panties + vodka

sorry for copping out and just putting promotional stuff on the blog. hasn't been much to write about. or maybe the sun makes me lazy.

here's just a bunch of randoms...

that tree we bought Memorial Day weekend was looking like this:

but now looks even worse than this:

our latest bambino pic. benjamin has grown up to look like this:

hugo has grown up to look like this:

but sorry hugo, we're currently obsessed with my bro's new puppy Cheerio:

you might think i've joined some cult, but this is that that robe they give you at 230 Fifth avenue rooftop bar when it's cold out.

Artichoke pizza made it to my hot 10 EV drunk food list . which is still worth waiting in line for as this pic was from last night...

Here's me eating all-you-can-eat Indian buffet at Jackson Diner in Queens. I had a dream last night that Momofuku was having a Bacon buffet. but alas, it was but a dream. C'mon neighbors!

But the real point here is my "Make Me A Sandwich!" Monster tee.

Which you can buy here.

And last but not least... food!

was in Miami last month and of course, made another trip to Joe's for their stone crabs. ridiculously large!

but the true crab eaters that don't use utensils other than a mallet go to maryland. was there this past weekend visiting in-laws.

and then finished it off with some scrimps. TWO DAYS IN A ROW! it's all just water weight any way.

oh and my newest tv obsession is Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet. Seriously? seriously. but please get whoopi to narrate all the episodes! also, seriously.

Posted by cindy at 11:57 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

this is probably the first memorial day weekend since i moved to NYC, where i didn't spend one single day in a hungover state. it's quite an accomplishment yet since the incident (or "accident" should i say), i really am trying to be a better person.

this said, i have to admit it's quite a delight to wake up everyday to beautiful weather in nyc and not have a single thing planned.

some things we did to give you ideas for the rest of the summer. (please send me summer weekend ideas of things to do! i need to break away from my boring life.)

terroir, East Village: dropped by to say hello to my friend who was grabbing drinks here. so cute! sneaked a lamb sausage during the 2 minutes i was there, and it was excellent! must pop by again with a bunch of girlfriends for tapas and red wine.


kasadela, East Village: went to grab dinner about this hyped-up japanese tapas place. unfortunately, it was just that "hyped up"

dumbo, brooklyn: pretty dead on saturday but some of the furniture shops were open and it seems that there's a slew of new ones every month!

red hook, brooklyn: went to go check out the latin food at the ball fields. sadly, they weren't open yet. click here to read nymag.com's blog about this amazing place. hear there's a swimming pool here but didn't get to check it out.

jackson heights, queens: was so disappointed about not getting my empanada fill. we had the car, so thought up something totally spontaneous and went to jackson diner for indian food. 10 bucks for an all you can eat buffet. they have a dosa station!

long island city, queens: dropped by home depot and bought 2 trees for the home. not 2 plants, but TREES. lack of green thumb is certainly a problem. bought the pots to re-pot, but didn't buy the ones with the holes at the bottom. nor did we read the instructions on fertilizer soil package beforehand and didn't rub the roots or whatever. i hope the trees can survive our mistakes and will try to fix things up next weekend.

soho, nyc: rode my shiny red bike from the East Village to Soho. stopped in at Korres and bought some After Sun Cooling Yogurt. this stuff is fantastic! smells funky, as you can imagine. available at korres.com but i used my StoreAdore.com coupon and got 20% off.

230 fifth avenue, nyc: if you haven't been here yet, it's an excellently huge outdoor rooftop bar in the middle of the city. definitely worth going just to feel like you're in miami. unfortunately, the crowd isn't much too look at and bottles will cost you. but they give you plush red robes if it gets chilly out. nice~~

central park: grabbed baguettes from the italian bakery, tarallucci, around the corner from azaleas. made sandwiches and pigged out while dogs Hugo and ChiChi were hanging out in the green.

oh, i heart nyc

Posted by cindy at 04:42 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

there's all sorts of stuff to take advantage of in the city.

rock n roll monday night karaoke at arlene's grocery where you'll be accompanied by an amazing live band.

naked ping pong fridays

all you can bowl at bowlmor mondays

guitar hero night at any given night around the city

and of course, there's the age old hula nights at tortilla flats. years ago, i was singing/dancing/hula-ing/holding my drink for 2 mins and got a lousy tee shirt. but that was my highlight of that summer.

i'm starting it up again this spring/summer except i didn't have the balls to go up there this past week. boo...

but hayrim did! and she got us each a free shot of tequila. look at her looking all bored and sh*t.

and shout out to our friendly ecuadorian bartender, fabrizio! also got a free shot outta him.

and then, this girl dressed up just for hula night. (umm, don't sue me for putting up the photos. you asked for it!)

and see? the boys look like they're having so much fun.

