Tag Archives: manhattan

Good Food: Where I like to eat (and drink) in Manhattan

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I have posted here and there about some of my favorite restaurants in NYC but never done a full dining guide, per se.

This also is not a dining guide – too overwhelming. Plus I’m a somewhat picky eater and not what anyone would call a food expert. It is decidedly not a trendy list–look elsewhere for that.

But I do have my favorites so here are some of them.

Best square pie

GG’s in the East Village. I just love this little spot. From its delicious pizza to its charming pressed tin ceiling to the always-fun playlists, GG’s is a go-to. And the cocktail list is terrific.

ggs-sm-20151211_202415

Best fried chicken

Root & Bone, it’s yours. I have never been disappointed. Plus the service is so thoughtful.

Best quick breakfast in Midtown Manhattan

Little Collins or Ground Central. I wish Little Collins were a bit more spacious, and I wish Ground Central were quieter, but both are gems in an area dominated by chains.

Best indulgent breakfast in Midtown Manhattan Continue reading →

Weekend Update

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I approached this weekend with little planned – in a good way! Business travel Monday and Tuesday had left me feeling a bit tired.

Dinner on Friday with my friend Julie popped up as an option. We had a drink at Jane and then dinner at The Dutch. Very fun catching up.

Via glenwoodnyc.com

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My NYC To Do List – Progress Report

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As you may recall, I started My NYC To Do List not long after moving back here after ten years in DC. My attention to The List has been, well, haphazard at best.

But I’m focused now. Ready to tackle stuff and add new To Dos.

1. Check out Sleep No More – accomplished!

2. Eat at Traif – achieved, more than once.

traif

3. See the Radical Camera exhibit – missed. That will teach me to pick things with realistic deadlines. Maybe.

4. Attend a Saturday Night Live taping (Click)

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My weekend in a nutshell

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Pellegrinos

By the time I got back from a biz trip to DC, I was too tired to do much.

I found the energy to eat and drink though! Mom and her friends visited Saturday and we went to our old favorite, Pellegrino’s.

When the group departed, I met up with friends at Linen Hall (one rushed Manhattan) and Omar’s (two delectable Manhattans).

How was your weekend?

My Brooklyn Saturday

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How was your weekend?

Brooklyn is such a big borough – NYC’s 2nd largest and most populous – that I sometimes feel bad for not exploring more. On Saturday, I saw friends and checked out new-to-me places without ever leaving BK. I loved it! First I met up with my new friend Sarah in Bushwick. We had brunch at Roberta’s and then walked – and walked – to the Jonathan Adler warehouse sale.

Bushwick Brunch was terrific. Continue reading →

The apartment that got away

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I know I said I was staying put, but then the rent went up and I started looking around.

The pickings were slim, as always given that it’s NYC, but I kept looking. It seemed like a good opportunity to press RESET, perhaps lower my rent and maybe even go back to Manhattan. As I’ve said, I love Williamsburg, but the L train occasionally challenges my sanity. It would also be nice to have more friends closer to home.

I saw a few “one bedrooms” that were actually studios with a funny wall built to awkwardly break up the space. Like this.

Via Bond

That seems to be the trick of the moment. Years ago, before NYC realtors used the internet much for posting their listings, tricks included not telling you the apartment location and making you meet them on a nearby corner (so you wouldn’t try to see the apartment independently and avoid their broker’s fee).

Then I saw one apartment that was a possibility. Continue reading →

How was your weekend?

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This weekend, I celebrated being back home in Brooklyn after a few days in my home state of Pennsylvania. These were some of the least restful vacation days, but I got lots of quality time with family.

I also…

Did a little prep for Mollytopia‘s upcoming NYC visit. She booked us for a cheese class at Murray’s. I’m so excited!

Had brunch with this handsome fellow Zach (and his wonderful mom) at Spring Natural Kitchen. The banana bread French toast is terrific.

Z

Read half of a book I’m not fond of but can’t seem to give up on and this Apartment Therapy post about living in Los Angeles.

Went to dinner with my friend Amanda at Corkbuzz. We had a wine flight of rosés to acknowledge the coming end of summer. My favorite was the Bisson Portofino Ciliegiolo ’12 (Liguria). The food was hit or miss unfortunately–and pricey.

Caught up with Eliza and her mother Susan, and also met Oscar.

Got a much-needed haircut here and afterward, a much-much-needed passport photo which, while acceptable, I will not be posting anywhere.

Other than the fact that I got my nails done and hate the color, it was a good weekend.

What did you do?

Should I stay or should I go?

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The early days of this blog featured a few posts about my epic apartment hunt in 2011. After all of that, would you believe that I have thought about moving? I considered it.

kitchen

I love my apartment with a few small exceptions: Continue reading →

Celebrity encounter: George Clooney and David Spade

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The year was 1995. Or maybe it was 1996. Perhaps my memory is fuzzy on that detail because it’s so clear on the rest.

I was young and fresh. Sort of cute maybe, but not cosmopolitan. My Scranton roots showed. I lived in Manhattan‘s Gramercy Park neighborhood where my rent was $950 per month and my entry-level salary was $25,000 per year. I was poor but somehow unconcerned, a combination of parental subsidies and youthful bluster-slash-cluelessness.

Observe all of the 90s awesomeness happening in this pic

Observe all of the 90s awesomeness happening in this pic

“It will all work out,” I figured each time I put down my credit card for Chinese food, pints of Guinness or blonde highlights.

I took a second job working part-time at the Broadway location of Equinox checking IDs for the cheaper membership as well as the extra money. Once I checked in Michael J. Fox, but didn’t realize until he had proceeded through the turnstile. It was only when his member photo popped up on my computer monitor, that I said “Oh” aloud, recognizing him. He was so little in person.

I used the little bit of Equinox cash I earned to purchase personal training sessions. Of course.

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