Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Double Date Day in NYC with Anna & Florian!


YOU GUYS! ANNA IS HERE!! She's here, in the US! SHE'S HERE!!!

We make such nice faces...
#SorryNotSorry.

Anna and Florian are in New York City this week for vacation and when I found out about their trip, I was on the Amtrak website buying Cody and I tickets to NYC faster than you can say "Big Apple."

While we didn't actually try NYC's best burger, I did pose with them...

While it sucks that NYC isn't close enough for us to spend a lot of time together, we got to spend Sunday together exploring the city. Cody wasn't too excited about getting up at the crack of dawn to catch a 3.5 hour train but it was worth it. Besides, Anna and Flo made a trek of equal length when they visited me in Amsterdam - the least I could do was return the favor on this side of the pond!


I've only been to NYC once during a school trip and I hardly remember it so seeing the city with Anna and Flo was super exciting. I totally got to be a tourist, too! I was totally nervous/excited about Cody meeting Anna and Florian. I mean, Anna is my person, my soul sister, and one of my best friends. I needn't be worried, though, we had the best time. I kind of expected that - Anna and Cody actually have similar senses of humor and personalities.

My adventure buddy for life

While we managed to see and do quite a bit, there were so many things we didn't have time for. In fact, we only just realized that we didn't stop at ANY ice cream shops or bakeries. What were we thinking? No treats? Cody and I did, however, expose them to the concept of a grilled cheese dipped in tomato soup, BBQ sauce, and fried mac and cheese (thanks to the adorable and funky Cheese Grille on the lower east side).

We can't ever just take a nice photo...

Our original plan was to go to Katz's Deli but when we saw the line crawling around the side of the building, we decided to forfeit that dream. I wouldn't have minded waiting but we only had the day in the city and I wanted to make sure we maximized our time there. So I just snapped a pic and off we went!

Katz's Deli - too famous for our small town selves

After our fried lunch, we got to visit Enz's, a vintage repro/rockabilly shop that a bunch of our fellow ModCloth and vintage repro adorers recommended and had a lovely time chatting with the owner and browsing her stock, which was a mix of brands like Bernie Dexter, Emily & Finn, and other similar brands but also some items she made herself. We didn't go crazy there but I did purchase a cute little crop top/bolero of hers that I plan to wear this summer - perhaps with my new Levi's that I am so obsessed with.

Soul sister

When we were on our way to Enz's we spotted a Tatyana store - and I'm pretty sure I squealed like a little kid - but as we got closer, my heart split when we noticed it was closed permanently. WHY, CLOTHING GODS, WHY??


It's OK, we just drowned our sorrows in some cocktails at a nearby bar and discussed the crazy differences between Germany and the US. Problem solved!


When the sun started to set and our feet started to ache (according to my Fitbit, I walked nearly 18k steps!), Florian and Anna walked us to Penn Station and we said our goodbyes. Just as it was in Amsterdam, it just felt like I was meeting up with someone I see all the time. It's so funny how that works! We've only met twice in person and live in two different continents, yet you'd think we lived on the same block the way we can just carry on together.


It was a long and adventurous day and even though we didn't want it to end, Cody and I were so happy to be heading home to bed at the end of it - we did walk over 18,000 steps, after all! We couldn't, however, leave without having a slice of New York pizza. So eat some more, we did!

My favorite: crispy, thin crust, and smothered in mushrooms <3

I am so glad we spent another day being tourists together, Anna & Flo! I hope you enjoy the rest of your week in NYC and that we get to do this again super soon! Love you both!!

Like I said, we can't just take a nice picture...