Concrete Jungle where Dreams are Made of...

I spent this past weekend with friends in New York City. I had such a great time!
I took the BoltBus from DC to Manhattan on Friday afternoon ($40 round-trip!), where I met a good high school friend (who now lives in Chicago). Then we took the subway over to Brooklyn, where we stayed with one of my college/sorority friends & her roomie for the weekend. She lives in Prospect Heights (just north of Prospect Park -- the Central Park of BK). Her neighborhood is adorable! On Friday night we wandered a few blocks away for a delicious Thai dinner. I experienced a new favorite dessert - coconut sticky rice with fresh mango. YUM.

Then we spent Saturday afternoon with another high school friend who now lives in Manhattan - we ate lunch at Grimaldi's Pizzeria (under the Brooklyn Bridge), then walked across the bridge to spend the afternoon wandering and shopping in SoHo and the East Village. Such a gorgeous day out, too (which translates to: "pasty white kid got sunburned"). Oh! And we found this little vegan bakery in the Village where we stopped at to get some sweets. I love patronizing cute little local businesses.
Saturday night back in Brooklyn, we ordered the best Mexican take-out I've ever had from a local restaurant. Then we went out to a few bars in the neighborhood for drinks.

Such a fun time spent with good friends. I hope I never take for granted all the amazing friends God has blessed me with. I've always been someone who tries to keep in touch with EVERYONE, but it can sometimes be hard to do. I think it's definitely worth the effort. Friends make every life experience that much sweeter and adds so much more to my everyday life.
Alright, enough of the mushiness, huh?

Working on some new recipes this coming weekend, so I'll get to posting those soon!

PS Yesterday (5/19) was Jakers' 8th birthday and the 3-year anniversary of his adoption. (Obviously I don't know his real bday, so we just lump them all together.) I also don't ever want to take for granted such a great dog. I can't imagine what my life would be like had I not walked into the local humane society shelter that day.