NYC Street Art: 37th Avenue and 76th Street.

I'm just walking the street in Jackson Heights, New York and see this bright, beautiful and unexpected work of art.  Seeing it gave me a much needed jolt on a cloudy day.  This is the outside wall of a Foodtown supermarket on the corner of 37th Avenue and 76th Street.  It reminds me a lot of Keith Haring's work.

Movie Reaction: American Fiction

    Thelonious Ellison, whom everyone calls "Monk" starts a hoax when personal and professional pressures come together all at once.  Basically, his mother needs long-term care, and he is the only one of his surviving siblings in a position to help. To address the financial challenges and express his frustration and disdain as a writer for a publishing industry that he thinks kowtows to the lowest common denominator to sell books, he pens a novel that includes all the stereotypes of the life of a black man.  The movie has a satirical take on the state of current racial politics, but also incorporates the story of one family dealing with personal issues.  The effects of divorce, death, financial insecurity, coming out, solo living -- they are all touched on in this comedy in a sensitive way.  It has been a long time where I have watched a movie that was able to combine many issues in comedic and touching ways.

Reaction: Worth seeing    

Winter Restaurant Week 1: Empire Steak House

Interior of Empire Steak House - East

It's here and the good eats can begin!  It's the first week of Restaurant Week, a time when some of the best restaurants participate and offer a limited menu at a fixed price of $30/$45 (two courses) for lunch and $45/$60 (three courses) for dinner - a wonderful value for your money.  I love aged steak and going to a nice restaurant to enjoy that treat is very pricey, so one of my favorite places to indulge during Restaurant Week is at Empire Steak House at the East side location.  It always has a great 3-course dinner.  This past Friday, I enjoyed a tender but crispy calamari (sorry no picture because I ate it before I thought of taking a picture), Strip Steak (medium well) and it came with its own potatoes and broccoli, and for dessert, a tiramisu and coffee.  The fixed price menu offers alternatives if steak is not your thing.

Medium Well Strip Steak with mashed potatoes and broccoli.  I couldn't resist taking a forkful of mashed potatoes before remembering to take a picture.

Every part of the meal was well executed, and the service was attentive and wonderful.  I also enjoyed the house malbec during the dinner.  I thought I got good value for my menu.  The portions were generous compared to other places with a similar menu.

Tiramisu and coffee - I love the Empire bull in powdered in cinnamon.

The restaurant itself is beautiful.  It used to be a small opera house.  The chandelier is very grand.  Restaurant Week ends February 4, so if you are in town for the next couple of weeks, take advantage and enjoy a great meal at a good price.  Make reservations as soon as you can because some restaurants do fill up during this time.

Movie Reaction: Wonka

 It has been a while since I have been treated to a musical movie and Wonka sweetens the taste buds very well. It's not Oscar and Hammerstein (what is nowadays) but the songs are nice enough, the costumes are colorful, the sets are amazing and there is enough dancing to get your feet tapping.

The story is about a young Willy Wonka returning from adventures far away to learn all things chocolate.  His aim is to return and make chocolate and sell them in a shopping area known for its chocolates.  However, a trio of master chocolatiers have formed a cartel and are in cahoots with a chocoholic police commissioner to stop the new, ambitious chocolatier and his delectable treats from ever getting to the public.

Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa and Timothee Chalamet's Pure Imagination songs are a nice nod to the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory musical.  Keep in mind that this Wonka presents itself as a prequel to the original.  Young Willy is naive, hopeful, and optimistic not sinister or world-weary as Gene Wilder's older and successful Willy Wonka.

It's worth watching and take the kids with you.

New Year 2024 at Bryant Park

I'm already missing these holiday scenes.  When I walked around Bryant Park, it was a little sad because a lot of the stalls of the Christmas Market were already empty and were in the middle of being taken down.  However, there were still many people enjoying the season and going ice skating.

The Christmas Tree was still up and a popular background for taking pictures.  It's not the biggest Christmas Tree but made everything so festive.

Welcome 2024!

 

It's always a nice surprise when you see someone went to a lot of effort for the holidays.  These friendly folk from the balcony welcomes everyone to the New Year.

The Year 2022 is Better Than Last Year

Just like January 2021, we know that this year will be better.  Why?  We have vaccines, we have experience in coping, we have learned to make our way in the middle of pandemic.  No judgments regarding how you do it; the fact that people are keep going, monitoring their health, taking tests or booster shots, working -- these are all better than last year.  Now all we have to do is continue to create a life in the middle of a pandemic.  It will go away and it will take time.  But we are here and all of us are survivors.  For that we should be happy and live!

