Coral
- Jan 28, 2020
- 3 min read

NYE in NYC!

The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. The Land of Coffee And Bagels. The Pigeon Capital of America.

You get the gist.

This was my second time visiting New York City. My first trip was very spontaneous as I decided the day before to book a flight to visit my friend who had recently moved to New Jersey. (Hi, Lauren!). It was a super fast, 2-day stint. After, of course, being delayed 37 times at Chicago O'Hare. It's a real bummer to try and surprise someone with your arrival, when your arrival time keeps changing. But we had fun and went to Times Square and checked out some cool places and spent time on the beach and I learned that Penn Station was short for Pennsylvania. No joke.

On the plus side, I did get to see the teacher from Clueless at the Chicago airport and no, I did not ask him for a photo but yes, I indeed wanted to. #WallaceShawn

The second time around it was in celebration of my 30th birthday! Being a New Year's Baby has it's pros (and cons). Pros are that most people get the day off! Cons are that you spend that day off vomiting and ordering Jimmy John's for breakfast at 4pm. Woof.

Cue my drink of choice for that day: The Long Island Iced Tea.

Side note: this was also my drink of choice for my 29th birthday which took place in India. Somebody please stop this tradition in 2021.

I was able to spend this particular b-day gallivanting around the city with some loved ones, some good drinks and most importantly - a random family from France.

You see, I have a tendency to make friends pretty easily. And pretty memorably. I'm not sure how this all transpired exactly (we had definitely been to several bars before this stop) but somehow, in a crowded pizza joint in the heart of the city, on New Year's Eve, we were able to find f o u r open seats at the bar. #blessed We ordered what was quite possibly and accurately the best pizza I have ever had in my entire life and a round of Strawberry Mojito's that put a tear in my eye and a pep in my step. The line started forming out the door and these friendly French folks and I hit it off.

We said 'bonjour' and 'enchanté' and 'bonne année' which means 'Hello' and 'Nice to meet you' and 'Happy New Year'. I told them about how my 16 year dream of going to Paris came true last summer and how much I can't wait to go back. They were thee actual sweetest and we hugged and laughed and shared tequila shots. It is absolutely one of my favorite things in the whole wide world - to be able to create a special and memorable memory with people I just met. I can't think of a better way to start a new year, a new decade and a new chapter of my life.

I joyfully complimented a couple who I referred to all night as Drake and Kim Kardashian (because they both looked the parts and were seriously hot af). I gave a series of speeches and thanked the entire restaurant for celebrating my birthday with me. I winked at the owners and hugged them as though we'd been long time friends. It was a truly sensational time.

Meanwhile, I also walked around Times Square with a coffee + bagel in hand, had shots with a Minnesotan at an Irish pub and asked at least 15 different cops for directions. Seriously, bless New York City's finest. It was a quick and fun and totally random and totally fun trip.