NYC x JULY x DAY 3

Started off the day scouring the 5th Avenue area for food. Landed upon Papillon, a French bistro that happened to be serving brunch and my all time favorite: Brioche French toast. It was served with caramelized apples & maple syrup and can be described as mediocre at best. I suppose I've been spoiled by places like 24 Diner and Mulberry here in Austin, Texas that really know how to do French toast right.


Ham & Gruyère sandwich with fries, which tasted much better than my French toast did...





Had a ridiculously large portioned dinner at Carmine's. The plate probably served 4-6 and there was only two of us. Clearly, there was no room left for dessert afterwards but I more than made up for it the next day. Update coming soon!

NYC x JULY x DAY 2

Had lunch at Jean-Georges Nougatine. Three courses of sumptuousness for only $26. Shrimp salad, tomato and avocado, champagne vinegar dressing.


Grilled beef tenderloin with spinach crepe.


Jean-Georges warm chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream.



Had the Okonomiyaki at Go Japanese Restaurant for dinner at St. Mark's Square with one of my girlfriends, Jessica. If you've never had it, it's sort of a Japanese pancake with seafood and noodles and it's ridiculously good, at least at this joint. Funny thing about Jessica and I, we're both from Houston but we never see each other in Houston. She was in Chicago when I was there, and then I met her in NYC, and prior to that the last time I saw her was in Austin.


Ended the night on the floor plopped in front of the laptop, webchatting away.

NYC x JULY x DAY 1

Day 1 in NYC was actually supposed to be day 2, but Delta canceled the second leg of our flight from Atlanta to NYC until the next morning, so I had the misfortune of missing out on a whole evening of fun :[ Regardless, I still enjoyed the remainder of my trip.

Landed in Newark and took the bus to Manhattan. A tip to anyone visiting NYC, check all 3 airports near Manhattan (La Guardia, JFK and Newark) for the lowest plane ticket price. Also, taking public transportation via either train or bus will be MUCH more economical than taking a cab, so plan ahead!

First meal of the trip: Kati Rolls (99 MacDougal Street, New York, NY 10012)! According to their website, it's a "a spicy mixture of meat and vegetables rolled in Indian flat-bread." Quite yum in my book.

Next up was shopping in SoHo!

Stopped by kid robot, BAPE & Y-3.

Fell absolutely in love with these hipster frames at Selima Optique (59 Wooster St., New York, NY 10012). Unfortunately, they were over $400. This was absolutely one of the most fascinating eyeglass shops I've ever been to. They have quite an eclectic collection.

Ended the evening with a mini food tour of East Village, including: a banana, nutella & walnut crepe from Shade, a Whatchamacallit cupcake from Cake & Shake (yes, desserts first), ramen noodles at Ramen Setagaya, a shot of tequila at Continental Bar, a scoop of strawberry cheesecake ice cream from Sundaes & Cones, and Belgian frites from Pomme Frites complete with 3 types of dip.