I’ve been told my half birthday just hit! I’m not one to get excited about my birthday until it’s about a month out. Then the festivity planning begins. For my 28th, and actually unplanned, I celebrated ALL month. Here’s how.

The week prior to my birthday, I ended up at a Broadway show and pre-celebration brunch with a childhood friend. We even ended the day with a sweet stop to Hershey’s in Times Square. The weekend of my actual birthday started with a late night dinner at Au Za’atar, the Lebanese restaurant known for its table side shawarma. They gave us all types of dips, from hummus to garlic and more, Persian cucumbers, pickled onions, pita bread, and a chicken and rice platter. You can check out this recap reel on my Instagram.

The next day brunch was on, and we ended up at Taj II for an R&B brunch. For those who know, I was in my element. Bottomless mimosas, a beautiful venue, and the food was good too. From there, we headed back home for a quick nap and outfit change before heading to Queens for a trip to Asia at Jade Eatery. Also amazing food, you can dine right next to a beautiful koi pond. After, we headed down the block to Casa NYC for music, drinks and a slight turn up before calling it a night, and preparing for the next day.

Brunch was at Il Bastardo, the ultimate party spot where each diner can order and sip from their own bottles with giant straws. The food was great, music was loud and the dance floor literally had a dude in a giant transformer costume. After a few hours there, we headed to Highkey Rooftop, which I’ve quickly mentioned before is another fav. We ended the night at Horus II, another spot we’ve gone to now three years running for my birthday, and it didn’t disappoint. The next day, I took off from work, and stepped into a fairytale at Serendipity3, for a magical trip back to childhood and boozy hot chocolate. Check out my recap reel here for an inside look.

While the first weekend was over, the birthday festivities continued throughout October. The next weekend I flew to my parents’ house for a week in tropical weather, dined on the beach and spent quality time with family.

When I got back to the city, I headed to Hollywood, kind of. I was able to snag tickets to both Sherri and The View, and even sat front row for Sherri, where I got tickets to A Strange Loop.

That weekend, a group I’m a part of headed on deck for a fall foliage cruise up the Hudson. I met a few new people and had a few laughs for a couple of hours before meeting up with friends for dinner. we headed to Omar’s for a Caribbean meal and of course, good music, before heading to meet up with other friends on a nearby rooftop.

You’d think it was over, but the next weekend was a brunch with another group I’m a part of that meets up every month. We headed to Kimoto Rooftop, a Brooklyn spot with amazing views of the city, bottomless mimosas, a beautiful sunset, and more music! We were there for about seven hours, partying, celebrating all of the Libras in the group and having a great time.

By then, it was time to wind down and get back to real life, but I have to say 29 has a job cut out for topping 2022.

Until next time…
-Jae Marie