Category: Friends

A Summer in Chicago

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So – I guess I get why they say Chicago summers are the best. I moved here at the end of June, life unfolded almost instantly, and here I am, mid-October, feeling perhaps the most settled I’ve felt since my junior year of high school (which was over A DECADE ago, by the way. Where has the time gone?). While saying I don’t miss New York would be a lie, my time in Chicago feels very purposeful on a personal level, and now that I’ve had a chance to get my bearings in this new-to-me city, I’m excited to dive in, do work, and see where I land. All of that, and then also visit New York the first chance I get (see you next weekend, NY pals!).

Since we haven’t caught up in a while (How are YOU? Coffee soon!), here’s a visual peek at some of the things I’ve been up to over the past few months, in my life back in the Midwest.

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Entertaining in the Empire City: Jess’ go-to Guide

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Happy Friday! It’s the last day of the workweek and my the last post for the Entertaining in the Empire City series. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22 excited about both!

Today’s recommendations come from my best friend and roommate, Jess. Background info: I met Jess over a decade ago – participating in a variety show for our hometown theater. I became true friends with Jess when we were hired by Retail-Giant-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to deep clean their store with steel wool and a variety of semi-toxic cleaning products. I stayed friends with her for too many reasons to list. Top of my mind reasons include: Jess can hold a conversation with anyone, she’s never afraid to ask for what she wants, and her Instagram is a carefully curated work of art. She has the voice of Beyoncé, the face of Taylor Swift ;) and she always knows what she wants for dinner. The fact that she selflessly offers sound advice and unconditional support when you need it is just added bonus. (I really just keep her around for her Instagramming abilities).

So last but not least, in her words, here is Jess’ list of her favorite New York spots to show to out-of-town visitors.

Housing Works Bookstore, Soho: This place makes you feel like a hipster Belle in a bookstore paradise with spiral staircases and hundreds of rare, new, and used books. Pair that with a non-fat latte and decent record collection for browsing. Who needs a prince anyway?

UCB Cagematch, Chelsea: It goes without saying that Amy Poehler knows what’s up. Basically everything she touches turns to genius so it’s no surprise her underground improv den is sweaty, rowdy, and a whole lot of fun. I took my dad here for a midnight Cagematch show. He came for the PBRs, but stayed for the impressive fart jokes.

Le Cheile, Washington Heights: This one is just me being selfish. This adorable Irish bar is 2 blocks from my apartment. With its local art, subway tile decor, and locally sourced brews this place gives Brooklyn a run for its money. Oh, and the GIANT grilled cheese is kind of out of this world.

Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights: If you want to blow a tourist’s mind take them to this park. It feels like you’ve been dropped inside a mythical fairy land complete with beautiful flower gardens, tangles of tree branches overhead, and castles filled to the brim with medieval art. Oh, and somehow you’re still in Manhattan.

PUNDERDOME 3000, Gowanus, Brooklyn: Alright, I’ll hand it to Brooklyn for this one. PUNDERDOME is a weirdly wonderful evening once a month where pun aficionados convene in a battle royal of wits. Don’t question it, just go. It’s a pun of fun (get it?!).

 

And that’s a wrap on Entertaining in the Empire City, folks! Anything we missed? Anything you’re dying to check out?

Entertaining in the Empire City: Anela and Mandy’s Favorite Spots

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Day three. You know the drill. These two ladies are one-of-a-kind friends, and both have such unique takes on their favorite spots in the city. I met them both at the same former job (at different times), and even both being ladies of fashion, their tastes couldn’t be more different.

Up first, Anela – who was born and raised in Long Island and bleeds Brooklyn to the tee. She’s lived all over the boroughs, recently traveled to Africa, and finds inspiration everywhere she goes and in everything she does. She’s quirky, fun, and endlessly curious. Here’s what she has to say:

Anela prefaces, “These are my all time favorite places to eat. They really have an old school vibe to them, and are very New York. I’ve gotten to know them well, and I have to say they have stolen my heart. ”

As mentioned previously, my friend Mandy is another one of the fashionistas I surround myself with on the reg. Her Cali roots have instilled her with a sense of adventure and a professional drive that never gives up. For someone who I forced to call me “Princess” for the first three weeks we were acquainted (the same name didn’t vibe well with me off the bat), I’m surprised (and delighted!) that we are as close as we are now. But more so than that, I’m grateful, because I can’t imagine my New York life without her honest, rom-com-y, positive outlook on life. Here’s a few of Mandy’s favorite places she likes to show off to visitors.

Entertaining in the Empire City: According to Mike

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Here is part deux of the series I made up introduced yesterday – Entertaining in the Empire City.

The question: “When you have visitors in NYC, what are the five places (restaurants, bars, etc.) you MUST take them?”

The answerer: my pal Mike, who currently resides in LA. I had the good fortune of befriending Mike a few years ago in between folding heaps of Joe’s Jeans, color-coding sock walls and opening fitting room doors for cheap men price-conscious shoppers at a former job. Simply put, Mike’s the best. I trust his fashion sense tenfold over my own. His sarcasm and wit are constantly on point, and he’s one of the most genuine people I have ever met. Also, I think that it’s a universally accepted truth that you haven’t lived until Mike’s called you a bitch. He uses that word better than anyone I know and it’s hilarious and honest (and warranted) every single time.

