Kings Theatre in Brooklyn
Here she is… Kings Theatre (formerly known as Loew's Kings Theatre) in Brooklyn. I have known about this place for years and have always dreamt of seeing its interior. The venue originally opened as a “movie palace” (can we please bring back that term?) that did vaudeville theatre in 1929 and then closed down in 1977 so the theater sat empty for decades until a complete renovation was initiated in 2010. The theater reopened to the public on January 23, 2015 as a performing arts venue and she. is. MAJESTIC.
I found out that they offer historic tours of the building once in awhile, so I had no choice but to go. It’s a little bit of a trek to get to, but entirely worth it once you arrive.
Take a look at this lobby.
This is where you wait for the tour to begin and it’s breathtaking. The restoration cost 95 million dollars and it really does feel like you’re walking into the past.
It was one of the five “wonder theatres” and yes of course it’s now my mission to visit the remaining four that I haven’t.
The design of the theatre was heavily influenced by the Palace of Versailles as well as the Paris Opera House.
This (below) is from inside the ladies lounge area. BRING BACK DECADENT LADIES LOUNGE AREAS.
Are we kidding with this level of detail on the seating (below)? I want to meet and hug every person involved with this restoration. It’s pristine.
The area with all of the gold statues (below) was a designated area for any lost children, which I love. Not the idea of lost children, but the forethought of knowing that kids would get lost in a place this huge and having a specific, beautiful area to find them.
The tour guide I had, Peggy, was perfect. She knew every single detail about the space and wasn’t dull at all. You hear the words “historic tour” and your eyelids may get droopy, but I promise you she made it a wondrous afternoon.
They offer tours every so often and the next ones are on May 27th and June 20th, tickets are available over here. Can’t recommend it enough.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
The Best of October
Ontario, Canada - October 2022
Ontario, Canada - October 2022
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 think it’s clear that I watched every good 90s Halloween sitcom episode that I could find links for.
For Halloween, I dressed up as Tony Montana (Al Pacino) from Scarface and Baby Dog was, umm, my main accessory.
In love with this article, “The Secret To Marriage Is Never Getting Married.”
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 made these soft pumpkin cookies with salted maple icing again this year and they continue to be incredible - and that’s coming from someone who truly hates soft cookies.
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
The Orpheum Theatre opened in 1926 - Downtown LA
Speaking of airports, the restaurant The Hearth by Lynn Crawford at Pearson in Terminal 1 in Toronto is great! Get the meatballs. Love it when airport food is above average.
Of course I listened to the new Taylor Swift album Midnights and the best songs are Question…?, Sweet Nothing, Anti-Hero, Bejeweled, Maroon and You’re On Your Own, Kid.
Some things I watched this month:
Smile: such a fun time. Love a fun horror movie.
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.
Recent SNLs: Nothing super noteworthy in any of the episodes, I like the new guys. I was introduced to that great Megan Thee Stallion song Anxiety, which I can’t stop playing. The worst sketch I’ve seen in years was that Jack Harlow one with the joker. Just awful. Oh, and Colin Farrell looks alarmingly good.
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.)
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’ve already put my order in for this year’s bayberry candles, I’m finally going to read Dave Grohl’s book, of course I’ll get the Thanksgiving croissant from Milk Bar, I’m definitely gonna go to the NY postcard show, and I’ve already got my ticket to see the Thierry Mugler exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum which opens on the 18th. Oh! And a gentle reminder if you’ve started Christmas shopping: get the damn gift receipt.
If you have any interest in reading what went on in September, come on over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Ray of sunshine on my ray of sunshine
Kim's Video Store in NYC
I finally visited the reincarnation of the classic NYC institution Kim’s Video at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in the city and IT IS PERFECT.
When video stores started closing around 2010, of course it felt like the end of an era, but it was too soon to understand exactly what had been lost. When I was a teenager, every summer I would repeatedly get the 10-old-movies-for-$5-deal that Rogers Video had (and you could keep them for a week) and that’s when the beginning of my love for old horror movies began. There was something so decisive about choosing something to watch, committing to taking it home with you, and then dedicating an hour and half to it (whether it was good or bad). There was more thought put into what you wanted to watch.
