How to Get to Sesame Street

A couple weeks ago, I did something I almost never do. I went to an exhibition… alone. Matt’s sister told me about an amazing exhibit that The New York Public Library was putting on all about Sesame Street. We both share a deep love for this show, its characters and the incredible amount of good that it has done for so many young kids and parents. So I knew this was definitely up my alley.

So after work, I made my way up to Lincoln Center and was immediately transported back to my childhood. The exhibit is full of interesting stories about the show, the performers and the incredible thought that goes into producing it. And of course, there were many muppets on display, including all of the big names: Elmo, Oscar, Bert, Ernie, Snuffy, Super Grover, Zoe, The Count, and Hoots the Owl. I walked around in awe, staring at the characters of my youth, amazed with how large the muppets were in person and how they looked just as they should.

After taking in the exhibit for a little, I made my way to the auditorium for a two hour program entitled “Making Learning a Funny Affair”. The panel featured an impressive line up of Sesame Street’s top individuals including the Executive Producer, a writer and the Senior Vice President of Global Educational Content. However, the two who stole the show were the two muppet performers.

As they walked on stage, one with Grover the other with Murray, the entire audience was transported back to age 5. I literally couldn’t stop myself from smiling and I even teared up a bit (let’s blame the baby for that display of emotions).

For the next 2 hours, SNL performer and Sesame Street die-hard fan, Bobby Moynihan moderated an interesting, and funny, discussion about the creative genius that is Sesame Street. After 60 minutes or so, Bert even made an appearance and engaged with a muppet that a young fan brought. It was amazing to see the spirit of Jim Henson live on through the performers and their willingness to support a young dreamer.

It was a truly great night – something that only the city of New York could deliver. The exhibit runs through January 31st so I definitely suggest you make a trip over at some point.

A Fall Tradition

A couple of weekends ago, Matt and I made our annual trip out to the apple capital of the world, Warwick, NY (read about our other trips here and here).

This year we invited our friends Lucy and Smeets along for the adventure. Lucy grew up in Massachusetts, and as such, it is apple picking pro. I was shocked/mortified to hear that Smeets, who grew up in Westchester, NY had never been apple picking. Talk about a deprived childhood. So, we all piled into our car on Sunday morning and drove out to the country to partake in one of fall’s greatest traditions.

We decided to go to Och’s Farm again, followed up with a stop at the Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery. – why mess with a good thing. The weather was picture perfect and there were plenty of apples to choose from. I always love hanging out with Lucy and Smeets, not only are they fun people who are up for anything, but they have a really nice camera and get into taking pictures. So our apple picking trip turned into a mini photo session – perfect for the blog!

 

The day was a success, capped off with some laughs when Smeets read this article to us on our drive home…

O Christmas Tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

After surviving hosting Thanksgiving for the first time, Matt and I immediately switched into Christmas mode. On Saturday we went out and bought our first real Christmas tree together. This was always a magical experience for me as a child. About a week after Thanksgiving, my family would drive over to Clark’s Farm and walk through the maze of Christmas trees searching for the best one. Christmas music would be playing over the speakers, Christmas lights were strung around the farm and more often than not, there would be snow on the ground. Once we picked out the tree, we would strap it to the top of the car and drive it home. My dad would string on old fashioned colored lights before we went to town adding ornaments, each of which held special significance to us. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. So, when Matt and I decided to ditch our fake tree for a real one, I wanted to recreate my childhood experience.

Although Hoboken is a lot less intense than NYC, it is still pretty urban. There aren’t farms to buy your tree and sadly, there is no snow. We went to Home Depot to get some lights and Matt convinced me to look at their trees. We walked over to the trees, which were located on the second level of a parking garage, not quite the magical experience I was looking for. The trees were all bundled up so it was hard to tell which one was “the best” but after a few tries, we picked out one that we thought would be good.

 

As we waited in line, I began to question our purchase. Standing in the cement parking garage, with a tree that I couldn’t fully see, I came to conclusion that I just couldn’t do it. I told Matt to put the tree back and we left. I know– sort of a bratty move. But this was going to be our first tree and I wanted the experience to be more memorable. I mean, really… we were in a parking garage!

We drove up the street to a local nursery that had a hand painted sign out front that said “Fresh Christmas Trees for your Home.” I knew we would provide a good home for a tree so in we pulled. Immediately I knew I made the right decision. There were lights strung up, Christmas music playing and the trees were all unwrapped so you could get a good look at them. The man helping us made sure we got a great tree — he wouldn’t let us take home something we didn’t love. It was a great experience — well worth the increased price we had to pay as compared to Home Depot (right Matt?)! We even got to take photos of ourselves as elves before we paid!

 

Matt lugged the tree into our apartment, definitely a sight to see since our tree is probably 11 feet tall!

And, just like his father, he couldnt’ wait to start vacuuming up the needles once the tree was standing!

Since our ceilings are 15′ high, we knew we wanted a big tree – I just had no idea how fat it was until we got it inside!

Getting the lights on the tree proved to be a challenging task, especially for someone with a slight obsessiveness. Matt finally made me stop fidgeting with the lights and poured me a glass of eggnog to enjoy in front of the tree.

