Springtime in the City

The calendar may say it's spring, but the weather in New York? Not so much. Today's forecast was cloudy, cold, and windy. Nevertheless I had a blog-worthy Saturday, which started by sleeping in. I won't say what time I actually woke up, but needless to say I missed breakfast. But no one here eats breakfast on the weekend; it's all about brunch. So, really, I was right on track.

Since I was on no certain timeline, I started my early afternoon with a large soy latte from Pain Quotidien. With coffee in hand, I headed to the subway. (Sidenote: The Q train has changed my life. The uptown stations are so airy and clean, and it only takes five stops from my neighborhood to Union Square, about 10 minutes.) Today I was headed for 25th Street and 6th Avenue--David's Bridal--to try on bridesmaids dresses for my college bestie Maggie's upcoming wedding! (I won't spoil the surprise by showing pictures of the dresses I tried on; you'll have to wait for wedding photos later this summer.) The experience was not what I was expecting. Granted, I've never actually tried on bridesmaids dresses at at bridal salon before, but I should've known that shopping for anything in New York comes with it's own interesting twist. Did I have an appointment? No, I didn't think I needed one. What dresses do you want to try on? Here, let me pull up the email with all the styles and colors. All in all, it took less than half and hour to try on all five dresses and choose my top three (the bride will make the final decision about which dress I'll wear; luckily she has excellent taste, and all of the dresses were beautiful.)

I was already in the neighborhood, and I rarely treat myself to it, so I decided to pick up lunch from Eataly and eat it in Madison Square Park. My selection: a delicious panini with prosciutto, cheese, arugula, and olive oil on a toasted Italian flatbread. I could have eaten three of them. (I didn't; but I'll be going back sooner rather than later).

Lunch over, it was time for a workout. It's always easier to get in a good cardio session when I can watch Food Network on the elliptical TV. More often than not I end up working out five to ten minutes longer than I planned, just because I want to catch the end of whatever show I'm watching.

Another thing I rarely treat myself to: a pedicure. I needed one desperately, and I just so happened to get a decent bonus in this week's paycheck, so I indulged in a pedicure at the salon near my apartment where they always finish the session with a complimentary upper-back massage. Heaven.

Back home, with the ingredients for a springtime-inspired chicken dinner and a bottle of Pinot Grigio, I can only look forward to my plans for tomorrow. A run around the Onassis Reservoir--because the weather actually looks spring-ish! A late-afternoon yoga session--much needed relaxation and stretching before the work week. A a Hello Fresh delivery--I'll be cooking up a storm tomorrow night (thanks Julie!).

It's a tough order, but now that it's finally getting out of winter and into warmer months, I think my weekends here on out will be pretty blogable. Blog-able. Bloggable? Whatever. Today was a good day.