Category: NYC

{ Central Park }

On By mrs. harrisIn Married Life, NYC1 Comment

New York has been particularly warm and bright over the last week and we took advantage of it last Sunday. Zach’s sister, Sally, her husband Nathan, and their boys Jaxson and Carson got us the most awesome picnic backpack from PicnicTime Inc for our wedding present specifically with NYC park outings in mind. It has all the essentials which means all that is required to prep for your picnic is packing up the food and wine.

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Central Park is absolutely massive which is great considering it felt like half of Manhattan had the same idea as we did. The park is great for people watching (“Do you think they’re a tourist or a local? Do you think we look like locals?!” “Totally, we’re not wearing leather in 80 degree heat and we don’t have giant Canon cameras around our necks”), dog watching, and guesstimating how expensive the luxury penthouses are that overlook the park.

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Thought we’d be missing all the Seattle greenery but Central Park is an incredible lush, colorful, and peaceful escape from the city, right in the middle of it all.

Excited for more days like this one!

{ Yankees vs. Mariners }

On By mrs. harrisIn Foodies, Friends, Married Life, NYCLeave a comment

Last Saturday we checked an item off our New York bucket list and headed to Yankee Stadium! The Seattle Mariners were in town for the weekend and it was too great an opportunity to pass up. We had a crew of 10 people, combined of old and new friends, and headed to the Bronx to take over almost an entire row in the grand stand seats.

I’m not a huge baseball fan but I do love the atmosphere and energy of baseball games. Though this Yankee Stadium is not the original, it is still packed with historical memorabilia and fun artifacts.

We caught an especially warm day but we all endured our impending farmers’ tans together. All together in the front row of our section, we had a perfect, unobstructed view and were able to catch the pre-game festivities. One of which was the starters line-up announcement on the jumbotron. We got a kick out of the fact that the played the Darth Vader theme song while they announced the Mariners’ starters. Our first Mariners’ away game was off to a running start!

panorama FULL stadium

The whole game was a blast. Half of the group were Mariners fans while the other half wore their Yankees gear accompanied by lots of playful banter (Lots of boos from the whole Yankees crowd whenever ex-Yankee, current Mariner, Robinson Cano was up to bat!). Craft beers, Nathan’s famous hot dogs, different domestic and imported beer at every other concession stand were perfect additions to the day. The cherry on top of the awesomeness was the Mariners 3-2 victory!

I can’t wait to come back for more games! Especially because my new favorite part of going to a Yankees game is the 7th inning stretch…

Oh yes, snaps and spin moves and all!

{ Washington Square Park }

On By mrs. harrisIn NYC1 Comment

Exploring Greenvich Village today and found a piece of “Washington” in New York. Now I’m currently taking shelter from the rain in a coffee shop near NYU where everyone has a Mac laptop and Beats by Dre headphones working like busy bees. I’m just over here drinking mint tea and secretly pretending I’m also a student ✌🏼️

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{ From Past to Present }

On By mrs. harrisIn Friends, NYCLeave a comment

One of the things I love about NYC is it is also home to old friends from earlier seasons of my life. When I first arrived, one of the first people I reached out to was my former boss and close friend in San Diego, Joe. We were two peas in a pod when we worked at the Andaz San Diego and our friendship is one of my fondest memories from living in San Diego. Joe is originally from New York and he moved back in 2010. It has quite literally been six years since we last saw each other, despite seeing each other frequently through social media. We met for dinner one of my first weeks in town and we picked up exactly where we left off and it was like no time had passed at all. Gotta love that!

So we decided we were well overdue for Joe to meet Zach and this past Tuesday we finally made it happen at Cibar in Gramercy Park. I knew it would be great fun but it was even better than I imagined. Two men from two distinct parts of my life and they sincerely enjoyed each other. Joe had moved back to New York months before I met Zach in 2011 and Zach has only ever heard about Joe from my San Diego stories. Joe was an integral part of my San Diego experience, he was there for me through the highs and lows and a huge part of me gaining confidence in my mid-twenties. For a significant time, Joe and I referred to him as my gay boyfriend. To finally have these two worlds collide was simply wonderful. We’ve already got a handful of plans in the works and I can’t wait! My heart is full and so ready for more good times ahead.

