I spoke to my sister on Skype the other night – she lives in New Zealand – and was pretty sickened by how she was sitting in the garden wearing her sunglasses and a t-shirt. (And don’t get me started on her tan.) Over here in New York, we’ve had another pretty dreary week. But! There have still been so many nuggets of New York joy, so here are the things that have made me grateful for the city this week.

(And I’m sure we’ll be back in sunglasses and t-shirts again in no time. Right??)

1 :: As you can see, it wasn’t all dreary. Last Saturday we had a beautiful day, and I meandered through the Lower East Side before the start of Escape the Room. One of my favorite things about the structure of this city is how the sunlight catches the tops of buildings – I always think it looks so lovely!

2 :: Another thing I love is how when you’re crossing the street and look up or down, you can see for so many blocks – uninterrupted by buildings – because of the grid system. This gives me such a simple satisfaction. I just love these perfect lines. This snap was taken opposite Penn Station – and don’t you love the mini sky bridge?

3 :: I swear I didn’t eat brunch before I moved to the U.S. – and it’s a word that got me teased by relatives after I did. But it’s glorious, especially when you live just blocks away from friends. This one was courtesy of my lovely friend Hillary, and thankfully we had leftovers for days.

4 :: I love discovering a new coffee stop. This one was Tiny’s Giant on Rivington Street, and ooh the coffee was gorgeous. They had a very impressive sandwich board, too!

5 :: And while we’re on the subject of food (we should always be on the subject of food), I was so excited to learn about a new all-vegan fast food place that’s just opened… in Williamsburg, of course. I haven’t been there yet (it’s on the list!) but it was a reminder of how easy it is being a veggie in this city.

6 :: You know I love my street art and I was particularly taken with this one by Conor Harrington down on Suffolk Street last weekend. It was huuuge.

7 :: A friend’s baby shower last weekend (for my friend Bree! You might remember her bridal shower) took me to Morristown, New Jersey. The whole trip was so easy – just an hour from Penn Station, and plenty of gorgeous views along the way. It reminds me just how close I am to so many places I haven’t explored yet.

8 :: I’ll have me a soup of the day, please!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!