30 August 2011

life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans

"life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"
(John Lennon)

I have never been to New York City, so when a dear friend moved there recently I jumped at the opportunity to get up there and check it out! Little did I know I would be there during crazy Hurricane Irene! I am at least glad I got a rockin' deal on that plane ticket. Anyway, what was going to be a weekend of going to the Met and the Brooklyn Flea, shopping, seeing Sleep No More, and eating lots of great food; took a bit of a turn on Saturday due to the weather shutting down the city. And the reality is, while all of those things would have been great to cram into a four day trip, it was still such a fun weekend.

I can't complain too much, we did manage to make a ton of stops on Friday—Central Park, SoHo, 5th Avenue, Times Square (which was totally weird to me), Restaurant Row, and we ended the night meeting up with my friend Kath and heading to a karaoke bar on the lower east side. It was here that she got the next two days started by singing "Rock it like a Hurricane," which was possibly one of my favorite moments of the entire weekend! Once it was clear that we would not be making it over to Brooklyn on Saturday, or anywhere outside of Greenwich village for that matter, we settled into two days of slowing down and making the most of it. Which basically consisted of finding one of the few places in the neighborhood open to grab dinner, great conversation over a few beers while watching it storm outside, and marathon Bravo tv watching.

Turns out the trip had less to do with me seeing everything I could while I was there; and more to do with me stepping out of my day to day and reminding myself that I am, in fact, living. It is easy to get into so much of a routine that we forget that we are experiencing things every day. A city with something around every corner can wake you back up to this. So can a hurricane. And stopping long enough to spend time with people that are in your life. And not worrying so much about walking in the rain.







7 comments:

Bonnie @ SouthernSprout said...

I have never been to NYC either!! I've got to make it up there sometime. Love that given the circumstances you figured out how to have a fun and meaningful time. I'll remember the lesson I learned reading your post next time I'm stuck in what I think is a crappy situation! haha

Anonymous said...

...And THAT is what a slice of pizza is supposed to look like. Now fold in half and eat :}
And even though it goes against every fiber of my being, I will agree that, sometimes, deviating from the plan is the best course of action.

emily said...

yeah, i thought you might appreciate that picture Geoff!! The was just one of two slices that I had! ;-)

Claire said...

A spectacular weekend indeed. I'm so happy you were here and that we were forced to chill so we could just enjoy rolling with what we had. Now you just have to come back!

Ellen @ Black & White & Loved All Over said...

"Turns out the trip had less to do with me seeing everything I could while I was there; and more to do with me stepping out of my day to day and reminding myself that I am, in fact, living."

Yes, yes, yes! That is the best thing about travel.

Beautiful pictures. Glad you got to take a bite out of the Big Apple. I feel so energized by that city. xoxo

Faith said...

Looks AMAZING!!! You deserved a good trip like that.

Susan said...

Ditto Geoff's comment! Easier said than done, but I end up so much happier when I allow a little flexibility in my life.

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