the back fence

after walking around tribeca last night and getting dinner at "the peculiar pub", dad and i walked down the street to his favorite bar in new york, "the back fence".

my dad and his best friend john have frequented the back fence together on multiple trips and always come back amazed at the number of nyu students singing along with the performer to crosby stills and nash, the beatles, and other oldies.

well last night was no exception! dad and i had a blast and sang along to one that my dad and the three girls would sing a lot when we were little -- california dreamin.

they have 3 live performances every night, 7 days a week. i'll definitely be back!

day two!

today dad and i went shopping for my dorm room so we killed two birds with one stone (shop + sightsee) and went to macy's! here's what i ended up with.

for those of you that have seen my room back at home, you know this is something i wouldn't normally have. but i thought it was so cute and when i saw that it was called "park avenue scottie" it sealed the deal.

then we went to k-mart (a little less glamorous) to get towels and kitchen stuff. boy am i thankful that my grocery store is less than a block from my dorm! carrying all those bags through the subway was quite a workout.

after all the sightseeing we did today my top three were:

1. washington square - it was so fun watching the kids swimming in the fountain and listening to the bands play on the sidewalk. oh, and my number one summer nyc mystery has been solved -- there IS, in fact, a patch of grass where everybody lays out for a tan.

please note: the awkward solo shot my dad insisted on taking, and how cool that you can see the empire state building straight through the arch?

2. eating lunch at the red lion - one of my dad's favorite restaurants in nyc (they have incredible salads!) which is right next to his favorite bar -- the back fence. i'm sure i'll be frequenting that a few times in his honor.

3. wall street and battery park - wall street was extremely quiet for some reason so it was nice just walking around and taking it in. battery bark on the other hand was quite the opposite...but it was fun sitting on a ledge looking over the water at the empire state building/ellis island (something i hope to visit this summer!)

we're off to dinner and the back fence. little sissy and mom get in tomorrow -- can't wait to show them around my neighborhood!

for my sweet addie

the one things sweet addie (friend at work!) asked me to do for her in ny was to find tiffanys and send her a picture. well, look at what i stumbled upon today!

miss you ad, i hope the office is treating you well!

hello, NEW YORK!

recap of yesterday :)

our flight got in to new york around 3:30 and we made it to our “hotel” by five. i say “hotel” because…well, why don’t you just take a look.

my dear father and i resided yesterday evening in the well-known and glamorous west side ymca. i’m blaming it all on the lady who scammed us out of our original plan – a beautiful apartment on 71^st (doorman included). so dad grabbed the first thing he could. oh well, i got to meet a professional juggler.

one redeeming quality of the Y is that it’s one block from the hotel empire. gossip girl anyone? too bad chuck wasn’t there.

we walked through lincoln center, up and down broadway then took a subway (my first!) to columbus circle, which was absolutely beautiful. i just love new york!

had i walked the distance i did today in cs i would have been a whiney mess. but when i have such beautiful buildings all around me i stay pretty distracted. my freshman-year considerations of becoming an architecture major definitely came back.

dad and i ended the night with the other nyc tourists in times square...mildly overwhelming at first but i could have stared at it all night.

we sat on the second floor of the espn zone with dinner and a couple bud lights for over an hour watching all the screens and billboards, resting our sore feet, and filling the fam in of our incredible day. we had a perfect view.

i can tell ya right now this summer is going to be one for the books.

the big apple

safe and sounds here in nyc! it's been a long day and my internet isn't very fast so i can't upload pictures but i have had an incredible day and am absolutely beside myself that i get to spend the entire summer here.

ill give you all a full update (with pics!) tomorrow when i'm set up in my dorm!

my nautical wishlist

if i only had a sailboat.

chanel metal and resin regatta bracelet, ray-ban wayfarer sunglasses in honey, anthropologie offshore pullover, alexander wang sweater and skirt (spring 2010).

she's just being miley, right?

you've got to be kidding me.

apparently, miley can't be tamed.

so long farewell

auf wiedersehen, goodbye!

this weekend is full of goodbyes! my sissy is saying "adios" to high school and i'm saying goodbye to texas.