 

We still need to add some ornaments and a tree skirt but the tree is looking good and our apartment smells wonderful. Here’s to the magic of Christmas!

A Couple of Couples

I’m happy to report that this weekend, I officially checked something off of my Fall To Do List.

On Saturday afternoon, Matt and I hoped in our car and drove out to Warwick, NY for our annual apple picking trip. Some of you more loyal followers may remember that we went out there two years ago and had a great time. Well after doing a decent amount of research to find a great orchard, I settled upon Ochs Orchard. It wasn’t until we were driving up the scenic road that leads to the farm that I realized it was the exact same place we went two years ago. Guess that research really paid off.

This year we were joined by two of my favorite people, Lindsay and Mike.

I used to work with Lindsay and they are SUPER fun to hang out with. Let’s be serious though… the bar was pretty low since the bulk of our free time is spent with Kinsella and Brent, two of Matt’s boyfriends who mostly enjoy bars, Notre Dame football and talking about finance. No offense boys, but it wasn’t my dream to get married and live the single boys life.

We picked a giant bag full of apples and a pumpkin that is sitting on our counter, just waiting to be carved. Afterward we headed over to the Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery. We arrived at 5pm, just an hour before closing. I was definitely bummed that we didn’t come earlier (they have apple picking there too) but it worked out well since the place was packed, but since we arrived late, people were leaving and we had no problem finding a table.

It was a great day, capped off with dinner with another favorite couple, Noelle and Justin. On the drive home, Matt jokingly said “All we do it hang out with your friends.” My response… “At least my friends have cool boyfriends/husbands for you… you’re friend just have other single boyfriends.”

Touché.

Here’s to couple friends, fall and a week full of apple recipe posts!

 

Urban Jungle

New York City is often referred to as an Urban Jungle; however, this weekend we had the opportunity to visit the real Urban Jungle, the Bronx Zoo!

For Christmas this past year, Matt and I gave his younger sister a trip to NYC. At the time it was probably a let down. I mean, I would definitely rather get some new clothes than I lame book filled with IOUs. But hopefully, after a weekend jammed packed with fun (Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, Burgers at Shake Shack, the zoo, etc) the wait seemed worth it.

The Bronx Zoo was definitely the highlight of the weekend for me. Seeing all of the animals up close was truly magical. Of course seeing the giraffes was my favorite, but I think that seeing the gorillas was a very close second.

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I am sure there are people out there who will argue that zoos are inhuman and what not. I’m not knowledgable enough to fight that fight. So I will leave that to PETA.

Governor’s Muddy Ball

Over the weekend Matt and I went to the Governor’s Ball Music Festival on Randall’s Island in NYC. Despite the rain on Friday that created a 4-6 inch deep mud field the remainder of the weekend, it was a lot of fun.

 

I tried to embrace the ever popular boho-hippie-chic look, although I have to admit I didn’t try very hard. I took a sparky running headband and instead of wearing it push my hair back, I wore it across my forehead – hippie style. I quickly realized that this wasn’t the smartest decision since it left an indent across my forehead. And, I looked a little silly.

Thankfully, I have two more weeks until this music festival. Hopefully that will give me enough time to perfect my look ;)

Citi Bikes!

Well, it didn’t take much, but Matt and I are officially drinking the controversial Citi Bike kool-aid. This weekend we took the bikes out for a spin and ended up signing up for annual memberships.

On Saturday, after running down to Cold Process Coffee and getting injected with caffeine, we didn’t really feel like running home. Instead, we decided to test out the city’s new bike share program. After dipping our credit card and agreeing to follow the traffic laws, we were given codes to unlock our bikes.

 

The bikes are definitely A LOT clunkier and slower than a regular road bike but it didn’t bother me much. They are perfect for commuting and I am confident that they will be able to stand up NYC’s weather and grime.

 

We jumped on the bikes and road home on the path that runs along the Hudson. In about 15 minutes we were home. We had some difficulty locking our bikes into the station at 59th and West End, but luckily there was another station around the corner that accepted our bikes just fine.

Since we purchased a 24-hour membership, we had access to the bikes again on Sunday. This time we rode the bikes from 59th and Amsterdam down to brunch at 44st and 9th. While we could walk this distance, it is nearly a mile and the bikes got us there in approximately 7 minutes. After a delicious brunch at Marseille, we grabbed two more bikes from the rack and rode up to Columbus Circle. The first station we went to (57th and Broadway) was full, so we ended up riding two blocks down to 55th and Broadway – no big deal.

 

The bikes definitely make commuting around the city a bit more enjoyable and the recently added bike lanes make it pretty easy. I love biking, so I knew this program was probably going to be something that I enjoyed. However, the thing that I liked the most was taking control of my commute. While I do think NYC’s subway system is amazing, you are never quite sure how long you will have to wait for a train or when there might be delays. And with the traffic in the city – taxis are a shot in the dark. However, if you are up for it, Citibikes allow you as the commuter to take control. You can decide which route to take and, for the most part, you are able to zip through areas with heavy traffic (of course, following the traffic laws!). That being said – like most things in NYC, it all depends on whether or not tourists try to take part.  Right now it is mostly enthusiastic New Yorkers participating in the program. When the newbies start hitting the streets,things might get worse. But hopefully, the fact that they have bike share programs in other cities around the world bodes well.

