{So Long Sweet Summer}

It is, sadly, not so hard for me to believe that this summer has already come to an end. Since I started my job a mere three days after college graduation, I didn't have much time to relax and get into summer-mode. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful summer full of friends, family and great times.

{Where it all began: my graduation from Fordham University, May 21, 2011.}

{Not too bad for an early morning commute.}

{Memorial Day Weekend at Ship Ahoy Beach Club.}

{Thomas moved into his apartment on East 22nd Street.}

{Mark Murphy, Ana Murphy, Dad, Me, John Robinson, Lindsay Robinson, Nick Ford, Blaike Ford. Graduating was celebrated with a Father-Daughter dinner at Rumson Country Club.}

{A lovely graduation party was held at my dad's house for Jack, me and the other cousins who graduated this year. Seven of us in all!}

{I can't believe Jack graduated from 8th grade and is starting high school this week! It feels like yesterday that he was baby. I am so proud of all he has overcome (and is still overcoming). What an inspiring young man I have for a little brother.}

{I made my first visit to Paris in June for a work trip. Not too shabby for a first job!}

{As a Mets fan, I was reluctant to attend a Yankees game. But hey, the tickets were free :)}

{Many a morning was spent at the Union Square Greenmarket on my way to the subway.}

{Trips to Brooklyn are always full of surprises, like this great "installation art" found in Williamsburg.}

{We had drinks and appetizers at a darling place in Brooklyn, Nita Nita. They had a great outdoor seating area with mismatched furniture that made youfeel like we were in a good friend's backyard!}

{4th of July weekend was spent on Shelter Island, New York with good friends from college.}

{Thomas and I trekked to the west side on 4th of July Monday to watch the Macy's Fireworks on the Hudson. They were unbelievable, as was the number of people surrounding us watching. I'm so glad we saw them up close and not on a TV screen, but I am also so glad we can say "we did it!" and don't have to deal with those crowds ever again.}

{View from a penthouse suite in the Thompson Hotel.}

{Liz, me, Mom. We spent an afternoon shopping at Bergdorfs and Saks, then ate dinner and saw "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" on Broadway. The perfect girls night!}

{Two of my best friends from Fordham, Cait and Anne, visited for a weekend. It was so fun to show them around my hometown.}

{My little sister, Hannah, and I baked a lot with our cousin Elizabeth, who has a new love for baking.}

{The weather this summer (for the most part) was beautiful, and we spent a lot of evenings at our beach club.}

{One of the things I miss most about the Bronx is Estrellita Poblana, a restaurant and delivery place with the best Mexican food I have ever tasted. Thomas and I spent a good part of this summer searching Manhattan for something just as tasty. We had a delicious brunch at Vamos, a restaurant near his apartment.}

{Tropical Storm Irene made an appearance.}

{My lovebug of a niece, Kendall, gets more and more adorable by the day! I can't believe she is almost a year old, and I can't imagine not having her in our family.}

{This is how Bullet spent his summer. Relaxing. Every. Single. Day.}

It was an amazing summer, but fall is my favorite season and I am so excited for the adventures to come!

{New York Restaurant Week}

This week I was lucky enough to take advantage of the great deals offered during New York City Restaurant Week. On Sunday night, I ate at Tao, and on Wednesday night I ate at Rosa Mexicano. It is not every week that I get to take a break from cafeteria food to eat both delicious Asian and Mexican food!

I had never been to Tao before, and was really excited to check it out. I loved the exposed brick walls and the use of candles practically everywhere, including cutouts in the walls. The food was delicious, though I would definitely recommend ordering a few different appetizers to share instead of larger entrees.

I had eaten at Rosa Mexicano a few times before, mostly because of its close proximity to Fordham's Lincoln Center campus. One of Rosa's best attributes is that service is fast. Within a minute of ordering our guacamole (my favorite!), the guacamole cart was next to our table and it was being prepared right before our eyes. Definitely one of the coolest parts about Rosa's. For dinner I had the steak tacos, which is served more fajita style, which is great because I was able to make them just to my liking.

Taking advantage of opportunities like this, being able to eat at excellent restaurants, is just another reason why I love living in New York City.