It’s been a while! I’ve wanted to get back to blogging for many months but, with long work weeks, it hasn’t been easy. But! I now have a very simple way to show you what I’ve been upto in New York (and beyond) for the past year. Between February 2015 and February 2016, I recorded a second of video …
Read MoreCategory / Food & Drink
July 2, 2015
…went to a restaurant serving bugs
When people come to town, I usually have a few tips for things they should do, but when Adam was visiting last week, his suggestion was far more creative than anything I might have come up with. He wanted to head to Korea Town to eat bugs. Silk worm lava, to be exact. Adam and …
Read MoreMay 28, 2015
Lydia’s List: My favorite city spots for iced coffee
This warm weather means I’ve finally made the switch to iced coffee. Yesss. Since last summer, I’ve moved offices to Astor Place, giving me the chance to discover a few new places. So I thought I’d share a few of my top spots with you – near Astor Place and beyond – and ask for your tips on where I should …
Read MoreMay 17, 2015
…got tipsy on a cocktail tour of the East Village
By now you probably know that I am a walking tour fan. There’s no better way to see the city than on foot accompanied by someone who knows their stuff. And among the tour groups, Urban Adventures is one of my favorites thanks to their wealth of knowledge, small group sizes and choice of lesser-known locations. So when I …
Read MoreMay 14, 2015
…won at Brooklyn Bowl
If you’re looking for an easygoing night out, complete with live music and some finger-lickin’ good comfort food, I’ve found your place. Last weekend, I headed to Brooklyn Bowl, which is inside a Williamsburg warehouse, and it was a winner. (And as it turns out, so was I.) I was a fan of the huge space, which …
Read MoreMay 6, 2015
…explored Washington DC’s Union Market
Essex Street Market, Chelsea Market, Smorgasburg — New York knows how to do food markets. So this weekend, when I headed to Washington D.C. for my friend Kate’s bridal shower (you remember Kate!), I was happy to see how the city’s markets compared. And, ooh, I was impressed. She and her husband-to-be, Darius, took me to Union …
Read MoreApril 26, 2015
Things I’ve loved about New York this week
I’ve been out of the city this weekend, which means that I’ve been looking back at photos from this week, and it seems like forever ago! But there were plenty of treats to be remembered… 1 :: Subway art I spotted as I changed at Jay Street Metrotech. There’s art in pretty much every subway station, and …
Read MoreApril 17, 2015
…tested out the Macaron Cafe
We already know that macarons are man’s best invention, but until now I’ve relied on the East Village’s Macaron Parlour for my fix. This week I passed Maracon Cafe on 36th Street so, charitably, decided to give them a chance as well. This location, which is between Broadway and 7th Avenue, has a teeny store front and just …
Read MoreApril 2, 2015
…relaxed at a cat cafe
You’ve had a long New York day – we all know them. Maybe you were forced to go to Midtown. Perhaps your subway train pulled away from the platform just as you swiped through. Maybe someone knocked over your coffee after you shelled out $6 – plus tip – for it. Whatever the cause, you definitely need a …
Read MoreMarch 30, 2015
…snuck into a Pizza Speakeasy
Ever since moving to NYC, I’ve loved tracking down its speakeasies – whether it’s one behind a secret door in a Japanese restaurant, through a phone booth in a hotdog store or down an alleyway for cocktails in teacups. They’re quirky and fun and our little secret. So when I found out that a pizza speakeasy, SRO, had snuck …
Read MoreMarch 24, 2015
…ate knish and dumplings with Urban Adventures
I’ve taken a fair few guided walks around the Lower East Side, so when I joined Urban Adventures‘ food tour last weekend, I was expecting more of the same. Ah, how wrong I was. The three-hour, fact-packed tour, Tenements, Tales, and Tastes, started at City Hall and took our small group north – past African burial grounds, through former slums, into Chinatown’s hidden dumpling shops and towards Little …
Read MoreMarch 22, 2015
Things I’ve loved about NYC this week
I’ve been a bit of a hermit this week (as I’m sure you realized from lack of posts…) but I must say the sprinkling of snow we had on Friday made the city a real beaut. Even better – it’s now completely gone! Let’s hope that’s the last of it. As to a few things I liked …
