A surprise from Mother Nature

If you leave work out of the equation I've had another memorable week. Although, to be fair, even the work had a couple of high points which made a nice change.

Leaving the office at 8pm on a Friday wouldn't normally be something to rejoice in but on this occasion it meant that my walk back home along 23rd Street serendipitously coincided with the only true Manhattanhenge that New York has witnessed this year. 

Manhattanhenge is the phenomenon where on four nights of the year (two consecutive nights in May and then two in July) the setting sun lines up accurately with the New York grid, meaning that you can see it disappear behind the Jersey City all the way from Brooklyn if you want to go that far. A good alternative is just getting as far east as you can on one of the wider cross streets and risking life and limb to stand in the middle of the traffic to take a few quick photos as the orange orb slowly makes it's descent framed by the buildings on either side. With only my iPhone to hand, my attempts are pretty poor but I've included the best of the bunch to give you an idea...

This snapshot is the best I can do because despite me setting out early yesterday evening and hiking across town with my proper camera, the sun decided not to show up for it's fourth and last potential performance of the year and set behind a very persistent cloud instead. In stark constrast to the delighted hoards I'd been part of the night before, the small crowd that had collected at the same intersection as me on 14th Street gradually slunk away disappointed.  I felt particularly sorry for an Indian girl who I got chatting to who had travelled all the way from some other US town I'd never heard of especially for a moment that never came.

Early in the week, I'd taken in another sunset when I joined fellow legal aliens at The Frying Pan for drinks organised by NYC Navigator, the relocation agency who helped me find my apartment and settle in. Tara joined me and we had a fun night chatting with people of all nationalities ... although I have to admit to feeling a little seasick throughout. The historic floating lighthouse is moored but rocks persistently from side to side in the wake of passing boats. I found myself holding on rather firmly whilst trying not to turn too green around the gills!

The following night I enjoyed another opportunity to make new friends when I was invited along to Gabi's birthday dinner. Gabi is another Brit who has lived in NYC for over two years now and was introduced to me through my friend Charlotte who worked with her in the UK a few years ago. We're becoming good friends in our own right which is lovely and her dinner was at the sumptuous Michelin-starred Dovetail on the Upper West Side with a delightful group of other friends she's made during her time here. The food and the company were both top class and I will be making another booking for when Mum and Dad visit later in the year!

Right, I think it's time to call it a night and get a good night's sleep before another Monday morning in the office. Back soon...

Summer in the city where the air is still...

This week I finally caved into the inevitable and switched the air conditioning on in my apartment. I felt a pang of guilt for the damage I was inflicting on the environment as I did it but I have to admit that this was quickly replaced by an overwhelming sense of relief as the cold air washed over me and finally made it possible to sleep.

Summer has definitely arrived in New York. I've never been one to complain about the heat, so I will continue to take cold showers, try and get used to the droning sound of the AC unit in the corner of my room at night and make the most of the blue sky, sunshine and long evenings ahead!

So, I promised to tell more about my 'birthday weekend'. On the Saturday, after a stroll around Chelsea and an iced latte on the pier, we made our way up to the American Museum of Natural History to join a walking tour of the Upper West Side.

As an aside, thanks to my colleague Lisa, I'd actually been into the American Museum of Natural History earlier in the week for a rather swanky reception hosted by the Global Ocean Commission to launch their report - From Decline to Recovery. You can (and probably should!) read more here: missionocean.me.

The reception was held in what is commonly known as the 'Whale Room' (must have something to do with the rather large blue whale hanging from the ceiling!) and involved lots of what turned out to be far more interesting speeches than I was expecting, including one from our very own David Milliband who was surprisingly charismatic. I can definitely confirm that the Labour Party chose the wrong brother...

Anyway, back to my weekend. The walking tour was with Big Onion who I think are excellent having already enjoyed their Chelsea and Harlem tours. For just $20 our postgraduate student guide gave us lots of interesting insights into rise and fall and rise again of this mostly residential area bordering Central Park, which I now know is famous for more than just being the area where John Lennon met his demise. Who knew for example that one of the famous apartment buildings in the area - The Ansonia - was designed to be entirely self sufficient with a farm on the roof which supplied eggs on a daily basis to the residents!

Following a long lunch outside the Lincoln Center at what is quickly becoming one of my favourite restaurants - Cafe Fiorello - we headed back towards the trees for one of those long and windy walks which make you appreciate why New Yorkers love their 'People's Park' so much.

In the evening we felt very glam as we both got dressed up and jumped in a yellow cab up to Broadway for our evening's entertainment - watching Neil Patrick Harris play Hedwig in the role for which he recently won the 'Best Actor' award at the Tonys. It was a real hoot and easy to understand why it is currently THE hot ticket in town. We even hung around afterwards like groupies to see NPH sign autographs and chat to the hoards of fans who were clamouring outside the stage door.

Sunday involved more spectating as we followed a yummy brunch at Westville Chelsea with nearly three hours watching the NYC Pride March on 5th Avenue. The carnival spirit was contagious and I can honestly say I've never chatted to so many strangers in a city on one day before. All thoroughly good fun!

