breakfast of (nightlife) champions

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Breakfast

I’m pretty good with going with the flow and being breezy – except when it comes to my morning routine. So imagine my panic when I moved out west and my love affair with Organic Avenue was forced to come to an end. And don’t even get me started on the bagels at Deli on the Cliffs. Nothing will ever compare.

Most everyone who knows me – and certainly anyone I have ever worked with – likely knows my semi-OCD morning ritual. Every day, I drink a green juice, a shot of E3 Live and have a scooped out, very well done toasted bagel with whipped cream cheese. Sure, there are some days when I opt for oatmeal but for the most part, I stick with this combination. Since I stopped drinking coffee years ago, green juice is now my pre-work go-to. And I swear it gives me more energy than a Venti Skim Latte ever did.

When I got to Vegas, I thought it would be just as easy to maintain this long standing breakfast routine. I was so wrong. Over the past 3 months, I have tried everything possible to keep it going: 20 minute morning drives to the organic juice bar (this got exhausting and to be honest, these long nights lend to me needed a bit more sleep), making my own juice (um, do you know how annoying it is to clean a Breville juicer??) and even went a week without, to see if I even felt the difference. I did. It sucked.

So after a few failed attempts I’ve finally got a new system down – a quick drive to Whole Foods on Las Vegas Blvd for the Green Giant (which is no Green Love, but acceptable) and a decent bagel which I scoop, toast and schmear in the office break room. The E3 is a bit of a hassle, defrosting it every morning under running water in the breakroom sink just to eke out an ounce. Oh, how I miss those little overopriced glass bottles of the blue green algae goodness waiting for me each morning at Organic Avenue!

But I adapt. And so now this is my new routine. And, aside from the mediocre bagel, it’s not so bad after all…

loving lala

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One of the things I’ve been loving most about living in Vegas is, well, LA. Being from New York, LA was never high on my list of places to visit: I was one of those West Coast-hating types, for no reason except I felt I had to out of principle. And I thought the city had nothing to offer.

Well, that was ridiculous. LA is actually pretty awesome. And it’s the perfect little escape from the sometimes overwhelming Las Vegas strangeness. Plus, a 45-minute flight does NOT suck. That’s shorter than my commute from Englewood Cliffs to downtown Manhattan on a Friday night during rush hour. Fact.

Since moving across the country, I have already taken 2 trips to LaLa. That’s 2 more than I had taken in the past 5 years so I have a feeling this is going to become a pretty regular thing. Even better, my company gets amazing room rates at the Mondrian which is basically the best location ever for someone like me who needs to walk to get juice every morning (hi, Earth Bar!)

MondrianPlus, the last two times I’ve gone, I’ve stayed in the exact same room which is actually starting to feel like my own little crash pad. The view ain’t bad either…

Trip #1 was really all about reacquainting with the city I loved to hate. My best friend, Joyce, is a resident so it was a no-brainer. We had the most amazing time – in between meeting with editors, many of whom are really good friends anyway – we hit up Bagatelle (straight from the airport, natch), Craigs, Soho House, Bootsy Bellows, Kitchen24 and, of course, DryBar. I met some awesome new people and saw some friends I hadn’t hung out with in over 5 years. I fell in love.

Amazingly, a few of my fave boys from college were also in town for the Malibu marathon, making it that much more special. Being away from NYC is hard so it was like a nice little reunion.

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I also met some of Joyce’s awesome friends and got to see my friend Elle who I met about 8 years ago at the Toronto Film Festival. Epic weekend indeed. I came back to Las Vegas ready for my next trip. It’s funny – the few times I went to LA years ago I just wasn’t impressed. I was turned off, actually. But going back now, LA just seems so much different. Maybe it’s not LA – maybe it’s me.

Anyway, just weeks later I realized I had no events in Sin City all weekend so I booked a flight back to Burbank to go with Joyce to the Nylon Magazine and Hollyscoop parties which were both happening right down the street from the Mondrian. Let me just say I have never seen so many people I know in such a short amount of time. So productive. And so fun! #HUGEGROUPOFGIRLS!

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Oh and did I mention how much I LOVE the 2am curfew? I can go out and rage but still get up at 9am to work out and not feel like a complete disaster.

Saturday was filled with brunch and working out and  blowouts and shopping on Melrose (what? I miss Necessary Clothing!) – and then a departure from my normal routine: dinner with Deb in LOS FELIX! I was nervous to venture out of West Hollywood but we went to MessHall and it was unreal! Such amazing food and the cutest scene ever. So worth the drive. Well, worth Deb driving 🙂

Next was a stop at Rock & Reilly’s with Anny and Brandon. So good catching up with my NYC bestie and her BF. She was another reason I flew out for the weekend – when one of my closest friends from NYC is in LA and less than an hour away, it’s hard to NOT go.Anny

I should have been exhausted and heading for bed after Rock & Reilly’s, but I made one last stop at Soho House to see my other college friend Adam. Love, love, love the Soho House in LA. Nothing like NYC but gorgeous nonetheless.

I took an early flight back on Sunday – work calls! – but I know I’ll be back soon. I’m finally having a love affair with LA after 34 years of resistance, and things are going really well so far…

THIS finally happened…

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Being from the East Coast, I always read longingly about the famous In & Out Burger all of my LA friends raved about. But I had never myself indulged – until I moved into an apartment about 50 yards away from one. Since I like to act like I’m better than fast food, I avoided the flashing yellow sign for as long as possible. But I finally gave in, to a Double Double, mustard grilled. With fries, of course. I wasn’t brave enough for Animal Style. Maybe one day.

