Good morning!!!

Happy Monday! I hope you’ve had an amazing weekend. Did you take it easy or did you do something interesting? Tell me about it on Twitter!

I had an amazing time in New York City this weekend - as always!

If I am being honest, I love NYC more and more after each visit. Even though the people are enormously rude and it’s insanely crowded (yes, had to throw the salt in there), I love that there is so much to do and see , all the time. Of course, I’ve had my heart set on Los Angeles for medical school… but every time I’m in NYC, I soften up to the idea of staying in the Northeast for school. That is, until winter storm season hits! Lol!!

I kicked off my weekend with a Friday evening date on the water at Pier A. I had mentioned a sunset dinner on the Hudson River in my August NYC Date Guide, so having dinner at a place like Pier A was like a wishlist-item come true! It’s a bustling boathouse restaurant set right on the water, where you can watch the Statue of Liberty glisten as the sun meets the horizon. It was such a fun and relaxed place for a first-date with someone who was incredibly sweet and charming. Walking out, there was this absolutely beautiful view of the One World Trade Center:

Of course, the reason why I’ve started visiting New York City on a regular basis is because my best friend moved to Brooklyn earlier this year; on Friday evening, after my date, I set out to a [belated] housewarming party. We were out on the rooftop terrace of her building with our friends, where we danced and played college drinking games all night! My late night drinking binge meant sleeping in until 1pm on Saturday, which only left me with a few hours to cross a few attractions off my personal “to-see” list like Sue Tsai’s Bowery Street pop-up and checking out the Brooklyn flea market.

Not that it matters, because my Saturday evening date was dinner at The Print and rooftop drinks at The Press… I loved the skyline view with a nearly-full moon in the nightsky.

Sundays should always have a cherry on top - my brunch with Breya Lynn and sight-seeing afternoon were exactly that! On the patio of Nougatine at Jean-Georges, Breya and I shared incessant laughs over an extravagant breakfast spread that included pancakes, omelettes, and chocolate cake. She is an incredibly sweet person, whose personality fills any space she’s in. If you’re in NYC, you should treat yourself to her company… or do me a favor and bring her to D.C.

I was debating whether to visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art or The Museum of Modern Art, and Breya suggested to visit MoMA. After we said our farewells, I headed over. It was a great choice, since it was the perfect size for me to explore the highlights (plus some extras) on a late Sunday afternoon. I mentioned in my Paris Photo Diary how much I love Jackson Pollock… There’s a whole room in MoMA dedicated to some of his work! There are three panels of Monet’s Water Lilies in the museum, as well as Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Henri Matisse’s Rousseau. It was also my first time seeing a Basquiat painting in person.

I sat around in Central Park, spending some time to myself and people-watching. One of my favorite ways to recharge is by sitting on a park bench and taking a moment to relax. Then, I headed back to freshen up before my last date - again, by the water… this time at Hudson River Park for a sunset dinner at Grand Banks. The docked restaurant has a limited menu, but the food and setting fully make up for that! It was such a dreamy place for dinner: the light music played in the background as we shared cocktails at a table on the boat deck, where the One World Trade Center towered above us on one side and the sun set over the Jersey City skyline on the other.

Thank you a million times over to the great people who made this weekend the most picturesque one I’ve had all summer. It’s safe to say, I love New York! I can’t wait to be back in late September!

Back on the Monday grind before Labor Day weekend… here are some interesting reads to start off your week:

This is so, so important: “You don’t owe anyone an interaction.”
I was very saddened to hear about John McCain passing away. Although I disagree with some of his politics, this tribute from Esquire is a portrait of him.
How to make the short vacation count.
Road rage is, apparently, literally taxing on your body!
Here are things that are proven to make you happier.
Nothing is worse than thinking you’ve got the whole row on the plane to yourself, then having to duke it out with another passenger for dibs on the empty seat.
I’m still team Trader Joe’s, but some people are defecting.
It’s an old habit that will die hard, but die it needs to do: stop saying, “Hey guys…”
An op-ed on the costs of the nativist “English-only” movement to our society
The NBA’s current attention on mental health issues is a step in the right direction.