Pizza Pie & Beer, Oh My!

Last night, my friend Becky met me after work and we went a few blocks away to the Limelight Marketplace on 21st & 6th have pizza at Grimaldis. I have heard nothing but great things about Grimaldis, voted best pizza in NY, with their main location just under the Brooklyn Bridge. Recently, when I heard about a new location so close to where I work, I couldn't wait to go.

The place was adorable, surprisingly pretty empty at 6 o'clock in the evening. The tables were adorned with casual red checkered tableclothes, and just as I expected, the pizza was incredible. We split a regular pizza, with fresh crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil. Six slices of perfectly warm crispy deliciousness. Their prices were extremely reasonable, too (only $12).

(photos courtesy of www.grimaldis.com)

Afterwards, we took a stroll around the Limelight Marketplace, which was full of cute home accessories, clothes, and our next stop, Baci Gelato.

I had a Cherry Yogurt (tart with cherries mixed in), which was delicious, but still doesn't compare to Gelatissimo in New Canaan, which is still the best Gelato in the whole wide world (perhaps I'm biased).

Afterwards, we headed down to the East Village to a bar called 13th Step. It was super busy, and filled with a fun, young crowd. They also had great Tuesday night specials ($1 drafts!) Definitely a place I would both recommend and go back to.

sunday brunch

sunday, my friend lauren and i decided to go to my absolute favorite place for sunday brunch - dos caminos.

we enjoyed delicious guacamole, pollo tacos, and bloody marys!

afterwards, we stopped into a nearby theater and saw Friends with Benefits, which was so good! i loved it, and highly recommend it (but perhaps don't see it with your parents). it was hilarious, honest, and did a great job of portraying the reality of complicated relationships.

last weekend

this past weekend was my last weekend with everyone in NYC. to celebrate, my friends and my [finally legal] self went out!

we started the night at Public House. on a saturday night, it was crazy. packed. long line to get in. one aspect i definitely don't enjoy is having a line to get in some place - a bar is a bar, isn't it? once we were finally in, it was fun, but we decided quickly to move on.

afterwards, we met up with some other people at a bar called Rogue. it was very quiet, half-full tops, but quite enjoyable. funny how one place can have tons of people waiting outside, and another can be empty - but equally as fun!

overall, it was still a great last night out with the girls.

wedding wear

this upcoming weekend, i'm heading down to FL with the fam for a wedding. a good friend of my sister's, and also of the family, is tying the knot. so, what comes along with attending a wedding is of course finding a great dress!

i've decided on this one by Yumi Kim, which i found for a steal at Wink.

i was also excited because the colors would go perfectly with a pair of pumps i fell in love with at Zara.

but when i went back yesterday to get them, they were nowhere to be found!

another idea is highlighting the amazing color purple from the dress, but there are the two i can find in the right shade, by Brian Atwood and YSL respectively.

the saga continues.

which are your favorites??

clothes aside, i have fallen in love with this precious bowl from BHLDN. a perfect little addition to their blissful wedded future.

energy kitchen

today for lunch at work, i tried someplace new just a few blocks from the office - energy kitchen.

they are always standing outside handing out some sort of deal or flyer, and are known for having no items over 500 calories (in NY if there are multiple locations, the restaurant has to post the calorie count - yuck). i tried their veggie burger with a black bean and mango side salad. it was DELICIOUS! i definitely recommend giving it a try! this one was on 23rd between 5th & 6th, but there are various in all areas of manhattan!

A Day In The Life

So I think I'll give you an idea what a day in the life of a IMG Fashion Intern is like.

In the Fashion Production department, everyone is hard at work on the upcoming Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim, which is in Miami July 14th-18th (yes, it kicks off on my birthday).

The event is being held at the Raleigh Hotel in Miami, which is a great location and has a super cool pool. Last year, designers even used the pool as a runway.

I've really been seeing all of the behind-the-scenes parts of putting an event like this together, and all of the hardwork that goes into it. A majority of my department heads down to FL in just a few days for even more preparation!

So far I've been able to assist in creating designer contracts, attend model castings, and putting together binders.

It is a great event, if only I was able to attend (but i'm not complaining, it is my birthday..)

For more information on the event check out http://miami.mbfashionweek.com/, and following the shows you can watch them right there on the site!

falling in love

So I've been living in NYC for over three weeks now, jumping back and forth between the Upper West Side with my sister during the week, and over to the Upper East Side on the weekends.

I have always, always, always said I will not move to NYC after I graduate. My sister did it, practically my entire town does it, and I wanted to do something completely different. Ship me to Wisconsin, hire me in Philly, I wanted to explore a completely new city. But now, I will let you all say "I told you so." Yes, it's true. I might quite possibly have fallen a little in love with the city. The friends I've made during my internship are all incredible, and with a great set of friends who are all planning to do the exact same as you (instant roommates!) it's hard to stick to my original plan of being somewhere new (and alone?)

