To be young and in love in New York City… To not know who I am but still know that I’m good long as you’re here with me

Hello sweet friends, 

I’m currently blogging from my NYC hotel because I’ve been in the most overstimulating place on earth – Times Square – since Wednesday. I know what some of you are thinking: “Um sandhya, you hate NY… why are you there?” to which I say that only a very special person could willingly bring me to NY and that’s my incredibly amazing friend, Sinclaire. You know those people that you meet out of the blue and then somehow you start talking every day because you instantly click and feel incredibly safe with that person and then it’s 6 months later and you’re like “I cannot imagine my life without them”? That’s Sinclaire for me! Without deep diving into her life because she’s way too wonderful to describe in so many words, my point is that when she told me she was leaving NYC to pursue her dreams, I knew I had to come to see her before she left. So on Thursday and Friday, I worked out of the NY office. 

I had one ask for these four days: “Please help me not hate NY” and when I tell you that my friends delivered, DAMN.

Thursday: Even though I really love the DC office, whenever I go to the NY office I feel so incredibly welcomed. When I came in on Thursday I went into my visitor’s office which was beautifully decorated just for me! A few people even said “I never go into the office, but today I literally came to see you” which was so heartwarming. I got to spend so much time with so many lovely people (through multiple coffees, lunch, long chats and rants, or drinks!). An associate that I admire asked “So when are you coming to NY?” and I said, “I don’t know, I like the DC office, it’s fun” and he goes “It’s fun because you’re there; if you come to NY then we’ll also be fun! NY needs a Sandhya” and I loved that. My favorite compliments from people will always be the ones that are about the way I make them feel – I’m fun, they feel safe, they trust me, I’m disarming, etc. On Thursday, the thought of moving to NY felt foreign and stressful, but I think I can actually say that I’m warming up to the idea…

Friday: After a busy but productive day at work, I got drinks with two lovely senior associates and then got to hang out with Sinclaire!! (The reason I came!!) She knows me so well because we started off at the Harry Potter Store (sorry Mom, I bought more things…) and I feel like I could have spent hours there (I also know that I have to come back for the Butterbeer!). After perusing the store for a bit, we went to the Fotografiska Museum. This museum is so cool because it’s a photography museum where you can get drinks on the ground floor and then go around and explore the photography exhibits. 

The idea of sharing your thoughts or ideas is already arrogance which is the entrance and exit that art requires 

I have absolutely no knack for photography; I can take pictures on my phone and decently frame a shot, but that’s it. But going through this museum was wild because photographers can capture such vulnerable moments on camera – moments that we’re trying to hide from other people, moments where we don’t know if anyone is looking, moments where we’re incredibly raw and honest with ourselves on who we are and who we want to be. 

The secondhand vulnerability in some of the photographs invoked my fight or flight response – maybe I’m too emotional, but I think we should all aim to be more emotional and intense.

But finding someone with the same museum energy as you is so hard. How often do you go to a museum with someone and they are too fast, too slow, they mansplain the art, they take it too seriously, they don’t take it seriously enough, or the vibes are just off?? This was probably the exact opposite of that. The only bad thing about the museum was that I didn’t check my coat on the first floor. If you’re in NY, I highly recommend it. Then after the museum, Sinclaire and I gabbed for a few hours about dumb people, funny things at work, and our hopes and dreams for the future. It was kind of a perfect night!

Saturday: What a JAM-PACKED day. It started off with me sleeping in, which was much needed. I then met my sweet friend Megan for a full Megan-centered day! For Megan, my guidelines were “aesthetically cute, instagrammable, my vibe, and makes me not hate NY” and she took it and went above and beyonf. 

• We started at Olio e Piu for a 11:45 brunch where we got cute lattes and amazing brunch. We then walked to the SoHo Laduree while stopping by the Anita Dongre store and other cute shops along the way (SoHo is actually super cute???) Their lemon tart is amazing
• Bookstores: After that, we went to Bibliotheque (a cafe meets bookstore meets bar, aka someone who is living out my entrepreneurial dreams) and The Albertine (this French and English bookstore sponsored by the French Embassy) where I relearned French by reading the first page of Philosopher’s Stone in French
• Basically a New Yorker: I have to start off and say … guess who rode the subway for the first time?? That’s right, ya girl freaking killed it. I was such a natural… 
• The Met: I love the Met, and not only because I grew up watching Gossip Girl and there are iconic scenes of Blair and Serena sitting on the staircase drinking coffee and it’s a whole ~vibe~ but also because something about art museums just makes me really happy. The last time I went to the Met was in 9th grade for an art class field trip with my friend Hannah. On the charter bus, we watched Season 1 of Supernatural and had a lovely day trip. I remember we went for a specific exhibit, and because we went in the middle of the week on some random day in April, the museum was fairly empty and easy to explore. Since I had last visited the Met, I took a 19th-century art history class in college and actually being able to walk around and recognize some of the paintings and remember their backstories was such a cool experience. I know better than to mansplain a painting though. 19th-century paintings and sculptures will always be my favorite, and I’m still a sucker for Monet’s Water Lilies, even if that makes me unsophisticated or basic. After we walked around for a few hours, Megan and I sat on one of the benches in the museum and killed time until our dinner reservation. 
• Dinner: I was craving tacos so we went to Tacombi and I had some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. My love for tacos is very much like Rory in her “first time being hungover” scene in Gilmore Girls where she’s fighting with Logan and whines “Ugh I want a taco” except nix the fighting and the hangover, and that’s me pretty much every day of my life. We then went for a walk and then headed home. 

One thing I loved about this weekend is that the people I spent time with made this unfamiliar city feel a lot more welcoming. Sinclaire and Megan are both two incredible ladies that I know I would be friends with even if I met them outside of work because there are some people who you talk to and it just feels like you’re getting a hug, or you’re being inspired, or that you want to be the best version of yourself. 

Am I going to move to NY? Not yet anyway, but I’m not entirely writing it off. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I love it, but at least I don’t get an immediate fight-or-flight response being here anymore. In fact I’m getting excited for the next time I can visit and we can cross more things off my NYC bucket list 🙂 But for now, it’s time to pack and head home!

Until next time!

xo

Sandhya

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