Highly recommend this class for kids birthday parties, and with drinks involved a fun adult bday activity, too! 

 Hmm...what to do for that first Birthday spent together?  Build robots of course!

I tend to be an over-thinker about just about every detail of daily life and decision maker.  I wish I wasn't, but I just can't help it.  So when it came down to planning something for J's birthday I had no idea what to do.  I toyed with the idea of a surprise party, but I only have contact information for 2 friends and his brother.  So I asked him, and got the "don't do anything extravagant," and "I don't know who I'd invite" responses that meant he didn't want to be a burden, but I couldn't do nothing.  I scoured the internet, and then went on howaboutwe and discovered this robot building class from Brooklyn Robot Foundry in TriBeCa.  Neither of us have a particular love of robotics, but you're encouraged to bring your own beverages, and it's something we've never done before so I booked it.

I think he enjoyed it.  I didn't tell him what we were doing leading up to it because I didn't want him to have a chance to start thinking about how boring it could be...I was already doing enough of that for both of us.  The experience was definitely helped by the mason jar of Wild Turkey we brought, and I think he really got into it towards the end.  We both enjoyed using the Glue Gun way more than we probably should have.

Afterwards we packed up our robots and had an amazing dinner at Jeanne & Gaston with a couple of his friends.  While not an every day affair, the Prix Fixe is incredible.  For $43 each you get an appetizer, entree, and dessert.  Everyone at the table got the Escargots for appetizers they were perfect in an herbed garlic butter sauce.  Next for the entree I ordered the Lamb Croustillant, Natural Jus.  Lamb isn't typically my go to, but I could eat this dish every day.  The flavor was spot on, and with the hint of buttery flaky croissant crust on it, mmmm.  Other dishes that received exclamations of perfection from the table were the Pork Belly, Steak Tartare, and Le Bourguignon.  Last but not least Dessert -- I got the Grand Marnier Souffle which was a touch too eggy for me.  I know that is essentially what a souffle is, but I guess I've never had a non-chocolate souffle before.  I can't remember what everyone else had but once again, all full of praise for the meal.

After dinner we parted ways with our friends and groggily made our way back to Brooklyn.  It was one of those great days so full of activity that you fall into bed and wake up in the morning not really remembering the process of falling asleep.

*By the way - this post would greatly be improved by pictures.  Will try to be better about that in future.

O-RE-O, Oh Ohhh - An addiction story - Part II

I can report that these are unnecessary in case you hadn't guessed.  They are structurally unsound, one bite and the cookies split apart, don't even think about dunking them in milk lest you want to try to fish pieces out of your cup, and the isn't worth the extra effort.  I can also confirm that they are a gazillion calories...sample at your own risk.

RIP Harold Ramis

Did I mention the strange graffiti in my neighborhood?!  It's one of my favorite things about my neighborhood.  I love wandering around spotting new tags that could only be found in Brooklyn.  Currently "Kale Chips!" is popping up everywhere.  One clever "rival" changed "Kale Chips" to "McKale's Navy" and then one "Kale Chips!" tag was sprayed over with "Toasted Almonds" It is the greatest, least-offensive graffiti ever.  Now today I noticed a new one...Harold Ramis. 

Wait! Today is Wednesday?!

Mornings with nothing going on are super rare. This week Wednesday was to be that magical morning for me...until I accidentally thought I was Thursday and ran into the city to work at 8:00 am. I was greeted with confusion and that we are still a couple days from Friday

New York City vs. My Feet

You won again you dastardly city with your uneven sidewalks and walk-inviting weather. I should be smart enough to know that any heels that feel comfortable for a few blocks will not feel comfortable after about 40 blocks and a few avenues. 

I may have to have my toes amputated and my feet are throbbing but it was a great evening with the Greek. 

P&G Summer Glow Salon

 

Today the first friend I made when I moved to NYC almost a year ago, (aka Guggy) and I hit up Flat Iron Plaza for P&G's free Summer Glow Salon.  It was billed as makeovers but upon arriving we realized you could get your make-up done, your hair braided, OR nails painted, not really a "make over" but who really wants to get a make-over from a stranger?  I did need a manicure though...

