New York, Day One.

Today was our first full day in New York. We only have two full days left before we leave for England. After sleeping in late (though not nearly late enough), we had brunch with Karen and Adrien (the friends we're staying with) and their friend Ben at an Italian place on the lower westside. This particular place serves you a brunch meal, croissants, and bottomless mimosas for a flat $12, so we thought the pilgrimage on the subway would be well worth it. We wound up spending several hours there, and then walking to a nearby pier to lay in the sun.



Adrien is starting his second year in a three year masters program at the Pratt Institute, and this is the first time I've visited him and his wife Karen. After returning to Brooklyn I went to his architecture studio with him at Pratt and met a few of his studio mates. In the evening we went out to a South African restaurant a few blocks from their apartment called Shebeen Madiba (Madiba is a nickname for Nelson Mandela, and a shebeen is what a bar is called in the South African townships). I enjoyed a very spicy, yummy meal -- and we were even joined by my highschool friend Powen (who resides in Philly), whom I hadn't seen in 9 years.

I'm not quite sure what to do with myself in the next couple of days. There is so much to do and see here I don't know where to begin or how to prioritize. If you have any pointers, do let me know. :)