As I continue to procrastinate packing for my return to NYU tomorrow, I figured why not remember my lazy days of summer and traveling across the US? From San Francisco and Las Vegas on the West Coast, to weekend trips to Philly, Boston, Connecticut and my trip to Florida, I went to a bunch of places in NYC, and went to my first Cyclones Game on Coney Island last week, too.  I had a fantastic job babysitting my 3 month old friend Avery for the past 2 months, but now that I’m back at school I’m available. So if you hear of anyone in need of a babysitter, let me know! Gotta find work somehow.

I can’t believe it’s Junior Year already!! I’m excited to move back into Carlyle with my new roommate, Hannah, and am ready for new adventures, creative foods (that’s right, folks, I’m gonna finally learn to cook!) and crazy situations. They always make life more fun, don’t you think?

Time to return to the city that never sleeps…just like me.

So even though I’m on Long Island for the summer, I can’t stay away from NYC. Here are some of the places I’ve gone so far…

1) Doughnut Plant

379 Grand St, New York NY

I had been watching one of the travel/Food Network shows, and when this place came on, I knew I had to go.  Turns out, the school that I taught in freshman year was only a block away the whole time! I got a blueberry doughnut, and it was delicious. Next time I’ll try one of the specialty ones. 

2) Intrepid

So one day a few weeks ago after getting tickets to a show, we decided to wander and stumbled upon the Intrepid! We didn’t go in, but relaxed in the park nearby for a while.  A really nice day trip for the spring or summer. 

3) Mystery Monastery Park

This past week, while on yet another day of wandering, we found this church that has a public park hidden behind these tall stone walls.  It was kind of creepy, but once inside it turned out to be gorgeous, with benches, trees, flowers and archways.  There weren’t any homeless people begging for money either, like in Cooper Square.

3) Kestes

Bleeker St in the West Village

This pizza place was recommended to me to be better than any pizza in Italy, and even though I’m not sure it entirely lived up to the hype, I will give them credit for creative pizzas. I got a butternut squash, mozzarella and yellow pepper pizza, so if I go back I’d probably suggest something more traditional, like margherita.

4) GROM

After eating gelato everyday for 4 months, GROM was the only gelato in Italy I didn’t like. However, it is one of the few gelatos in NY that is actually Italian, so I brought my friend to try it, and she really enjoyed the authentic Italian treat. As for me, I went next door to…

5) POP BAR

This place was something different. They put gelato into an ice pop bar, and it was the perfectly refreshing treat for a hot beyond belief day.  I got blood orange, which is the only orange that I’ll eat. I discovered it in Italy, but they have it here in the US, too.

6) How to Succeed in Business

Yes, it’s the show with Harry Potter.  Daniel Radcliffe starred in it, and in my opinion the best part was his attempt at an American accent.  He actually is a pretty good singer, too.  What was funny is that I’m not sure how tall he is in real life, but compared to the rest of the cast, he looked really little.  If you can get tickets, a great show to see!

7) Catch Me If You Can

I had high expectations for this, but I have to say I was disappointed.  I loved the movie and the plot, but the music was forgettable and didn’t really seem to fit with the theme of the show. The acting was great, except I would have loved to see Amy Adams reprise her role from the movie as Brenda Strong.  Seeing a blonde in her role just seemed unsatisfying.  The show reminded me of one of my favorite tv shows, White Collar on USA Network.  Oh, if only Matt Bomer showed up for a surprise cameo!

