Happy Autumn!

It was a busy late summer for me, but I look forward to having some more adventures with you this Fall now that I'm more free. My weekends are starting to fill up already, but here are a few fun things to consider doing over the next few days.

UPCOMING EVENTS (Yay Street Fests!)

Sat Oct 1

• 11am-4pm: Union Square Autumn Fair (FREE, B'way bet 17th and 23rd)
• A perfect little walk to pick up some local veggies and treats, and get a cup of hot apple cider to enjoy while you're there.
• 11am-6pm: Chile Pepper Fiesta ($10-15, BK Botanical Garden)
• It’s back! I’ve never gone before, but I’d love to check out the Chocolate and Chili Takedown and just see the sweat on everyone’s faces as they’re sampling all of the hotness.
• 1pm-7pm: 13th Annual Czech Street Fest (FREE, E73rd btwn 1st+2nd Ave, 6 train to 68th St/Hunter College)
• Fest to celebrate the Czech Independence Day 
• 6pm-12pm: Bring to Light – Nuit Blanche New York (FREE, 6-12pm, Greenpoint, BK)
• Neat event that we went to last year and would highly recommend going to! 
• “The event, pegged to similar happenings in Paris, Brussels and Toronto, gathers 50 artists from around the world to transform the cityscape into a glowing urban scene.”

Sun Oct 2
Here we go, October!

• 1130am-6pm: 2011 Medieval Festival (FREE, Fort Tryon Park, A train to 190th St)
• Step back into the Middle Ages and enjoy the fare, activities, and costumes of the era, jousting and all!
• 12pm-6pm: Atlantic Antic (Atlantic Ave/Brooklyn)
• “Shops, Music, Food, & Fun at Brooklyn’s Largest Street Festival”
• Check out 1 mile of over 500 booths, whoa.
• 12pm-5pm: 23rd Annual Upper Broadway Harvest Festival (FREE, B'way bet 96 and 110)
• Here's one for those of you who like to stay on the mainland: )

DEALS

• $1 for $25 Restaurant.com Certificates – the last time I saw this was at least 2 years ago, so take advantage and scoop some up for fun Fall dinners with friends - no code needed - extended to today 9/30.

OTHER TID BITS

•  This week is an ode to hot drinks!
• THURS 9/29: Happy National Coffee Day! I bet many of you didn't even know you celebrated it: )
• FRI 9/30: Mulled Hot Apple Cider Day: )
• Weather.com is showing 50-60% chance rain tonight into the weekend (rain boots time!), but get out there and enjoy as much as you can of NY before it truly gets too cold to do anything.
• Take a look at the night sky when you can - see the really bright star to the East about 10 or 11p?  It's JUPITER (thanks Jason Kendall from the Amateur Astronomy Assoc for confirming: ).  Rises tonight at 8p.

Game. Set. Match.

We made it through the night, right?  It still remains uncertain as to when NYC will be back up and running, but let's enjoy this time "off" while we can (but still staying indoors and safe, if possible).

It's still windy and a little rainy in my part of town, but other parts of the eastern seaboard are still seeing the affects of this hurricane turned tropical storm (and newscasters are already talking about the next one - named Jose!).  I hope and pray that our friends in NC, VA, NJ and other affected areas will keep your head up and have hope for the better day that will come soon.

So what can we look forward to next?  That would be the 2011 US Open Tennis Championships! The USTA is still projecting an 11am start time tomorrow (gates opening at 10am) but looks like a final decision will be made later tonight.  Check the website (linked above) or follow along on Twitter for the latest: @USOpen.

To prepare:

• Check out Esquire's article on what to eat!  Definitely looking forward to trying out the lobster roll, Top Chef Master Mantuano's Wine Bar Food, ACES (where Morimoto will be making the sushi and sashimi? yes!), and my favorite - the crepes.
• Be sure to take advantage of the American Express check-in offers on Facebook and FourSquare!  Link your card, spend $20 at concessions, restaurants, and retails stores, and get a $10 statement credit.  Awesome. And for sure check out the new US Open American Express Fan Experience.  Read about other onsite benefits here.
• This is for a good cause: Tweet to #GONEXTCONTENDERS and Amex will donate $1 for Fresh Courts for kids - yay (I just did it - your turn!).
• Lots of other good info can be found on USOpen.org - like the Men's and Women's draw, Day 1 schedule, and more about the players.

