Back in the Borough Archives - Page 3 of 4

One Final Note on Christmas … and Happy New Year!

Published on January 2, 2014 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Happy 2014 friends! I cannot believe I am typing up a post for 2014 right now. I feel like Christmas was about a million years ago, but we were so busy running around I didn’t get the chance to blog about something we managed to squeeze in right before we headed out of town for the holidays. It’s been an item on my Manhattan Bucket List for a while now, and we finally made it happen — Celcius, at Bryant Park.

As we all know, I have a slight obsession with Bryant Park during Christmas (I’m not ashamed to admit it), so Celcius provides me with an outlet to be as gluttonous with this obsession as possible. The bar/restaurant provides a completely open view of the skating rink, shopping village, Christmas tree and even the Empire State Building from a certain angle. The drinks were tasty, the atmosphere was festive and the snow was falling — it was basically the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve Eve. [–> not a typo, we went the night before Christmas Eve ;)]

^^ You can kind of, sort of, maybe see the Empire State Building peeking out at the top of this photo.
In real life she was spectacular.

^^ Bryant Park in the falling snow. There’s nothing more beautiful.

For New Years Eve (AKA our one year wedding anniversary! And our 7-year anniversary in total!), my husband surprised me with brunch at Landmarc in Tribeca (they also have a location in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle), and we saw these crazy kids play again at Terminal 5. (Which is where we met. And got engaged. So you know … it’s sentimental for us to say the least …)

Bis bald, friends! And cheers to a fabulous and fun-filled 2014!

The Year 2013: A Review

Published on December 31, 2013August 27, 2019 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hi friends,

Well it’s that time of year again — the one where everyone takes a couple minutes to take stock of how the past 12 months have gone? This year has been a particularly important one for myself and Chris. It was our first year of married life. It was a year spent celebrating our marriage around the world with family and friends. It was a year that we made some pretty big decisions about our future (not yet shared here!), and one that had a lot of amazing traveling in it …

Continue reading “The Year 2013: A Review” →

Back in the Borough: Yayoi Kasuma at David Zwirner Gallery

Published on December 19, 2013 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Wow — that’s a lotta hard words in the title of this post, huh?

Well friends — in life, you win some and you some lose some. I’m going to call my little adventure to the David Zwirner gallery to see Yayoi Kasuma’s “I Who Have Arrived In Heaven” exhibit (and more specifically the infamous “infinity room“) both a win and a loss, making it what? A draw?

It was a lot more than a draw, though, I’ll tell you that much.

Let me start from the beginning. When you spend weeks reading about an exhibit in The New York Times, Time Out New York, Smithsonian Mag and New York Magazine, you know two things immediately:

I must go to that.
I am an idiot if I try to go to that.

Yesterday, I chose to be an idiot. Because let me tell you friends, if there’s anything I’ve learned in my almost seven years living in this wonderful city, it’s that New Yorkers will line up for hours for something they deem worthy. Worthy things include:

Cronuts
Shake Shack (and even more so when Shake Shack sells cronuts)
Amazing art (and yet again I must reference Yayoi’s spectacle.)

I can tell you this much — I wasn’t waiting that long in a line, in frigid temps, no less, simply for a selfie. (Which, if the last article link is to be believed, is why most people are doing it.) I was doing it because I’ve read the reviews, and based on what people say immediately coming out … well, I guess I just will repeat myself here … I really wanted to go to that.

I showed up around 10:20 a.m. (the gallery opens at 10), hoping that the randomness of it being a Wednesday might play to my favor.

Not so much. I was pretty much immediately approached by someone who worked at the gallery who told me that I probably had about a five hour wait based on where I was in line, and might not even make it in at all before they closed that day.

Massive bummer. Besides the fact that it took me about 45 minutes to get there in the first place, I was not properly prepared for the cold weather (yes, Chris, I know you told me to dress more warmly before I left), and my throat was already hurting me.

What’s a girl to do?

I tried waiting it out, friends, I really and truly did. I stood in line for a little over an hour before I decided that I treasure my fingers and toes too much to lose them while standing in line to view some art exhibit. For 45 seconds. (Oh yeah, that’s the other thing. You only get 45 whole seconds in the infinity room. But come on! If people are willing to stand in a FIVE HOUR line in the FREEZING COLD to spend 45 SECONDS in a room!!! You just know you want to see that!)

Anyway, needless to say, I did not see that. I gave up and decided to check out Yayoi’s painting exhibit, which was completely line-free:

How gorgeous are those colors? Her work is so interesting and full of life — I really enjoyed it. (The heat of the gallery made it infinitely more enjoyable, I’m not going to lie. At that point in the morning they could have literally been showing me photos of poop, and as long as I was warm I would have swooned.)

On my way out I noticed another, smaller line at a third entrance to the gallery. I had read about these, for lack of a better word, “tentacles” that were a separate part of Yayoi’s exhibit, and I was wondering where those were, but my brain was too frozen to ask. Luckily, this was the magic door that let me to that exhibit. So I braved another 10 minutes outside (teeth chattering the entire time), and was ushered into the “tentacle” exhibit. You have to take your shoes off to enter, and you get one whole minute in there.