I think you can see where I’m headed with this, but I’ll stop now because this isn’t about how streaming services and excessive content have ruined our watching habits today (they have) - this is about how there’s a video store in NYC and you need to go to it.
AND THE RENTALS ARE FREE. How can this place exist in a world where restaurants are charging you for bread and butter now?? Not a clue. But when something is an insanely good deal, it’s best to take advantage of it as much as you possibly can because you never know what the future holds.
I think I spent about 45 minutes just browsing and it felt… transcendent. Maybe even groin-grabbingly transcendent? (Two people will get that joke and I refuse to delete it.) There is something about the experience of physically being surrounded by undiscovered possibilities that I didn’t know how much I missed. It reminded me of a time when choice was more intentional because you had to drive your choice back home with you and maybe even convince others to watch it with you. There’s something valuable about the importance of intention. On a larger scale, we move further from this idea on a daily basis with the things that endlessly distract us that offer no substance. I might be veering off on a tangent (I am) so I’ll stop (sort of). Am I becoming a crotchety old man who laments how it used to be better? In this case, yes absolutely, but I’m not wrong.
Kim’s Video, NYC
That being said, it felt great to step into the past for moment.
The location is a bit tricky to find but once you’re inside the building of 28 Liberty Street, find the escalators going down and then keep going down until you see the Alamo sign. And once you’re inside the Alamo, you can find Kim’s down another set of stairs to the right of the front desk.
While I can’t find the exact operation hours of the place, it opens daily about thirty minutes before the first movie showing so you can easily find out when to visit. Even if you think you don’t miss video stores, you do. You gotta go.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
The Best of July
The beginning of August is basically the best time of year because it ushers in the anticipation for autumn and the holidays. Am I reaching? The anticipation of something is almost as sweet as the actual arrival of whatever it is you’re waiting for.
In any case, here’s what went down last month!
You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.
I wrote about the first leg of my summer trip to London, England.
I went to the American Dream mall in New Jersey with my friend Diana, so thankfully I never have to go again! It’s really just a spectacle, and not in a good way. Why would you ever need a mall to have indoor skiing available? Isn’t the best part of skiing the scenery that surrounds the hills? Am I crazy? Regardless, the mall is terrible. It’s way too big, there are countless empty storefronts (because of the ludicrous rent, I’m assuming) and the furniture is gaudy as hell. Absolutely no reason to go again.
I went to Brighton Beach for the first time with my great friend Paul (who just moved back to NY) and what a fine beach it was. Not as filthy as Coney Island, but almost as nice as Rockaway. I can’t really put into words how incredible it is that he moved back here, so just know that this fact is the highlight of my summer.
Speaking of Paul, his perfect husband Richard made us a meal one night using ground beef from Stoudemire Farms (which I’ve always wanted to try) and it was spectacular. Must remember to buy it the next time I’m at the Union Square market on a Friday.
I also went to Bar Marseille with Diana and the food was great! It’s right near Rockaway, so I wasn’t expecting a lot from a beachside place but I’d definitely go back. The steak sandwich was perfect.
It only took 18 months, but the dog volunteering that Baby Dog and I used to do is finally back! It was cancelled in February 2020 for obvious reasons and just started up again this month. It’s organized through New York Cares and it happens once a month on the Upper West Side. Essentially, you bring your dog to the auditorium of an elderly care center and any residents who love dogs come down to play with them for an hour. We do it each month and the more dogs that come the better, so I should really post about it more on Instagram. Yeah, I’ll get on that. (The next one is scheduled for August 10th, email me for more information if you’re interested.)
Since it’s Restaurant Week, Irene and I went to The Grid restaurant at the Great Jones Distillery mainly because I was intensely craving good halibut. And yes, the food was good but it’s extremely overrated. I’m sorry but no restaurant ever should charge for basic bread and butter. It’s offensive. The service was good, but you can just tell people weren’t trained very well. And for a place so new and beautiful, you’d expect a lot more.
