One thing I will always love about living in NYC is having the ability to sit in a French restaurant in Soho, surrounded by French speakers and eating authentic French cuisine, and then walk a couple avenues and several blocks to an authentic Filipino restaurant, where the sweet aroma takes me back to when my grandmother used to cook for me in Massachusetts. Last week, my parents visited me in the city and attended GT’s fifth anniversary cocktail party. On Friday, I met them for lunch at a little French restaurant called L’Orange Bleue. The owner of the restaurant was, of course, French, and every now and then, a visitor would step into the corner restaurant for a quick conversation and a pat on the back. My parents and I got a kick out of watching the conversations unfold. My dad even pulled out his camera and started taking pictures. The owner of the restaurant asked if my dad could mail him the photos. It often baffles me how one tiny corner, nestled between busy Manhattan streets, can transport you to another country. On First Avenue, between 13th and 14th Streets, is a small Filipino restaurant called Elvie’s Turo-Turo. “Turo-Turo” translates to “point-point,” as you literally point through a glass buffet display and tell them what you want. I always stop there and savor the memories of my grandmother’s cooking. My favorite is the Filipino egg roll, known as Lumpia. So, whether you’re looking to rediscover your roots or transport yourself to another country, you can always find what you’re looking for on the tiny island of Manhattan. -Courtney Centeno, account executive