West Point: 10-Year Reunion

My favorite view at West Point

In October, Dan and I headed to my alma mater, the United States Military Academy at West Point, for my 10-year college reunion.  I was really excited about the trip, because it was my first time introducing Dan to a place that is very near and dear to my heart.

Maybe I'll show this photo to our baby someday!

I wanted to make sure Dan had the full experience at West Point, including seeing some of the behind the scenes things that are pretty much off-limits to the public.  After all, it's a fully functional military base!  Fortunately, my goddaughter's father is assigned there, so he was able to show us the Mess Hall, the fitness center and gyms, and even a cadet room!  Then I walked Dan around Trophy Point overlooking the river, so he could see some of the grounds.

We did participate in a few of the "official" reunion events, including a nice class dinner, viewing the cadet review on the parade field, a tailgate at the Firstie Club (the senior bar/club), and a football game!  Whew!  We did a LOT.  We also walked quite a bit, and those hills are a lot tougher now that I'm older, less fit, and pregnant.

The thing that made the reunion worthwhile (other than introducing Dan to my school!)  was seeing my old friends and classmates.  My company (my classmates who shared a dorm with me for our sophomore through senior years) showed up in bigger numbers than most.  I saw friends that were in my classes/major, in the same sports, and more.  It made me incredible nostalgic of course.  I can't believe we graduated over ten years ago!

And three people missed this photo...  H4 Hogs were representing!

I don't think I was on the fence about attending my reunion, but I definitely wondered if it was necessary in the age of social media.  After attending, I would resoundingly say it still has a place!  Much more so in this case than even my high school reunion, because my college was particularly tight-knit and unique.

I may not go to reunions every five years, but I probably will try every ten.  This one was also particularly special because we stayed with my goddaughter's family, spending quality time with my friends and their kids, even taking them to the local pumpkin patch and doing a hayride.  I am so glad I went, and that Dan could come with me!

Have you ever attended your high school or college reunion?

A Week in NYC

In July, I spent a week living in Brooklyn for work, volunteering at a non-profit.  This was cool for a number of reasons.  1) I got to pretend I lived in NYC for a bit, 2) I got per diem to EAT ALL THE THINGS, and 3) I met new friends but also got to visit family.

My project partners

We lived and worked near the MetroTech center, near the shopping on Fulton Street south of Dumbo and north of Boerum Hill.  Our first night, we walked to Bijan's for dinner, which had delicious Persian fusion food.  They offer a delicious stew special, which I had.  So much flavor!

We also had beautiful dinners (my coworkers enjoyed some great seafood!) at Atrium Dumbo (in Dumbo, obvi) and Midnights in Williamsburg.  We really enjoyed exploring some of the other neighborhoods in Brooklyn while we could.  I also frequented Dekalb Market Hall, an awesome new food court that had so many options from bagels to Hawaiian to Katz's Deli.  And Shake Shack, OF COURSE.  Two of my other favorites?  We hit up Yaso Tangbao for a delicious lunch, because SOUP DUMPLINGS and spicy noodles are amazing.  We also ate at Aunt Jake's in Little Italy for fresh pasta that was just... perfection!  So good my Italian mother-in-law would approve.

Takeout from Yaso Tangbao

My favorite sightseeing, other than the beautiful bridge views in Brooklyn, was our visit to Merchant's House Museum in lower Manhattan.  If you're a history buff, I really think a tour of this impeccably-preserved home is in order.  It is the only historic house museum in the Greenwich Village/Soho/NoHo neighborhoods, where every other building has made way to development.  It's also considered one of the best examples of architecture of its period (1832 late-Federal brick exterior with Greek revival interior rooms), because the same family owned/occupied it until 1906.  I loved that so much of the family's original belongings were part of it.

The garden at Merchant's House

After a full week of work, I extended my visit to include a weekend staying with my cousin on the Upper West Side.  Her little girl is getting so big!  I loved spending time with family.  Our baby cousin (okay, he's grown, but I still call him our baby) came in from college in Boston to spend time with us too.  We walked to Gotham West Market (another food court, because this is a hot thing, right?) and I had pizza from Corner Slice, Ivan Orkin's pizza joint.  Yum.

We walked through Central Park and indulged in fro-yo, baked goods, and bubble tea/boba.  We also had a yummy brunch at Spring Natural Kitchen, my last meal with family before heading home.  Because that is what you do when you're in NYC.  You get out, eat all the things, and walk your butt off so you can eat some more!

I must say, I don't think I've ever gotten to "live" in NYC for an entire week every, so it was kind of awesome to wake up every day, walk out the door, and find AMAZING BAGELS everywhere.  And everything else you could imagine.  It wasn't as glamorous as Carrie Bradshaw made it look, but it was certainly loud, colorful, delicious, and fun.  I will admit that being in the super early stages of pregnancy on the trip kept me from eating/drinking some things I wanted, and the smells could be a little overwhelming... but it was still worth every bite.

I ate the Big Apple... again!

