NYC: JULY 9TH, 2021

On a Wednesday evening in 2010, Alex and Cat met out at Bottomleys — a bar in Grymes Hill, Staten Island. Wednesday was karaoke night, one of their favorite outings to this day. Both Wagner College freshmen at the time, their paths didn't cross until second semester when a friend introduced them, "You both like the same music!” “Oh yeah?" said Cat, waiting to be impressed. They bonded over 90s pop-rock and eventually exchanged numbers. That weekend, Alex called Cat asking if she'd seen his student ID. She searched around her dorm but couldn't find it. "I'll come by and check myself,” he insisted. An unsuccessful Alex inspected the space, “Bummer! Now that I'm here, want to walk to lunch together?" Cat replied, "Of course!" Three years passed and they fell in love. By graduation in May of 2013, they spent countless hours at concerts and music festivals across the US, creating memories with lifelong friends, spending summers at Candlewood Lake, winters in Marco Island and accomplishing Business degrees while both serving as varsity athletes on golf and tennis respectively. Alex finally told her, "you know, I didn't actually lose my ID freshman year. I just wanted an excuse to see you”... and at that moment, she knew he was the one.

The Boathouse in Central Park offers a rare tranquility within the ever-eclectic energy that defines Manhattan. For over 150 years, the restaurant is the only Manhattan venue right on a lake. Boating on The Lake became a popular pastime in the 1860s, and naturally launched a need for a storage facility, or a boathouse. Initially, boats were boarded at various landings just west of Bethesda Terrace, but increased demand called for a more permanent solution. In 1872, Central Park landscape architect Calvert Vaux designed a beautiful, two-story Victorian, wooden boathouse that was all of twelve feet wide and twenty feet long. By the 1950’s the rustic wooden structure was in need of repair. Fortunately, investment banker and philanthropist Carl M. Loeb and his wife Adeline made a generous donation to help create The Loeb Boathouse that stands today. Designed by Chief Park designer Stuart Constable, The Boathouse officially opened in March of 1954. Even though it has evolved into a landmark restaurant, it continues to provide boating enthusiasts with rentable rowboats, so they may enjoy one of life's simple pleasures in the heart of New York City.