A New York Minute

Happy belated New Years! No Triskaidekaphobia here, 2013 is going to be a great year!

I came home to NY for my four week break from school and had a great time seeing friends and family. I can't believe how fast the break went and that class starts up again on Monday!

A quick overview of my month off from school:

• Christmas Eve and Day was spent with new and old family! Christmas Eve we went to my Uncles to spend time with my cousins, a yearly tradition that I always look forward too. We switched it up this year on Christmas day and headed to Teresa's house which was so nice since we got to spend time with our officially new family.
• New Years Eve- I headed to NYC to ring in the new year with Colgate friends! We went downtown in the Flat Iron District to Beecher's New York, a cheese shop (where they make their own cheese), cafe and cellar. During the day the first floor operates as a cheese shop and cafe and just downstairs is their cellar. The cellar was dimly lit and perfect for the perfect New Years with friends. We tried their cheese plate and their "World's Best Mac&Cheese" and everything was great! It was a wonderful night with 6 of us talking and enjoying the drinks and cheeses that they had to offer!

Me, Boots & Caroline

Boots, Me & Katie enjoying some wine & cheese

  
• Arthur Avenue- My Colgate friends and I headed down to the Italian Section of the Bronx, Arthur Avenue. It's a family favorite location that we head to for food shopping, pizza and the great coffee. I always would rave about it at Colgate and come back to school fully stocked with food for us. We had great pizza at Full Moon Pizzeria and then shopped around. My friends went home with biscotti, pasta and cheese. Before we left we stopped at Palombo's for what I believe are the best cappuccinos around.   

Calandra's Cheese Shop

• Eri's Birthday- My last weekend in NY was spent celebrating Eri's birthday and seeing Jeannie! Jeannie was in NYC for the week with her mom so she came out with me to celebrate. We went down to Alphabet city to Blackbird. The music was great and the atmosphere was a lot of fun. 

At Blackbird for Eri's Birthday

• Spending time at home- I got to see my high school friends and catch up with them. It is always so great to spend time with them because I don't know what I would do without them. Between grabbing drinks, getting coffee and just hanging out it was great to spend quality time. Allie, just booked her ticket to come visit me in Switzerland so I am so excited that I can show her where I now call home!

Now that the break is over it's time to head back to Lugano to begin my last semester as a grad student! I am so looking forward to what the semester has to bring and cannot wait to share my experiences with you!