my yearly paycheck

last weekend was my annual new york city weekend with my bosom buddies from our cornell days. it was simply perfect. and amazing, and wonderful, and heavenly.  without being overly dramatic, i will just say this: i could hang out with these girls for 24 hours a day, seven days a week and i would still not be satisfied.  i love them.  

so, without further introduction, here are this year's players...

sadly, this year we were missing two of our usual comrades.  brooke, who was home with a sick two-month old, and amy, who was home with an invalid husband.  we missed them like crazy and thought of them every minute.  of course the four of us had a blast, but it wasn't the same without them. (i propose that next year we make the trip three extra days to make up for this year's lost time with them.)

this year, being our fourth installment, we decided to stay in the city.  after our initial night spent at melanie's house (our hostess for all previous years), we moved into the waldorf astoria for the remainder of our time.  we loved it so much and felt very fancy... even though we had to pass on their $90 sunday brunch.  i mean, we were fancy just by association, right?  also fancy were the fluffy white robes we wore around our room.  

we started our weekend of right with breakfast at norma's.  if i had to pick my most favorite place i have ever eaten it would hands down be breakfast at norma's.  the waza waffles are the best thing i have ever eaten.  closely followed by the other 50 dishes we shared.  (i like to explain breakfast at norma's as an alternate reality, where spending a three-digit amount on breakfast is totally normal and okay.  seriously, $8 glass of orange juice, anyone?)

                      

and i would be lying if i said our new york trip was anything more than shopping our way from one eating destination to another.  others may take a more touristy approach, but we prefer to keep it simple and tasty. we ate at shake shack (twice this year!), lombardi's pizza, momofuku noodle bar (hipster heaven), dessert at momofuku milk bar (crack pie!), and cupcakes at crumbs (1200 calorie cupcake included... emily...)

do you guys love me for posting this picture?  i had to.
so we can always remember the bench in brooklyn.

a welcome addition to this year's agenda was getting pedicures and foot massages.  i love how in new york city, 10 pm is a totally acceptable time to be sitting in a salon.

this was also the year of celebrity sightings!  while walking near 30 rock, emily nonchalantly said, "there's al roeker" as he walked right by us lifting an eyebrow in a sort of salutation in our general direction.  then while browsing anthropologie we spotted the one and only natalie morales.  then, THEN, in soho outside of urban outfitters, buying their two kids ice cream cones was liev schreiber and naomi watts!  the others had gone ahead of me into the store, but i stood on the sidewalk gaping at them, trying to figure out if it was really them.  when i realized it was, i ran inside proclaiming, "liev schreiber and naomi watts!  liev schreiber and naomi watts!" melanie and jordan went beyond the call of duty and dodged traffic to follow closely behind them, listening in on their conversation and waiting outside the dry cleaners while they went inside and then followed them again!  total stalkers. best. year. yet.

duck face.

this rambly post doesn't even begin to come close to fully conveying the magnificence of the weekend.  i am so blessed to have made such wonderful friends during that small period of my life. they are and always will be some of my favorite people and best friends.  what started out as a surprise trip for my 30th birthday has turned into my favorite tradition.  thank you ladies! i love you and love to laugh at everything we say.  because really, we are all hilarious.  and jordan, you owe me $28.

first year

second year

third year