New York Times Travel Show

Traditinal Indonesian Costumes

The annual New York Times Travel Show finished over the weekend.  It's been awhile since I attended so I decided to visit and this year's show was so good, I was wondering what I had missed all those years that I didn't go.  The expo was held at the Jacob Javits Center and there were many things to see on the Saturday, the second day of the three-day event.  Of course there are the exhibits and tables from various countries and cities, but there were also dance presentations, food samples, cooking demonstrations and a lot of giveaways.  It has to be said, I have a ton of pens, and grocery bags with colorful designs.

I saw not only the amazing costumes from the Indonesia exhibit (pictured above), but I also sampled some green tea ice cream from the Tokyo Tokyo table, red wine from the Puglia exhibition, cheese from Cabot, cashew juice from Brazil exhibit, etc. etc. etc.

There were some interesting topics that were also being held on various travel related things such as the how-to's of packing, solo travel, and sustainable travel.  I couldn't go to any of these things because I was so busy trying to get freebies at the exhibition area.  I did manage to see a South African dance and a cooking exhibion on Turkish food.  There were so many things to see and do and it all reinforced my love for travel and gave me some great ideas on what to put on my travel bucket list.

Aftermath of a Snow Storm

The blizzard fizzled out to just an ordinary snowstorm.  The following day, a lot of people were out shoveling their sidewalks and clearing out the remnants of the snow.  Because it was so cold, the snow had hardened to ice in some parts but overall it was a very manageable event.

The side streets were also cleared.  Awesome!

The people who live on this street did a great job of clearing their sidewalks of snow.

Blizzard!!!

Okay, it's all over the news today to prepare for Blizzard 2017 coming tomorrow!

I love a snow day.

We'll see whether we get what we are anticipating...

Enjoy Beer, Conservation, and Art in One Bar

25 Beers and Ciders on Tap!

The Arts and Craft Bar Parlor is the kind of place where you can enjoy a beer, have a conversation with friends, and not have to fight to be heard above the din of whatever sports event is happening on the TV set.  There are no television sets and the place doesn't have a kitchen so the food selection is limited to something that can be easily reheated.  What is not limited is your choice of beer or hard cider to drink.  The parlor has 25 beers and ciders on tap in addition to bottles and cans on offer.  Prices range mostly from $7-$8.  There is a limited selection of wine as well, if you don't like beer or cider.

And it's not hard to have a conversation, this beer parlor acts as a gallery of sorts.  The walls feature works of artists on a revolving basis.  The walls leads people to converse.

It's a great place to just have a beer and relax.  There is nothing to worry about except what you are going to drink next.  Visit them at  26 W8th Street in the Village.

Inside the Oculus

Located downtown, walking around the Oculus fees like you're shopping inside a 22nd century mall.  It's modern and minimalist.  However, be prepared for sticker shock, the stores are quite upscale.

The place has a feel of being inside a large space ship.  I went past the Apple Store and it looks like Command Central with all of its computers, ipads, and iphones.  And when you're tired of walking, you can take a table and enjoy a nice cup of coffee and a croissant at Daniel Boulud's café.

To Orlando with Love

Travel Massive at Gallery 287

Travel is one of my passions, so being a member of Travel Massive, an organization for anyone involved in travel, has been truly enjoyable.  Each month a scheduled meeting takes place in a fun venue and you get to meet all sorts of people who share your passion.  Not only will you meet travel bloggers, you will also find travel writers, publishers, public relations people from cruise lines, airlines, hotels, and even countries or regions.  Case in point, the May meeting was sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism.  They were showcasing new Canadian drinks such as the Caesar cocktail and Lug-Tread Lagered Ale from Beau's All Natural Brewing Company.  I learned that Ottawa is the capital of Canada and that the Canadians cultivated the McIntosh apple (my favorite kind).  

Gallery 287 Interior

They were also serving Canadian wine but I was too full of beer and hors d'oeuvres to imbibe.  The venue, Gallery 287, located on 10th Avenue is not far from The Highline.  It has an inviting outdoor space where people can relax.

Gallery 287 outdoor seating

Now, I'm not a fan of the Bloody Mary cocktail, but the Caesar is a nice alternative.  Created at the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto, it was voted one of Toronto's 10 best cocktails by USA Today.  How do you make it?  I have the recipe...

