But when I met Mae and Teddy and they immediately mentioned that they had access to a rooftop nearby, I knew we’d be in for a fantastic afternoon. +1 for that! (Boys, take note: my [arguably stone] heart can be won with the provision of rooftop views, bridge crossings, and kitty cats :D). We had an unobstructed view of Williamsburg and the Manhattan skyline across the river. Oh what I wouldn’t give to live in a building with this kind of view!

 

From there, we headed down to the waterfront to Grand Ferry Park, a spot Mae and Teddy had picked out beforehand for our shoot. We had it all to ourselves for the first half of our time there. They thought it’d be cute to try to get some photos of them blowing bubbles with gum, which it totally was! :)



On the way back from the park, we passed by so much cool street art and graffiti that I had to stop and have them pose for me. Mae and Teddy were more than willing to oblige, and I love them for this! :D
 

We had a bit of time to kill before the restaurant opened (this was the 2nd location they had picked out), so they asked me if I liked coffee. Do I! Not only do I like coffee, but I’m a proud coffee snob and refuse to drink it from chains like Starbucks (gross!). So I was thrilled when they took me to Oslo, an independent coffee shop in the neighborhood that I hadn’t been to in ages. They totally get points for that! And of course, we’ve gotta have the latte/engagement ring shot:



We hung out at Teddy’s store, Boundless, for a bit with our drinks before heading off to dinner at Sui Ren, their favorite Japanese restaurant. We were able to do a quick shoot inside before people started showing up to eat. Gosh, what a cute place! Definitely a great place for a date, that’s for sure.

And then… a remarkable thing happened. I have this weird thing about me, where I have irrational aversions to certain things. Case in point: I refuse to watch Star Wars. Absolutely refuse. People have tried to convince me otherwise (sometimes even by coercion) but to no avail. See, I KNOW it’s irrational – and believe me, I am typically a VERY rational person… just not with a few select things, I guess. Well, I also refuse(d) to eat Japanese food. There’s just something about the noodles and the sushi, I don’t know… it just doesn’t appeal. So I stay far, far away from Japanese restaurants.

But obviously I couldn’t turn down dinner with Mae and Teddy, so I took a deep breath and hoped there’d be something I wouldn’t mind eating. I let them order for me, and we all ended up splitting a bunch of platters. Green tea, ok. Edamame, check. Steamed pork bun, well I’ve had that at dim sum (amazing!). I had all sorts of things on skewers, some shrimp, some veggies, I don’t even know what anything was called. And bite by bite, my irrational hatred for Japanese food diminished. I’ve never felt so full and satisfied after a meal in my life! I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this for all this time (this always happens after I get over my stupid aversions).

So Mae and Teddy will forever have a place in my life as the ones who taught me to like Japanese food. If I was actually still keeping track of how many points they won from me, they’d be off the chart at this point. I had such a blast hanging out with them all afternoon, tagging along with them on a “day in their life” in the neighborhood where they met and now live in. They’re going to be on a tv show called ‘Get Married’ on WE TV, so they’re gonna be busy filming that, not to mention planning for their upcoming wedding :) Check out their story at the Ultimate Wedding Contest and vote for them!

Thanks, guys! And congrats again! :D

Being the coffee snob that I am, I quickly racked my brain for the nearest spot for a good cup o’ joe. Abraco was the first cafe that came to mind. It’s a newish, TINY spot on E 5th. What I like about them is that they make their coffee by pouring hot water into a funnel filter of grinds, and letting it drip through and into a cup. Not too many places do it this way because it takes awhile, but oh is it worth the wait. While enjoying our cups, we were approached by an older gentleman who noticed our big cameras and struck up a conversation with us. He referred to me as his “dream girl” upon learning that, aside from a fancy camera, I also had a bike. He also mentioned multiple times that girls with cameras were “sexy”. I would have had zero patience for this sort of banter had it not been done in good humor, but the guy was very nice and earnest and not at all creepy, so we enjoyed some good photography talk before he took off.

The remainder of our excursion included stops at the Gifted holiday market, the Strand bookstore, and the Union Square holiday market. How I managed to keep my wallet closed is beyond my comprehension. I just love being in the city around the holidays though – everything is all decorated, people are in good cheer. I don’t care if it’s cliche – there’s nothing like NYC around Christmas!

All shot with the 5d2 & 17-40, 85/1.8, or 135L.

All shots taken with the 5d2 & 17-40, 85/1.8, or 135L.