Tag Archives: things to do in new york city

The Roses on Park Avenue

Posted in Cultured, Gallery, My New York by

The Roses is the work of artist Will Ryman and is on display on Park Avenue (from around 57th street to 67th street) until May 2011.

It’s like taking a step out of the real world and landing in Wonderland. These oversizes roses, petals and bugs are beautiful and having the city as it’s background add a layer of whimsical to it.

I recommend checking this out before they are plucked away at the end of May.

[more pictures on Flickr]

Dinner at Tea and Sympathy

Posted in My New York, Plateful by

Yesterday I went to Tea and Sympathy to have dinner with my friend, Juyon. I love Tea and Sympathy, partly because it’s so small and quaint, and as J pointed out, it’s reminiscent of eating in someone’s kitchen, and partly because the staff have lovely english accents and are super friendly.

We had scones with jam and clotted cream. I wanted to try the crumpets, but the waitress said that the website was outdated and they haven’t served crumpets in a year, due to the fact that they kept eating the crumpets all day long.

We shared the Sussex Chicken – cornish hen, mash and peas.

And a side of macaroni and cheese. I had the best tea that I’ve tasted there yet, the Chocolate and Mint Rooibos, it was so good I picked 1/4 pound up to take home.
For dessert we shared the Treacle pudding (with custard), but alas, it was so good I got distracted, and only remembered to take a picture once it was all finished – and in record time.
I absolutely love Tea and Sympathy, and I’d really love to try their Sunday brunch!

Are those fries in my sandwich?

Posted in My New York, Plateful by

biting the bullet has never been so delicious!

The Bullet consists of chicken cutlets, bacon and french fries with some wonderful sauce. This was my sandwich of choice at the Cherry Valley Deli and Grill this past weekend.

The deli is open 24 hours and has more sandwich choices than you could ever think to eat. They are efficient and you are out of the door in no time.  They put french fries in your sandwich.

It was delicious.

They have two locations, one in Whitestone and one in West Hempstead.

In case you missed it, those were french fries in my sandwich and it was delicious.

Two for Tea

Posted in My New York, Plateful by

Entrance for Tea

One chilly Sunday in December, Mary and I decided to head to Lady Mendl’s for Afternoon Tea. Inside, Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon was decorated for Christmas with a lovely tree and teacups as ornaments which was a beautiful addition to the waiting room.

We were seated in one of their small dining rooms at a small table, it was intimate and cute. The staff served us everything, putting our teapots on a tea table to the side of our table. Mary had a chai tea while I tried something a little fruity. I don’t know what it is about warm fruit infused teas, but those are my favourites.

We were served a small appetizer, some tea sandwiches – loved the smoked salmon – and then scones with clotted cream. While not the best scones I’ve tasted in New York, their scones were bite sized and tasty. Everything was bite sized, and while initially it looked as though we might want to have second tea, by the time dessert came around both of us were quite full.

The cake was yummy and the strawberries were delicious, even though I was fighting to finish the last bite. After our 5 courses we finished our tea and took our leave. Looking back, it might have been a bit on the expensive side, but I enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and the company and I’d definitely go there again. It’s a wonderful place for a tea party!

[View Flickr Photos]

Unlimited; Together We’re Unlimited

Posted in Broadway, Cultured, My New York by

I’ve always loved The Wizard of Oz. I remember seeing the movie as a child and wanting to be a part of munchkin land, or wanting to skip down the yellow brick road. So naturally, when the show Wicked came to Broadway, I had to see it. Wicked, is based on a novel of the same name, by Gregory Maguire. It’s the untold story of the Wicked Witch of the West. I attended the show on a free ticket, a lucky break. It was a great experience; I remember leaving the theater with the songs playing through my head. I got the soundtrack the very next day and played all the songs on repeat for one entire week. At Karaoke places I would sing all the Wicked songs that were available. I declared Wicked my favourite Broadway show.

This past Saturday I got a chance to attend Behind the Emerald Curtain and take a peek at how Wicked came into existence.

Our tour was lead by Jerad Bortz (ensamble and understudy for Fiyero) and Anthony Galde (swing and understudy for Fiyero, Wizard and Father). They took us through all the stages an actor experiences from audition to the stage. One of the most interesting stories was the fitting. The actor spends the day going to different shops, standing in their underwear in a room of mirrors and getting their measurements taken while being observed by a group of people who are holding clipboard and talking about their body. Intimidating? I think so.

I was blown away by the effort and detail that goes into each costume. Every single costume is custom fitted for each actor who will be portraying that role and some costumes cost thousands of dollars.

Jerad and Tony explained the behind the scene choreography that goes on with the costume changes. There is a system off stage that’s just as detailed as the dancing happening on stage. With limited time between scenes the actors have to know exactly where to go, what they are taking off or putting on and how to move along the line to change. Sometimes they do all of this while STILL singing.

The spoke in detail on the setting up of the set, the masks and the sound (mic placements), then we got to sit in the theater’s orchestra section while they showed us a short film on the making of the musical as well as the jobs of the folks in the background who keep the show running. One thing that struck me was the amount of people behind the scenes that work on the show while there is an audience watching the performance. I believe they said that there were about 100+ people working backstage to make sure each show runs smoothly, this is not including orchestra or actors.

To say that I was impressed with the effort and money it takes to put on Wicked is an understatement. I was blown away by the hard work and many hours. I thought back to the time I saw the show; when I left the auditorium I wasn’t thinking of the people doing the sound or the light, I was remembering the spectacular closing scene of Act 1. I was not wondering about the wardrobe team or the stage team, I was enjoying the look of the stage and the gear-like props that added something different to the setting of Oz. I know that the next time I see Wicked – and there will be a next time – I will probably be engrossed in the show on stage again. However, in the back of my mind I will also remember this day and I am quite sure that I will have a greater appreciation for the hard work that 100s of “invisible” people do on a daily basis to allow me to enjoy the work of art that is Wicked, the Musical.