I saw Mr. Saturday Night on Broadway and all that I can say is wow. A perfect show and a beautiful theatre. Can every single comedian in this town go see it immediately before it closes next month? It’s wildly good. I’ve never felt more seen than I did in this song sung by a comedian’s wife.
The only time I like to drink rose is in the summer (I’m pretty original, I know) and I think I found the best tasting one of life.
I’ve started making garlic butter almost once a week now and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop? It’s so superior to every other thing inside my fridge. Sure you could buy garlic butter, but it tastes infinitely better if you make it yourself, I promise.
I made this lamb bolognese from Antoni Porowski and I think it’s even better than the Alison Roman one that I love so much (it might be because I bought the coriander seeds whole and then ground them up in my spice grinder? The flavour of that individual spice is so crazy good, I had no idea). Obviously one is a fast lamb recipe and one is a leisurely one, so I’ll continue to keep both in my rotation. But you absolutely have to make the three hour one at least once to see what I’m talking about. Especially since Costco sells ground lamb now.
I went to the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn for the first time and what a perfect theatre. Love that they have a beautiful bar attached (House of Wax).
Some Things I Watched:
I really had low expectations, but I went to see Marcel The Shell With Shoes On and it was beyond sweet.
Indecent Proposal is on HBO right now so I watched it for the first time and loved it.
I saw The Thomas Crown Affair and it’s such a party. I love this kind of 90s movie. Perfect in every way.
I watched the first episode of Loot and it really just wasn’t for me.
Of course I saw the whole first season of The Bear and it’s as good as everyone says it is. With the exception of the sister, I don’t know if she’s just written badly as a character or the actress is just wretched. Either way, it’s the worst part of a great show. Episode seven is clearly the best one. (Also, I badly want to make this recipe now.)
I also saw the whole first season of The Summer I Turned Pretty and this really scratched my summer/teen itch. Perfect summer show.
I saw the Victoria’s Secret documentary and oh my god, I might have to stop shopping at Bath & Body Works now.
I started the new season of Only Murders In The Building and other than the inclusion of Amy Schumer, it’s been good so far.
I also watched Porky’s and Screwballs for some reason?? Obviously I hated both? I think I was just so desperate for an old teen movie that I haven’t seen.
After those two disasters I have no other choice but to cleanse my palette and rewatch Clueless.
I’ve been there a few times, but I think it’s time to declare how much I officially hate Astoria Park. The RFK bridge above makes it way too loud, the jet skis in the water blast the worst music, the grass has more brown patches than any other park in the city, the train is at least a 15 minute walk away, there are zero food or water vendors anywhere. WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE THIS PARK? God, it’s awful.
I made these cheesy poblano corn enchiladas and they were really good. In hindsight I should’ve added some shredded chicken or something to them to make them slightly heartier.
I finally went to see the Amityville house and even though they changed the eerie window frames, it’s definitely still creepy. One thing I wasn’t expecting? How nice that town is! It’s like some big secret, I think. Would totally live there.
I made my favourite strawberry crumble coffee cake and it’s always a winner. Pro tip: use cake flour for the cake part and use regular flour for the crumble topping to really make it perfect.
I ate the July-only-special Emmy cheeseburger dumplings from Mimi Cheng’s and they were good but not as good as the first time I had the last year. Am I evolving past cheeseburger dumplings…? God I hope not.
Incase you care, August is the only month you can apply for SNL tickets so get on that, if you so desire.
Also, if you’re going to the CNE in Toronto next month, you can get free tickets for kids under 13 if you fill out this form.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’ll continue to mark things off of my summer list, I can’t wait to see my friend Dusty’s movie that’s being screened at the MoMA next week, and I can’t wait to take a few more little summer trips (stay tuned).
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in June over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
In America: A Lexicon of Fashion at The Met (Updated Pieces!)
So I already reviewed this exhibit, but I went back recently and it’s been updated with new pieces! Why would they do this? The only reason I can come up with is because part two of the exhibit (that came out a few weeks ago) was so revoltingly done that they had to save face. Makes sense! Favourites ahead.
Are we kidding here? All those shades of lilac? Heavenly and way too much fun.
