One of the best benefits of this flex period I’ve taken is the freedom to take a step back, re-immerse myself in this fantastic life, and just take… time. Time to explore, time to reengage with the things that fell to the wayside, and time to relearn what it is I love and what it is to be, simply, me. I spent the past few weeks in New York City doing just that. Certain motives for this trip must (for now) remain anonymous, but I did have the benefit of spending extended time in a fabulous place with some beyond fabulous friends, new and old. I started the trip off in Hoboken, NJ, with college sorority sisters Andrea and Sarah (i.e. “the besty club”). The first day was spent with a long run on the water and some quality time with myself, exploring the quaint shops and spots along their main row: Washington Street.

That night I ventured into the city for the first of many Manhattan neighborhood excursions. The night resulted in drinks with a friend on the Upper West Side, followed by a long walk through Riverside Park & explorations of another friend’s former stomping grounds: Columbia University. That weekend marked the beginning of Halloween and it was back to Hoboken for a slew of parties with a much larger group of Ohio State grads and college friends.

What I did not expect to arrive two days later was the onset of Hurricane Sandy, who roared through New York and New Jersey destroying much of Hoboken and the surrounding area. Luckily, our block was the one that never lost power, but we were (essentially) apartment-bound for the next five days… On the bright side, when in life do you get days of quality (& hilarious) time with your oldest and best friends? Never. My heart goes out to the victims of Old Sandycane, but am thankful to have helped as we could and for the forced reminder of “perspective.”

As the aftermath died down and public transit resumed, it was back to Manhattan… The weekend included drinks at places like Pony Bar (Upper East Side,) a delta only at MoMa, a night in Hells Kitchen (shout out: Don’t Tell Mama & all her Broadway Hopefuls — if you love live music, this is a must,) brunch at Alice’s Tea Cup, a day at the Met, and a night exploring Gramercy (love).

It was a beyond fun three days of Manhattan-immersion, concluded by a flight back West this past Monday. But, alas, I’ll be back to the City of Dreams next week to finish much of what I started… stay tuned.

xxSimply