NYC: Upper West Side and Hudson River Greenway

My goal for visiting NYC was to see as many friends as possible! En route to brunch on the Upper West Side, this is what I saw:

I met up with Gita, Jenny, and B for brunch at Calle Ocho, a great Cuban restaurant located near the Museum of Natural History. There’s always a platter of cheese biscuits on the table, and every entree comes with unlimited sangria (ten flavors, might I add), so it’s always a good time!

Afterwards, I headed towards the Hudson River Greenway. It was such a beautiful day that I took the extended route… and enjoyed every minute of it! If you haven’t spent much time in New York, you may be surprised by how many parks and green spaces are in the city. In fact, the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway spans 32 miles around the perimeter of the island. Of these 32 miles, The Hudson River Greenway is located on the West Side, along the Hudson River, as the name implies.

I met up with my friends Navin and Lisa, and their adorable son. I tried to get a family shot, but little N was not having it!

I think it was because he is a die-hard Jets fan, and he found out I cheer for the Eagles…

Chasing after a toddler makes for great exercise. He outran all of us, and still managed to have energy to spare, whereas I was ready for a nap!

As the weekend continued, I was able to catch up with a few more friends. Manj took me to her favorite Mexican restaurant, where we caught up over dinner. And a wine bar afterwards. We had a lot to say!

Dominika and I also celebrated Bonnie’s 40th Birthday with a huge group of her friends… at an 80’s rock show! I must admit I had tepid expectations, but I was blown away. It was a great time, the crowd got really into it (almost everyone dressed up too), and everyone sang along to all the songs!