3 Days Grace

As the ambassador of Sun, I announce the arrival of Summer. I know officially it doesn't begin until Mid-June, the 22nd, I believe. However, when it comes to tourism, summer starts with Memorial Day and ends with Labor Day. While I was blessed with great weather the first two weeks in NYC, the following 3 were terrible. Gray and rain, not unlike my previous home. Apparently, you can't escape that by merely moving a few hundred miles east. But, as though the Gods were giving clemency, the skies blued and the sun reemerged. The Sun has delivered us from evil. Amen!

My first three day weekend was more than I could have asked for climately. 70+ and sunny. Friday was great. A half day. Well, more like 4/9ths, but I ain't good at math, so we'll go with half. How did I take advantage of this free time? Laundry of course. Before you rake me over the coals, listen to my logic. I could have gone to the park, parked at a bar or try to maneuver the parking lots known as the NYC roads. I had 72 hours of nothing to do ahead of me starting Saturday and laundry was "something" I didn't want to do. So after a short lunch, I went home to cycle the suds. With clean laundry and a quick shower, the weekend was at hand around 8:30.

The weekend was exactly what the doctor prescribed. Lots of sun, plenty of suds (the beer type, not laundry), good friends and great locations. For the first time since I got here I was able to really see the city. My travels took me to Brooklyn, Jersey (a second trip may not ever happen), Central Park, SoHo, West Village and beyond. I got a real feel for the energy that pumps through New York like booze through Lindsey Lohan.

I've noticed that no matter what time you get going here, the city is alive and ready to serve. One of the biggest trends I've noticed since moving here is the phenomenon called Brunch. It's a Saturday and Sunday staple. Nearly every restaurant in town has a brunch menu from 11-4. It may seem odd to most to be eating brunch at 2:00 in the afternoon, but when you don't go to bed until 3 AM, waking up around 11:30 and finally leaving the house around 1:00 isn't all that uncommon. It's actually the norm. While I haven't fully embraced this NY habit, I have learned to appreciate a good midday meal. What you have to watch out for is what I call the faux-brunch. This is a restaurant that offers brunch, but has a very limited menu. Basically an omelet or some kind of a fruit platter. Sure they have breakfast items past 11:00, but lets face it. In a city this big, options should never be this limited. So far I haven't found a place that is a must eat. But stay tuned blog fans as you will be the first to hear of the great ones I come across.

And so it goes...