FUN AND GAMES

Fancy drinks at the secret bar

I apologize to all my friends who’ve said, “I’ve loved reading your blog while you were in NY”  because as you’ve noticed… I never finished it.  In my head the first week I got back to LA I said, okay Jamie, 2 more posts to go to finish up NYC blog smog, I can do it this week!  Well I didn’t write them, and I didn’t write them in the many weeks that followed, of course, because I’m a lazy good for nothing person who can’t finish a personal project to save my life!  Ahhh.  But alas, I’m picking up the pieces and trying once again, to finish.  Here is my 2^nd to last post:

This Way -Lil Piggy

 “This Little Piggy…had Roast Beef” grew to be my favorite late night bite of choice over the weeks and months I was living around the corner.  It's around the corner from Dave, actually… and it’s basically a fancy roast beef and cheese sam.  The ‘lil piggies were the way to go because they’re the perfect size for 3am… if you try to be ambitious and eat a roast beef hoagie all drunk at that time, you’ll be sorry!  Oh yeah, and it’s with cheese wiz baby!  Mmmmm!  How did I not have a heart attack in NY?

My 2^nd to last week in NY I have no visitors staying with me so there’s a slight calm in the air.  Already having finished and locked my show, work is nothing but smooth sailing!  I’m leaving town in a few days to go to my dear old friend Alexis and David’s wedding down in Virginia and I have a new dress in tow!  In between laundry and packing I make room for a few school night outings with Dan McCarthy who was in town visiting friends.  His awesome friend Olivia directs us toward a secret bar on my block!  And let me reiterate that this is my 2^nd to last week here and I have no idea about a secret bar on my block!  In fact, there are two secret bars!!  One is right across the damn street from me behind a “Jane’s Sweet Buns” shoppe – a low key tiny narrow bar that I only ended up poking my head in.   

perfect shape/size ice cube

Dan in the phone booth!!

The other more fascinating ‘secret bar’ is inside the Crif Dogs joint a few doors down from me!  I believe it’s called “Don’t Tell Your Friends” or something along those lines… You go down into the hot dog place (step down, nyc style) where no one seems to care whether you order a dog or not, turn left and there’s this old school telephone booth.  Dan goes in the booth as he is the most proactive of the bunch and picks up the receiver.  The person on the other end says simply, “do you have a reservation?” Of course we don’t and there are like 6 of us, but we are able to make one for an hour from now and come back.  It is soooo speakeasy!  I love it!  We run off to the KGB bar a couple streets away which was another strange cool experience, but not fun I would say, just really communist Russia-like!  We get the call from the secret bar and come back to do the same routine… this time, the other side of the telephone booth wall opens up and we walk one by one into a cavernous long bar where a table is waiting for us.  It’s like going through the wardrobe into Narnia!  Waiters dress like they’re in the 20s, vests and poofy sleeves, drinks all have some sort of bitters in them and high priced, but everyone gets a seat.   They are especially strict on the whole no standing around bar situation.  Oh and they serve food creations with the hotdogs from next door! 

mouth watering goodness

fat homentashans

Friday morning before my bus to DC, I get my hair did for the first time this trip!  It is a very expensive cut and color from the fabulous Little Hair Shoppe on E 4^th, but my hairdresser is equally fabulous and magically I’m sun-kissed blonde and ready for the weekend!  I finally stop in at the fascinating looking “Moishe’s bakery” on 2^nd Ave where I sample the most delicious apricot homenstachian & rainbow sprinkle cookie… Ahh I can still taste the buttery cookies now!

I was off to DC on the longest bolt bus ride ever, including a stinky bathroom that forced people to put clothes around their noses because it was that unbearable!  A quick summary of the wedding weekend was that it was amazing!  Old old friends, warm wineries, Great Falls Manors & Tater Tot; how could it not be a great time!  And of course Alexis and David are amazing people, kudos to you guys, 2 months later :-)  But alas this blog isn’t about the places I travel outside of NY, so I won’t go into anymore detail or photos than that.  But I did have a real epiphany while I was out in the country … I finally understand what everybody always says about “having to get out of the city for the weekend”… I never could relate to that as a first timer NYorker, but now, after 3 months, I get it… city life can get slightly closterphobic over time… huh, had no idea until I saw the green meadows that stretched for miles into Tobacco Country… fresh air and lots of space is good for the mind.

 

Now it’s Monday, and I have my last week of work ahead of me, or what I think is my last week of work.  The system went down the Thursday before I left for the weekend and I completely forget about it until I check my email.  System is still down, major problems have ensued… media gone, and no editing will commence until the assistants put it all back up.  Wow!  Usually I’d be gitty but I feel pretty bad for the team and a little unsatisfied that I won’t be able to complete my work before I leave for good… but ohhhh well!  Jay’s with me now so I’m sure we can figure out something to do in the big apple.

Andy & Jay- big time rivals

Wednesday night we gather a gaggle of peeps out to CitiField, to see the METS play the PHILLIES!  What an awesome night!  The stadium itself is wonderful; it’s fun, colorful and full of character especially in contrast to the extremely vanilla new Yankee Stadium.  

