NYChar Weekend Fun: Oct 5+6

Here are a few more fun things to add to your weekend plans!  It will be a challenge to fit everything in, but I'm going to try: )

• KOREAN FESTIVAL - 12pm parade starts at 42 + B'way, street fest with food, performances, + k-pop stars!  My 2nd home. [9am-6pm Sat -32nd St bet 5th + B'way]
• SMORGASBURG - Brooklyn Flea Food Market of local eats!  Sat in Williamsburg (going at 11am! Record Fair happening too) and Sun in Brooklyn Bridge Park - note this new location, this weekend thru 11/24 [11am-6pm Sat-Sun]
• LOCAL FOOD AND TRAVEL EXPO - Tons of samples and vendors from local food + getaway tour groups, FREE (but need to register here) [12-5pm Sat - BK Borough Hall]
• OKTOBERFEST MUG HOLDING COMPETITION - After W'burg Smorgasburg, stop by Radegast  Hall for live music, pig roast, and the mug holding competition to celebrate Oktoberfest! [1-9pm Sat - W'burg]
• RTR SAMPLE SALE - It's back!  RenttheRunway.com sample sale has designer dresses up to 95% off, YES!  Party time. HOT TIP - Based on the other 2 times I went, all dresses will go on sale for $25 the last hour (2-3pm Sun: ) .  [Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 11am-3pm - 5th bet 28th + 29th]
• HOPPER DRAWINGS Exhibit [Whitney Museum/Madison + 75th - ends Sun 10/6]
• LINSANITY, the movie is playing at AMC Village 7 now!

NEXT WEEK

We set a date for one of the jazz nights I posted about earlier - join us on THURS 10/10 from 8-10pm with Victor Lin at Irving Farm Coffee Co (79th + B'way)!

Enjoy!
NYChar

HAPPY OCT + I'm Back!

Hi friends,

HAPPY OCT!  It has been almost a year since my last post, and thanks to a few people asking/still believing!, and my work schedule recently freeing up - I decided to try and start things up again (slowly: ).  Let's go!

NYCHAR EVENTS - Two Fall events I'm planning (so far: ) - Email me to RSVP and find out more details!

• SAT 10/19 - PUMPKIN EATS (to celebrate the "Sweetest Day", perfect)- We love everything pumpkin, and it's finally the right season to enjoy it in all it's glory! We are going to find and try some of the city's best pumpkin eats - from curry to ravioli to pie to beer and more - come along!
• SAT 11/16 - THRIFT SHOP + KARAOKE - After a certain night of watching all of Macklemore's YouTube videos, we were inspired to have our own $20 thrift shop afternoon and karaoke (in our new outfits, of course).

UPCOMING - I'm planning on going to most of them in the near future!  Let me know if you want to come, and we'll figure out the best date to go.

"Son of a Man", Rene Magritte, 1964

• Thru this Sun 10/6 - Pizza Time! Inspired Art [Broome b/t Bowery + Christie]
• Tues 11/5 - Punderdome3000 - The next monthly pun competition! [$6 in adv, 8:00pm, Littlefield/622 Degraw St, BK]
• Thru Nov 23/24 - Smorgasburg (food! Sat or Sun) + Jane's 1922 Carousel ($2)
• Every Wed - Live Jazz @ Apotheke Prohibition Sessions (8-10pm), 9 Doyers St (Thanks Andrew C. for sharing: )
• Every Thurs - Live Jazz @ Irving Farm Coffee Co. - Jazz & Coffee with Victor Lin & Dan Stein (8-10pm), 79th + B'way (Goooo Victor!)
• Thru 1/12/14 - MoMa - Magritte Exhibit "The Mystery of the Ordinary" 

WHEW.  Excited!  More soon: )

-- 

NYChar

Follow along! 

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11/15-18: BOGO Starbucks Holiday Drinks!

We got 3 Caramel Brulee + 1 Peppermint Mocha, yum (thanks for being my sharing buddy, Jess: ).  The third choice you have is Gingerbread Latte (sorry no Pumpkin with this offer).  Grab a friend and go!

The Buy One, Share One Event

Catch up with a friend over a holiday beverage. When you buy one, we’ll give you a second one of equal or lesser value for free at participating stores.

Thursday, November 15 to Sunday, November 18, 2 to 5 p.m. at your local Starbucks.

