After my first 2 days at work (I wait some time to give you some details to follow up my previous posts about “I get hired!” – I still have to translate them, coming soon), we left for the weekend to New York City. The plan wasn’t to visit the city but to see a good friend of mine and her family who were spending time over there. The city was a nice “backstage” and even if we promised to ourselves to not walk too much (“it’s only 10 blocks away” no way), we ended up ruining my sandals and Manu’s espadrilles on the hot sidewalks of the city…
A few days ago, a good friend of mine told me that she would be in NYC for two weeks. I immediately jumped on this occasion and I bought two bus tickets to New York. We took the same company we used for our last weekend in February. Everybody here seem chocked that we are travelling that way “I don’t feel comfortable with this”. Whatever, it’s cheap and we are so brave!
When I get out of my work Friday night, I biked to the station, Manu arrived soon after me and here we go! Boston-New York trip has no big highlight: it’s just the occasion to listen to some music for 3 hours straight and to make stops on creepy service stations. The cool stuff, it’s when we arrive in NYC: seeing Manhattan by night is very nice, the city seems so huge… and scary.
My video of this weekend…
… which for once doesn’t have a gastronomic part.
Music: Lou Reed.
We arrived at 11pm in Chinatown. We felt kind of dizzy after this trip, and when we get out of the bus, the heat was awful and the air wet. True jungle. We were in a frizzing city in February and now it was the exact opposite (I guess we haven’t chose the best times in the year for a visit). On the pictures we took in New York, I look either like an Eskimo or somebody who definetely got sweat issues. Anyway, we walked, arrived in Little Italy and finally get a cab to go to our place for the weekend (found on AirBnb, again). The city was so lively, I said to myself that Boston was very, very quiet, probably too much, but I’m starting to like this… but as soon as I thought that I like peaceful places, I freaked out (I’m almost 30 anyway – next step is living in the suburbs).
Saturday morning, we met at 10.30 in Chelsea, perfect spot to visit some art galleries and walk on the High Line to try to get some fresher air. I was so happy to see my friend, it’s been a long time, she’s living in London now, she had a baby, we moved away… We met in college, she studied for one year in France, and two years later, I spent one year in her city in Italy, the great Bologna. Since this Dolce Vita, I love Italy and everything which goes around: cinema, language, food, people, opera, landscapes, cities… I try to go there at least once a year, and definitely I won’t go there this year though. When I speak Italian, everything seems much more dramatic, intense. My italian was a bit rusty, so it was good to speak to her.
We spent the weekend walking, contrary to our promise. Walking and talking, on smelly sidewalks (I know that this detail is not very glamour, I think there’s some kind of chemical reaction due to the heat – the smell is very striking). We walked so much, that Saturday night, before dinner, instead of going back to the hotel and take a shower, we went to a nail spa, I get a “pedi” (ok, I admit I get a mani and a pedi, but I was very tired) and Manu a “foot massage” (a first for him). With our feet in colorful water, we were in paradise and at the end we were almost ready to walk again (unfortunately, I chose an awful pink nail polish, very Barbie style).
Saturday, we had a brunch at the Spotted Pig on the West Village. French fries were awesome, with rosemary flavor… yummy.
Sunday, in order to do anyway “New Yorkers stuff”, we went to the MoMA. It was delightful. I loved seeing all the paintings and sculptures that I saw for years in books… now for real! Now I just want to go back to NYC at least one entire week to visit it in a mad and complete way. Then we spent the afternoon in Central Park, no rest, walking, again.
This post in the number 100! If you have never left a comment yet, it’s the perfect timing, I want to know who’s there!