And while it was amazingly delicious, I’m not completely obsessed like my Left Coasters. I actually prefer the Gold Standard at Holstein’s. I’m not hating, just being honest.

Of course, I’ll be back some day soon – it’s just too tempting…and literally in my backyard.

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For the record…

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Even though I have decided that being out of NYC for right now is the best move for me, I have certainly not given up on our life-long love affair.

And in light of this, I have been thinking about some of the things I love most about NYC, especially this time of year:

christmas-tree-lighting-rockefeller-center[1]Its’s cheesy, yes, but I’m a fan of going to the tree at Rockefeller Center. Never on opening night, but like a week or two later – Sunday nights are great. No matter how long I’ve lived there, I always feel like a tourist in NYC, discovering new things to be excited about.

Also, I used to go ice-skating there every summer with Hoopie and Hoopie Pop so there’s some sentimental value.

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  • Red wine and dark, cozy bars. Nothing makes me feel more wintery and NYC-y than a subterranean, West Village lounge. You’re all bundled up from the blistering wind and cold and then you walk in and its’ warm and welcoming. Bell, Book & Candle is basically perfect, especially with a Balvenie 21. And if it starts snowing, forget about it: I die. Of happiness, obviously.

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Cocktails at hotel bars. Who doesn’t love a nice late afternoon vodka after a stop at the museum? It’s literally one of my most favorite things to do. And NYC has the fanciest, most sophisticated places to enjoy that 5pm (fine, 3pm) adult beverage. I particularly love the ones along 5th Avenue in the chilly months. I spend a lot of time downtown and just really get a kick out of tourist-watching which is a special breed of people watching, and it’s its peak in midtown during the holidays. There is nothing better. Plus, these visits conjure up even more memories of hanging out in city with my family (hot chocolate at Rumplemeyer’s, anyone? Excitedly browsing FAO Schwartz, not being able to buy anything because “Xmas is so close”? The dinosaurs at The Natural History Museum? Ah, childhood…) that make me all warm and fuzzy inside. And I am NOT a very warm and fuzzy person.

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And I just love the general feeling of NYC in the winter. It’s cold and gets dark really early and sometimes that’s really, really awful and annoying. But winter is also when I feel like things slow down and I can reconnect with friends who were running around all summer, get back into some version of a routine and enjoy the quiet city streets.

Basically, I am adjusting to life in Vegas but that doesn’t change the way I feel about NYC, especially this time of year. It’s not over for good; we’re just on a break.

Wait, do I love NY?

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I have always considered myself one of those hardcore New Yorkers who is obsessed with everything about the city. Even after living in Manhattan for over a decade, I still took daily walks and was awed by the buildings, the people, the sounds.

But is New York really truly where I want – or need -to be?

For so many years, I believed I couldn’t be genuinely happy anywhere but in the city. I craved the sound of passing ambulances and scoffed at suburban strip malls. So it was jarring but insightful to have a recent conversation with one of my best friends, someone who knows me better than anyone, about how NYC might actually be BAD for me.

We were talking about my new life in Vegas and I kept saying how I had nothing going on. What I really meant was no drama: boy drama, friend drama, stress about who to meet up with every night drama. The problem with my life in Manhattan is that I always have too much going on. I double book dinners and drinks a few times a week but then go out of my way to honor every commitment. I feel a need to try every new place that opens, immediately. I work too hard. I work out too much. I completely obsess over boys. Everything I do is over the top and my life becomes unmanageable.

But in Vegas, I’m actually pretty chill. Even though my job can be stressful, it’s good stress – the kind that makes me feel like I’m actually getting things done. And while I have made friends, I am careful (with the help of my observant therapist) not to cram too many things onto my schedule. I reserve a few nights a week to do yoga and have dinner at home – something I never, ever did in NYC, where my gas line in my kitchen was broken for 3 months and I didn’t even notice because I have only used the stove 4 times in eight years. And I refuse to get involved with the same kind selfish, narcissistic NYC boys I always found myself attracted to. Right now, being single means being stress-free.

And while I hated most things about living in South Florida, I was pretty anxiety-free there, too. For a while, at least.

Who knows when I’ll end up back in Manhattan. I know my path will lead me there again, at least for a little while. And I’m certainly not renouncing my hometown. That would be as unrealistic as, say, giving up the D-bags for good. But it’s interesting to realize that, for now, maybe the city I always thought was my number one true love might really just be as toxic as that bad boyfriend.

here we go again…

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I’m on the plane heading back from a week in NYC and I’m crying. Like tears running down my face, my seatmate might be worried about me style. After spending an amazing 7 days with my best friends and family in the city I absolutely adore, I’m having separation anxiety – and I’ve only been gone for 4 hours.

Since moving to Las Vegas over 2 months ago (!!!) I have made an effort to settle and create a routine, but my job doesn’t make it easy. Some weeks I feel like a normal person living a normal life while other times, I feel completely overwhelmed and unsure of anything. It is Vegas, after all. Doesn’t that means the odds are against me? But I’m trying. I know I’m still adjusting to a completely new life and I try not to be too hard on myself for not being 100% comfortable with my West Coast existence. That still doesn’t make it any easier to be away from home.

And as I head back across the country, far away from the people and places I know the best, I can’t help but be sad. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to remember how this all happened and how I even got here. I was taking one of my daily strolls around the West Village this weekend, listening to depressing music, when I found myself tearing up at the thought of my time in NYC winding down. But then I smiled, grateful for an amazing trip where I got to see so many of my nearest and dearest. And as always, there was never a dull moment – but more on that later.

So I will bravely go back to my new life, embrace it and continue to enjoy this unbelievable opportunity and adventure – even if that means taking some time away from my number one love…