Last weekend, I went to visit Hayley in Boston, one of my favorite cities in the US. The last time I was there junior year of high school touring BU, I fell in love and can definitely see myself living there at some point in the future. (After I return from living in Australia, of course.)  We arrived around lunchtime, walked through Quincy Market and since Hayley’s family is obsessed with water, ate outside in scorching 100 degree weather.  Despite the heat, I couldn’t help myself and ordered my long awaited Boston Clam Chowder soup in the bread bowl. (Don’t worry, we moved to an inside table later on).  Our next stop was the duck tour, and if you’ve been reading my blogs you know by now how much my own family relies on duck tours to get to know a city. So far, my list includes Winnipeg, San Francisco, Philadelphia, now two in Boston,Washington DC, San Diego, and there are a bunch more I’m sure that I can’t remember off the top of my head.  After a quick rest in Hayley’s fully air conditioned dorm at Suffolk University (has anyone ever heard of this mysterious school?), we headed to Newbury Street for dinner and a stroll, passing the adorable brownstones and locals saying wicked, which can refer to absolutely anything.  After keeping Hayley up past her usual 11 pm bedtime, we woke up early on Sunday and began our day walking through the Boston Commons, which was right across the street.  The park was so scenic and beautiful and definitely could be a contender if they decide to shoot Enchanted 2 (or my own idea for the title, Re-Enchanted).  We had breakfast at a local favorite called Paramount, where everyone waits on line, you go up and order, and they cook it while you’re standing there.  Even though we waited a half hour, my blueberry pancakes were delicious! Our next stop was Cambridge, and we got to use the T, Boston’s cleaner, more polite version of the subway.  I couldn’t believe how people wait for everyone to exit the car before cramming on, no pushing shoving or cursing.  We arrived in Harvard Square, and relaxed in the park for about an hour, exhausted from all the eating of the morning.  After joining a HAHVAHD tour for a few minutes, we said goodbye and went on to the Harvard Bookstore (I didn’t buy anything, I promise!) and then found a cute tea place where I got coconut tea.  We then decided to take my parents advice and go on the Charleston Riverboat Cruise, but thanks to a lazy ass cab driver (seriously, he was going like 10 miles an hour), we missed the boat.  It was quite alright with Hayley’s family because where did the cab let us off? Right by the water! After some “aimless wandering,” we found a nearby restaurant, had a lovely dinner, and began our 4 hour trek home.  It was a perfect Bostonian weekend and I’m so glad I got to go.  A big thanks to Hayley and her parents for inviting me along on the trip. I really felt like part of the family!

PHILADELPHIA

With only 2 days in Philly, we got into the city around lunchtime, and our first stop was the duck tour (Nudelman family favorite in every city we visit.) The tour guide, whose real name was actually Betsy Ross, was decked out in stars, stripes and glitter and reminded me of Betty White.  After passing by the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, we walked down South Street for some window shopping, and wandered around the residential area, counting mezuzahs along the way. Our main attraction was the 3 story newly built American Jewish Museum, which was pretty impressive.  Afterwards, we stopped at the hotspot for Philly Cheesesteaks, but I was too grossed out to eat one and settled for some french fries.  In the afternoon, we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see a special Chagall exhibit on display. It showcased his life in France and featured a few Jewish themes.  

CONNECTICUT

The next weekend, Julie, Paul, Caitlin, Lina and I were off to Ridgefield (or Richfield, as I like to call it) for Jeff’s Resort Pool Party Opening. We woke up late Saturday morning to the most elaborate pizza truck I’ve ever seen. It had it’s own wood fire oven in the truck! The pizza was delicious, to say the least, including eggplant, margherita, veggie, and basically anything you can imagine and beyond. It was a perfect weekend of relaxing by the pool with your best friends. 

After parting ways at the airport, I began my solo trip to Vegas to visit Rachel.  After my plane landed and a quick stop at In N Out and Einstein’s Bagels for the best choco chip bagel ever, we headed straight for the outlets, of course! Later that night, we went to Michael’s house for dinner, and who was there to greet me but his new dog, Thorn (as in Thorn in my side). What kind of name that is for an animal I still have no idea.  

 I had high expectations for the pools at the fancy hotels that line the strip, and we decided to check out the pools at the Venetian/Palazzo.  I was looking forward to water slides, waterfalls, lazy rivers, etc, considering what people pay to stay there. Was I disappointed! All they have are a few in-ground pools with people lounging, so not worth the trek. Especially since the temperature is so hot there and everyone probably spends their days (when they aren’t gambling, hungover or hooking up with prostitutes) at the pool, you’d think they’d want to spice it up a bit. Guess not.  

The highlight of my trip were all the shows.  The first one we saw was a musical called Vegas, where they sung highlights from Vegas headliners from the 40s until today.  Another was DIVAS, where Frank Marino and his female impersonators put on elaborate costumes and intense dance numbers. I was impressed.  My favorite show that we saw was Absinthe, which was an half dirty comedy, half unbelievable draw dropping acrobats and circus acts.  This comedians were hysterical, and you can’t even imagine what they do to the poor people who sit up close.  In case you plan on seeing the show, I’m not going to give it away here, but let me just warn you, its good.  

We walked through the new hotel the Cosmopolitan for this secret pizza place, but I guess the secret’s out because it was supercrowded so we didn’t end up staying.  One cool thing to try if you’re going for a visit is this specialty ice cream called ICEPAN.  Basically, let’s say you want strawberry ice cream.  They have strawberries, blend it with milk, pour the liquid mixture onto a crepe machine, wait until it hardens, and then karate chop the ice cream until its ready to eat.  Really interesting gimmick for ice cream.  In case you’re interested, it’s in Harrah’s Hotel.  

Sadly, my week in Vegas came to an end and I had to go home to New York. 

THANKS Rachel for giving me an amazing week, taking me out everywhere and planning so much for me to do! And thanks to her roommate, Carly, for letting me stay in her bed! It was much appreciated.