Tag Archives: Brooklyn

Summer Daze

I always dreamed of having a perfect summer in New York. What I forgot to factor in, was the fact that I work 40+ hours a week and didn’t make enough money to do the things I truly want: travel and eat lots of food. Fortunately for me, I’m surrounded by some pretty amazing people who helped make my first summer in New York pretty great.

After looking through most of my photos, I can tell you I spent a significant amount of time at sporting events, running around Manhattan, apartment searching, and trying new restaurants.

Here’s some photos that perfectly capture my first summer in the Big Apple.

No Sleep Till Brooklyn

New York owns a very special place in my heart. It’s the place where I feel most alive, I feel like I belong. The city is a playground that I haven’t quite discovered, and Brooklyn is one of those “undiscovered” places. Though I have walked the bridge a few times, Dave had not ventured over to Brooklyn via the bridge and I had always wanted to walk it at night so we decided  to kill two birds with one stone and embark on a Megventure across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Though it was late January, the weather was tolerable and the bridge wasn’t too crowded, which made for great photos. After our trek across the bridge and through DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), both of us found ourselves craving some pizza. I had tried to eat at Grimaldi’s a few times before but had never been able get in, so I recommended that we try to grab a table. Grimaldi’s is located right next to the Brooklyn Bridge and is home to the best slice of Margherita pizza I have ever had in my life. As soon as we walked in, we were seated upstairs, but reminded that it was cash only. Between the two of us we had 16 bucks, enough for a small pizza, generous tip, and some great memories. The small ended up being the perfect size for the two of us and we gobbled down the extra thin pie before venturing back to the city.

Eric and Ang Take NY(AC)

Though Mom and Dad came in for Senior Day on Saturday, we also snuck in a lot of fun sites and played tourist for a bit. They stayed at the swanky New York Athletic Club (NYAC) across from Central Park thanks to our great friend Pete, (Thanks again!) which was a great central location for all of our mini adventures. We walked through Time Square, Rockefeller Plaza, by Carnegie Hall , the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park.  We also indulged in some delicious eats including Doughnut Plant, Trattoria Dell’Arte, and Union Square Cafe with Phebe’s family.

Enjoy the pics!

Adventures in Brooklyn

Happy Easter peeps! I hope all of you had as wonderful of a day as I did. Phebe’s friend, Reid, was in town for the weekend and we decided to venture across the Brooklyn Bridge for some fun. Side note: Reid sails at Harvard and has known Phebe since birth – they were born a day apart! People often ask if their twins (I know – how cool right?) Anyways, we took the train down to Chamber Street, began the crowded trek across the bridge and were rewarded with the most breathtaking views of Manhattan and beyond. We had a few hours to explore before Reid had to board his bus so we walked below the bridge, around DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass for all you non-New Yorkers).  We were greeted with even more beautiful views, smells of delicious foods and people everywhere. We chowed down on a cleat disguised as a bench on the pier overlooking lower Manhattan. There was a slight breeze in the air, the sun was shining down on us and all was perfect in the world. We wanted to try Grimaldi’s world-famous pizza, but they were closed for Easter, so we opted in for some seafood at Luke’s Lobster. I grabbed the lobster roll, Reid had the crab roll – both were simply divine!

Before we finished our amazing lunch, we spotted the Brooklyn Ice Cream store a few steps away. Since I gave up ice cream for lent, it was only an obvious choice to grab some before heading back to Manhattan. We opted to split a Butter Pecan and Chocolate Chip Chunk ice cream filled cup since we only had a few dollars on hand between the both of us. (Side note: Bring cash with you when exploring – some places still operate on a cash-only basis)

Twas a wonderful day spent with friends exploring the most wonderful city in the world. I can only hope that everybody had even just a fraction of the fun I did today!

5 Boroughs. One Team.

Some of you may not be as familiar with my NYU soccer career, however, I think it is imperative that you do know that the team means the world to me. Between the wins and losses, the injuries and celebrations, the friendships and adventures, the past three years have been a whirlwind to say the least. This post is dedicated to those who have been part of my NYU soccer experience – without you, I would be nothing.

