best of New York City (Jan 2010)

Almost immediately after watching the ball drop in Times Square, I took a long weekend with a chunk of friends and headed over to New York City. We stared up at the mile-high buildings; wove through crowds of sightseers at tourist spots; found a hidden bar at the top of a hotel next to the Empire State Building; and re-connected with a group so lively it made me miss college all over again ... (though not "college things" like the after-effects of a particularly effective "all-you-can-eat/drink" deal from our friend Brendan...)



Roommates at the Ameritania Hotel, Molly, Ellen, Amy and I walked through Central Park on a particularly freezing morning. We found a little hill of stone above Wollman Skating Rink with an amazing view of the lower East side. Even though traveling through NYC in January isn't ideal if you don't like a face frozen beyond expression, it's awesome for avoiding giant groups of tourists and smells that bubble up from the underground sewer system.





A favorite day: Grimaldi's for pizza; Jacques Torres for wicked hot cocoa; and a walk back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge. Molly and Ellen hadn't been here before, and I think I noticed them click with the city during this walk.



Walking back to our hotel from the Columbus Circle area, the Christmas lights in the trees offset the light snow. Eric and Margit looked especially lovely that night.



I finally got to see the Bethesda Fountain - this is a detail of the sculpture at the top, and one of my favorite photos from the trip.



Here's my favorite little sister in front of my favorite cupcakes (Buttercup Bakery). It was an added bonus to spend some time with Anna and her professor parents, leading the St. Olaf art trip to Manhattan. Ellen and I took Anna on a particularly exhausting trek to the library to see the original Winnie the Pooh... totally worth it.



Molly and I spent some time on the Met steps with a pretzel from a cart; these little birdies scattered near us to grab crumbs and extra sun rays.





My love, my light, Ellen Roth indulged my childhood love for Matt Lauer and the Today Show by waking up at 6:30, walking a few blocks, and standing in sleet to catch a few glimpses of the crew. We were even on TV for a few milliseconds!





The friend celebration to end all celebrations (by 10PM... I think?)





The last few hours in NYC were spent at the Top of the Rock and in the surrounding area. A tiny little New Years ball... and a spectacular view of a cold, sunny city and one of its landmark structures.

Even almost a year later, I still crave more of the city. In two trips, I know I've barely found everything.

best of 2010 (to come...)

This is how I rung in 2010: blowing the rhythm of "Party in the USA" as the clock switched over.



My friend Rachel took this photo, along with QUITE a few others, during our friends' masquerade-mask-themed party. There's nothing we love more than whipping out some nice duds, creating a theme, and carrying it out full-force (especially with champagne/wine/PBR in hand).

This is how I will ring in 2011:



Not scaling the oil derrick, but in a snowy Casper, without the usual cohorts. I used to soak up New Years in my hometown as a time to connect with a few high school friends - but they have since (mostly) scattered, married, moved to Scotland, moved to Missouri. Weather in Wyoming is as temperamental and insane as Minnesota; this morning I woke to a phone call from United Airlines, notifying me of my canceled flight. It bummed me out, sure. I had plans at a few houses, and was especially looking forward to getting to know a new group of folks as the ball dropped. As it was, I enjoyed today (mostly snowbound inside), but I know I will need to get out and hopefully ski tomorrow (even in below-zero temps).

So, in lieu of a huge celebration tomorrow and tomorrow night, I think I'll chip away at some photos (/memories) collected during 2010 here at home, between shoveling and shoving leftover Christmas cookies in my mouth. Starting with last year's celebration, at a warm house of lovely friends, the year was actually pretty fantastic.



(thanks to Rachel Carlin for the first photo; Amy Sonnichsen for the third)

first-timer (January 2007)

It has been almost four years since my first night in New York City. I remember hustling into a cramped taxi cab and hurdling half an hour to our apartments. As I wrestled my suitcase across the curb and looked up, I remember never feeling more overwhelmed. Since I had just flown from Wyoming through Minneapolis to NYC, I went from one drastic landscape to the complete opposite. Everywhere I looked, buildings and sidewalks. Our apartment, on 54th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue, was situated in a pretty active area of midtown.

That first night, our walk included "getting to know the neighborhood." A quick glance at our maps and some words of guidance from our professors helped us discover we were merely blocks from Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and 5th Avenue. In hindsight, we covered the territory that night -- but I think in our excitement, we didn't realize it. When we came upon 5th Avenue, the clouds were low and off-set the lights so incredibly, it was as if we fell into a Manhattan film scene. I remember seeing some leftover store fronts from the holidays, and Christmas lights in windows, and not quite believing I was finally in this city.

Over the month, we discovered more and less beauty in and around the city, but even so, New York was then solidified as a place I would have to re-visit over and over again. So far, I've made it back once, though I've barely scratched the surface.