Happy Monday. I hope you had a lovely weekend. It was pretty
cold here in the city, but that didn’t stop BF & I from going for a nice 1
year anniversary walk around Brooklyn. We took the subway across to Brooklyn
Heights, got coffees, stopped at a diner and then walked back over the Brooklyn
Bridge.
fruity streets!
Brooklyn Heights was surprisingly lovely & felt like the ritzy part
of Toronto called Rosedale. It was really nice to get out of Manhattan and
check out something new. I’m so lucky to have had this past year with BF.
Hopefully the next year will be even better.
sorry for the blurry pics - i just had my blackberry :)
check out the new freedom tower - it's going to be BIG!
DID YOU KNOW THAT:
The Brooklyn Bridge is
one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883,
it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn
by spanning the East River. With a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m),
it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903,
and the first steel-wire suspension bridge.
In 2006, a Cold War
era bunker was found by city workers near the East River shoreline of
Manhattan's Lower East Side. The bunker, hidden within the masonry anchorage,
still contained the emergency supplies that were being stored for a potential
nuclear attack by the Soviet Union (thanks wikipedia)
Even though I’ve lived in the city for over a year & a
half, I’ve never actually walked across this very old bridge. (to be honest I
kept thinking about Sex & the City when Miranda and Steve meet half way,
geek à I
know) Walking back towards Manhattan, I kept thinking that I can’t believe how
HUGE the city is.
Buildings, buildings, buildings. It’s crazy – no wonder I feel
so overwhelmed sometimes.
I recently read Bringing Home the Birkin. A story about a
man who moves to Barcelona and makes it big reselling Hermes items on eBay. It
is a wonderful read & I highly recommend it.
This book inspired me to make more money in a new and
exciting way: EBAY! I need more cash for a few reasons, particularly my upcoming
trip to Europe and Christmas presents!
“Now I realize
everything and see how people who have money can be separated into three main
categories:
1. If you have rich parents that have money and power
2. If you are doing something illegal, like selling drugs
3. If you are a hard worker and everything you have in your life is the result
of your efforts”
This past week I sold my first item ever on ebay.com and I think
it’s going to be my new thing. I’m
not sure what my approach will be but I definitely have some stuff I could get
rid of like clothing, beauty products, blackberry chargers, shoes, perfume etc
etc etc. Check out a few things I put up today.
I hope you’re having a nice week so far. It has
been rainy
and humid here in New York. Today the temperature was 65 degrees (or
about 15
for all of you Canadians out there!). I’m not complaining – I prefer
winter to
stay away as long as possible.
Today I’d like to share a very special spot that BF
and I
found. It is located at Essex & Grand St, and is a great find for
anyone
who is looking to have a homey, healthy and adorable lunch. The food is
affordable,
fresh and overall worth checking out if you’re in the area. We have gone here twice now, both times I have left as happy as a little kid on a field trip.
When we went, I had a soup + half wrap combo
featuring their
homemade lentil soup (delish) and a half boardwalk wrap. BF made his own
sandwich with turkey, he seemed pretty happy. They also have an
extensive tea
collection & the staff is very friendly! For such a small space
(there are
only a few tables) quite a few people come in and out picking up salads,
bagels, coffee and ice cream. Overall, this made place made me feel like I was over at a friends place for lunch in high school (in the 70s) & their mom made me something special. I can't wait to go back.
Here is an email I wrote to my dearest friends today. We are planning to go to Europe at the beginning of February 2012. Woohooo :)
I have never visited any European countries and am taking a first stab at getting my group of girlfriends organized! Any thoughts on my 2 ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Darlings!
I’ve been doing some brainstorming about our trip and I’ve
come up with 2 potential options that I think would be wonderful. These are
just some thoughts I’ve had while procrastinating at work!
Idea #1 : Prague
& Vienna –
a.Vienna!
– Not just the name of that terrible, terrible tramp from the Bachelor (I miss
watching this with you gals), but also is often said to be "The City of
Dreams" because it was home to one of the world's greatest interpreters of
dreams, Professor Sigmund Freud. (lets go here http://www.traveldestinationinfo.com/vienna/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Vienna-2.jpg)
Vienna has 23 districts or wards know singularly as Bezirkin Austrian German. They vary immensely in
size and each has its own flair – perfect for a group of curious and
adventurous young Canadian women. One thing that I find quite interesting about
this place is the fact that they have a large dedication to the sport of
horseback riding, specifically Lipizzaner horses. This particular breed of
horse walks with blissful bounce and appear to be dancing – very appealing.
