the insanity that is nyc – in the best sense of the word!

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Yesterday, I was heading out for my *cough* weekly *cough* *cough* mani/pedi. As I walked to the new nail place I wanted to try (favorite so far), I had to pass the IFC Theater that is right by the W 4th Street subway stop. There was an event going on…it looked like a movie premiere. So of course, I stopped and gawked for a while (so sad I didn’t have my camera with me).
Here’s a link with pics of the red carpet at the screening with all of the famous people I saw (not the after party pics, just the obviously red carpet celebs). New York City is seriously magical; like Disneyland for grown-ups (who don’t like Disneyland…and probably those who do, too).
And then today, KP and I were at Pommes Frites (a super favorite) and who should walk by. None other than Rachel Dratch. And yeah, she pretty much looks like she does on t.v. or in movies. After that, we went to Joe’s Pub to see Katie Herzig (another super fave, but this one of the musical variety). And we had just enough time after the concert to jet up to the Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble to pick up the new book by Jennifer Weiner (of In Her Shoes fame) and have them signed by none other than the author herself!

*All photos stolen from KP.

photoshop

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Yes, I do have tons of stuff I could blog about…especially since it’s been so long. And eventually I probably will, but for right now, I want to share with you all my first project in Photoshop (which, as you can see, does not actually involve any photos).

I spent Saturday evening in Brooklyn with KP learning all about Photoshop so I could make an invitation for my nephew’s 1st birthday party! (All of the details have been changed except for the fact that it is for a 1st birthday.)


The colors look a little different now that I’ve posted it here, but whatever…you get the general idea. 

boston…in reverse ordered pictures

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In case you were wondering, my life is still happening at an alarming rate. I had a fabulous 4th of July in Boston with Linda (pictured below) and Katie (need to get pictures from her since she wasn’t sailing with us). My first time seeing Neil–my mom’s favorite singer/songwriter of all time who deserves his own post–Diamond, sailing, and seeing the most amazing fireworks display of my life. I wish I’d had a tripod with me because my pictures don’t even come close to doing them justice.

On the Charles River…we had front row seats!



The farthest point of land in Massachusetts…from here, nothing but ocean until you hit the UK.
Another amazing lighthouse! I love the east coast!!!

Linda, and our skipper (her friend) Matt.
Random MIT students who signed up for this trip…Matt volunteers to take people out as an alum and certified (is that the right word) skipper, and in return he gets to use the boats for free.

The toe rail…an appropriate name really. And you can see that Linda and I both felt white pants were the proper attire for sailing in Boston Harbor on the 4th of July.


Lobster traps (crates?). Can you tell I wasn’t raised in New England?

Isn’t Boston gorgeous?!
Craig Ferguson…my oldest sister’s personal hero.
Neil.
Neil.
Neil.
And finally, Neil. I can still hear all of the songs he played in my head, along with several more. America, Sweet Caroline, Forever in Blue Jeans, Shiloh, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, etc, etc. So many fabulous childhood memories tied up into one performer! It was…BRILLIANT!

my own personal theater week

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Last week was seriously amazing. First, as I already posted about here and here, I got to see Twelfth Night in Central Park. Then, Friday night, Sarah, Kelly, Mark (Candice’s husband…Candice didn’t want to see it, so she was home with her kiddies), and I saw August: Osage County starring, none other than, Phylicia Rashad (aka Claire Huxtable). It was incredible. Seriously. I loved it. And meeting Phylicia Rashad was amazing, too.



Pre-theater, I met up with Sarah and Kelly for yummy sushi at Haru. My second time there…still loved it. Post-theater, we got to meet the cast, including Brian Kerwin (the dad in 27 Dresses). 

And a quick digression…what the crap were this kid’s parents thinking when they took him to see this very R-rated play? Not to mention that the guy played a total perv which makes this pic and the one below of him riding away on a bike kind of creepy.

And then, after the play, Emily (my MBA friend from Boston) met up with us. On Saturday, Emily and I went to see both Our Town and Mary Poppins. Our Town was fantastic (and just around the corner from my apartment). I’d never seen it before and I loved it. Such a different experience and one that really made me think. Kind of heavy for a Saturday afternoon, but I’m a fan of deep thought as a general rule

We followed it up with Mary Poppins, which I would have thought to be the opposite of heavy, but the Broadway production really puts an emphasis on just what a difficult marriage George and Winifred Banks had. However, in the end, it all worked out, just like it did in the movie version, so a much happier ending than that of Our Town. Overall, the musical was good, but I will say that it didn’t live up to my expectations. Some of those dancers would have never made it through Vegas on SYTYCD. And the actress playing Winifred Banks would have been cut from American Idol. Other than that, it was delightful.
Oh, and on Thursday, while not the theater, as in live theater, Kelly, Sarah, Candice, and I did go see The Proposal…again. It was in a movie theater, but a theater nonetheless. And can I just say Ryan Reynolds is dreamy!!! Part of it is that he is just good looking…the other part is that he is hilarious!!!
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We did do some other stuff over the weekend, but those are the theater highlights from the week. I may not be paying down my school debt, but I sure am enjoying myself!!!

dinner at luz in the bk

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Tuesday night I headed to Brooklyn to meet my friend, Emilie (an alumna from my MBA program who works for the company where I’m interning…and yes, I’m cryptic on purpose) and her husband for dinner at Luz. 

I have to say that I really enjoyed it. While it wasn’t necessarily the best food I’ve ever had, it was good, and the company was fantastic. 

This is a tuna ceviche (raw tuna) with a really yummy vinaigrette, grilled pineapple, jalapenos, and corn (I have no idea how to explain how the corn was cooked, but it was kind of puffed and crunchy, but not fried). This was by far my favorite dish of the evening. 

Empanadas: the one on the left was filled with this delicious goat cheese melange. The one on the right was a spinach concoction that I can’t say I fully appreciated.

This was not actually my dish, but it was really good. Emilie ordered it and it was really good steak and yucca (right?) with a mayonnaise based sauce.
I decided to get semi-adventurous with dessert (some of you may find raw fish adventurous – I do not). It was a warm guava tart (I LOVE all things guava – not the adventurous part) with CHEESE ice cream. Guess what. Cheese ice cream is about as good as it sounds. It was kind of…GROSS!!!) 
And after our fabulous dinner, we stopped by their apartment so I could see just how much more one can afford by going one train stop into Brooklyn. Drool was coming down my chin. A gorgeous one bedroom on the 19th floor of a high-rise, with a view of the Manhattan Bridge and some of the Brooklyn Bridge and the downtown skyline, a washer and dryer in the unit, beautiful kitchen, lots of storage, and more space than I knew existed in a New York apartment. Unbelievable! It was enough to make me consider moving to Brooklyn, assuming I come back next year.