 

We opted for braids...did I mention I needed a manicure? I almost instantly wished I'd gone with the other station. My braid was cute but it was just a regular fishtail...my mom was fishtailing it up when I was in elementary school, and I was hoping for something a little more interesting. 

Goodies

The event was well organized but it was sweltering, chosen more for style than function, the clear ceiling-ed tent turned the whole thing into an oven and I quickly downed my fresh juice provided by the Olay hydration bar.  (It was super tasty, but I don't really understand what Olay and juice have to do with one another).  Also, there was one mirrored wall (the "selfie wall") that did not do the oven-esque tent any favors.  Instead of creating a fun place for selfies it made you feel more like an ant under the watchful eye of Sid from Toy Story than the glamor girl Target was going for...it also did something weird to my teeth I think when it reflected.  Anyone seen this (below) episode of Friends?  And like how I'm modeling my braid? LOL I may have missed my calling.

 

O-RE-O, Ohhh Oh - my story of addiction

It is a short story without many words...preferably double-stuffed

The Accidental Slurpee

Summer has been sneaking in here and there in Brooklyn but today was definitely a summer day even though the calendar says we have a few more until it's official.  It was the kind of day that made you wish you were still a kid and it was appropriate to run around in your bathing suit all day, made the subway station nearly unbearable, and made fruit seemingly ripen out of nowhere.  It was also the kind of day where I may have consumed more cold desserts than actual food. 

This is what my day looked like, despite the small hitch in timing thanks to subway delays and sweaty run (literally) through disgustingly packed Times Square it was a good day. 

I spent the morning with my favorite Greek then headed back into Brooklyn for a Gelato and splash pad day date with some of my favorite little monkeys.  As I dashed home I accidentally ended up with a slurpee which I slurped while dealing with the suddenly overripe fruit in my kitchen before the ants decided to come back for the party. Oh and there was a sweaty run in flip flops thrown in the mix somewhere there.  I'm sure I'll change my mind by the end of the summer but the great thing about New York summer is the amount of time you have to run here and there.  Also, I feel like I don't need to work out so much when I'm constantly sweating anyway, right...that's how it works?
 

WiFi(ght) it New York?!

Dear New York Cafes,

You are not cheap.  Often you are not clean.  Your service isn't always great, and sometimes your coffee is un-impressively on par with your unimpressive hospitality.  With that said, as someone whose entire job consists of sitting in front of a computer, I often (try) to patronize someone other than your evil-giant step brother whose name rhymes with Cartrucks but time and time again I find myself back in the land of bland coffee and bad music.


Side note: Since when was Starbucks a Forever 21?  YOUR MUSIC IS TOO LOUD, YOU CAN'T HEAR ME TELL YOU NOT TO PUT TWELVE PUMPS OF SYRUP IN MY DRINK or ask you to PLEASE CLEAN YOUR BATHROOM.

But I digress, back to you...the rest of you.  You know who you are, this is 2014.  GET WiFi!  I can understand if you don't want us clogging up your cafe in peak hours taking tables away from other customers. May I suggest "no WiF hours."  I can understand if you don't want me to come in and buy a tea for 1.50 and not move all day. May I suggest a purchase minimum of some sort, or a time limit?  I know this would be difficult to enforce, but I guarantee that most of us that carry our office around in the form of a bulky laptop understand business needs, and would be willing to purchase an extra coffee in order to keep working in your peaceful environs. Please feel free to let me know what other objections you may have to WiFi as I am sure I could come up with some solutions for you.



Delicious pastries, Green Planet water, quiet space to work

Also, I guarantee if you, cool, hip, coffee shop with actually great coffee and mellow cool music had WiFi it would increase your business and steal some from Starbucks.  Is there anything more hipster than hating Starbucks anyway?

