I can't believe June is almost over...

It's happened. I am starting to love New York City. I'm realizing now that this city has so much potential to be truly amazing for me. Maybe it's because it's summer, or maybe because I've gotten past the adjustment phase of being in a new city, I'm not sure. But, I do know that I have officially decided to stay in NYC for another year. Yes, I may change my mind 10-20 times in the next few months, but I think that if I continue on the path I am, then I can do it. I can make it in this city.

I spent Sunday at Fire Island (off of Long Island) for a shopping/fashion event. Fire Island is known as a prominently gay community (okay, ALL gay community) and if I'm being honest, I kind of loved it. For once, I could go into a crowd of people who were nice, cheerful, and friendly. I didn't have to worry about what I looked like or how I was presenting myself (because no one on the island was interested in me anyway!) And who doesn't love new gay friends?? ;)

I won a ticket to the event through a blog that I read frequently (about Project Runway and general fashion). It was a wonderful opportunity to get outside of the city and see what else New York has to offer. It took two trains, a bus, and a ferry to get to the island, but in the end, I was left at a beach that was secluded and peaceful. Totally worth the journey.

Here's a photo with Tom and Lorenzo - some of my favorite bloggers. Be sure to visit their blog at http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/ (Some of the photos from their Fire Island post are ones I took!)

They were incredibly nice and a joy to meet. They made sure that I was able to get around to meet the Project Runway designers and some of the models before leaving the island. And most of you know how much I love Project Runway.... ahh... How fun!



The weekend before, Carrie and I checked out the Big Apple BBQ Block Party in Madison Square Park. Yes, NYC embraced Southern cooking, beer, and country music for two whole days! The Pit restaurant in Raleigh came and set up a booth, so of course I had to get some NC barbecue! Even though it wasn't the best I'd ever had (it was kinda cold), it was definitely a nostalgic lunch. Carrie and I then walked uptown to take Ryan some NC barbecue (because even people with demanding jobs requiring them to work on Sunday afternoons deserve NC food).

We ended up running into the Puerto Rico Day Parade. While most parades last only an hour or two, this parade lasted several very loud hours. It took us almost an hour to get through the parade to get to Ryan's building. The parade was kind of funny to witness - a bunch of people decked out in Puerto Rican garb with flags and noise makers dancing to Daddy Yankee. But the hilarity wore off quickly and the masses of paraders became more obnoxious than funny. Oh well, chalk it up to experience : )
This shot is the view from Ryan's office building. Can you imagine having to work on a Sunday afternoon with that going on outside your window?

Carrie appropriately models our feelings about the Puerto Rican Day Parade.

I'll be going home this weekend to help celebrate my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary and to work on my tan. Oh yeah, and I have a date tomorrow... what?? :)