Mike’s answers: I should note that he mentioned, “I had a hard time sticking to 5 places.” Here’s what made the cut:

  • The Room, Soho: Chillest bar ever.
  • The Heights Bar & Grill,  Morningside Heights: Cannot miss the happy hour on their rooftop.
  • The Sixth Ward, Lower East Side: $20 for brunch with unlimited mimosas.
  • Raines Law Room, Union Square: Really cool speakeasy. Visitors die over this place because they feel like they’re part of some exclusive New York lifestyle. *eye roll*
  • Veselka, East Village: Pierogi all day every day. OMG AND MINDY KALING LOVES IT TOO.*
  • Koronet Pizza, Morningside Heights: I don’t care what anyone says; this is the best NYC pizza place.
  • Spice (Multiple Locations): Delicious Thai food, and they’re all over Manhattan.
  • Obviously Shake Shack (Multiple locations): I love taking west coasters here.  They’ll never admit it’s better than In-N-Out, but they’ll know it’s true. Just like they won’t admit Disney World is better than Disneyland. “You just can’t compare the two,” they say.  YEAH, BECAUSE DISNEY WORLD IS THAT MUCH BETTER.

*see Mindy Kaling’s Instagram for further information.

Entertaining in the Empire City: a la Allison

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Do you live in a big city and find yourself desperate and unsure of what to do when you have to get to entertain visitors? I suppose you really don’t have to live in a big city to warrant that problem. But alas, a problem it is for many, if the random sampling I took of my friends holds true to the population at large.

Truth is, although I’ve been neglecting to update my audience here, I do tend to find myself occupied most weeknights and many weekends of the year — like you too, I am sure. But whenever I have guests coming that ask me to plan a fun weekend, my mind draws blank. My weekends in distant memory are suddenly painted in cherry red Netflix, my favorite coffee shop morphs into a Starbucks and the only activities that come to mind are Time Square, the Statue of Liberty and Central Park. Like most city-dwellers, none of that generally occupies my daily life. Point is — I always struggle to come up with cute, quaint, and not mega tourist-heavy spots for my house-guests.

I wanted to curate a no-fail list of amazing restaurants, activities et al to entertain weekend visitors, if you too happen to live in the city and face this problem. However – what do I know? A lot of my weekends DO consist of Netflix. So I did what any other girl would have done – I got by with a little help from my friends. And since I have many wonderful people in my life who volunteered to help a girl out, I decided to make this into a series.

Each of these fine New York loving pals took their own unique twist on answering my question, and their picks highlighted their own experience in the city and personality to a fault. So without further ado, I begin the first entry in my Entertaining in the Empire City series.

I’ve known Allison literally since the day I moved to New York. Unbeknownst to us both at that time, we later lived with each other for about a year, and even now we still remain close since her exciting relocation to Chicago a few months back. To paint you a little picture, Allison is what you’d get if you blended Carrie Bradshaw and Elizabeth Warren in a mixer, heated in the oven for 40 minutes at 375 degrees, and then iced that to look like Jackie O. She’s powerful, classy, and unapologetically herself 24/7. It’s no surprise that her favorite New York haunts are riddled with those vibes as well. In her words, here’s her favorite locales to entertain guests:

Dive Bar: Fourfaced Liar, West Village: Best place to meet the real New Yorkers who have lived in Greenwich Village for over 30 + years, who might have a drinking problem — but that only adds to its charm.  Ironically has the best bloody mary in Manhattan (made by John the bartender).

Mob-vibe Italian: Volare, Greenwich Village: If you are under 35 you will be easily the youngest person there.  Even if you don’t eat here, go in and have a Negroni to experience the place.  In a city where restaurants open and close all the time, Volare has been a West Village staple for ages and you feel like you’ve entered a time warp when you walk in.

Wasted Happy Hour: Pazza Notte, Midtown West: Best bang for your buck happy hour.  2 for 1 Martinis all night, 7 days a week.  Pizza, Risotto, and truffle fries (they LOVE their truffle oil here) are amazing and are the perfect foods to keep your hangover at bay.

Best View: Per Se, Hell’s Kitchen: I literally take friends and family who are visiting here because I do not want to wait in line or be part of the Empire Hotel rooftop scene. Outstanding ambiance and you can always get a seat and enjoy a martini which are great here.  They usually have a DJ so you can dance if you want.

The post you never want to write

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I didn’t know that I could experience so many ranges of emotion with such fervor in a 36 hour window. From my anxiety and excitement for the move (which couldn’t have gone smoother) to working a busy day capped off with the most elegant event of my young adult life, to paralyzing nervousness for my improv performance (which was surprisingly so much fun), to experiencing a very unexpected and unwelcome phone call just as I was settling down Sunday evening.

Losing someone you love is tough. Grieving is tough. There is no right or wrong way to mourn, but no matter how you slice it, it always feels like there’s more you could or should be doing. To honor. To cope. To remember.

