A slice of...New York City!

Hi everyone! On Thursdays for the next couple of months, I'm going to be including a new feature here on Sometimes Sweet. I've asked a large handful of both my blogging buddies and real life friends to give us a little tour of the city or town they live in, from their point of view, and share with us some of their must-go or must-see places. I have a really wide variety of towns and cities (and amazing ladies!) to feature, and I'm really excited to unveil this. I hope you all enjoy it!

I thought I'd start with one of my dear friends Emily (visit her blog here) who resides in Brooklyn, NY. I was lucky enough to visit her twice last summer and she and her fiance Jesse were amazing hosts, taking me to delicious restaurants and fun spots all around the city (click here to read that post). I'm super excited to share her "Slice of New York City," and I think that whether you've dreamed of visiting the Big Apple or have been there before, you may find a new restaurant to try or fun idea to add to your "must do/see/eat" list when traveling to this area of America. So, without further ado, here is New York City, through Emily's eyes!

Emily and me, in NYC (at Taco Chulo, a restaurant mentioned below)

I can't say enough great things about New York.

Jesse and I moved to Brooklyn 4 years ago, and to date it is the best decision we have ever made. Since moving here we have taken up weekend "staycations" where we explore various parts of our state by either walking around various neighborhoods discovering new coffee shops, galleries, secret gardens, independently owned shops or we plan a beach trip to one of the many beaches in the area. So, when Dani asked me to write about my favorite spots I got REALLY excited! Although some of my favorite spots are not absolute locations and more qualities, they are parts of New York that I truly treasure. I do not take this place for granted.



1. Central Park & Secret Gardens

Although Central Park can be a headache due to the amount of people that fill the area each day, I absolutely love it. It is a solid 6 mile loop of beautiful landscape that makes for a great quick run, a perfect place to lay on a blanket and read, or to mosey around with a dear friend. It is smack-dab in the center of Manhattan and the moment you enter the park the chaos from the city settles and you are brought in a complete state of relaxation. If you have a chance to come to the park make sure you check out the 'turtle pond', there are hundreds of little red ear sliders poking their heads above water while moving their little arms around-- it is incredible! There are gardens throughout all the boroughs that are 100% community run and general in the strangest areas. You will find yourself walking out of brunch and pass a skyline building only to find a teeny-tiny community garden down what you would think to be an alley. There are usually sign-up forms to come in and donate your time and love and it's a great place to meet locals or to take a break from noise and hectic feel of the streets. I recommend the garden on 6th street near Ave B; it's small, quiet, and the guy who owns the land is usually there day in and day out taking care of his plants.




2. Food

I recently came back from a vacation where my fiance and I based our trip on what kind of food we wanted to eat so it's not a surprise that food makes the list. I am a gluten-free, VERY health conscious vegan who has limited time in the kitchen with a full time job in fashion, part time job in fitness and a full time school schedule. So, quickly and healthy food is very important to me and New York DELIVERS. Literally! A few of my favorite restaurants are:

A. Souen: Not only is it macrobiotic, but it is organic and they have gluten-free noodles and soy sauce. www.souen.net (the 1st photo below is of the macro platter at Souen)

B. Candle 79: Basically a vegan's dream. This 5 star restaurant offers all organic fare by top vegan chefs with the BEST service possible. www.candle79.com

C. Viva Herbal: Organic, vegan pizza that is HEALTHY! They have a green slice made on spelt with broccoli, spinach, cucumbers, pesto and vegan cheese (if you want it) all for $5.00. It doesn't get better! http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-viva-natural-pizza-new-york

D. Babycakes & Lulas: BC is becoming more and more famous and with a recent cook book release people all over the US get to try their gluten-free, sugar-free cupcakes and treats! Lulu's makes their vegan ice creams on the premise each day with an almond base and they are the tastiest cones I have ever had! This location is conveniently located close to the garden I mentioned on 6th st. making it a great place to enjoy your treat. www.babycakesnyc.com http://www.lulassweetapothecary.com/

E. Taco Chulo: Good grief this place rules. It is a mexican restaurant in Williamsburg that offers healthy, delicious mexican food and a margarita menu that goes on for days. www.tacochulo.com

3. Bridges

Growing up in Utah and Arizona I was never near water, therefore no need for a bridge. Now that I am living in New York I have the pleasure of taking the train every morning and I've never made the trek without looking out the window to admire the way the city glows and prep myself for the day. The bridges are also one of my favorite things to run--When I make it halfway over any bridge going into Manhattan (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Williamsburg) my stomach fills with butterflies at the site of the city. You can feel the excitement in the streets and it feels like a fairy tale knowing that this is MY home.


4. Museums

Talk about lucky. We get all the best exhibits and usually have the chance to see them first and usually you can go to the museums for free thanks to various sponsors. When I toured for a living and had off a few weeks between tours I would spend them in museums in the city; my very favorite- The Natural History Museum! I call this museum my sanctuary because the moment I walk in my blood pressure drops and I feel completely at peace. If you have an opportunity to go, you MUST check out the 'Totem Pole" area; you can smell the age in the wood and the history (and creepiness) in the tribal masks.



