You know how visitors make you a tourist in your own city? Well, I had an absolute ball of a time in NYC while my baby sis, Marie, was in town.
The weather wasn’t too cooperative, but we made do.
After our late Thursday night out on the town, we slept in a bit (well, it was sleeping in for me…Marie, not so much). While Kyle was at work, Marie and I shopped it up in SoHo, then stopped for a mid-day snack at Dean & Deluca.
All the fresh, colorful produce just makes me so happy :) I also did some flower shopping for me and my bridesmaids’ bouquets. These are my favorites. Thoughts?
Freesia. Star of Bethlehem. Lilies.
White Hydrangeas. Calla Lilies.
Kyle joined up with us and then we all made our way to Whole Foods for a late lunch.
I got in trouble taking these photos (I’m SUCH a rebel)! But the sheer size of the prepared food section made me giddy, so I just had to capture it on film.
Up in hurrr: Spinach, broccoli, ginger-curried carrots (yum!!), bell pepper/edamame salad, massive blob of HUMM-daddy, quinoa cake (OMG, so good!!)
I really need to figure out how to reproduce the above deliciousness. The quinoa cake tasted like a veggie patty jam-packed with carrots, quinoa, spinach, and lord knows what else. There may have been more oil than I care for (why does WF always do that?), but all I know is I didn’t want the meal to end. T-t-t-tasty!
I gulped down this blue green white tea. It was nothing special, but tasted especially refreshing given the fact that it was 600 degrees outside (air conditioning may be one of the best inventions on the planet, btw). Once my rehydration efforts were in check, we set back out. Pretty sure we covered all of Manhattan on foot. The proof is in the pudding my lighter wallet.
I passed some hot spots that I was way too full to consider stopping into (Liquiteria, Babycakes, Stogo, Bonobos). I showed Marie where I work, then we headed west to Union Square to continue our shopping along Fifth Ave.
And then the rain storm hit. [Insert sprint for shelter]
After drying off back home, we grubbed, showered, and blasted some tunes while getting ready for another night out. Who knows WHY we bothered straightening our locks when the drizzle/humidity nearly guaranteed the inevitable afro?
Again with the double fisting! Geez, Elise…
We got home late, and there was s’rrrious late night snack-age. I wish it didn’t happen, but what can I say? Drankface brings out snackface. How much do you wish the phrase “if you don’t remember it, it didn’t happen” were true?!?
Whatever.
Saturday morning afternoon, Kyle and I rolled out of bed to make a very necessary Starbucks run, while Marie continued her REM. It seems as though we finally made our way out the door just in time for the thunder and lightning.
So it was a stormy and wet stroll through the park…but look how green and LUSH! We couldn’t help but take a million and one photos.
Marie played with the camera settings and this winning photo was born. For lunch we stopped at Chop’t, a midtown salad joint.
I made a salad with asian flavored grilled tofu, jicima, avocado, mango, edamame, and carrots with dressing on the side. Then they hacked away with the knives. The blurrr is the chopping of the knives.
They also threw some wheat tortillas on top which I ripped up and stirred into the salad.
My only complaint about the salad was the ratio of lettuce to toppings. Salad connoisseur that I am, I prefer several toppings in each and every bite, and there was WAY too much spinach in this. But I guess that’s a pretty minimal issue to have in the grand scheme of things.
About twenty stores, thirty openings/closings of the umbrella, and one Starbucks trip later, we decided to see The Time Traveler’s Wife. I was the only one of our trio who had read the book, so I grabbed several napkins on the way in. Good thinkin’ for sure. I’m not going to give anything else away – just know, I really liked it.
Dinner was a weather induced (aka SUPER lazy) meal. We stopped at the local health food store on the way home for some prepared (vegan) eats.
I made a burger piled high with (soy) bacon, Gary Null’s veggie burger, hummus, and sprouts on a whole wheat English Muffin.
I couldn’t deny myself a handful of baby carrots on the side, which CLEARLY took a plunge in the tub of hummus…as did the salt & pepper POP chips. This flavor was not as good as the BBQ or the original, but still did it’s job got the hummus to my mouth. 😀
After dinner we hit up Metro Diner for a late night sundae.
Ok, it was actually just shared by Marie and Kyle. That much dairy would likely reek havoc on my poor decrepit GI system. But dayam did it look good!
Quite a fun filled Friday/Saturday, huh? Sunday was even better…just you wait!
FYI: The Upwelling hotties are releasing their cd “An American Stranger” TOMORROW, and they are having a show on 8/29 at the Mercury Lounge. And in case you live under a rock, this is lilveggiepatch’s main squeeze we’re talking about here. I’m definitely going to the release party next weekend, so I hope to see some other peeps there too!
Oh you, I love you so. Can’t wait to see you Saturday!
There is so much yumminess in this post, but I’m most interested in that quinoa cake! Holy crap.
I’ve passed Chop’t so many times, but I thought it was just a standard DIY salad place… now that I know there’s FLAVORED tofu (and mango!) I’ll have to stop in.
I was so pissed today. I straightened my hair for my first day back to school and then I had to walk there. Needless to say, the humidity made my hair look horrendous. I need a portable straightener…
CALLA LILIES!
