he's a yankee doodle dandy.

what a whirlwind few days. ive been here since wednesday and have already seen and done so much. shaunia and i spent wednesday night and all day thursday sightseeing. it was wonderful. the last few times i've been here i didnt make it out to the statue of liberty or really anywhere in the financial district. it was very cool to see the progress thats been made down there since september 11th. the last time i was there was my senior year of highschool . i also showed her times square of course. at night. which is the best time to see it. we went to grand central station and central park. we just kind of walked around and enjoyed the sights. very very nice couple days.

fast forward to 4th of july. so very hot out. i went to brunch with phil in robert down in chelsea. brunch in new york is like church everywhere else. it happens every sunday. typically mid afternoon. and everyone gathers to chat over pancakes and unlimited momosas. for most its something never to be missed. we had a great time catching up. i hadnt seen them since being back and i missed them so so much. after brunch i thought itd be nice to just walk around the village with my camera and enjoy the day. bad plan. it was at least 114 degrees outside. i wasnt having it. so i ventured back to the apartment in astoria and decided id probably just stay in for the night... also a bad plan. it wasnt long before i was bored and decided to just bite the bullet and go to a rooftop party i had been invited to and watch the fireworks. it was magical. way up on a very tall building, with an undisturbed view of the hudson river and the barges from which the fireworks were being shot off, we sat, drank, and took lots of pictures. such a fun night. i made lots of very cool new friends. seeing the fireworks reflected on the skyscrapers and the water of the hudson, the people filling the streets, the sound of busy traffic. i fell in love witht he city all over again. its such an amazing place to be. no matter what life has dealt you before, if you make it to new york city, land you work hard, and you find the right people... life can be beautiful.