5. Beaches

One of my favorite ways to spend my weekend is at the beach with a good group of friends. The famous Coney Island is only about 45 minutes away (by train) and always grantees a great time. Although there is a project taking place to improve the "park" you still get the old time feel through the historic rides, freak shows, and old boardwalk. This beach also brings forth the most interesting mesh of people in 1 location you will ever see.


Although this reaches my 5 favorite "things/spots" I could honestly go on for days. Not only do I love these places/things about New York, but I love the overall vibe. As everyone knows, it is NOT cheap to live in New York (cheap rent is 1600 for a 1 bedroom) so to live here you MUST be motivated and you can feel this in the air. Everyone I know here is constantly working to better themselves and have their hands in a million pots at 1 time. I am no different from this group and hope I never lose my drive to continually be learning and doing more. If you haven't been to New York, you MUST come and visit. It is like no other city and you will never run out of things to do.


*the "Slice of..." pie photo at the top of this post was taken from weheartit. I am unsure of the original source, so if you know who took it/where it comes from please please let me know so I can give proper credit! Thanks so much. :)

Emily and Jesse

Over this next week, in the spirit of Valentine's Day we'll be visiting with some of my favorite couples to hear their stories and some of their "secrets" to keeping their beautiful relationships going strong. I chose each of these couples because they are all so incredibly different, and so incredibly inspiring to me, so I thought it would be great to share this inspiration with you all. Each of these couples are friends of mine "in real life," and I have known all of them for a long, long time. Their stories are particularly special to me because I've seen a lot of them unfold, and nothing is better than seeing true love from its inception.

The first couple I am super excited about featuring is someone I've talked about before on this blog...my dear friend Emily, and her fiance Jesse. Emily and I have been friends for a long, long time and we have a very special bond. Throughout our many years of friendship, I've seen her fall more and more in love with the wonderful Jesse. This past summer I spent a week with the two of them in New York and got a chance to see them months before they got engaged. It was such a great time, and let me tell you...being around them is intoxicating. Because they've been together for so long, their love is everywhere, and so beautiful. It's a comfortable, beautiful, deep kind of love that is obvious to anyone who is around them. I feel so happy that my sweet Emily has someone so special in her life forever, and I love that I am able to share her story with all of you! Enjoy...



1) Names:

Emily Trujillo and Jesse Lindmar - http://smellmilly.blogspot.com

2) Years together and also years married (or time engaged):

8 years and 3 months together, engaged 2 months

3) How you met:

At 16 I helped run an animal rights organization based out of Phoenix. Because I was so young and inexperienced I enlisted the help of a blooming (at the time) animal rights group in Utah (UARC). They would help me find events, get materials and handle the media, if needed.

I traveled to Utah in November of 2000 to pick up materials for an upcoming event in Phoenix and also to help participate in "Fur Free Friday." After the event a big storm hit and I was unable to drive myself back to AZ for another day or two. UARC was hosting a "Thanksgiving/Tofurkey Day" celebration the next day so Crystal and I decided we would stay. Because it was snowing, my little Nissan Pulsar was not the ideal candidate to make the trek to Park City where the dinner was held. I asked around and there were 2 seats available in someone elses car--Yippee! So, Crystal and I met at the UARC office and waited. When the HUGE white truck pulled up we jumped in the backseat. Immediately I froze. Jesse was sitting in the front seat and I became EXTREMELY nervous. Crystal and I looked at each other and started giggling. We both thought he was the bee's knees.

Once we were in Park City I took to helping everyone put the last minute touches on our feast all while watching Jesse in the other room. He was quiet, anti-social and kept to hanging around the person who drove us to PC. When we sat for dinner around a very, very large table (about 30 of us) I sat made it a point to sit right next to Jesse. At this point we had maybe said 2 sentences to each other.

Then it came, word vomit. I started talking and couldn't stop. I wanted to know ALL about him and I was suddenly nervous and excited and continued with question after question. He didn't talk much, except to answer my questions and never really asked me anything, just kept to himself. I am a nervous eater so as soon as my plate was clear I started on his plate, and to this day I think it's hilarious that I ate his dinner and he just sat back and let me.

After dinner we stuck together like glue, again without him talking much and me talking too much. He stood outside with me in the cold winter snow while I smoked (gross, I know) and just listened to me blab on.

The evening fell quick and it was time for everyone to go. Crystal was kind of seeing someone at the party so we ended up staying the evening there. Jesse went home in the same truck we all came in and it was a very sad goodbye. We gave each other a huge hug and just stood there silent for a minute. We both knew we were young (I was 16, Jesse 17) and I lived in another state. So, I think we both chalked it up to a great evening with a wonderful new person.

On our drive back to AZ I told Crystal "There is something very special about that boy...I wish I got his phone number." She agreed and we went on with the drive.

The moment I got home I started looking for him. At the time the only social network type of place was www.makeoutclub.com, hahaha. So, I searched it...daily, sometimes twice a day looking for this special boy. I then remembered that he played in a friends band (Cherem) and started asking him little questions about Jesse. He didn't say much about him, and I started to think I was at a dead end.