That blob of hummus and quinoa cake?! I want! Drunkface = Snackface because you have to ‘soak up all that alcohol.’ That’s my excuse 🙂
Micky D’s doesn’t have anything on your veggie burg – piled high with deliciousness!
I wish I could be in NYC for the party this weekend! That sounds like all kind of fun – could you imagine the havoc released on NYC with all of us?!
I must be a rebel too. I so got hand slapped for taking whole foods pics last week.
we would be a crazy bunch…my other sis is coming to town next week, if you wanna join…hint hint btw, my bouquet is going to be ALL calla lilies (fave flowers) and the bridesmaids are going to be a mix of the rest i showed. i want us all to have all white, but im the only one with the calla lilies, bc, you know, im like, special 🙂
why are they so weird about that? do they know that my photos are undoubtedly going to be followed with glowing reviews?
I really like the calla lilies and the White Hydrangeas! Gorgeous!
Awww…it sounds like you had a nice visit with your sister! Sisters are the best 🙂
I bet the quinoa cakes can’t be all that hard to recreate…quinoa salad binded together with a flax egg, maybe? Or with some beans for binding? Hmmmm….
Courtney
The first time I was in New York and WF (being the tourist that I am), I took at least half a dozen pictures of the place just for the sheer magnitude and magnificence (pre-blogworld).
I was completely oblivious to the “no picture” LAW until I was talking to someone in the park (while enjoying said WF lunch) and it came up. She acted like I had a picture of Bigfoot on camera or something. However, I don’t think I would press my luck again (if I ever make it back…)
Quinoa cakes? I want to go to there…
OMG your photos are foodgasmic! The curried ginger carrots look great, and that little quinoa loaf. Yum. My WF always puts too much oil in stuff…in fact, there is so much fried grease happenin’ in the local WF store that I won’t go in there unless it’s hair wash day or else my hair wreaks like grease all day. But I digress. Your food looks great! So glad you felt like a tourist in your own town, that’s actually a cool feeling sometimes.
Calla lilies, definitely. LOVE the photo of you and Kyle! Such a cute couple 😀
Glad you had fun with your sister! Does she live in Cali?.. Which Wholefoods is that? I don’t recognise it *gasp* (I usually go to Columbus Circle or Union Sq).
The Metro Diner dessert looks awesome!
thats the soho one. i usually go to union square and columbus circ, too…but im trying to conquer them all! haha. yes, my sis lives in ca. shes starting her senior year at ucsb. my whole fam is still in ca (tear).
im going to have to try to reproduce some of their goodies with less oil. its all so darn tasty!
nyc was brutal on friday!! i agree with you on chopt, there is a ton of lettuce! I’m going to do a nutritional analysis on their salads either this week or next.
Calla lilies fa sho! I’m pretty sure that’s what MamaJ had, too!
Just caught up a bit, and I am so sorry about this back pain. I think I have an actual giraffe neck, so I’m puzzled as to why I’m not having issues yet.
Anyway, I love the drank bowl, the picture of you and your lovepie (make my heart melt!), the hummus, the falafels! All delicioso.
I hope you have a fab Monday!
who knew!? i guess we cant be law-abiding citizens ALL the time, huh?!
I may be a bit biased here, considering it’s my favorite flower in the world, but … calla lilies!!!
<3 <3
marie’s so cute and all growns up…haha…and you and kile still very blancos…cute lush foliage in the background and loving the whole foods secret cam shots. i too got into trouble take pics of flowers when K and i were at the whole foods in hawaii…
Umm ya i’m scurrrrred of humidity- last time i was in boston my face was just melting off…the whole sweat deal doesn’t work with my feminine lady-like sham i have goin on 😀
That veggie burger looks solid, i’ll have to hunt that one down!! Fun weekend!
OK, visiting Dean & Deluca at least once is now on my list of life goals.
I love those White Hydrangeas!!! So pretty and delicate!
and i am super jealous of all of your yummy eats…esp that quinoa burger yum!
mmm i love the smell of freesia. they are all super pretty flowers though! would you stop it with the late night sundae? baller!
Quinoa cake?!? Amazing sounding! Must find me some, somehow!
Love showing people round your city – it’s so fun! Makes you appreciate what you have sitting on your doorstep.
Oh and drankface most definitely always = snackface for me. Gotta do it to soak up those alcohol %’s!
Aww, I have such fond memories of sharing ice cream sundaes with friends at Metro Diner:) I’m glad you’re having such a fun time with your sister!!
oh my god you had an AWESOME weekend 🙂 so glad you and your sis had such a good time!
That Bonobos place looks SO good!!
I love HYDRANGEAS! I had orangey roses, pink roses, and green hydrangeas for my bridesmaids (but obv i’m partial).
okay – im so sorry – but i can’t keep straight all the bloggers that live in NY – you live in NY?? I’m going to be there on Labor Day (Friday to Sunday) and would LOVE to meet up for a bite to eat! Let me know!
yes im in NYC – id LOVE to meet up (unfortunately, i work the entire weekend – sat/sun/mon – but im sure we can figure out a time to meet up). when do you get in on friday? what part of town are you staying in?
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Just died at the pictures of the park and you and Kyle. AH SO CUTE
i cant wait for you to get to the east coast!!! now get yer a$$ back to packing!