just visiting

It's nice to live in a city with so many friends in it. It's even nicer to live in a city that friends everywhere want to visit. This past weekend, Catherine and I had the pleasure of hosting our friend Laura. She's visited many times before, but this time, we made sure to include a couple of new experiences for all of us:

Fresh sangria and appetizers in Tribeca

 More wine, more appetizers, and fun with more people on the Upper East

A brunch of savory crêpes with my former college roommate in Union Square

 Good beer and even better pizza on our friend's West Village rooftop

 A celebratory hour with Sofia, followed by a midnight frozen yogurt run

An afternoon on Governor's Island for the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic

An afternoon on Governor's Island with fresh bread, cheese, olives, and champagne

 An afternoon on Governor's Island admiring the coordination, skill, and strength of international polo players

An afternoon on Governor's Island with friends in our American prep best

A return to Manhattan for salads and wandering

And, ending the weekend on a sweet note with blueberry cobbler a la mode in Flatiron. Who wants to come visit me next? ;) See you soon, K.

el primero

A friend of mine leaves for South America in a little less than a week. She is embarking on a semester abroad in Santiago, Chile and beginning, most likely (forgive me for not being sure), with a month of intensive language study in Cuenca, Ecuador. I did that. It blows my mind that I did that, and that it took place almost three years ago (about the same time I began blogging). It's simply amazing how many things have changed, how much I have grown, my gosh, even how many places I've lived since then: Cuenca, Santiago, Strasbourg, home, Syracuse, home, and now, New York City. So, to honor my nostalgia and just about where it all began, I will begin my quick city guides with South America.

Quito, Ecuador
Eat: La Boca del Lobo, Calama 284 and Reina Victoria
See: Basílica del Voto National, Carchi and Venzuela


Cuenca, Ecuador
Caffeinate: Cafe Austria, Benigno Malo 5-95 and Juan Jaramillo
Eat: Raymipampa Benigno, Malo 8-59 (in Plaza Mayor); Govinda's Restaurante Vegetariano, Juan Jaramillo 7-27 and Borrero; Tres Estrellas (for "cuy"), Calle Larga 1-174
Play: Wunderbar Cafe, Calle Larga and Hermano Miguel;  Cafe Eucalyptus, Gran Colombia 9-41
Dance: Blanco & Tinto, Av. Jose Peralta 2-132 and Cordero
Learn: Banco Central, El Sagrario
See: Giros (short drive outside the city)

Extra Ecuador
Eat- Café Mundi Quiroga, entre Sucre y Modesto Jaramillo -and shop in Octavlo

Sleep/camp in El Cajas

To be continued in where to go... tomorrow or Sunday :). My roommate, Catherine, and I are hosting a friend for the weekend so there's lots of fun to be had in this city until then.

where to next?

Having moved into my NYC apartment just one month ago, it is ludicrous that I am already planning an escape, right? I have a tighter budget than ever before; How could I possibly consider obeying those delectable pangs of wanderlust anytime soon? And yet, I am... or at least, I hope to be.

To be honest, I've got my heart set on Iceland at the moment--the land of northern lights and skyr, volcanos and herring, Norse traditions and dulse. I have about 48 hours to decide as to whether I am going to buy a ticket for my first solo international vacation. Eek. But, then again, I also crave Vancouver, South Africa, Russia, Colombia, Japan, Greece, and India. And somehow, I believe that I going to go to each of these place in the next 5 years. Hm. These are the kinds of things I ponder on a hot summer evening with a green smoothie in hand. 

P.S. I've received news that my beloved camera is on it's way back to me. When I pick it up, the dining experiences, city walks, weekend getaways, and cooking adventures will continue. Until then, I'm going to be updating the "where to go" page with suggestions on where to eat, sleep, and play in the majority of my previously visited (or lived in) destinations. Hope you'll enjoy that!