Warmth & elegance at once!
I think my favourite part of this one is the neckline. One day necklines will be deemed important again and on that day, I will rejoice.
This yellow frock SHOULD seem matronly, but somehow it isn’t? The simple sweetness of it is contagious.
If there isn’t humour in fashion, we might as well all kill ourselves.
Honestly kind of shocked we haven’t seen Rihanna wear this yet. Oh to be taking an accidental nap on a porch swing in this beauty.
A definite favourite of this whole collection, it’s so full of whimsy. A walking garden, what could be better.
I really did gasp at this one as soon as I saw it. Romantic, modern pieces like this make me believe in magic. It reminded me immediately of the Rodarte piece (that was displayed in this same exhibit late last year). Breath-taking, even with the basic-ness of the top - it’s letting the skirt shine even stronger.
God, this would be fun to wear. It’s kind of insane alone (still beautiful), but with some giant long coat on top? Or, oh god, something with feathers?? You’d be unstoppable.
I spent at least five minutes staring at this one. It’s fucking ART.
God, this whole updated collection was incredible. It’s wild what proper lighting and display areas will do, who would have thought? Both parts of the exhibit are on display until September 5th.
I also wrote more about each piece on my spring ‘22 highlight reel on Instagram (more specifically where I would wear each of these gorgeous pieces), incase you’re interested.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
A Visit to The New York Transit Museum
Some days you wake up and think, “Christ… another day?” and it is on these days that you should get up and do something you’ve always wanted to do. ENTER THE TRANSIT MUSEUM!
It’s absolutely wild that this was the first time I’ve ever been here, it is now definitely in my top three favourite museums of New York. It should really just be called the train museum though because that’s what it is. “Transit” might be the most boring word in the history of language. Also, how cool is it to have the museum itself be inside the abandoned Court Street station?
Can you even imagine riding around in that bus (above)? So f-ing elegant.
Those photos (above) are of the now closed City Hall Station that I vow to visit one day. They do tours of the station every few years and I can only imagine how beautiful it would be to see in person. (Yes, I know that you can get glimpses of it if you stay on the downtown 6 train as it loops back around to become an uptown, but it’s not the same. I want to be out on that platform and ROAM damnit.)
On the ground floor of the museum, there are tons of photos and advertisements from old transit ads as well as old ticket booths and replica buses.
And the downstairs area is where it gets really fun.
Trains from different eras line both sides of the platforms and you can walk in and out of them.
If I can be honest here, it feels insane to be able to walk through history. You feel every era of each train. The coldness of the ones from the 70s, the decadence of the ones from the 20s, it’s unreal. The second best part of this place? The subway ads.
There aren’t enough ads these days that scare children into caring about safety.
I can’t recommend this museum enough. With kids, without kids, go high, go after the farmer’s market nearby. Just go. Such a good time.
Open Fridays - Sundays, 11am-4pm, advance tickets required.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Treasures Exhibit at The New York Public Library
As far as I know, the NYPL has never had an exhibit like this one before. It showcases literary pieces from their world-renowned research collections - from a draft of the Declaration of Independence to the original Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends and more. Here are the coolest things that I saw.
This is Charles Dickens’s desk, writing slope, lamp, desk calendar, and chair (below). Fun Fact: “In the fall of 1940, the mayor of New York City, Fiorello La Guardia, was invited (or took it upon himself; we don’t know which) to sit in Dickens’s chair and see how it would have felt to have been the great author. Whereupon he broke right through the caning in the seat, and nobody has ever been allowed to sit in Dickens’s chair since that date.”
This is the 1623 first folio of William Shakespeare’s works. It’s just insanity to be able to this see this person.
This is Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, and Eeyore. Pooh was purchased at Harrods department store in London and given by A. A. Milne to his son Christopher Robin on his first birthday, August 21, 1921. The rest of the toys were received as gifts by Christopher Robin between 1920 and 1928.
This is Arthur Rackham’s design for the cover of the original Cinderella in pen and ink with watercolor from 1919.
