New York: A Mostly Love Letter

DISCLAIMER: I’m currently in Orlando for vacation right now! So I’m here to announce that I have brought you a very special guest to guest post for me! It’s a best friend of mine who I met in High School and also one of my photographers! You’ve probably seen her work before, but her writing and taste are even more exquisite! Without further ado — I present her to you — in this awesome presentation of New York City, through her eyes.
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I have often toyed with the idea of buying an one way ticket to elsewhere. A nice, easygoing place, like Finland or Greece. “But you live in New York! The best city in the world!” Everyone from my out of town friend, to the guy with the I Love NY t-shirt would shout at me. Look at all the neon lights blaring! Look at all the street performers one upping each other! Look! Just stop and look! Why are you walking away?

As if time suddenly became linear, and I haven’t seen the same performance on the N train last Saturday. And the Saturday before that.

You think New Yorkers are aloof? Then you have never been a part of the cheek to cheek action during rush hour. You think New Yorkers are short tempered? Clearly you haven’t witnessed the transit system breaking down on you on a daily basis, often without notice. With a population of 8.7 million and counting, we don’t have time for chit chats. Time is the essence, and if we stop and wonder, it’d be us who’d get stepped on, and trust me when I say we don’t have the money for shoe shines. Especially when the majority of our paycheck goes to rent and student loans, the meager leftover to essentials like food, and Amazon Prime/Spotify/Netflix. Pick your poison.

We stay because New York is indeed the epicenter of the world. We stay because no other place can guarantee authentic French for breakfast, Chinese for lunch, Japanese for desserts, Brazilian for dinner. Sometimes all within a couple of blocks away from each other. We stay because of the sheer convenience, and our morbid obsession with quality over quantity. We stay because New York isn’t all about blinding lights and congestion. There are sanctuaries, if only you know where to look.

To See

Best part of the city: Flatiron. Not as trendy as SoHo, and not as gentrified as Times Square, but retains its requisite charm.

The Frick Collections

By far my favorite museum, if only because it’s much more accessible than the Met, but still retains the basics (think Whistler, Manet, Degas, etc) Some of the rooms are reminiscent of a less opulent Versailles.

It also helps that it’s about 1/100th less crowded.

The Morgan Library

I’d probably kill for a library like this. Just kidding. Sort of.

To Drink

11 Howard

I have only been here, oh I don’t know, 12 times? My great escape when I’m tired of all the noises in SoHo. One of the few hotels that serves a mean grilled cheese sandwich, with a fantastic (and layered) tomato bisque. The aioli actually accentuates the dish, rather than defile it. I consider that an achievement.

To Eat

Te Company

Pretty much my second home. Never had a bad oolong here, and I have tried many. Currently on my second points card. Their potate torta and fluffy chocolate cake (Steamed! Ingenious) are not to be missed.

Lalito

Beautiful lights and chic food in an unlikely neighborhood. Quiet when you come in the off hours. Say 3 o’clock.

Norman

Only in Brooklyn will you find a VAST amount of space dedicated to nothingness. I can sit here for hours. Read a newspaper, half of a Murakami novel, and order a couple of Meyers Bageri’s delicious danish baked goods. Perfect weekend morning.

See what I mean? Everything just looks beautiful. Because Danish.

FLORA

Can’t really go wrong with anything here. Tried a bunch of dishes, and all of them exceeded expectations. Everyone had a glass of wine, and wanting to assimilate, we ordered a glass of rose. Our waiter described it as “savory.” Thankfully it was a synonym for “flavorful.”

Saturday’s NYC

For a place that is known for the faux surfer look, the place serves surprisingly delicious coffee. I have never had a bad one here, and even Intelligentsia and Blue Bottle suffered from mishaps. Genuinely impressed.

Daily Provisions

I’d like to think they miss me when I’m not there on the weekends. But they’re probably too busy to take notice. Their gougere and roast chicken sandwiches are exceptional. Even the half an hour line (during rush hour only, thankfully) are bearable. Go during late afternoon, and you’ll have the place to yourself.

Farmer’s Market @ Union Square

Where you will find me every Saturday morning, without fail. The produce beats Wholefoods by a mile and a half, and the price isn’t too bad either. If you ration very carefully, that is. I once saw a guy grabbing a small mountain of sugar snap peas. It was 22 bucks.

To Splurge

Abc Home & Carrpet

I have been eyeing on the same sofa (navy, velvet, two seater) for four years and counting. I have sat on it for about 200 times. If anyone wants to sponsor me for the sofa, I’d be much obliged. #teamsofa

Ochre

Nalata Nalata

Perfect light, everything Jim Franco makes is stunning. Which reminds me, I really ought to book a ceramics class. Who knows, I might have what it takes. Not likely, but a gal can dream.

I have been here an embarrassing amount of times. But a New Yorker doesn’t get embarrassed, so I’ll settle for slightly abashed. A quarter of my home goods are from here, Abc Home, and Mud Australia.

Case in point.

Some flowers. You made it this far, after all, dear readers.

We came to the city believing if we make it here, we can make it anywhere. We stayed, because a part of us still believe this to be true. We can leave whenever we want to. It’s just an U-haul truck, a plane ticket away.

New York isn’t perfect, but it’s all we have.

Sincerely,
Christina

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Sincerely Ophelia

Hi! It’s Ophelia! I’m just a fun-size petite Asian girl living life in NYC, with a big heart for the love of life. I'm an overshareer of all sorts and enjoy inspiring others. Through this blog, I hope to share my styling ideas, shopping finds, latest trends, and solutions to everything related to fashion and beauty.

For reference, I am 5 feet 2 inches. I typically wear XS/S or 0-4 for apparel and 6.5-7.5 for shoes.

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