2010 September 06

Now let’s see…. where did I leave off?

After our 5k and lunch, the boys headed to Brooklyn for a tour of the brewery while the girls headed out for vegan Ice cream and shopping!

Stogo is a vegan ice cream shop I first saw featured on Heather’s blog a year or so ago. Her review of the soy, hemp, and coconut based ice cream sold me as a ‘must try’ while I was in the city, so when Ashley suggested it as the perfect spot for a NYC blogger meet up while I was in town, I knew she had it on the nose.

I had put the call out for readers and bloggers last week and after a few e-mails, I was excited to finally meet everyone in person for ice cream. It was even nice to see a few familiar faces in the crowd.

We chatted, we laughed, and we tried sample after sample of delicious vegan ice cream.

The girl behind the counter was so friendly and welcoming. I loved that she welcomed photos and encouraged us to try as many of the flavors as we saw fit. I’m pretty sure by the end I must have tried half a dozen different flavors. I just didn’t want to feel like I was miss out on anything!

In the end I ordered a small mix of Red Velvet and Peanut Butter Fudge. It was so creamy, rich and delicious. Just thinking about great this ice cream was is making me drool for more.

It was fun to catch up with the NYC readers and bloggers. Dierdre, Amelia, and I realized this was our fourth time being able to see each other in the last year – how crazy is that? I love how having a blog connects people like that!

Ashley and I stayed for a good while before saying our good byes and heading to Union Square for a little shopping. We had great luck at Anne Taylor Loft and Lululemon and even ended up purchasing a couple of the same items. I guess great minds think alike?

The boys caught back up with us just as we were making our final purchases. Perfect timing! Bo suggested Bar Jamon for drinks and I thought that sounded like a grand idea.

We ordered a bottle of red wine for the table that were told it was very similar to a malbec (the entire menu was in spanish.

Chef recommended array of cheeses, jamon, and bread.

Yum

Sunday night was dedicated as our ‘fancy night out’ dinner and after making such a fuss about wanting to dress up and go somewhere nice I’m sad to say the only thing I have photos of for the whole evening is food. Oops..

I mean, sure, I can see Derek in a tie anytime I want, but I have a feeling the food I enjoyed was really a once in a lifetime opportunity, and one worth capturing and dedicating my attention 100% to through the course of the evening.

Ashley and Bo had made reservations for us at Union Square Cafe for a true New York City dining experience.

The food truly was on a level all it’s own. Everything on the menu sounded amazing and everything tasted even better than it sounded. Bites were shared, moans were celebrated, and rave after rave escaped all of our mouths. If possible I would like to rewind and press repeat on the entire evening again and again please.

Out table started with a basket of bread that I decided to skip in order to save room for what was to come. I did steal a bet bites of the flat bread and it was buttery, crispy, and delicious.

In the spirit of the evening I ordered something I’ve never ordered at a restaurant before – a glass of champagne.

Both Ashley and Bo were explaining how they love to begin meals out with a glass of champagne and I decided to partake in the fun. The sweet champagne added a hint of celebratory atmosphere to the evening and really was the perfect drink to begin the night with.

For my appetizer I ordered the bowl of chilled melon soup with feta.

I’m usually not a fan of chilled soups, but had a gut instinct this would be a good one. I’ve learned to always go with my gut. The soup was fresh, sweet, and tasted as if I was biting into a fresh, juicy cantaloupe. A clear winner, but I really wasn’t expecting anything less.

Again I ordered something a little out of character when I selected the oven roasted chicken with polenta and roasted squash for my entree.

Oven Roasted Chicken always seems like a bit of a boring menu option to myself, but I was told the owner was known for taking understated everyday dishes and creating something extra ordinary. I took a chance and it payed off.

The chicken was tender, juicy, and could easily be cut with a butter knife. Paired with the crispy polenta, the chicken was easily the best chicken I have ever ordered from a restaurant.

