Menu

Archive / February 2013

February 28, 2013

…devised a Subway art tour

Whenever I’m using the subway, I’m in a rush. My head is always down – either to gawk at my phone or to avoid eye contact with the creeper in the corner. But when I looked up for a brief moment at 23rd Street last week, I realised that there were hats painted on the …

Read More
February 27, 2013

…saw photos by Allen Ginsberg

In my post-cocktail fog this morning, I splurged on a camera thinking that it’s about time this blog had some semi decent photos. So in the two days it should take for it to arrive, I’m seeking some tips and inspiration. Tonight I went to an exhibition of photography by Allen Ginsberg at NYU’s Grey …

Read More
February 26, 2013

…tried Malaysian food

Every month, I meet Katia, a university friend, for a gossip over sushi – and we accidentally get very, very drunk. Before our date tonight, I said that we had to forgo the sushi for something I’d never had before. Scouring the mid-way point between Katia’s Upper East Side pad and my SoHo spot (which …

Read More
February 25, 2013

…went to a play reading

It’s been a while since I went to the theatre, and tonight I witnessed it in a format I never have before: a simple reading. The presentation of Father Unknown by Daniel Reitz was held on a stark, dark stage at The Ensemble Studio Theatre (hurrah for British spelling) on 52nd and 10th Ave.

Read More
February 24, 2013

…ate an ugli fruit

Today I was in Gourmet Garage in SoHo and spied a large citrus fruit with a green, stained, scaly skin and an appropriate name: an ugli fruit. Just $2.99 later and it was mine. I’ve never had one of these before and didn’t really know what to do with it. But I thought that if …

Read More
February 23, 2013

…was in a music video

Being in New York means you get to meet great people like Lindsay Ellyn, a singer-songwriter who’s just released her first EP. Today Lindsay was filming the final scenes for a music video for Somebody Love Those Girls (my favourite on the EP) so I went along to help out. The song is about women …

Read More
February 22, 2013

…watched a latte art competition

A month ago, one of my favourite coffee shops, Oslo, was gutted by a fire in the middle of the day, rocking the small chain, the Williamsburg neighbourhood and the coffee community. As the company battled to get back on its feet after such a massive loss, they decided to make some cash the best …

Read More
February 21, 2013

…ate Mexican sushi

I’ve walked past Taka Taka on West Broadway many times and I’ve always turned my nose up at its description: Mexican Sushi and Japanese Tacos. But tonight, in my bid for a new cuisine, Dylan and I went along to see if it was as repulsive at it sounded. And you know what? It was …

Read More
February 20, 2013

…went to a designer shoe exhibition

I have about four pairs of shoes and will probably buy exactly the same ones when they wear through. My friend Rachel, however, seems to have several new pairs delivered every week; I will never understand how she makes it to the office without spraining an ankle. So the Shoe Obsession exhibit at the Fashion …

Read More
February 19, 2013

…visited a nighttime art installation at FIT

New York cares about us city dwellers who only emerge from our offices when it’s dark and rarely catch exhibits before they close. For us, they’ve provided Light Cycles in the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center. The three-month installation (should that be outstallation?) by Anne Militello is comprised of different-sized disks of colour that glow hypnotically …

Read More
February 17, 2013

…watched the Chinese New Year Parade

Events celebrating Chinese New Year have been held across New York for a week now (including my dim sum making last Sunday), but today they reached a dramatic, colourful conclusion with the parade. The event was very nearly right on my doorstep. Furry dragons, sequined snakes and lantern-adorned floats left Chinatown, bobbed along Mott Street (parallel to …

Read More
February 16, 2013

…went to Williamsburg Fashion Weekend

I’ve drunk a few too many cherry vodka-flavored soda water cranberry things, so this will be short and sweet. But you know what I learned tonight? That – if I hadn’t already predicted it – the Williamsburg Fashion Weekend is a bit weird. We gathered in The Space on N 3rd and Wythe to see …

Read More
February 15, 2013

…bought a book from The Strand

This must be a New York City rite of passage, so how have I never bought a book from The Strand before? For those of you not from New York, The Strand is a massive independent bookstore just south of Union Square and filled with 18 miles of books – new books, used books, rare …

Read More
February 14, 2013

…tasted chocolate-flavoured wine

Valentine’s Day. Which means chocolate and wine. Why not together? After our Valentine’s date, Dylan and I cracked open a bottle of ‘Sweet Red’, a chocolate-flavored wine from Chocolat Rouge in California. Immediately the smell hit me – a whiff of synthetic chocolate, like a sticker you’d scratch in school or the hind of a …

Read More
February 12, 2013

…went to Westminster Kennel Club dog show

Another day, another bizarre activity. Tonight it was entering the surprisingly exhilarating world of dog shows. I headed to Madison Square Garden to watch the second and final night of the annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show, and I was immediately sucked in. For three hours, I joined the rest of the crowd in gasping …

Read More
February 11, 2013

…went cycling at a disco

Because sitting at my desk for 11 hours a day isn’t enough, I decided to sit for an extra hour tonight. But this is was the most intense sitting of my life: SoulCycle. SoulCycle is a bizarre concept, but perfect for New York. It involves around 70 cycling machines in a very warm room, some very loud music …

Read More
February 9, 2013

…made a snow angel

Winter Storm Nemo dumped a foot of snow on New York last night. For Lower Manhattan – where I live – that means brown slush lining every street for a few days. But for the city’s parks, it means a soft, welcoming blanket – and the opportunity to be a big kid. So I donned …

Read More
February 8, 2013

…went to boot camp

Five weeks into doing a new thing every day and I’m starting to realise some things. Who knew that I’d take to martial arts? Or that spiritual stuff doesn’t always get my goat? Tonight I went to a boot camp – but in place of monkey bars, jump ropes and truck tyres, there were bare …

Read More
February 7, 2013

…went to a hot chocolate festival

With a massive snowstorm brewing, I need to pack on a bit more insulation, so tonight I went to The City Bakery’s annual Hot Chocolate Festival. Without a doubt, I am now a few stone heavier. As well as being my first Hot Chocolate Festival, it was also the first time I’ve ever bought a …

Read More
February 6, 2013

…rocked out at Bowery Electric

Tonight I battled the cold to walk a few blocks north to Bowery Electric, where I thawed out to a couple of sets in the Map Room. It’s the first time I’ve been to the venue, which is owned by Jesse Malin and Johnny T, and is was reportedly a favourite haunt of Drew Barrymore …

Read More
February 5, 2013

…ran over the Brooklyn Bridge

With all these vats of cheese and doughnuts I’ve been consuming, it’s about time I did some exercise. I combined it with a New York must-see by running over the Brooklyn Bridge. Twice actually, if you count there and back.

Read More
⇚ Older Posts