Architecture finds around NYC

Museum at Eldridge street (info)

Morgan Library and Museum (info)

NY Public Library Schwarzman at Bryant Park (info)

2014 Highlights Review

I actually wanted to send this entry along with the digital holiday card earlier this month but it took a bit longer than expected to compile this. With only a few days of 2014 left, I decided to review and compile a list of some of my 2014 adventures. Prior to this year, I have not tried to systematically review my blog at year end. I was actually surprised with how many entries I’ve written and how much I couldn’t include. It’s tough being my own editor (maybe I’ll find another person to help bring a more objective angle next year…)

Goals

There were several unexpected accomplishments in 2014. Glad they happened anyway.

• 5k – Running in the Corporate Challenge. [June entry]
• Drawing and creating [Drawing | Collage | ATC link]
• Origami – teaching. I don’t think I did a post on teaching origami but I did teach at Folding Sundays, Natural History Museum Origami Tree table, and several Meet-up sessions. and there were several origami ATCs this year. see dedicated post for origami here. 

The planned goals were fairly tame: explore arts & gardens, passing an exam (for securities license), travel journal, apt stuff. I’ll try to write up the 2015 goals more in a few weeks (still in draft/planning mode).

Eats

I think I cooked more in 2014, or maybe I just posted more recipes in the past few months. Ever since I started using Yelp, I have been less motivated to post reviews (not that I used yelp for reviewing, only bookmarking!)

• Meatballs http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/07/spaghetti-and-meatballs.html
• Chili http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/12/c-is-for-chili.html
• Kugel http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/12/kugel-miso-and-apple-crisp.html

Reads

I looked at books listed under the “read” section on goodreads. I just listed three of my favorites here:

• Silo series (Wool/Shift/Dust) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13453029-wool-omnibus
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7082.Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep_
• Life of Pi https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4214.Life_of_Pi

Beats

There were so many great concerts and music events this year that I probably didn’t even cover half of them on my blog.

• St Paul and the Broken Bones http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/04/bowery-and-delancey.html
• Hedwig on Broadway http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/05/hedwig-on-broadway.html
• Brooklyn Museum First Saturday http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/10/broolyn-museum-first-saturday.html
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOE4F2QIAf5Z1n6w8AlXIxi5_B_K6-HfpjYhwV4ZAi2jpjQ0C6AQdrO9Wx5MrcJMt3PiJzP6acill3eSZHX1swJnP6xpoFIBkBYbsGPjafU-9qwkSqnaDWHqROG7HdORwLojC4/s320/blogger-image--1312723696.jpg
• Japan Day http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/05/japan-day-in-central-park.html
• Lincoln Center Winter’s Eve http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/12/monday-night-winters-eve.html

Outdoors

I should seriously do a calendar of all my garden pictures. They would make a nice gift.

• Magnolia and Sakura http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/05/two-gardens-two-weekends.html
• Wisteria http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/05/wisteria-sighting.html
• Orchids http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/03/nybg-orchid-show-2014.html
• Zoos. many trips to the zoo to see red pandas didn’t make it to the blogs but did appear in shutterfly photo collection for 2014. These include Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and Bronx Zoo

Interesting Finds

• MTA Subway Museum http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-museum-underground.html
• Castle in Central Park http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/03/castle-in-manhattan.html
• Bronx Botanical Train Show
http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/11/holiday-train-show-in-nybg.html

Hope you enjoyed reading and we’ll see you in the new year!

Happy Holiday Season and Happy New Year

I’m making digital cards this year and wanted to put together something a bit different. You know, not your typical NY themed holiday card featuring a yellow cab, some skyline, Rockefeller Tree, Times Square or Central Park.

Welcome to the 2014 FiDi (Financial District) holiday card edition, where you can find a card featuring the new Fulton Transit Center and another featuring the Christmas Tree at the Seaport.

top left to right clockwise: 1) Front of Fulton Street Transit Center overlooking Freedom Tower. 2) Side view of subway signs. 3) Beautiful staircases. 4) Basket-like weaves on the ceiling. 5) Sign for Fulton Center

 

Left to right: 1) Neon stars overlooking Freedom Tower. 2) Side view of a beer hall at the Seaport. 3) Seaport Christmas Tree next to ice rink.

Bonus: colored version of Fulton Center

All photos were taken with my iphone on a windy Dec evening. I made the collages in Shutterfly, using their “collage poster” feature. If you want any of the photos as a stand-alone, let me know.

I’ll include a few streets (around the seaport) and their entries from “The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan’s Street Names and Their Origins” by Henry Moscow.

Front Street: The namesake: its location in front of Water Street, which until the end of the 17th century was the city’s shoreline.

South Street: The namesake: something of a misnomer though the street’s lower end is close to Manhattan’s southern tip. South Street might better have been called Easter Street since it parallels the East River.

Water Street: The namesake: the East River waters that washed the street at high tide in the 17th century.

Have you walked around your neighborhood lately? You may find tons of beautiful and unexpected subjects for a holiday card. What better way to personalize your holiday cards or correspondences than to include photos and facts about your neighborhood!

