since coming to new york city three and a half years ago, i’ve found love, a second home, and learned a lot about myself. whenever i find myself longing for the city, it’s time for another visit – and taking some time there always helps me re-calibrate.
on friday night, bae and i left for the big apple. we drive the four and a half hours up, and my favorite part is the last leg of the journey when you see the skyline from a distance. unfortunately, with the light and the moving vehicle, this was the best i could manage. for me, this view always makes me feel like i’m coming home.
after a good night’s sleep, and catching up with family, we headed out to have a little date in the city. the bronx has such colorful graffiti, and we stumbled across so many different designs and patterns.
hopping onto the subway, we headed down to my favorite part of the city, brooklyn. you may find this odd, but i really enjoy looking for rats in the subway. i affectionately call them “friends” and i love just watching them move about in the train tracks, scavenging. i wasn’t very lucky this time, and didn’t spot any.
the part of brooklyn i love most has the most wonderful residential buildings. i find fire escapes to be especially romantic, though bae totally doesn’t get it at all. i always like to imagine what it might look like inside. i know that i’m not cut out for the city life, but i often like to imagine what my life would have been like had i moved here instead. it’s fun to dream of a different version of myself, living in one of these apartments.
the iron fencing and little gardens throughout this area always feels so familiar, somehow. it really embodies man’s need stay close to nature, and i love that. the thick peeling paint and evident rusting gives it its own character, too.
and finally, we come to my favorite place in all the world. there’s nothing i love more than a clear day, looking out onto manhattan and enjoying the beautiful view. bae showed me this spot the very first time i came to visit him and so in a way, i feel like this view was his special gift to me.
nothing is more precious to me than the memories i’ve made here with him.
after soaking up the view and enjoying each other’s company, my trip wouldn’t have been complete without some mr. softee soft serve ice cream. i enjoyed the cone while walking back through the bronx. there’s nothing like soft serve in new york, and i look forward to it every time i come here.
that evening, i met up with some of my girlfriends and we went to carmine’s. we got some drinks, ate delicious authentic italian food, and just chatted. it was so much fun, and i had the most delicious pasta i’ve ever eaten. in fact, i was so consumed with the taste, i completely forgot to take a picture. so instead, here’s my go-to drink, an amaretto sour.
sunday afternoon, we drove home. it was a great visit to the city, though it felt almost too short. once we parked, i saw these flowers growing in front of our building, as if to say, “welcome home.”
kaffinejo's musings 