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{ From Winter to Spring }

On By mrs. harrisIn Foodies, Friends, NYC, Visitors, Zach <3Leave a comment

It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for the Harris’. While our apartment has finally come together we’ve had more free time to get out and enjoy the end of our first, albeit brief, New York winter, to the first couple weeks of spring.

Miller Time. Our friends that feel more like family, Parv and Andy have returned to their home in NYC from an extended vacation in Iran visiting Parv’s family, and with their return we’ve been exploring new places in the city together. While in the short time they’ve been back we have done so many fun things together, one of my favorites was our first go at a NYC rooftop bar. The Millers had purchased a Groupon to a rooftop bar in Midtown South as a welcome present for Z and I. 230 Fifth has a fantastic indoor and outdoor rooftop space that has 360 degree views of Manhattan. A walk-up bar with food & drink and red robes to keep you warm made for a fantastic Saturday afternoon. While the robes were more of a novelty than necessity (especially once we discovered they don’t wash them between wears…) we loved the vibe of the rooftop bar scene and can’t WAIT for summer to explore more rooftop bars as they open closer to end of spring, early summer. Thank you, Millers, for a perfect “official” welcome to the city!

The view wasn’t so bad either…

Manhattan Beach to Manhattan, NY. One of the many perks of living here is friends that travel for work often find themselves traveling to NYC. Last week one of my hometown friends since junior high, Miranda, was in town for a quick work trip. We were able to have wine at the apartment before meeting up with one of her girlfriends from business school and one of her best friends from college, both of whom also live in NYC. It was so fun meeting her friends from three seasons of her life and an enjoyed a delish dinner and drinks in the Upper West Side, quickly becoming one of my favorite neighborhoods. Loved seeing you and catching up Miranda! Can’t wait for the next trip, whether here or seeing you in Detroit! Thanks for squeezing me in!

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Easter Sunday. While Z and I spent most of the weekend “adulting” and building/unpacking/cleaning/hanging frames in the apartment, we spent Sunday morning with the Millers and our friends, Hayley and Damien. We hosted mimosas at our place then headed to a spot I have been itching to try, mainly because of its eccentric name and darling, country home interior design, The Flying Cock. It did not disappoint! All you can drink mimosas, bellinis, and bloody Mary’s for only $15 and breakfast items that were to die for. I would have taken more photos had I not been consumed in the good eats, better company, and a hilarious and friendly Irish restaurant owner who only cemented the notion that The Flying Cock would become a regular spot for us and any of our future visitors. After brunch, Z and I walked The High Line to burn off our meals and drinks. It used to be a railroad for manufacturers many years ago but has since been restored to a walking path with unique views of the West Side and pieces of the railroad throughout. There are public benches/chaise lounges and local vendors along the path, my favorite of which was a local artist who had a blank canvas on the ground with paint and brushes, simply inviting people to paint for free. Afterwards we braved and bumped our way through the crowds and hundreds of tourists leisurely walked through the Chelsea Market. I had previously been on a weekday which was an entirely different experience but despite the crowds it was still fun to explore it again and share it with Z.

From LMU to San Diego to New York. One of my closest friends, Kim, whom I lived with in college, lived with in San Diego post-college, and most recently a bridesmaid in our wedding, has been living in Baltimore for two years. We have been anxiously awaiting my move so we could finally see each other in our new homes on the East Coast. Kim was in town for the day after Easter, as she and her boyfriend were headed to Montreal the following day. We spent the day exploring the Upper West Side, taking in a Southern meal at one of my new favorite places, Jacob’s Pickles, and a long walk through Central Park.IMG_6497

As we walked back to the subway we had to stop at Kim’s most favorite place in the city, Laundrée, the place that invented the macaroon. Not being a fan of macaroons myself, I was skeptical, but one bite of a salted caramel macaroon later, I understood Kim’s obsession. They taste unlike any other macaroon I’ve ever had, they are more like a soft cookie with the most intense and decadent flavors. Needless to say I’m glad this place isn’t close to our apartment! Thank you for the wonderful day, Kim! I can’t wait for so many more!

