I heart NEW YORK CITY

Boy-o-boy, girl-o-girl (for equalities sake) I LOVE this city. What a bummer that I left my camera cord in Brasil. The parents will be bringing it to me. I've been taking pics to add at a later date.

Why do I love NYC??? Well....let me break it down into a list

1. Public transportation rocks. I never wait more then 5 minutes for a bus and it runs all the time. Sometimes the bus drivers are even friendly. Imagine!

2. There are so many vegan restaurants. I went to a nonvegan restaurant yesterday and asked if they had vegan items. She pointed out a few, I ordered three. Got home, took a bite, one had tuna in the middle. Tuna is not vegan. I didn't swallow, nor did I cry or throw up. But that is just one more example of why I prefer strictly vegan restaurants - which is NO problem here.

3. (Related to #2). There are so many vegan restaurants here they have a book The Vegan Guide to New York City. All are vegetarian and about half are vegan. I've been to 7 of the top 20 favorites. I'm going to eat at Caravan Dream for brunch today.

4. No matter what color, creed, race, or religion you never stick out in this town. I love that. I hate how accents, skin tones, and religious beliefs easily mark one as an outsider in suburbia. Not so in NYC. Love this town.

5. I love that I can find mass at any time, any place, any day. I went to mass this morning at one of my favorites - St. Agnes on East 43rd. They cater to a pretty diverse crowd, the exterior of the church is extremely simple, and they have confession constantly. As a side note, it was nice to go to mass in English. In Boston I will be attending St. Anthony's, which has mass in Brasilian Portugues and I am so excited. That said - it was nice to know all the prayers and understand 100% of the homily, even if just for one Sunday.

6. Some of my favorite stores are here. Like....soda fine. I went there yesterday. The sales clerk was SUPER sweet, she even gave me a free vegan lip gloss (they had received them as a promo for loyale clothing). It isn't strictly vegan but they have local designers (I'm really getting into that), vintage, and eco friendly options. I bought the cutest dress. I wanted to buy two but wasn't looking to spend 400 dollars. Geez, it sure is easy to be a consumer.

7. My parents live here. They are still in Brasil right now, so I have the place to myself (and I like it) but it is even better when they are here.

8. SO many movie theaters. I am going to Persepolis at the Angelika just as soon as I am finished with this post. And then maybe later on today I'll go see Juno, or Charlie Wilson's War, or Michael Clayton. I love movies - and this city caters to my addiction.

9. The museums aren't free like DC but they are great. I went to the New York Historical Society yesterday and loved their exhibition on 9/11 and Lafayette.

10. There is alwasy something to do. Alone. I never feel like a freak for being a singleton in NYC.

I LOVE NYC!