I had a great red wine that was recommended by my server with the chicken, but I’m struggling to remember the name at the moment.

Dessert was the only time of the evening where my choice of selection deceived me.

I ordered the lemon cake with berries, but found the cake a bit dry and felt it was missing some ice cream or something to moisten it up a bit.

I was a bit envious of the mint chocolate creation Derek had selected for his dessert.

I had a bite and tried constrain myself from taking the entire dish away from him. It was hard, but I managed.

Have I mentioned that this meal was fabulous yet? Because it was.

Great choice Ashley and Bo…. Great choice.

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Most people would think running a 5k the day after a 20 miler may seem a little crazy, but certainly not I.

Ok…. maybe a little crazy.

When I was first proposed with the idea of running a 5k while I was in New York City it wasn’t even a question of saying no, it was Yes! Yes! Yes! all the way. I immediately registered and thought nothing of it. That is until yesterday – as I was hobbling around Chinatown – it dawned on me that maybe registering for a 5k the day after 20 miles wasn’t the smartest decision ever made. Oopss..

I was blinded by the bright lights of race bibs, t-shirts, and running in a city I love and rarely get to see. Sure this race was going to be tough, but who says I had to make a bigger deal then it needs to be? Some races are meant just for fun and this race was going to be one of them!

The racing committee did a fabulous job keeping this race casual for us by not having the race start until 10:00 am. This gave our group ample time to sleep in (until 7:00) and grab a real breakfast before heading to race site.

Derek and I split an egg and cheese sandwich on an everything bagel on the taxi ride over.

mmm…. cheesy.

I wasn’t aware until that morning that the race wasn’t actually in Manhattan, but instead on Governor’s Island just a ferry ride a way from downtown. I’m not sure I have ever taken a ferry from NYC, it was a fun added bonus to this adventure.

We randomly ran into Dierdre and Amelia from Highways To Health on the ride over. It’s a small city after all!

Governor’s Island is a beautiful tiny island right off of Manhattan. We ran into someone that used to live on Governor’s Island when he was in the Coast Guard and it was fun to hear his stories on how living on the island used to be. He said it was great to wake up every morning and have the statue of liberty to your left and have the former World Trade Centers to your right.

In 1996 the coast guard left and the National Park Service took over, now a days the city of NYC owns the island and is trying to breathe life back into place with free concerts and festivals very weekend.

The race was very casual. There were chips, but no fancy starting line or corrals. A recording of the National Anthem was played then a man shouted in a microphone “Go!” I actually prefer small races like this. It keeps it fun and pressure free.

My goal from the beginning was just to have fun with this race and I knew I would have the most fun running along side Derek.

He’s had a rough couple of weeks with running and I knew he would need that extra support.

Turns out Derek didn’t need my support at all – he did awesome. He didn’t stop once, never complained, and kept solid 10 minute miles the entire time. It was like he was a whole new running man.

After a 3.1 mile loop around the island the finish line seemed to appear out of nowhere. One last final push and we crossed the finish line together just under 31 minutes.

I was so proud of my little runner.

I enjoyed a juicy post-race peach.

Ferry back to the city.

After the race we headed to The Meatball Shoppe in the Lower East Side.

Ashely had just visited The Meatball Shoppe with her parents the weekend before and could not stop raving about it. We were all super exited to try it after hearing so many great things about it.

The place is definitely an experience. You pick your balls, your sauce, and how you want it served.

I selected the Veggie Balls with Tomato Sauce over a bed of greens.

The veggie balls were amazing. They were lentil heavy, crumbly, and full of flavor. The sauce was also thick and rich.

The group shared a plethora of sides and i believe we all agreed the polenta was by far our favorite.

After a great lunch we did a little exploring and headed back to the apartment. Nothing like a casual afternoon to make a wonderful vacation even better.

P.S. Besides one or stolen pics from Ashley, the majority of these photos were shot with my droid. How freaking awesome is that?!?!

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