Onward to September!

Come on, Irene!

How is your hurricane day going, friends?

Irene is a true lady keeping us all in waiting, haha, but I hope you are making the most of it (and staying safe and dry, of course!)

Here's a question for you: what kind of foods did you stock up on?  I'm sure we all got about the same kinds of things - foods that don't require cooking or heating, can last for a while.  The problem is, I just want to eat it all at the same time because it's here!

This is what I did with some of the things I bought (in a crazy long line at Pathmark last night...), very simple ingredients that you should already have around the house:

• Peanut Butter (I like a little crunch in mine)
• Honey
• Banana
• Bread

Put it all together and enjoy!

But take it one step further and stick it in the toaster, and it brings it all together even more (thanks to Chris C. and Michelle S. for the idea - we talked so much about it that I had to try it: ).

Note - one thing I would do differently next time is to put the bananas on AFTER toasting - I found it to be a little dry after the heat.

As my own final little touch, I sprinkled some granola, almond, raisin cereal on top for added texture.

And that was my little Hurricane Irene treat for today (with a cup of kumquat and honey tea: )  Feel free to share your ideas too! Heart!

Last July Sat Fun!

Hola,

Quick fun things to do tonight (7/30)!

• 5-10p: Jam to 60s girl bands @ Lincoln Ctr Out of Doors/The Ponderosa Stomp, She's Got the Power (Damrosch Park Bandshell, FREE)
• 8p: Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot presents Hamlet.  Ludlow and Broome, FREE.  Seats are first come first serve.
• 11a-10p: The Highline Rink is now open at The Lot on 30th and 10th Ave!  Note that adult admission is $12 and is not waived if you bring your own skates.  Skate rental is included.
• FYI: On Saturdays from 730-11p, it's 21+ for those of you who are afraid to run over kids...or more likely fall on them: )

Come find us tonight: )

I'm off to San Diego for the next few days, any good eats or places to see (besides the San Diego Zoo, I'm for sure going there)?

Have a great weekend!

Catch-Up Time

With August just a few days away, I just couldn't go on without posting and seeing how your summers are going!  As you probably figured out by now, the frequency of my posts reflect how much free time I have, and the past 2 months have been, well, really busy.

Lots of changes, all that worked out for the best, and it'll only get busier for me until my project is over in mid Sept - BUT, still no excuse to not stay in touch.  I do appreciate so much how many of you still send things my way when you see something fun that I'd like or can share with others, and my hope is that you have continued on to enjoy NY, because the summers here really are so precious.

Quick RECAP on the more fun things I've done recently (and forgot to tell you about - sorry: )

•  SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK, All's Well that Ends Well: We were FIRST in line @ 530am, can you believe it?  We realized the trick is to go during opening weekend!  
• You have 3 more days left to see the second play, Measure for Measure - do it!
• BIG APPLE BBQ FEST: Always delicious.  That fast pass is key.  I tried ribs from St. Louis, brisket from Austin, and pulled turkey S. Carolina style.  Strangely not so packed this year, but not complaining about that!
• BDAY WEEK: I do feel bad about not sharing my bday plans with most of yall, but bday week was fun this year.  This year's theme was, bows + bowties!  Cute times.
• MERMAID PARADE: Mermaids, Mermen, Oysters, Unicorns (? yes)...and Nathan's hot dogs and cheese fries!  All ocean friendly.
• 4TH OF JULY PICNIC @ THE HIGHLINE: We made RWB drinks and desserts and had a picnic in the new part of the Highline!
• Check out the new part between 20th and 30th and 10th Ave - it's a great walk, and you can also pick up some gelato or People's Pops on your travels.
• NATIONAL TAPIOCA PUDDING DAY: We celebrated by having dumplings with tapioca pudding (naturally), and playing Dance Central to burn it all off.  Any excuse to celebrate is a good one.
• SAVAGE BEAUTY @ THE MET: A beautiful and emotional exhibit showcasing over 100 of McQueen's work.  We went early morning around 10am and only had to wait about 10 min or so.  Pay as you wish, so you should go as many times as you can before it's over (Aug 7).