And this is Charles Dickens’s paper knife from 1862. It is made of ivory, a cat’s paw and metal. Evidently he was a dog lover, but his daughter Mamie persuaded him to let her keep a cat, Williamina, who later gave birth to a litter of kittens; all but one - Bob - were given away. Mamie related that “the master’s cat,” so called by the household servants for his devotion to Dickens, would “follow him about the garden like a dog, and sit with him while he wrote,” and even snuff out candles with his paw in a bid for attention. After Bob died, his paw was fashioned into this paper knife. It is likely that the paper knife was not actively used, and that it was regarded as a decorative tribute to a beloved pet.
You should definitely take some time before or after your visit to walk around the library itself because it’s breathtaking. It’s been around for over a hundred years and it’s a miracle that it’s still so well preserved. It’ll always blow my mind that it’s free to see.
There are other incredible things to be seen (Virginia Woolf’s walking stick - the one that was found near the water where she killed herself, the Bill of Rights, Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, etc.) so you really should go take a look for yourself.
Tickets are completely free and can be reserved here for a timed entry.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
The Best of October
October is complete and I’m exhausted. Every year I try to make the most of October and every year I feel like I accomplish just that. And then November arrives and I feel like I can relax again for a minute before the rush and excitement of December begins. I complain, but I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. Here’s what went down last month!
I finally made the journey to Salem, Massachusetts and it was everything I’d hoped it would be.
I got this great temporary tattoo from Etsy that I kind of really want to get as a real tattoo now. Could this ever happen? Could I change my entire non-tattoo personality overnight? And if there’s a reality in which this could happen, what would I tell people is the reasoning behind it? That I love Halloween? That it’s a reminder to just live? (← Okay that might be the corniest thought on this entire blog but aren’t all reasons behind tattoos corny as hell? Do people even have reasoning behind their tattoos anymore? DID THEY EVER? Do you see why I’m not made for this??)
I’ve seen most of the new SNLs this season and here are some thoughts:
Owen Wilson ep. - based on the monologue alone, how is this man not considered the most charming celebrity on this planet? He’s so likable, it almost hurts. Love that whole family. (I still dream of Luke Wilson as my third husband or something. He just seems like he might treat me so good?) And the episode wasn’t bad overall but mostly because I think Owen’s just… so nice.
Kim K. ep. - I won’t spell out the K word, I just won’t do it. This episode was an alien-level of bad. It blew my mind to find out that a lot of people thought differently and even liked it. Not even mainly because she was terrible (she was), but the writing was like… what the fuck is going on? These people are WRITERS? It made me so mad for a bit. Just agonizingly awful.
Rami Malek ep. - entirely forgettable but not especially terrible.
Jason Sudeikis ep. - okay, now this makes NO sense after the Kim episode, but this was the funniest episode I’ve seen in maybe years. What is going ON? Sudeikis was, obviously, perfect but of course he was gonna be. Can’t love this sketch more.
SO EXCITED for Simu Liu to host next month, seems wild to have someone who knows where Square One is hosting this show.
I tried the new apple cider truffles from Milk Bar and you guessed it: great.
Some of the family went on a mini trip to Niagara Falls and it was nice to get away, even for just a night. We were missing a few people though and that never feels right.
I attempted to get passes to Open House New York’s annual weekend and it went horribly. The site crashed immediately upon opening and then everything good was instantly sold out when it came back online. This damn city sometimes, I’m telling you.
I tried the pie crust cookies from Janie’s Life Changing Baked Goods on the Upper West Side and they did not disappoint. Honestly just love the bold name choice.
I have watched so many movies this past month, they’re all kind of a blur. No true standouts, but one. Hubie Halloween. Do not watch it. A movie hasn’t made me that irrationally mad in years. Just unwatchable shit. Can that man just go somewhere and sit on all his money and be happy? He needs to be stopped.
I finished the series On My Block and it’s really just a sweet little show. Happy it ended the way it did and when it did. Fully recommend (the first two seasons mostly).
So I’m in the middle of giving up meat for a month for some health reasons (they’re boring reasons so I’m not going into details) and have you ever heard of meat withdrawal? I hadn’t but it’s real, baby. Thought I had the flu or COVID for awhile (I got tested and it was negative) but all the symptoms aligned with cutting meat. Who knew?
