skip to main |
skip to sidebar
It's Wednesday and I'm wanderlusting Williamsburg. Say that three times fast.
Sometimes you don't need to book a flight to experience a city different than your own. If I need a change of scenery, I can take the ferry over or hop on the L train to Brooklyn to see what's old and new in another neighborhood. My ideal day would be to start the morning off breaking a sweat with a class at Brooklyn Bodyburn. Just up the street, a well deserved reward, a fresh smoothie at Tiny Empire.
The folks at Kate Spade crafted a lovely guide for this hipster haven. Click here to check it out. Whether you spend your day shopping, biking, eating or drinking, be sure to end your at the Wythe Hotel. And if it's in their private outdoor garden for dinner, save me a seat. We capped off my birthday in Brooklyn with drinks on the rooftop of the Wythe Hotel, boasting an unobstructed view of Manhattan, that warranted it a spot on my staycation wishlist and this week's Wanderlust Wednesday.
Stay bitten ;)
This birthday was quite the celebration and I'm still smiling from it. I turned 30 on Saturday. In life we have a tendency to celebrate the big milestones. But for me, I've always had a great attention to detail with a love for celebrating the small moments, the day to day challenges, the failures, the successes, the losses, the wins, the tears, the laughter. All these little things add up. The sum of it all, well, here's a brief reflection, a collection of some of my most memorable moments gone by as I leave my twenties behind and enter my thirtieth year.
- I graduated at a different time, when the economy was flourishing and the jobs were a plenty. I showed off my portfolio at the Art Director's Club which followed up in emails and several job contacts while I was backpacking my way around Europe. Uhh sorry, I'm in Budapest, this will have to wait until August?!
- I landed my dream job out of college and worked under some of the most talented people in the industry. I worked tirelessly, weekends and weeknights, rotating between pizza and sushi, way passed 2am. I saw exciting campaigns come to life on the pages of magazines and on billboards worldwide. And then I quit advertising for a what was once an unfamiliar start-up and is now a leader in the e-commerce world.
- I started an outdoorsy club at the famed start-up. Aside from sharing my love for hiking / the outdoors with my coworkers, I planned one memorable apple picking trip. You think when you're making a reservation for a bus during Columbus Day Weekend and the guy on the other end of the phone tells you "oh, we're going to hook you up with a great bus for a great deal," you don't think he'll send over a pimped out bus with a stripper pole. Yikes, NSFW.
- I signed up to hike the Inca Trail during the rainy season and somehow convinced Jill that it would be a great idea. This was one time where I wasn't wrong.
- I tried to surf and reverted back to being a kid. Less fear, more laughs.
- I went on more than a handful of baaad dates. But isn't that what your twenties are about? And then I went on more than a handful of really good dates, ones where I would pinch myself to ensure that I wasn't on an episode of The Bachelor.
- I caught the bouquet at 3 weddings and passed them off to the over-eager runner-ups, including my best friend.
- I also caught a musician's jacket at a concert of his. When I returned it to him backstage, I slipped him my number in the jacket pocket. We text dated at most or at best.
- I threw on a bikini during a snowstorm and headed to Central Park to film an unsuccessful application video for Survivor. Somehow that photo manages to resurface.
- I ran a half marathon with not one but two bad ankles 13 days after the Boston Marathon. I cried for 5 miles, no wait, 6 or maybe 8. Who knows? With each passing mile, I noticed that my math skills have become worse with age. You have only 3 miles left? I eventually caught up with my friends at the finish line to celebrate our accomplishments.
- I'll remember my twenties for a period of great travel, exploring new terrain, embracing different cultures, making friends, from the glaciers in New Zealand to the wildlife in the Galapagos to the luminescent skyline in Hong Kong.
- I think my feet were off the ground for a good portion, smiling for the camera and yet another jumping shot.
- I experienced romance in the South of France, that one weekend where my life played out like a classic foreign film. Ok, some parts were romantic comedy, but for now, when I smell lavender, I'll be taken back to Provence.
- I caught and killed a chicken. This was after I spent the afternoon plucking out hair from pig skin. I learned it's important to know where your food comes from.
- I appeared in a commercial for a winery in Croatia as well as a music video in Tokyo. Both by accident.