[website]

::Happy Fall-o-ween!::

Sandy may be bringing us some tricks now (har har), but here are four super easy Fall treats to make while you're home and maybe have some time to spare - Dirt 'n Worms, Monster Mash, Mummy Hot Dogs, Spooky Spiders!    

We made these over the weekend to celebrate Fall-o-ween, but they make great Sandy-ween snacks too!

--

1. DIRT 'n WORMS - A childhood classic that I've actually never made before: ).
NEED: Chocolate Pudding, Oreos, Gummy Worms, Clear Cups
DIRECTIONS: Grind Oreos in food processor if available (otherwise, good ol' mashing), and then go to town with layering with chocolate pudding in clear cup.  Add gummy worms and enjoy!

2. MONSTER MASH

NEED: Kettle Corn, Candy Corn, M&Ms, Candy Eyes (optional)

DIRECTIONS: Pop and mix!  For extra flare, you can purchase cute small popcorn boxes from Target (3 pak for only $1).

3. MUMMY HOT DOGS - I really love this one because it's so quick and easy and also has lots of personality!
NEED: Crescent croissant dough (Pillsbury or store brand is fine), hot dogs, mustard.
DIRECTIONS: Unroll croissant dough, cut into strips, cover hot dog (don't forget the hat!), stick in oven at 375 degrees for 11-13 min, take out and add mustard eyes (consider using a toothpick) - and DONE (notice what people eat first - always the head heheh). 

4. SPOOOOOKY SPIDERS
NEED: Oreos, Peel and Pull Twizzlers
DIRECTIONS: Cut Twizzlers into sections, twist open Oreos and stick "legs" in (6 legs are even spookier than 8!), add two small pieces as eyes.

--

Thanks to OurBestBites.com for the easy Fall party food ideas!  See here for more.  You can also check out my Pinterest Board "Fallspiration" for others to make for another party: ) - like Donut Hole Acorns, Mozz/Almond Fingers, Apple Salad!

Do you have any other fun Fall treat ideas that we should try?  Send them over!  nycolorislife@gmail.com.

Stay safe everyone!!

Weekend On My Mind: )

Hello!

It's past midnight, one of my fave movies is on (Amelie - I also love cracking creme brulee: ), and I am already thinking about all the fun things to do this weekend - aren't you?  Here are a few picks of things to consider doing over the next few days:

• Today TUES 10/16: It's Schnipper's Quality Kitchen's 1st Anniversary - Celebrate with $1 burgers (all day) and $1 PBRs (after 5pm) [10am-10pm, 23rd St and Madison Ave].
• Until FRI 10/19: Madison Square Eats - Stop by this week before it's over to grab some food and drinks (p.s. many of the same food trucks/restaurants will be at the Grub St Food Fair on Sun too, see below) [11am-9pm, B'way, 25th St, 5th Ave].
• SAT 10/20: Thinking about - 
1. Movie ($6 before noon) - Frankenweenie
2. Brooklyn Flea Fort Greene - Haven't been in a long while!
3. Dance Practice: )
4. Broadway show - TBD (maybe ONCE, Peter and the Starcatcher, or the Mystery of Edwin Drood) - rush tix!
• SUN 10/21: 3rd Annual Grub Street Food Fair - An extension of Hester St Fair (another cute outdoor flea market) + what looks like approx 100 food trucks/restaurants all in one place to try, one day only!  Free and open to the public - go early! [10am-6pm, Hester and Essex]
• Until SUN 10/28: Yayoi Kusama's Fireflies on the Water Exhibit at the Whitney Museum of Art - I get comp tix through my company: ) [11am-6pm, 945 Madison Ave + 75th St].

I'll post any other fun events on my FB page - be sure to "like"!

Friends - make the most of this week: be happy, love, forgive, celebrate, LIVE: ).  Thanks for reading - more soon! 

Sunday Funday: 9/23

Still one more day to enjoy before the work week!

Here are a few ideas for some Sunday Fun, if you don't sleep in too much after a night out (or do, that's ok too!).  I noted in green what I'm planning to check out today - saving the others for later!

