Picture of the Week: July 23rd - 29th

I have been told that to New Yorkers "the park" means Central Park and "the city" means New York City, wherever in the world you happen to be. In which case this weekend I spent Sunday at the park enjoying a spot of sunshine and a meander. It is true that on a sunny weekend day it can get a little over crowded but that doesn't stop this place feeling like a heaven in the city. 


This week started with my favourite kind of meeting, one that happens over spiked milkshakes and bacon mac&cheese with the lovely Michelle. 

Mac&Cheese date

From there I crossed off another state...Connecticut, where I was working at a conference. This means that I can cross the state off my list of those visited. More importantly I spent the conference at one of America's largest casinos, not in Vegas however, on a Native American reserve! Apparently, as a sovereign state has it's own  laws...including legalised gambling and smoking in public areas. All a little strange if you ask me...but they decided to use the space to build a giant themed casino and arena, the Mohegan Sun! I was also lucky enough to have some great company on this trip both work colleagues and a friend from Connecticut who drove for over an hour to keep me company Wednesday evening.


Friday was Olympics time! The office closed down a little early, the beer started flowing and the Union Jack was out in force for a screening of the London 2012 Opening Ceremony. I have since heard it called a number of things, including bizarre but I loved it. I became almost emotional several times and it reminded me once again that I'm proud of my country and I'm actually kind of looking forward to calling it home again (shhhhh - don't tell anyone!).

The office was Olympics ready on Friday

Saturday was spent in Brooklyn. First in the insanely cool Bushwick - which is like Williamsburg without the expensive coffee. We drank beer, ate Roberta's famous pizza and danced in the day. Secondly in Williamsburg at Smorgasburg - a food market on the water front that I couldn't buy from because I was so full from the pizza. We also popped in to Artists & Fleas a kind of overpriced bazaar...I didn't buy, this time because I couldn't afford to.


Finally we scooted back to the city, consumed one of New York's best burgers from Corner Bistro...alongside the actor Mark Ruffalo, and finished up in Marie's Crisis (home of my favourite cross-section of piano playing, show-tune singing, homosexuals of the city).


And sunday...we went to 'the park'.


Am I 'New York' enough yet?!