Katherine Rodriguez

…happy hour like a Roman!

My Italian bestie back home (Ciao, Mel!) hooked me up with her adorable cousin, Federica, a local in Rome, who took me to Momart Cafe for Friday night happy hour. I love happy hour so I obviously love Federica right off the bat. Happy hour here is completely buffet style – pay for your drinks and the food is a set price so you can stuff your face all you want throughout the night. I wish New York had this so I could eat unlimited amounts of pigs in a blanket. I didn’t think I was going to eat pizza in Italy, but I did with a glass of Syrah, and it was delicious! Federica ordered a Cosmo, which made me giggle.

Her future Brazilian/Italian boyfriend (I can feel it happening) appeared and joined us for some drinks and food. (Note to Federica: Non ho potuto farne a meno. Fammi sapere se vuoi che io prendo giù. haha) It was another great night of meeting new friends, especially these two – so smart, fun, and outgoing – I couldn’t ask for a better night in Rome. They both mentioned that they can now practice their English, even though there was nothing for them to practice since they were pretty much fluent. For me, I continued to practice saying “ciao,” “grazie,” and “vino” over and over again. I think I got it down…

Eduardo, the soon-to-be bf, suggested we go see Fontana di Trevi since it’s an amazing sight at night and I get to make my wish. So, I hop in Federica’s smart car and Eduardo takes his vespa (very compact travelers, these two), and they take me on a great tour of Rome at night.

Eduardo explained Roman history to me in a drop of a hat as we walked around. It’s amazing how passionate Italians are about their culture and historic background. It makes me feel so inadequate when bringing people around New York. “Oh, and there’s the Empire State Building, but who gives a shit?” 

Coming into Italy, I had no idea I would be purposely meeting people, but I’m so happy I did, especially since Federica is taking a Fordham Law course during the month of July. I can’t wait to take her around and tell her all the New York facts I know, like “That statue came from France.” and “The lady in the subway who thinks she’s from Jupiter actually isn’t – she’s from Staten Island.”