The Universe sent me to NYC & I am thankful

Last week I got to visit one of my favorite place and see one of my favorite people in the entire world.  New York City.  There really isn't anything like it.  And there really isn't anyone like my dear friend Craig who lives there.  I love both.

I flew up last Wednesday after work and ended up staying, expectantly, until Monday morning.  Since I was only going to get to hang out with Craig until Friday, Steve decided to fly up on that Friday and join me for the weekend.  The entire trip was a blast and I have my mother's broken spleen to thank for it.

You see I had around a $250 credit on American Airlines since I had to cancel a wedding trip in order to go back to Pittsburgh for Mom's surgery.  So not only did I get a great summer trip to Pittsburgh last year, minus the surgery part, but I also ended up with a great trip to NYC that I probably wouldn't have taken.  The universe at work.

While I was in NYC I did some of the typical tourist stuff, went to Central Park, took pictures of the famous buildings and tried to not get run over by cabs.  It really is one of the greatest cities in the world. The food was amazing and if you are a smart traveler, which I think I qualify as, you can eat great and do it cheaply.

I had a great time hanging out with Craig for the first few days of my trip.  We walked around, took in a musical comedy about drinking in Soho and just caught up on life.  The great thing about Craig is I can not see him for two years and we pick right back up where we left off.


When I met up with Steve on Friday the good times just kept on rolling.  I'll admit I spent a good amount of time sitting on a bar stool but we met some of the coolest bartenders and bar patrons.  Happy hour on Friday especially but that may be a story for another time.

Saturday Steve and I got a great bicycle ride in.  We rented bikes and headed over the bridge to Brooklyn to find the Brooklyn brewery and while we ended up drinking at the place next door it was well worth it.  The city is great to bike in with plenty of greenway trails and bike lanes and it doesn't take long to feel confident weaving through traffic and yelling at tourist to move their asses.

NYC is definitely a place I feel comfortable.  I love the fast pace and all the options of things to do.  If it wasn't so expensive of a place to live it I could see myself living there.  Maybe in another life.

That's enough typing for now.  In the meantime check out some of my favorite pics:

One hell of a Cuban sandwich.

Katz deli corned beef.

Ghostbusters!

Chinatown dumplings that were insanely delicious and cost $3.