Adventures in New York

[lizziebelle]

I had a most fabulous time in New York over the weekend. It was just what I needed to get out of my routine and do something different. And except for a flat tire on the bus on the ride down, it all went swimmingly.

I arrived Friday afternoon, meeting grrlfriday (a.k.a. my cousin Deanna) and heading out for a bite to eat before going to see the High Line. We settled on burgers at Lucky's; they were delicious and just what we needed to fortify ourselves. The High Line is really cool; I recommend going to see it when you're in New York. They're about a week ahead of us for what's in bloom, and we saw lots of funky tulips and other great flowers.

Friday evening, we went to a book launch party at Galapagos Art Space for The Essential Ellen Willis. There were readings, and free drinks & snacks (lots of cheeeeese!), and the space was really nifty. I got recognized from Deanna's Instagram from earlier in the day; that really tickled me.

Galapagos is right near the Manhattan Bridge, and I snapped a few shots before we went in.

Saturday morning, we went to Coney Island. The last time I was there, it was foggy, so I was glad to get some shots in the sunshine.

Of course, we had to have a hot dog at Nathan's.

Saturday afternoon, we headed into the East Village to meet lizardqueen (a.k.a. Patricia Kennealy-Morrison) for a late lunch. Patricia is just as cool and fabulous as I expected her to be, and she & Deanna hit it off as I knew they would. We ate at a cute Ukrainian place, Veselka. We then wandered around the East Village, looking at great old buildings and fun little shops, and ended up at Tompkins Square Park for a rest. It was wonderful to finally meet Patricia after being friends here on LJ and on Facebook for years! Not to mention having been reading her books for over 20 years. That was definitely the highlight of the weekend for me.

We then headed toward the Flatiron building and The Strand. While we were scouting a spot from which to take a pic of the Flatiron, a friend of Deanna's came up and said he had just spotted a rare bird, and would we like to see it? Turns out he works for Audubon, and had tweeted about the bird; the first birders were just showing up, and they were all excited. Apparently this bird is rarely seen this far north. It was a prothonotary warbler, which is a pretty yellow color and has a sweet song.

After a dash through the rain, we went into The Strand, which is a bibliophile's paradise. Tall stacks of books everywhere! Three floors of them! :::drool:::

After that, we decided we'd pretty much had it for the day, and went back to Brooklyn for gelato and giggles.

Sunday morning, we walked over to Green-Wood Cemetery, which is a beautiful old cemetery full of great statuary, history, and wonderful trees and flowers.

At the top of the hill, there are great views of Manhattan, and you can see the Statue of Liberty.

Too soon, it was time to head back to Penn Station to catch the bus home. The ride back to Boston was fast and uneventful, and I was full of memories to last until the next time.

Thank you Deanna, thank you Patricia, and thank you New York! I love you all!