This past week has been tough for me. I spent my previous two weekends volunteering at different events, and while I did come to New York to enhance my CV, I was beginning to feel like I was missing out on what this amazing city has to offer. This was also met with feelings of homesickness as the reality of how far away I was from my family and friends was really beginning to kick in. I finally had a whole weekend free to myself so I took the opportunity to start ticking things off the long list of things I want to do while in New York.
FRIDAY
Friday was a late start. Sleep seriously needed to be caught up on, so I stayed in late and didn't rush to get ready like I feel I've been doing for the past two weeks. Lucy and I headed out to collect Grace from FIT as she had classes that day, then travelled downtown to the West Village to grab a bite to eat at By Chloe. This small chain boasts a delicious selection of vegan meals and treats. I'm not vegan myself, but I was more than happy to sample from the wide selection, and honestly, it was just as delicious as anything else I've eaten here! I had the 'meatball' sandwich from the cafe, then nipped next door to where they sold all the sweet treats and enjoyed a vegan peanut butter cookie.
Next we headed uptown a little to the Chelsea area to watch improv at the UCB theatre. This theatre caught my eye as it was mentioned in Amy Poehler's book Yes Please, which she set up with some of her colleagues to give up and coming comedians a stage to practice on. Tickets were only $10 (and even cheaper on Mon-Thurs) and we got to enjoy an hour of hilarious sketches by two different groups of comedians. The first focused on some of the everyday experiences of travelling on the subway, something which I can definitely relate to having lived in New York for over a month now (I can't believe it's gone so fast!). The second performance was from a group of women dressed as men, making light of some of the infuriating things men do. I can already tell I'll be visiting this place a few times while I'm here, and it seems like the kind of place I could comfortably go on my own if no one else fancied joining me.
SATURDAY
On Saturday we opted to explore the uptown area, particularly Central Park. We were going to check out the Guggenheim Museum but a lot of the rooms were closed, so we figured it would be more worthwhile coming another time. It was a beautiful day so we took a stroll round Central Park. Parts of the park were fenced off and we could see long lines of people weaving around the park. It turns out there was a festival on that day. If we listened close enough we could hear Kings of Leon playing in the background.
For dinner, we travelled down to Penn Station to a Mexican restaurant called Lucy's Cantina Royale which we had passed a few times but never had the chance to try. I was so impressed with the selection of food and the prices were amazing for somewhere in central Manhattan! The restaurant has a lovely rooftop area where we chose to sit, offering views of the street down below and the Empire State building. It was so nice to have a proper sit down meal and the chance chat to each other without any distractions.
We finished the evening by rushing back to Brooklyn to watch Suicide Squad at a cinema close to our accommodation. Unfortunately we did miss a bit at the beginning, but it didn't hinder the experience. I'd heard a lot of bad things about the film, saying there was a lack of plot and that it wasn't very good, but I personally really enjoyed it. You could tell there was a lot of footage that had to be taken as the film felt quite fast paced, jumping from scene to scene, and the joker hardly featured in it as much as I had expected. Still, I was impressed.
SUNDAY
Having missed the Smorgasburg food market last weekend due to volunteer work, the girls went again on Sunday to give us a chance to check it out. Sunday's market is located in the beautiful Prospect Park, which we wandered around for ages before eventually arriving in the right area. I treated myself to a pork baguette, an ice cream sandwich, and a much needed ice cold, homemade lemonade. I walked around and eyed up all the stands before making my final decision, and I noticed some other cool food like the viral sensations raindrop cake, rolled ice cream and ramen burgers.
We headed home and relaxed for a little bit before going back out to visit the Photoville exhibition which was just round the corner from where we are living. We were a little late so had to rush round it before it closed, as Sunday was the last night. Photoville featured a variety of photography projects and displays that were each presented in their own shipment container. There was an exhibition on Bill Cunningham which was lovely to go and see, and there was also a lot of work on gun crime and Black Lives Matter which as very moving.
We finished the evening with yet another Shake Shack (honestly, we are ALWAYS there) then headed home ready to start another week of studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology!
I felt this weekend was a well deserved break for me, and I hope that all weekends are just as jam packed as this one.
Until next time,
Aderyn x
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