New York City

I decided to take a little trip to the big city for labor day weekend to visit my high school bestie and travel buddy Jennifer Golum.  I booked a flight scheduled to leave at 11:00 pm Friday night in the hopes of arriving in New York City by 8:00 am.  I should have guessed that my flight would be delayed...  I honestly think the airport apocalypse is upon us because I haven't been able to board a plane on time in at least a year.  When I finally boarded the plane, it was only minutes before I fell fast asleep.

I learned a lot about the organization of New York City while on my trip.  New York is divided up into five boroughs which are further divided into neighborhoods, many of which have clever little names constructed out of a larger description eg (DUMBO = Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass and SoHo= South of Houston).  Pretty cool, I must admit.  

I prepared a small bucket list of things and places I had to experience on this trip.

* this list is not exhaustive, all typical touristy things should be considered implied

1. Picnic in Central Park

2. Go to at least two Whole Foods Markets (As a very serious Tarzana, CA Whole Foods fan, I had to check out the competition...)

3. Check out a hipster band at a hipster bar 

4. Go to UCB Theater and see ASSSSCAT in their natural environment 

5. Go to S'MAC 

Day One

Jen lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a very adorable trendy part of town.  We walked just a few blocks form her apartment to grab breakfast at the local Saturday farmer's market where I dined on several varieties of plums.  After the farmer's market, we headed for the subway!  First we went to see NYU's campus which is essentially a bunch of NYU owned buildings surrounding a beautiful and lively public park (Washington Square Park).  

  

After checking out the campus and grabbing coffee at the very popular Think Cafe, we made our way towards Whole Foods in Union Square.  Verdict: pretty decent.  They had a great assortment of Udi's cookies like oatmeal, snickerdoodle and chocolate chip (I have only see 1 or 2 types of cookies at most WF in California).  Their buffet variety was ok, not great but their premade salad selections were fantastic.  I had an energy salad that featured flax seed and toasted coconut shavings.  We gathered our picnic items and walked over to central park. It was a beautiful day with perfect weather.  We sat on our picnic blanket munching on snacks and reading our books.  

It was around this time that my brother, Dominic, called to tell me that he had arrived at his hotel in Brooklyn and was about to hop on his bike and head over our way.  He drove all the way up from Washington DC to hang out with me!  Jen and I walked all the way from midtown to the East Village.  We took our time walking through time square so I could take in the sights.  After a couple hours of walking, looking and absorbing we were just about ready for dinner and I knew just the place!  

The hardest part about being diagnosed with Celiacs was giving up my favorite childhood delicacy: Mac N' Cheese.  Fortunately for me, New York City has a restaurant with an entire menu dedicated to mac n' cheese, including gluten free options!  When I told one of my friends about this treasure of a restaurant she said "A whole menu of mac n' cheese?? Isn't that, like, one dish?" Al contrario!  The restaurant features over ten unique version of mac n' cheese including a mozzarella with sun dried tomato dish and a brie with dried fig dish.  S'MAC was on my bucket list and was totally worth the trip!

That night, once we got back to Brooklyn, we decided to go see a hipster band at a hipster bar.  Where better to go than Pete's Candy Store?!  The night couldn't have been any better.  Not only was the band pretty good but they did one cover song that night: Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkel!  What are the chances?! Check out the band, Hey Anna if you are curious.

Day Two

It wouldn't be a Bonaduce travel experience without a little bit of outdoor action which is why we decided to go kayaking in the Hudson River.  The kayaking was 100% free and the volunteer kayaking guide took us out for an extended ride outside of the normal limits.  

Kayaks + view of Jersey City

Kayaks + view of New York Financial District

After kayaking we walked by up to midtown to attend the Brazilian Day Festival!  With fantastic music blasting in the background we enjoyed fresh made Brazilian food for lunch.  Although the streets were ridiculously crowded we had a good time slowly making our way through the crowds towards the live music and,later, to Bryant Park where we stopped to rest in the shade.

Ever since freshman year of high school I have been a huge fan of the improv phenomenon ASSSSCAT.  They perform at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in Hollywood, California which is a satellite theater of the original in NYC.  I can't described the excitement that pulsed through me as I entered the doors to the original UCB Theater!  

Im the one in the hat! Photo taken by Dominic Bonaduce

As a joke, the comedians exclaimed "Zack and Cody!? Are they at our show??????"  They were. Needless to say the girls were completely horrified and embarrassed.  Their presence provided the comedians with any easy source of hilarity and several subtle and tasteful Z and C jokes were made throughout the night.    

Day Three

There is nothing I love more than eating brunch on federally imposed holidays!  Instead of my normal Monday routine of studying biostatistics and anatomy, I spent the morning sipping on mimosas and eating a delicious brunch on the Lower East Side at Essex.  We took our time, enjoying the limited time that I had left in NYC.  

The menu was diverse and perfect for a foodie brunch.  I ordered a tomato, spinach and sheep milk cheese omelet that came with a side of fruit and an arugula salad.  After brunch I had to head back to Brooklyn to pack up my things and make my way back to JFK. 

I knew I should expect at least one gluten debacle before landing in SFO and I was right. My seat was upgraded to business class on my flight back to California due to delays and what not, which would be insanely fun for pretty much anyone without a food allergy.  For someone who cannot eat gluten, being put in business class on a delayed flight that happened to be right through my normal dinner hour was just mean!!  The flight attendants knew absolutely nothing about any of the ingredients in the four course meal they were serving.  There isn't even a list of ingredients or allergens anywhere on the plane!  I decided to play it safe and not eat anything and I am lucky that I did because when the guy next to me received his "grilled chicken over a bed of corn salad" it was far from grilled.  In fact, it was breaded and fried chicken over a plate of canned corn.  I had such a great time on my trip that I am not going to dwell on the terrible customer service on American Airlines, don't worry though, I wrote their CEO a nice informative letter that I hope will at least spur some dialogue about food service on their airline.

My trip was highly successful!  I accomplished everything on my bucket list and got to spend time with two of my favorite people in the whole world, Dom and Jen!  

 Yenny and Che Chi Reunited! 

 Bro and Sis after kayaking

Couple Californians driving around NYC