Well hello there, how was your week? Here are some of the highlights from mine:

1 :: Heading to the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere! I visited the One World Observatory (at the top of that big shiny building pictured above) when it opened on Friday and it was incredible. (Blog post to follow!)

2 :: Chatting to taxi drivers and free cookies. I got talking to a cab driver as he sped me through the city this week; I love hearing about taxi drivers’ lives and how they got here (often from very far away) and this lovely man was no different. When I jumped out, he opened a pack of coconut cookies from a bakery his son owns in New Jersey and insisted I took them with me. So kind and the cookies were delish!

3 :: Ice cream from Blue Marble in Cobble Hill. Tis finally the season! I went for lime and raspberry sorbet and nabbed a lick of Ryan’s coffee and mint chip. Amazing.

4 :: Incredible street art by DALeast on St Marks Avenue between 1st Ave and Ave A. I didn’t know his work before and now I’m a fan.

5 :: The heat! It’s so hot, finally. And I know I’ll probably hate it in a couple of weeks, but isn’t it amazing after such a long dreary winter?

6 :: This view as I checked out new sections of Brooklyn Bridge Park. It never gets old.

7 :: Amazing Pickle Shack treats. My sandwich (from an all-veggie menu) was covered with lashes of garlicky cannellini bean spread and it was so good that I went home and immediately whipped up a batch myself.

8 :: Seeing old friends. Living in New York is amazing for lots of reasons I always go on about, including how it attracts old friends from across the world and I get to see them!  This week, my friend Karen was visiting with her man from Denmark. And it turns out that six years apart changes nothing.

And last but not least… 9 :: Heading back to the dive bar (this one) where I met this dish exactly two years ago. The bar is still just as grim and still just as fun, and Ryan is still just as fanciable.

Have a lovely week!