nyc, part one.

Happy Tuesday! I have so many photos from this weekend that I need to split it into two posts, so without further ado, here is the first batch:

My bus from Providence  to NYC took about two hours longer than expected, so I took a little shut-eye knowing the City hours are a little different than those we keep in our apartment. After being dropped at 42nd street, I jumped on the subway to meet up with {ah}, one of my best friends and bridesmaids, at her new place in Chelsea. She just moved from Dallas to NYC in late October, so it was fantastic to finally see her new digs. 


We changed quickly so we could meet {ch}, another one of my best friends and also my maid of honor, at The New French in the West Village. It was an absolute treat to be reunited again, though we missed our other partners in crime {jt} and {kj}. My yummy fare for the evening was a hearty burger with manchego. We also split a solid bottle of Albariño before heading out to a festive and fun "bad ornament" Christmas party, back up in Chelsea, hosted by {ah}'s cousin.

After the party, {ch} and I jumped in a cab to SoHo, where she moved in mid-summer. We came home to find these beautiful curtains had finally been hung in her apartment. I took this picture the next morning and it truly doesn't do them justice.

I took these shots while roaming the streets of SoHo on our sunny Saturday morning stroll. I could take pictures of fire escapes all. day. long.

{ch} lives dangerously close to the Bloomingdale's in SoHo, so we made a quick stop to remedy my "lack of gloves" situation. {I can't believe I was goofy enough to forget them...it's always something though, right?} I won't complain too much because the decorations in Bloomie's were downright festive. I wish I could have taken more photos, but I was worried they would confiscate my iPhone ;) 

We also passed my perennial favorites {as evidenced in last week's Friday's Fancies}, Vince and Tory Burch. The doors to Tory heaven were especially heavy!

Along the way, we met up with {nm}, another Georgetown grad and very close friend, who had the brilliant idea to take an impromptu culinary tour of the East Village. 


First, {nm} took us to Bespoke Chocolates, for a little dessert to start the day. We tried the pretzel-covered sea-salted caramels, the lavender honey fleur de sel caramels, and the peanut butter honey squares. I seriously don't think I could pick a favorite. The textures were out-of-this-world and we probably looked hilarious indulging in them on a street corner. 

From Bespoke, we headed to Pommes Frites, which should be translated to French Fry Heaven in English. As the name suggests, it serves up fries--and only fries--in its cozy, crazy storefront. The kicker here is that they have 26 sauces to choose from...and it is SO hard to choose. {nm} decided on the roasted garlic mayo, {ch} chose the dijon mustard, and I picked the peanut satay. 

Here's a photo of {nm} holding the massive cone of fries we beasted at Pommes Frites. Clearly, this wasn't meant to be a healthy culinary adventure, but we were all on board with that ;)

Next stop on our tour was our original destination of the day, Luke's Lobster. Funny thing is, we actually all know Luke from our days at Georgetown. He opened Luke's Lobster just over a year ago to critical acclaim. A native Mainer {just like my husband!}, Luke took his love of lobsters and filled a void in NYC: a tasty yet affordable lobster roll. Let's just say this, Luke did not disappoint.

The lobster comes fresh daily from Maine, but more specifically, from Luke's father's sustainable seafood company. We tasted a perfectly crafted lobster roll {seen above}, along with a shrimp roll which blew my mind. The rolls were just the right size to share and I enjoyed every bite. Yay for Georgetown grads doing us proud!

The final stop on our adventure was the Momofuku Milk Bar. We topped off an unforgettable jaunt of the East Village with some raspberry Lambic and a piece of "crack pie", which you truly cannot stop eating. It's literally described as having a "gooey butter filling." Another little slice of heaven. Seriously. 

After a little shopping, we decided to head toward the Union Square Holiday Market. On the way, we passed through a number of these sidewalk Christmas tree vendors. I wish I could have bottled the smell and somehow found a way to share it with you. It. was. incredible.

I wish I could've taken better pictures inside the holiday market, but people were shoving left and right...soooo, this was the best I could do. They had vendors selling  just about everything you could imagine. I now regret not picking up this fun "home brew" kit for {cv}, so he could concoct his own beer in our apartment. Maybe next year!

We said our goodbyes to {nm} and headed back toward SoHo. On our way, I spotted this fine gentleman transporting his tree via shopping cart. You have to love city living--and finding creative ways to do seemingly normal tasks.

I have more to share tomorrow...but I hope this whets your appetite. Literally and figuratively. Thanks again to {nm} for crafting such a wonderful East Village adventure--and to {ch} and {ah} for being such incredible hosts!

Hope your holiday prep is going splendidly! Until tomorrow! xoxo {av}

P.S. Thank you all SO much for your sweet words about our engagement story--it really warmed my heart :)