I constantly find myself in Manhattan stumbling across what appears to be a nice solid coffee shop, unpacking my laptop expectantly, and realizing there is no WiFi so I am forced to pack up my monster (it is such a big laptop) and trudge down the street looking for another cool not Starbucks cafe with WiFi.  Sometimes I have more time to explore than others, but usually I end up at Starbucks because I can count on their WiFi.  

Bryant Park has WiFi, and it's a PARK! It's not even contained in a building...

If you won't do it for me, do it for your bottom line.  If you don't care about your bottom line than you might be a hipster.  Do it for the hipsters.

Sincerely,


Tired of jumping from cafe to cafe and ending up at Starbucks
anyway

The coffee may taste like chemicals, but at least I know I'll be able to work

Sti̱n ygeiá sas! (Cheers!)

Until recently I've lived my life oblivious to what it means to really have some sort of cultural heritage, and then I met and became quite fond of a certain Greek-American.  My family is such a hodgepodge of who knows what from where that we never really had anything to identify with and I didn't realize I was missing out...until I met him, that is.  I got ripped off!  No fun festivals! No traditional foods! No traditional dancing! Unless you count 4th of July, potato salad, and...pole dancing (?) we've got nothing on these Greeks. Anytime we go to an event I feel like I'm walking around with my eyes widened and jaw hanging open just trying to eat it all up...often literally, there is never a shortage of food.

This weekend we went to a Greek Food Festival in Yonkers, or maybe it was just a Greek Festival that was mainly food.  I'm not entirely sure how it was billed.  Unfortunately, it was the same day that Greece lost their World Cup match.  We all tried not to mention it, and then we all ate, and ate some more.  We only sampled a small bit of the offerings but were filled with Gyro, and Crepes (pronounced Crep-ez), and these little fried dough balls - Loukoumades (how can you go wrong with fried dough?).  I think the Loukoumades were my favorite, they kind of have the same consistency of funnel cake but they're in a round ball so they're a little puffier, and then the addition of honey is brilliant.   

All of this food was just the backdrop to an extreme good-natured patriotism that I'm not sure I've witnessed by anyone other than those that shout would drop the "A" off America in favor of 'Merica.  There was even traditional Greek dancing...my favorite part.  I'm told the Cretan dances (those from Crete) are the best and most exciting.  This is coming from a biased source as my favorite Greek is from Crete, where this magical dancing originates but judging from the dances I saw, and the crowd response, I think he might be right.  The Cretan dancing seemed some how rowdier and with a strong beat for the crowd to follow along to...more jumping and stomping and clapping...more fun.

Beecher's - (like me) New York via Seattle: The Cellar

From left to right: some sort of tequila, pineapple, bell pepper combo that was delicious ($14), heirloom tomato, mozzarella, basil, black garlic ($16), mac & cheese:kale, mama lils peppers ($17), asparagus: lemon olive oil, walnuts, candied citrus ($13)

I think this picture speaks for itself...doesn't it?  Beecher's New York is kind of a magical place.  I'm a huge fan of dark cozy restaurants in New York where you're often crammed right up against the next table.  This one is billed as a "cellar" complete with wooden tables that look straight from a dude ranch, booths upholstered in hairy cowhide, and very friendly service...great!  It is a little on the pricey side (but what isn't in New York in the Flat-Iron district?), I couldn't help but briefly contemplate over how easily I could make this at home, and how much that would cost...but mmm it's delicious and by the 2nd cocktail you'll be petting the cowhide booths while you talk (trust me).

Bottom line: I'd definitely go again when I'm back off the health kick I'm currently trying to be on, maybe in the fall.  I think it'd be a great hearty fall date spot. Make a reservation on open table, they fill up!

When it Rains it Pours

I woke up this morning to this adorable little face.  He indulged me and snuggled for a bit, and then started the stare.  This stare means, get up, I'm tired of snuggling and want to go explore the neighborhood.  Each morning he eventually looks at me with those big muppet-eyes anxious to go re-cover the neighborhood in his urine. Skip ahead about 10 minutes and I'm starring in my own wet t-shirt contest.  It went from barely drizzling and warm to downpour before Humphrey had even covered one side of the block!

