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.

An ode to Nina

Birds flying high, you know how I feel, this is the opening line of Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good', and perfectly summed up my feeling today. Hipster Dufus has a friend/colleague who is a trained pilot and offered to take us to the beautiful Block Island which is part of the U.S state of Rhode Island. This obviously fitting in with Hipster Dufus's need to always get out of the city meant that we jumped at the opportunity. The island itself was your typical quaint, gorgeous, seaside town. Ice cream shops, fudge shops and lots's of nautical related souvenir stores. Nothing particularly new but a perfect escape from the intensity of the city.

The real experience was the flight. I've never been in a little plane and was really scared. But the journey was smooth and Hipster Dufus' friend was an excellent, reassuring pilot. In a little plane the sensation of flying is heightened, if only because you can look out of a window on both sides. On the way back I got to fly in the front! THAT WAS AMAZING. I got to control the plane a little, moving left and right, and trying to maintain the plane level (there were obviously two steering sticks and he was always ready to steer the plane in the right direction). The best part was the view upfront, being able to look directly ahead really felt like you were flying. At one point we punched through some clouds with clear views on the other side. It was incredible. It literally felt like you were flying.

This is the best part of being here, it's the opportunity to have all of these different experiences, exploring new places as well as the people that you meet. As we pulled back into New York greeted with the view of the skyline it really hit us all. This city is amazing, I just feel so blessed to be here. And yeah, I'm feeling really good.

That haunting feeling

It's weird really. Sometimes you're sitting at home and then suddenly you feel it. From another room, from a doorway, from the corner of the room. It's uncomfortable. That weird feeling, that real sense that YOU. ARE. BEING. WATCHED. You're eyes start surveying the ground directly below you, is it a ghost? Is someone in the house? So you look up, your gaze is met by the murderous-looking, steely eyes of...

Paco. He does this so often I had to write about it. And this is the first time I've managed to get proof of it. He's really creepy sometimes. 

Off the beaten track

Either Hipster Dufus and I don't really listen to each other or it's the best thing about our relationship. That after almost eight years together we are still discovering new things about each other. My money is on the former... So we discovered that he doesn't mind hiking but that I actually love it, and just (and now this will make me sound stupid) didn't know what the name meant! I just assumed it meant climbing while I prefer more of the getting "lost" on a trail and feeling like you're exploring the woods.

As you know I always want to explore the city but whenever it's his turn to curate an exploration of New York he immediately gravitates to outside of Manhattan. This is a great balance really, by the time we leave we'll have fully explored the greater New York area. I had so much fun and like I said before, just because I went hiking doesn't mean I gave up on looking presentable! Who said you can't hike in pearls?