Origami USA 2014 Convention Countdown

A bit late in uploading this list and pics for the June Origami OUSA Convention but wanted to organize them so they don’t just get lost in the sea of twitter origami pics. I enjoyed last year’s countdown so much (blog entry here) I had to repeat it. It was a good way to get motivated and fold! Unfortunately there were some skipped days there, but that’s ok too. Glad my friend @pprfldr joined me this year.
Link to photos here (also gallery is posted below the list): https://azuletblogphotos.shutterfly.com/pictures/150

OUSA origami 2014 countdown

57 butterflies / Michael LaFosse
55 tie fighter / Jeremy Shafer
52 sunflower / Kobayashi

48 shell decoration / traditional Spanish model from Harbin book
47 angel / Adolfo Cerceda
46 Japanese purse / traditional. Also learned from @pprfldr
45 Robert Neale hummingbird made out of equilateral triangle // Fujimoto hydrangea
44 Robert Harbin 'bird in flight’
43 Traditional lily made with equilateral triangle instead of square
42 Lover's Knot (traditional) learned from @animemiz 
41
Yoshizawa butterfly learned from @pprfldr
40 Flying pig created by Paul Frasco. this pig has his snout low on the ground. 
33 ornamental fish by Rodrigo Lopes de Lisboa
32 Ayako Kawate's color pattern 
31 PaWaritato by Michel Grand
30 more Sunflowers as part of ATC trade. Model designed by Kobayashi 
29 Michael LaFosse hummingbird  
28 Dragon by Emilson Nunes dos Santos
26 Traditional lily with Robert Neale hummingbird. 
24 stacking two 3-petal lilies. Also used wetfold which makes better looking petals.

23 more 3-petal lilies and a Fujimoto hydrangea. 
18 doodling with scrap foil. Flower? Bird? Staff? Unknown!
15 more 3-petal lilies made from stardream. 
5 Bianca star by Carmen Sprung
4 Large 3-petal lily. Stardream is so buttery when wet-folded. Amazing
4 Upside down starbox using equilateral triangle. Oh all the possibilities. 
3 Fun with windmill-like model from a triangle
1 XYZ, omega star and friends at the Thursday night Origami Meetup (good sized crowd, tons of fun!) 
0 Dimetrodon by Fumiaki Kawahata and taught by @creasygoodness after registration, inside the great hall.

Shutterfly Gallery

(warning, may not work on mobile devices, try permalink instead https://azuletblogphotos.shutterfly.com/pictures/150)

Click here to view these pictures larger

More information

Hashtags used on twitter: #ousa14 #foldcountdown #origami
note that my friends @pprfldr and @animemiz and others used various hashtags so there is really no good way of keeping track of them. Maybe we will figure it out next year.
Same picture countdown app as previous year “Big Day Lite”: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/big-day-lite-event-countdown/id303102667?mt=8
Also see my post on lilies (the start of my 3-petal lilies) http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/05/lily-origami.html
and my post on the OUSA ATC Trade. http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/06/origami-usa-artist-trading-cards-2014.html

Weekend Recap

Sometimes simple is best. My friend S. visited me this weekend and I would categorize the visit as pretty low-key compared to other adventures we’ve done before in NYC (sometimes involving many subway transfers). She took more pics of our food adventures (maybe I’ll post some here later).

Lunch – spinach salad with canned tuna, garden variety sprouts (whole foods sprouts section scares and amazes at the same time, garden variety consists of clover, radish, and fennel), grilled artichokes, fresh granny smith apple, fresh mango, grated parmesan, and olives. ice tea made with a combo of peach tea from Charleston and red tea from Argo.

Afternoon – took a walk around the seaport and waterfront. Lovely day and nice view of bridges.

Dinner – attended our friend W’s bridal shower at Joyce Bake Shop in Brooklyn. Cute place with excellent tea, food, and service. Everyone looked gorgeous. The décor is also very cute (spoon sets, round and square waffle irons, and even a coffee grinder). The place is also conveniently located near Grand Army Plaza, a used book store, and Ample Hills ice cream.

Origami lessons with Michael LaFossee (butterfly DVD). Arg forgot to take pics of those. they made for lovely gifts!

Breakfast – breakfast sandwiches from Financier. Pretty much can’t go wrong there, especially for people who want food on a weekend before 11am (apparently standard brunch time for many places near me).

Lunch – dim sum in Chinatown with S.’s family. It’s always very special to see three generations having food together (or just hanging out together in general).

Post-lunch Dessert (me only) – Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. Zen  Butter flavor. The fact this flavor is under “regular” and not “exotic” should tell you something about the selection of flavors at this place. The reason they have so many flavors even in winter is because the line literately never stops.

Now that I’ve gone through all our activities, maybe it wasn’t all so low-key after all… good times!

Castle in Manhattan

I posted a few pictures of J and I from our recent visit to Belvedere Castle on facebook the other day and a few friends had asked me where I found this castle. Good news for castle enthusiasts, you can find Belvedere Castle in the kingdom of … NYC (Central Park). Simply enter central park around 79th street on the west side (near natural history museum) and walk into the park and veer slightly northward once you’re more inside.
For more central park explorations (and helpful ways to get lost and found again), I recommend the official park app which lists various attractions, GPS navigation help, and tour schedule. If you haven’t done a walking tour yet, I strongly recommend it for learning more about the park’s history and design. Since the park is so large, there are several different tours that focus on different areas. If you enjoy drawing, I recommend the central park sketching meetup group.
We also spotted many birds (including a hawk) on our trip. Did you know central park has 200+ different kinds of birds? Pretty amazing huh? Clearly, the birds know a good place when they see it. I need to find a birding tour one of these days. 