So while I know not everyone agrees, I say “Long Live City Bikes!”

 

Cold Process Coffee along the Hudson

Earlier this year I wrote about a coffee tasting that one of our friends hosted with a new line of gourmet coffee beans, Lamill. Well, I’m not going to say that my blog post gave our friend, Eric, the “press” and start he needed to take Lamill to a wider audience, but I will definitely let you think that if you want.

Eric recently opened Cold Process Coffee & Tea as part of the redevelopment of Pier 57. Pier 57 is a 170,000 square-foot covered, open-air public market. Business are housed  in recycled and creatively refitted shipping containers. The market is New York’s first large-scale concentration of year-round, affordable work/sell space for artisans and other small businesses. Cold Process Coffee & Tea made their debut last month and have plans to be there through October. There are currently 4-5 other booths in the space with room to add more.

Cold Process Coffee is a unique way of steeping coffee grounds in room temperature or cold water for an extended period. This lends well to an espresso based iced coffee with more flavor and certainly more caffeine than regular iced coffee.

On Saturday, Matt and I decided to run down along the Hudson River to Eric’s new “office.” As you can see from the pictures, it is an incredible space (much too hip for Matt and me). The only suggestion I would make would be to add some delicious treats to the menu.  The counter space looked a little lonely and I bet a homemade chocolate chip cookie and would go great with the iced coffee… now I wonder who you could ask to make you some (wink, wink).

It was very inspirational to see our friend taking a passion and turning it into a business. We were psyched to support Eric and definitely encourage anyone to stop by and get your daily caffeine fix. And who know’s — you just might wait in line behind a celebrity!

Flattered that Philip Seymour Hoffman visited Cold Process Coffee and Tea and like our Iced Latte #amazingactor

— Cold Process Coffe a (@ColdProcess) June 8, 2013

Fighting Poverty… and Vampires?

Matt and I watched all three seasons of The Walking Dead in approximately 3 weeks. We became obsessed with the idea of a zombie Apocalypse and the precautions we should be taking now to prepare should one ever occur (Matt wants to buy guns while I would prefer crossbows). Well, with the season premier of HBO’s True Blood just a couple weeks away, it is time to shift our attention from zombies to vampires.

This morning I was in Brooklyn visiting one of the non-profits that Robin Hood funds. This program, Green City Force, trains young people from low-income backgrounds for sustainable careers, while reducing green-house gas emissions, and building a greener city. And apparently they are also helping the residence of this NYCHA community ward off vampires.

 

They recently created a massive garden for the residence, with 6 large raised beds, containing leafy greens, herbs and tons of garlic. So now, when the vampires attack, I know where to go!

 

 

OMG – We’re Adults!

“Heeeeey. Today is my Birthday!”

Today is Matt’s 30th Birthday! Not only is this exciting because it means we get to have cake and celebrate but it also means that Matt can stop reminding me at every change he gets that I am 30 and he is 29. Honestly, the 3 months between our Birthdays are the worst. To be honest, I don’t mind that I am a little older than Matt but I don’t need to be reminded of it all the time.

We kicked off the celebration a little early last night with a dinner party at our friends apartment. We have known Lucy and Smeets since our early days in Boston and have continued to remind friends over the years. They are lovely people with whom we’ve taken a few ski trips , gone to many dinners and shared more than a few glasses of wine! A couple week’s ago we celebrated Lucy’s birthday together with a dinner at Peels, one of my favorite NYC restaurants. That night we ordered some oysters for the table and got to talking about how Matt and I have recently gotten into oysters. It just so happens that Lucy’s uncle owns an oyster farm in Cape Code, Sweet Neck Farms, and knows a thing or two about the slippery delicacies. I mentioned that I really wanted to learn how to shuck them so Matt and I could enjoy them at home (and not have to pay the ridiculous price of $3 per oyster at a restaurant!) So I was pleasantly surprised when Lucy called me on Tuesday night to tell me that her uncle had shipped her some fresh oysters and invited Matt and I over for a shucking lesson and dinner party.

Now, this may shock you – but this was the FIRST real dinner party that Matt and I have ever been to. I know – weird. I think it is because NYC apartments are so small, that very few people have dinner tables so we always go out to dinner. It is sort of funny because the only person I can think of who has an actual table in their apartment, which chairs and adult things like that, is Kinsella – and his version of cooking is opening a can of soup (which IS pretty impressive). We’ve had many a football watching party at his place, but those normally involve Bleeker Street pizza and eating off our laps (please don’t mistake my tone for judging – Matt and I sit on the floor and eat off a coffee table at home).

It was nice to play house for a little with Smeets and Lucy and feel like real adults. Thanks for keeping us classy guys!

 

 

 

 

Here is Smeets in the kitchen – hoping that rubs off on Matt!