Tag Archives: things to do in new york city

Lobster Rolls at Luke’s

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After creating our own fragrances, some friends and I continued our East Village adventure with a late lunch at Luke’s Lobster, a tiny little store on 7th Street, between 2nd and 1st. You can get the regular Lobster Roll with a pickle on the side, potato chips and a drink, or you can get some creative combos that include things like shrimp rolls and crab rolls.

We were lucky to get in ahead of the rush, by the time we were finished there was a line, almost out the door. The demand  for these delicious lobster rolls is not without reason, each bit was filled with yummy, buttery goodness on a warm, toasted bread – no soggy roll here!  Luke’s Lobster probably has the best lobster roll that I’ve tasted to date and it’s in the East Village so it’s easy to get to!

The Fragrance Shop

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Down in the East Village of Manhattan, on 4th Street (between 2nd and Bowery) stands a little shop called The Fragrance Shop. What’s special about this little store is the fact that you can create your own signature scent and make your own perfume, scented oils, lotion, bubble bath, bath oils, anything scent/perfume related.

Some friends and I took a trip there this past weekend to create our own scents. The owner, Lolita, was very helpful and has a knack for blending different fragrances to create a unique and lovely scent. She told us to chose four fragrances that we wanted to use and then added a few of her own suggestions, mixing it together and letting us test it out on our arms to see whether we liked the way it smelled. If we did, she would re-create it in a bottle of our choice that we could purchase. If we wanted, we could also get it as a perfume, a lotion, or any of the former mentioned forms.

  

You could also get decorative bottles to hold your oils and perfumes, I fell in love with the purple bottle with the tassel and decided to buy it, I thought it would go wonderfully with the scent I created – a whimsical, flowery smell with a lavender base.

For my scent, I chose the Ambrosia, Hibiscus Passion, Heavenly and Pink Jasmin while Lolita added Lavender. After mixing everything together she made a flowery, yet subtle scent, the kind of scent that I love. I got to name my scent, so I decided to call it Fleur du Ciel, or Flowers of Heaven, inspired by the Ambrosia and the Heavenly scent.

It was very exciting to have my own fragrant oil on hand, and the great thing is, when I run out I can always go back for more as she writes down the ingredients and the quantities and keeps it for the next time we might need it. Another thing that was interesting was the fact that no one else can go in and ask for my scent, not unless I give them permission. It makes it feel exclusive to just me.

It was a wonderful experience and my friends and I had a great time mixing our own unique scents. I’m definitely going to go back for some more!

So, I ran into JT …

Posted in Cultured, Gallery, My New York by

He didn’t look pleased, the paparazzi were all over the place and we had to run to escape them. Luckily, we ran into George who was kind enough to offer us a place to stay.

All was well until George popped the question – Lemonade? Or Iced Tea? JT wasn’t pleased.

Robin said he was more of a coffee person, and went out to look for a Starbucks.

When he returned and we were all caffeinated (one way or another) we threw ourselves a little concert. That JT sure can sing!

His song was like the siren’s, every super hero within earshot came to celebrate.

More photos from Madame Tussauds’ can be found on Flickr. It was a wonderful and fun experience, definitely worth the trip!

Word of the Month: Cupcakes

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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