Saturday in the City.

I'm a lucky girl. I've been lucky enough to know my wonderful boyfriend for five years. We may have gone through some ups & downs, but the important thing is that we are stronger than ever. I've realized that hitting lows in our relationship truly helped us see each other for who we really are. And it's a testament to our strength as a couple that we made it to where we are today. Together. So while we're stuck doing the 'long distance' thing until I graduate law school in May, we spend as many of our weekends together between NY & PA. This Saturday, the boy visited me in NYC. We started our day with some shopping in J.Crew (when do we not?!) and then headed downtown to L'asso (192 Mott St.) for lunch. L'asso is one of those amazing little gems with delicious food in the city.

The boyfriend intently checking out the menu.

We started our meal with some cinnamon bread. It had hints of orange and was all sorts of delicious.

 We then split a Bufalina pizza - lots of fresh mozzarella and basil. The thin crust makes these pies easy to eat!

Check out L'asso here!

We then headed over to the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy. While it was packed with people, I appreciated its church-picnic/Jersey shore boardwalk atmosphere.

I even wore my red pants in honor of the feast!

The day ended with a little more shopping, Magnolia devil's food cake cupcakes, & a whole lot of sneaky kisses, hand holding, and I love you's. I tend to whine at the end of our day together, always complaining "do you really have to leave?" "Can't we just get a place together already?" "Is it May yet?" I am trying really hard to make the most out of the life I live now, but I can't help but long for the future sometimes. Especially when it's lookin' so bright. So on the train ride home, the sun was setting, Frank Sinatra came on my iPod, and I realized just how darn lucky I am to have such a beautiful life, both in the now & likely in the future. 25 is looking up.

Fragility vs. Resilience

Since September 11th is only a few days away, I feel like I have to address the topic in some sense. Since I've been a New York resident for nearly three years now, I can't ignore the impact that day ten years ago had on this area. Day to day reminders exist, whether it is by driving past a memorial on Long Island or walking alongside Ground Zero itself. I have never been an overly patriotic individual, but living in New York has instilled a certain level of pride in the strength a city can have. Ten years ago, I could not have imagined that I would be living in New York. I could not have imagined spending large parts of my week in and out of Manhattan. I could not have imagined that my younger sister would be living in the Financial District, the sun glaring off of the metal structure of the new 1 World Trade Center outside her window. Yet, here we are. We are living, working, and growing up in this fast-paced world of the metropolitan area.

Through all of this, I thought what I had learned is that humans are fragile. That we are too caught up in the routine to see the beauty. Merriam-Webster defines fragility as "the quality or state of being easily broken or destroyed." After pondering on this, I realized that while we may have fragile states or qualities, what we are most is resilient. Resilience, defined as "an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change," is far more accurate. The beauty of our lives is that we are ever-changing. Living in New York has taught me that the most. A response to change is one of the wonders of being alive. We are far more adaptable than we give ourselves credit for. 

We live a beautiful life, even amidst its chaos. And part of what makes it so beautiful is our ability to remember, to memorialize, and our will to continue. While I am unsure of what the future has in store, I am certain that New York will always be one of the places I call "home." And the strength of New York is something that is admirable. For making me realize this, I will always be grateful that I have the chance to grow here.