I ate at Soothr and it was so, so good. Love a new thai place.
Paul at Soothr, NYC
Some things I watched this month:
The Santa Clauses (the new Tim Allen show): Ugh, it was terrible. Maybe I’m not the audience it’s supposed to be for, but still - just a stinkfest.
Jack Frost: I love Michael Keaton, but I just couldn’t get past the first half hour. It’s way too sad.
The Crown (seasons 3-5): Loved the season three Wales episode. The moon landing one was also perfect. It’s a great show, but extremely depressing if you’re binging it over a short period of time.
Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?: God, I hated it. Netflix has this annoying habit of making documentary series out of things that could easily be 40 minutes long and it is obnoxious as hell. You do not need to watch this. Read the Wikipedia page about it instead, you’ll save yourself so much wasted time.
I was looking up trivia for the movie Scrooged and learned that the childhood house in the movie is a real place in Queens! So obviously I walked over to see it in person. Insanity that it hasn’t changed after all of this time.
Frank Cross’ childhood home from Scrooged (1988) in Queens, New York
I won a lottery ticket to see A Christmas Carol on Broadway and… YIKES. I can’t describe how bad it was. First of all, IT WAS A ONE MAN SHOW. And I didn’t know that beforehand, so yes that’s my fault. But oh my god, it was agony.
A Christmas Carol on Broadway in New York, December 2022
Are we all aware of how garbage the brand Silani is? I tried it for the first time and lord was it bad. Never again. Spend the extra dollar and eat something edible.
I watched the final World Cup game with my parents and I’m glad France lost, give others a chance to win too, ya know?
World Cup final with my parents, December 2022
I will never be above latte art.
Latte art from San Remo’s in Etobicoke, Ontario
I went to Bell, Book & Candle for some Christmas themed drinks and it was great. Love a divey, but good bar.
I also made a leftover turkey sandwich with STUFFING WAFFLES and it was so, so good. Again it photographed rough, but tasted incredible. I used this recipe to make the waffles. Definitely have to do this again.
The main reason to go to the Union Square Holiday Market? Duck confit poutine at Duck Season. It’s honestly a better poutine than some Canadian places.
Crate & Barrel continues to have the cutest fabric Christmas ornaments.
Harry Potter-looking cat ornament at Crate & Barrel
Fabric snowman ornament at Crate & Barrel
Trader Joe’s had Christmas wreaths this year, so I got one and it was perfect. It makes me feel so together to have a wreath on my door. I still have it up. I don’t want to say goodbye.
Christmas wreath from Trader Joe’s
I went to see Noah Baumbach talk about his new movie White Noise at a NYPL event and it was very all right. I wish he’d talked more about older movies of his that I’ve loved, but I guess it makes sense that he didn’t since he was promoting this one.
Noah Baumbach speaking at an NYPL event promoting White Noise, December 2022
The candy cane cold brew from Blank Street? Unparalleled.
One of my favourite things to do in December in New York is to walk around the city looking at the holiday lights and listen to that Darlene Love song on repeat.
The Rockefeller Christmas Tree, December 2022
Saks holiday lights, December 2022
Macy’s holiday decorations, December 2022
Holiday taxi display on Fifth Avenue, December 2022
I went to Essex Market to see their Gingerbread Village display, which was cute but I wish it was bigger. And since I was there, I took a look at the sandwich menu at Shopsin’s and holy christ I need to go back.
Gingerbread Village at Essex Market in NYC, December 2022
Nothing better than a Boxing Day puzzle.
Boxing Day, December 2022
Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: I’m going to get real dressed up and go see Moulin Rouge on Broadway with my friend Diana, I’m excited about seeing the Restaurant Week menus for this season, I’m going to start using this first-of-the-month checklist again, Classpass is doing a free monthly promotion right now so I’ll keep doing that until it starts charging again, and I really can’t wait to make this lasagna soup.
“I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go.”