I was rather sad to see Jon off at Penn Station on Monday night but a busy week at work has left me with no time to feel lonely. I was also lucky enough to be asked out on Wednesday night by Rachel who made last minute plans to meet friends for pizza in Brooklyn. The restaurant - Emily - actually belongs to a friend of one of Rachel's friends (called Emily funnily enough) so we had the 'chef's table' and were able to watch the team hard at work making our food from scratch and baking it in their traditional pizza oven. Having rounded off an already delicious meal with the chocolate and marshmallow calzone, it's safe to say that I'll be going back again soon!

Two days later I started my 4th July by trying to do hand stands in my yoga studio to a soundtrack of American classics including The Boss himself singing 'Born in the USA'. As I said to my instructor, it's a good job I'm rubbish at holding grudges...!

I then celebrated Independence Day by mostly hanging out with two other Brits and a German. Well, all that Stars and Stripes stuff can get a bit much! My friend Sophia was in town having tagged a couple of days on to a work trip, so we spent a very lazy day which essentially comprised of breakfast, lunch and dinner with a little spot of shopping and, in my case, a mani-pedi in between! How very Carrie Bradshaw...

Sophia introduced me to her friend Andrew who was also here for work and his friend Stephanie who is living here for a bit like me, so we had a fun night out at The Public in Nolita cooking up plans for an alternative to Valentine's Day which we're going to launch in February 2015. I'd share but I don't want to give our secrets away...!

Today has been even more chilled out. I made the most of the sunshine and walked the entire length of my favourite green artery - the High Line - with Sophia and then lunched with her in Bryant Park before she headed off for a salsa workshop in the Bronx and I headed home for a snooze in front of Holland v Costa Rica, waking up just in time for the penalties.

Tomorrow morning I intend rising early to watch Roger Federer win another Wimbledon title, so I guess it's time to head back to bed.

But, before I go, I have to share with you my favourite photograph from last week's Pride March - I'm not a big fan of small dogs but this one made me laugh so much!!

Happy Birthday to me!

I'm not doing very well at keeping up with this blog but wanted to make sure I at least took a moment to record a very special weekend.

On Friday, I turned thirty-six and feel very blessed to have enjoyed a wonderful birthday in the company of old friends and new.

A hilarious singing frog e-card from Marie, Richard, Ava and Penny got my day off to the right start and sharing mid-morning birthday cupcakes from Crumbs - courtesy of Jaishree - with other members of my new little team made me feel very special.

I then took my first (and probably last) summer Friday and headed out on an afternoon outing with Jon, who is visiting me from Shanghai (via London), and Rachel, my work colleague and now friend, who very sweetly organised my entire birthday celebration.

We hopped on a ferry from the tip of Manhattan for the five minute trip to Governor's Island, a tiny pedestrian-only haven from the city hub-bub, which only opened to the public a couple of years back having previously operated as a military base. Once there, we ate Belgian waffles with ice cream and chocolate sauce, rocked in hammocks and explored the four corners of the island by foot taking lots of photos of the views over the water. It couldn't have been more perfect to be honest.

Having torn ourselves away from the peace and quiet, we headed for Williamsburg where we met up with a few more lovely people for some evening fun. The food at The Star of Brooklyn provided real (and substantial!) Southern comfort and the rooftop bar at Night of Joy provided the perfect venue for getting to know my new friends a little better. Even the cab ride home gawping out of the window at the Manhattan skyline and the Empire State Building lit up in rainbow colours for NY Pride is now vying for a spot in my Top 10 New York memories!

I'll try to write more about the rest of my weekend soon (it was a good one!) but, in the meantime, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared in my birthday from the other side of the pond too. You were very much present and part of my day. So many people sent cards and emails and text messages from home which brightened my day and continue to make me smile. I'm a very lucky girl!

Introducing my 'hood

I must apologise for yet another disappearing act. The absence of posts during the last fortnight is not in the least due to a lack of interesting things to share. It is a simple case of not being able to face another hour at a keyboard after a busy day in the office.

The challenge now is to choose what to write about. I am currently comfortably ensconced in my favourite coffee haunt - Underline Coffee - which (unsurprisingly given its name) nestles under the Highline park on 20th Street. They serve delicious lattes and homemade cookies which are capable of undoing in one fell swoop all the good work I put in right next door at my yoga studio Yoga 216.

Yes, I am practicing yoga. I never thought I'd hear myself say that either!

To reassure you, I am terrible at it. I huff and puff and strain and 'glow' and look on in disbelief as my fellow yoga bunnies contort themselves into all sorts of unpronounceable poses ... and yet, I enjoy myself. The instructors are clearly humouring me or making allowances for my accent but I think I might even be able to sense some small improvements in my strength and stamina. Even if this feelings are psychosomatic, they must be doing me some good!

