Reconnecting With Friends in NYC Over Dinner and Drinks

We should never underestimate the power of a fun night reconnecting with friends and what that can do to lift a person’s spirit. I had a night just like this in NYC not too long ago that was just what I needed exactly when I needed it!

I woke up on this Thursday morning with a bit of a pep in my step because this was the day I gave resignation notice for a job that I had disliked for a very long time. A few days prior I accepted a new offer for an opportunity that I’m really excited about and the background check had just completed. All I had to do was write my resignation email ☺️.

The email I wrote was long but could have been a lot longer. I was restrained yet made it very clear exactly why I was unhappy and why I needed to move on. I felt a huge sense of relief as soon as I sent the email. Since this was a remote job, the best part is I could just close my laptop and walk away after sending the email. And that’s what I did.

To celebrate my new job, I got Mexican food for lunch 😊. After that, I got ready and started heading towards New York City to meet up with some old friends for drinks. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen a few of them so I was excited.

I took the PATH train in from Jersey City and then transferred at World Trade Center to take the subway uptown. We met at The Westbury which is a pretty kewl bar. It was suggested as a meet up spot since apparently they have the best Guinness pours in Manhattan.

There were some people in the group who couldn’t make it so there were 4 of us. We all went to the same school about 9ish years ago so it was really great catching up and seeing how everyone was doing. I was not drinking alcohol that evening so I can’t confirm whether they have good Guinness pours or not, but they did look delicious!

We shared many laughs and stories with each other. It felt extra special to me because I had not been out with friends in the city in awhile. My work is remote so there are times I go days without seeing another person. It’s been an adjustment for me over these last few years and I now have a lot more appreciation for when I do go out with people. Quality time with friends is very important to me and this night was quality time with fun friends!

After the Westbury, we decided to go get something to eat. There was a vegetarian Indian restaurant not too far away so we ordered a ride to take us there. We ended up waiting for the car for about 10-15 minutes, which wasn’t a huge deal since we just kept talking and hanging outside. Our car finally arrived and promptly took us there.

The name of the restaurant is Saravanaa Bhavan and it is the World’s No. 1 Indian Vegetarian Restaurant Chain! This was my first time coming to this restaurant and I thought the food was all really good.

My one friend ordered for all of us. Some of the things we had were dosa, uttapam and pav bhaji. It’s definitely a “no frills” dining experience but I really enjoyed eating here.

After that we all walked to our respective trains and said our goodbyes. That’s it. Nothing crazy. Was just a simple fun night out and I am so grateful for it. I’m very fortunate to have a lot of good friends and I have so much love for them. This was a reminder for me to coordinate social gatherings more often.

That’s all I really wanted to say. This blog post is about the importance of friendship and having in person social gatherings. So many things these days are done remotely but the real magic happens when we are all together! Thank you for reading and I’ll talk to you soon!