Sunday, January 29, 2012

I am dreaming of a white New York City...

There is something about waking up to a world covered in white glittering snow that makes even the most ordinary day, seem extraordinary.

As we slowly opened our eyes last Saturday morning (as Nora nudged my hand to tell me to get up and take her out), we awoke to fluffy white snow flakes floating past our window. Now, since we live high in the sky and use the clock and thermometer that top the building next door for our weather report, we rolled over to check out the frosty truth and it was a shivering 20 degrees!! Ahhh Yayyy- Winter had finally arrived in NYC!!
We quickly rolled off the bed towards our bedroom window and looked down to the ground below, it was just the scene we have been waiting so long to see. The ground was covered in a blanket of glittering snow and other than our doorman shoveling snow from the side walk to carve out a walking path from our entry way, the streets were empty. We are early risers on Saturday mornings because first we have to take out Nora, but second we LOVE getting up early, eating an amazing breakfast, and getting a huge head start on the day while everyone else is still asleep.
I quickly bundled up, prepared Nora for her morning walk in the snow and headed out!

Ahhh, the muffled sound of crunching snow beneath my snow boots, the feeling of freedom as I took to the quiet streets of NY as if the city was abandoned, this was the snowy bliss I had been waiting for. As we learned last year when it snowed so much in Dallas, Nora LOVES the snow. She hit that snow and there was no turning back, she was ready to run and play!
Central Park Morning Walk
Cold Nose!
Quiet Streets
Snowing in Columbus Circle
After a fun walk in the snow, frozen hands, icy hair, and one happy, wet, dirty dog, it was time to curl up inside with a Cup of Joe and a NY bagel. Days like this are made to force you to drop everything and relax, it was so so nice.
Later this snowy day, we decided to invite all of our new friends over, Neil and Iliana and Bridget and her boyfriend visiting from London for a movie day. We made gourmet grilled cheese, tomato soup, and munched on Chocolate Macaroons and all watched Money Ball. We then all bundled up later that night and went out for Thai and to grab some drinks at a cozy bar down the street. It was a perfect snow day in NYC that we will remember forever.




Tuesday, January 24, 2012

First's

This past Friday Stuart and I got to experience two of our first's in NY, the NYC Ballet and our first Mexican food dinner. We had high hopes for the NYC Ballet but not so much for NYC's interpretation of 'South of the Border' specialties...I mean we are really far from Mexico, but we had to try since our hankering for a taste of home was so strong.

Jalapeño
As we made our way north from our house to the Upper West Side, we came across Jalapeño, a Mexican food restaurant. The interior was warm and inviting and upon entering we were kindly welcomed in and did not get the normal "crooked, confused face" from a rude hostess that can't believe we would not have made a reservation. Geezzz...one thing we have learned about NYC is never show up somewhere expecting you can just go in. Everything seems to require reservations, tickets, 3 months pre-planning, or a possible hour or two wait. We are adjusting though and in the process becoming a little less spontaneous and instead a little more planned, by force of the city. Stuart made the comment the other day that he has become a lot more patient because of this city, and I totally agree. You have to approach NYC with the idea that so many things are out of your control and you just need to roll with the punches (literally, since this is how I feel walking home sometimes as I get elbowed in the back by the other hundreds of people walking home in Midtown). Anyway, back to Jalapeño, Stu ordered a pulled pork burrito and I tried the Veggie Tortilla soup. Both dishes were fairly basic, not very memorable, and definitely did not look or taste like anything you get back in Texas. And in true Texan form, you can only judge a Mexican restaurant by the chips and salsa, and Jalapeño just did not deliver. A shot glass size plastic cup full of Salsa won't cut it. All in all, we really did have fun trying our first Mexican food restaurant and judging it like a snooty Texan who knows a little bit about the cuisine.

