A Romantic Weekend in the Big Apple

After a long month apart, Jake and I finally reunited in New York City over the long weekend! He's interning in Baltimore this summer and I'm in Manhattan, so we've had to transition from seeing each other daily at school to only talking over Skype at night. Unfortunately we've had to spend every summer of our three-year relationship apart since we live in different states, but the distance makes our visits all the more special. 

Jake visited me in NYC a couple of times last summer and we had an absolute blast, although we stuck mainly to tourist attractions like Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Little Italy, and the Brooklyn Bridge. While we still acted a bit like tourists this year, we also made a point to explore more local restaurants and attractions. Given that we’re both 21 now, we also visited some bars and pubs in the East Village and Lower East Side. One of the highlights of the weekend was watching the Macy's fireworks show over the East River!

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. Jake and I had so much fun exploring and hanging out. If you’re interested, scroll through the pictures of our four-day vacation!

____________

I showed Jake my favorite areas of Central Park, including Belvedere Castle. 

We also admired some impressive views of the lake and the Manhattan skyline. 

Of course, we had to visit the famous Bethesda Fountain.

Jake treated us both to ice cream after a successful people-watching session in Washington Square Park.

Sitting in Times Square until the wee hours of the morning is one of our favorite things to do. I usually avoid the crowded area, but always love coming with Jake to hang out and people watch. On this particular night, we ate at an Irish pub at midnight and then sat in Times Square until 2 a.m.

We both obsess over Prosperity Dumpling in Chinatown and bought meals there twice during the week. Four orders of fried dumplings and two sesame pancakes for $6?! Unbeatable!

In addition to dining at Little Italy and exploring the area around where I work, Jake and I ate at some great restaurants and spent a day in Governor's Island – each of those events will get its own separate blog post. Thanks for reading! Let me know if you know of any other fun activities for couples in NYC.

Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks in NYC

Happy belated Fourth of July! My boyfriend, Jake, visted me in New York City for the long weekend (more on that in my next post) so of course we watched the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular over the East River. 

New York City closed down portions of FDR Drive for the fireworks, and bystanders stood along the road adjacent to the East River to watch the explosions. Many different websites suggested getting to the site no later than 5 p.m. The four barges set up in Midtown Manhattan – and two other barges near the Brooklyn Bridge– were apparently packed with people long before that. However, Jake and I didn't want to waste too much time and chose to arrive at 7 p.m. We avoided busy Midtown and instead found a grassy spot in the East River Park near Houston Street. A decent amount of people populated the area, but it wasn't overly crowded by any means. 

We sat on the grass for a couple of hours before the show, talking and people watching.

I liked the fireworks show a lot – especially the smiley-face-shaped explosions and the ones that made cracking noises! The booms didn't sound loud at all from our spot, and we still had a perfect, unobstructed view despite our distance from the barges. However, Jake and I agreed that the display wasn't as ornate as fireworks back home. The grand finale didn't last longer than three seconds, and even after the finale I was expecting more. I guess setting off a huge display of explosions is harder in a big city than in a smaller Midwestern town.

 Jake and I had a great time, and I would love to go back in future years! Advice for anyone wanting to attend the Macy's fireworks in NYC: skip the crowded Midtown viewing areas and head to the  Lower East Side instead!

NYC Dining: Barrio Chino (Mexican)

I’m back with another New York City restaurant review, and I’m super excited about this week’s pick. Ever since moving to the Lower East Side for the summer, I’ve been told that I simply have to try the Mexican food in the area. Mexican cuisine has always been a favorite of mine, so I gladly took up the recommendation. I did some research online beforehand, hoping that one or two places stand out as having the best fare, but the dozens of little Mexican joints near me all have stellar ratings. Obviously this made narrowing down the options quite difficult. I finally decided on a particularly tiny place with promising reviews: Barrio Chino, a discrete place with no signage. 

I went to the restaurant at 7 p.m. on a Thursday night, and the place was packed. However, given that the restaurant only boats about eight or ten tables, I wasn’t too surprised. The windows at the front were propped open, but the noise level in Barrio Chino seemed a little high. Nonetheless my dad and I took a seat at the bar and ordered a round of margaritas. At $10 each, the drinks were on the pricy side. However, they tasted good and were very strong, so the hefty price can be justified at least a little. We also put in an order for chips, salsa, and guacamole.  Just a warning: you have to pay for the chips and salsa here. I’ve never been to a Mexican place where you have to pay for these staples … I don’t know if this is an NYC thing or what, but I wasn’t about to go to a Mexican place without eating some chips and salsa!

I have to say, the chips were amazing. You could tell they were homemade from the super crunchy texture and the perfect dusting of salt. I could’ve eaten five orders of these things, but unfortunately I think you have to pay for refills. The salsa also tasted good – nothing particularly stuck out about it compared to other salsas, but I’d gladly eat it again. Same with the guacamole.

Now for the main courses: Bistek A La Casa (skirt steak) and Enchiladas De Mole, which we split. Through my online research I learned that these are the two most highly rated meals at the restaurant. At around $18 each, the dishes were pricier than Mexican food back in the Midwest. However, this is New York City, and honestly the meals tasted ten times more authentic than anything you can get in Ohio. My dad’s skirt steak, which came with black beans and a sauteed spinach-mushroom mix, was perfectly cooked and full of flavor; even someone who doesn’t like Mexican food would enjoy the steak. I also loved the marinade that covered the steak. I would go back to Barrio Chino just for this!

I never had enchilada de mole before. My dad said that the dish is made with chocolate and usually tastes bitter. When the plate came out, all I saw was dark brown sauce. However, after some digging with my fork, I can report that three enchiladas were hidden underneath. It turns out my dad was right: the enchilada was really bitter. The harsh taste actually took me by surprise at first, especially since I could taste the chocolate undertones. However, the more I ate, the more I liked the dish. The sauce tasted unlike anything I’ve ever had, especially in terms of Mexican food, but the uniqueness was good. I happily ate the whole thing and would order again.

Verdict: If you like authentic Mexican food (well, authentic for New York) and are looking for a hip place for a quick dinner, try Barrio Chino! Get the skirt steak if you’re feeling safe, and don’t forget to order the delicious chips.