#16 To Do During My Last 2 Weeks in New York: 1. Stuff my face with pistachio cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery in the LES. I think cupcakes are the most banal of all pastries, but these little things are amazing. Scrumptious and lights, the cream cheese frosting and savory cake bread are perfect, ag. I need to find a way to make a suitable substitute, at the very least. 2. Play the interactive brain games and wave at the dinosaur skeletons at the American Museum of Natural History. This is my favorite museum. Ever since I watched Night at the Museum, I find an extra wonder in all of the exhibits. I love how everything is so interactive and colorful. Plus, it's in the Upper West Side which is an area that I love. Last time I visited was with 2-year-old Cecil and he waved at all the dinosaur skeletons. 3. Read and people-watch at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square. Ah, one of my most prominent New York pastime. I spent so much time in this building for so many reason. Schoolwork, leisure reading, writing, author events, meeting people, bathroom emergencies... It feels like home to me, how I know where everything is. I sound strangely pitiable, but I love the breadth of this place. Ah, well, perhaps I should have invested more in those independent stores, like HousingWorks and Books of Wonder. 4. Eat Wafels & Dinges. No one should even have to ask why. I'm not a fan of eating food that comes out of trucks or carts, but the these are a wonder. I like the black-and-tan, but the bacon-syrup one is great too. I think I've gorged myself getting the WMD too many times. 5. Meet up with Michael & Sara, Cecilia, Jessica, the Gwins, Stacey, and Kaela. And visit Morningside one more time, especially to see Nina. These are just people who I adore, but don't always spend a lot of time with, so I want to make a little bit of a farewell fuss for them. 6. Go to the Met and get lost, and sit in front of Monet's Reflections on the Water-Lily Pond at the MoMA for at least ten minutes. Neither of which will be too difficult. 7. Try to attend as many dance classes at Broadway Dance Center as possible. I haven't taken a dance class in five years, but my friends got me a gift certificate for BDC and I always wanted to try! Think I'm gonna go for some contemporary jazz. 8. Eat a crepe at Bar Suzette at Chelsea Market. I love Chelsea Market; it feels mildly yuppie and there are bakeries and food markets everywhere. I love the Bowery Kitchen Supply there. I would buy it out if I could. Anyways, I've always wanted to try a crepe from Bar Suzette, but I was never hungry when I was there, so I would just stare at the people making them. Well, not this time! 9. Buy and try to sell some books to Strand. I love Strand, and it's going to be one of the things I miss the most about New York. There are treasures everywhere; I got The Complete Works of John Keats, a copy of Fredrik Nyberg's English translation of A Different Practice, used copies of Sarah Dessen books, an old copies of Harry Potter that I felt like reading though I left them at home. Strand is the only place I (very) regularly buy books at in New York. Used and new alike. I'm sad now. 10. Eat soup dumplings at Joe Shanghai and a ShackStack and a purple cow at Shake Shack. I'm going to be obese by the time I leave the city. 11. Try to find the time to walk around these neighborhoods: NYU/Washington Square Park, Great Lawn in Central Park, Soho/Nolita, Greenwich, and Tribeca. Though, I think I'll be fine if I just sit on one of the benches on the north side of the Great Lawn for a little bit. With this weather, we'll see how that goes. *A lot of the things on this list are things that I've done many times before during my several years here. I didn't want to add a lot of new things, because I want my last few weeks here to remind me of why I love New York and perhaps make that sentiment a little more potent before I leave.