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Archive / September 2013

September 30, 2013

…ate a Moroccan feast

One cuisine I’ve not had in New York is Moroccan, and as luck would have it, there was a deal going for a place up in Midtown. So Ryan and I headed there to fill our bellies. Midtown is an area where I rarely eat out, so I was interested to see if there was …

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September 30, 2013

…joined the crowds at Atlantic Antic

You’d have thought that the horrifying San Gennaro would be enough to put me off street fairs for life but this weekend, the city’s biggest street festival was in town and I couldn’t resist. Atlantic Antic is the oldest (it started in 1974) and largest (it has 500 vendors along one mile) street fair in …

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September 29, 2013

…took a trip to Governors Island

If you look at a map of New York City, there are a few islands dotted around Manhattan. I’ve already been to Roosevelt Island, if you remember, and today I ventured to another: Governors Island – which was good timing because this is the last weekend of the year that it’s open. This is where …

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September 27, 2013

…went to the Dumbo Arts Festival

Today I headed to Dumbo for the third time this week. So I know my photographs are getting a bit similar – but let’s be honest, can you ever get too much of this skyline? I went there to check out the Dumbo Arts Festival – a free three-day festival scattered among the streets and …

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September 26, 2013

…visited Photoville

In the past six months, somehow I’ve become a crier. I used to let stories I wrote at work wash over me, but now I’m forever fumbling for the tissues. One of my news editors even told me recently that she can tell it’s a good story if she hears a sniff from my desk. I’m …

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September 25, 2013

…shopped at the Union Square Greenmarket

I keep meaning to make a pie with the apples Ryan and I picked at Stone Ridge Orchard on Saturday. So today after work, I nipped up to Union Square to get some extra ingredients. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the Union Square Greenmarket sells fresh and local produce, baked goods and flowers until 6pm. I …

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September 25, 2013

…found the city’s last gas lamp

After work, I scuttled a few blocks north to a tiny unassuming corner of Greenwich Village: Patchin Place. Like all the other quaint streets in this part of the city, there are gorgeous red bricks, snug coffee shops and rubbish-free sidewalks. But it also has something no other street here has: A gaslight lamp. The …

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September 23, 2013

…watched the sun set from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade

It’s getting darker earlier, and soon enough it’ll be pitch black when I leave work. Today I checked sunset time – 6.51pm – and realized I’d better make the most of dusk while it still exists. And what better way than with the city skyline? After work I jumped on the F train to Jay Street …

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September 22, 2013

…visited the world’s largest kaleidoscope

For a small mountain town, Phoenicia has endless outdoor activities. Today, as well as trying some of these, Ryan and I decided to visit one of its top indoor experiences too: The world’s largest kaleidoscope. Yes, this sounds a bit bizarre – and I had no idea how good it was going to be. The 60-ft Kaatskill …

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September 21, 2013

…picked apples in Stone Ridge

I’m in the countryside upstate so it only feels right to do very wholesome outdoor activities. And you’re overwhelmed with choice up here; Phoenicia and its neighbouring towns are crammed with trails, lakes and pick-your-own farms. Despite our bottles of wine last night, Ryan and I were up bright and early and headed to the …

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September 20, 2013

…drank local wine in Phoenicia

I love the city, but I’m also not adverse to escaping every now and then for more greenery and less hubbub. And it’s easy; there are just so many places just a few hours away upstate that offer this respite. So after work today, Ryan and I hopped in the car and headed to Phoenicia, a teeny …

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September 19, 2013

…got the dirt on the Earth Room

New York is full of bizarre things – sheep sculptures at gas stations, zombie parades and loos with transparent walls – but none as bizarre as what I encountered today: A room filled with nothing but 280,000 pounds of dirt. At lunchtime, Hayley and I headed a few blocks north to the Earth Room at …

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September 18, 2013

…visited the waterfall at Greenacre Park

I wore tights for the first time this week and switched to hot coffees. Autumn appears to be winning. This means I need to cram in as many outdoor new experiences, activities and visits as I can – sharpish. So tonight I took advantage of New York’s great outdoors – by visiting a city center waterfall. After work I …

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September 18, 2013

…saw sheep grazing in Chelsea

I grew up surrounded by fields of sheep and cattle, but since moving to New York, the only animals I’ve seen are small dogs and bigger rats. Thankfully a new art space in Chelsea has brought the farmyard experience right to the heart of the city so that New Yorkers don’t miss out. ‘Sheep Station’ …

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September 17, 2013

…traveled to a ghost subway stop

The subway platform for the 6 train at City Hall used to be one of the most opulent in the transit system’s underground maze. The station, which opened in 1904, was dripping with chandeliers and decked with colored tiles – and some of Manhattan’s richest residents would venture to its vaults after dinner just for …

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September 15, 2013

…watched a Japanese drum show

Doing a new thing every day makes sure I never forget that I have world-class talent right on my doorstep. And today – when I saw an amazing Japanese drum show – I was reminded once again. I jumped on the 1 train with Ryan and headed to the Taikoza Live show at the Peter …

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September 14, 2013

…identified trees in Carroll Gardens

New York City isn’t all skyscrapers, office blocks and coffee shops – believe it or not, there are actually a few trees here. But before today, I rarely looked at them – and definitely had no idea what they were. This morning, Hillary and I headed to Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn to wander the beautiful …

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September 13, 2013

…feasted at San Gennaro

Last year when I lived in Little Italy, there was nothing I dreaded more than the Feast of San Gennaro. Every year for 10 days, the festival fills the six blocks stretching from Prince Street to Canal Street – and my recollection of it is noise, tackiness and stinky, greasy food. Of course, living there, …

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September 12, 2013

…ate spaghetti ice cream

A few days ago, I spotted something bouncing around on Twitter: Spaghetti ice cream. Yes, I double took too. What exactly did it mean? Spaghetti with a dollop of ice cream? Ice cream flavored like spaghetti? In fact, it’s something far more delicious: Ice cream piped to look just like your favourite Italian dish. Ryan …

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September 11, 2013

…visited the 9/11 Tiles for America

It’s been 12 years since Mr Caldicot sat down our Year 10 drama class and told us America had been attacked. I remember Rebecca getting upset – her father was traveling in the States that day – but the rest of us sat in a numb, confused silence. The sheer scale and enormous heartbreak surrounding …

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September 10, 2013

…heard experimental music

Tonight I headed to Tribeca to an old building barely visible behind scaffolding. I found its hidden door and took its winding, marble stairs to the 13th floor where, through ancient wooden doors, sat a little-known radio station. The Clocktower Gallery station transmits experimental music and sound installations across the internet’s airwaves at ARTonAIR.org and …

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September 10, 2013

…square danced in Bryant Park

After work today, I was tired and just wanted to go home. But Ryan and I had made plans to go square dancing for my new thing, so I dragged myself to Bryant Park and screamed, ‘I hate todaysthedayi!‘ when I met him. Thankfully, it turns out that square dancing is the best remedy for …

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September 8, 2013

…visited the Museum of Sex

It’s been a bit of a hedonistic weekend – a gluttonous picnic, gorging myself at the Vendys and a fair few beers last night – so this afternoon I decided to continue the theme with a trip to the Museum of Sex. I had expected the museum, which is at Madison Square Park, to cover …

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September 8, 2013

…gorged at the Vendys

Food trucks are an integral part of the New York foodie landscape but I’ve not visited one since the start of this blog. Today I more than made up for lost time with a crash course in the city’s best food trucks – at the annual Vendy Awards. The Vendy Awards showcase around 25 of …

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