Gantry Plaza State Park

After a few days of doing my best not to burst into flames in the ungodly heat, I needed an adventure. Thankfully, the weather cooperated and yesterday was actually breezy and beautiful. My destination was Long Island City (in Queens). I ended up loving it so much that I spent the entire day there, so I'll break up my day into a few posts.

First up is Gantry Plaza State Park: To get to Long Island City, I took the 7 train to the Vernon-Jackson station, which is only three stops from Times Square. I'm on the 2/3 line, so it was super convenient for me but the 7 also stops at Bryant Park and Grand Central before heading into Queens.

Before the park, I stopped into Sweetleaf Coffee and Espresso Bar to grab a drink. The shop is so incredibly cute and well designed, with a ton of vintage details — comfy leather chairs, a record room and an industrial wooden table designated as a computer work station. I ordered the iced Voodoo Child, which was described as a Vietnamese-style drink, sweet and creamy. It was incredibly delicious and unlike anything I've ever had before.

I keep discovering these wonderful places to eat and drink, and the worst part about them is that they're not right outside of my apartment. Their website hints at the possibility of a second location — may I suggest 110th street, Central Park North? Or maybe a food truck that just follows me around providing me a never-ending supply of delicious coffee drinks?

Think about it.

While I savored my drink, I walked a few blocks over to the park. I was expecting great skyline views — and I got them — but the park far exceeded my expectations. There are piers to get the good views, amazingly comfortable lounge-style benches, shady lawns and a well-maintained waterfront walkway.

I read in a Yelp review of the park (because I sit at home, alone on Friday nights and read Yelp reviews of parks) that there were hammocks in the summer, and I saw some poles that looked like they used to hold hammocks, but they were empty. If I had to name one thing that would make the park even more lovely it would definitely be a hammock. Now, of course, I've typed the word "hammock" so many times that it no longer sounds real, but dear NYC Parks Dept, bring back the hammocks (please?)!

I also came for the famous Pepsi sign, which was much bigger than I expected (I'm actually the worst when it comes to judging things — distance, numbers, weights, etc.). I am obsessed with signage, typography and all things vintage, so seeing the sign so close was pretty much a dream.

Full disclosure: I totally prefer Coke to drink, but the original Pepsi logo has always been the best iteration, in my opinion.

I had intended to go to the Burger Garage for dinner, but it was mysteriously closed and I had loved the park so much that I decided to return. I stopped into a market, bought some picnic supplies and stayed to watch the sunset. I sat in a lounge for a few hours, reading a book (a dollar find at the Strand!). I'm trying hard lately to do this elusive "relaxing" that I apparently need, and I think I came as close as I'll ever get, reading under a tree with the breeze blowing over the water.

As the sun began to set, I walked on the waterfront a bit, taking in the different views. I was thrilled to discover that the Pepsi sign lit up (I'm sure I knew that, but it was still somehow surprising), and proceeded to take approximately 3 million photos of it at every stage of the sunset.

I was actually staring right at the Chrysler building (my favorite) as the top lights came on — everything about the evening was pretty perfect. Out of nowhere the sky turned a brilliant pink, and in a few seconds it was dark. The sunset was actually so beautiful that I teared up a little bit (nerd alert) thinking about how lucky I am to finally call this city home.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't homesick, or that I didn't miss my family and friends back in Ohio, but every day that I discover something new, or see something beautiful I know that I've made the right decision. It's easy to get discouraged when it's a billion degrees outside, or I'm sitting next to someone on the subway who smells like turds, but for every bad moment there have been many, many more magical ones.

Long Island City is a total gem, and I have already added it to my list for the big apartment hunt. My commute to work would be a breeze, I could have picnics under the Pepsi sign and a lot of Gantry Plaza Park is a dog-free zone (I'm sorry, I don't like your dog) — when can I move in?