Dinner Party Adventures in Brooklyn
September 10th, 2011 | Posted by in Blog PostsThis week really wiped me out, despite cutting back my mileage. Perhaps it’s the fact I got less than 5 hours of sleep on Tuesday night to kick off the work week? Yep, that could be it, but I didn’t mind one bit since I spent the night (and morning) hanging out with fun running/blogging friends.
The lovely Megan invited a few ladies over to her new apartment in Brooklyn on Tuesday night for a dinner party ‘sponsored’ by Wish Bone. Basically, she got some salad dressings and created a few awesome dishes, and we brought wine and desserts. Everyone wins! It was nice to see some old faces, Ali and Susan, and meet some new friends: Sofia, Leslie and Danielle!
And we got cool tupperware gifts. Yay salad shakers!
My plate with a medley of salads. Both of those wine glasses may as well have been for me.
The conversation flowed, as did the wine, and it was really enjoyable how something like sitting in a living room in Brooklyn, chatting with people I met through blogging/running, could make me so content.
I touched on this a bit about a month ago (how runners rock a Thursday night), where I did a nice tempo run with my CPTC teammates, went to Ali’s fundraiser at the Jackrabbit store, and then got 16 Handles with Jamie. I felt so comfortable and happy spending time with like-minded people, something I haven’t really felt in a while.
Even though I’ve lived in NYC over 2 years now, sometimes it doesn’t feel like home. Only a small handful of friends from college actually live in Manhattan, and none of my high school friends do. I have college friends (and my boyfriend) outside the city in Hoboken, Westchester, or further out in New Jersey, but I miss spending time with those kind of people you feel close with on a more regular basis. Maybe I’m just nostalgic because I loved how all my friends were in one place in college, and they were mostly all runners. I’ve got a great group of friends I’ve met through work, who I definitely enjoy spending time and going out with, but it I feel guilty when I need to call it an early night at happy hour (like, 9 pm early), explain why I’m not drinking a month before the marathon but still want to hang out, or why I just snapped a photo of our dessert at dinner 
And that’s why I love nights like Tuesday, where we can get a group together and discuss anything and everything from rehydrating from too much wine by drinking Nuun out of a measuring cup, to online dating and creepy text messages, to mmmsauce, to stresses of jobs and upcoming races and everything in between. And, taking 2 subways home from Brooklyn after midnight is a great way to bond, as is waking up at 6am the next morning to meet up for a run in the rain (thanks, Ali and Kelly!). Hope I’m not creeping any of you guys out, especially the ones I just met, since I think you’re all awesome and we should hang out again soon. Thanks.
Also, I don’t care if ‘meeting people through the internet‘ sounds geeky or weird (sometimes it does to me, and probably to my mom, too), because the people I’ve met through blogging and CPTC make me happy and are totally normal, awesome and even more fun in person. And we can even run together sometimes. Win!
COUNTDOWN: Less than 2 months to the NYC Marathon. Yikes! I’m still not feeling so hot, but will save that whining for another day or two.
Do you struggle with having your home-away-from-home feel like home? How have you made a new town or city feel more like home? Do you like making new friends and want to get together and eat delicious food and drink wine with me?
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I love this post! I feel like I “know” a bunch of you NYC bloggers. I’ve only met Megan twice briefly, and although I never actually crossed paths with her, I used to work in the same office building as Ali during my last few months in New York. Hope I’ll get to actually meet most of you when I’m back for the marathon! Maybe we could plan a happy hour or something on one of the expo nights?
Since I went to college in NY, most of my close friends are in the tri-state area. A handful of my childhood friends are still here in Houston and I’ve made a lot of new friends at my new job (a bunch of us even run together every Tuesday night!).
I guess I was lucky that a lot of people from my college came to NYC initially (although it seemed all my best best best friends went to Boston after graduation…hmmm). However, when I joined Team for Kids for my first marathon and then ultimately a running club, I felt over time I was drifting a bit away from college friends and feeling more comfortable around people who were more like-minded with my new interests. Especially since I feel like I have always bonded with the people I am closest with over sports initially (figure skating before) and after college you don’t really figure skate anymore unlike running which is AWESOME.
