It's weird to think I've been in New York exactly one month. Time has flown by and I have learned so much about myself, this awesome city, and people in general. I have always been afraid of "blogging" for some reason, but after countless friends have encouraged me to do so, I figured it would be wise to start now, before my summer is completely over and I regret having not listened. I decided on the title "Tips: Makin 'em and Takin 'em" because it seemed to cover all bases: 1. serving- dealing with all the hardships and triumphs that come with waiting tables and working in a restaurant and 2. exploring- visiting all the places and trying all of the restaurants staff members/customers suggest I see while in New York.While I would love to go back and discuss everything I've been up to since May 1st- and probably will eventually do so- I think the best place to start, for now, is with today. Since Queens Comfort, the cute restaurant where I serve, is closed for the day after a busy Memorial Day weekend, I decided to make the most of this beautiful, spring day and do some sightseeing in Manhattan.
Katie, the ONLY Florida Gator I actually like, left this morning after a fun-filled weekend visit. She got to New York on Friday, and we had a great time going to fun restaurants and bars in both Manhattan and Astoria (my stomping grounds). This one place that my chef from work, Casey Sullivan, recommended to us- was SO hard to find but definitely worth the mission. Check out http://www.painkillernyc.com/ ...and excuse the adult content!
We were scared to walk in at first, it was so dark inside, it felt like a Tiki Hut or something, with all of the bamboo and cheetah print. Haha. It was a good thing Katie and I had plenty of time to catch up Friday afternoon and night, because at around 8PM or so, she lost her voice COMPLETELY! For NO reason, either. So, all weekend was spent with me speaking and ordering for Katie, like we were on a date and I was the guy or something. It made for a few interesting, awkward & silent moments. Haha. But Katie- being the good sport that she is- decided not to let this get the best of her. We had an awesome weekend! She said that not being able to speak made her realize how many things she says that really don't need to be said. Glad she was able to find a lesson out of all of this.
We ate dinner at Lombardi's in SoHo, "America's first pizzeria"... this place is an institution! And mannn was it good! But can pizza ever really be bad? Not to my knowledge.
After dinner we headed back to Astoria where we met up with my roommate, John, and my manager, Avery, at the Bohemian Beer Gardens. This place is Oktoberfest meets fraternity party- so fun! And it's in MY neighborhood of New York, Astoria, which makes it that much cooler!
So of course I was planning on starting with TODAY but I have already sidetracked and talked all about Katie's visit- which isn't a bad thing, but... just very typical of me. The rest of our weekend went about the same way, minus speaking. We saw two movies (since going to the movies doesn't involved talking): The Hangover 2 and The Tree of Life. I don't think The Tree of Life (Brad Pitt, Sean Penn) is out yet anywhere else in the country, which made me feel pretty cool & exclusive, but then when I think about the fact that I didn't really "get" the movie, I negate any cool points I may have had going for me. It was an awesome movie- just a little deeper than my usual knack for chick flicks!
But anyways, back to TODAY! I woke up in the Sofitel (yes, the infamous hotel the French IMF chief recently stayed in and allegedly assaulted a staff member) to Katie on her way out- it was time for her to head to the airport, sadly. Her dad had booked us a hotel in Manhattan for her last night, which was unnecessarily nice of him, but I wasn't complaining! I miss Katie already though- voice or no voice!
I decided (after being ambushed by H&M and my very first pair of Chuck's) to head up to the American Museum of Natural History since I had plenty of time, and it is one of the many things on "my summer list of things to do." Why not? I'm glad I went- there was definitely plenty to see- but the museum is overwhelmingly HUGE! Five floors of dinosaurs, early human artifacts, and ancient replicas from all over the world- not to mention thousands of kids on "organized" class trips. I got to see some pretty cool stuff though:
But an hour was more than enough time for me to spend in any museum- and I was proud of myself for having stayed that long! So I decided to walk through Central Park toward Belvedere Castle, which is smack dab in the middle of the park. It was originally a lookout building, but now it's just used as a cool venue/ photo opportunity for tourists.
When I was heading back to the subway, I walked past a used book stand on Fifth Avenue and bought the most appropriate of books: Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica. I've only read a page but this thing is hilarious! All about waiting tables and the hardships that come with this: rude bosses, rude customers. I can't believe I found this! Fate?? It was an "instant New York Times bestseller" and I'm not surprised! Can't wait to read some more!
I have definitely been making a dent into my long reading list- books that friends/family have recommended and let me borrow, but have kind of just been sitting around my room for the past year or so. Some of my favorites that I've read so far are: One Day by David Nicholls (a soon to be movie with Anne Hathaway) and The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley.
So today was a successful I <3 NY Day, which are the type of days that I get to do wHaTeVeR I want, without having to worry about working or entertaining any guests- don't get me wrong, I love both of those things (at times) but it's pretty awesome to have nobody to answer to but yourself every once in awhile. That's one of the main reasons I made the move up here, so it's good to take advantage of it when I am able. :)
Colossians 2:6-7: "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
"I know precisely what you need to draw nearer to Me. Go through each day looking for what I have prepared for you. Accept every event as My hand-tailored provision for your needs. When you view your life this way, the most reasonable response is to be thankful. Do not reject any of My gifts; find me in every situation."
-Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, May 29