I came back out to Utah for my great grandmother's birthday in Feb 2001. I still hadn't found Jesse online or heard much more about him. I strategically placed a phone call and visit to my friend's house that he played in the band with, and finagled my way into seeing Jesse. I still remember him walking into the house. His eyes met mine and we both instantly looked away. This time I was extremely shy too because I was a bit embarrassed with myself. I mean, I was essentially stalking this man and he had no idea. The night was awful. We didn't talk but 2 sentences, literally. I left the house and decided that was it.

A few months later I get an instant message via AIM:
him: "Umm.. hello?"
me: "umm. hi?"
him: "Is this the emily that is in AZ, friends with Bill and came to Utah for Thanksgiving?"
me: "why yes it is, who's this?"
him: "Jesse. I am the one you talked to that night.. I play bass in Cherem, I saw you in February"
me: ((shock)).. "HI!"

He went on to say how he was so sorry for not asking me for my number. That he was too nervous to talk to me in February. That he has been looking for me online and was too nervous to ask Bill for my info. I don't think I sent a message back for 5 minutes. I just stared at the IM. He was doing the exact same thing I was and we both had NO idea!

(thank you makeoutclub)

We continued to talk daily via AIM, started sending care packages with photo booth pictures and treats and eventually started conversations via the phone. At this point I was 17, had my GED and was starting to daydream the idea of me moving back to Utah.

A few months into our daily conversations we decided we would date. Yes, we were going to be in a committed relationship via the Internet until I could make the jump and move to Utah.

Exactly 1 year after we met at the Vegan Thanksgiving I moved to Utah. The first night he picked me up in an extremely bad snow storm we just held each other for hours. I was already in love and I just KNEW this was it.

8 years and 3 months later I can still say that he gives me butterflies. He brings so much light, love, inspiration and joy to my life. He is constantly showing me what it means to not only be a good person, but a good partner.

We are recently engaged and plan to marry sometime in the next few years (maybe at our 10 year?). I am so happy to have found my love at such a young age and to have the person I love the very most in the entire world, love me back at the exact same level. It's truly remarkable.

4) What would you say are the top 5 important things in keeping a relationship/marriage strong? Is there anything special you do for your partner/vice versa? What would you say your "keys to success" are in a healthy/fun/loving/etc. relationship?

Wow, top 5 things, eh? That's tough, but here are ours.

-Love without rules. What I mean is, you can't say you love someone but would leave them if they did "this" or "that." I'm not talking about cheating here, I'm talking about people evolving and learning new things, or gaining new beliefs. In our experience we have changed SO very much and are not even close to the people we once were. I hear my friends who are struggling in relationships say "they aren't the same, they have just changed." But, that is natural. We should change. How sad would it be to be the same people for our entire lives? Anyway. Acceptance to change is key for Jesse and I.

-Trust. I hate to say it, but I am a very jealous girl. I know how special Jesse is and I know that many ladies see it too. I had to learn to trust that he could have girl friends and he had to trust that I can have boy friends.

-Honesty. A lot of times relationships, especially in the "honeymoon phase" you tend to keep your true feelings at bay for fear of running the person away, or disagreeing. Jesse and I disagree on a lot of things, but we accept the differences, and are honest and true to our personal view. I am always honest with Jesse, even if I KNOW it's not what he wants to hear and even if I know it's going to make him upset/sad. He does the same. We tackle things head-on and know that the other person is only sharing and keeping the gates open for love and respect.

-"I Love You in the AM/PM". This sounds so funny, but I can't hear "I love you" too much. Both of us used to go on tour (him with bands, me with work) and we developed a routine of "I love yous." Each morning the first thing we would do was call the other person to say "I love you" and each night before bed we would call to say "I love you." Of course when we are together we also say it, constantly. We will be walking down the street and just randomly look over to tell the other person "Hey, guess what? I love you." I especially love it when we are disagreeing with each other... "So, I know we are upset right now, but I love you." I like this about us.

-Alone time. Yes, I said it. I NEED to be alone sometimes, and so does he. We have our own lives; some of our friends are mutual, some aren't. We enjoy time together and spend most of our nights in. But, we also enjoy nights solo. This could be something as simple as me laying in bed reading a book while he is out on the town, or even in the living room editing photos. He will also be HONEST with me and say "Babe, I need the apartment to myself tonight to concentrate on editing" and I will make plans to go out for a few hours to give him a quiet space.

5) What is your favorite part about being married/engaged?

I like the word "fiance"... "Hello, this is my fiance Jesse." I'm proud to display a symbol of our commitment and proud to show the world that we are SO in love that we are committing to each other for all eternity.

Feel free to include anything your partner would like to add here about ideas/tips or favorite part about being married/engaged.

My advice for couples is simple- "Storms bring rainbows." Stick with it, even when it rains. Yes, there are times when I want to throw things around the house and get SO angry I could explode. But guess what? It's not worth it.

Jesse and I developed a routine if we are upset. We are HONEST and say "I need 5-10 minutes to work this through and then I can talk." This works for us. It gives us time to calm down and chose our words in a respectful manner that will still come across with our true emotion, but without the hard edge arguing can bring.