My friend Kourtney was a very special person. Not special in the way all moms tell you their kid is, but an honest-to-God, very unique and wonderful human. She was honest and genuine, a truly beautiful soul with a flare for adventure and an incredible and authentic sense of style to match. I was privileged to spend what turned out to be her last birthday with her last summer; we spent the night dancing and club-hopping until the sun came up. That was the latest (earliest?) I’ve been out on the town since. She was a few years older than me, but her spirit was youthful: full of energy and a passion for living, which I guess is irony in the worst and most awful sense.

People say a lot of nice things about you after you’re gone. It’s really too bad because all of these things I would have loved to tell Kourtney in person. Not to directly quote Wicked here, but I really do think that knowing her made me a better person. I’m happy and lucky to have called her a friend and wish there was still time to spend with her.

This wasn’t the way I wanted to kick off my week, but glazing over this huge thing and posting a coffee shop review would feel entirely inappropriate today. Especially knowing how many of my friends are also living this somber state of confusion and hurt. So if you can, whether you knew Kourtney or not, try not to take anything for granted this week. Really relish the time you are here and spend it with people you love, doing things you love. Hug your loved ones a little closer and maybe a little too long, because you never know what’s going to happen or what kind of demons they are carrying with them. Rest in peace, my dear friend. The world is already dimmer in your absence.

BarBacon Review

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As soon as I heard about BarBacon — a single focused restaurant that opened a few months back in Hell’s Kitchen, I forced nicely asked one of my friends to accompany me on a visit. A restaurant that centralized on the winning (and artery clogging) bacon and beer combo — what could be better?

We started with the Tasting, which included four kinds of bacon: jalapeño, spicy pepper, maple and smoked applewood. Each was delectable, but we deemed the jalapeño as our favorite. Before going, I noticed that Yelp reviewers were loving on the grilled cheese and lobster roll. A common thought after doing some preliminary research would be to order said grilled cheese and/or lobster roll, but my friend and I aren’t really the trend-following type (just kittens we met working in fashion), so she went for the pulled pork sandwich and I opted to check out the lobster bisque. Both entrees were phenomenal.

If I went back again (and against the health-conscious part of my brain’s better judgement, I would), I think I would cave and try the grilled cheese. And probably not go at 7pm on a Friday since it’s the end of their happy hour (4-7pm is half off well drinks and beers) and they don’t take reservations. Overall, it’s a cute joint. If you’re the meat-eating type and ever find yourself in Hell’s Kitchen, it’s worth checking out.

Bar Bacon SignBar Bacon BaconIMG_0319Bar Bacon PorkBar Bacon Lobster Bisque

Home for the Holidays [a Non-Recap]

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I went to my birthstate of Ohio for Christmas, and it was lovely. While I wish I had a hilariously long and witty event-filled recap for you, that wouldn’t be paying proper homage to my hometown. But full disclosure: doing a whole lot of nothing for six days was exactly what I needed. I was able to spend some quality time with all of the friends and family I wanted to see, and to me, that’s what home is. Well, that and Wal-Mart people-watching, Bob Evans’ breakfasts and $5 movies at the 11% occupied “mall.” I unfortunately wasn’t able to get any good family pictures this time around, which is seriously depressing because my mom’s Facebook default is from the stage of my life when an old manager informed me I had the hairstyle of an Orthodox Jew. But I suppose that’s just another reason for them (my parents, not Jewish women) to come and visit me in old New York!

Harding MemorialJonEmJaredHarding Memorial 2GraveyardSteph Jordan Me

Hello, 2014.

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Happy 2014 to you! Can you believe this is the year Mean Girls turns 10 AND FRIENDS TURNS 20?! It’s 2014 and this is where my head is. I’m blaming it on my cold. I digress.

This morning I woke up in a mansion in the Hamptons and I couldn’t be more grateful or confused. I either had a lovely party with friends here last night or the NyQuil gods now own my body. Either way, I’m feeling pretty good. I hope all of my readers had a wonderful, safe time ringing in the New Year as well. I’m so thankful you’ve already stopped by to check on LGBA in 2014. I hope you enjoy this day of new beginnings with your dearest friends and family. I’m going to relish in my last few hours away from the city, and I’ll be back full-swing tomorrow.

Hello 2014

Weekend Visitors

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The middle/end of last week was such a whirlwind for me. From not feeling well to the jury duty fake out, to insanity at work, to trying to get everything wrapped up for my trip home…AND I had visitors! I spent what time I was out of the office with my best friend from high school, her husband and her dad. I love having people to show off the city to — mostly because it gives me a chance to do all of the touristy things I usually can’t manage to make myself get into regularly. Not only did I get to see some pretty incredible shows that offered my last chance at getting into the holiday spirit (The Rockettes, A Christmas Story, and not-seasonal themed Newsies), but it was also another chance to break out this new beast of a camera and shoot some places I wouldn’t normally visit! It was such a fun weekend with great people, and it got me even more excited for my holiday in Ohio.

Bridge Sims

Bryant Park Tree

NYPL

Lockets focus