— Jeffrey McDaniel
God, I love winter. I will be counting down the days until the first really big snowstorm, so in the meantime here’s what else I’d love to do this season.
Other than that, I’ll definitely watch some of these movies. As always, I encourage you to make a list of your own. And if you’re stuck on ideas, you can see my past winter lists below:
Autumn is over and the sweet stillness of winter is upon us. While I wait for the snow, here’s how my autumn list of things to do went!
Make the very best leftover Thanksgiving sandwich humanly possible.
Okay, I didn’t do this at Thanksgiving BUT I may be able to redeem myself on the day after Christmas.
Watch at least ten horror movies I haven’t seen before.
Oh no, I only did four (Smile, Barbarian, Halloween Ends, Terrifier). To be fair, I rewatched tons of movies I’ve already seen but that does not count.
Finally learn the Phantasm theme on piano.
Not even kinda!
Completely clean out off of my closets and donate anything that hasn’t been worn in the past two years.
This is getting embarrassing. DOING THIS THE FIRST WEEK OF JANUARY!
Watch and harshly critique Hocus Pocus 2.
I watched it and… clearly it isn’t supposed to be for me, which is sad. I wanted it to be for me so badly, but here we are. Thankfully I wasn’t expecting the world, so it wasn’t devastating.
1/5 Yikes. That’s a rough one. Can’t even spin it this time. I will do better next season!
How we intend to spend the remaining winter nights
You can find the best tweets of the month over here and here.
TIP: If you don’t pay for a Spotify subscription and you hate ads: just close the app every time an ad starts and then reopen the app and the song will start. How did it take me years to learn this?
So for the first time in nine years, Milk Bar didn’t have their Thanksgiving croissant. Criticisms have been declared and letters have been MAILED. If you think I’m kidding, you really don’t know me.
I rarely go to bars, but I went to Witching Hour in Brooklyn and I just loved the layout and general vibe. Must remember.
I returned to Minetta Tavern and it’s not as great as it used to be! You’re very crammed into each table and the food wasn’t really worth the price anymore. So that’s rough to realize.
Poppies should be worn year round
I also went to Don Angie for the first time and the lasagna is as good as they hype it up to be - same with their incredibly photogenic salad. Make sure to skip the veal tartare and the dessert, though.
I tried the Thanksgiving dumplings from Mimi Cheng’s and they were just all right, which was a little disappointing. Maybe I’m still in mourning for the Milk Bar croissants.
The Starbucks seasonal drinks keep making me sick and I keep returning for more. Someone explain?
So there was a beautiful, summer-y day in early November so I found an outdoor pool and headed to The Rockaway Hotel. Day passes for their heated pool are $30 all season, which is kind of amazing.
I got a drink at Miracle on 9th Street which was very cute and the drinks were great. If I’d known it was all the way over near Avenue C, I might not have gone but I’m glad I did.
Drinks at Miracle on 9th Street, Manhattan
Some things I watched:
Terrifier: okay I shouldn’t really count this since I saw a total of fifteen minutes before leaving the room. But Nathan continued watching it, so I could hear all the screams and sounds from the bedroom and I still somehow had nightmares?? So no I won’t be watching the sequel.
We saw Halloween Ends on November 1st and it has to be the absolute worst Halloween of the entire franchise. Just unreal. It felt like punishment for trying to watch a horror movie past October 31st, so lesson learned.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXXIII: it’s a bit depressing to hear how old Marge’s voice has become (this is an awful thought to voice and I apologize), but the Halloween episode was so good this year (especially the last segment).
Falling For Christmas: I am not a Hallmark movie person, but I was bored so I put this on and… I’m still firmly not a Hallmark person. These types of movies aren’t even enjoyably bad, I don’t get it.
A Christmas Story: this was never in my favourites of Christmas movies and it’s a very okay movie. Hundreds of better Christmas movies, though.