Plus, the view sitting outside at lunch each day (watching the incredibly long line at Shake Shack Madison Square Park that I will never bring myself to wait in), the view ain't so bad.

AXO Initiation

On the Sunday just after I returned home from Scotland, AXO had their initiation for the Spring 2011 New Members. This time around, however, I wasn't the one planning it (phew!). Instead, both of my littles served as Warden and VP Fraternal Relations (my old position), and did an amazing job planning it. Of course, I was put to work as soon as I returned home, to help Paige get everything in order and everything cooked in time. This year initiation was in the morning, so instead of a dinner, we served brunch. There was amazing food, everything from homemade bacon and onion scones, quiches, french toast, scrambled eggs, home fries, fruit kabobs, and more!

Afterwards, everyone retreated to the Chapter room to watch the bigs present the littles with their little baskets.

Agave

Friday night after I got home from Edinburgh, my friends planned a welcome home dinner at Agave. It was so nice to get to see everyone, and sooo nice to eat Agave's delicious food!!

Welcome Home!

Back in the USA!

The End

Today was my last day in Edinburgh. I spent the morning shopping on Princes Street with Kat, enjoying the (very cold, windy, rainy) day, and buying last minute souvenirs and such. We then met Leah at Brass Monkey for one last 3 o'clock movie :( We watched The Girl Next Door and drank their amazing bloody marys before coming back to the flat and finishing up packing.


This evening, the three of us went to Revolution for dinner to enjoy it one final time. I had a delicious Moroccan bean burger and we all split a 'Blushing Bride' pitcher. Their menus are really fun, with the popular phrase 'Keep Calm and Carry On' gracing the cover, and tonight, I was a rebel and took one as a souvenir.



Now, I'm all packed, taxi ordered for 7am, and stocked up on American magazines (US Weekly and People) for the plane ride!

So, as a final reflection of my amazing months spent here, let's recap:
I met lots of amazing new friends from all over the US!
I traveled lots of amazing places: the Swiss Alps, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Prague, and entirely all over Scotland
I learned about a new city, country, and culture
I picked up the Scottish lingo (only a wee bit...cheers!)
I've had tons of memories I will never forget.
Now time to head back to CT, UNH, and all of my friends and family that await! Thanks to everyone who has read my blog, and who has kept in touch! XOXO

Photography

Tuesday night, we all went out to support my flatmate Lindsay's photography exhibition. The broad assignment was "place", and the different students portrayed their interpretation of this idea. Lindsay's was a display of different scenes in Scotland that reminded her of home in Maine, that she then turned into postcards. It was great!



I also took pictures of the trees in the Meadows to and from the exhibit, because they were very pretty.

Why Not?

Last night, Kat, Leah and I decided to venture over to New Town. We went to a club none of as had been to before called Why Not, because, heck, why not!? (pun intended). It was fun, but the ambiance did not live up to the hype (or the £5 cover!). It was great to have one last hurrah night out with the flatmates, and of course, stop for a late night falafel before going home for the night.

Isle of Skye

For my last trip here in Scotland, my three flatmates and I did a 3-day tour with Real Scottish Journeys to the Isle of Skye. We left on Friday morning at 8:30am, and made our way up the Eastern coast of Scotland, stopping in multiple places, before eventually arriving in Portree (the capital of the Isle of Skye) that night around 7pm. Here is our guide and driver, Bill, showing us our route on the maps.

We stopped in Dunkeld (where I had been before with Mom when she was here), and got to revisit their AMAZING sandwich shop with the best marinated artichoke hearts ever. We all got sandwiches and went over to the cathedral on the water to have a picnic. We also stopped at multiple points to take great pictures of the scenery, and then made a stop to tour Eilean Donan Castle.





That night we arrived at our hostel in the little town of Portree. We had a 6-bed room for the 4 of us (luckily), and it was my first (and last) hostel experience of my trip. Here is the hostel & the town.





Saturday we met up again with the group at 9am to explore the Isle of Skye. We explored half the island, came back to Portree for lunch, and then did the other half of the island. We stopped at Kilt Rock (a rock that supposedly looks like a Kilt), Faerie Glen, which has many stories about the magical faeries that reside their, as well as many other places, including a river that supposedly if you dunk your face in for 7 seconds will give you eternal youth and beauty.









Finally, on Sunday, we left again at 9am to this time head down the Western coast of Scotland and make our way back to Edinburgh. We made photo stops along this route, too, stopping at Loch Ness (and looking for Nessie, the Loch Ness monster!) and my all time favorite - seeing the heilan coos (highland cows), daddy Hamish, new baby, and the mother Heather!










Now I'm back in Edinburgh for my last 3 days!