Totally worth it.

^^ This is Yayoi herself. In a room adjacent to the tentacle room, there was a video
playing on loop of the artist reciting a poem, followed by a brief glimpse
of the infinity room.

^^ So beyond cool.

] ^^ This is the poem that is being read aloud by Yayoi in the tentacle room.
It’s hard to read, so I’ll pull out my favorite line here:
“Was the beauty of the end of one’s life nothing more than an illusion?
Would you give me an answer to this?
Devoting all my heart to you, I have lived through to this day
Hoping to leave beautiful footprints at the end of my life …”

All-in-all, I’d give the exhibit as many stars as one possibly can. Unfortunately the exhibit ends this weekend. I was contemplating heading back really early Friday to see if I can make it inside the infinity room, but I’ll have to play that by ear.

(P.S. I could go into detail on the exhibits, but explanations of how Yayoi put together her work are much more beautifully explained in the articles I link out to above. For more info on how she made everything, I’d recommend checking those out.)

On the way home I took the opportunity to stroll through the Chelsea Market, one of my favorite places in New York, and finish up some Christmas shopping. (Do I say that too much? I can’t help it! I really do love everything that much!) You could spend hours here and not see everything there is to see.

^^ Can I get this beautiful book display in my apartment? Too much?

Alright friends — that’s my Wednesday story for ya. If I ever do make it back to the gallery and actually make it into the infinity room, I’ll be sure to grab at least one selfie I can share here, since apparently that’s the thing to do. (I wouldn’t hold your breathe, though.)

Bis bald, friends!

Back in the Borough: The Quintessential Christmas Place in NYC

Published on December 18, 2013December 18, 2013 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hi friends,

So about three or four years ago now, I attempted to visit Rolf’s German Restaurant around Christmas to see what all the commotion was regarding their holiday decorations.

I don’t think we even made it in the door that night it was so packed … and last night wasn’t much different. I made plans with a friend to try to get there as soon as she could after work (we were there by 5:20 at the latest) so as to try to skip the crowds.

Of course that didn’t work out. It was seriously packed even at that early hour. So here are my Rolf’s suggestion.

If you’re visiting NYC during the holidays, you should at least go inside to check out all the decorations. Christmas threw up in here … and it’s wonderful.
Try as hard as possible to go during a week day at an off hour — like maybe as soon as it opens, or around 2 p.m. or something. I assume it’s not as busy as then, but really can’t be sure.

So anyway, we stopped inside for a couple minutes last night, took some photos and dipped out to a nearby bar, instead.

And the 2013 Christmas Craziness continues! Bis bald, friends! Hope your season is filled with just as many amazing decorations (and snow!) as mine has been so far.

Back in the Borough: A Snowy West Village

Published on December 17, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hi friends,

So a friend of mine had a holiday party at her apartment in the West Village this past weekend, and it was such a gorgeous snowy wonderland, you just know I had to take some shots on my way from the subway to her place.

^^ Saturday was SantaCon here in NYC, an event where people dress
up as Santa and run around the city from bar to bar. The snowy day
made it perfect for snowy Santa photo ops.

^^Santa takes cabs here in NYC.

If it wasn’t already feeling like Christmas here, it certainly is (s)now …. hahahahaha — get it!?

Bis bald, friends!

Back in the Borough: Dinner at The Monkey Bar

Published on December 16, 2013 by Cheryl Lock2 Comments

You guys … The Monkey Bar. What can I say? I have officially found my favorite restaurant in Manhattan.

If you come to visit NYC, and you’d like to go a classic, old-timey New York restaurant (and you’re willing to dish out some dough) — this is the place for you.

Okay, so some history first. On the heals of the end of Prohibition, the Monkey Bar opened in 1936 on the ground floor of Hotel Elysee in Midtown (which was, at the time, one of the fanciest hotels in the city). It quickly became the go-to hangout for old-school New York celebrities like Tallulah Bankhead, as well as the place “a number of significant events” occurred (says the site) — like when Tennessee Williams mysteriously choked on an eye-dropper and died there.

Seriously. You can’t make this stuff up.

The bar was purchased in 2009 by Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and his wife, along with hotelier Jeff Klein.

And the mural. Oh this mural, my friends. Created by illustrator Ed Sorel, the three-paneled mural runs along the entire length of the back wall of the restaurant, and then onto some adjoining walls as well. It features many significant figures from the Jazz Age, those same figures that used to call the Monkey Bar their favorite hang out. You can click on the mural link above in this paragraph and it’ll bring you through the entire mural and explain little histories about all those on it.

One of the many, many things I loved about this place was how it felt like two completely different places. The front entrance (reached from the street) has the feeling of a really fancy, old-school bar, with a real live piano player in the corner and a bar with monkey murals in the background.

But then move through the bar area to the back of the joint, and the actual restaurant area is much more subdued and romantic.