that's right, my little sissy is graduating. but the little thing has already spent a semester at a&m due to being really smart and finishing early so tonight she's just walking the stage with her buds.

i'm so proud of this little hottie patattie!

more on her later : )

769 madison ave

today is the grand opening of j.crew's bridal boutique in new york city! a definite must-see while i'm there this summer.

grandparents

today when i get off work im going to visit my grandparents in houston. they have been so supportive of me going to new york and i really wanted to get to see them before i leave on saturday.

some of my favorite memories with them are:

summers spent in hunt, texas at the river house. we would go canoeing down the guadalupe, drive the go-carts through the pecan orchards, and listen to the alvin and the chipmunks record.

their wedding! my grandpa married the beautiful jackie when i was 13. the wedding was so sweet and it was fun getting a bunch of new family members!

thanksgiving dinners and trying to corral 25+ people to take a picture on their backporch overlooking the bayou. one year i wore a pleated skirt, sweater with elbow patches, and knee socks.

last christmas when my grandpa showed up to cs in his burnt orange sweater. he just couldn't stand not to, being the university of texas fan that he is! thanks for the uggs!

can't wait to see them : )

boden

here's the wishlist i made from the boden website. a lot of their stuff isn't really my style but they definitely have some treasures. this london-based company feels like lands end meets lily pulitzer meets j.crew. recipe for success, i think!

01. flats embellished with beads and grosgrain ribbon. potential summer craft?

02. navy and cream are a favorite color combo of mine! i love how structured it is.

03. i've always kind of steered clear of orange because i feel like it emphasizes the fact that i have red-"ish" hair. i say "ish" because i've actually never admitted that i have red hair...i feel like it comes with certain responsibilites i'm not ready for.

04. who wouldn't want a dress that comes in a matching bag?

dream on

glee is absolutely one of my favorite tv shows. im going to go ahead and say that the madonna episode made me worried for a little while but the show was absolutely redeemed this last episode when mr. schuester sang one of my favorite songs of all time...dream on! with neil patrick harris no less.

i love this part where they're screaming back and forth. other than the good sing-a-longs, i love glee because i love looking at the cute boys...puck and finn especially. here they are together! after finn sang jesse's girl two weeks ago i watched it randomly throughout my day. he's just so cute. and canadian!

i can't wait for a new episode.

FWY Studios

look at this fun balloon parade put on by FWY studios -- a "multi-disciplinary creative studio" in miami, florida. over 18 inflatables were marched down miami south beach. how fun would it be to see this?

check out FWY studios' other projects here.

in-n-out burger

i thought i'd be the blogging type to abstain from posting so frequently but this type of news can't wait. in-n-out burger is coming to the great state of tejas! albeit in garland, but what's wrong with taking a little trip to see sister and grabbing a juicy burger?

i love in-n-out because i love california. but i also like that they have a secret menu! i love that they give you hats like at the blue bell factory. and in-n-out just reminds me of all the fun trips i've taken to cally-forn-i-a.

this is my younger sissy and i in pleasanton last summer for our cousins wedding. we had to make a quick stop for a bite before we went to our hotel.

you've gotta try their animal-style fries!

you've got mail

while some people (you're secretly my favorites) immediately recognized what the title of my blog was from others saw it simply as a sweet little saying. i must tell you that "the blog around the corner" is inspired -- if not, stolen -- directly from my favorite movie of all time you've got mail.

this adorable movie has been #1 in the anderson home since it came out. not a family gathering goes by that we don't drop a quote or two. some of our favorites include:

"this place is a tomb. im going to the nut shop where it's fun."

"patricia makes coffee NERVOUS."

"helloooo new jersey!"

"if i ever get out of here, i'm going to have my eyes lasered."

this movie always reminds me of my dad. he's a man's man but he loves his chick flicks and he's not ashamed. one time when he was in new york he went to all the spots where you've got mail was filmed. he went to riverside park where they find each other at the end and there was a golden retriever there just like brinkley in the movie. i love that story.

here i am

officially on the internet for the world to see! but what a fun way to keep up with my family and friends while im in nyc for the summer and show them my happenings :)

the countdown to my departure is officially down to 5 days. look out, new york! flight CO432 is heading your way.