- I made volunteering a habit, a part of my life, not a requirement but a responsibility I feel I owe to my community.
- I moved from uptown to Brooklyn to a month with my folks to an apt downtown. One of my guy friends moved in directly next door. After all the years of watching the '90's sitcom Friends, I now feel like I'm living thru an episode. And I couldn't be happier.
- I brought 8 wigs and a TED costume to a ski weekend in Vermont. It unfolded to arguably the best Harlem Shake video on the internet even if we came shy of being a youtube sensation.
- I learned that things fall apart so that other things can come together. And it's almost always for the better.
- I traveled by foot, car, bike, train, bus, plane and boat. I think my favorite mode of transportation was the catamaran during Yacht Week. Better yet, the dinghy.
- I chickened out of skydiving 2 times. The third time we can blame the weather.
- I convinced two of my hometown friends to drive to Poughkeepsie with me to see a concert. My real motive was an unsuccessful attempt to ask the lead singer if he would perform at my sister's wedding.
- I stood by my sister and watched her marry her match from med school.
- I became an aunt to a curly haired boy who made us revisit my Hess truck collection tucked away in my parents' basement. Every time I hear him say Luli, my heart fills to the brim.
- I watched my parents become grandparents and got a better understanding of how we were raised. And became grateful all over again.
- I have listed a lot of things that start with "I" but to be honest, I couldn't have done any of it without you, my readers and the support of my incredible friends and family. There was a lot of "we" in this brief reflection.
- I started a blog that unleashed an unknown passion of mine, a means to inspire, a catalog of my life adventures.
Here's to what's next and oh, the places we'll go.
Stay bitten ;)
You never know who you might meet or what role they will have in your
life. For my friend Jackie, at the end of last summer she found herself at the other end of the world, in Thailand, at the infamous Full Moon Party when she met
Mike. Yes, Mike, this one's for you. He's a hot Canadian guy (with an even better personality) and they
became instant friends. Fast forward a few months and Mike found himself
working for the same company as Jackie on a project in New York. When he wasn't working he was getting a taste of the Big Apple.
He's
now back in Toronto and we, along with the folks at the Ainsworth, miss
him. So today I'm thinking we head north to catch a hockey game and stay at this boutique hotel. They have 19 rooms and 5 bars, sounds good, ay?
Stay bitten ;)
photo courtesy of Jetsetter.com
The Great Gatsby remake hits theaters today. I've been fixated over it and luckily, I scored a seat to Gilt City's early screening of the movie on Tuesday night. Just moments before the movie, on the subway ride uptown, I finished the last few pages of the classic novel that takes place in East Egg, a place I proudly call home.
My beloved hometown was written up in the New York Times real estate section the other week as "The Town With a Homing Signal" - reminiscent of the green light in the Great Gatsby. But for years we've all had a strong affinity for Port. When people ask where I grew up, I fail to mention Long Island because I feel that in comparison to some neighboring towns, Port Washington prides itself in that small town feel with diversity throughout.
In the summers, we enjoyed the sunsets at the local town dock or over drinks at Louie's. We support our longstanding mom & pop shops and relish in the charm of a New England-esque fisherman village. I didn't grow up like the folks in Gatsby but we did share the same backdrop and to see the city from afar, just without the extravagant decadence, is something worth writing about. So revisit F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel and while you're at it, go check out Bahz Luhrmann's interpretation. I may be biased but I think it makes for a pretty great Gatsby.
"The
city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the
first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty
in the world." - The Great Gatsby
Stay bitten ;)
photo courtesy of Grant Willing for the New York Times
Y'all, we were in for a big treat the night we went out to Rebel's Honky Tonk. 9 Yankees walked into the bar, 2 rode the mechanical bull and the rest of us danced with a southern gentleman or two. Giddyup Texas.
Here's the thing with this place. It's a Friday night. The bar is packed and the dance floor is filled with couples dancing, do-si-do, two step, whatever you want to call it, this was not a night of dancing on the couches at the Jane Hotel. This was boy meets girl. Boy asks girl politely to have a dance. Boy dances with girl. Just like this.