I am also trying to run. Trying being the key word in that sentence. I have downloaded NHS podcasts which claim they will get me running 5km three times a week. I know that doesn't sound that difficult to most people but since I started this job in January 2013 my fitness levels have plummeted and I've literally ground to a halt. Getting back into a regular exercise routine is tough but is greatly helped by having the Hudson River Park on my doorstep. In five minutes I can be jogging along the water's edge with stunning views and hundreds of other runners for company. Oh, and you can always treat yourself after a particularly tiring session to a frozen yoghurt at 'Wichcraft and sit on a bench looking out over the water to Lady Liberty in the distance.

Whilst we're on the topic of my neighbourhood, I might as well fill you in on my other favourite haunts. 192 Books is a real gem of a bookstore just around the corner from my apartment on 10th. It's one of those rare places these days where you can browse for hours without being asked to move on or can ask for a recommendation and be greeted with a helpful and knowledgeable response.

Pastai on 9th is very stylish and makes a delicious ragu and you can always pop next door to Billy's Bakery afterwards for one (or six) of their famous cupcakes. Le Grainne just next door to me in the second oldest surviving building in New York cooks up a delicious savoury crepe or Croque Monsieur. And I've also discovered a very special secret hideaway further down on 9th but I'm not going to spoil the surprise here for anyone who is coming to visit me!

Then there's the Highline itself. A stroke of genius on the part of its designers, I will never tire of walking along its length, even if that walk can sometimes turn into more of an obstacle course at peak times on a Saturday and Sunday when tourists and New Yorkers alike fight for space to eat their ice creams, listen to the talented busking musicians and take their photographs.

That's where I'm off to right now. Will try to blog more in the coming days to catch up on all the things I have to tell you about. The New York City Ballet, Harlem, The Cloisters...

Pictures tell a thousand words...

... so here are just a couple to whet your appetite!

Working 6 to 8... what a way to make a living

I know that it's going to be a long day when I find myself signing in at the front desk of my office building because the day security guard isn't due in for another hour.

Madison Square Park still looked pretty in the morning sun the only difference being that I was sharing it with Tai Chi practioners and bleary-eyed dog walkers instead of the usual pinstriped business types and fitness freaks.

The main disappointing outcome of my long day was that I didn't make it out for my own 'run' (ok, jog/walk) along the Hudson this evening. I've been doing pretty well with the exercise regime but tonight felt like a bridge too far. Especially as another storm is threatening like the one I got caught in on Friday night. I really did have to run on that occasion and surprised myself by how fast and far I could go when in danger of being struck by lightning!

Before the heavens opened and tried to drown me I was treated to the menacing creep of the black clouds rolling in over the island and enveloping the skyscrapers of Manhattan. I was obviously so distracted by the sight that I failed to do compute it's imminent implications!

Still, I must quietly admit to quite enjoying the mad rush for home with water dripping off the end of my nose and my feet squelching in my trainers. Faint memories of Trailwalker stir...

My final creative writing class tomorrow night so no running then either. I'll tell you all about that tomorrow instead.

What does a bishop eat for breakfast?

It's back to an altogether less fun flying machine today. An American Eagle Bombardier CRJ-700 to be precise. I'm currently awaiting it's arrival at gate A9 of Toronto's Pearson Airport and getting brain freeze from the Double Chocolate Chip  Frappucino that I've treated myself to with my last five Canadian dollars. It's been nice to have the Queen back on my (plastic) bank notes for a couple of days!

This morning I got to see Toronto at work instead of at play. Canada had its national holiday - Victoria Day - last Monday so enjoying the sunshine today felt extra extravagant as everyone around me busied themselves on cell phones and walked purposefully from the subway to their offices.

My hostel was on Church Street, aptly named for the many churches situated along its length, including both the Catholic and Anglican Cathedrals. Both are rather smaller than the Cathedrals I am used to... but rather lovely all the same.

The latter was just across the street from the hostel and it amused me to be stood in line behind the Bishop as I bought my morning bagel in Starbucks yesterday morning. In case you are wondering, his breakfast of choice is an egg and sausage muffin and a medium roast grande coffee!

Today I walked up Church Street to catch the bus to the north part of town and the Bata Shoe Museum. This intriguing little attraction, shaped like a shoe box, charts the evolution of footwear and shoemaking in different cultures with a particular focus on the First Nations people of North America. Fascinating stuff but I have to admit that I was rather more blown away by the ballet shoes of Fonteyn and Nureyev and the special sneakers exhibition on the top floor. I'm such a heathen.

One museum is enough for a sunny day, so I paused briefly outside the striking Daniel Libeskind designed Royal Ontario Museum to take some photos before wandering down the granite paved 'Mink Mile' to do some window shopping at the likes of Tiffany and Gucci.

I've enjoyed my little holiday in Toronto. Like I thought, there's not enough here to have warranted a special trip all the way from the UK but, as a weekend break, it was just the ticket. It was also a little sojourn from the relentlessness of NYC as the people here seemed a little friendlier, a little calmer and a little less fashion obsessed!

That said, I'm looking forward to unlocking the door to my little apartment this evening and spending a cosy night in. I wonder if the cat downstairs has missed me.