Ky & Busch!

Dan & I, pretty stadium

Jay & Hiltz from Sauken

Meghan Phanatic

The evening is filled with lots of beers, Hasidic jew sightings, shrimp po-boys & the philly phanatic!  Meghan Callaghan busts him out for the occasion, and as you can see, everyone has a turn to be a phanatic.  With this intense National League rivalry, for me, the phillies are the lesser of two evils so I’m happy they win.

 

The next couple of days, Jay conveniently gets sick, can’t take the heat I guess!  So I’m off to take in a little last minute NY culture.  After picking up a delicious lox and cream cheese bagel from ess-a-bagel, I hit up the MET.  

That's me waving at you!

 

The sculpture on the rooftop is really awesome.  

 Unfortunately I missed the boat to be able to climb up into this crazy mirrored modern art thing but the views from the rooftop in general are breathtaking, as most people well know. 

Cool Fathers & Sons in Agony

MET rooftop view

 

MET rooftop sculpture reflection

See you for my final blog next!  Sooner than later I hope!

STEAM HEAT

Swimmer statue in Soho

The following few days, May reached it's midpoint and the city started sizzling up, five degrees of humidity at a time.  Women and men dressed like school was out, shorts and dresses, sandals and tanks.  The NY Ice vendors wheeled out their carts from hibernation and sharpened their ice cutters in front of colorful liquid sugar bottles.  Oh and the weekend street fairs!!  Oh boy, i thought I was in a small European town when the weekend hit.  Every day a different avenue in each sub-district of manhattan shutdown and was filled with food and craft vendors.   It actually started the weekend before when Jay and Michelle were here and it continued till I left!  Then there were themed street fairs, like the Dance Festival.   They were parading right down my street, St. Marks, when I left my apartment one morning... I was like whoa there, whoa!
I walked up to Union Square to check out the weekend Farmers' Market (which is like the most amazingly huge, gourmet & fun farmers market ever!!) and the parade of dancers was still going on up there!  Poledancing gymnasts contorting their bodies along poles on floats, even the Giants' dance team was out!  Then I popped up the subway and walked up to Times Square to meet people and ANOTHER street fair was going on along 9th Ave.... I couldn't believe it!    

Delicious paella I ate on 9th Ave

Hells Kitchen Street Fair

In the late afternoon, I scooted across to Brooklyn to meet the guys at a little beer garden-type of outdoor bar, Lorely.  I took it upon myself to order the biggest beer you could get, and drank it all... It was as delicious as it looks!  I swam through the rest of the warm evening.

Brooklyn Flea

Sunday was another beautiful, glorious day and I did a number of cool New York things!  After doing some early morning soho/nolita shopping for a dress for Alexis' wedding I met Dave for brunch at Lil Frankies... they have a tiny back patio and the food was decent.  No waiting, so can't beat that on a Sunday at 1pm!  We decided to hit up the Brooklyn Flea Market, which is on the river banks of Williamsburg... because Benny was selling his magazine, "Carrier Pigeon" and mag merchandise at a booth there.  His T-shirt's (illustrations from the mag) were dope and the flea market itself was pretty awesome!  Random weird stuff that most flea markets have, along with a whole row of food tents, "smorgasbord". 

Williamsburg view

 I had my first 'Ice", not to be mistook for Italian Ice or South Jersey's "water ice"!  It's basically shaved ice with sugary flavoring poured into it.  Dave and I relaxed in the grass along the river, enjoying the nice breezy escape from the humidity.  
Joe met us down there and after they spent some time convincing me that we shouldn't take the cool ferry down the river and hop out by the brooklyn bridge to get to Cobble Hill, we started walking towards the Nassau subway stop.  Along the way... we just so happen to pass the infamous Brooklyn Brewery!  AND it just so happen to be last call!  Perfect opportunity for me to go in for a quick one, no line, no crowd, and enjoy myself a brilliant Brooklyn Sorachi Ace.

Chillin on the grassy noll

Brooklyn Brewery

Rooftop beer

Rooftop Party in Cobble Hill

Dave's new online dating profile pic!

Swimmer statue wide shot

Afterwards, we headed to Joe's brothers' new place in Cobble Hill for an extreme rooftop party!  What a sweet view!  As the sun started to set on this clear gorgeous day, we witnessed the menacing clouds roll in from the South East and slowly drape a dark curtain over the blue sky.  It was very cinematic.  One of Joe's brother's roommates cooked us a gourmet BBQ feast.  Finally, Dave and I jumped in a cab headed for Manhattan and my fun in the sun weekend came to a close!

 

CONEY ISLAND SAGA ft Dittels & Sarah Arthur

WARNING:  This blog is long (sorry soo much to say!) and slightly non-chronological since I wanted to get to the Coney pics earlier.

Michelle came back into the city that Wednesday evening... loads of fun to follow!