Another famous sight which requires no introduction. To find it, look for the boat house and follow the water southward. Don’t miss the celestial tiles and music underneath the stairs (people always use the echo to sound off choir music).

Don’t have the name of this particular bridge. There are many bridges in Central Park which are lovely for picture backdrops. I’ve also included a pic from a previous trip where the water froze over.


More Central Park pics to come in spring. If you missed the autumn pics, they are in my previous post on jazz and colors here.

Origami Meetup Group Artist Trading Card 2013

My friend Linda loves artist trading cards (ATCs) and organized a card swap for the origami meetup group with the theme “Red, Orange, and Brown”. As always, I started brainstorming and planning my concept as soon as the trade was announced. This is a bit of a break from my previously heavily geometric/hydrangea-ish cards. Although the process can be viewed as a geometric mathematical problem to make 6-inch squares into ATC sized cards.

Design inspiration

My friend Nate specializes in making ATCs out of origami paper. I liked this concept from his Origami Heaven ATC trade and wanted to try it out myself.  

While playing with paper to figure out the crease pattern, I managed to find a way to weave a basket which I used as a card/basket.

Materials

The Card/basket is made from 6inch patterned kami. Apple and carrot are each made from half of a 3inch kami. So they’re both made from rectangles.

Revisions

Unlike my very first ATC which had a “secret theme”, I did share my process/prototypes for the OMG trade with friends. I’d like to thank Linda for her paper donation. My original prototype was a very boring plain brown. Unfortunately she didn’t have enough paper for all 9 cards in the set. Luckily Doug had received a batch of pattern paper from Linda so he had donated some as well. I don’t think people will mind that their baskets are slightly different. Jason liked the basket and suggested that I add some ridges/grooves on the carrot to make it more realistic.

Final 9 cards in the set

“Harvest” (OMG ATC Trade 2013)
Red, orange, and brown are autumn harvest colors in this ATC set. The basket is made from one sheet of paper and doubles as the ATC card.   

To read more, take a look at the next page.

Jazz in Autumn Central Park, New York

Jazz and Colors was advertised on many NYC event guides as a great way to take a stroll around Central Park while listening to classic jazz performances. I was surprised this was only the second year for the event. Just to note, I didn’t research the set list or the bands. Sometimes it’s better to just walk and enjoy and see what’s playing. I started out with egg/cheddar on a sesame bagel for breakfast (prepared for walking!) and headed to Columbus Circle. A banner indicated the band/location: ELEW and Nature of the Next / Columbus Circle. They had a huge crowd probably because Columbus Circle gets quite a bit of foot track. I wonder if most people just walked by and learned about the event. Maps and pamphlets were available at the information table.

While I walked to nearly 7 or 8 bands, the only three I remembered were Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (Bandshell, not pictured), Jason Marshall Quintet (Pineband Arch), and Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All Stars (Olmsted Bed on the Mall).

I know I had a perfect autumn day/weekend in Cambridge [blog entry] but New York also has its perfect autumn days. With foliage all around me in orange, yellow, red, and some greens too, I just wanted to keep walking and taking pictures. Dark branches with character spiraled out of nowhere. Ginkgo, maple, and pots of chrysanthemum looked even more lovely with the various sculptures / buildings inside the park. I also liked Central park’s benches, pools, lakes, bridges, and reflection of the leaves and buildings. Even more pics on shutterfly.

Other highlights from the weekend

Go go Curry http://www.gogocurryusa-ny.com/ typical comfort food. Try the chicken katsu or pork katsu and you won’t be disappointed.

Jiro dreams of sushi movie. http://www.magpictures.com/jirodreamsofsushi/
A movie about work and passion, with just a dash of sushi food porn in the mix. Linda and I both agreed that the food critic was awesome. He’s able to articulate just what sets Jiro’s sushi place a step or two above others. The movie was also a keen study on father/son relationship as well as the relationship between sushi chef/customer and sushi chef/fish market/fish dealer. I don’t think I’ll make it to Tokyo’s Ginza district any time soon, but may check Sushi Yasuda because it’s well regarded in the city.

Dim sum in 8th Ave Chinatown (Brooklyn Sunset Park) for the first time with friends was great. I didn’t get the name of the place but am sure we’ll go back there. Good service and very delicious shrimp dumplings. Pretty cool to have had dim sum in Manhattan, Queens, and now Brooklyn!

Windy Sunset Park made it difficult to take a picture of the gorgeous skyline. I recommend people take a trip out here though. http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sunsetpark

Whole Foods almond milk latte. Yes it’s not a secret that Whole Foods has almond milk available if you’re not interested in milk or soy. I like to switch it up a little and find it fun to get an almond milk latte whenever I’m in a Whole Foods. In this case, we were waiting for the movie to start so had some time to chat and sip coffees.

Miyazaki movie Wind is Rising or Wind Rises. I don’t know what the movie is called but it was a sold out crowd (possibly because everyone heard the ad on NPR or because it’s only playing at the Landmark Sunshine theater for one week). I enjoyed the visual effects but found the love story a bit difficult to relate. I did like the main character’s pursuit of his dream though. That was powerful.