Posted by cindy at 10:12 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

it's a pretty well-known fact that the most efficient way to grocery shop is by 1)making up a list before you go and 2)not going when you're hungry.

well, these rules still apply to NYers except when shopping at Trader Joe's in Union Square.

follow by these guidelines and you can be in and out of there in under 30 minutes!

1)make sure to take a partner. that could be your roommate, your husband, girlfriend or just friendly neighbor.  this is very important  - this rule alone can cut your time by half.

2)as soon as you enter and grab your grocery cart, one of you must go to the end of the line that has snaked all the way around the store. if you're planning on buying 12 items or less, make sure to stand in the express line. there's usually a guy with a big sign post waving it by the cheese section so you don't waste your time by standing in the longer line.

3)once you've grabbed your position in line, take turns to dart off to the different aisles and grab whatever it is that you're looking for. if you and your said neighbor, girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, etc have the same taste, you can also split the foods up later. A lot of the food come in bigger bulk and won't go to waste then.

4)while standing in line, make nice with the williamsburg-type, hipster kids working there to make time go by  faster. everyone there is super friendly.

5)get nods from standers-by and workers when you refuse plastic or paper but pull out your own eco-friendly shopping bags.

Posted by cindy at 02:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

speaking of daft punk...

we met the designer / artist behind that cool a$$ pyramid while we were at a party in paris...

it was an anniversary party for these 2 designers's workshop. well, it quickly turned into a french house party. what's that you ask?

it goes a little something like this:

put out as many as one bottle of wine per attendee.

make chit chat with new french friends. but this small talk is different from the stateside small talk; you talk about things that matter like facebook and music. never once did it come into conversation what i did for a living.  

then after you're done with that, make someone run out and grab some bottles of vodka.

if you're american, you should be fluent in french by now - like i was.

turn up the ipod that's been playing stuff like kanye all night and switch it up to the french version of the 80s music.

stand around in a circle and clap your hands and dance like you're at an eighth grade dance party, like this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNu1hiuBSvI
 

and then get the brilliant idea of building a human pyramid with your new french friends:

and then go home and pick up some crepes on the way: one with cheese and ham and the other with bananas and nutella. yum and gross at the same time.

Posted by cindy at 01:25 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

a late sunday night dinner a couple of weeks ago turned out to be pretty busy for this place - in the back!

the bartender was filling up these plastic soup containers with beer and shots of Patron. didn't really realize what it was until later - the chefs were having a party in the back. no glass allowed in the back!

Posted by cindy at 05:55 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

why is it that the first thing i hear when i step outside of my apartment building is a guy screaming "shut the f*** up" to a cabbie?

and then, i see a messenger walking by and muttering "where the f*** is this store?"

only in nyc.

Posted by cindy at 12:04 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

it's very rare that i open up any junk mail. i mean, i do fall victim to envelopes addressed
to the likes of "Our Friend in Apt 3F" or "Chanandler Bong"
 once in a while. but i decided to open up the ValPak envelope for "New Resident" so that i didn't pass up on any good deals. is this just a nyc thing or is this a nation-wide thing?

i decided to try the 'sofa steam for 49.99' deal. called them up to set up an appt and asked 3 times what my actual cost was going to be, where i just got an 'give the guy your coupon when he gets there.' this, i assumed, meant i was getting my couch cleaned for 49.99. lo and behold, the guy gives me an estimate of 49.99 per seat, approx. 150 plus tax for my 3-seater. but i'd get more than just a steam - a thorough shampooing which would eliminate odors, dust mites, and stains. well, sounded better than buying a whole new couch for my new digs so i decided to give it a try. i was still skeptical when all i saw him with was an oversized vacuum machine and bucket but this is what we had at the end of his 1/2 hour work:

 (SPOILER ALERT: you may lose all respect for me if you view this photo)

EW! But let me add this disclaimer - this couch belonged to my husband WAY BEFORE we got married.

and it makes me wonder about all those people who've crashed at our place over the years (sorry, young, belle, liv, and so on), but it's true!

now my sofa is fluffier than ever!  

Posted by cindy at 10:59 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

 for those of you who were able to find us before, you probably noticed our poor distraught flag captured by the overgrown tree in front. unfortunately, the flag was not the only one to suffer, and some branches were injured in the installation of this sign. but if the activists ask, it wasn't us.....