I feel like I am just getting a bit more into the blogging scene. At first I had my hesitations..is it weird to meet people through the internet even if they seem totally awesome?? But now I know. No. No it is not. I have loved the time I have spend with people I have met through the few blogger meetups I have attended so far and have been becoming a bit more active on twitter. I think those things are making it so much easier to find like-minded people. And yes even though we only met for a few moments at Ali’s party I would love to get together and eat delicious food and drink wine with you!
Hmm – well I went to college here and such, but it did take a while until NYC felt like home (I’ve been here 7 years now). I think it was probably by my jr or sr year here where I had my established friends here (ok, most were my teammates) and some outside of school (ok, my babysitting families) and had established activities outside of NYU, it felt more like “my life” was here.
I echo your sentiment that although “meeting people through blogging” sounds weird, it really isn’t. Its kind of like the 21st century way of meeting like-minded people. I know the exact thing you are talking about when you just feel at peace hanging out with like minded people. I think I freak people out when I first meet them who run because most of my friends don’t run and think eating 16 Handles and going to bed early on Friday night (for the Sat long run) sounds incredibly boring.
So, basically, I agree with everything you wrote!
having lived in new york all my life, i must applaud those who try to make a home here… or anywhere new, for that matter, but especially here because even having my family, all of my friends, and everything familiar to me, i find new york to be an incredibly lonely city. that said, it’s so important to build a community for yourself, and i’ve found blogging to be so helpful in that sense, even though i already have other communities – college friends, childhood friends, my parents and brother.
no shame in internet friend-dating! i think tuesday night was proof that it really does work
Totally love this post! Before I started blogging, I had very few friends here that were runners an interested in similar things as me. And meeting new people here is probably the hardest thing to do ever in life, you know? Even when I started blogging, I had no idea I’d meet such great, awesome people! Yourself included, obviously
I am so sad I missed hanging out with you ladies, which just means we need to do it again sometimes very soon! Great seeing your speedy self yesterday morning – it gave me a much-needed boost! And seriously, let’s make a plan to eat/drink/run soon.
this dinner party looks EPIC!!! such good people.
moving up to the Big Apple was so hard at first, but meeting bloggers is how i started to feel at home. im so glad all of us bloggies have each other.
and i will totally be wine buddies with you!
it was so great meeting you last week! and i totally agree about meeting people through blogging – there are a lot of reasons that i’m glad to have started my blog, but the friends i’ve made are by far the best thing that has come out of it. new york can be such a lonely place when you first move here (or anytime, really), and having a support network of people who really get you is so important. i hang out with my “blog friends” more than any of my other friends these days, and i think that speaks volumes about how strong the relationships of like-minded people can become. and hey, if people meet their husbands through the internet these days, then there’s no reason we can’t meet our friends too.
+1 blogs and twitter are to friends as OKCupid and Match are to dating. YAY internet.
Some of my best friends that I’ve met since moving to California have been through the Internet. So live it up girl! Hopefully I get to meet you in October!!
I actually just moved to Brooklyn last week! And also just started a blog…stumbled upon your blog and this post was definitely something I can relate to. I’m starting to slowly settle in to my new neighborhood and have been doing some exploring and definitely some good eating. Also a runner, I’m training for my first marathon! Slowly starting to meet some new friends…Would love to meet more food loving running ladies!
The dinner party was so fun! I’m definitely looking forward to more in the future.
Moving to NYC was definitely a big leap of faith for me…I didn’t know anyone except for some people with blogs/twitter, and definitely not like I know them now! I’m generally a quiet person and I’m not the best at making new friends (I sound like I’m in kindergarten…), so I was nervous about meeting new people here. Blogging has been great in that it helps to break down the initial barrier of meeting other people…I’ve definitely tried in other ways (showing up at random running groups, taking a class, going to a bar), but I don’t think that’s how people meet anymore. I’m jealous of people who move here knowing people (“most of my college friends moved here” is what they say…that must be nice!), but I like to think I’m doing better in terms of having friends here. While I don’t have the friends who I’ve known for 10+ years (which sometimes makes me want to move back to Chicago…), meeting bloggers has given me a good start on moving in that direction…every friendship starts somewhere!
Obviously I don’t mind meeting people over the internet, and we should definitely eat and drink together soon!