Humphrey and I dashed inside, I changed into my second outfit of the day (at 8am) and headed out to meet my friend Sonia for breakfast in the city.  From my apartment it is approximately 5 blocks to the subway.  Today it was 5 blocks and at least 3 urban floods.

I kind of love the sound of rain on an umbrella with the New York street noise in the background.  Thank goodness, and Santa, for Hunter Wellies they got a workout on Friday!

You would think I would have learned my lesson from the first drenching of the day, but later in the afternoon I stepped out of my apartment and felt the thick air.  It was still bright and sunny though, so I estimated I had time to make it 11 blocks before the thick air turned into a massive thunderstorm.

I could see dark clouds forming to the South, but that was to the South.  I was heading North! And then 3 blocks later it was dark, and I was stupidly wearing flip flops and soaked again. Every time I would try to walk faster I would step right out of my slippery leather flip flops that were stretching out with every wet step.  The neighborhood was bursting with new rivers and I found myself wading through ankle deep moving water to cross streets.

I think I wore at least 4 outfits today.  Not only from the rain, but because between the rain and the rain and the pouring rain it was sunny and warm! 

Caipirinha, Capoeira, & Tina

In case you weren't cool enough to have your own viewing party, and your World Cup runneth under, here are some related things to get you through.

Perhaps you should start by filling that cup with a Caipirinha (pronounced kie-purr-REEN-yah), Brazil's national drink!  It is made with cachaça, an intensely sweet Brazillian style of rum that is made from sugarcane juice. Enjoy! (recipe)

photo credit

Total Time: 3 minutes

Yield: 1 Cocktail

Ingredients: 

• 1 lime, quartered
• 2 teaspoons fine sugar
• 2 ounces cachaca

Preparation: 

1. Place the lime wedges and sugar into an old-fashioned glass. 
2. Muddle well. 
3. Fill the glass with ice cubes. 
4. Pour in the cachaca. 
5. Stir well. 

Note: Keep the sugar mixed in the drink by stirring often

World Cup: The Brooklyn Brazilians

I almost forgot that the World Cup started today.  I knew it was starting soon, but for whatever reason didn't ever register the actual date, and then I walked out my door into a sea of yellow, and then one sad looking fellow with a red jersey (poor Croatia).

In any case, I'm so excited to follow the games, but also see the national pride in my neighborhood.  The street was filled with a pre-thunderstorm Brazilian contagious energy. 

One of the kids pictured walked past me earlier and as he did an elderly man said, "Ay Brazil!" and the pre-teen grinned and patted the logo on his chest with a nod. The cross-generational enthusiasm made me smile.

Speaking of smiling, it's closing in on a year since I've lived here, and longer than that since I had the dreaded dentist check-up.  I was already considering making this my dentist, but this World Cup score keeping may have sealed the deal.


I wonder if it will be Brazil all day, everyday (they seem to be the favorite anyway), or if each day I'll get to see new colors flooding the street.

Welcome to Apt. 224 Meadowlake Street!

Welcome to Apt. 224 Meadowlake Street, because sometimes you wanna go...where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same, you wanna be where everybody knows...your name. Tell me you can't hear that song right now? (I'm sorry, or you're welcome.  You choose!) Or maybe you don't hear it because you have no idea who Sam and Diane are.  I'm starting to really feel that I'm getting older because things I assume everyone knows are no longer common place...and I actually NEED anti-aging under-eye cream and I'm not just using it for the heck of it. (Both stories for different days). 

Anyway, welcome! I'm Tanya.  I moved to Brooklyn, NY from the Evergreen State in September 2013 and so far it has been one of the hardest, and best decisions I've ever made.

224 Meadowlake Street is my home.  It is where my love of the arts, making messes, and watching bad movies with great friends spills out onto the streets of New York (sometimes literally...ask me some day about spilling a latte in the front row at The Killers).  I hope you stick around!

 XOXO
Gossip Girl
(a reference for those of you not using anti-wrinkle eye creams)