Knives Out: it was completely all right, nothing fantastic. I really hated Daniel Craig’s accent and the whole throwing-up-if-lying detail. Just seemed like a bad first screenplay idea.
The Fabelmans: it was good but not as epic as I’d hoped. It was really good at showing the memorable relationships through a child’s eye, especially when a kid starts to see his parents as real people.
The Crown (seasons 1-2): Love it, can’t wait to keep going. John Lithgow is wonderful. Loved this line: “I find, in general, people have very little understanding of who they are. One has to turn a blind eye to so much of oneself in order to get through life.”
Don’t ask me why but I watched some of the last season of The Big Bang Theory and just UGH. What a terrible show that was. The fact that the writers made Penny pregnant in the series finale even though there were countless episodes beforehand where she confidently said she wasn’t going to have children. JUST UGH. Of course it was written by a man.
You’re already Christmas shopping so just a gentle reminder: get the gift receipt.
The snow is coming and you will slip and possibly fall. Act accordingly.
I used to absolutely loveYogi Bear’s All Star Christmas Caper (it came out in 1982) and it absolutely still holds up. Link over here if you have kids and/or love nostalgia.
This might be the hardest week of the year because it’s officially the longest period of time until next Halloween. I tend to take a few days to decompress a bit, so by this coming weekend I’ll be fully ready for holiday-mode. That being said, October was such a great month that felt like almost a year long - in a good way. Here’s what went down.
You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.
I’ve always wanted to make the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip oatmeal cookies recipe (on the back of the Toll House package) and they were really, really good. Might become a staple in my cookie repertoire.
I also made these garlic butter chicken meatballs with creamy orzo (in a slow cooker) and the meatballs were great, I’ll definitely make those again. But the orzo cooked in a crockpot? Hard pass. Pasta always tastes terrible from a crockpot, I knew this and still went ahead, so it’s my fault really.
I was in Canada for awhile, so I…
Went to the new(ish) Keg near Square One and it kind of sucked? What the hell? The meat was nowhere worth the price, which is weird because I remember that it used to be better. I’m trying to find my new Canyon Creek (since it closed) and it’s a hard task to undertake but I won’t give up.
I had the burger from Ozzy’s Burgers and the lamb was terrible, but the regular burgers were fantastic.
My niece Layla turned 17 (!) so thankfully we were able to get the Milk Bar birthday cake from the Toronto location. It’s such a shame that location is closing at the end of the year.
I also planted some bulbs in the garden with my mom, which makes me even more excited for spring to come next year to see if anything blooms.
I tried the new Lays flavour Fries & Gravy and good god I love this country.
I made the apple fritter cake (again) for (Canadian) (real) Thanksgiving and I. love. this. cake.
My dad put up his seasonal bird feeder and I think I’ve said this before, but the answer to life is getting a bird feeder and then sitting down to watch it. Nothing better.
Heaven on earth?
My dad & Baby Dog, October 2022
Mississauga, Ontario - October 2022
Fries & Gravy Lays
Oakville, Ontario - October 2022
I made my way to the Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard in North Salem, NY (with my friend Diana) where we had the best warm apple cider donuts and cider mimosas. Afterward we went for brunch at The Arch restaurant, which was beautiful & old, but nothing really spectacular food-wise.
Cider mimosa at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard, North Salem, New York
Cider donuts at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard, North Salem, New York
On Halloween, I took Baby Dog on our annual autumn visit to Central Park and it was bursting with beauty.
Central Park, October 2022
Central Park, October 2022
Central Park, October 2022
Baby Dog in Central Park, October 2022
Baby Dog in Central Park, October 2022
When it comes to all purpose cleaners, I’m in love with Mrs. Meyers. The snowdrop scent is my favourite one (which should be coming out again soon), but I just got the apple cider one and yikes. It’s perfect. Is it sad to have favourite seasonal all purpose cleaners? Absolutely. But here we are. Welcome to your late 30s.
