Ten years ago today, I moved to New York City. My first apartment was on a slightly desolate block of the Upper West Side. Today, there's
a Whole Foods a block away, and four high rises have gone up within a two-block radius. Times, you could say, have changed.
I've spent my entire adult life here in Manhattan, and I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. My first few weeks were, obviously, colored by the September 11th attacks. I didn't even have my cable hooked up yet and wasn't due to start work for another week, so I spent the day curled up in my hallway listening to the radio. When I left to walk 20 blocks downtown to
Caroline's apartment for company, cable and dinner, I passed Brooke Shields on the street.
That's New York, you know? The gritty reality crossed with the glamour of art and, in this case, celebrity - writ large.
My first forays into grown-up cooking were, to say the least, less than exciting. There were many grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (a trick I learned from my slightly older and much wiser roommate), a lot of bottled marinara sauce, and tons of macaroni and cheese. But always a green salad. I've always been addicted to vegetables.
I spent my money at the bars and skimped on my food budget. A fancy night out was dinner at Big Nick's, an all-night pizza and burger joint on Broadway. I came home most nights by way of the local pizza place, slice in hand. I'd leave it in the oven to keep warm, hop in the shower to get rid of the bar smell (those were the days before the smoking ban, when I'd have to hang my coat on the fire escape overnight to air out the cigarette fumes), then eat the cheesy, greasy goodness while watching a movie on my hand-me-down sofa.
Today, I drink booze with flavor (
bourbon or
gin, not vodka), the dinners are nicer and the nights (mostly) earlier. The produce is fancier and
more local, and the apartment a bit more pulled together. But the joy I feel every time I see the New York skyline, the rush I get every morning when I walk out the door, the satisfaction I take in having made it in this most insane and exciting and glorious of cities - that hasn't changed one little bit.
Thank you, New York, for raising me so well. I love you. Which is a good thing, because we seem to be stuck with one another.
Ten years ago today, I moved to New York City. My first apartment was on a slightly desolate block of the Upper West Side. Today, there's a Whole Foods a block away, and four high rises have gone up within a two-block radius. Times, you could say, have changed.
My first forays into grown-up cooking were, to say the least, less than exciting. There were many grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (a trick I learned from my slightly older and much wiser roommate), a lot of bottled marinara sauce, and tons of macaroni and cheese. But always a green salad. I've always been addicted to vegetables.
Today, I drink booze with flavor (bourbon or gin, not vodka), the dinners are nicer and the nights (mostly) earlier. The produce is fancier and more local, and the apartment a bit more pulled together. But the joy I feel every time I see the New York skyline, the rush I get every morning when I walk out the door, the satisfaction I take in having made it in this most insane and exciting and glorious of cities - that hasn't changed one little bit.
Thank you, New York, for raising me so well. I love you. Which is a good thing, because we seem to be stuck with one another.
Success! The books are organized by color. Just wanted to let you guys see the finished result. The back of the unit is nearly full, and also organized by color, but by boring colors. (Dull green, lots of cream, a bit of black.)
I spent most of my day today rearranging the apartment, including reorganizing my (nearly 1,000) books by color. It was a long day, and I'm horrifyingly sore, but it was worth it. Results to come soon!
My refrigerator was full of Easter feast goodness, and my kitchen was super warm from the oven going all day long (cream puffs and ramp tart), so the eggs had to live on the windowsill for a bit.
Why, you ask? Because my lovely partners in blogland, Miya and Elisabeth of You + ME*, are featured in the new issue of Rue! Head on over to Rue's site to peruse the new issue and get inspired by Miya and Elisabeth's idea for a Skill Swap Jamboree! (Skip right to page 60 if, like me, you can't wait to see Miya and Elisabeth in action. But then, obviously, you should go back and read the whole thing, because it is awesome.)
Hello, my lovelies! As you've likely heard by now, New York was walloped yesterday and into this morning with a huge snowstorm. First came the relatively peaceful four inches yesterday morning and afternoon. Then came the thundersnow and the hail and the sleet. Then came the blizzard-like conditions, dumping up to four inches per hour overnight.
All told, we got about 19 inches here on the Upper East Side. And since I, personally, love snow, I am so happy! It's actually pretty warm out today, so I think I might take a little walk in the park this afternoon. In the meantime, enjoy a few snaps from my walk to grab coffee this morning!
That's right, cats and kittens. Four years ago today, I posted some musings on food in New York and a review of the then newly-opened cocktail bar Death & Company, and a blog was born. Since 2007 (when I posted a measly 54 times, compared to 245 in 2010), we've been on many adventures together - Paris, Sonoma, India, Napa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, London...it's been a pretty marvelous run thus far!
It's that time of year - the air is getting nippy, and fall is creeping steadily (and seemingly ever more quickly) toward winter. And what does winter mean? That's right - holidays!
Why, you ask? Because it's fall. It is autumn. And I am thrilled. Autumn is the time when cool weather and delicious produce co-exist, the time when colors turn warmer, the air turns crisper, and I get to wear scarves and sweaters again.
Things start to sparkle and shine, and suddenly red wine never tasted so good. Pies abound, as do spices.
It's my birthday. (The big 3-1, if you're counting.) Hence, we are having fried chicken. Yes, that's right. I'm headed to a 10 PM reservation at Momofuku Noodle Bar for their fried chicken dinner.
Guys. Do you like theatre? Do you like things that are funny? Do you like things that are unbelievably cheap and still awesomely fun? Well, then, do I have the show for you!
Chez Queenie, 2009.
Hotel Fauchère, Milford, Pennsylvania, June 2009.
Chez Queenie, June 2009.
Café Sabarsky, February 2010.
88 Orchard, August 2010.
Joe, August 2010.
Joe, April 2009.
Joe, December 2009.
Joe, April 2009.
Chez Queenie, August 2008.
Camille, Paris, November 2008.
Charlie Trotter's, Chicago, November 2009.
