I 'heart" New York

It's official. I am now a blogger. I have been inspired in many ways to use my creative writing skills and even if nobody cares about what I have to say, it's an outlet to help me put my thoughts and feelings and share them with the world. First things first, I. Love. To. Travel. This passion grew when I lived in Los Angeles and took weekend trips and day trips to the many fun things the city had to offer. Everyone had their own places that were their favorites and I was exposed to them through my friends. Whether it was spending an afternoon at the Getty or people watching at Venice Beach; everyday was a new and fresh adventure. I was bitten by the travel bug and it's venom has never escaped me. I desire to visit new places and experience new and spontanious things. In the past two years, I have been to Baja, Las Vegas, Portland, Palm Springs, various places in Colorado(my current residence) and though I am from Northen California originally, I saw many parts of it I have never been before. Such as Arcata, Eureka, and Sebastopal. I have been to the Bay Area MANY times too but there is always something new and fresh to experience in San Francisco.

April 20, 2010 rolled around and I could barely sit still. I am not a morning person. Anyone who knows me well knows this fact. I had to be up at 4:30 that morning to catch my flight. This pup was off to New York City. This sounds silly but ever since seeing Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, I have ALWAYS wanted to come here. It seemed so far and almost impossible to make the time to get to the east coast. The inspiration came from a couple friends who live here and talk about what an awesome place it is. I am now seeing first hand what they were talking about all this time! I sat in an aisle seat on my flight into LaGuardia so I wasnt able to see the buildings. It didnt really set in until I took my very first Subway ride into the city. The tall buildings were so surreal to me. Luckily I had someone with me who knew the city and rode the train with me. I would have gotten lost and probably ended up in New Jersey hanging out with Snookie or something. I was welcomed to "the city" with open arms by my wonderful friend Zach whom I met in L.A four years ago. I rode up an elevator for 50 floors to the PH level. Which stands for penthouse. The famous Empire State Building stands tall and proud right in front of the window. I can see people's cameras flashing most of the evening. I felt like a kid at Disneyland. I was in total and complete awe with my mouth hanging wide open. Once I gathered myself, closed my mouth, and able to utter more words than "wow," we went out for my first New York dinner. We went to a nice steakhouse. Ironically, I dont eat beef or pork and havent in 6 years so I opted for the crab cake. Super good btw. But the thing that made me smile was the cocktail I ordered. Since I am here during the Tribeca Film Festival, there is an official drink dedicated to this event. It was called "The Leading Lady." This devine cocktail was a martini and consisted of Stoli Vanilla, cinnamon schnapps, and a blackberry liquer. It was nicely garnished with fresh blackberries. Since I am a bartender, I like to "study" my craft and get new ideas! :) Though I am in the "city that never sleeps," I was tired after a long day of flying and needed some rest. I was suffering from serious jetlag and didnt go to sleep till 3:30 and woke up at 1 in the afternoon. So much for having a super productive day! I walked around the neighborhood and there was so much to look at and shops to visit just in the four block radius I stuck to. After I got ahold of my friend, I rode the subway to Union Square where we got a real New York pizza and a glass of wine. The restaurant was called Gemma and it was very authentic Italian. Candles were everywhere dripping wax and I imagine a restaurant in the heart of Italy would be like this. The culture in this city absolutely blows my mind. Almost every block feels like you are in a different country! It was pouring rain and I was wearing flip flops. I had an incident with the couch where I stubbed my toe and it turned into a pretty bad sprain. My whole toe is now purple and it looked like the size of my big toe. Needless to say comfortable walking shoes made my toe feel suffocated. My poor little toes were soaked and cold! So, we went to a funny little dive bar called Tom and Jerry's to warm up. This is where I discovered possibly my new favorite cocktail called a John Daly. Basically, it's an Arnold Palmer with a twist. Seagrams Sweet Tea Vodka+fresh lemon juice=heavenly! My first day here was amazing, but today is the day that really did it for me. I rode in my first New York cab and met a dear friend of mine at her apartment near Central Park. We started our adventure with PinkBerry. The most amazing frozen yogurt you will ever have in my opinion. I topped it with fresh raspberry, mochi, and coconut. We then walked to the American Museum of Natural History. Since we got there in the last hour it was open, it was free! We did a quick walk-through of the main exhibits and had a grand time. We then walked to a store called Tibet which was quite the experience for me. We went into the meditaion room and played with the singing bowls. The sound they make is something used for meditation in the Tibetan/Buddhist culture. There was something very peaceful about this experience. It was so quiet and seemed worlds away from the chaotic city life right above us. I left with a pashmina scarf that is so delightfully soft! Then we were off to my first Broadway play. We decided to see 39 Steps which is an Alfred Hitchcock play. There was a very small cast of four people who played 50 different characters. These actors are genius when it comes to their craft. Being an actress, I know that you really have to dedicate yourself to your character and become that person. I cant imagine dedicating yourself to 20 different people on stage and playing each part so amazingly well! After the show we walked around Times Square, which is basically the Hollywood Blvd of New York. Crowds and crowds of people all flocking to the huge novelty stores. It was cool to see and experience but I dont think I would purposely go there for anything. We topped off the evening with a slice of New York cheesecake and a cup of coffee(which may explain why I'm up at 2:30 blogging). I then took the taxi back home which seriously made me fear for my life and gave a bit of motion sickness. I would never drive in this city, I get impatient when Pagosa has traffic. My fuse would blow just trying to get out of a parking space I would think. The great thing about this city is you never have to drive. The public transportation is unbelievably amazing! Well, I'm off for the evening but I am here till Tuesday and will have more stories to tell. If you are reading this, thank you for making my typing attack worth while. Goodnight from New York City....