Speaking of jazz, there is also an excellent jazz anime called “Kids on the Slope”. It’s currently available on stream on Crunchy Roll. I found it because I heard Yoko Kanno also worked on the music. There were a few love triangles but the overall character interaction was genuine and relatable. Best part was of course the music but it’s rare to find anime more focused on friendships and growing up than the regular school romance. Who is your favorite character? It’s a toss up between the two male leads at various points of the storyline.

2013 Origami countdown

note that this photo album may not work on mobile. to read more about the Origami countdown, you can go to my page here: http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/p/origami-convention-2013-countdown.html

Click here to view these pictures larger

Speed blogging food and drinks

Assorted places I liked and wanted to note so I can quickly search for them in the future.

DC/VA

Liberty Tavern – all you can eat brunch. I also love their french press coffees. and close to Trader Joe’s if you want to get grocery done too!

Sichuan Wok – take out place. Just what you need for a feast with friends while making chili. I approve of their hot/sour soup and Sichuan beef.

Food Trucks – I’m jealous of T. for working so close to this many food trucks. I liked the grilled cheese truck while T. and J. liked the Bahn mi sandwich truck.

NYC

Oyster Bar – Never been there for lunch before. Quite decadent to get assorted Long Island oysters and a fish burger/sandwich. Favorite oysters (Montauk and P. Pearl). Fancy place for a staycation lunch with your friends who work in midtown. Thanks V.!

Shake Shack (Theater District) – Best post-concert place to grab something sweet (pumpkin / vanilla custard) and something fried (yay fries). A previous visit also gave me an opportunity to get the oktoberfest beer. Delicious. Good luck fighting for seats though!

Pound and Pence – Best entrance to a bar ever (going through what looks like an office building). Decent selection of pub draft and some good buffalo bites too.

Wilfie and Nell – atmosphere was amazingly crowded (in a good way). I got a very alcoholic cider but it was pretty sweet too. Props to J. and E. for showing me this place. The menu made my mouth water but we had already gotten food earlier so have to come back next time.

Good Stuff Diner – more than one avocado burger. I got the one with sprouts called California Burger. Really good chocolate milk too. somehow I only end up here late at night after roaming around bars with friends. Well, at least it’s not crowded at that time.

Local West – rooftop near Penn? Thanks to T. for showing this place. I loved the Ginger Spice drink (but got it without jalapeno because I was scared of not having milk nearby…). Why can’t all places do a version of the disco fries (with gravy!)

Sugar and Plumm – Brunch place T. and I walked by when we were heading to the Natural History Museum origami tree. Beautiful place that we suggested to S. later. Shrimp and Grits was unique. T. got the Hangover Helper (heaps of food in cast iron skillet). I got the pulled pork and waffle (savory waffles are great). Coffee is also great too. I would come back here for brunch or some bday party for girls.

Mapo Tofu – Seems to be the juggling group’s choice hang-out. I liked their eggplant/vegetables dish as well as the signature mapo tofu. Tea smoked duck is exotic but also popular with most.

Spoon and Tbsp – Cute place for brunch. Since they change their menu often I actually didn’t find what I had last time. I got a cast iron skillet full of baked eggs, shitake potato hash, spinach, and sausage.

Doughnut Plant – hazelnut chocolate donut seed (think donut hole) and tres leche cake donut were my favorite. Although the rose petal one was quite nice too.

Currywurst – I loved their signature currywurst. also the chicken sausage. Watch out for the big mugs of beer though. Good bite.

Otto – Octopus was the start of the show. Fennel pizza was a first for me.

Think Coffee – many locations downtown and near NYU. The Mercer location is probably my favorite. How can you go wrong with a cozy coffee place that also has beer and wine and sweets?

Inside Park – Dining inside a church? Weird but the burger was awesome.

R&R Coffee – Good windows for people watching. I liked the Irish soda bread scone.

Lenny’s – Deli and great lunch spot. Many locations in the city. I like their Italian combo and Pastrami. Also good “thanksgiving” sandwich if you like turkey/cranberry all year round.

South St. Seaport 

Fulton Stall Market and New Amsterdam Market assorted vendors below.

Sullivan Street Bread – Get their green olive bread (most olive bread is made with black)

Edgwich Farm - Goat Cheese cheddar – tasty snack or crumble in salad / eggs

Sunday Gravy – Pasta sauce to impress your friends!

Do Re Me Farms – I almost always get some mix of vegetables/fruits. Also found some nice portabella too.

2012 Trees and Cheer

New York is fun during the holidays and after taking some of my own ideas on winter activities [blog entry], I wanted to share some photos.

NYPL – Schwarzman Building (the one with Lions near Bryant Park). The main attraction is on the top floor. Probably the fastest place to get a library card (and afterwards, you can walk across the street to the Midtown library for checkout)

Origami Tree at American Natural History Museum

Bryant Park Tree (in the background as I was trying to take a photo of the rink)

The 30 Rock Tree

The close-up of the star

I also finally figured out how to add the “social” bar, so hopefully it’ll allow easy sharing? Granted I probably use twitter/email the most when I visit other sites. or comments…

High school hijinks

What do you do when you meet up with a high school friend that you haven’t seen years? Catch up over good food and drinks all over NYC, of course.

While I have a lot more than food to say at the moment, I’m using the opportunity to jot down these good eats before I dive into more normal topics.