Now if we’re talking seasonal coffee drinks? The Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brew (only 1/2 shot of syrup, extra foam) makes me a little sick by the end of the drink, but I still love it. And the vanilla cream cold brew at Tim Hortons is also really good. Oooo and the Tim Hortons hazelnut cold brew with espresso foam? Get out of here, so good. I think I just like foam.
Loving the new Charlie Brown stamps from the USPS. Wait, who is in charge of deciding the new stamps? Oh god, have I discovered the greatest job on earth? I THINK I HAVE??
So I got a new Apple charger from The Apple Store, the one that apparently charges faster. Aaaaaand my battery dies even quicker now! Sweet!
I was scrambling to find a dress for a wedding this month and Bloomingdale’s saved me. How do I always forget about that place? I love an old, good department store. Yes they can be overwhelming, but they’re practically deserted. I have to remember this for the future. Oh! And Macy’s too! Such great dresses for special occasions.
So Nathan and I went to Los Angeles for a wedding (the dress code was “outdo us”) and we stayed at Citizen M hotel in downtown LA. Let me just say that this is not the type of hotel for two people to share a room, that’s the nicest way I can put it. It’s definitely clean and relatively nice, but the rooms are laughably small. The wedding was fun and I loved walking around downtown LA mostly because of the incredibly well preserved buildings. Sure, the area is pretty dicey but it’s beautifully ancient. We walked to Santee Alley (where I got my new favourite feather clutch) and three days was the perfect amount of time to stay in that area. And the baja tacos from Tocaya were insanely good. Also the Wolfgang Puck Express stand at LAX had really good food to take on the plane.
Citizen M hotel room, this bed is literally the width of the room
Baja taco from Tocaya, Downtown LA
Ummm, is Nathan somehow cooler in LA??
Okay hold up, are we BOTH COOLER IN LA??
WE BAD
California blonde dreams coming true
The Los Angeles Theatre opened in 1931 - Downtown LA
The Eastern Columbia Building opened in 1930 - Downtown LA
I rewatched the first two Friday The 13th movies with Layla (her first time seeing them) and I’d forgotten how good they were. They really hold up well over time.
Celebrity Jeopardy: I solely watched because I love Ike Barinholtz (and he was great). But look, I know that Celebrity Jeopardy is, like, the easiest Jeopardy to exist. I understand that. But I had no idea how incredibly dumb most celebrities are. I mean, I know they’re not exactly known for their IQ levels but this was actually just wild to watch. Every single person on each episode I saw was a complete moron (with the exception of Ike and Simu Liu).
Barbarian: so great, loved every bit of it. Bill Skarsgård remains as hot as always. (Sidenote: I was gushing about Skarsgård later to Nathan before bed and he scoffed and dismissed it so I asked him, “You probably don’t even have an answer, but who would you consider an attractive celebrity man?” and without even a second of hesitation he goes, “Pierce Brosnan in ‘97.” Hahahahahah, god I died. He’s not wrong.)
Early fall sunsets are easily the best ones all year
Early fall sunsets are easily the best ones all year
Officially the latest monthly post I’ve ever done, I’m sorry! I promise it will never happen again. We’re right in the middle of autumn and everything is overwhelming, but a good kind of overwhelming. Here’s what went down in September (oh god that feels like a year ago).
You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.
I recapped what I did off my summer list of things to do.
I wrote my autumn list of things that I intend to do this season.
I did a podcast with Nathan that can be heard over here.
I know I’ve mentioned how good Aquaphor is for ashy elbows, but I’ve also discovered that it’s incredible at healing damaged pimple areas. For instance, when you pop one and it goes so wrong. I did this recently and then put some of it right on top and it was completely healed in two days.
I’ve tried the Carbone jarred pasta sauce and it was great! It’s overpriced, so I’d only buy it on sale. And some flavours can be a little too oily, but overall it tastes great.
