Nothing beats a midweek catch-up when things get so hectic. I live for these things– fellowship (whether with Warren, my sister, or anyone I’m really close to) is something I need so I can hit pause and recharge. I’m thankful to have Sasa, one of the good friends I’ve made here in NY, who’s always game and ready to meet up– even if it means breaking her diet! I can’t have cocktails nor coffee so she has no choice but to binge with me! Bonus: she takes great pictures. All photos in this post are from her phone! <3
One Wednesday we decided to go to Long Island City, one of my favorite places in New York for the view of the Manhattan skyline and great food. At the end of Center Boulevard is a Latin Fusion restaurant I’ve always wanted to try called Blend on the Water.
We came before 7pm. The sun was still up and the place wasn’t packed yet, but there was music and the atmosphere was very festive. It had a great view of the water, but we opted to stay indoors as it was too hot outside. Still making it to the happy hour, Sasa ordered a Sangria and a Mojito! I guess it was a stressful week for her? Lol! I got a Virgin Mango Mojito which was equally delicious!
On the menu, there was just soooo many things I wanted to try! But we had to stop ourselves because it’s a little pricey. Yep– I would recommend to go there with the family, a special occasion, or in a big group so you get to try a variety of their menu.
I ended up ordering their famous Churrasco (grilled marinated skirt steak, white rice, house beans, tostones, chumichurri, red onion escabeche) and Sasa got the Chicken Fried Rice (crispy pan roasted half chicken, friend rice, mango avocado salsa, jalapeno-garlic emulsion). They’re both YUMMY!

Churrasco– I had to order it well done, for pregnancy safety reasons. 🙂

Chicken Fried Rice– both the chicken and the fried rice were so good! I actually ordered extra fried rice for myself! Bad idea though! Lol!
It was a little hard to talk as they musicians playing live Latin music inside the restaurant, but we gladly welcomed it, it was such a pick-me-upper!
After eating, we decided to burn all those calories by walking end-to-end of Center Boulevard. We walked about a mile until we reached Gantry State Park with the perfect backdrop for our life-and-shizzz-talks. It was just refreshing.

The famous Pepsi Cola signage you can see from Manhattan.

Oh New York…. <3
What about you? What’s your pick-me-up strategy?