We all decided to give it a whirl on the dance floor. Texas Two Step with a cowboy? Sure, why not? Only problem was that this New Yorker was two steps behind him. "Left, left" he kindly told me. The best I could conjure was "Ah I'm from New York." I figured that would explain everything. The only "Two Step" I was familiar with was the song from the Dave Matthews Band.
We tried to keep up with the cowboys but found ourselves staring at the couples dancing. Saddle up sisters.
Stay bitten ;)
The temperature was rising in Austin. To cool off we headed to Barton Springs, a man-made 1,000 foot long swimming pool. It's a great refuge that's open to the public, an ideal place to relax on a sunny afternoon. There's even a separate fresh water pool for dogs giving another reason as to why Austin is such a dog-friendly place! We laid out on the lawn, gossiped and laughed about the night before just like the girls from UT's swim team at the blanket over from us.
Austin has a few outdoor options to escape the heat from Barton Springs to Lady Bird Lake. Next time, we'll make our way to Lake Travis and hop on a boat.
Stay bitten ;)
Jackie
did some research in the hopes to find a fun daytime activity for the
group. She checked off a bunch of boxes when she came across Pubcrawler. For starters, we were outside but shaded from the hot Texan sun. We were going to be doing something active... exploring Austin by bike. Annnnnd we would be drinking.
From the outside, it looks touristy. But for the nine of us, we didn't care because it was a barrel of fun. We coasted going downhill but got more of a workout uphill than we expected. We pedaled from pub to pub, making our way past the original Whole Foods, stopping at Lucy's for some crawfish and happy hour.
Stay bitten ;)
Jackie, Lauren, Mary and I decided to stay, stay one more day and explore more of what Austin had to offer. We needed a change of pace (and southern hospitality) so for our Sunday night stay we checked into Hotel San Jose in the heart of South Congress. This dog friendly, charming boutique hotel was the perfect complement to our experience at the Driskill. We quickly settled into the room and our bathing suits so we could soak up the last few hours of the 90 degree weather by the pool. We snacked on hummus, olive tapenade and wasabi peas while sipping the most refreshing and delicious white sangria. When the sun was starting to set we decided to get out and explore a bit more of the charming SoCo area.
Just steps from our hotel we walked past a vibrant and fun outdoor scene happening at Perla’s - with pops of nautical colors and an umbrella shaded patio, the atmosphere exudes a true vacation vibe. Our plan was to go for dinner on Sunday night but we arrived at the tail end of their annual Crawfish Boil (total bummer!) so we decided to come back for lunch the next day. The menu at Perla’s is classic, American seafood with a modern, southern twist. With an extensive Oyster selection, the adventurous one (in true Lauren style) told the waitress to surprise her with the best. Shrimp cocktail was shared among the group as we sipped on mimosas and rose recapping our trip and making future plans to mask the end of vacation blues that was starting to settle in. In true summer style, Mary enjoyed a classic Lobster Roll with bibb lettuce, house mayo and drawn butter. Jackie and I shared the Ahi Tuna Melt (house confit, pickles and Vermont cheddar) along with the Sautéed Shrimp Caesar (D’espelette pepper, lemon, pecorino, focaccia croutons).
It was a perfect way to end our culinary tour of Austin - we left feeling satisfied and grateful that the 9 of us were able to experience Austin together – there is nothing better than exploring a city that is so full of life than with people who share in the same passion for adventure, culture, and of course food! A special thanks to our Travel Bug for giving me the opportunity to express my inner foodie and excitement for the culinary scene in Austin with all of you. Until next time!
JCD and her crew signing off…
Stay bitten ;)
Julia, nicknamed by her friends as Judy Cruise Director (JCD), is a mini Martha Stewart in the making. With her fine attention to detail, she knows how to throw a great party. When she's not entertaining friends, she's fulfilling her appetite for life at some of New York's best restaurants.
If you are looking for modern, upscale Mexican then this is your spot – the atmosphere and vibe of La Condesa is metropolitan and energetic – if there was “a scene” in Austin, this would be it. Instead of ordering a margarita or mojito I opted for a dirty martini – my favorite pre-dinner cocktail that gives you the perfect buzz to start off the night.