I finally saw Nope and I think I liked it. It’s probably my least favourite of his movies, but it was enjoyable to watch. That shoe standing upright bothered me for way too long before I looked it up and connected the idea of “bad miracles” but other than that, it was all right. Love the way that man promotes a movie.
I had dinner at Fiaschetteria Pistoia and the duck ragu was really good. It’s an aggressively tiny restaurant, but the food made it worth it.
Since it’s illegal to operate any cashless operation in New York City, if you ever see a place trying to tell you otherwise - report them! To consumers@dca.nyc.gov - I do it all the time.
Some things I watched:
The Woodstock documentary on Netflix: only three episodes, great watch. You will hate all concert promoters by the end of it.
Volcano: okay, I can finally settle this debate. It is NOT better than Dante’s Peak.
Never Have I Ever (newest season): I almost wanted to hate it (why? I’ve watched all the seasons? I can’t explain this?) but I keep loving it. I can acknowledge that younger people have every right to hate this show. The supplementary characters just keep getting better and better.
The Keaton episode of New Girl: I’ve never seen this show because it looks bad and I wouldn’t like it. That being said, I watched this one because it was a Halloween episode and I also thought there was a chance of Michael Keaton being in it. God, what a mistake. This episode only confirms what a terrible show it really is. Can we retire fat suits already?
Killing Me Softly: honestly just a wild ride of a movie. Everyone should watch it.
Hocus Pocus 2: okay, let me start this by saying that this movie isn’t for me. It’s for children. And I can respect that. I just wish that more characters from the original were in this one, that would’ve made me so much more into it. Nothing will beat the original in my mind and that’s perfectly acceptable.
So I went to Las Vegas again and I got to eat at the new Martha Stewart restaurant The Bedford. Of course my expectations were high because 1) I love her and 2) she’s never opened a restaurant before. The servers are extremely well trained (which is wonderful, I love this detail) they have even been taught to say “cheers” in Polish. The attention to detail on the decor of the individual tables as well as the entire space is perfection, even the temperature was just right. However, there had to be cons. All burgers should have round buns, what reason is there to mess with that simple fact? The smashed potato (which is smashed table-side) is an incredibly stupid idea and almost seems like a joke on the white people who would actually enjoy it. Small side orders of sauces should absolutely never cost $9, that’s ludicrous. The fries were wildly overcooked in overused oil (how does one mess up french fries?) and the prices, sure, they were outrageous but that fact tracks since it’s in Las Vegas. The homemade mustard was really tasty (maybe because you never come across homemade?) and her béarnaise sauce was perfect. The oysters Rockefeller were good, if only a little bit chilly. All in all, it was an experience. One that I’ll happily never have to have again.
The Bedford in Las Vegas
Oysters Rockefeller at The Bedford in Las Vegas
Am I wrong or does this burger bun belong at Wendy’s?
I also ate at Bazaar Meat By Jose Andres in Vegas and it was spectacular. I got the cotton candy fois gras, the patatas bravas and the meatball. Love this man. Love his food.
I tried the tacos at Dirty Taco (an LA street-style taco place) in Grand Central Terminal and the duck skin tacos were only all right, but the steak ones were fantastic. The tortillas were also great. Also, maybe it’s a bad idea to have the word dirty in your name?
Also made this blueberry buckle that tasted especially good with some maple syrup on top.
What’s a buckle? Basically cake… yeah it’s just cake.
I finally went to the Manhattan location of The Alamo and this theatre is great, but impossible to find. It’s also where the new Kim’s Video is hiding.
Who on earth is expected to easily find this place, you tell me
I had brunch at Sala in Astoria and just wow. I never thought I’d have the best BLT of my life at a tapas place. Everyone needs to go.
I read the Chloe Hilliard book Fuck Your Diet: And Other Things My Thighs Tell Me and… meh. Can we all make a pact to never use the phrase eating clean ever again? The book was really very okay, I think I just wish it was more about her being a comedian and less about body stuff. It’s obviously my fault since the title really does say it all.