So I’m not going to buy the entire Simpsons collection because I’m not wildly irresponsible anymore, but I really want to buy this makeup bag.
My 16 year old niece visited New York for the first time and it was such a great trip. Highlights from the trip: we saw the Joker steps in the Bronx, we saw the musical Wicked (which was TOO good), she went to a cat cafe, we listened to jazz in Harlem, we had dessert at Serendipity, we went to Coney Island to walk around and ride the Wonder Wheel, it was such a busy weekend, I’m so glad we were able to do so much. Loved having her here.
I made an apple fritter cake for Thanksgiving in Canada that was heavenly. Definitely going to make it again at some point.
Links I’m Loving:
After reading so many good reviews, we got Mexican takeout from Ruta in Astoria and good god, that salsa. It’s incredible and deep red and I can’t wait to have it again.
I’m not a giant pumpkin fan but I made pumpkin pecan scones with a maple glaze that were very good. I tend to prefer a lighter, fluffier scone, but the pumpkin weighed these down a bit to make them a bit more dense. I also had so much leftover pumpkin, so I made some soft pumpkin cookies with salted maple icing that were really, really good. Both recipes can be made vegan if you’re better than the rest of us.
I found a new waxing place in Astoria that is incredible: Rio Wax Studio. Not only is it priced reasonably, but the service is incredible. She gets your ingrown hairs like a fucking scientist with special glasses and a magnifying device, it’s amazing. Never going anywhere else again.
I went to see the pumpkin flotilla in Central Park and it was wonderful. (People bring in their carved pumpkins and then the Central Park staff arrange them on these little planks to be floated across the water and lit up.) Yes, it’s an event aimed at children, but I like cute/fun things as much as any child.
So I entered the Broadway ticket lottery and somehow won (why doesn’t everyone in NY enter this lottery, like, every day?), so I saw Aladdin on Broadway and look, it was cute. It isn’t for me, though. Off and on throughout the whole production I kept thinking about how the 1992 version is so far superior, but I looked around and the kids in that theatre were wowed. So that’s great. One thing that was incredible? The flying magic carpet scene. That was true beauty. Another highlight of the night was being able to walk around and see the inside of the New Amsterdam theatre. Just an architectural beauty. Every view in that theatre is magnificent.
It’s finally soup season, so you can find me most days at Il Bambino in Astoria. Every soup they’ve ever done has been spectacular.
I’d always heard good things about the Halloween decorations on the brownstones in the Upper West Side, so I spent the day wandering around up there and had such a nice walk searching for them. Here were the best streets should you want to see for yourself next year.
87th Street (between Columbus & Amsterdam)
95th Street (between Columbus & Central Park West)
94th Street (between Central Park West & Columbus)
West 88th Street (between Central Park West & Columbus)
West 69th Street (between Broadway and Central Park West)
For Halloween, Baby Dog dressed as Anne of Green Gables and Nathan & I were Bella & Mortimer Goth from The Sims.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I have to get my hands on Dave Grohl’s new book, it’s Thanksgiving croissant time (the best time of the year), the casual outpost of L’Artusi just opened (B’Artusi) so I’ll have to head over there soon, the new holiday stamps just came out and I can’t get to the post office fast enough, I got my ticket for the Dior exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum which should be great, I may or may be headed to another old mansion upstate for a holiday tour of the grounds, and I’m definitely going to write about recent visits to the fashion exhibit at the Met and about visiting The Octagon House upstate, too. Oh and if you care, don’t forget that the Sephora sale starts on November 5th if you’re doing any Christmas shopping.
If you have any interest in reading what went on in September, come on over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
My Walk To Manhattan
We are still in lockdown mode in New York City and I feel powerless, numb and useless. I’m an editor with no clients on the horizon and a waitress whose restaurant shut down in March. The days have been bleeding into one another for months and I wanted to change that, even for just one day.
Yesterday I walked for 15.6 miles to get from Astoria in Queens to Soho in Manhattan and back. I started the walk thinking that I’d just walk to Central Park, but that only took me about an hour and sort of ignited something inside of me to keep going. Here’s how it went and why you should maybe consider taking your own wandering walk.
