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 MoreTag / LES
…couldn’t Escape the Room
Ryan and I like to think we’re pretty smart. But if this blog has taught me one thing, it’s that that’s not actually the case. Remember when we went to a Murder Mystery certain that we’d crack it within minutes – but then left early because we had no idea what was going on? Well, …
Read More…visited the Doughnut Plant
Despite what my Instagram feed might suggest, I swear I’m not a doughnut addict. Well… not yet. Ryan and I bought a fresh batch from Baked In Brooklyn to share with his family last weekend – and although they were the first I’d had in years, they convinced me they’re all I should eat, ever. Yesterday, after a trying day, …
Read More…took a food tour of the Lower East Side
New York is constantly evolving, and nowhere is a better example of this than the Lower East Side. While it was once filled with immigrants crammed into tenement houses, now there are swanky coffee shops and hipsters. But while most of the area has drastically changed, some tasty relics remain. I’ve previously toured businesses and buildings in …
Read More…took a walking tour in the LES
This weekend, I got a treat – Heather arrived in New York City! Heather and I have known each other since we were six – and I think we’re still pretty much the same today: an unchanged sense of humor, an unparalleled ability to chat rubbish to anyone who’ll listen and penchant for kiss chase. Today …
Read More…fronted a rock band
When I was 11, my sister Charlotte, our friend Lara and I started a pretty great band. While it didn’t have a name, it did have an interesting sound: Charlotte on the drums, me on the keys and Lara on the violin. We penned a surprisingly dark song for our tender years and set our …
Read More…rocked out at Bowery Ballroom
Okay, I cracked! I lasted a whole two days without doing something new. On Saturday night, I headed to a Lower East Side music venue I’d never been to before: Bowery Ballroom. It’s hosted a whole range of acts – from Lauryn Hill and Kanye West to Queens of the Stone Age and the Pixies. And tonight …
Read More…shopped at Essex Street Market
Remember how I used to make doughnuts and delicious Chinese food at the start of the year? Well, that very quickly went downhill once I realized that there are far more exciting things to do in New York than stay in my kitchen. But when I finish this blog at the end of the year, …
Read More…checked out the ‘Heroes’ mural
This afternoon, kids and community members put the final dabs of paint on a massive 3D mural honouring the city’s 9/11 heroes on the Lower East Side. I had hoped to make the ribbon cutting ceremony, but unfortunately I couldn’t escape work in time. But not to worry because the mural was still waiting for me when I finally got …
Read More…got spooked at a haunted house
In the spirit of Halloween, I decided to give myself a fright tonight at a haunted house. To be honest, before I went, I was pretty skeptical about whether or not I’d actually feel the fear. But oh dear god, it scared the bejeezus out of me. I headed to ‘Killers2‘ housed at the Clemente Soto …
Read More…drank at an ice bar
Rather than the usual Friday beers, tonight I opted for a new experience: Drinking vodka at an ice bar. I’ve heard of this sort of thing before and thought it sounded cool (yes, pun intended). So when I learned there was an ice cage at Mehanata, a Bulgarian bar in the Lower East Side, I decided …
Read More…toured a tenement house
I’ve always said it’s a shame that German is the only foreign language I speak (badly, it needs to be noted) because every single person from Germany will speak better English than I do German. Well, it turns out that I’m just in the wrong part of the city – and in the wrong generation. …
Read More…played drag bingo
I have been a bingo fan for years. When I was at St Andrews, us girls would get dressed up and head to a bingo hall on the outskirts of Dundee for a night of laughing, losing and lashing on wine from plastic glasses. If you check out this review, you will see just how …
Read More…sweated at Bikram yoga
As if enduring 90-degree heat (34C) outside wasn’t enough, I decided to sit in a room at temperatures of 105 (41C) tonight while attempting to contort in a number of painful, painful poses: Today’s the day I took on Bikram yoga. Before this blog, I used to take yoga classes sporadically, but I’d never been …
Read More…noshed a knish
Last summer, I discovered I’m allergic to blueberries. Today, I stupidly decided to test whether I still am – and I learned that I really, really am. After a painful day at work, some moaning, groaning and a nap, I woke up famished. I needed something comforting but reasonably bland. I needed a knish. I’ve never had a knish before, …
Read More…went to a Vice party
Tonight I headed to the Lower East Side for a Vice party, which they threw to celebrate their new MMA section. My friend River works there, so I joined him, Noah and Taylor for some beers and dancing. This is Vice, so I was pretty petrified – mostly that I’d be too old and too uncool. I …
Read More…had a Lower East Side history lesson
I love the Lower East Side. It’s shabby chic, so you’d think it hadn’t really been updated – apart from what’s in the shops – since its inception. But tonight I headed to the Tenement Museum on Orchard and Delancy to see author David Bellel talk about his new book, Then & Now: Lower East Side, and …
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