Last week I spent 10 days roaming around New York City, and it was amazing!

Jonathon was there for work, and I tagged along to visit friends, work and just hang out in the city for a few days.

Talk about a city that never sleeps! We arrived in the evening on Friday, the day marriage was legalized for everyone, which was the perfect day to step foot into NYC as it was Pride weekend. After quickly checking in and unpacking, I went to meet up with friends for dinner and drinks while Jonathon met up with his coworkers for dinner. Great introduction into city living, and how they celebrate the weekend.

Saturday morning, I ventured out to Brooklyn to see another friend and go to the Brooklyn flea. I wish we had something like this in Boulder! There were so many great items I wanted to buy to decorate my apartment, fabulous handmade leather purses, shoes and so much more! We spent the morning shopping and catching up, which was just what I needed.

After Jonathon was done setting up his booth for the tradeshow, we met for a late lunch in the city consisting of grass-fed burgers (with collard greens and hemp buns as replacements for regular buns) and sweet potato fries. Afterward we walked over 30 blocks in the rain through Central Park and the West Village. Walking was the perfect way to see the sights of the city.

Saturday night was low-key as I ventured out from our hotel solo while Jonathon and his company met for dinner before the show started. Luckily I found a perfect restaurant for me to sit at the bar, read a book (on my iPhone) and drink sparkling rose (it is rose season after all) while making friends with the bartenders. While I was still close to Times Square and in prime tourist country, this restaurant seemed like my local bar on this rainy Saturday night.

Sunday morning had early alarms so Jonathon could get to the show bright and early, and I woke up early to get ready to grab coffee and celebrate the Pride Parade going on just a few blocks from our hotel. Being in the crowd that day, full of love and support was amazing, especially as I watched company after company and their employees walk with pride down the streets filled with supporters. Here’s one of the few companies I caught in action, vitaminwater:

The day ended down in Chelsea with Jonathon and his co-workers going to a speakeasy that was filled with rainbow flags, and even more love.

This was just the first two and a half days in New York City, and I fell in love with the people and the hustle. These were only the highlights of these days, and doesn’t include the amazing people I met, inspiring conversations and fun people-watching I experienced. This trip to NYC couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.

This post was sponsored by vitaminwater. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience. Check out vitaminwater’s website Project Hustle and support these amazing projects by entering codes found on the cap of your latest vitaminwater.