Others enjoyed the Spicy Paloma (herradura blanco, ginger liqueur, grapefruit, fresh ginger, splash jarritos de toronja) and Passionfruit & Mango Spiced Margarita (corzo reposado, ginger liqeur, passionfruit, spiced mango, lemon juice, pasilla-spiced salt rim). I love sharing different items off the menu as it gives you the opportunity to try as many of the dishes as possible. I always look to those around me and see who is up for sharing. For the table we ordered the traditional guacamole but if you are looking to be a bit more adventurous try the chipotle puree & toasted almond or the jumbo lump crab, apple & coconut vinegar. The taquitos were recommended by our server but we opted for some lighter fare and ordered the Palmitas (ash-roasted beets, hearts of palm, crispy kael, grapefruit jam, horseradish aioli) before indulging in the Carne Asada, I can never resist anything on a menu that involves chimichurri sauce (wood-grilled hanger steak, izote puree, ceboliitas, chimichurri). For sides we feasted on Elotes (Mexican-style street corn - hard on the teeth but so worth it) and Yucca Fritas (yucca fries, tomato jam, crema)
Located in the heart of South Congress is a Food Truck Park with tons of vendors and an eclectic cuisine. We needed a quick bite before we saw half of the group off to the airport so with luggage in tow we parked ourselves at a picnic table outside and enjoyed subs from the Short Bus. The sandwiches are all named something related to school, some of my favorites are The Bully, Class Clown, Lunch Lady & Teacher’s Pet. The experience is fun and easy and a nice change of pace from a sit down dining experience. South Congress is an area not to be missed filled with great brunch spots, boutiques and of course Allan’s Boots – the spot to go if you are in the market to purchase authentic cowboy boots. If you are craving something sweet after your salty sammy then head over to the Big Top Candy Shoppe across the way. When you step inside you will feel you have turned back time – we should have shared a soda pop out of four straws and worn our poodle skirts. We had fun being silly and exploring all of the unique and old school options and decided to treat ourselves to a good ole’ fashioned ice cream cone.
Stay bitten ;)
The Japanese word Uchi translates to "house" in English - the space is a refurbished home with a beautiful outdoor garden and a cozy but modern feel on the inside. The owner and chef, Tyson Cole was recently recognized by the James Beard Foundation and named the best chef of the southwest – Uchi was a must according to every restaurant list and local insiders.
We scored a Friday evening reservation and enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail in the garden while waiting for our table. The temperature drops a bit at night in Austin so we all started with the Miso Shiru (miso soup, tofu, scallions) and Shishito Peppers – a fun fact we learned about shishito peppers is that about one in every ten peppers is extremely spicy and you won’t know which one it is until you start to feel the tingling in your mouth.
For the first course we enjoyed the Maguro Sashimi (big eye tuna, goat cheese, pumpkin seed oil, Fuji apple) followed by the Yokai Berry (Atlantic salmon, dinosaur kale, Asian pear, yuzu). Next to arrive was the Hakujin (salmon with grilled asparagus, tempura flakes), Biendo (tempura shrimp spring roll, nuoc mam and grapes), and the Zero Sen (yellowtail, avocado, shallot, cilantro, tobiko and yuzu).
If that wasn’t enough we ordered multiple rounds of our favorite dishes – The Shag (tempura roll, salmon, avocado and sun-dried tomato) and The Pitchfork (wagyu beef, leek crisp, avocado and yuzu kosho). It certainly exceeded our expectations and is the first on my list of Austin Eats.
As expected, Saturday morning everyone was not feeling their best after many rounds of Dare or Dare and Moscow Mules on Rainey Street. We were on a mission for BBQ but missed our opportunity for Franklin BBQ or Salt Lick. We popped into Starbucks for some much needed coffee and asked the barista where we could go in the area and sudo recommended Stubb’s. We took a wrong turn and 9 Yankees were forced to walk through the worst part of Austin. I would like to say that it was worth the risk but it was not the BBQ experience we had all hoped. The restaurant was closing for a private party so the experience felt rushed and touristy – for the most part I enjoyed the pork ribs, brisket and mac n’ cheese but the pulled pork and coleslaw was sub-par. If I had one regret it was not making the trek for what Austin is best known for and having a true BBQ experience - just gives us all another reason to make the trip back!
Stay bitten ;)
Posts
