"Something (or in my case, a few things) Borrowed"

     Since I was up writing so late last night, I made the not-so-tough decision to sleep in this Saturday morning.  But determined not to waste my entire day off, I set my clock for 9:00am, and as my alarm sounded, my sleepy eyes were welcomed by the brightest of sunlight streaming in my window.  My feet hit the floor, and I was off!  Down the stairs I went, straight to the kitchen for my morning ritual of oatmeal and yogurt.  I plopped down on the sofa and flipped on the TV, and 'what to my wandering eyes did appear', a favorite movie of mine happened to be there (on the TV)! 
      I first saw "Something Borrowed" at the movies with my mom on one of our girl's day outs.  After seeing it, I couldn't get to the bookstore quick enough to get my hands on the book!  And once I did, I zipped through the pages as if I were reading the finale of  "Harry Potter".  As guilty as I felt rooting for the character, Rachel, I couldn't help but fall in love with author Emily Giffin's, fictional love story.  (And just a side note, "Something Blue" is equally as wonderful, in case you haven't read it!)

      So back to this morning:  I watched the movie while eating my "hearty breakfast", and since it's filmed in New York City, the decision was made as to where I would head off to spend the rest of my day.  A few of the film's hot-spots include the popular "Shake Shack" at Madison Square Park, as well as vegan ice cream store, "Stogo", on 2nd Avenue. (which I might add, happened to be the perfect dessert spot for my new healthy eating method; see yesterday's post)  And since I had really been wanting to do some browsing at book-lover's paradise, "the Strand", I was up and ready and out the door in a jiffy!
      Now, I'd like to establish that I had not just recently eaten; I had my breakfast while watching the movie, then had to clean up and get ready, as well as walk a few blocks, and stand in line (which I'll get to in a second), so there had been several hours in between my two meals.  So since it was already nearing 1:00pm, I decided to have my lunch first.  I really could not have picked a more perfect day to have lunch in the park.  Although it was a cool 60 degrees out, the sun was shining bright and it was an incredibly beautiful day.

     Now to the line I mentioned...  If you've ever been to the Shake Shack on a weekend, you know that not only is it a local favorite, but it's a tourist hot-spot, too!  Which means => there's a lot of people.  So for those of you who have not been, I strongly encourage you to (a) have lunch here!, and (b) be patient, and don't come if you're pressed for time since you'll probably be here for a while (at least on the weekend).  As soon as I walked into the park, I made my way to the back of the "queue" which had around 50 or so people ahead of me. 

      The time really did pass by fast, and before I knew it I was placing my order for the vegetarian "Shroom Burger" which subs a large portabella mushroom in place of a beef patty! And man oh man, did I thoroughly enjoy every bite!  And OK, I admit-- the nerd in me couldn't help but search for the perfect seat that resembled the area of the park where Rachel and Ethan sit to enjoy their lunch in the movie!

        After my delicious little feast, I set out to walk off some of those calories and make my way down to the Strand bookstore at 12th and Broadway.  Although this awesome place is not in the movie, I decided to feed my obsession with new & used bookstores and check it out. 

      The Strand boasts that it houses 18 miles worth of books inside, and I believe that's 100% accurate!  Floor on top of floor, rows and rows of books of every genre fill this magnificent bookstore.  If you're a book-lover and visiting NYC, the Strand is a must!

       After a couple hours browsing and finding some really great reads, I set off once again, this time to do some shopping around Greenwich Village.  The last stop of my day was for dessert at Dex and Darcy's choice, Stogo. 

     As I mentioned before, this place serves all vegan scoops of sorbet, coconut or soy-based ice creams.  There was a variety of flavors, and I tried a few... and just so you know, the girls who work there are happy to let you try them all if you wish to! :)  I opted for coffee and chocolate sorbet, and let me tell you, I'll definitely be going back!  The stuff is so delicious, you don't even realize you're not eating "real" ice cream.

      Today was definitely one of my favorite days since I've been in the big City.  As I settled in to write this post, I turned on the TV to have something playing in the background, and guess what?!? "Something Borrowed" was just starting yet again!  It was the perfect background sound for my writing, which paired nicely with my perfect day.

(Click here to see other "Something Borrowed" hotspots for when you visit NYC!)