April 2023 in review

This month has been a busy one, concluded by an extremely rainy weekend in NYC! We have gotten hints of spring here, and I am overwhelmingly ready for the consistent warm weather. I even purchased 3 tank tops, denim shorts and 2 pairs of sandals today, despite this entire weekend’s average temperature being in the 50s. This past month, and just this year in general, has been very busy and very fun! April had lots of highlights.

1. Exploring the Upper West Side (UWS)

Since we live in Brooklyn, and a lot of our friends also live in Brooklyn or in lower Manhattan, we don’t really find ourselves in UWS very often. In March, I had a DMV appointment to get my new ID at the AAA Services in UWS, and Jake and I made a day out of it exploring and doing classics like walking in Riverside Park and shopping at Zabars. And also seeing the apartment complex from the show Only Murders in the Building.

My childhood best friend Taylor lives near Columbia University, and we got to hang out with her in UWS in early April and go to the Natural History Museum. We also went up by her apartment and saw Columbia’s campus, where Jake joined in a game of hacky sack with some college kids. My latest TV binge is Seinfeld, so of course we had to do the photo op in front of Monk’s.

2. Seeing the cherry blossoms at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

My friend Sarah from work surprised me with tickets to go to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which is full of blooming flowers this time of year. There were many pretty flowers of all types, but most would say the main event this time of year is the cherry blossom trees! It was such a nice, warm spring day.

The blossoms look like a bunch of cotton candy you could take a bite right out of!

3. Lots and lots of running

I am running a half marathon in mid-May, and I have been increasing my runs to get ready for it. The running here is a little tougher with the crowds/streetlights, so my favorite thing to do is try to run by the water at non-peak times. The views at Domino Park in Williamsburg never fail to impress me, and you can even see the Statue of Liberty in the distance at the most southern point of the park, as pictured below.

4. Visiting Austin

For Easter, Jake and I went to his home in Austin for a week. It was such a lovely time filled with hanging with the family, walks outside with the dogs, cuddles with the cats and so so much delicious home cooked food. We even did an Easter egg hunt outside at Jake’s house, where Jake would tell you I stole the golden egg he had found. The truth is, he dropped it on the ground while I was chasing him, and I picked it up before he noticed a few minutes later. I consider that a fair procurement of the egg! Thank you again to Jake’s family for a wonderful visit if you’re reading this! <3

5. Grilling on the roof of my apartment building

Since it’s finally starting to warmup outside, it’s feasible to go up on the roof space of my building, which is equipped with a couple grills for the building community to use. Jake and I have lived here for over a year and still had never used the grills. We finally made it happen after purchasing some ground bison meat we decided to make burgers out of. It turned out to be a success, and the grilling was done just before sunset. At the right angle, you can even see the Empire State Building while you’re flipping the patties 😉

6. Celebrating our anniversary

Jake and I have been dating 7 years now, and we celebrated by going to one of our favorite local restaurants, Maison Premiere, for an early Sunday dinner last week. The place is a New Orleans inspired establishment, which is right up our alley. The menu is full of fresh seafood options and delicious cocktails, including absinthe ones, which Jake favors. The scallop crudo was one of our favorite things we got that night (pictured below).

We ended the meal with a walk to Domino Park to see the sunset. It was the perfect way to celebrate, in the neighborhood we love so much!

April was so much fun, and I think May will be a close contender! I have my friend’s bachelorette party in New Orleans next weekend, which is something I am looking forward to. And I have the half marathon later in May, which I HOPE goes well and is fun – haha!

Thanks for reading xo.