Best Friends, Bubble Tea, & Boats

Lately we've been trying to do everything fun outside before the weather gets too bitter! So I feel like I'm so behind on writing about our adventures!!! A few posts ago I mentioned that we went to brunch and spent an afternoon with my friend Ellen! It was the same day we went to the arsenal game in a pub!

Gunner and I had left during halftime to have brunch with one of my very best friends Ellen! Ellen and I have been best friends since 5th grade! She was even my maid of honor! We used to have a band together called 2cute and we wrote two songs ("We're 2Cute" and "I want you, I need you, I gotta gotta gotta Got 2 have you") and we could both sing you the lyrics right this second, but I'll spare you! It is so cool that we actually live in the same city now! I dont see her near as much as I'd like, but we live just about as far apart as possible within city limits and she's pretty busy with her fancy NYC life! Hahaha, but really it was a blast to spend a few hours with her and catch up on each other's lives and celebrate her Birthday!

We went to this awesome brunch place called The Smith! I had Vanilla Bean French Toast with Carmelized Bananas...YUM!!! She had this yummy something with potato waffles, poached eggs, and spinach sauce! I felt very fancy going to brunch! 

Zack met us just as we finished brunch and we decided to walk towards Chinatown! This was our first time in Chinatown, but apparently we were only like two blocks away when we were in little Italy! We also meandered through little Japan, which was very sentimental since that's where Ellen and I became friends! (Real Japan... not Little Japan!!)

Chinatown is awesome! Seriously, most signs are written in Chinese, 90% of the people were Chinese. I felt like little Italy was just a tribute to Italian food and culture, but Chinatown seriously felt like a pocket of China in the middle of America!

We stopped for some bubble tea (have you ever had this?!? If not, you must!!). Bubble tea is basically any kind of yummy drink, tea, juice, lemonade, milk, and they add these weird ooey gooey chewy tapioca pearls! It may not sound appealing, but it is! I had the honey lemonade which was probably my favorite thing I've ever had! This place soaked their bubbles in honey so they were extra sweet! It was delicious!

We also stopped at an Asian bakery called TaiPan Bakery! It was really cool and crazy cheap! Especially for New York! We got egg custards and vanilla cakes! The vanilla cakes were decorated like a panda! Classic! The cake was delicious! And the flakey crust of the egg custards were divine!

Gunner was getting a little antsy in his stroller so we headed toward the nearest park. Most of the little parks around manhattan look pretty much the same. But not this one! This park was packed with elderly Asian people! Ellen said it's where they do their excercise! I'm pretty bummed we missed seeing that. While we were there all of the tables were set up with people playing some sort of tile game! You could tell which games were most competitive because there were people surrounding tables cheering and gasping and laughing (and maybe some arguments)! What I wouldn't give to understand what was happening!

This is where we parted ways with Ellen, but not before taking some cute pics!

We found a grassy patch and let Gunner stretch his legs and crawl around which he loved! There were some guys playing soccer near us and Gunner was just mesmerized! Zack is sure it means he's meant to be a soccer player!

We didn't have specific plans after that so we figured we'd explore a few new parts of Central Park! We entered from the south and walked along the East side (stopped to grab a pretzel, spoiler: they taste like cardboard) which led us past the zoo and towards the conservatory water! The conservatory water is a small pool/pond where people rent remote control sailboats. Originally it was a natural water lily pond, but was later reshaped and modeled after the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris!  I think they have races there too, but maybe I just think that because of Stuart Little.

I thought for sure Gunner would be captivated by the boats..but not so much! He was more interested in trying to eat the crunchy leaves on the ground. But nonetheless, it was beautiful scenery and beautiful weather! What more could you ask for! 

The weather is getting cold so fast and I'm trying to figure out how to keep Gunner warm enough without overheating him! It feels like a delicate balance! Any tips are always appreciated! 

Xoxo 

SD