SUN 9/23

• Open 7 days - DEKALB MARKET: I love going to street fairs whenever I have downtime on the weekends because there's always something to look at, buy, or eat - and Dekalb Market is one you should definitely go to over the next few weekends because it's closing/moving at the end of this month! [138 Willoughby Street (@Flatbush Ave), Brooklyn | B, Q, R to Dekalb Ave OR A, C, F & R to Jay St. Metrotech]
• LAST DAY: Check out the Omnivore World Tour Food Festival, a food celebration including chef demos, food, and music!
• 10am - 6pm - BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL: Might strike your fancy - all FREE events, see schedule here [209 Joralemon St, Brooklyn]
• 10am-7pm - BROADWAY CARES/FLEA MKT + AUCTION: Stop by Times Sq to look at/purchase B'way memorabilia to raise money to fight aids.  May see some B'way celebs there too! [W44 - Shubert Alley, website].
• 11am-9pm - MADISON SQUARE EATS (Thru 11/19): 25+ food vendor in one place, yummy! [25th St and 5th Ave, website].
• 1pm - BROOKLYN CANNING CLASS (Thru 10/21): Learn to be a master canner of late summer/fall fruits!  I know at least 2 couples who might like this: ) [BK Society for Ethical Culture, $20 includes materials and canned goodness to take home, website]
• 2pm - SHOW at Lincoln Center: La más grande historia jamás CANTADA (The Most Amazing Story Ever Sung) - well known Colombian musical production with 85 dancers, 600 costumes, and an 18-piece orchestra about the lesser known life of Jesus.  Email me to find out about $5 tix for this show (normally $45+!).  Still tix left, last show!
• SMALL WORKS NYC EXHIBIT (Thru 10/20): See "small works" that are meant to draw you closer into the art, FREE [Jeffry Leder Gallery, L.I.C - my old hood!  website]
• TATZU NISHI: DISCOVERING COLUMBUS (Thru 11/18): Get to know the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle a little better - and more, FREE (with timed tickets online or  at the 3rd Floor Info Desk in Time Warner. [Columbus Circle, website].
• 7-11pm - THE 64th Primetime EMMYs are on ABC, just FYI.

ENJOY!
NYChar

NYColor Recap: Sat 9/22

Quick Saturday Recap:

• DIM SUM: Took the gang to try Oriental Garden (14 Elizabeth St).  Here's what we thought: 

• PRO - The food comes out HOT like it was just cooked, with the option to order your faves (radish cakes + taro crispies!), and we were seated pretty quickly a little after noon (would have been no wait around 1130am!).  
• CON - Loses a bit of the full dim sum cart experience and energy, like in Jing Fong next door, and costs a few dollars more - especially if you eat as much as we do: ).  Boys also didn't think the bathroom was laid out very "feng shui" haha.
• CONSENSUS - For first-timers, out-of-towners and bigger groups (10+), I would still recommend going to Jing Fong because it is the "Times Square" of dim sum and can accommodate a lot of people.  Then after that, OG should be a good go-to place to keep on your list, as I know there are others (like Golden Unicorn and Red Egg) that people enjoy as well.  The point is that you dim sum often - it's delicious! 

[Side bar: For some reason, it still amazes me that any Chinese restaurants have their own websites, and they're nice!  Is it just a NY thing? haha]

• DRINKS: I had a lot to drink today!
• KUNG FU TEA: I tried the "fig jelly" tea today for the first time - liked it.  I like this place mostly for the name, but I know it is a lot of people's favorite.
• ARGO TEA: White Tea and Acai Squeeze - refreshing after dance practice!
• CAFE BENE: Pre show iced coffee.  Really cute Korean cafe at 49th and B'way - recommended spot to meet up with friends before seeing a show!
• HESTER STREET FAIR: A short walk from Oriental Garden at Hester + Essex (website) - read about the Stylist Tent event going on, but just ended up browsing everything, since it's not too big!  It's cute, got some jewelry (I usually do at these street fairs: ) - I'd go again, especially to try the food!
• THE BALL NY: It's where I have dance practice/lessons- if you're looking for a place: )
• NAILS: I try to snag Groupon nail deals when I can, but my Manhattan place for competition or just because nails that I can go anytime is off of 7th Ave at 27th St (a block from Argo Tea) - don't know the name, but only $19+tax, the cheapest I've found in the area, so far!
• BROADWAY: Watched Cyrano de Bergerac with Luiza R. - he does have quite the nose, but it is the words and the acting that the characters in the play and audience fall in love with.  Cyrano was incredible.  Fair warning that I was teary the ending scenes of the play, but it was enjoyable throughout.

That's it, called it an early night...that still has me up at 4am haha.  Onward to Sunday!