Claire and Phebe at Aviator Field, Brooklyn

Claire and Phebe at Aviator Field in Brooklyn

On the way to practice the other day at the furthest part of Brooklyn, a few of us were joking that we’ve been to played soccer in every borough except Queens. Our practice turf is on Pier 40 (Manhattan), we play at Gaelic Park for our home games (Bronx), and Staten Island has been a staple practice field in the spring. Today, changed that when we practiced at the Metropolitan Oval in Queens.

The view from the Metropolitan Oval

The view from the Metropolitan Oval

Being an athlete at NYU comes with its challenges, such as lack of home fields, but what we lack in physical space, we possess in adaptability, humor, and camaraderie. The past three years would not have been possible without the girls by my side, especially the rest of my junior class.

We came. We won. We conquered NYC today. 5 Boroughs, 1 Spring Season. Who knows what challenge lies next?

We came. We won. We conquered NYC today. 5 Boroughs, 1 Spring Season. Who knows what challenge lies next?

 

A Tourist in My Own City

The past two weeks have been CRAZY, but that good sort of crazy that makes you want to smile from ear to ear, despite the lack of sleep and blisters on the bottom of your feet. I’ve been so lucky to have spent some time exploring my city with my cousins, Molly and Kate, and good friend, Kayla. It’s amazing how much I truly don’t know about the neighborhood that I reside in – so much history surrounds me. This post is a quick recap of my weekend spent with my cousins.

Cousins in Time Square

Molly and Kate trekked out from Seattle to see the city for a few days, what ensued was a reunion after years of not seeing each other. Arriving just after New Years, the three of us set out to grab dinner with their Uncle Tim and Aunt Freddi down at Morton’s by the WTC (Thanks Uncle Tim!). I hadn’t seen Tim or Freddi since the 2nd grade, so it was great to finally reconnect and listen to old family stories. I absolutely adore both of them and feel so lucky that I was able to spend a lot of quality time with them over the course of the weekend. All five of us spent the next day shopping down 5th Avenue and in SoHo, making several stops at Barney’s, Bloomingdales, Bendel’s, and Massimo Dutti. Freddi is a shopping queen and has the cutest style – it was so great to go shopping with her and learn from a pro. That afternoon we walked through the slush to a cute little bakery, Sweet Revenge on Carmine Street. It’s an adorable Cupcake Shop that pairs the sweet treats with wines and beers – how cool is that!? We all were pretty shopped out so we decided to head back home for a nap and then meet up again for dinner at Vic and Anthony’s (on 19th and Park). We once again had a fantastic dinner and after hours of chatting (that’s the way dinner should be!), we parted ways. Molly, Kate and I ventured down back to Dempsey’s where we encountered a BudLight party – who would’ve thought? The next morning we grabbed Brunch at Philip Marie’s in the West Village. It was more than I could ask for – great Eggs Benedict and a cozy place to escape from the less than pleasant weather outside. Unfortunately we had to say our goodbyes to both Tim and Freddi that morning, as they needed to return to D.C. for work.  

The rest of the weekend the cousins explored New York via Times Square, Central Park, the East and West Village. I don’t think I have ever walked so much in my life – we were averaging 20,000 steps a day according to my brand new Nike Fuelband SE.

Kate and I finding our Irish roots at McSorleys

One Sunday evening, we ventured over to Brooklyn to meet up with one of Molly’s friends from UW and found Momofuku Milk Bar on the way; crossing off an item on Kate’s “To See” list. On our last day we also were lucky enough to get tickets (Thanks Tim!) to see the WTC memorial. Talk about a thought-provoking and inspiring place to visit.

It was so sad to see both Molly and Kate leave for Boston, but I’m so glad I got to hang with them. Hopefully they’ll be back sooner than later.

Selfies on the Subway

Selfies on the Subway