No Plans Saturday

Gosh I love a spontaneous Saturday.

I'm convinced that my favorite Saturdays are those that flow naturally, totally unplanned. A friend of mine, Jessi, calls them "No Plans Saturday"(check out her awesome blog Modern Wonderland). As someone who likes to plan life down to the minute with checklists and pre-planned events weeks in advance, it has taken a lot to get me to a place where not having plans on a Saturday is actually enjoyable.

Living in NYC, there is always so much to see and do. Not making plans on a Saturday forces me to live in the moment, running from place to place is not an option. Things like strolling through the park, popping by a hole in the wall restaurant to grab a drink, stumbling upon a historical building or undiscovered picturesque community park. The busyness of NYC can keep us from seeing the quaint unique bits and pieces of this beautiful city.

Here is a peek into my "No Plans Saturday"...

The day started on the UWS.

With my friend Meredith.

And this awesome vintage fur and leather jacket my Grandmother gave me that she tailored in the 1950's.

We finally settled on the old faithful Piccolo Cafe for a bite to eat. 

We started with the Greek Salad. I mean come on! It was so good. The hint of capers was just the perfect touch of saltiness. 

I usually opt for the paninis, but today, went for the spaghetti and meatballs. 

Mer also chose a pasta dish, but decided on the Carbonara. I have not ever made Carbonara, but it is an awesome mixture of pancetta, parmesan & egg. It creates something that looks like this...

(Camel Love)

Full full full, I made Mer take a walk across Central Park.

We ended up on the UES...which we consider foreign territory, but we were up for the exploratory challenge. 

Our expedition took us to none other than Sprinkles Cupcakes. I mean, where else would we go!?

These are the mini Ginger Lemon cupcakes. They were out of the regular size, so we made it work.

This is a Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcake - peanut butter cake with chocolate chips and chocolate cream cheese frosting...SHUT UP. 

 I'm pretty sure we didn't talk for about 10 minutes.

As day turned into night, I made a stop by a friend's birthday celebration. We met at La Bottega downtown at the Maritime Hotel. The restaurant has a very relaxed vibe, where guests can order food or just a drink (FYI...they serve Wolffer Rose which is a Fran summertime staple). They have a pool table and amazing outdoor seating for the warmer months.   

Exhausted from a very full "No Plans Saturday", I only stayed a bit before heading home and crawling into bed. 

sweet dreams.

d.eileen