A Very New York City Weekend

It's a pretty city, isn't it? I have decided that it's an excellent idea to come back to visit, see some of my favorite people, and spend three hours on a boat around the island on a warm September evening. This was part of my friend Katherine's "bachelower" (that's our witty combination of bachelorette and shower if you are confused), which I will tell you more about on Wednesday.

Here's a view of the view off of the back of the boat before the sun set. So we know that I'm royally happy in Iowa, and that my new lifestyle fits me so much more than the pace of living in the city every did. And I think that I what I loved so much about the boat was that we were able to enjoy the best of the city, but be somewhat apart from it in a more relaxed environment (I mean plus it was just plain fun!).

In addition to seeing some of my family over the weekend (and getting coffee from Joe and having an amazing bowl of cavatelli bolognese from Craft Bar), I also went to a Yoga for Peace event in Battery Park. The events were happening all over the world and while I know that doing 108 sun salutations won't directly stop violence or lead to world peace, it was a reminder just how good awareness—en mass—can feel. There were about 200 people in the park for the event and it was pretty close to where the ferries leave for tours of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which meant there were a lot of tourists and loud noise in the area. But the live music and chanting evened it out and the process of doing the salutations was rather hypnotic. After a Saturday filled with enjoying my favorite friends, this was a few hours just for me and it reminded me again how lucky I am to be able to get a dose of the city every few weeks.

(I didn't take any photos during the mala, which would have been pretty amazing, but I thought it was more important to be in it, rather than stopping to observe!)

I hope you all had a great weekend!