Ballet
Our next stop was the NYC ballet to see Concerto in G Major! Another thing about NYC is that everything is insanely expensive, for this reason we got a little crafty in finding tickets to the ballet. Normal third tier tickets to the ballet have a face value of $89. This is pretty high for your first ballet experience, not knowing what to expect or if you will even enjoy it! There should definitely be a discount for first time ballet ticket purchasers, I am sure there is no way to keep track of this information, but it would surely get "non-ballet" goers to give it a try. After researching the ballet, I did a quick search on Craigslist and hit the jackpot with a guy selling third tier tickets for $20 each. Wow- it sounded too good to be true, but we are not scared and we went for it. It turns out the tickets were real, the seller was very nice, and it ended up that the seller works at the NYC Ballet and always gets discount tickets. We will now be pen pals with the seller and hopefully score many more tickets to the NYC ballet. The ballet was absolutely beautiful! It is mesmerizing to watch the dancers and imagine the work they have to do to bend, leap, and stretch into the positions that they do. I cannot wait to see a ballet with a more well known story line so that I am able to follow along easier. For two people who never see ballets on a regular basis, there is a shift in thinking that must take place because it is an art form where the story is played out by movements instead of words or pictures. It is quite interesting and keeps you engaged the entire time as you try to connect and interpret the dancers moves to the story they are trying to tell. I am sure this stands true for Opera but in a different way, and we plan on giving that a go next!
After all of Friday's fun, and just when we didn't think anything could get better, Stuart and I woke up to snowflakes falling past our window and our first white New York Day. I will save this story for the next post though...hehe! You can so tell I am in advertising with my little teasers- got to draw my viewers back for something. ;)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

To Mystic and Beyond...

Our road trip to Mystic, CT turned out to be quite a magical and relaxing weekend! After living in the city now for almost 2 full months we were seeking the peace and quiet, but in normal "S&E Hood" fashion, also a great adventure. We successfully found both last weekend.

Friday
Our weekend started Friday night with an extremely fun night out with our new friends Iliana and Neil to a local neighborhood pub called Valhalla. This particular pub has a robust beer list and it was packed to the brim people which turned out to be a cozy way to spend a cold Friday night, and a perfect way to kick off the long weekend.

Saturday & On...
We were up and ready to go Saturday at 6a...we couldn't wait to start the trip! We had to get creative in planning our first big weekend trip away because we wanted to bring along Nora but in NYC you cannot bring a dog on a subway, Amtrak, or Greyhound so we decided to rent a car and road trip it instead. All packed up, we grabbed a Taxi with Nora and headed out to LaGuardia airport to pick up our rental car. You are able to rent cars everywhere in Manhattan but the price per day for a car here versus near the airport will run you approx. $50-$100 MORE per day. After picking up a cute Nissan Rogue, we were off and onto the open road. If anyone knows Stuart, you know he LOVES to drive and after months of getting around by foot, subway, and the occasional Taxi, Stuart felt free behind the wheel and we were both excited to break out of the constraints and limitations of the city.
Yale
Our first planned stop came from a suggestion by our friends Iliana and Neil who attended Yale in their undergrad. They told us we had to stop at Clarie's Corner Copia in New Haven, CT across the street from Yale and get a piece of the Lithuanian Coffee Cake. Following one of our top adventure rules, we took the advice of a former local and made our first pitstop, which turned out to be delicious!! Stuart and I split a piece of the coffee cake and I had the most amazing omelet made with basil ricotta cheese (something I will remake at home soon).
After breakfast we took a stroll around Yale's campus!



Next, continuing North to Mystic, CT we took some detours to explore a few small towns along the way. The small towns lining I-95 to Mystic, CT are so quaint with a rich sense of history dating back to the 1800's.
We finally reached our Mystic, CT B&B which was a perfect little place nestled in the harbor just a few blocks from downtown Mystic, CT. If you want to travel by Amtrak, the train lets off right downtown where you can walk to all of the hotels, B&B's, and restaurants...it's all planned out in perfect Northeast fashion.
Here are some of the Mystic, CT highlights from our trip!