New York City to me is a smorgasbord of so many things I love.  My most recent visit to the city, on a one-day stop on my way upstate, I ate the Big Apple again.  (Check out this post from one of my visits last year!)
I was able to fly standby and get to the city early, so after dropping my bags at my cousin's in Chelsea, I took the subway down to SoHo to visit Dominique Ansel Bakery. 

I knew I wouldn't be able to sample their famous/infamous Cronut, but my cousin SP mentioned they make these amazing pastries called DKAs, croissant-like delights with a caramelized crunchy outside.  And since I was already hungry, I also got some hot madeleines with powdered sugar.  I highly recommend them, as they were pure perfection!
Next, I headed around the corner to my personal mecca for macarons: Ladurée.

I love macarons.  I eat them entirely too quickly.  I loved getting to pick out a bunch to enjoy, with an adorable cat box to boot!  (I now keep that box on my desk at work.)  These are probably the most famous place to get macarons, and for good reason.  They're fresh, soft, and delicate.  You really won't be disappointed.

After catching the train back up to Chelsea, I stopped by Eataly just to explore.  (I'd already eaten all my madeleines!)  It's just sensory overload in there...  There are so many counters to visit, so many sections of wonderful foods like pasta.  I wish I was staying there longer, or going home right after, because I would have bought some fresh gnocchi to cook.  It's a treat whenever I visit.

For dinner, we ordered takeout from The Meatball Shop.  Um, heck yes!  So many of my favorite things in one day.  I ordered the Classic Beef meatballs, tomato sauce, and spaghetti underneath.  Classic, simple, and delicious.  I wouldn't hesitate to eat there again, or mix it up with a different combo!

Oh, and did I mention that I not only got to spend time with my cousin, her husband, and my nephew/niece dog/cat...

...but I spent the weekend upstate to attend the baptism of my beautiful goddaughter!

All in all, the perfect New York weekend.

I ate the Big Apple.

I spent a week in New York (the city and upstate with friends) eating my face off, of course.  I mean, it's New York!  WARNING: lots of photos ahead... but it's my blog and I'll overload if I want to. As part of a group for work, we had beers on the roof of Eataly, at La Birreria.  There was a great selection on tap, and the place was absolutely jam-packed.  You could sit and eat, but it was standing room only if you didn't want to wait.  So we stood, drank, and noshed!  It seemed like a hipster paradise; we even spotted one of the guys from the latest Bachelorette season, according to one of my coworkers.

La Birreria

Our hotel was just a few blocks from Koreatown, so I made sure to get my BBQ fix while I was there.  Kalbi, of course!

We also went on a walking tour that included Chelsea Market (The Doughnuttery was my favorite, with the Paris Time doughnut) and Bleecker Street Pizza (the hot and delicious Nonna Maria, of course).  I was bummed I didn't have a chance to stop at Big Gay Ice Cream, but it was a great walk through the city.

The Doughnuttery at Chelsea Market

Nonna Maria at Bleecker Street Pizza

The "cronut" is the hot ticket in baked goods, so I grabbed one from Paris Baguette in Ktown.  I must admit it was just okay... I think I'd prefer a good croissant or donut and not a combo of them both.

Our group had a custom menu from Sopra, a group dining experience with a Mediterranean flair.  We had burrata, pasta with oxtail ragout, hot baby chicken and corn, and a ricotta cheesecake with cherry compote.  The wine flowed all night, and by the end I was falling asleep from a food coma!  One of my coworkers is a culinary school grad, and we agreed it was a delicious feast.

Dinner at Sopra

After my work was completed, I met up with my cousin for tapas at Tia Pol, which was absolutely amazing.  We had tortilla espanola, chorizo, croquetas, gambas, and patatas bravas.  The potatoes were probably my favorite of all.  This is one of my cousin's favorite restaurants, and while the total bill wasn't cheap, it was all tasty and good.  Definitely reminded me of Spain.

Tia Pol

After a week in the city, I headed north to the home of one of my BFFs.  She is expecting my goddaughter later this year!  We picked wild blueberries, painted the nursery, and even went for a trail run.  The entire time, she spoiled me with her from-scratch cooking, including chicken pot pie, raspberry and peach cobbler, cornmeal and blueberry pancakes, and more.  Seriously, more than is pictured.

Chicken Pot Pie

Cobbler and Pancakes

I think it's safe to say that I ate the entire Big Apple.

West Point

One thing my Nashville blogger buddies know about me that I don't mention too often here: I'm a U.S. Army veteran and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.  Whew, that's a mouthful.

I hadn't been back to visit USMA (as it is more briefly called) since 2008, when I saw a friend who would be killed in action in Afghanistan just a couple of years later while I was deployed to Iraq.  We'd lived in the same dorms for three years together.  His name was Sal Corma, and he was 24 years old.  He was an only child with an infectious smile and the most polite and genuinely kind person you'd ever meet.

