NYC Eats

During my last two trips to New York, I eagerly took in some culinary exploration and want to share highlights from two of my excursions.

First, we went in search of a tasty little bakery for cupcakes one afternoon. After not too long, we came across Buttercup Bake Shop, considered one of the best spots for cupcakes in the city.

We were quickly mesmerized by the vast and lovely dessert case...

And quickly overwhelmed by the array of colorful cupcake choices. Pink, yellow, purple, blue, white, brown, swirl, sprinkle...

We placed an order for six: one buttercup golden with chocolate icing, one buttercup golden with vanilla icing, one chocolate with vanilla icing, one chocolate with chocolate icing, one red velvet and one "Devil Dog." Perhaps, not surprisingly, the "Devil Dog" was mine. Devil's food chocolate cake with a light whipped frosting, a swirl of chocolate and topped off with sprinkles. I definitely enjoyed every last bite. And, at $2.25 each, it's a price that's hard to argue with.

In an interesting turn of events, the person who helped us at Buttercup is also from Minnesota. Gotta love those random connections :)

My other dining highlight comes from dinner with a friend who'd just moved to the city. I requested that we venture outside of my typical Midtown boundaries, so we hopped in a cab and headed to the East Village. There's a great little eatery called S'MAC, which is short for Sarita's Macaroni & Cheese.

It was tiny but overflowing. Eclectic but homey. S'MAC's specialty is macaroni and cheese...in more than 10 different varieties.

I decided to give the Cheeseburger Mac a try: cheddar and American cheeses combined with seasoned ground beef. There are four different sizes: nosh, major munch, mongo and partay!. This is the major munch ($9.75).

And it was majorly delicious. Cheesey, burgery, noodley comfort food. And boy was it filling. I think I could have gone with the nosh portion size and still left satisfied. I was mighty impressed with S'MAC and imagine that if I lived in the city, it would quickly become one of my favorite regular spots.

And, finally, I'll leave you with a photo of my favorite building in all the city - the Chrysler Building (with a little bit of a fancy Instagram touch-up). Isn't it lovely? :)

Shoe Crazy

A while back, I joined shoedazzle.com at the recommendation of a friend. shoedazzle is an online shoe (and accessories) club created by Kim Kardashian. Each month, members get a showroom of select shoes and accessories chosen by celebrity stylists. The idea behind shoedazzle is making fashion trends accessible and affordable - everything is priced at $39.95 and shipping is free (members also have the flexibility to skip months if they can't afford new items one month or don't find anything that strikes their fancy).

Over the last several months, I've built up a little collection of shoedazzle purchases - all of which I think are incredibly adorable. Some I haven't even worn yet (I've been on a bit of a heels hiatus of late), and others I've worn out far too quickly. Here's a quick look at the new(ish) additions to my shoe family.

This first pair is called "Serene." They're tied with the next pair as my favorite. I love them because they're super comfortable and professional, while also being unique. The pop of purple on each side of the gray suede pumps is awesome, and these tend to draw quite a few compliments. I have some small quality gripes (they've worn out far faster than I would have liked), but overall, I still love them.

This is my other favorite pair - the "Lacie." This pair is bright, neony yellow and ridiculously adorable. I've probably worn them about 50 times and still get compliments every time. This pair also gets my vote for best quality.

Then we have "Amaryllis." I've been on a major flats kick, and these cutesy gold ones are a perfect option. They're super comfortable and have just the right amount of flair to suit me. Only major disappointment is that the gold scuffs easily.

Ah, "Saffron." These were a late summer addition, when I felt like I couldn't let the wedge trend pass me by. They're quite a lovely mustard-y color. Hopefully I can get more use out of these next summer as I only wore them twice this year.

These last two pairs are the ones I have yet to wear. Though I'm a bit in love with both. This pair is "Bonbon."   Neutral nude with a sassy black studded bow.

And finally, "Lauren." I think this pair is just gorgeous. I need to start shifting my attention back to heels :)

Summer Bucket List Items No. 4 and 5: Baseball and Yoga

It may have been a gray and dreary day, but it still ended up being a good day for baseball. That's right. My sisters and I brought our grandma to her first Twins game at Target Field. Even on a gloomy day, the views are nothing short of amazing.

Best of all, I think my grams had a wonderful time. We enjoyed each other's company, (she) watched some baseball and dined on some fine concessions stand food. My five-year-old nephew also got to come along for his first baseball game. Like me, he got his fill of baseball after the first couple of innings. Unlike me, he didn't seem all that content to just sit around and chat. I think I got him back on track though with a large hot fudge sundae in a mini-sized Twins baseball helmet. :)

Also, notably, I've marked another thing off the to-do list by renewing my CorePower yoga membership. After a nearly four-month respite, it's challenging trying to get back into the swing of things. But, it's definitely good to be back!

Summer Bucket List Item No. 3 (Kind of): Book 4 of 26

Weeeelllll, I spent the better part of August on the road, so I kind of had to replace reading on the beach with reading on an airplane. Either way, I got my fourth of 26 books read (I'm hoping for a laid-back winter, apparently).

