Weekend Update

It's amazing to me that a city of over 19 million people can still feel lonely at times. But I'm so thankful for the connections I've made, and all things considered, this weekend has been full of friends and food (too much food, actually; this could end up being a syndicated blog for the Food Network if I'm not careful).

Friday, our wonderful Web editor took everyone in the department out to Serafina, an Italian restaurant right next to the Sean John offices. We kept watching for Diddy to exit into the three Escalades waiting out front, but to no avail.




Finally at 6:15 after tearing myself from my computer under Julie's prompting, I headed to the Union Square area to meet my friend Hope at a meeting for her church. It was so refreshing to be in the company of people counteracting the "striving" nature of this place.

Then Hope, her roommate, Cheryl, and I all boarded the train to their house in Queens for dinner and a movie. It was like a breath of fresh air. THERE WERE TREES! AND LITTLE SIDEWALKS! People plant flowers in their yards. What a concept. A yard. Once there, Cheryl convinced me to order Pad Thai from their neighborhood restaurant with shredded papaya substituted for the typical noodles. I'm glad to report I'm getting braver. I mean, I may never have that opportunity again, so what could a little papaya hurt?

Saturday morning, after crashing on Hope's futon, my roommate Katie and I made an outing through the weekend street market at Union Square and walked up and down 5th Ave. But the best part was once again, the food! We spotted a quaint cupcake shop called The Cupcake Cafe which is connected to a very You've-Got-Mail-esque children's book store. So fun. But why is it that the only pictures I've taken in New York have been of food?



And to top it off, Saturday night's dinner has to have been one of the most spiritual culinary experiences I've ever had thanks to Amy Ruth's Soul Food and Southern Cuisine. Hope and two of her friends took me to the edge of Harlem to prove that food can feed the soul, and feed you for the next two days! We took pics there, too, to document the spread, but they are not yet in my possession. Just trust me, the food was legendary.

I went to Hope's church, C3 Manhattan, this morning and really enjoyed it. Tonight I may be joining my newly-acquired acquaintances at some kind of SNL thing? Not sure of the details yet, but I'm eager to experience whatever I can while I'm here. Eight weeks is going to fly by.