An inviting row of Caesar cocktails

Alberta Premium Vodka, 2 oz

Worcestershire Sauce, 3 dashes

Tabasco, 2 dashes

Clamato Juice, 8 oz

Fill the glass 3/4 full with ice.

Decorate the rim with celery salt

Garnish with celery and lime wheel

It's very tasty!

I also got a chance to talk to Jenny Harp who has a great title to her blog...travelphotosdontexist.com.  Her passion is photography and her blog has a great collection of pictures and very interesting topics, I had a brief but enjoyable visit.

Wing Tuesdays at Buffalo Wild Wings

Yes, I know, it's been awhile since I've posted anything.  It just goes to show you how contrary I am when it comes to New Year resolutions.  So here goes my real first post of the year.

I was in the mood for buffalo wings.  If you are like me, sometimes nothing but hot wings and beer will satisfy you.  So of course, I checked out Buffalo Wild Wings in Forest Hills.  Tuesdays is Wing Tuesday and buffalo wings are only 75 cents each...ALL DAY.

 First order of 10 wings -- gone in a flash! Yes, only the bony dregs remain.  I ordered 10 more and tucked into a salad so that I can feel virtuous.  But I only ate half.  Also enjoyed a tall Bud Light to wash those wings down lickety split.  Even medium was too hot for me!

The second round looks even better than the first.  I chose a mild sauce for this round.

However, my appetite has been sated and I took eight wings and my half a salad home in a doggy bag.  The place is a true sports bar with like, a million TVs all over the wall.  Everyone seemed really nice and the place has free wifi!!!  Just ask your server for the password.  I think I will make Wing Tuesdays a tradition.

Happy New Year to Everyone and my New Year's Resolution

It's a brand new year and therefore a brand new start.  I have only one resolution for this blog and basically it is to post more consistently.  By that I mean that I should publish at least one post a week.

I know, I know, most people forget all about their resolutions but I am committing myself to this one.  It should be an easy challenge right?  However, there is always a time management aspect to all things.  By posting more consistently, I also hope to get a better focus regarding this blog.  I'll see you soon!

Have you made a resolution?  Let me know!

Read my review of Brazil Grill at Yelp!

The steaks were awesome!

Have You Tried Gingerbread Tea Latte?

I finally tried one of the tea lattes from Starbucks.  Now, I'm not normally a tea drinker, however the company dangled 3 bonus stars just for trying it and I thought, why not?  Those three extra stars would get me to a bonus reward sooner rather than later.

I order the drink in a tall and in my first sip, I tasted the gingerbread right away.  It smelled good and the taste was pleasant.  However, any kind of latte from Starbucks normally takes away from the underlying flavor of the tea or coffee.  Tea has a delicate taste to begin with so the gingerbread flavor really overpowered the tea.  If you like festive drinks, you might want to try it.  This is a seasonal drink so it will be on the menu for just a short time.

Nohemi Gonzalez, Killed in Paris Terrorism Attacks

Nohemi Gonzalez

Any New Yorker who lived through the Twin Tower attacks on September 11 knows what Nohemi's family and the Parisians are feeling at Friday's aftermath.  Nohemi was the first generation in her family that went to college, at California State University - Long Beach.  She majored in Design.  You read about this artistic, young girl living a dream semester abroad and enjoying every moment of Paris, only to have her life cut short by terrorists; you cannot help but feel the sorrow over her violent death.  You can't process the huge loss of lives that were needlessly taken.  It was senseless and there is no comfort.  I mourn that another city had to live through another attack.  Nohemi is the first American death.  I hope it is the only one but we are not sure.  All we can do at this point is give whatever support the French can accept and to cherish all our loved ones as much as we can.

Have You Seen The Martian Yet?

It first came out in the middle of October.  I just went to see it last week and the theater, when I went, was still full.

The movie is worth seeing, it's long but you are enjoying watching the movie.  It's a poignant, heartwarming story with some funny moments.  Yes, I looked up the term "poignant" and the word definitely fits here.

A short synopsis: a team of astronauts are on Mars to conduct a research expedition.  Something bad happens and the team leaves one astronaut behind.  Will he make it?  Is he going to be rescued?  The answers to those questions is what makes the movie riveting.  Now I know that I am giving you the barest of plots.  But that is all you need to know.  You will be hooked in during the first five minutes.  I guarantee it.

Go see The Martian.