(Sidenote: I had a mask on the entire time and didn’t come in contact with anyone, I’m not an idiot.)
(Sidenote #2: In order to take a walk like this, you have to have amazing bladder control because every store is closed and the ones that are open may not let you use their bathroom. I didn’t go to the bathroom for seven straight hours during this walk because I, ahem, have a fat-ass bladder that I’m abnormally proud of.)
I’ve never walked across this bridge before (I’ve only walked across the Brooklyn Bridge) and it took so much longer than I thought it would, but it was still a decent walk. Not as nice as the Brooklyn Bridge (maybe because it’s not as ornamental and old) but still, who doesn’t love a bridge walk?
Believe me when I say that there was practically no one in Central Park and the people that I did see stayed very far apart from each other. Granted, a lot of areas were blocked off, but still. For moments throughout my walk in the park, there was absolute silence and it felt unreal.
I didn’t want to stay inside the park too long mostly because I had my mask on and the sun was shining so it was getting really hot, so I ventured on. I’ll forever love the fact that you can dedicate a park bench to someone. (I just looked it up and it costs $10,000 to “adopt” a bench because of course it does, this city is nuts sometimes, nothing too nice can ever be affordable.)
After I left the park, I walked past Carnegie Hall (which always makes me think of both Home Alone 2: Lost in New York as well as Bill Cunningham) and then headed through Times Square.
I’ve never seen an empty Times Square before and it just felt sad. The city has never looked this way before. There are no crowds of people, only massive amounts of road construction going on against the backdrop of empty storefronts. Everything was turned off so fast and so easily, it’s insane to see the leftover realities of that.
From 42nd street, I headed past Bryant Park and down Fifth Avenue.
At this point I was just wandering. It still blows my mind that the subway closes at night now.
Around this point, I was getting pretty hungry so I started heading more south since I had a place in mind. I passed Madison Square Park and kept going down Broadway through an empty Union Square to get to Soho.
I got some takeout at Lovely Day (my forever favourite pad thai place) with the intention of eating it somewhere alone, not sure where yet, but I’d figure it out along the way. So I walked along Bowery heading back uptown through the East Village to get to the ferry at 34th Street.
I’ve never taken the ferry before and it was refreshing. It felt so nice to be on the water, even if it was only for a few minutes. It took me right into Gantry Plaza State Park where I found a bench chair to eat my late lunch. I stayed there for awhile and no one even walked by. That park is so great because there are a few little hidden walkways with these slanted chairs that are way more comfortable than they look. Then I started my final stretch heading home.
15.6 miles in the span of about 7 hours and here’s my face at the end of it in the lobby of my building.
I didn’t notice until posting this right now that the top of my face is clearly more tan because of the mask (pardon my glistening skin). Incase you’re going to do a walk like this of your own (you should!), here’s what I took in my backpack: a hat (forgot to use), a large full water bottle, a snack bar, my wallet, a scrunchie, my phone charger (which came in so handy, I used it three times at different LinkNYC USB ports around the city) and sunglasses. I also used the free app Map My Walk so I could have a map of the entire journey (shown below).
I took this walk mainly because I just wanted to feel in control of something for the day, since there are so many things that I can’t control right now. And I wanted my body and its capabilities to show me what I’m capable of. It’s becoming so normalized to be hateful of your own body right now and truthfully I’m too tired to participate in this ideology anymore. It’s miraculous that your body does so much for you on a daily basis and yet we still think & say such awful things to ourselves for not looking the way we think we’re supposed to look. To be so critical of something that literally gives you breath is absurd under normal circumstances, but especially right now. I’ve been saying and thinking awful things about the way I look for years and I’m exhausted. I just wanted a day where I wouldn’t be so negative about what my body isn’t and focus more on what it is and the possibilities that come with that. I shouldn’t be so hard on this body sometimes, I wanted to show myself that maybe it’s actually kind of a good body? Not good because it looks like what good should look like, but good because it can do things that make me feel powerful.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.