Saravana Bhavan (vegetarian)
26th and Lex
menu: http://www.saravanabhavan.com/menu/U.S.A/new_york_lexington.pdf

//appetizer
medhu vada – spicy fried donut for the win.

//entrée
ghee pongal – this was a very unique rice dish with coconuts and cashews. I liked it but would probably try something else next time
rava masala dosa – dosa is like a potato pancake type of thing. they have many varieties in the store. I enjoyed it.

//dessert
badam halwa – somewhat dense due to almonds but loved the taste. why don’t we have more sweets with honey and butter?

//other notes:
I’ve been so sheltered since I didn’t know anything on the menu. Not sure what style/regional specialty this restaurant is (Update: yelp says it’s southern India, there we go) but I would recommend everyone who loves Indian food to try this out and explore the extensive menu. of course there are also other Indian restaurants in the area (nicknamed Curry Hill)so feel free to walk around and peek at the menus!

and a last note, a former boss of mine noted that if you’re a vegetarian, you better be Chinese or Indian, because they make the food work. I didn’t even notice this place was a vegetarian joint until looking back the website and menu. Tasty eats!

Museum Hopping

Back when I went to school in DC I always hopped around museums on the Mall. This usually occurred on a nice weekend afternoon or perhaps a break between intense library sessions during my reading days before exams. If the exhibit at the National Gallery didn’t last all day, I’d skip over the Freer/Sackler or Sculpture Garden or Natural Science Museum. After DC, I was a grad student in NY,  also free admission with my ID which was a luxury. If you ever look at suggested prices for museums in NY, you know they’re not cheap. I suppose becoming a member would make sense if you love one museum enough to go more than a handful of times.

Then I started working for a place that sponsors museums, which meant my badge always came with free admission (plus guest admissions) to various cultural institutions. In short, I’ve been a privileged and spoiled person indeed. Just to show you that tax dollars and corporate donations are not wasted, I do frequent museums very often and contribute to the museum cafes, gift shops, and nearby restaurants. My trips serve to enrich my limited art history knowledge which really came out of a combination of one art class in high school and random artwork in history books. The best way to learn is if there’s an exhibit featuring one artist and his/her different styles spanning a lifetime. Or perhaps an exhibit featuring various artists during a specific era.

V. and I decided to take a day off from work last week to catch up on our museum exhibits. It ended up being quite an adventure. Note for readers, don’t even think about taking the bus (no synchronized lights uptown) or subway (walking from MoMa to Lex just to go from Lex to Met again, ave walks, really?). You might as just walk and window shop! The two museums we had in mind were MoMa and Guggenheim but we ended up swinging by the Met too. Of course, as N. said later, we probably didn’t spend enough time at each location. Truth is, nobody can spend enough time at the Met. Guggenheim is focused on one special exhibit at a time so it is made for a cohesive trip. MoMa’s special exhibit on de Kooning is good but we also took time to walk by the room of Monets and Van Gaughs and Picassos. The most surprising exhibit was probably the Guggenheim Cattelan one. My favorite new artist John Marin was found and admired while visiting the Met exhibit featuring Stieglitz’s various artists.

Sound Bites
Sum of Days (white fabric tent/maze, microphone, and ambient sounds):
me- at least the fabric is nice and you can touch it, unlike other museum exhibits.
V-it reminds me of a sanitary napkin.
other museum goers: *glare

de Kooning:
me-I’m a bit scared of the teeth (on the women in some of the more abstract paintings)

Kandinsky Painting with White Border:
me-I don’t get it (and I love Kandinsky)
V-(reading the commentary next to the painting) “and it tortured me for five months!” and I just added the border because it looked nice. no social commentary!

Cattelan:
there’s way too much going on in this exhibit. I think our favs are between the Pope and the Musicians (stack of animals). or maybe Pinocchio? read the catalogue book on the various descriptions too! pigeons…enough said. and the giant foosball table. everything really!

John Marin:
me-(after seeing his earlier and later works)I like his earlier works better. although as an artist, he should be able to do different things and styles and evolve.

Rothko: (not really featured in an exhibit but came up as we were debating what kind of art to hang in our dream mansions)
me- the floating squares are quite peaceful, especially if you have nice walls
V-I’m going to get Rothko for my apt!
N-you should get the black/white one

Random fun:
Rothkomatic
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rothkomatic-for-ipad/id474351284?mt=8
If you like Rothko, check out the free ipad app that allows you to create your own Rothko. so brilliant and soothing too!

Art History Online
http://www.khanacademy.org/#smarthistory
I know everyone loves Khan Academy for math, but how about art! the Guggenheim museum video was quite informative.

MSG Times Three

My friends constantly get concert emails from me, whether or not they know or like the band. The truth is, I love concerts (more than broadway, more than cocktails, and more than soup dumplings) and NYC is the best place for it.

I may have gone a little overboard this year (likely due to lack of concerts for the past two years). It’s only April and I’ve already gone to Madison Square Garden (MSG) three times and one jazz concert. The summer is also going to bring a bunch of outdoor concerts with new acts. Can’t wait!

