The Lot

It started with a walk down the newly opened portion of The High Line. Then, to happy hour with the girls (and the food trucks) at The Lot. Then came the torrential downpour!

http://www.thehighline.org/the-lot

Kirk Lake

A gorgeous weekend at Kirk Lake - sunbathing on the best deck ever, tubing, canoeing...a nice trip away from the city. Ahhhhh

A BBQ Kind of Day

1st BBQ of the day was on a private rooftop the size of some people's apartment.

2nd BBQ of the day was at the United Nations Plaza. SWEET views.

Staycation, Sort Of

Too long since last post, but here's my attempt to catch up since leaving The Cement Bloc.

Staycation included by was not limited to:
General grooming - haircut at Soon, mani/pedi
Drinks by the Intrepid at P.D. O'Hurleys
Amtrak to D.C.
Kid Cudi concert
McQueen exhibit
Dinner/drinks @ Spitzers
Bachelorette party in Ft. Lauderdale (and Miami)
Jet Blue to Austin for new job at T3

Over The Rainbow

New York made history last week by becoming the 6th and largest state to legalize same sex marriage.

Nice touch with the Empire State Building!

The Raines Law

Passed in 1896, the Raines Law taxed liquor in New York state to curb the consumption of alcohol yet somehow managed to increase prostitution.

Raines Law Room falls behind an unassuming black door on 17th street and serves a mean Mexican Firing Squad.

The Best Chocolate Cake in the World

So they say...but combined with chocolate gelato = YUM!

http://newyork.nearsay.com/nyc/upper-east-side/restaurants-best-chocolate-cake-world-little-brown-chocolate-bakery

Too Close for Comfort...

...and apparently too hot as a young twenty year old fainted onto the subway tracks at my local station.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/06/01/woman-struck-by-6-train-after-fainting-onto-subway-tracks-at-77th-street-station/

Love, Loss, and What I Wore

An off-Broadway show, speaking to an intimate collection of stories based on the book by Illene Beckerman.

Some familar faces included Emily Bergl from Desperate Housewives and Susan Sullivan from Dharma and Greg.

Rain

Not the drops, but the musical tribute to the Beatles on Broadway.

Truly, a concert-like experience and a great way to break up the week!

www.broadway.com/rain

Memorial Day Weekend

A busy and productive weekend!

Friday - Interview + Skybar + house party in Chelsea
Saturday - off to a freezing Jersey Shore (Avalon by the Sea)
Sunday - biking on Governor's Island (awesome!)
Monday - Rooftop drinks in Chelsea

Red Bulls

My first MLS game at Red Bull Arena against Colorado - a beautiful night to be outside in NJ (by way of the Path), compliments of TCB.

Exposed!

Saturday was the first day since September(?) that both my arms and legs have seen the light of day.

And, now it's 50 degrees and raining again.

Boo!

Bolted to Boston

My random weekend in Boston (only my 2nd time there since 2001) started with the Bolt Bus, continued with a very rainy Red Sox game at Fenway, and ended with a long trolley ride around the city.

Next time, I'll brush up on my history and pack a warmer jacket!

Cinco de Mayo - Nautical Style

Company party at the Maritime Hotel in the meatpacking district.

The Cabanas were amazing - open bar, free food,...and then karaoke. My cue to exit.

The RIDE

A unique broadway experience on a bus - singing, dancing, audience participation, and city facts included.

http://www.experiencetheride.com/

Womentum - All Day Long

6am - Revlon 5K Walk for women's cancer research

1pm - Gym class

4pm - Stella & Dot jewelry party

8pm - Quattro for dinner at Trump SoHo (with Alexis Bellino from Real Housewives of Orange County)

11pm - Bobo for dessert (best ice cream sandwiches ever!)

1am - Dorian's for a little dancing

Busiest. Saturday. Ever.

Not Since '86

Not since 1986 has there been a globally televised Royal wedding.

So, I jumped at the chance to be at SoHo House for the viewing party...at 6am!

The BBG

Spent Easter Sunday at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens this year. Sadly missed the cherry blossoms in full bloom, but the potential is worth a trip back.

Note to self: take blanket and book to read in the garden!

Repeats

It's fun to have a celeb siting - and even more fun when they start repeating!

Christine Barinkski (again) - strolling down Park Avenue
Heather Graham - with friends on 2nd Ave
Karolína Kurková - apparently, Angels are among us

Bday Cont'd

Discovered a few new delights during bday make-up week:

Jones Wood Foundry - an UES staple for the Brits [and mega- hot bartenders]
Cafe D'Alsace - on the hunt for the best burger, this ranks at the top
Cana Wine Bar - love me some Limelight, followed by Grimaldi's pizza and Bar Veloce

UBWE Part III

Survived another weekend of birthday extravengaza! Part 3 included but was not limited to:

Bar 3B - staying in and toasting on the fire escape
H&H Bagels - carb-a-licious way to start the bday
Cascabel - going back for Bloody Marias!
Blow - the salon again, not the drug
Shopping - for last minute concepts
Manis/Pedis - a gender neutral activity, of course
Mercer Kitchen - delicious food/drinks by Jean Georges
Merc Bar - that couch didn't stand a chance
Shake Shack - suprised and delighted by the Shack Stack
Naps - necessary, period
Spitting rain - note to self: call for car service
La Luncheonette - stick o' butter on everything
Park - dance party in Chelsea

Nah Nah Nah Na - Nah Nah Na Nah...