My fourth book was Our House in the Last World by Oscar Hijuelos.

The Details
This is Hijuelos' first novel (his second novel, "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love," won a Pulitzer). This book, like many of his, focuses on a Cuban family in New York City. The Santinio's moved from Cuba to New York in the 1940s, and the story follows them through their life - first focusing on the mother and her pleasant childhood in Cuba, her romance with the father and their decision to move to America, and then the young lives of their two sons Horacio and Hector. It's a story about immigration, a story about family and a story about American culture in the 1950s. And, equally important, it's a story about longing for another life.

My Take
I think one of my favorite things about Hijuelos' writing is his ability to tell a story in a way that's both beautiful and terribly sad. A mother who longs for her life in the last world, constantly comparing what she no longer has to what she used to have. A younger son who's haunted by memories of a country and life he's never known. A hard-working father who struggles with juggling American life and familial responsibilities. An elder son who does everything he can to get away. The American dream put into perspective.

It's not a fast-moving book but a book that lingers with you. Words and scenes that stick with you and that you come back to a few days later. One of my favorite parts, toward the end:

"I did not turn out to be a bad man, and it was because Pop, deep down, really loved the family. If he had hated us I would have burned out. But we went beyond survival. He gave me something that was simple. I keep saying it, the ability to feel love. And having that makes it easy to give."

What I Liked
I like that Hijuelos so eloquently paints the picture of his characters. From chapter to chapter, character to character, you envision what everyone looks like. And you relate to them. Good people, not-so-good people.  There's something about each one that you can appreciate.

What I Thought Could Have Been Better
This probably isn't really a reflection on Hijuelos so much as a reflection on my patience....it's a book that you can fairly easily put down and come back to like an old friend. Each time, it was just there waiting for me where I left off, and it didn't matter if two days or two weeks had passed. I could read five pages and suddenly decide I wanted to do something else, and sure enough, it would be there waiting right where I left off when I came back to it. Again, that's not really a bad thing. I just never felt a sense of urgency.

My Takeaways
Life isn't always easy. Now, I'm sure that comes as the biggest understatement of all time. But, I think it's something we sometimes forget. Or we think things are harder than they really are. It's good to have a little perspective every once in a while.

And, in another complete genre switch, next up is The Last Single Woman in America.

Summer Bucket List Item No. 2: Whatta Deal

Okay, so I actually had to split this into two separate activities (one with one friend and then one with three others), but you'll remember this as the Groupon/Living Social item on my summer bucket list.

First up, $20 worth of burgers at French Meadow. Yes, I love French Meadow. It's one of those perfect places both at night and during the day.

I went with the free range turkey burger as my burger selection: hormone free ground turkey with Eichten's local Gouda and caramelized onions, as well as lettuce, tomato, pickle and chive aioli, served on an organic sprouted bun. The burger is served with organic tortilla chips and homemade salsa. Of course it was delicious :)

There was a handy half-off any bakery item or dessert FourSquare check-in special that I just couldn't refuse, so I also ended up with the triple chocolate mousse cake. Oh, so good. But, oh, so rich. I didn't eat all of it. A. because it was huge. B. because it was just too much sugar for me.

As for the next activity, $32 worth of lake-time fun via Wheel Fun Rentals.

Now, there are many Wheel Fun options - canoes and kayaks, bikes and surreys. With so many decisions, you'd think it would be a difficult choice. But, we went straight for the good, old-fashioned, four-person paddle boat.

An hour-and-a-half chock full of teamwork, bickering, exercising, relaxing, seaweed flinging and water splashing. Ah, bliss. Here are a few of the photos from our journey, mostly taken on Lake of the Isles.

Touring the 9/11 Memorial

While in NYC last week, I had the opportunity to visit the newly opened 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. It was a powerful experience to say the least, and I thought I'd share a few photos of my visit.

Summer Bucket List Item No. 1: Art Perchance

Well, it's been a busy last few weeks, so I'm making an admittedly slow start on my summer bucket list. That said, I've fully completed one of 10 activities: the MIA's Third Thursday Art Perchance event.

Intrigued by the promise of carnival-like games, cocktails and the chance to win free art, a few friends and I gathered outside of the much-loved art institute on a beautiful Thursday night.

For a few hours, we made our way through a number of fun art-inspired games, collecting prizes and raffle tickets along the way.

There was Sand Man Dollar Land

Dali Fishing

Bowling for Brancusi and more

It was a great opportunity to see some of our favorite works come to life in a fun way and to mingle with other art enthusiasts. While we didn't win any of the raffled art, we did bring home a number of kitschy swag items - in the form of fake mustaches, patriotic sunglasses, sheriffs badges, handkerchiefs and more.

I could definitely see this turning into one of our fun annual summer activities.

I'm cautiously optimistic that I can still cross off a few of the other summer activities...stay tuned!