Neighborhood Vibes. It has been so fun learning more about our neighborhood and taking the time to just walk around and pop into new restaurants and shops to figure out which places will become “our places.” Like most of New York, our neighborhood has an incredible mix of pre-war and modern architecture. Never have I lived in a place where you can stumble across so many different types of shops and cuisine within a couple blocks walk. It’s easy to just pick some cross streets and explore rather than seek out a shop or restaurant online before you go. We’re really learning to just let the city take us by surprise instead of planning our every move. The city is blooming into spring more and more everyday.

I’ll post some updated photos of the apartment in the next couple days. For now, I will leave you with last night’s sunset from our living room.

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{ Moving Day }

On By mrs. harrisIn Apartment Livin', Married Life, NYC1 Comment

Today marks one week since we moved into our new apartment! The actual day was a whirlwind but it’s been so good to see all of our things again. The unpacking has been a work in progress, especially even after all the purging we did in Seattle and we still do not have enough room for our things,  not to mention the furniture we still need to buy, but overall we are completely in love with our new place. It is the first home we ever picked together and will create as a married couple.

Here’s some before and after photos from the moving day. More updates to come as it all comes together!

BEFORE

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AFTER

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We can’t wait to share our new home and view with our future visitors!

Murray Hill, we love you already.

And NYC, here’s lookin’ at you! And damn, you look good.

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{ Northwest Comes to the Northeast }

On By mrs. harrisIn Foodies, Friends, NYC, Visitors2 Comments

We got so lucky over the last week and a half with visits from familiar faces and some expert New Yorkers. Being the newbies has its own fun but learning so much from people we love and have called NYC home before was awesome!

The Future Mr. & Mrs. Angus. We were so thrilled that our friends’, Mitch and Kylie coordinated an overlap of their pre-planned vacation with our move date. Our new city had an immediate warmth of familiarity. The BEST part of their visit? They got engaged! Congrats, again, friends! We love you both and can’t wait for your wedding!

Kylie lived in NYC for 6 years and has resided in Portland with Mitch and their baby boy, Axel, for the past few years. Not only did Kylie know so much about so much, but she introduced us to some of her closest friends, Amy and Charlie, that we clicked with almost immediately. Z and I got to explore Brooklyn for the first time by dining with them and their friends at the Two Door Tavern in Williamsburg. The food was delish and the vibe reminded us of a Seattle-esque bar and restaurant. The night ended at a karaoke dive-bar in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn which couldn’t have been more perfect. Kylie and I were the only ones to rock the mic but there were a plethora of, shall we say, very special locals that kept the evening incredibly entertaining. The rest of the weekend included a visit to the bar Kylie used to bartend at in the Upper East Side, Gael Pub, where they let her behind the bar for old times sake, a quick pop-in and hello/introduction to her Uncle Frankie who owns this classic NY Italian restaurant, Campagnola, and then right across the street to (by far, my favorite part of the weekend!) The Banshee Pub. Kylie is very close friends with one of the bartenders, she knows the Irish musician who plays 90s’ cover music on guitar, and before the night ended Uncle Frankie brought an entire fresh, hot, cheese pizza from his restaurant into the bar. Is this girl the Mayor of NYC or what?! Thank you for the awesome playtime, Mitch & Kylie! We loved meeting all of your wonderful friends and NYC family and thank you for showing us the city through your eyes! Come back soon!

My One Day with Renee. My sweet and adventurous friend Renee has one of the craziest schedules I’ve ever heard of. Working for an international hotel & restaurant design firm keeps her travel schedule packed and I was humbled that she squeezed in a day in NYC to see me on her way to Philly for a new hotel opening party. Despite this particular Tuesday being one of the rainiest days of the year, we were determined to make the most of it. We dined at the famed Central Park restaurant, The Loeb Boathouse, and it did not disappoint. It was definitely a “fancy pants” place but the view of the lake and Central Park is worth the extra expense. The food and wine lived up to our expectations and overall it was just a perfect NYC moment. We caught a movie after lunch to avoid the rain and shared some vino the rest of the afternoon and evening. The next morning we squeezed in a brunch at the Blue Dog Kitchen which was one of the tiniest restaurants I’ve seen in NYC yet. But the food, fresh-pressed juices, and grilled avocado benedict were worthy distractions from elbowing your neighbor while you ate. It will definitely become a staple breakfast place for visitors. Thank you for making the time and effort to come visit, Renee! So glad you have a job that allows these impromptu visits! Looking forward to the next one!