If you aren’t watching the Halloween episodes of Bob’s Burgers this month, you may not be cooler than I am.
I’ve been patient and it’s finally arrived… THE LAST DAY OF SUMMER. Today always feel slightly like Christmas Eve to me, there’s such anticipation in the air right now. Here’s how my summer list of things to do went!
Tan on Governor’s Island.
I did not do this BUT I tanned in so many places, I’m taking a half point here. Sue me.
Make a summer buckle.
I did! A blueberry buckle! And it was wonderful. What’s the difference between a buckle and a cake? Absolutely nothing as far as I can tell. (This was the recipe I used.)
Visit Storm King.
Did not go, but some day maybe. I wish it were easier to access by transit.
Go swimming at least five times.
I’ve never swam as much as I did this season and it feels majestic to say that. It’s probably the main reason why I didn’t hate this whole summer. And now I know that going forward, in order for me to enjoy this wretched time of year, I need to be placed in water.
Visit the new Kim’s Video because it seems cool as hell.
3.5/5 whoa! That’s pretty good. Am I trying to cut down my list of the ten things I want to do this autumn that will be posted tomorrow? Yes. Is there a chance it will be more than ten? Also, yes.
Wow, this is by far the latest monthly post, sorry about that. I wish I had an excuse for my lateness, but this is a free site so I don’t owe you a damn thing!
Summer is almost at an end and I couldn’t be happier about it. This will soon be me.
Here’s what went down in August!
You can find my favourites tweets of the month over here and here.
I got coffee at Cafe Renis in Astoria and it’s perfect. Love an independent coffee place.
I’ve decided that the best canned tomatoes you can get in the U.S. come from the brand Afeltra and they’re sold at Eataly.
The Chelsea Hotel finally reopened so I stopped by for a (ridiculously overpriced) coffee and yes the renovation took forever, but damn it’s gorgeous.
The Chelsea Hotel lobby, August 2022
The Chelsea Hotel, August 2022
The Chelsea Hotel, August 2022
The Chelsea Hotel, August 2022
The Chelsea Hotel, August 2022
I bought these running shoes I found at Marshalls and I loooooove them. Who doesn’t love a shoe that feels like a heavy sock?
It’s finally the time of year when Lemax (the worldwide leader in collectable village miniatures) releases their new Halloween collection and I’m fighting every urge inside my body to buy THE GLOOM ROOM.
The Gloom Room from Lemax, 2022 Collection (not shown: the figures DANCING IN THE ROOFTOP BALLROOM)
Completely out of nowhere, but does everyone know how cool-looking the Tommy Bahama wrapping paper is? Just beautiful.
Bodies Bodies Bodies - Did I see this solely because of Lee Pace? Yes. And he wasn’t in it nearly enough. Also, it is not a good movie.
The Rehearsal - Look, I get it, it was fine. Definitely not the masterpiece that everyone claims it is. Love Nathan Fielder, though. A Canadian king.
Sister Act - Okay, I haven’t rewatched this in maybe… twenty years? It’s still amazing. And god, that soundtrack. All hits.
Violation - My friend Dusty made this movie and it’s incredible. No bias either, I promise you - he’s just wildly talented.
I also got to go to Canada for a short visit to see some friends and family, which is always great.
I finally got to visit my best friend Harmeet’s lake house in Ontario and it. was. unreal. Such a fun few days away.
Harmeet!
Is it weird that I’ve never done a tea service before? Wait, is that how I even word that? In any case, my dear friend Marla took me to my first one! I can’t believe how many things you get. We went to The Wild Tart in Elora, Ontario and it was wonderful.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’m pretty excited about coming up with my autumn list of things to do this year, I need to catch up on writing some travel posts that I’ve been putting off since July, I need to make some final decisions on our Halloween costumes, and we’re getting a brand new oven that I’m pretty jacked about.
