Today I had one of those NYC summer afternoons that just kept getting better and better. I managed to get out of work early and hustled down to South Street Seaport to catch the last hour and a half of BlogHer 2018, the hottest blog conference in town.

I got there just in time to see the brilliant winners of Voices of the Year awards speak. These are women doing incredible work for women and social change, each was inspiring. 

Following the speeches was a networking cocktail hour. Oh boy. I’m about as comfortable networking as I am waiting for a delayed train in a sweltering subway station. I played the trombone in high school (true story) but alas it gives me no edge on tooting my own horn. But if my BA in Theater Arts taught me anything, it’s the truth in the old cliché fake it ’til you make it. So I faked it and managed to talk to some absolutely delightful bloggers.

As the cocktail hour wrapped up, I left the building. My introverted side was calling out to me to just go home…. but I started wandering instead.

I sat on the edge of Manhattan, all by myself, and enjoyed the view. I used to do this sort of thing all the time. But with a boyfriend, a full time job, a side hustle, and a daily blogging habit…night spent by myself, savoring my favorite city have become few and far between.

I wandered around Pier 17 which has been completely overhauled and is brand new this summer. There’s an outdoor bar with a colorful art installation, sprawling wood benches perfect for lounging, and even some glorified porch swing seating.

Pier 17 South Street Seaport NYC

That’s all nothing compared to the views and the breeze that blows off the water. As I was standing at the waters edge, a few drops of water hit me. It was so brief I thought it must be an AC unit from above…but there was no above. It rained for 2 minutes and there was no where else I would have rather been.

Look at this amazing rainbow over Brooklyn!

I’ve been working non-stop since I got back from California vacation. I’m subletting at the end of the month, then finding an apartment and moving permanently in September. It’s all feeling very stressful already, like there’s no time, and I have to hustle as much as possible to accommodate the insane cost of moving in this town… This moment of sitting in the warm night air, watching a rainbow over Brooklyn was exactly what I needed. It’s going to get me through the next couple months.

I hope you get a moment of peace like this on the waterfront this summer!