1. Prince: When he’s on stage (the stage is shaped like the symbol), you just know the man is a legend. The crowd knew every single song and never stopped dancing. I even got J. to loosen up a little bit near the end. Purple Rain was beautiful and moving. His free flowing guitar jams are something that you need to experience in person because they don’t tend to put those in the albums. I really don’t expect anyone to top this, ever.
2. Strokes: If I had to pick a soundtrack for NYC, I would put Strokes albums on random and repeat all. I actually bought the ticket for this concert 2 or 3 hours on stubhub before the event. I didn’t want to miss them for the world. For a band that comes from NYC and haven’t had a group album in a while, the anticipation was extremely high. I met quite a number of nice fans in my section as well as waiting in the beer line. I thought they did a great job with the large screens (all black and white, focused on the band/singer/instruments). The lead singer dived off the stage a few times and the fans loved every bit of him. The album sound really can’t compare with the live sound. You just hear the guitars/bass/drums a lot more.
3. Juanes:  I managed to drag V. to this concert. I’m sure he’s the only person who actually knows this amazing artist from Columbia. I first found out about Juanes back in Spanish class in college. Our professor played a couple of his songs to teach us a specific grammar concept. Anyways, I saw him on a ticket alert email and decided to try out the concert. He has an incredibly voice in concert, which wasn’t as obvious on the albums. Not sure if he planned those really colorful backgrounds on the big screens in MSG or they were trying to make up for the small posse. This crowd was energetic and the dancing didn’t stop from the first song to the last encore. Glad I got to check him out and happy to note that my Spanish skills has improved greatly in the past few weeks as I listened to his songs and Spanish radio.

NY Autumn/Winter Guide 2010

Updated Jan 2011.

Winter Events
Bryant Park Pond [link]
Free ice skating rink (If you bring your skates and a lock). Otherwise you can rent their skates and purchase locks. I love outdoor ice skating rinks, and this one is in the middle of the city so you get nice city lights and swinging music. Also a bunch of holiday shops featuring interesting items.

Radio City Christmas Show

Nutcracker at Lincoln Center

Various Trees and Lightings 2010
//Rockefeller Center: Nov 30. The biggest tree in NYC. More lights than tree. Check out the new Lego store nearby too and all the XMas window decors on Fifth Ave!
//Bryant Park: Dec 2. Nice ornaments and usually a photo op by the sponsor.
//Lincoln Square: Nov 29.
//Metropolitan Museum of Art: If you like medieval stuff, this tree is filled with classy medieval ornaments and angels.
//Natural History Museum: Famous origami tree


All Year Indoor Happenings
B&N Readings (NY Store Listings)
Great authors. I saw Anthony Bourdain, Alton Brown, and David Sedaris this year.

Strand Books Readings (Calendar)
I love the Strand, more neighborhood friendly and awesome recommendations for all types of books, including philosophy, science, sociology, etc. I happened to catch a few events here which resulted in heated crowd discussion, much more in line with NYC than the family friendly B&N right?

Jazzy events at Lincoln Center http://www.jalc.org/jazzED/g_listening09.html
Space is beautiful and I attended a listening party that was particularly fun.

Autumn Events

Oyster Festival [link] EVENT PASSED
After trying more stuff at the festival, I have come to the conclusion that the only ones worth the trouble are raw oysters and soft shell crab. Two rounds of oysters and one round of soft shell is plenty. Lobster bisque was ok but still not that amazing.

Free Concerts in Bryant Park EVENT PASSED

NY Marathon [link] EVENT PASSED
I actually went to watch the marathon this year (2010) from several locations (viewing map pdf)! The Queens viewing area was neat because you can watch the runners go up the Queensboro bridge and as you take the subway into Manhattan, you can watch them run in the lane next to you. I also watched from Central Park near the end and thought it was very inspiring to see the runners still looking great at the end of the 26 mile. Amazing…I applaud all the athletes.

Farmers Market
Pick up apples, pumpkins, cider, and other yummies. Union Square Green Market is year round M/W/Sat. Madison Square Park also had a small market setup this year for a few months. I learned what "urban pumpkin picking" entails: picking a pumpkin out of the pumpkin house (shelves make up the walls and pumpkins of all sizes line the shelves)

Pickle Day [link] EVENT PASSED
Small event in the parking lot area LES (hard to find...). I like pickles but I didn't realize how ridiculous it is to eat so many pickles in one day. I picked up a jar of horseradish pickles from Horman's. Excellent with roast beef and other sandwiches! Tried the smoked okras from Rick's but wasn't too impressed. I think it's better as an ingredient in salad or sandwich as opposed to eaten by itself. Their other pickles are much better. If you like pickles and don't have to venture too far to LES, definitely check it out next year.

Chocolate Show [link] EVENT PASSED
I went to it once and thought it was fabulous (blog entry). Besides different venders selling chocolate and offering free samples, you will see chocolate art, sculptures, fashion, and cooking demonstrations. May not be feasible to go every year but if you haven't gone at least once, grab a friend and check it out next year!

Halloween Parade [link] EVENT PASSED
My favorite this year was the Walk/NO Walk sign by a couple and all the funny Chilean miner ones with signs. Too many Lady Gaga costumes that I just didn’t find them interesting anymore

Other Links

101 Fall Things by Time Out NY
http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/own-this-city/79341/101-things-to-do-in-new-york-city-in-the-fall

101 Winter Things by Time Out NY
http://newyork.timeout.com/things-to-do/57411/101-things-to-do-in-new-york-city-in-the-winter

Ice Skating in NYC
http://gonyc.about.com/od/iceskatinginnyc/Ice_Skating_in_New_York_City.htm

Rainy Day Ideas
http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/own-this-city/75734/40-things-to-do-when-its-raining

My 2009 entry
http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2009/11/ny-autumnwinter-guide-2009.html

Three bars and a karaoke

Rye House
http://ryehousenyc.com/
11 W. 17th Street, NY, NY
(btw 5th and 6th ave)
Props to W. for recommending this place. Near Union Sq. Quiet space on a week night and friendly service.
beer: milk stout. excellent, would order again.
bourbon: Elijah Craig. learned to put water by the tiny spoonful in my bourbon to open it up. very nice.

