Riding High

So last week Tuesday, as you well know, it was my birthday. On the Tuesday I spent the day exploring the city filling the space between the mooching/shopping with eating. I started my morning in the Flatiron District with a gorgeous brunch at Nomad. Followed by afternoon tea at the new Laduree Teahouse in Soho, ending with dinner at Tertulia in the West Village. It was a fantastic day.

The Saturday before Hipster Dufus' friend very generously offered to take us on a plane ride to celebrate my old age. However it turned out to be somewhat of a disaster. While I'm starting to settle in very well, every so often the city throws me a curveball and reminds me that I still have a long way to go. So what happened? Well I allowed myself to think that I could invite enough people to my house for drinks. This gathering was supposed to follow a quick whiz in the plane, making for quite an epic day. The morning of, it decides to snow. So the plane was out. And during the day the inevitable cancellations started pouring in. Feeling like a Susie-no-mates and NOT dealing with the whole "it's my birthday" thing very well, I decided to do everyone a favor and cancel. By this point I was waiting on 3 people...

However this weekend Hipster Dufus' friend followed through on his offer and off we went. This time the route would take us all around New York. Starting in Coney Island, circling the Statue of Liberty ending up in a full on approach towards Manhattan. I think the photos really speak for themselves, there 's no better way to see the city. The view from up above is breathtaking. It's like seeing your very own opening credits to a film set in New York except this time, after two hours the screen doesn't fade to black.

My unnecessary apology to the ones I love

I did have another blog post all set and ready to go for this weekend but then something happened that made me want to write about the most painful aspect of being abroad. That feeling of helplessness and being left out. I miss you guys. Yes it's soppy but only when it's because I want to hang out in all my favorite bars, cafes, pubs, restaurants. When it's painful, is when it's attached that feeling of helplessness. I hate not being there. I hate not being able to share your high and more importantly your lows.

Friends, I want to apologize for not being there for your achievements and special moments. The worst being those who are getting married. It bums me out that I can't make it back for your special days. It's something that you never think of, it's all about what you're going to wear and how much the train ticket is to wherever it's located. Not so when there's a seven hour flight beforehand. Money literally is not growing out of my butt. I would love to hop over every time there's a celebration but after the third engagement I realized that I have to let go. I don't live there anymore. I'm only here for a short while, but during that time I can't live with one foot in London and the other in New York.

This post also doubles up as an open letter to my little brother. I loved being there for you. Being your rock and someone that you could turn to. I'm sorry that I'm not there right now. But only physically. My thoughts, my heart, my mind is alway with you. I want you to take a breath, take a minute and give me a call. There's no difference in calling me here or in London. Take advantage of the positive side of technology. The one that allows us to communicate for free. I'm from the generation of calling cards and this new world makes communicating so much easier. Technology is really a beautiful thing, it takes the big wide world and transforms it into a close intimate moment. I'm always available to take your call.

Back to the Island

Antigua, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya to Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama. Actually they say Aruba but we went to Antigua. So here are the digital batch from this amazing holiday. Hipster Dufus and I are city people I'm sure you've heard me say many times. We love exploring new places and being able to see landmarks, history, artifacts etc. We've actually only taken 3 beach holidays together and of those only this one included not a single element of exploration. I took one book and a sketch pad. Our daily activities included deciding where to relax. The beach? The bar? The Hammock? The bed with a view? Ooh the choices, it's so hard! Five glorious days of crazy hard choices.

We also did happen to go because it was Hipster Dufus's birthday. We celebrated by, uuh, mmm, choosing which location to relax in. Followed by a massage. And then finished the day with dinner at a cliff side restaurant with cocktails at sunset. And that really sums up Antigua, at least the way we did it. Relaxed, quiet, laid back. Just wonderful.

Family and New York

Hello! Well I've been away for a while so what have I been doing? Well After our well deserved break from the many visitors we just lay low and waited for the family to arrive for Christmas. I had such a fantastic Christmas. Yes the boys did spend most of their time on their phones and were completely disengaged. But still when they did manage to come up for air it almost seemed like they were enjoying themselves. I basically spent a week being a personal New York tour guide "and on the left the Empire State Building, and on the right Grand Central Station". Most of our time was spent at home watching bad movies and snuggling on the sofa. Hipster Dufus completely outdid himself with his conveyor belt of consistently delicious food. And really that's what Christmas is all about. Family, food, TV.

It's been a week since my family left and I miss them like crazy. It was really special to have them here in my personal space. It made New York real, it hadn't seemed like I was really living here without them in my space. It always seemed like something was missing. But now I can remember the time we went here or there and it just brings the city to life for me. It has been an absolutely epic year for me. Many low, struggles and success and triumphs. It feels amazing to have finished it on such a high.