Little White Steeple
Local Pub
Main Street
The Famous Mystic, Pizza!
Beach in Stonington, CT

The Old Lighthouse in Stonginton, CT
Our dream Summer Home
City Park
Small Town Feel
Colonial Architecture
THE Best Lobster Roll. A traditional Maine Lobster Roll is made with cold Lobster Salad but other states have adopted a warm Lobster Roll with a garlic butter topping. We decided to try both and make our own judgement at one of the best Lobster Roll restaurants in Mystic, CT.
Erica's Vote: Lobster Salad
Stu's Vote: Lobster Salad
I guess we should listen to Maine where these rolls of deliciousness originated. YUMM
Stuart and I spent our days driving around Mystic, Stonington, and surrounding small towns exploring the architecture, food, local shops, book stores, and just relaxing back at our B&B with a book or fun TV show. Not all trips result in making our personal "Best of" list, but this one has a few of those honors. Criteria for making "the best of" list is experiencing something special enough to be cravable. Stuart and I do not love routine, doing the same thing over and over, or visiting the same vacation spot time and again...we like to experience the "new" because we feel there is so much to see in this world. But, there are a few exceptions and those are most definitely on our "Best of" list.

Best of Mystic, CT
#1. Best quaint northeast getaway. If we are ever craving the peace and quiet again, there is no doubt this will be our secret refuge.
#2. Best seafood we have had anywhere. Hands down. We had amazing seafood dishes at Bravo Bravo and Noah's Restaurant.

After 3 days of bliss in Mystic we packed up and headed back to the city on Martin Luther King Day. Our fun didn't end there though because we got an exciting call from Stu's cousin Allie in NYC to invite us to the recording of The Colbert Report. This was our first live TV show taping and it was a BLAST!! It was incredibly sweet for Allie to invite us and it was the perfect way to wrap up an absolutely PERFECT weekend. We cannot wait to explore other Northeast towns and cities!









Friday, January 13, 2012

A New York Friday

The feeling on a New York Friday puts butterflies in my tummy because I know I get an entire weekend to float around with Stuart and explore the unknowns of this amazing city. This Friday is extra special and I am especially giddy because we both get Monday off for Martin Luther King Day and we are going on our first Northeast Coast road trip to Mystic, CT.


It was so hard to choose what area we were going to explore first around NYC, but we chose the Connecticut coast for a variety of reasons.
  • The coast of Connecticut is a major summer destination, so we wanted to discover it first in it's off season when things are quiet and empty. Stuart and I have really changed since moving to NYC in this fact, because we were always itching to go to another great big city every moment we had off from work when living in Dallas, but for the first time ever we are seeking a true escape from it all. NYC will do this to you with the constant hustle and bustle. We cannot wait for a peaceful weekend.


  • We love seafood! The area is known for having incredibly fresh, right off the boat, Lobster, Scallops, Clams, and Oysters. Nothing sounds better than that.


  • Water, boats, fresh air, and a tiny B&B are just what the doctor ordered. One would think that the only fun time to be around boats and water would be the summer, but then they would be missing out on the best secret. There is nothing sweeter in life than sitting on a cold front porch wrapped in thick blankets, reading a book, sipping a cup of Joe, and listening to the water roll over the shore. It is easy to get lost in its collective magic and visiting in the winter ensures you miss the crowds and the heat.

We plan on posting about our adventures in Mystic, CT so look for all of those good times next week. Happy Friday everyone~ find your adventure this weekend, and let us know how you made it extraordinary!


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Winter Food

Stu and I LOVE and appreciate really great food and we have become so good at finding it due to a few tiny secrets. Dive in and get ready for delicious finds.

Secret #1 Google- Complete a mass search on Google on the city you are visiting, pull up published articles from reputable food critic publications such as the New York Times, Travel and Leisure, Food and Wine, Bon Appetite, etc. Scan articles for "best of" lists, trends, new restaurant openings, and anything else you can find. This initial research helps us understand the essence and culture of a city and helps us narrow in on finding the "best of" in a specific region. For every trip we choose one of the top restaurants in the city to a get a real taste for the culinary greatness the best city chefs can provide.

