Pizza Party. A collection of colors, prints, and objects of all of our childhood 90's bedrooms. But you eat really really great pizza.

Friday:  Manhattan

I slept wayyyyyy in. The apartments are called railroad apartments? Each room is connected in one long row. I slept in the middle room....completely dark.

I figured out the trains and headed to Bowery for brunch with my friend Kayla that lives in Williamsburg! We went to the Butchers Daughter, and it was amazing. The most dense avocado toast I have ever had. And cups and cups and cups of coffee while we caught up.

Can this be my future kitchen?

We walked everywhere and then some. I loved it.

We picked up a treat at  and sunned ourselves on the tinsiest patio.

The blossoms were out to show off during my time there!

I walked through park after park that are refernced on movies and they were beautiful. I didn't make it to Central Park this time, but! These little parks made me very thankful for the huge amount of green space and community space there is in Des Moines. But. Des Moines could use some outdoor chess space...

I popped into Mindys office to see what she does all day. Mostly consisted of celebrity names and fittings and moving darts and cutting pieces of clothing as they go through the production cycle.  She's great. She does great things. She was always the best technical designer in our apparel classes. 

Not Mindy. This is the front desk girl. 

I got back to Brooklyn somehow. Found my way to their apartment!  

This is their street! 

Jordan is in her last semester of SIX years of school. She is working on her thesis projects. Which means all times of all days are spent brainstorming, creating, and discussing theories and concepts. I walked into her and her friends making paper out of trash :) I miss walking into these things in our Ames apartment. 

We went back to Manhattan for an art showing at this little men's boutique/gallery AND THEN Mexican food at Tacombi. 

If you ever go, get the corn and cheese cup. I wish I could remember the name of it. But it's amaazzzzzeeeeeee. We have a favored taco truck in Des Moines, and I will say, the tacos and surrounding foods surprised me at how close they came to our neighborhood tacos.  

The next morning was so cold and so rainy and was so windy. Ahem, not ideal climates for a girl with a cold wanting to walk around. So! We declared it Bushwick day. We walked a few blocks away to AP for coffee. 

We went a few more blocks in another direction for brunch at this vegan place and it was way gooooood. And way worth the cold huddle outside as we waited for our name to be called :)  

We stayed inside the railroad room and watched....The OC. It's fine, it's fine. I went allllll the way to NYC and binge watched episodes of terrible high school drama, BUT it was with the biggest OC fan of all time (Jordan) and it is exactly what we would have done on a rainy Saturday in Ames.

We did pull ourselves off the couch to go get drinks and foods though! We walked around to a couple of totally different places until we found a spot in one. 

We got cocktails! And then their cool Williamsburg friends came and we got charcuterie and wine and it was beautiful and cozy.  

We met up with MORE people in a loud bar. And then we called it quits and scuddled back home with the night cats and the alley mice. 

We ended up on the roof and I bid farewell to all 5 Burroughs (even you, Staten Island).  

I woke up on time somehow and took my uber to the airport!  

I was WAY READY TO BE HOME, after a week in Philadelphia and 3 days in New York.

So my last post about NYC painted a not so favorable picture. I enjoyed Manhattan much more this time, however, I am just not totally and wholeheartedly into New York.  

I had a good moment while riding the train into Manhattan, that I realized-I couldn't do the variety of things I love doing in the Midwest if I lived in the city.  

Yes, I would get the walking/biking everywhere and great city things that I love about downtown Des Moines. But, I couldn't store my tennis racquet, sand volleyball, fly fishing gear, camping equipment, herb garden, grilling things, or very many of my clothes really anywhere in my tiny overpriced apartment. I wouldn't be able to just grab all of that and go camping or fishing or hiking.  

I am sure I could actually find a way, but! All of my money would go to trendy restaurants and subway fares. I just. I just really really like our neighborhood, I love that many of my friends live next door, I think we have and are getting more really good restaurants that rarely have a crazy line any time of the day any day of the week. 

New York, I'll keep visiting as long as you house my friends, but I will most likely never leave the Midwest.