Hey, hey, hey...good bye.

R.I.P. Aerobed.

You did me proud with 2.5 years, but just couldn't take the rat pack.

I Trained. I Saw. I Conquered.

4/5 to 125th Street.

M60 to LGA.

That's it. And, I'm $32 richer.

Ok, so the wait in East Harlem wasn't the most pleasant, but would do it again.

Redhead With Secrets

A weekend of good friends/food/drinks.

Thursday - Dinner at Redhead, a soulful burger and tots not to forget.

Friday - specialty cocktails proceeded by secret entrances. Hemingway Daiquiri at Employees Only, and a Pear Martini served in a tea cup at Back Room (this entrance more sketchy than the first).

Sunday - Back to West Village at Wilfie and Nells, home of the famous fried egg/sausage thing.

Spring Forward?

March 23rd and it's been snowing all day!

Spring forward?

More like fall back...to the LONGEST winter ever.

Been There. Ate That.

Thanks to a 1st time, long weekend visitor, I crossed more off my list and re-visited some favorites.

Totonno's pizza - twice
McSorley's - oldest continuously operated saloon
Eastville Comedy Club - always a hit
Mayahuel - twice (love the new pilot punch)
Brooklyn Bridge - walked it to and from borough (beautiful)
Chinatown - for cheap baby clothes
S'Mac - buffalo chicken and 4 cheese
Circa - amazing contemporary circus show, somewhat erotic, at NYU
Apple Store - still haven't made in there longer than 5 minutes
FAO Schwartz - only b/c Kim and Kourtney did it
POP burger - there's one in midtown!
The Plaza - just to say we did
Stonewall Inn - great music, 2-for-1 drink specials
Blind Tiger - beer and wine only
Peanut Butter Co. - the Elvis did not disappoint
Pomme Frites - finally discovered the joys of 30 dipping sauces
Random psychic reading after it all. Worth it? I'll live to be 89 - that's all I remember.

And, of course, Crumbs and Shake Shack were local givens.

Yes. And...

Saw Stacy London speak on style and self esteem at the 92Y. Her "Yes. And..." approach to acceptance and story telling was inspiring.

The Question, Part 2

On a random Wednesday night, you can score tickets to Million Dollar Quartet, a delightful Broadway musical about 4 Sun Records' vocal powerhouses...preceeded by a surprisingly delicious meal at Keen's Steakhouse (hello filet mignon skewers!).

The next day you're with 12 alumnae sisters, painting salt n' pepper shakers at Make Meaning followed by a random visit from a Peruvian friend at Vero.

Saturday brings about a $12 Kobe beef burger at Zaitzeff's and cocktails at La Caverna and Fat Baby.

And to ring in President's Day, you score VIP passes to Citi Pond at Bryant Park for a little ice skating and then head up stairs for Polar Bear cosmo's at Celcius.

That's what I like the most about NYC.

The Question

The million dollar question - "What's your favorite thing about living in NYC?"

Hands down, it's the options...the wide-variety of combustible options.

Winding down on a Sunday night, you can anticipate a uneventful week.

Next thing you know, you're re-connecting with former colleagues over Asian BBQ at Ember Room, only to be pleasantly surprised that chef Todd English comped your entire meal.

Then, you're brainstorming fundraising ideas for St. Jude's Children Reasearch Hospital.

And then, you think it will be a quiet weekend, but you score Fashion Week tickets to see the Jill Stuart and ADAM show - full hair and makeup and 2 costume changes by 3pm. Celebrity sitings included, but were not limited to Nigel Barker, Mena Suvari, Alexa Ray Joel, and Brad Goreski.

That's my favorite thing about living in New York City.

Cat, Calf, and Conservatory

An animalistic week!

Fat Cat for the DDD mixer (followed by a delicious burger at B&B).

The Hog Pit for the JWT reunion.

Sunburnt Calf for brunch.

And, the Butterfly Conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History...along with a trip to the planetarium (narrated by Whoopi Goldberg), and Brains.

Six Degrees Of...

...Sleeping bag coats and bone-chilling winds.

Ol' Mustard made it's first appearance of the year today, starting at 6 degrees. Even my teeth felt the pain!

Temp Check

It's 21 degrees right now, but "feels like" 7.

And, tonight, the low is 9 degrees that feels like...?

Friday Night in SoHo

Delicious dinner at Mercer Kitchen.
http://www.mercerhotel.com/kitchen.php

Drinks and dancing at Merc Bar.
http://www.mercbar.com/

Top 10

I stumbled upon some top 10 station traffic facts.

Turns out that my stop at 86th street only averages a mere 18.8 million passengers each year compared to the winning 58 million passing through Time Square 42nd street.

Guess it could always be worse!

It Turns Out...

...that the celebs being filmed in the trailers (back in October) have been announced as the new cast of Celebrity Apprentice.

Whew! Now I can sleep.

Food, Follies, and Faceplants

Back from 9 days in Texas and healing from wound care, 2011 in NYC has already provided cautious inspiration.

Argentina via Williamsburg at El Almacen.

India via the East Village at Panna II,

And beautiful snow falls accompanied by lucky wipeouts.

It's good to be home.