Conquering NYC, One Week At A Time

So I've finally made the big move to The Big Apple, and I'm loving it! I was so nervous initially about the transition, but it wasn't so bad. My moving in/unpacking process is slow going due to my hectic schedule so far. I've only been here over a week, and the only things that have a officially found a home in my room are my clothes. That's the most important part, though, right?
I managed to see SAVAGES last week, and it was intense. No the kind of film you want to go see with your grandmother (which almost happened in my case). There is a lot of violence and 2 pretty graphic sex scenes in the beginning of the film. The characters were interesting, and the story almost had a Greek tragedy to it - like the predicament could have been avoided if certain stupid choices weren't made. It's so crazy how many people die over a stinking plant! At least back when we were less civilized we would only kill for survival purposes (as far as we know) - Like " Hey! That's my mastodon meat! I kill you!" I enjoyed the film, it moved at a fast pace, but the ending left me feeling like "What was the point, then?" Blake Lively looked fantastic, and the whole movie I wanted Aaron Johnson to shave off whatever was growing on his face! I give it a B+.  What do you think?

 My BFF Lauren introduced me her world at UCB (the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre) where we saw a comedy show featuring Bob Odenkirk with a guest appearance by David Cross (Principal Gold in SHE'S THE MAN). The show was pretty funny!

So last weekend my good friend Antonia arrived from Orlando to visit me before she has to return to Germany. We wandered the streets of Manhattan together and stumbled upon some amazing places. She arrived Friday afternoon, and we hopped from theatre to theatre trying to find good tickets to see a Broadway show.



After an evening of no luck, we went to the M&M store to play the tourists.








While searching for a place to eat, we found a French restaurant that was celebrating Bastille Day! It was full of french people, which we found to be ironic - French people coming to the US and eating at a French restaurant of all places! But of course you have to on Bastille Day :) We had dinner at Arriba Arriba where they have fantastic large margaritas of any flavor!! On our way to meet my friend Lauren, we stopped at a cafe that served crepes and got nutella crepes. YUM!!!

On Saturday, Antonia, Lauren, and I saw MEMPHIS on Broadway. It was excellent! Most of the original cast from 2009, when I first saw it, were still in the show. The only difference (and improvement, in my opinion) was Adam Pascal (RENT, AIDA, SLC PUNK) played Huey Calhoun. He was amazing, and the show was even better than the first time. The show closes next month, so that was the obvious choice to go see. We waited at the stage door after the show, but, unfortunately, Adam Pascal and the other leads slipped out the front, leaving all the fans high and dry. I was pretty disappointed, and I think I like him a little less because of that. We did, however, get to meet the actor who played Gator in the show!

Pinkberry and the Pony Bar finished off our night in the city!

Our last full day together was pretty wild. Antonia and I headed towards the American Museum of Natural History and came upon a farmer's market outside the museum. It was fun to explore, and apparently they have it every Sunday! We saw some pretty amazing pieces and learned a lot about evolution, the importance of babies becoming attached to their parents at infancy, and discovered that it's too late for me to have perfect pitch lol (if you haven't developed perfect pitch by the age 12, you'll never have it).

We had lunch at Shake Shack- so good! Must get a burger from there if you come to NYC!  And no trip to NYC would be complete without a visit to Central Park! We visited the Shakespeare Garden, the  Delacorte Theatre, the Great Lawn, and the Loeb Boathouse.

Unfortunately, we got caught in the rain and got soaked to the bone.  I don't think I have ever been so drenched before in all my life! There wasn't any place to hide! There's nothing so gross as being wet through and through in the middle city without a bus or subway station in sight. We were a sight for sore eyes , lemme tell ya! We were a pretty big spectacle on the bus!

We decided to finish off our night in the Village (drying off of course). We started out at Jekyll and Hyde where monsters come to life while you drink and dine and a creepy butler hobbles about the place groaning at you. The drinks were pretty pricey, so I doubt if I'll return, but it was a fun one off. 

We couldn't have Antonia leave without trying some New York style pizza! We went to Bleeker Street Pizza which apparently is the best pizza in NYC. It's really small and there are pictures all over the place of celebs who came in for a slice - including Hugh Jackman! I still think Gino's in Long Island is better!

We ended the night at a BohoKaraoke where Lauren joined us. You have to buy a drink per each song you sing, the drinks are also pricey, but the atmosphere was fun! There was this one woman who sang every song (and there were 4 of them) with the same pitch, speed, and tone regardless of how the song was really supposed to sound! It was so bad but hilarious!! Also there was this group of crazy girls who sang like they were monster demons -that was a little too weird. 

Antonia returned to Orlando yesterday, which made for a heartbreaking goodbye (witnessed by strangers on the 1 train). I can't wait for us to be reunited again, and I look forward to more adventures in the city. Ciao for now!