Village Pour House http://www.villagepourhouse.com/
64th 3rd Ave, NY, NY
(at 11th st)
Near St. Marks. Amazing beer selection and giant screens for sports. I went with K. and C. for a Yankees vs. Rangers game (disclaimer, I’m not a fan of either team). I remember Beck’s Octoberfest was a new find that I enjoyed.

Jimmy’s Corner
http://nymag.com/listings/bar/jimmys_corner/
140 W. 44th St, NY, NY
(near Broadway times square)
G. and her husband J. were coming down from CT to visit NYC and recommended this place after we had dinner at Hurley’s. I could not believe the amazing music selection, boxing photos, and reasonable drink prices (especially in Times Square!). Everyone should go here with friends and visitors. Just watch your liver (since your wallet is saved)!

U2 Karaoke
http://www.wewantu2sing.com/
6 St. Marks Place, NY, NY
(btw 2nd and 3rd Ave)
I love St. Marks so this new place makes it much easier to plan for food/karaoke nights. I usually go to Karaoke Duet [link] but I’m very impressed with U2’s music selection, especially new pop songs. Better system than Duet but the Chinese songs are different to navigate. Not sure how they sorted it. I’m sure we’ll be back often!

Hanging out in Brooklyn

J. and I spent a day running around Brooklyn before the long weekend. Ever since I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge a couple of years ago, I had wanted to go across it again and figure out what’s on the other side. I did no research last time and ended up in Brooklyn without a plan or a map. Needless to say, I soon grew tired of looking for food and took a subway back to Manhattan. This time, I came armed with a plan and a smart phone [my review for the htc incredible].

First Stop – Prospect Park Zoo [link]

I knew this zoo had a red panda because the zoo uses its image everywhere! I was walking through Prospect Park once and saw the banner for the zoo. I kind of like Central Park Zoo and Prospect Park Zoo because they are small and contained. If you really want a souvenir you may be disappointed since this store is very small (barely a room). The central park zoo park is better than most souvenir stores, possibly because more people visit it. Another interesting note is that the eating area has very advanced vending machines. J was adventurous and tried the knish (heated). I decided to grab a Gatorade blue and save room for lunch.

Second Stop – Grand Army Plaza

After a short walk through the park, we reached Grand Army Plaza. If you like Washington Square park and Columbus Circle, you will like this place with its arch, statues and beautiful fountain. We actually saw a couple taking wedding photos. What a great idea!

Third Stop – Pizza by the Bridge Ignazio’s [link]

The original plan was to grab Grimaldi’s since I’ve heard so much about it. The place wasn’t easy to find and had a huge line down the block when we got there. Not patient enough to wait in line, J and I walked around the block and passed by a few restaurants. At the foot of the bridge we actually spotted another pizza place with no wait! We got a medium pizza and it looked pretty enough, with yummy tomato sauce and cheese and basil leaves. I wasn’t crazy about the crust but I’m usually not a crust fan anyway. Their homemade lemonade is excellent and J ordered a GUS ginger ale which I loved and will look for at whole foods next time.

Fourth Stop – Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory [link]

We got 2 scoops to share: one chocolate and one coffee. Both delicious and not too sweet. The best part was the view of the bridge. Great photo opportunity here. All the yummy food is great prep for the walk across the bridge.

Fifth and Final Stop – Brooklyn Bridge

Last time I walked from Manhattan to Brooklyn. This time I figured we’ll start in Brooklyn since it’s more scenic for photos. I never noticed that the bridge shakes a little from all the car traffic but J. pointed that out. I guess if you’ve never been on it, you’ve now been warned. The trip across the bridge took around 20 minutes, that’s with us stopping for photos. I don’t care if people think it’s touristy, I love walking across the bridge and taking in the view.

I’m sure many of you have already done this route many times, but for those of you who haven’t tried it, grab a friend and go for it!

Free NYC Stuff 2009

special days:

//Brooklyn Botanical Garden (Tuesdays, weekdays during winter are free, Saturdays from 10-noon unless there's a special event)

//Bronx Botanical Garden (Wednesdays, Saturdays from 10-noon unless there's a special event, grounds only, doesn't include special exhibits)

//MOMA (Fridays 4-8pm)

//South Street Seaport Museum (Third Friday of every moth 6pm-closing)

//Brooklyn Museum (First Saturday of every month)

//Jewish Museum (Saturdays)

note: I didn't include "suggested donation" museums like the Met because I never seem to be able to pay less than suggested price there. Maybe the people there are good at guilt-trip me into paying. Some other museums also have special days where you can pay a "suggested donation".

always free:

//Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology (small but well put together exhibits)

//Brooklyn Bridge (I usually make fun of the tourists for walking across this, but really, it is awesome. try it, and do help the tourists out by taking their group photos. put a smile on someone's face, and they can take a pic for you too)

//Governor's Island (Summer only. biking, walking, they even have plays in the summer. oh, did I also mention it's a great place for photos?)