Writing about all of these restaurants and eating and drinking should serve as a great example of how much Z and I are splurging in the New York cuisine scene. And subsequently how much we’ve increased our frequenting to our building’s fitness center. Totally. Worth. It.

{ This one is just right! }

On By mrs. harrisIn Married Life, NYC, Zach <31 Comment

We found an apartment! After 3 days, 20 apartment viewings, and 4 different neighborhoods we found the ONE. I’ve never experienced anything like the NYC real estate market. It is truly uncanny!

Before I get into the details of our search and the winner, I have to give a huge shout out to our broker, Eric, at Douglass Elliman. He has been in the business for 20+ years and his knowledge and candor about neighborhoods, building management companies, and market pricing was invaluable. Not to mention he was a class act with a great sense of humor that we took to quickly. After we decided on our place, he even made a point to text us on a Sunday to check in and see how we were feeling about our choice. Z and I both agreed we’d totally grab a beer with him and keep in touch in the future. It’s the exact feeling you want to have with someone who is helping you find your home. Should you or someone you know ever be in need of a New York City broker we’d be happy to share his info!

The Skinny on Our Big Fat Search. Eric taught us before we left Seattle that picking an NYC apartment should rely a bit on where your work place is located. For example, Z’s office is located on the Eastside so we should really focus on neighborhoods on that side of the island. This is mainly due to the subway system which is very efficient North to South but it is much harder to commute East and West. It’s not impossible but it does take much longer to get to and from work if you live on the Westside and work on the Eastside. Thankfully, most of the neighborhoods we were interested in were on the Eastside anyway. We narrowed our search to Gramercy Park, Murray Hill, and the Upper East Side. Not only did these areas fit our budget but we also loved the vibes that were unique to each ‘hood. I spent two days with Eric while Z was at work so I could familiarize myself with all three areas but so I could also create our short list for Z to see when he could look with us on the weekend. House hunting in Manhattan is fast and furious and when you’re only looking at one bedroom apartments you pretty much see the same layout over and over. The only real differences being the (a) condition of the building and unit (b) amenities included like fitness center, doorman, etc. (c) the neighborhood. The last item seems obvious, right? Of course, where a house/apartment is located obviously affects the price. However, in NYC the price can be different from one apartment to another by an additional $500-$1,000 and the latter apartment may only be 10 blocks away. And the trendier the neighborhood, the smaller, older, and more expensive the apartment. It still stupefies us and we may never understand it. But that’s just another thing we’re learning over here!

Home Sweet Harris. The apartment we picked was the very last place we saw. Towards the end of our day, Eric mentioned this particular building and thought it would be worth it for us to add to our search. And my, are we glad he did!

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Our one bedroom, one bathroom home looks out onto the entire south end of Manhattan. It took our breath away when we first saw it! It sits in a fantastic building in the Murray Hill neighborhood, which we’re very happy with. Central to our other favorite areas, close to major subway lines, and within walking distance to Z’s work. After days of seeing apartments that were too small, too old, and too expensive, this one was juuuuuust right!

We officially move-in next week and we couldn’t be happier! This makes things so official and REAL. Really friggin’ real.

Special shout out to my husband for enduring the intense application approval process. You’re a stud. Cheers to Eric for really getting to know us, hearing our needs, and finding us our new home!

