Catch-Up: Coney Island

Having never been to Coney Island, I decided to take Columbus Day and head on over there before they closed for the winter.


First up: Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs. They're famous for some reason, and also the site of the annual hot dog eating contest. As part of my cultural exception rule, I had one, plain with onions and slaw, and a lemonade. I give it two thumbs up, especially if you add the awesome mustard from the condiment table. Word to the wise: the "medium" drinks are the normal-person equivalent of an extra-large. For the love of God, order a small drink.

The Boardwalk. Strangely eerie in the first days of fall.

 Fishing off the pier. High potential of mercury-contamination, but when you gotta eat, you gotta eat.

The state of Coney Island trashcans.

The creepiest carnival doll ever. We abandoned it there, but I kid you not I have nightmares that it might come find me. I actually went through a mental process of assessing how I would best contain this monstrosity if it ever showed up at my apartment (answer: in a see-through, bullet-proof container with a combination padlock. It has to be see-through so I can reassure myself it's still in there without opening the box, and bullet-proof and locked because it's obviously dangerous and god knows what it's capable of.).

 
 Coney Island! We went on the Cyclone, the roller coaster to the right of the Ferris Wheel and that tower thingie. Awesomely fun, but somewhat back and neck ache inducing.

Brunch Review: Northern Spy Food Co.

Go. Just go. And suck up the long wait.

Everything on the menu is locally-sourced and delicious, and the menu varies based on the season. I got a delicious gin and cucumber cocktail, coffee, and a mushroom and egg Hollandaise concoction. My friend got the bacon rolls and oatmeal, which are apparently their most popular menu items, and also delicious.

This is hands down best brunch I've had thus far in New York, and at this point I've already been to six or seven places...

http://www.northernspyfoodco.com/
511 East 12th Street (between Ave. A and Ave B)
New York, NY 10009
212-228-5100 phone

Catch-up: I really don't know

Yeah, I don't know what's up with this. It was parked on 30th, metal armor and all.

Review: Bouchon Bakery

I'd been avoiding Bouchon Bakery since it's so expensive, but ended up there with coworkers for coffee one day and gave into their lemon tart.

And became obsessed. I've since tried a bunch of macarons, a fruit tart, the sandwich of the day, a cappuchino, and the tomato soup and none of it is that awesome. My coworkers love getting lunch there, but I have to say, I found most of their food disappointing. I even added half-and-half to their tomato soup, because I found it a bit too sharp for my tastes.

But the lemon tart. I could wax poetic about that fluffy, tangy, creamy, not-too-sweet tart. I've probably had it five or six times since, and given their absurd prices, that's saying quite a bit.

So go ahead, get yourself a lemon tart. Experience the bliss.

http://bouchonbakery.com/
They have two locations in New York City, and three others in California and Las Vegas.

Catching Up: Oktoberfest

Yes, it's late. So sue me.

In return for marching in the parade on behalf of the German World Magazine, I got free admission to Oktoberfest in Central Park. I also met the German Ambassador to the U.S., had some quality beer, and ate some delicioso Kartoffelpuffer!

Parade participants getting ready

German World Magazine

The Volkswagen Club of New York

German Rules, American Behavior

 WHAT a coincidence

Ahhhh, the age gap in the age of technology. So sad.

Review: Sweet Afton

Tucked away in the Astoria, this is a gem of a bar that reminds me of the locales in Istanbul and Berlin my friends and I liked to frequent. It has a cute (read: tiny) back garden area when the weather is nice, and a woodsy lodge feeling inside. It also happens to be a favorite date spot, so look out for groups of two trying to get to know each other.

Drinks: great beers on tap (although a little overpriced for Astoria). They also have a special house cocktail menu, but I have to say the drinks are watered down and bland, not really worth it when they have great beer alternatives.

Food: I had their Portabello mushroom burger, good but nothing to write home about, and their mac and cheese, which is absolutely outstanding. Seriously, delicious. I recommend it plain (which somehow includes scallions), but my friend swears by the optional bacon.

All their food is locally-sourced, which gives them bonus points in my book.

Score: 9/10
I took away 1 point for meh cocktails.



http://sweetaftonbar.com/
30-09 34th Street
Astoria, New York 11103

Weather

We had Hurricane Sandy last week, and then this North Easterly yesterday, battering the city and making life incredibly difficult for so many people. As I've noted before, there are still people without power, without housing, and without the basic necessities like water and heat. If you can, please donate, reach out to friends who live in affected areas, or just start volunteering and training for disaster response through your local Red Cross chapter (after all, you never know when and where those skills might come in handy - climate change anyone? Anyone?).

That being said, I still can't help but be somewhat excited by my first snow in New York! Post-storm:

Wrong demographic?

Netflix apparently thinks my love of 90s movies like "She's All That" means that I would also be interested in watching "Dora the Explorer" and "Blue's Clues." Interesting.

Affected by a storm I never saw

Still stranded in Philadelphia, the earliest train I could book was early Friday morning and all the buses are still cancelled. The worst storm I've ever experienced, and I missed the whole thing.

Based on the reports I'm getting from friends, Manhattan, Queens, and New Jersey are still really struggling with flooding, power outages, and fires, so please send support to your friends or relief organizations if you can!

Storm It Up

I went to Philadelphia for a conference. On Sunday at exactly the same time, two hours after my arrival, the conference was cancelled and so were all transit and Amtrak trains back to NYC. Leaving me stranded.

So after meeting friend at Cafe Lift - I highly recommend their brunch, they have a mustard hollandaise sauce to die for - I walked the Liberty Bell, Washington's Presidential House, and the Independence Hall area before walking back through Old City to my hotel. Which I promptly left to hole up with an old high school friend I hadn't seen in ten years.

Look, if I'm going to be stranded in a city for three, possibly four or five days, I don't want to be alone! And my hotel was on the river, which made me super paranoid.

So we made pumpkin cranberry scones (thank you Trader Joe's! Your mixes make my life) and are doing what work we can manage while we still have electricity and internet. The weather is still rather mellow, so I'm a little annoyed with Amtrak for cancelling the trains so early, but then working from (someone's) home while catching up with an old friend is also awesome.

Having handled three wildfires in one year, three snow blizzards in the following year, and now this Frankenstorm, I feel like I should change my career track and become a disaster response expert instead...