...just a a few things, and more to come (will work on letting you know in advance: )

Happy Memorial Day!

Hope your Memorial Day Weekend has been going well!  One more day to enjoy + a short work week, during which June kicks off and other fun to come = lots of things to look forward to: )

I am making my Memorial Day plans very late, but here are a few things I want to try to do today - come meet up anytime (times are approximate):

• 1230p - Stop by Shake Shack for a corndog: they only have it on the menu 3 times a year, apparently!  Ends today, UWS location only - 77th and Columbus Ave (thanks to Lauren and Robyn for the heads up!).
• 2p - Check out some public art:
• Jaume Plensa's Echo, Madison Square Park - sculpture of a nine-year-old girl from Barcelona.
• Silver Andy Warhol Statute, NW Corner of Union Square
• Giant Roses on Park Ave bet 57-67, up until 5/31
• 5-11p - FREE Beer/Open Bar (5-6p) + BBQ Party @ The Empire Hotel (W 63rd bet Columbus + B'way) - RSVP here!
• 817p - Try to catch Manhattanhedge, which is only happening today and July 11th!  I've been wanting to go!  What is it? "...when the setting Sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan’s brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough’s grid." 
• 8p (will go late: ) - Go to the FREE NY Philharmonic Memorial Day Concert, St. John the Divine (1047 Amsterdam Ave)

Here are a few other quick things you can consider checking out as well:

• NYC Fleet Week - Last day to see some sailors and big ships! 
• The Met is open!  Hours are same as other Met Holiday Mondays, 930a-530p.  Check out the Alexander McQueen "Savage Beauty" exhibit, which I hear is awesome.
• 2p - Largest Memorial Day Parade in the U.S....is in Queens (Northern Blvd)!
• Free public kayaking @ Downtown Boathouse

No matter what you do, don't forget to put on some sun screen: ) and go enjoy the day!

NYChar

Review: Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck

I just had the most amazing lunch to celebrate today being a Friday (because every Friday is worth celebrating!).

REVIEW: Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck

I got a tip from Thomas C. about a new truck in our area that sells lobster rolls, and I was not interested at first, because I haven't liked the lobster rolls I tried in the past (usually too much mayo, icy cold, dry bread). 

He said it was "so good" though, so I thought I'd go for a walk and check it out.

LINE:

There was a longer line of people waiting to get cash to buy something from this truck than actually in line!  The wait wasn't bad at all, though there was a little bit of a back-up since more people ordered the Connecticut style (warm, in butter) than the Maine style (chilled lobster, w/ mayo), which I was told is usually more popular (it's not as sunny today).

FOOD:

There are really only 2 options - lobster and shrimp.  I've read the shrimp roll is good as well, but today we were all about lobster.  I went straight for the Connecticut style lobster roll that comes with a pickle, and I got the "Hook Up" combo like everyone else that included the Cape Cod chips (sea salt + vinegar) and Maine Root soda (blueberry!), for $2 more, so it's worth getting.  Everything together really was "so good" and absolutely delicious.  It was packed with lobster chunks, and the bread was toasted and buttered up as well.  Every bite was great (I had to use a fork, as a heads up!)

PRICE:

While it costed $18 for the combo ($16 for the lobster roll alone; well over Midtownlunch.com standards: ), it was perfect for a Friday treat!

YAY OR NAY:

This one is for sure a big YAY, especially in Tribeca, but I don't think I could (or should: ) frequent it more than 2 times a month - again, it's a little pricy for a weekday lunch and healthwise might not be the best idea.  Still, I hope it comes back to our area because I definitely want to have it again (and so do my co-workers, after they saw what I brought back!)

Still around today - catch them if you can!

http://www.redhooklobster.com/

Happy Friday, all: )