//NY Public Libraries (Always free, you should check out their exihibit schedules)

//Central Park (probably the best place for those warm sunny days, keep an eye out for free summer symphony concerts)

//Forbes Galleries (awesome collection of toy ships and toy soldiers. convieniently located near union square too!)

//Nicholas Roerich Museum (free classical concerts, check listing)

//Natural Museum of American Indians (also check out Bowling Green and Battery Park nearby)

//Brooklyn Heights Promenade (haven't been there but sure looks nice)

//Astor Wines & Spirits Wine Tasting Calendar (the list always look great but I have yet to go!)

//More Parks: http://gonyc.about.com/od/outdooractivities/tp/nyc_parks.htm

tours:

well they're free but please tip the tour guide!

//Central Park Tours (Various dates/times, see link)

//Grand Central (Fridays 12:30pm, not for working people I guess)

//Flatiron Tour (Sundays 11AM). and you can pick up something from the Shake Shack afterwards!

//Union Square Tour (Saturdays 2pm)

//Wall Street Tour (Th/Sat noon)

//Lower East Side (Sun at 11am)

//Brooklyn Brewery Tour (Saturday)

//Chelsea Brewery Tour (Saturday, check website for details)

//Columbia University Tours (link) Well, the campus is quite famous and worth the time for photos. Also you can walk across Broadway to Barnard College which is even more scenic.

music:

mostly during the summer, keep an eye out for the following sites for updates

//brooklyn $3 concerts. prospect park. very very energetic venue. I liked it much better than central park summer stage. probably your best bet for getting someone who you first heard from SXSW or wfuv alternate side or your friend who can't stop gushing about the indie scene.

http://www.briconline.org/celebrate/

//river to river free concerts. well organized. utilizes variouis locations in the city. a great chance to hike to parks you've never visited before. I didn't always know the band but you can't beat a free live performance in the summer!

http://www.rivertorivernyc.com/home.php

//summer stage concerts. inside central park. mad crowded. must remember to bring towel and forget going into the venue. You can still hear plenty outside.

http://www.summerstage.org

//Hudson River Park. good view of skyline. summer concerts/outdoor screenings.

http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/index.asp

//South Street Seaport. yes, it's touristy but I still like the ships as a backdrop to any summer outing. some concerts too. good happy hour specials for the selected restaurants.

http://www.southstreetseaport.com/html/index.asp

links:

GO NYC Deal Listing http://gonyc.about.com/cs/museums/a/museumdeals.htm

GO NYC Summer Concerts http://gonyc.about.com/cs/music/a/summermusic.htm

Free NYC Events Listing http://freenyc.net/

NYC Citywide Events (mayor's office) Calendar (includes parades, music, etc)

NY Arts Listing http://www.nyc-arts.org/
Woody Allen tour http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/own-this-city/80697/woody-allens-manhattan

Sal Anthony's S.P.Q.R.

133 Mulberry Street (Little Italy)

212.925.3120

website

Feast of San Gennaro started Sept 11 and my friends just happened to find ourselves there, dining under a tent outside of SPQR. The weather was beautiful and what a night to be spending time doing a bit of wine and dine?!

pre-fixe apparently went on all throughout the night thanks to the festival. Let's see if I can remember the items that I consumed

//sweet melon prosciutto

I liked this but would have enjoyed cantalope more than the honeydew they used. just a personal reference though, the honeydew was very ripe and juicy.

//trout with garlic and rosemary

fantastic flavored fish and a more generous portion than expected. T. and I both had this and had trouble finishing. I was hoping for a light piece of fish for the summer but instead got quite a savory punch. I would recommend this again.

//cannoli

I'm not sure why I even ordered this...since I really have my taste buds set on Ferrara (blog entry)

Oh, we also got a pitcher of Sangria which was somewhat light but sweet. 

Definitely want to check out more of the festival for the street food later.

Brasserie 360

200 East 60th Street (at 3rd Ave)

212.688.8688

website

Drinks

//Pomegranate cocktail - looks like a cosmo but has pom juice instead of cranberry. T. and I both loved this. The website menu components are slightly different from the menu I saw in the restaurant. I figure they mix it up but keep the theme of pomegranate. 

//Jade - lychee liquor with some stuff. looks pretty but T. wasn't crazy about it.

Food

//Brasserie 360 Burger with greens on the side. 

//Thyme Poached Chicken salad - definitely gave you enough food for your money...the giant bowl was slightly intimidating. T. and I loved it though. Let's see...the website description is below: 

Julienne Apples, Endive, Gra pe Tomato, Avocado, Red Onion, Mix Greens, Sherry Vinaigrette.

Funny, I don't remember avocado...

Sweets

//Black and White Chocolate Mousse

We were quite full after our dinner but wanted to try some sweets. It does not disappoint. Otherwise the dessert menu is pretty standard, with your usual offering of various pie/ chocolate products and ice cream/sorbet.

Atmosphere

I suppose it's got that "outdoor" dining feel without being completely exposed to the elements. We sat in a section with clear walls. Basically, the walls (doors) can be slided open to the outside. We had enough space to ourselves (it is mid/uptown after all!). I can't remember the specific decors though.