Secret #2 Yelp/Trip Advisor/Urbanspoon-After finding out everything we can from reputable publications we turn to the people. We like to balance the opinions of the critics with local reviews from the people in order to undercover "real" truths and insight on the information we discovered through articles. If a city is known for a specific cuisine from our initial research we may begin to focus our attention on reviews from praised restaurants in that category. Sites that we use for "the peoples" reviews are Yelp, Trip Advisor, and UrbanSpoon.

http://www.yelp.com
http://www.urbanspoon.com
http://www.tripadvisor.com

Secret #3 Recommendations- More than the critics and consumer reviews, we talk to the ordinary people in the city. As soon as Stu and I land at our destination, we immerse ourselves quickly with our surroundings by befriending anyone we can to get the real town scoop! We talk to people at the airport, our taxi drivers, hotel concierge, store clerks, and the person sitting next to us at a bar...you never know who is around you and we are not shy. This has proven to be the most successful way of finding the off-the-beaten path gems in a city. Never underestimate the power of a LOCAL.

One other fun note to add is that over the past 2 years we have tapped into one other "food find" resource, The Food Network!! Our most trusted sources are Anthony Bourdain (travel channel), Guy Fieri, or Giada's recommendations, they are our favorite FN personalities and we trust their finds but we look into all of them. Once you find a restaurant in a city that was featured on the Food Network, we go to YouTube and watch the episode and note all of the dishes that the host features to remember the most well made items on the menu. This is just another way to dive into a city food first.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/local/index.html

Please let Stu or I know if you ever need restaurant recommendations, we love sharing our yummy finds.

Since great food is one of our loves, here are some food adventures we have had lately.

Road Trip from Dallas to New York City- Stu and I had THE most amazing BBQ we have ever had on our road trip to move up north! We followed our rules above as we were driving through the Arkansas hills and stumbled upon this little gem. Just thinking about it I am ready to grab a car and make the drive back down just to stop again. Get the Collard Greens...they 'der cook 'em up right.
First night in New York Dinner- Well, you would think that our first night in New York would be glamourous and exciting, but since we were up to our eye balls in boxes (literally) and were recovering from a traumatic day of moving (including parking tickets, Russian movers, chaos, and city shock) we just wanted something warm that we could eat in our new home. So, our first night included our first experience with NYC takeout and what better way to find the best takeout than ask our doorman (they know everything). We were quickly directed to Luigi's which was supposedly the best takeout Italian in our neighborhood. We ordered the "normal" Chicken Cutlet Parmesean and a garden salad and Stu picked it up from around the corner. In the only space left in our apartment we huddled around two chairs and had our first meal in NYC. To be honest, the dinner was nothing out of the ordinary, but due to the circumstances...it was pretty extraordinary.Union Square Greenmarket- The best food that New York has to offer is not in the $500 per person meals at Masa in Columbus Circle (although I cannot attest), but rather found in the Greenmarket in Union Square. If you are like us and a sucker for fresh food, sustainable farming, and you like you support local agriculture, this would be your dream foodie haven too. This is where 140 regional farmers, fisherman, and bakers sell their goods to NY city dwellers. Our first trip to the market was pretty much the most exciting thing ever and I just had to restrain myself from buying every shiney apple and tomato I laid eyes on. The best thing we got were a dozen of the largest most beautiful eggs, so incredibly fresh that when we opened the carton to make breakfast the next day feathers were stuck to the shells.

Growing up I noticed that most dads watched football on Saturdays and Sundays, read sports or golfing magazines, and defined a steak or burger as their favorite meal, but this was not my reality. My dad read Organic Gardening Magazine, planted gardens as big as some people's homes on the weekend, and loved vegetables as the main course. Maybe my love for fresh food comes from my dad and my appreciation of fresh produce reaches deeper than just the tastebud, never the less I am so thankful for what he has taught me. I CANNOT wait to bring him to the Greenmarket and buy everything in sight! :)

Our trip to GreenMarket



Stu and I would love to share our reviews and point of view on many restaurants we visit as we travel the world. Stay tuned for more sweet finds.