Read MoreMarch 21, 2015
…tasted Insomnia Cookies
Look at this awful weather! What you need is a pick-me-up. How about one delivered right to your door? I say you turn your attention to Insomnia Cookies. As the name suggests, they help you get your cookie fix (nearly) all hours of the day and night, but unlike some of you may be thinking, …
Read MoreFebruary 25, 2015
…visited Dylan’s Candy Bar
It sounds so cliché, but Dylan’s Candy Bar on 60th Street took me right back to my childhood. The shop – which is owned by Ralph Lauren’s daughter, Dylan – may be very modern and a little flashy, but it reminded me of when I was little for three main reasons: 1 :: Because my brother …
Read MoreFebruary 17, 2015
…made ravioli at Pazzi Pasta
Since moving to Brooklyn last year and finally having a little counter space, I’ve rediscovered my love of cooking – but one thing I’ve never braved is fresh pasta. Which is where Pazzi Pasta comes in. I immediately fell in love with Pazzi Pasta’s creative, fresh and delicious dishes when I had lunch there a few weeks …
Read MoreFebruary 12, 2015
…ate gluten-free treats from Jennifer’s Way Bakery
Let’s start this off on the right foot. I’m not a gluten-free nut and I pretty much try to cram gluten and carbs into every meal possible. But even though it might seem like a hippy food fad to many, I appreciate that for others, a gluten-free diet has made a massive, life-changing difference. Plus, …
Read MoreFebruary 5, 2015
…discovered Birthday Cake lattes at DAVIDsTEA
As a Brit, I’m a little ashamed that I’ve allowed my coffee consumption to overtake my tea intake. But I’ve just discovered a cracking company here in NYC that’s encouraged me to get back in touch with my roots. This week, I headed to DAVIDsTEA in Park Slope, Brooklyn for some tasters. I’ve often passed …
Read MoreFebruary 4, 2015
…got merry at The Imbible
[Note: Scroll down to the comments section for a discount code for 5% off tickets!] Before moving to New York, I thought I was going to be seeing Broadway shows every week. But the reality is that they’re all in Midtown, which equals big, ugly crowds and big, ugly prices. Sometimes it’s the last place I want to …
Read MoreJanuary 29, 2015
…went to Queens for a Burns Supper
I lived in Scotland for four years for university, but the most Scottish experiences I’ve ever had have been right here in the U.S. First up, when I lived in Atlanta, I went to the city’s Highland Games, which looked like this: Then last year, I went to the Tartan Parade, complete with bagpipes and …
Read MoreDecember 6, 2014
…had afternoon tea at the Russian Tea Room
Whenever I go back to England, I somehow always manage to squeeze in an afternoon tea – even if I’m just back for a weekend. And while England would seem the place to do it, there is a little gem of a location here in New York to satisfy my cravings too – although it’s definitely not …
Read MoreNovember 12, 2014
…dosey doed at a barn dance
Some parts of this country remain completely alien to me. The way you write the date? Weird. American supermarkets? I’ll never understand them. That plastic neon yellow stuff you put on burgers and claim is ‘cheese’? No thanks. So every now and then it’s nice to get a little taste of home. Enter… the barn dance. …
Read MoreOctober 17, 2014
…was underwhelmed by Magnolia Bakery
Cronuts and macaroons may now rule the treats here in New York, but once upon a time, the cupcake was king. Leading the way was Magnolia Bakery, which first started whipping up cupcakes from leftover batter at its Bleecker Street store in the 1990s, sparking the mania. Two decades on, even though the cupcake craze may be crumbling, Magnolia seems to be …
Read MoreOctober 7, 2014
…drank coffee at Central Perk
New York can be an intimidating sprawl when you’re new to town, so sometimes it’s nice to pop to a place that’s slightly more recognizable. My sister Charlotte is visiting from New Zealand and, while she isn’t scared by the size of the city, I still thought it would be good to visit an old, familiar favorite: …
Read MoreAugust 28, 2014
…discovered Sahadi’s
Now that I finally live in an apartment bigger than a shoe box (thank you, Brooklyn), I’ve weaned myself off Seamless and have re-discovered the stove. In habits that would have seemed absurd a few months ago, Ryan and I now pack our lunches and spend an hour cooking every night. I love it. When we moved to Brooklyn, …
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