Swati + NYC

dates: 12/​19/19 - 12/20/19 
total distance: 1,500 miles by plane, car service, and foot

people: Swati - aka Swathi :), notorious SBB

It is fitting that Swati and I return to LaGuardia, the scene of our last travel crime in 2019.... and likely the scene of many crimes, after all... it is LaGuardia!?

Swati is one of my favorite and bravest friends, who either:
A. trusts me inherently (unlikely)
B. wasn’t paying attention (more likely)
C. a blend of the above

…when she agreed to join me for a 5-day, hippie-esque, almost-camping, had-to-pay-extra-for-air-conditioning, meditation retreat at the Omega Institute last summer. We met at LaGuardia on sojourn to the retreat, which improved our clarity + zen,  but only allowed us a distant view of NYC.

​This 30-hour action-packed adventure allowed us to do "the city" tight + right.

Swati and I met in coaching school, where I was convinced we had met before, and proceeded to semi-stalk her.

My stalking paid off, as she has become an amazing friend who:

• is there to pick you up when you are falling apart
• will tell you the truth when you really need + don’t want to hear it
• will always laugh (often “at you”) + find humor in the 2 truths above 

Swati is an empathetic overachiever who is down for adventure as long as you aren’t breaking any rules. I adore her nerdy core and her thoughtful + generous spirit. ​

place: New York City, aka the city

While New York may be the city that never sleeps... Swati and I prefer a solid 9 hours.

our adventure begins:

Our 30 hour eating-and-shopping test of endurance in NYC was shortened from:
1 hour circling on the plane before landing
2 hours waiting for car service + commute to/from LaGuardia
2 hours for Swati’s coaching client - forgivable since this is the reason we went!
9 hours of sleeping
Allowing 16 hours for our adventure! 

​Undeterred by:

• the 13 degree daytime temperatures
• our ever shortening number of New York minutes
• the rare NYC snow squall that blew into town

… we stepped out of the Gansevoort with enthusiasm bubbling up from beneath our warmest winter coats and scarves.

SBB & I are tough, as long as we get a good night sleep in a climate controlled hotel room. So travel delays, freezing temps, and frozen sidewalks could not curtail our eating-shopping quest buzz.

The Meatpacking District, is only a short walk to:

• Chelsea market, where we found a child prodigy violinist and lovely wine shop, Corkbuzz
• Little Spain for dinner and Billie’s Bakery for cupcakes + carrot cake
• Breakfast at Friedman’s
• A spontaneous thread and wax at Kampala at Blossom Brows for Swati
• The scenic High Line from the Whitney Museum to Hudson Yards
• Burgers at the Spotted Pig

While the adventure was short and sweet... so is Swati :)