Recently, I had a chance to return with friends to my alma mater.  One of the first things we did was visit the cemetery.  As my friend JH guided me to Sal's grave (the headstones were beautifully decorated with wreaths from Wreaths Across America for the holidays) I noticed that I knew so many of the other names in that corner of the cemetery.  JH and I were suddenly overwhelmed with tears, something I hadn't been expecting at all.  I won't even list all of the names here because there are so many, people I used to see at meals, in the hallways, in class.  It's just too much sometimes, and I have started to understand why I'm not as open here about it as I am other things in my life.

Visiting West Point was the oddest feeling...  It felt like I was coming back after Christmas break to put on the uniform and start classes again, and it was strange not to walk past the signs into the cadet areas.

Jefferson Library

After visiting the cemetery, I wanted to see the new library, which was being built when I graduated.  I wanted to see it.  It was much more modern-looking to me than other buildings, but I think over time the stone will age and blend in.  I even had a chance to chat with a cadet who was standing guard, and while our experiences are very different they also sounded very similar.

Another plus of visiting West Point is that so many people I know are living and working around the school.  I went to Andy's Restaurant, an old brunch hangout of mine, to meet with a few girls I ran cross country with during my freshman and sophomore years.  It was so neat to see everyone years later!

Reunion at Andy's Restaurant

I must admit, however, that one of the most important things about my trip to West Point was spending a few days with my little "niece" Elle.  I was Maid of Honor for JH and PH (and I helped set them up in college) so I consider them my family.  I see them every year though mostly just in passing on one of their long car trips, but it just isn't enough.

I had such a good time just being at home with them, even though JH did have me help with a little drywall and it went in my EYE and I don't do that stuff OMG.  I picked up cooking tips from J, we took Elle to see Frozen (so good!), and we had a really great visit.  I didn't realize how much I'd missed them until I was there, then I didn't want to leave!  They've also done such an amazing job renovating their home.  It's a Before/After dream.

Yeah, I need to correct the red-eye but whatever.

A real fire and Peanut loves it.

 I had a fantastic trip... and then I caught a direct flight to San Francisco.  To be continued...

P.S.  I also stopped very briefly in NYC to surprise my cousin Suzy!  If you're into yoga, or think you might want to start, you should check out her website or Facebook especially if you're in NYC.

P.P.S.  You might have noticed I no longer feature my Before I'm 30 bucket list.  Well, I thought I'd briefly mention why.  26-year-old me loved the idea of doing 100 silly things before I'm 30, but almost-29-year-old doesn't even want to do most of those things anymore.  While it has been enjoyable and fun to chase those "goals", they just aren't aligned to where I am in life no.  Tant pis, c'est la vie, que sera sera.  I'm happier pursuing the here & now, and I'm lucky enough to have an amazing life happening without a list!

NYC Trip Part III: Yogi/Vegan Experience

My cousin SS is one of the healthiest people I know.  She's a vegetarian yoga instructor who eats things like kale and drinks coconut water.  Some people talk the talk, but she walks the walk.

As part of my fun NYC experience, she invited me to attend one of her classes at Strala Yoga, a Basics level class.  I actually got to meet Tara Stiles, the founder of the studio who is Deepak Chopra's personal yoga instructor.  Um, as if I wasn't nervous enough about being subjected to yoga...

Look, I'm terribly inflexible, and I suck at keeping quiet.  So the thought of this class was truly intimidating to me.  I definitely almost fell over a few times, and my lack of physical strength in holding a plank was embarrassing.  But I pushed through it, with some tips from Suzy, and I felt my whole body burn and sweat... in the best sort of way.  It was actually relaxing, even though I was self-conscious about everyone seeing my struggle.  I learned that one side of me has way better balance than the other, which is fascinating.

The Kids' Yoga Class

Afterwards, we went out for a vegan brunch at Sacred Chow.  I had a delish banana French toast, home fries, and rose lemonade.  I was really impressed, and even tried a bite of SS and boyfriend JP's dishes... surprisingly good for a carnivore like me!

SS did make me have a sip of her green juice though... which tasted like vegetables.  Meh.

Green juice is meh.

After yoga (SS was teaching a kids' class) , we walked around Soho, grabbed an awesome $1 slice of pizza (I love you, NY!), then headed home.  SS had a work event, so JP and I decided to hit up a place she doesn't frequent much... SHAKE SHACK.  I've read about Shake Shack; it has the same kind of allure in New York that In 'n' Out burger has on the west coast.  It started as a hot dog cart, then burger stand, then brick and mortar restaurant.  Anthony Bourdain even loves the place.  So I was pumped to get some red meat after my day as a yogi.  I LOVED IT!  One of the best burgers I've had, hands down.

Before I left, we ate a phenomenal brunch at Buttermilk Channel.   This place is well worth the wait!  I had an apple, bacon, grilled cheese sandwich, SS had the buttermilk pancakes, and JP had the fried pork on waffles.  I tried everything, and it was awesome.


My trip to NYC was great.  I especially loved spending some quality time with SS, my other little sister who I don't get to see often enough.  It's a great town, with endless things to do, and it really doesn't sleep... you have to catch yourself and take a break after a while!  But it's amazing, and a place I'll never tire of.