(15) The New York shortlist...

Spent a lovely autumn week in New York...here it is comprised in one post that can't possibly encompass all its grandeur...

1. Autumn in New York in general, is my favorite time to be there. The crisp, cool smell in the air, the colours setting the landscape on fire, the backdrop of skyscrapers peeking out over the tops of the trees, cider, pumpkins...it's all just wonderful.

2. Amanda is one of the most unique and beautiful people I've ever known. It's funny how time goes by, and so much changes but the core of who you are remains the same and you're able to come back together at different places in your life.

3. The Museum of Natural History was lovely. I hadn't been there in years, so it was really great to look at all the natural wonders on display again. When I was in college, it was one of my favorite places in the city (I think it still is) so I used to go there a lot and spend hours just looking at creatures.

4. Seeing a wild turkey in Central Park and walking The Ramble. It's funny that I lived there for almost a decade and never imagined there was a turkey there.

5. Ponds covered in duckweed look so lovely. I sat watching the water blanketed in green as turtles (I really love them. They're such special animals.) poppped out to sun themselves on drifting logs. I had never taken the time to sit here before and it was great to explore a new part of the park and meditate.

6. Elyssa & Paul's wedding was one of the most beautifully orchestrated events I have ever been to. It was up in The Catskills and the mountains were mesmerizing in vibrant burning reds, glowing oranges and blinding yellows. The ceremony was outside, in front of this amazing natural occurance and was truly amazing. There were also so many unique touches to the day that made it really special - a poloroid guestbook where you photographed yourself for them, tree saplings and seeds as take home gifts, and a photobooth set up outside where my friends and I took all these great pictures of us jumping in the air together. Fun times! And let's not forget about the food..

7. Eating raw at the wedding was pretty easy, since Elyssa is environmentally conscious and all the food was local, organic, and sustainable. There was tons of strawberries, olives and various cut veggies to pick at during cocktail hour. For dinner the maid of honor gave me an extra salad so I had two, and then I asked one of the lovely women in the kitchen for anything raw that was left in the kitchen, so she whipped me up a giant plate of sliced up buttery pears, apples, red and orange peppers, nuts, and more olives. Yum! I ignored the big stack of crackers she shoved on the end. I'm amazed at how often people think that eating unprocessed, natural foods is simply not enough and they always try to add something cooked or processed.

8. Elliott is one of the best people a girl could ask to be friends with. He's such a kind, generous friend, and we've known each other for so ages now. We've traveled together in Europe, driven across the country together, and I have to say, he's just always such a consistent and solid person to be around. Good hearted and tons of fun. Yay, Elliott - and thanks for putting me up while I was in NY!

9. The help of friends during my post-jobless visit to NY was immeasurable. Thank you Elliott, Luke, Ayelet and Alysia for making sure I was taken care of and feeding me well!

10. Westerly Natural Market was where I used to do most of my shopping when I worked in Hell's Kitchen. It's one of the best health food stores in all of NYC, and it used to be really cheap. I'm not sure how the prices compare with everything else in NY these days though...I wasn't there long enough to make a comparison. I was really pleased to notice their raw foods section had expanded. When I was leaving NY to move to SF, they only had a few raw desserts and some snacks, but now there is an entire aisle in the back with raw goodies of all kinds.

11. Raw improv with Wes. I went to Brooklyn to hang out with Wes and brought just a few ingredients from the market. We improvised and made a yummy curry carrot salad and a beat and kale salad. Delicious! It was really great watching him get involved in preparing food and enjoy it, as I know he's been talking about his desire to eat healthy and enjoying it is what keeps you going.

12. We Like It Raw Podcasts are perfect for plane rides! It was so much better than watching the movie I had already seen on my flight there a second time. I subscribe via iTunes, but you can also listen to them on the site. I listened to a few where Dhrumil interviewed Nature Love, and it was really wonderful. I loved hearing them talk about dreams and spirituality in addition to raw foods. We're deffinitely on the same page with that. They're both such positive, soulful people. I also listened to the Steve Pavlina podcast again because its just that good. Thanks, guys!

13. Having a window seat while flying over the west is one of my favorite things about flying from coast to coast.

14. A lovely weekend in upstate NY with friends was just what I needed to maintain the balance of my trip. Driving along the Hudson River was especially beautiful.

15. Talking to Ben & Jenny about holistic health was great. Jenny is a nutritionist and Ben is studying to be a doctor and they're one of the sweetest married couples I know. I've known Ben for over a decade now and seen his transformations from art school to medical school, from single to married, from crazy long hair and piercings to clean cut and it's been a wonderful journey. Jenny is super sweet, gentle and intelligent and they balance each other well. We had a lot of really great conversations about holistic health and healing the whole body, and talked about healing centers. It was really great.

16. Loving NY again. My first trip back to NYC since I divorced it was only this past July, over 2 years after I left. And I had a good time seeing my friends, I just didn't really enjoy being in the city or have any desire or excitement to be there. So it was quite a relief to have this visit be beautiful and amazing, and to fall back in love with NY again. I wouldn't move back, but it was nice to have closure. It was difficult to have negative feelings for a place I had loved and lived in for such a long time, so I'm glad to have moved into a balanced place where I love it for what it is, and be ok with not belonging there anymore.

17. Lunch with Ayelet and Hannah was short, but sweet. I'm so thankful they were both so willing to work around their work schedules to spend some time with me. I adore them both. I stayed with Hannah when I visited in July, but had not seen Ayelet since I moved to SF, so that was extra super special.

18. The longest dinner ever with Alysia was great. We went to Hell's Kitchen and I had an amazing salad and we sat and talked for several hours catching up on life. It's so amazing seeing her belly housing a tiny life inside it. I'm so excited for her and Jeff. We got to catch up on a ton of life stuff. She's truly amazing - warm, but tough as nails, no nonsense, no BS at the same time, and always full of laughter.

19. Jim et Jules drove from Mahopac to Cold Spring to meet me for a cup of tea. I hadn't seen them since I left NY either, so there was lots of catching up to do, even though we've kept in contact and we know what's been happening in each others lives. It's just not the same as good old face to face conversation. I love these guys and they are one of couples that give me the most hope of the kind of loving, supportive relationship I hope to someday have.

20. A few days in Cold Spring visiting my cousin Biljana, her husband and their beautiful 15 year old twin girls. When I lived in the city, going to see them was a frequent weekend getaway/mini vacation. Biljana is so full of love in everything she does, and Matthew balances her so well - they are amazing together and have raised such amazing girls.

21. The Rawkathon started while I was in Cold Spring so I watched the first few days there, and the rest upon returning home to San Francisco. There were a lot of really amazing speakers, but I think Gabriel Cousens was the best. He's been a great inspiration, and each time I see him speaking or read something knew that he's written, I learn so much more and it pushes me to reach new depths with my health.