great lakes. great times.

this weekend i went to visit my friend martha in detroit.  i visited her several times when she was living in oakland, and she is in new york all the time, but this was my first trip to detroit (and michigan)!  i wasn't sure what to expect from detroit, but it was pretty great.
i got in on friday night and we dropped off my stuff at her apartment, then headed out for some beers and a quick bite to eat.  it was kind of late so we didn't want a huge sit-down meal.  we ended up sitting at the bar and ordering fries, lamb perogies, and pulled pork sliders.  it was the perfect amount of food.
on saturday morning we woke up super early, laid in bed and girl talked, and then walked to breakfast at the clique restaurant. i was in the midwest so i was going to do full on grits, bacon and eggs.  and a side of pancakes.  i mean come on! the favorite was definitely the cheesy gritz--a bowl of grits with a slice of american cheese layered in.

after breakfast we did a mini walking tour and then headed over to the eastern market for groceries, then had a mid-afternoon beer at bert's.  after walking around all afternoon, we went back to martha's house and took a long nap.  then we got ready, hopped on our bikes, and headed downtown for dinner and the tigers' playoff game.  martha raved about sweetwater tavern so we headed over and ate our weight in chicken wings (and blue cheese).  the tigers won and, even though i'm not a tigers' fan, it was fun to be wrapped up in the excitement.  also...i'm a yankees fan, so it's never hard watching the red sox lose.
since saturday night's bike ride trial run turned out so well, we decided to do a mini bik tour the next day.  we biked down the dequindre cut to the riverwalk and then over to belle isle.

i noticed a beautiful conservancy and we pulled over to take a bike break and to check out the greenhouse.  i wouldn't call myself a huge nature fan, but i do love the feeling of being in a greenhouse.  my favorite room is always the one with all of the cacti.

halfway around the island i started feeling like maybe this wasn't the greatest bike i'd ever ridden in my life.  it was fine for going out on saturday night, and even for cruising over to belle isle, but the gears were messed up and my butt. was. killing. me.  we were heading over to the art institute and it's probably best that i didn't know how far it was.  martha sensed that i was about to collapse and we stopped for pizza and a beer on the way.  it helped my mental state, but NOT my butt.  the art institute was awesome--i'm a diego rivera fan and the murals there were amazing.  on our way home we stopped for one more beer.  it was just a little push to help us home...

neither of us could move very quickly by the time we got back to martha's house.  i asked her how far she thought we had biked and she casually said, "probably like 8 miles."  i don't usually bike 8 miles at a time, but i knew my legs had done more than that.  i decided to mapmyride and when i finished our little afternoon ride i discovered that we had biked 20.12 miles!  needless to say, we drove when we went out that night!
it was so great to spend a weekend with a friend in the city that they grew up in and love.  i was impressed by how bikeable detroit was and how friendly everyone was.  whenever i visit a place i think, "could i live here?" and i could definitely live in detroit (not that i'm moving). in the autumn at least...
i could DEFINITELY live there if it meant i would get to hang out with this little guy:

early mornings

lately i have been really into going to the gym in the morning.  my day starts at 8:40 now, and my job is halfway between my house and my gym, so it's a pretty easy commute.  i wake up only slightly earlier than i woke up every day last year and my workout is over by 7:00 a.m.  this morning i woke up and almost went back to bed three separate times!  it is a miracle i made it to the bus stop.
when i walked outside the sun had just come up and i couldn't help but feel grateful.  last year at 7:15 a.m. i would have already been at work.  i might have been waiting on the steps for the custodian to let me in the building (because i'm crazy and had to get to work an hour early).  mornings were such an anxious time for me and no matter how late i stayed or how early i arrived, i never felt fully prepared for the day.
things are so different now.  when it comes to anything in life--apartments, jobs, friends, neighborhoods--when you are in the right place, you can just feel it.  i was so unhappy last year but i know it's because my job and i were no longer a good fit.  just thinking about the day i'd had or the day that was starting would turn my stomach.  i fell into the trap of spending my work time waiting for the moment when i could go home, and my home time dreading what i had to do for work.  that is no way to live!  but now...seriously.  i am where i belong.  i think that i will probably stay at this job for as long as i live in new york city.  when i'm at work i'm happy. when i go home i'm happy. that's not to say i don't get stressed or feel overwhelmed, but it feels completely different.  it isn't this cloud hanging over me all day every day.

i would also like to mention that a student gave me an apple the other day.  an apple! i've arrived.