I met michelle, Dave and Kyle, via subway, duh, in the west village for dinner at the well-sought after restaurant, The Spotted Pig.  It's the perfect place to go when you aren't hungry, because they don't take reservations and the wait is usually crazy.  No prob!  We saddled up at The White Horse Tavern and had a couple drinks.  I love walking around Greenwich Village... it's so clean, cute and peaceful (for manhattan)... it's adorable actually.  Our wait time was almost 2 hours, Jay would have freaked, so that's why I saved it for a day when he wasn't around.  :-) Of course they were ready for us way before that... I think these trendy hot-spot restaurants try to scare the riff-raff with their ridiculous wait times... but it's all very exaggerated.  

The restaurant was so much fun!  Of course we shared a million plates; snacks, plates and entrees.  I loved the ramp mashed potatoes (champs), chicken liver toast, burrata & pork belly special... and the place was really charming...  April Bloomfield deserves her celebrity repertoire!  

Sorry Mario...

 

Thursday while Michelle had the day to explore, I gave her a very important job, to get tickets to a play on Broadway.  Unfortunately, Philip Seymour Hoffman's Death of a Salesmen was a no-go, so she went with a play she heard some folks in line talking about and winged it, "Other Desert Cities".  I was pleasantly surprised.  It was really really good, but talk about a HEAVY play!  Man!  I won't go into detail, but there was a lot of crying, and a lot of discussion after.  It just really made you think, ya know!

Dittelman representin'

Jay arrived Friday morning at the crack of dawn!  Chell and him had a glorious day together, central park, the high line, etc.  I had them come to work, meet the gang, then walk 10 blocks to go out for funky Peruvian in Hells' Kitchen. Pio Pio!  It was deeelicious, thanks Jess!  Mario even got side swiped by Carmelo Anthony!!  He was star-struck, to say the least.  After dinner we got together with the boys and long lost college friend, Mark Dittelman, aka Dittels!  Needless to say, we all still acted like we were in college... and Dave got so ^&*%ed that he forgot he reigned supreme in the arm wrestling department!!

Sunday, the only plan I was adamant about, was CONEY ISLAND... and we were off!

subway station @ Coney Island

Q train to no-wheres land, or how it seemed shooting south down the above ground subway into the vast land of southern Brooklyn.  We skipped all around that crazy fun park.                                 

how bizarre?

And then it started to get all weird and hipstomatic!  Love me some tinted 70s filtered carn-ey photos!! 

hot consumer!

baked clams from Garguilio's in Coney

chell's pulled pork AREPA!

My pork, chorizo, avocado Arepa

Saturday, Chell and I sampled the Venezuelan treat, Arepas deliciosas!  I had heard of Caracas, the restaurant (literally around the corner from me) from a few new yorkers, but I give my TIP OF THE HAT to Ms Lauren Youngman!  She sent Michelle with the recommendation to try it and damn girl, thanks!  It was sooo good...  my one regret is not going back there to try a different kind of Arepa.  I think mine was pork, chorizo & avocado...

After the (yankee game, not blog-worthy) we went out in the good ole East Vills and met chell's childhood friend Jenna and her bf from med school, we had a drunken swell time hitting up 3 bars in the process, Yuca Bar, Niagara & The Summit.... all new to me, yaay!  And we met up with long time old friend Sarah Arthur from London!!  She was in town visiting family, and just like that, 6 years later, we were hanging out like it was old times in Westwood!  

2nd Ave Deli

Monday, Jay, Michelle, Dave & I (purposely planned to take the day off) embarked on a major trekking adventure.  We started out with a friendly jog south along the East River and ended up going across the Manhattan Bridge and then back across the Brooklyn Bridge!  A China town and Little Italy later, we were back home... i wanna say it was close to 13 miles or so but Jay can correct me when he wakes up.  After showering up, we rewarded our hard exercise with a ostentatious JEWISH DELI lunch at the 2nd Ave Deli!!!  (33rd and 3rd actually)   It was more than glorious!  Sure I had Katz pastrami and Ess a Bagel's fat bagel sandwiches a few times oh and one lunch trip to Zabar's with Drew that didn't disappoint... but this was gonna be my first sit-down group deli meal and I was ready for it!  Michelle & Dave had mile-high meat sammies & I had lox and sable on a bagel platter- mmmmmmm!  Oh and don't forget the appetizer perogies filled with potato and cheese, fried up with onions and sour cream on the side.  JEW HEAVEN!  Thanks guys for this memory!!

The Horse Box

Happy Hour 2 @ Bua!

    
      To end our long weekend adventure, and Kevin Ose spontaneously came up to hang from Pennsauken, NJ, we kept the socializing going!  We hit up 3 different bar's happy hours, ending at 7, 8 & 9, respectively... It was great doing HH on St. Marks, since I'm never out of work on time!  Also, Lauren, Cousin Mike's girlfriends' sister, came out to play from Brooklyn!

Jay and Lauren

I did have work the next day, but didn't seem to be too worried about it at the time... sleep when you're dead, right?  Right.

Brothers' Schwartzberg

familia