Well, a lot has happened since I last wrote… Mainly, it was my birthday and I take birthdays very seriously indeed! Yes, I am now writing as a fully-fledged 24-year old so expect mature words of wisdom in my posts from now on. Anyway, more of that later. Here’s what has been happening in the meantime!

My friend Hannah was back in town after a little detour to DC and Philadelphia, and Ruth was here at the same time so we took the opportunity to head to Chicago for some blues … ok, well the closest equivalent in New York: Terra Blues! We sipped on prosecco while we listened to a soulful, easy-listening acoustic set, and then the more lively band who came on afterwards. I always feel you have to make the most of the great live music options on offer in New York and this place never disappoints!

Speaking of live music, I have another must-visit place for you all. Next time you’re in town, head down to Ellen’s Stardust Diner in Times Square where talented musical theatre performers serve breakfast whilst serenading you – the perfect combination! You cannot stop yourself from smiling no matter how grumpy or coffee-deprived you where when you arrived! Look below for evidence (we were definitely coffee-deprived):

You eat this…

While watching/listening to this! A few of my favourites were Elephant Love Medley and One Day More.

The staff are seriously talented – apparently they lost 16 servers last year to Broadway shows! This is way more fun that a musical, plus there is the opportunity for French Toast and pancakes which can only be a good thing!

Anyway, enough about singing diner staff and back to nature! I took a trip to Brooklyn Botanical Gardens with one of my co-workers on Saturday to escape the concrete jungle of Manhattan and see the cherry blossoms in bloom.

The tulips were out in all their glory:

Apparently Washington DC is the place to go for the cherry blossoms, but Brooklyn, I have no complaints here…

As I move into the next year of my life, I definitely feel I am starting to blossom in New York (sorry, couldn’t resist…) and wonder what adventures the next few months will bring!

I had an awesome American birthday where I rounded up my closest friends and headed down to a bar called The Fat Cat in the West Village. Now, this is no ordinary bar. It has a live band, table tennis tables, pool tables, darts, a bar and my new favourite sport, shuffleboard (like curling but on a table). Everyone got to know each other with some friendly competition and we all had a great time!

Here’s Cynthia demonstrating shuffleboard – turns out we were pretty awesome at this:  

And here’s the rest of the group! Apologies for the blurry photos but hopefully gives you an idea 

I’m off to pack for my trip to Nashville this weekend so watch out for the next blog instalment with more fun adventures to come!