And a little pat on the back to me for doing the legwork of seeing 20+ apartments before we landed on the one. *Boop*

 

{ First Week in NYC }

On By mrs. harrisIn Married Life, NYC, Zach <3Leave a comment

Our first official NYC post! I can’t quite believe I am sitting in our corporate housing apartment that we’ve been talking about for months. It is completely surreal and it definitely still feels like I’m on vacation. Zach started work on Tuesday and is pretty much in a routine already that looked similar to his Seattle schedule. The past week has been a complete whirlwind but an exciting one at that!

First Class. What a trip. Zach’s company provided us with First Class seats for our one-way flight from Seattle to NYC. I have only ever flown in premier seating once and THIS was nothing like that experience. We each had our own lounge chairs (with the option of turning into a bed…of course, I tried it!) with private televisions with hundreds of free movies (heaven!) to choose from. A gourmet meal with an unlimited snack basket accompanied with unlimited pours of any alcoholic beverage you could imagine (Why, yes, I’d love some more Chardonnay!) which not only made the flight even more entertaining, I think it helped calm our nerves about what exactly we were doing on this one-way flight to NYC. Needless to say we were feelin’ real good by the time we landed! Unfortunately, our buzz quickly evaporated as we sat at the baggage claim for 40 minutes waiting for our luggage. Apparently if it’s too cold outside they will not get the luggage from the plane until it warms up. Huh? It’s the Northeast! How can THAT be a rule? Our luggage finally arrived and we hopped in a cab to begin the 30-minute ride into the city. As we approached that infamous skyline, you could feel the energy in the car shift. All of a sudden, it just hit us. We’ve made it.

Corporate Housing. AKA Times Square. Our building is quite literally just off of Times Square which has been so exciting as newbies to the city but we now understand why locals have no interest in living in this area. It is very congested with tourists and traffic and while it’s been convenient and fun for the time being, we certainly won’t miss the Times Square billboard sounds and lights from our living room window. The apartment itself is beautiful and a great size considering how small it could have been given the size of an average NYC apartment. I’ve been feeling incredibly grateful for Z and how hard he worked to get to this point in his career, a place where his company is taking such good care of him and his wife throughout this entire relocation process.

SNOW DAY! Our first true day in NYC was Monday and oh what a day it was! The coldest day of the year (nope, not kidding!) and it was snowing buckets from noon until late in the evening. So after grabbing our morning coffee & tea we headed straight for Macy’s Herald Square to get proper East Coast winter weather attire. That place should have it’s own zip code! It is bigger than any department store I have ever seen. For two people who have little patience for shopping I think we navigated it pretty well. Once properly attired, we walked around in the snowfall which was, at first, almost magical but then it caught real cold, real quick and we were soon ready to find a cozy neighborhood bar or cafe to take cover for awhile. We braved our first jaunt on the subway which I am pleased to say is much easier to navigate than I originally thought. We took the green line on 6th Avenue to Gramercy Park and spent some time there exploring and then meandered our way into the Flatiron District and Union Square. All great areas we’re exploring for our potential, new apartment.

Back to the Grind. Bring on the Sunshine. The majority of this week has been in two parts for the Harris duo. Z Harris has been back to work as of Tuesday and has already fallen into a familiar routine of long days, late happy hours, and early mornings. His team has been so welcoming and they have expressed many times throughout the week how happy they are to have him. #ProudWife. This J Harris has been out exploring and connecting with some of the few familiar faces we know that also live in NYC. Met up with a girlfriend on Tuesday to explore her neighborhood, the East Village, and had a one of our all time favorite meals together in a sweet, little Italian wine bar. I’ve also been in full blown apartment hunting mode and spent all of Thursday with our broker trying to find our NYC home. So far I am completely in LOVE with the Upper East Side but we’ve still got a handful of neighborhoods to go before we make a decision. And thankfully, while the temp has still stayed pretty low, the sun has finally made an appearance. What a difference the sunshine makes!

All in all, it’s been a surreal week and I am looking forward to having my honey back for more exploring this weekend. Tonight we’re headed to SoHo to meet some other familiar and friendly faces, Erin and Trevor, at their favorite pizza place, Kesté Pizza & Vino. Also excited for our first Northwest visitors, Mitch and Kylie, who arrive tonight and will be here for playtime all weekend long!

Cheers to week one!