Happy Birthday, Julie!!! 🥂🎉 Thank you for trusting me (and working with me) to plan such a wildly adventurous, perfectly you birthday!!!
The Birthday Breakdown 🎈:
We kicked off the day by meeting in the city for an NYC walking tour. When you book one of these, you’re given a designated meet-up spot and paired with an incredibly knowledgeable guide to help navigate the city’s history and culture. Important note: they wait for no one. Once the tour starts, they’re nearly impossible to track them down… so when my commute made me a bit later than planned, I was relieved (and impressed) that Julie could effortlessly point me in the right direction.
We linked up in SoHo and from there, the tour flowed through Little Italy, Chinatown and several historic streets that played major roles in shaping the city’s infrastructure, culture, politics and economy. Between learning and walking, we had time to explore on our own… which we absolutely took advantage of.
We browsed apparel, dry noodles, menus, admired attractive restaurant workers (as one does), picked the cutest lunch spot, bought matching keychains, debated where to find good mango sticky rice, and casually flirted with a few guys along the way. Multitasking queens.
For lunch, we shared homemade cacio e pepe, the iconic kind served straight out of a cheese wheel (the same style you see at the San Gennaro Festival… still need to find the restaurant name). Julie sipped on an apple martini while I fully committed to an espresso martini. Afterward, our walk home consisted of debriefing, unseen photos and a literal stroll through the park (much-needed tranquility before the absolute chaos that was about to unfold).
Night One 🌃:
We started the evening at Ron E’s “Let Me Explain” listening party. This was the perfect warm-up to the night… mac & cheese, wings, empanadas, drinks, a photographer and an overall chill, celebratory vibe. From there, we hopped in a cab to meet friends at the iconic TAO for dinner.
The Asian-inspired menu delivered: veggie dumplings (a win for Julie the vegetarian), orange chicken, fried rice, noodles, fortune cookies, wine, and more. The laughs were nonstop; Mantika accidentally snapping the stem off her wine glass after setting it down, we were basically forced into aggressively chugging wine we didn’t love and even learned how to say cooter in German (thank you, Maja). A truly perfect dinner.
Then… the clubs. We hit Marquee first, where we were treated to VIP service and bottomless bottles. It was Hip-Hop night, which meant we knew every song the DJ played. At one point, a girl asked me to xx from across the room. Yeah. It was time to go. From there, we took a cab to Starlets thanks to Julie’s curiosity thanks to DJ Clue’s invite. And, well, you see the time we had.
The night ended wholesomely, with grapes and Pokémon. Because in true Libra fashion, it’s all about balance.
Day Two 🍽️✨:
The next day was all about vibes and food. We started slow, basking in front of a local manmade waterfall before brunching on nachos (as per tradition) and one of Julie’s all-time favorites: a glazed Krispy Kreme grilled cheese.
After resting and resetting, we geared up for Night 2 of NYC’s Food & Wine Festival—the Asian night market hosted by Padma Lakshmi and Jean-Georges Vongerichten… think, Asian-inspired favorites from some of New York’s best chefs and restaurants. We even ran into our friend Crystal Rosas, which instantly elevated the night.
Pro tips if you ever attend:– Go with a group– Dress warm– Travel light– Expect crowds– Eat beforehand
We wrapped the night with a walk along the river, bus ride home, a movie (Low Rider), and before officially parting ways, The Substance. Honestly? A libra-coded celebration from start to finish.
I’m so grateful to have been part of it. I love you, bestie. 🤍 xo
___
Chapters / Bookmarks …
0:00 – 1:16 Intro
1:16 – 5:43 Walking Tour
5:43 – 6:49 Pasta & Martini Lunch
6:49 – 7:15 Walk Home
7:16 – 9:05 Listening Party
9:05 – 12:11 Dinner at Tao
12:11 – 12:25 First Club
12:25 – 13:03 Starlets
13:03 – 13:31 Bedtime
13:31 – 14:17 Waterfall & Lunch
14:17 – 15:19 Food & Wine Festival
15:19 – 15:28 Closing
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2 Comments
Looked like a nice time!
#SCCLUB ❤