After a wonderful sunny weekend, I’m back with another round of love letters to this magical place – even though the weather is chilly again and the clouds are back.

Rose bushes – I didn’t think anything could be better than the tulips and the spring blossoms and then the roses bloomed all over the place. They are every different color and they are wonderful.

Smorgasburg – Just the variety of food available at this weekend festival is insanely impressive. I ate more of the pasta donuts because duh. There was also pupusas from El Salvador, tacos and brunch on a stick.

Tiny cocktail bars – We had a date night Friday night in our neighborhood and we were finally able to try The Mayflower. If you are looking for a great cocktail, this bartender delivers. She just asked what kind of cocktails we usually like and then she mixed up different things that were amazing. Plus, she lit things on fire while pouring cocktails so it was entertaining on top of the good tastes.

Clinton Hill – Our neighborhood is just wonderful. The amount of small restaurants and cocktail bars in our neighborhood is perfect. The places are each so different. The place pictured below is inside an old drug store. The wine lists are printed on wine bottles, the food was good, the dessert was mind blowing and the service was fantastic. We had a gift card from my parents from Christmas, so we were so excited to finally check it out. So many of these places are on our list to check out.

Constant reminders of happy – When Quincy and I take our long walks on weekend mornings, I am always on the lookout for new little words of encouragement and happiness. I loved this one from our Monday morning walk. This effort is beautiful. I can’t get enough of them.

Breakfast delivery – Not sure if anyone saw my Instagram story on Sunday, but I woke up really hungry but didn’t want to get out of my pajamas. For some reason, all I wanted was french toast and a smoothie. I opened Seamless and the VERY first restaurant I looked at had both of those things (and the avocado egg sandwich we split). I was so proud of myself all day long.

Buildings – After being in Europe, it’s hard not to pay more attention to the buildings around you. Our country isn’t as old as the countries in Europe, so the architecture is so different in certain areas. As beautiful as I think the old towns were in the Alps, I also found myself more in love with the brownstones in Brooklyn and uptown and the beautiful apartments in downtown Manhattan.

The Skyline – Another thing I noticed in Europe was the definite lack of tall buildings in the cities we visited. I love that they have restrictions on those things – especially in Munich where the two domed towers will always be at the top. But, I also love the ever growing skyline of the city. It’s best viewed from the plane when you are landing.

Two Hour Unlimited Drinks – This really shouldn’t be a thing. I’ve watched grown men be carried out of restaurants at 1 PM thanks to the unlimited drinks, but as long as you’re a responsible adult (and classy like myself), you just view this as a good deal and don’t take advantage of your liver. We enjoyed brunch on a rooftop last weekend and got a really good deal on the drinks. I love a good deal.

Mayors & Governors in the US Climate Alliance – Thankfully, our city and state have joined this bipartisan group of leaders around the country to uphold their parts of the Paris Agreement. If yours hasn’t done the same, make sure to reach out. If you are still trying to figure out what the Paris Agreement is, check out this post that Justin wrote to help outline just what it is.

That’s all for this week. We have so many fun NYC things planned in the next few weeks, so I’m already looking forward to writing Volume 4. Tell me one thing you love about your city.