Hello again old friend

After night shift, I biked home Thursday morning and passed the [bleep] out.

When I woke up I semi-freaked out because I realized my packing time (before leaving for New York) was minimal.  And still, my priority was food.

I had quinoa with vanilla soy yogurt, cinnamon and bananas.

Then I showered, threw clothes in a suitcase, and we were off to the bus stop.  I am slightly nervous about how haphazardly I packed…but we’re staying at Jess’ apartment (she’s out of town) so having her closet at my disposal is my backup.  And by backup, I mean game plan.  😉

On the way to the bus we popped into WF to get dinner for the flight.

Kale salad with a lemon twist. [It’s gettin’ real in the WF parking lot]

I also brought a few slices of millet bread (along with carrots, cashews, and an Enjoy Life cocoa loco bar).

 

The salad’s dressing may have caused some gas.  I’m clearly not quite used to label reading for all the FODMAPS ingredients yet, because I only realized after digging in that it was heavily garlic-ed (which is a common GI stressor for those IBSers who react to FODMAPS).  Then again, there’s some level of bloat that always accompanies travel, so I don’t want to completely link it to the garlic.  Compared to my baseline state, it was completely tolerable.

Plus, it was delicious.  :)  See those bags under my eyes?  Night shift! 

Normally red eye flights suck, but this one wasn’t so bad thanks to the trashy TV I was able to watch.  I’m looking at you Bravo.  JetBlue has it’s perks.  Unfortunately, I was unable to sleep (which I’m blaming on a week of night shifts).  Kyle couldn’t get in any shut eye either, so when we landed in NYC, we were both ready to crash. 

How familiar it all was.  Dragging our bags from JFK to the LIRR.  The hot steamy subway.  The UWS. 

It was like returning home.  Nothing seemed to have changed, and yet, there were subtle differences that made the old…new.  It’s hard to describe how bizarre it felt. 

As soon as we were in our old neighborhood adrenaline kicked in and I wasn’t tired at all. 

We decided to let Jess and Kyle have a bit of a morning (showing up at 6:30 am is a bit rough – even if you’re best friends), so we passed the time by taking a stroll up to our former apartment. 

Some things never change. 

Seeing Gary Null’s Uptown Whole Foods was pure nostalgia.  I LIVED at this place.  It was all-too-conveniently-located a few blocks from our apartment, which meant multiple trips a day weren’t unheard of were quite common.  Do you miss it Gena?

We said hi to our doorman…caused him some serious confusion.

And then walked back to Jess’ through Riverside Park. 

 

Hi Jersey!

We said hello then goodbye (they had a wedding in Maine this weekend).

Poor Rusty was waiting by the door for them to come back.  Sorry kid, you’re stuck with us for the weekend.

 

Like the bad house sitters that we are, we consoled him for no less than 2 minutes, and then headed to bed. 

I completely forgot how loud New York is!  Kyle had a hard time sleeping, but I was out well through noon.

When I woke up I was so excited for my first meal in Manhattan…

 

It’s no secret that I’m in love with One Lucky Duck (as well as the sit down restaurant Pure Food & Wine).  Just look at my NYC restaurant review page and you’ll see the OLD and Pure dominate.

I got the S + M salad, a favorite of mine, which has greens, avocado, hemp seeds, dulse, rosemary crackers, and a pumpkinseed lemon dressing. 

 

It’s hard to pick out the best ingredient because they all work so harmoniously, but the rosemary crackers are pretty amazing.  As far as raw food goes, these are the crème de la crème. 

 

The dressing is also a key component though.  Slightly citrusy, not too oily, but definitely full of healthy fats. 

And speaking of healthy fats…

 

Avocado.  In bulk.  Love. 

Another great thing about One Lucky Duck is that they are speedy so you can do the takeaway thing (or go when you’re starving and need for stat). 

But if you’re in the mood for some ambiance and a nice long meal, the same delicious food is available at Pure Food & Wine, just around the corner. 

 

After lunch, I shopped my way around Union Square and back uptown. 

Not too bad of a start for a weekend getaway in the big apple.