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!!