Vienna is also famous for its coffee
culture. "Let's have a coffee" is a very commonly heard
phrase. Although it is off season, the city has a lot of beautiful vineyards;
luckily, beer is next in importance to wine. - Dearest Amy, we will find you
something gluten free!!! Let’s go make our dreams come true in the city of
Vienna.
b.Prague!
Or the “Golden City” - In addition to seeing the beautiful gothic and
renaissance buildings in Prague (and things like this clock http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Praga_0003.JPG)
, we would fit right in with the local street style (http://www.stylemewhimsy.com/2011/11/travel-list-prague.html
( this is a great blog by the way, check it out.) Beer in the Czech Republic
has a long and important history. Prague or ‘Praha’ as the locals say, is
widely regarded as one of the most charming cities in Europe. Another beer town
- the first brewery is known to have existed in 1118. (thanks Wikipedia) –
since we really like beer, charming architecture and interesting facts about
weird countries, I believe this would be a great choice.
c.Did
you know that driving from Vienna to Prague only takes a little over 3 hours?
The super mobility of a car will save us time and money in locating budget
accommodations in small towns away from tourists and train lines. If there is
anything I’ve learned from you, the best way to experience a country is to get
to know the locals. Think of all the fun we could have stopping at little
boutiques, or packing a picnic and checking out a small art gallery along the
way. Driving would allow us to find little gems that we will remember forever.
If there is time, we could even go to Salzburg! Just a thought…..
d.Another
great things about going to these two countries is that the flights are
relatively cheap / comparable to other locations (ie London).
Idea #2 : Paris &
Amsterdam
a.We’ll always have Paris – Even though I have
never watched Casablanca, I quoted it anyways. Why you ask? Because every
movie, book and person I’ve ever talked to has told me that Paris has SOMETHING
special about it. Magical even – when you’re there you just feel it. Look at
this blog and you’ll see why - http://www.theclotheswhisperer.co.uk/2011/11/wandering-whisperer-paris-prepares-for.htmlThe magical feelings could be related to the
amount of wine that people consume in the city; but, if we drink wine together
in Paris we can high five each other on how we’ve grown since the days of box
of wine. Now that Brooke has been here a few times, she knows what is worth
seeing and some great places to stay. How great would it be if we had a
friendship photo in front of some of these historical monuments – that’d be a
framer! A VERY important tidbit about this place is cheese. Cheese. We all love
it, Danielle always takes the biggest piece because she loves it so much. Here
is a site that boasts “What to know where to get the best French Cheese? Here
we tell you about one of the best cheese makers in Paris” http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/france/Best-Cheese-in-Paris/623Added value bonus: Danielle speaks French and
will help us get the best wines using her knowledge of fine François culture.
b.Amsterdam
– This city fans out from the central railway station and we could easily hop
on a trainto get here from Paris. In
the early 17th century, when immigration was at a peak, a comprehensive plan
was developed that was based on four concentric half-circles of canals with
their ends emerging at the IJbay (to
get a better idea, please see this helpful photo http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/AmsterdamLuchtfotoBmz.jpg)
. Do you know what this means? We can take a little row boat through a canal
together. Have we done that before? NO. People who have been have told me that
there are 2 places you must visit while in the city: special cafes and the red
light districts. Once we do that, there are lots and lots of other cool things
we can do. Ie) Beer Sampling http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/things-to-do/dutch_beer
During our down time, we should wander neat little shops and make new friends.
c.Flights
are about the same as idea #1.
After reading this, you might be thinking “wow this sounds
expensive!” or "wow caitlin was really bored today".
I am also concerned
about $$$ therefore, I am happy to agree that hostels / splitting
accommodations is definitely a YES. Buying food from little groceries instead
of eating a zillions of restaurants is a YES. Having the most fun ever is a YES
YES YES.
Let me know what you think . Miss y’alls.
Have you been to Europe? Where should I go as a first timer?
