Dropping Some NYC*

Yes! I made it to NYC for my first girls weekend in a long, long time! I went to visit with Kathryn and meet Anna, Mana's new baby girl. First on the docket, after a 4 hour trip on the Bolt Bus (and a bit of carsickness, good gracious Jen, take a Dramamine) it was red wine and goat cheese time on Kathyrn's roofdeck. Kathryn and I had decided to take a Cupcake Tour of NYC, complete with four bakeries. The fancy legs on the left are from the Cupcake Cafe, but we'll get to that later.

Saturday started off with a metro ride and some sunshine walking to the West Village, where we went to our first stop, Billys Cafe.

I'm not sure if it was because this was our first stop (there is something about your first) but these cupcakes were the real deal. I'm a yellow-cake with vanilla frosting kind of cupcaker, but KT likes her some chocolate cake. This was good eating. I did not, however, enjoy the conversation at the nearby table, with incessant talking of exercise and how to burn more calories. Good Lord, I'm eating a cupcake. I wouldn't notice until the next day (um...we went back for more cupcakes) that the girl behind the counter may have needed an entire box of Midol or perhaps just a wack on the head. You work in a happy place, dingdong. Eat some frosting.

This was the world-famous Magnolia's, made so by a Sex and the City episode. The line was ridiculously long and kind of bodyguarded by an employee who let people in with specific instructions of where to stand and go and pay and get drinks. I forgot all of it promptly because of 1) the silly heat 2) the silly amount of people in the silly-small store 3) the zen-like trance I was put in seeing a display window full of cupcakes to choose from and 4) looking around for SJP or Matthew Broderick (it's their neighborhood!). The frosting for me was a winner, super-thick but not too buttery. Kathryn's was good, but the chocolate frosting got really thin really fast.

Of course there was a Veggie VW van there.

We were then hit by a colossal rain storm and ended up standing on a stoop with Fisher Stevens.

He looked a little rough and he said the F word a lot. Good shoes though. So, thankfully I could check the box next to 'Celebrity Sighting' on my to-do list for my NYC trip. We were soaked. My shoes needed the rest of the trip to dry on Kathryn's windowsill. Kathryn, also know as Sad Eyes Laughing in all photos. Not to be confused with Teeth All Showing.

We then hit the Cupcake Cafe (dancing cupcake legs) which boasted the best chocolate cake overall, but the frosting was a big miss. Think cold butter. Think pretty flowers made out of cold butter.

We then made the trek to the border of Chinatown to How Sweet It Is who had just catered George Clooney's birthday with their delicious layer cake. There was a window couch here, and we took advantage of it. We sipped some French Press coffee, chatted with the overzealous pastry student (okay, okay...your bosses are 'like totally dedicated to their craft!' can you just make sure you get me the cupcake with the MOST frosting?), and um...ordered cupcakes for letter. And a meringue cookie large enough to feed 4. Or just one drunk person. But anyway.

Um. These cupcakes. They were filled with things. I can't even really talk about it.

Kathryn and I got our hair did and went to a lovely French Bistro, Picnic. Big ups to Kathryn for planning out our wonderbar eating excursions, she knows her cuisine. (Word).

ps, of COURSE I'm putting a picture of us looking cutesy. Didn't you see the other ones? Redemption was necessary.

There was calimari with chorizo and cilantro, there was endive salad with blue cheese. There were diver scallops and pollock filets and black rice. I don't even know why it's black or if it's better for you (note: I was on a cupcake tour so....) but it was yummy good. And wine. There was some of that, too. Good red stuff.

Another highlight of the trip came later (after brunch in the West Village at the Paris Commune)
when I saw my forever friend Mana and met her new beautiful baby girl, Anna. Scott and Mana are proud and doting parents, and big brother Alex is already worrying about her when she cries.

Of course this isn't everything, but the trip was amazing in every way. Celebrating new life, old friendships, and a city so electric that it was hard for me to really sleep when I came home. I'll go again. If not New York...Paris maybe?

ps, thank you Jared. This was just what I needed.

*this is a reference to one bad-ass Blues Traveler song. Don't get any funny ideas. The only thing I 'do' is coffee. And cupcakes. And wine. Whatever.