Posted by katie at 04:23 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (2)

though manhattan's only a small island, the most convenient form of transportation (=expensive) is in our trusty nyc cabs. lucky for single gals, there's now Ahmed Ibrahim, aka cupid cabbie, aka matchmaker cabbie.

i had no idea this guy existed despite his publicity on the Today Show, Fox News Channel and some random publications. He sets his rides up with other single people.

Late Friday night, it was fate when the only single of the 3 of us gals stepped into his cab. The ensuing dialogue is a questionnaire Ahmed emails you the next day.

His email goes a little something like this:

will keep you posted.

Posted by cindy at 03:36 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Seriously? I just moved today and found these Chinese guys on Craigslist for $50/hr.

That's 2 men for $50/hr!

We were in our new home within 3 hours ($150.00). Unreal.  Maybe inhumane? But we tipped generously.
 

call 917.428.5329 

Posted by cindy at 04:53 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

After 7 years of dwelling in the West Village, I will be picking up and leaving my stomping grounds.

Some of the things I'll miss...

Late night snacks at Gray's Papaya. Menu: 2 Dogs with onion, ketchup, mustard and a banana daq

Late night snacks at the old (now half-defunct due to rent hike) Joe's Pizza

Neighborhood joint Joe's Coffee (not related to Joe's Pizza)

And....

-Caipirinhas and Mojitos with my ladies at Sushi Samba

-Free food at Spain Restaurant. 

-Late night walks to watch NYU Freshman partying on MacDougal St, thinking that's the party scene in NY

-Having Gourmet Garage, Citarella, and Jefferson Market within shopping distance for those last minute saffron runs.

-Wogies's (apparently pronounced woh-gees) Cheesesteak sandwiches

-Hitting up stores Claudine, Albertine, Sophia Eugene, Marc Jacobs for the latest fashions

-Washington Square Park in the summertime

-Fried Chicken at Maroon's

-My Chinese dry cleaner's that've been doing my laundry for 7 years

Posted by cindy at 09:31 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

11 more days till i tie the knot.

there's tons that need to be done, but of course the superficial stuff comes first.

went to my friend's husband today to get my teeth  whitened. similar to brite smile, you may have seen these go smile products at sephora. this is a before and after picture (no rendering in photoshop) and don't mind my crooked teeth.

Before

& After 

and i just started drinking coffee 2 years ago.

 go check out GOSMILE

Posted by cindy at 02:17 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

sometimes i have these amazing moments where i just feel so happy and satisfied with life and with the things around me.

and then i look down and realize it's most probably because i just finished my giant cup of coffee.

Posted by katie at 08:42 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

only when you hit chinatown do you get two buildings with incomprehensible signs.

how do you pronounce "Knugenx"?

Fa Guo San Candy Shop?  

 and upon closer inspection, puto hot taho - what IS that?

Posted by cindy at 01:47 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

this yoga studio around the corner from my apartment has truly capitalized on the new york city dog-loving public:

 "Doga (or “dog yoga”) is a partner class for you and your dog." read more...

hm...i hope they disinfect those mats!

Posted by katie at 04:00 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

on a bright and brisk morning this week, my coworkers and i arrived at the shop to find this on our stoop: 
 

that's right, a ratty old, owner-less, smelly, and incredibly mysterious futon mattress. how does something like this happen? a lover's quarrel in one of the above apartments? moving truck too full? perhaps the doings of the resident homeless guy? and why, oh why, in front of innocent  Azaleas...leaving the three of us to squeamishly kick and nudge it out of sight?

 

we don't know. but what we do know is: only in new york.

 

 

 

 

p.s.

if you are the owner of this mattress: we're sorry. maybe next time try flowers.

Posted by katie at 02:12 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (2)

i can't go to bliss or any other upscale spa for massages any more.

this chinatown place (which i'm too selfish to name) employees the best masseuse ever. his name is peter (pictured here with lenox) and i've been going to him for 4 stressful years. he doesn't speak much english except to say "here" when he finds my tight spots and "relax" when i tense up in pain. can't beat $42 an hour.

Posted by cindy at 10:05 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Twice a year, NYC has this wonderful week called Restaurant Week. I'm usually too busy to grab lunch out, but this year i managed to squeeze in two lunches thanks to my pal Sarah.

Last week's Megu was so mediocre that there was nothing to write about.  But yesterday's Perry Street was amazing. Sans restaurant week, how could you expect to dine at this gorgeous, waterfront Jean-Georges restaurant for $24? This included 2 selections of appetizers/entrees and a dessert.

We were discussing how anyone could order the angel's food cake for dessert when there's a warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream?
 

Posted by cindy at 05:13 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (3)