Friendship and Lunch at Lou's Cafe

Many of us have friends who go back quite a few years. But, how many of you can say that you actually keep in contact via email or some other way after (guess the number) years? I have a group of friends that we all email and chat together regularly. I've known a couple of them since elementary school, and the others are from high school. What's truly amazing is that even though our lives have take significantly different turns, when we get together it's like no time has passed.

My friend, Christy, was in NYC on a vacation and I was able to get a day off of work so I could spend the day with her! I haven't seen her in probably 2 years, but getting together is like we have seen each other every day. Something about friends who have known you during your crazy youth and really growing up together that makes it so easy to slip back into your close friendship. I enjoy when I get to spend 1-on-1 time with my girlfriends, they seem to love me no matter what and the same goes for me.

We spent part of the day at MoMA (Modern Museum of Art) and if you haven't been there, YOU MUST GO! Their collection is incredible, and make sure to grab the free audio program. Not all of the pieces are described, but the majority are on the program and it really explains more about them. We found it really interesting and made the art come to life.

After the museum, we had a list of possible restaurants for lunch courtesy of some of my friends in NJ and my Twitter friends. I'm keeping this list for ideas next time we are in the city for the day. We ended up stopping for lunch at a little place just up the street from the museum, Lou's Cafe. The menu boasts sandwiches, salads and a variety of appetizers for lunch. The prices were reasonable (for NYC) at about $9-$10.50 for the dishes we ordered.

From Family, Friends and Food

I had the Pesto Pasta Salad, which was much larger than I expected it to be! The pesto tasted nice and fresh and I enjoyed the crunch from the pine nuts that were added. The sun-dried tomatoes were what sold me on this dish, and they added that bit of sweetness which complimented the pesto. Christy ordered a Southwest Black Bean Salad that had a fresh, light dressing. We tried to figure out all of the flavors, and decided it must be a combination of lemon, olive oil, chopped parsley... and a bit of something we couldn't put quite figure out. I may have to play around to recreate it because it was so light and flavorful that it would be perfect on the many summer salads we tend to eat. We were joined by another friend of Christy's and she ordered one of their cold sandwiches which was filled with fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato slices and lettuce. She said the sandwich was delicious but so big she couldn't finish it!

Overall, we were happy with our choice for lunch today. We were able to eat outside and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine while we caught up in person with everything going on in our lives. I was sad to see the day end, but after a trip down to Macy's in Herald Square (and their massive shoe department!), I had to head back to New Jersey.