Tag Archives: NYC

Word of the Month: Cupcakes

Posted in My New York, Plateful by

I’m not generally a TV watcher, I catch my shows on Netflix or Hulu, but there are days when I like to watch TV for hours – particularly TLC or the Food Network. My favourites are the marathons.

During one such binge I ended up watching a D.C. Cupcake marathon. There was something so appealing about the cupcake shop that I found myself waiting in line for an hour when I visited D.C. to try their cupcake. The wait was worth it.

Now, Georgetown Cupcakes has a SoHo location, and not just ANY location, but a location that is practically in my backyard. It’s was almost like they did their research and knew I worked close by and decided to open a cupcake store there so I can get cupcakes as much as I want*!

I promise I’m not obsessed, but I noticed that I was going to GTC at least once a week – sometimes more! I mean, how could you stay away from the pretty delicious cupcakes? They have a number of flavours and they change them from time to time, so I have to keep going back to try the different flavours*.

Also, they have this cute, pink, bedazzled KitchenAid Mixer, I almost can’t resist going to admire it … and getting a cupcake while I view*.

I have found a solution (though there isn’t a problem), it’s called a cupcake tasting! Grab a couple of friends and order half a dozen cupcakes, all different flavours. Cut each cupcake into the appropriate pieces. Delicious**! I have to admit, since their opening in February, I have had three cupcake tastings and it was good.

Look at those cute little pink boxes … move over Tiffany’s there’s a new box in town*.

* That’s my story and I’m sticking to it
** Wait, is that a solution?

Random Art of the Month

Posted in Cultured, Gallery, My New York by

Have you seen the art in the 14th Street ACE subway station*? I was so inspired by the wonder that I stepped off the train one stop early to admire their beauty.

No, I wasn’t reading a book and thought I had to exit the train because I reached my stop. Nor did I almost walk up the stairs from the platform before realising I was at the wrong station. None of that happened. I just wanted to take a look at the art.

And no, I did not stand there, taking photos of subway art while waiting on the next train – even though I had time to rush back into the car – so people on the platform and in the car won’t think I’m strange.

Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time I wanted to check out the art.

* The installation is called Life Underground and it’s by Tom Otterness

Harry Potter: The Exhibit

Posted in Cultured, Gallery, My New York, Thoughts by

As a Harry Potter fan, I had to go to the exhibit on its last American leg of the tour – Discovery Time Square. So, Anna and I set out to see the exhibit. It was a lot of fun!

While I’m a Harry Potter fan, I am not necessarily a fan of the movies. Movie 6 really disappointed me and I thought that 5 and 2 could have been done … well .. differently. Of course, they did the best they could with the story. The books are rich with imagery, so I didn’t expect them to take everything and regurgitate it on film, but some of the things that were cut or changed, it made me cringe.

  

That aside, one of my favourite things about the movies was the world they created. From the Yule Ball costumes – I thought Ginny’s was cute in the movie – to the Death Eater’s costume, to the horn-tail dragon model and different parts of the set – including Hagrid’s hut – there was so much to see and take in.

The Exhibit: Hagrid's Hut (via antenna mag)

Hagrid’s Hut featured a chair that you could sit in, it was rather large. I felt like a child sitting in it.

The Exhibit: Gryffindor's Dorm (via antenna mag)

I especially love the details in the Gryffindor dorm rooms, the bed hangings that were found – by chance – in a fabric store, that turned out to be perfect for the set.

The Exhibit: Marauder's Map (via nycsinglemom)

The work that went into making these sets, especially the items on the set, is amazing. However, the best prop – in my opinion – was the Marauder’s Map!

  

They didn’t have costumes from the wedding scene, but Fleur’s dress is awe-inspiring! I wish they had it in the exhibit.

Hogwarts Express (via NYT)

Overall it was a ton of fun! It made me excited for my trip to Hogwarts at the end of September. I only wished there was a Hogwarts Express to Universal.

If you missed the exhibit you can check out this New York Times slideshow of some of the pieces.

NYC Food Trucks: Coolhaus

Posted in My New York, Plateful by

Recently I visited the Coolhaus truck for the first time.

I was tickled their sign, Ice Cream Sandwichs and Freedom (disclaimer: in the USA!) but I wasn’t sold, yet.

You can make your own ice cream sandwich by choosing your cookie, then your ice cream and they put this in an edible wrapper … wait, what? Edible wrapper you say? I was sold! I asked the server to surprise me and he gave me a mango sorbet filling with a chocolate cookie and a red velvet cookie as the sandwich. It was delicious!

They are currently stationed at the High Line – near the roller rink on 30th – and have another moving truck that you can follow on Twitter. Check out their website for updates or like them on Facebook. Whatever you do, find a truck, and get a sandwich … and eat the wrapper. (It’s the little things.)

Baby It’s You

Posted in Broadway, Cultured, My New York by

Baby It’s You (showing at the Broadhurst Theater until September 4th) is a based on the true story of Florence Greenberg, creator of Sceptre Records and founder of The Shirelles – a 1960s American girl group (first to have a number one single on the Billboards Hot 100).

The story opens with Florence, a mother and housewife in New Jersey who wants to get into the music business. With help from a family friend – and much protesting from her husband – she starts Tiara Records with a four girl group her daughter, Mary Jane, found at school called the Shirelles.

The story continues, following Florence’s climb in the music industry, from her selling Tiara Record and the Shirelles’s contract to Decca Records to her founding Scepter Record and taking the Shirelles to the top with the help of her partner, singer/songwriter/producer Luther Dixon. With hit songs like Tonight’s the Night, Dedicated to the One I Love and Soldier Boy, the Shirelles hit the Billboard charts and at the height of their fame, hit number one on the charts.

There were quite a few hard relationship stories in the play; Florence’s relationship with her children – pretty strained since she was hardly at home. Her relationship with the Shirelles – who her husband said she treats better than her own daughter – and her relationship with her partner Luther, a relationship that did not remain a professional one.

The music, in the beginning it was choppy, but as the the play moved along there were some really stirring numbers. I really loved the voices of the ladies that played the Shirelles, they sounded amazing together; different than the original group – I think a different sound altogether – but still very girl group-esque.

the colourful costumes were fun! (via broadway.com)

I absolutely LOVED the costumes! Florence had a lot of dress changes and I loved pretty much all her dresses. I also loved the A-line skirts that the Shirelles wore in the beginning of the play! So fun, I wonder where I can get skirts like those! A very 50s/60s wardrobe, it was easy to see some of the influences on present day fashion.

In the beginning they projected a jukebox on the screen so that image was stuck in my head when I saw the set and the on-stage band sitting on lit tiers reminded me of a jukebox. There were four screens that served as digital backdrops; everything had a 50s/60s feel to it; definitely a fun set. With the band on-stage the show felt more like a concert, which was great because during the bows they played a couple of popular tunes, much to the audience’s joy – especially that older gentleman in the front row shimmying with the cast.

Baby It’s You isn’t a show I’d typically chose to go to, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it. It’s too bad that September 4th is its last day! Thanks to my pal Evie for the cheap ticket!

Florence and The Shirelles (via broadway.com)