April Delights: A Month in Photos

Does anyone else notice that the older you get, the faster time seems to pass? When I was a kid, days felt like weeks, weeks felt like months, and school semesters seemed to drag on forever. Time never passed quickly enough for my liking, and I was always eager to jump to whatever came next. Now that I'm in my thirties, I keep wishing time would stop and I could just linger in the moment a little longer. Can you please figure out a way to make that happen? It'd be much appreciated. You're a doll. 

And even though it felt like it lasted all of three days, April is basically over. On to the next. But that's okay, I've always liked May. It's full of sunlight and flowers and outdoor seating and a long holiday weekend when the grill makes a reappearance in the American yard. But before I look ahead, I like to take a quick glance in the rearview. April, you weren't so bad yourself.

Some new traditions were born this month. My boyfriend and I now try a new restaurant every Friday night. (As if I needed another reason to look forward to Fridays--maybe we should move it to Monday?).  

My favorite was El Ay Si in Long Island City, where we had two awesome appetizers-- black-eyed pea cakes with chipotle mayo and jalapeno sweet corn fritters with honey. Delish!

And every Sunday morning this month, I grabbed my camera and took a 2-hour walk through a different part of the city. During the morning rush hour, nearly every inch of the street is packed full of pedestrians, cabs and cars. But on Sunday morning, between 7 and 9 am, the sun is up, but the streets are virtually empty. If you've never seen the city this way, you should.

Because walking down Soho's cobblestone streets with no one else around feels like you've just stumbled on an empty movie set. The city feels like it belongs only to you.

This is an activity I usually do alone, but if any of my NYC friends wish to join me on one of my Sunday morning jaunts, I challenge you to set your alarm to early, strap on your Nikes and come out with me.

image by theboweryboys.blogspot.com

Because New York City is meant to be explored. I've lived here about 12 years now, and I'm still discovering places I've never seen before. Last weekend after dinner, Vin and I drove to Roosevelt Island, a narrow island in the middle of the East River between Manhattan and Queens. Originally called Welfare Island, for many years it was fairly inaccessible and home to the city's penitentiary, smallpox hospital and insane asylum. Once those facilities shut down, the buildings were converted to condos. Naturally.

image by thegothamist.com

The more scenic way to get there is by tram, but we went via Honda. Amid rows and rows of concerete and condos, we suddenly stumbled upon a two-story house with shingles and shutters and...gasp!... a lawn. We drove by it three times just to make sure it was real. The sight of a house in NYC is so foreign we were both expecting a martian to start tap-dancing on the front porch. If I ever doubted I was a real city girl, I think we know the answer now.

I also finally checked out Eataly in April, the Italian mega-store that counts Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich as partners. If you're into food, or just really good smells, you owe it to yourself to visit this great spot on your next visit to the city.

I haven't seen this much pasta since I went on that all-carbs diet in high school. That's when the fat-free craze was in full effect and I ate pasta with "I can't believe it's not butter" spray nearly everyday for lunch. I also considered eating half a box of Snackwell's a smart dessert choice. Ah, the '90s. 

These days I am much more wise. See above. I walked right over this patch of concrete last weekend, and now feel very confident about all future decisions.

I also narrowly avoided this. I told you April was a good month!!

Towards the end of it, we celebrated Easter with 22 of Vin's close relatives at his parent's house. 

It was there that our favorite Daisy delivered the box we've been waiting for. Lord help us all. Girl Scout cookies are here. Why those Mints are called Thin is beyond me.

But by far the most delightful part of April was learning of the good fortune of good friends. My buddies Bridget and Chris got engaged...

And three friends announced they will be expecting wee ones in October. Looks like I'll be spending May shopping for onesies and rubbing women's swollen feet. Oh wait--they have husbands for that. Whew.

Okay, so instead I'll spend May gazing at the pretty flowers and getting ready for outdoor eating in the backyard. Maybe I don't mind if time moves a little faster after all!