Plus — the monkeys! Monkeys, monkeys everywhere! And yet somehow — they managed to be tastefully done.

(I apologize in advance for the graininess of these photos. As I mentioned, it was quite dark, and since it was, you know, a somewhat classy joint, I was trying my best to be discreet with my photo taking. Chris may or may not have been mortified.)

^^ I mean, look at this menu! So detailed!

^^ The dessert menu was just as beautiful as the main one.

^^ This mural guys. This mural.

^^I was convinced this was Marilyn Monroe. Chris said no.
Unfortunately he was right. (I hate when that happens.) It’s Mae West.

And the food was not outdone by the ambiance. I ordered a seasonal cocktail (The Harvest Punch, with rum, mulled cider, cognac, lemon juice and nutmeg) and Chris had the Improved Whiskey Cocktail. He says his was fantastic (I don’t know anything about that … I don’t like those kinds of drinks), but I can tell you right now mine was. We ordered a crab cake appetizer to share (best damn crab cake I’ve ever had in my life), and I ordered the Saffron Risotto for dinner. Chris got the Colorado Lamb Rack. We both thought our meals were incredibly delicious.

Discussing the joint on our walk back to the subway afterwards we were trying to decide what to rank it. Neither one of us could come up with any negative things to say about it. Even our waiter was polite and quick and lovely. Nary a negative thing to say, people. Not one damn thing.

Great job, Monkey Bar! You will mostly certainly see us back here!

Bis bald, friends!

Back in the Borough: A Holiday Hoedown at the Brooklyn Brewery

Published on December 13, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hi friends,

I was lucky enough to get invited by a friend to the Riverhead/Penguin book publishing holiday party at the Brooklyn Brewery last night. While it’s kind of a trek to get there from where we live on the Upper East Side (two subway trains and about 15 minutes of walking), it’s totally worth it when you get there.

^^ Bloomingdales, putting on a show for me on my walk to the subway.

^^ A faraway Chrysler Building, nestled between two shining snowflakes and an Aldo.

^^ The Gorilla Cheese NYC food truck was there! I was
obsessed with them when Chris and I used to watch The Great Food Truck Race!

^^ This was the first time I’d seen a 3-D printer in real life. OMG. How. Friggin’. Cool!
They were giving away those tiny penguins next to the printer, which were being made
in that 3-D printer. From thin air. Technology. I swear.

^^You can’t really tell from this photo, but this is a teeny, tiny cup of beer.
That’s what happens when you order the beer with the highest level of
alcoholic content from the menu. Hehehe. Happy holidays!

The Brewery is located in a section of Brooklyn known as Williamsburg, although the area immediately surrounding the brewery itself is pretty industry and, well, just not that pretty. Other parts of Williamsburg are super cute, though, and worth a trip out there if you’ve got some time to spare.

^^ That guy with the red feather in his cap was entertaining subway riders by playing
Christmas carols with his guitar. Oh how I love this time of year.

And these are just a couple shots I took on my walk back home through our neighborhood. Because, you know, you can never have too many holiday shots.

^^ Passing by the Corner Bakery late at night on my way home and smelling all
the deliciousness they’re cooking up inside for the next day is one of my favorite pastimes.

^^ Even my gym has contributed to the holiday madness.

Tonight Chris and I are off to The Monkey Bar for dinner and drinks, which I’ve been dying to try out for a while now. I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes!

Bis bald, friends!

Back in the Borough: An Evening With Cupcakes & Cashmere

Published on December 10, 2013 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

One of the things I love most about NYC is all of the events. On any given night, in any given part of the city, you will find events for all sorts of fabulous things. Book launches. Magazine fashion shows. Movie premieres. I used to go to a lot more of them when I worked in magazines, but now that I don’t go to as many, that makes them all that much more special when I do.

Tonight it was all about cookie decorating. Emily Schuman of Cupcakes & Cashmere fame brought her fabulousness to Club Monaco on 5th Ave. for some appetizers, drinks, cookie decorating and discounts. (Club Monaco stuff is nice, but I mean …. that sch&*% can be expensive! Even with the 20% discount that attendees received I didn’t end up buying anything ….).

So I grabbed a friend and we headed on over for the fun.

^^ Club Monaco is gorgeous! How have I never been inside here before??

^^ One of my absolute favorite sights

^^ Gettin’ our cookie decorating on!

^^ Emily in all her glory. It was like a celebrity sighting.
(And yes, I’m aware how stalkerish this photo is.)

^^ The clothing displays were so sophisticated.
I thought there was something really beautiful about them.

^^ This looked pretty, but it seriously tasted the worst.

^^ Gift wrapping station!

^^ The crowd to say hi to Emily grows.

^^ We walked right in when we arrived, but as we left there was a line growing at the door.
Get it girl! Maybe one day my blog will become so famous I’ll draw amazing crowds, too 😉

After the event we didn’t quite feel like going home yet, so we headed over to the Union Square Holiday Markets to check them out. There is some seriously fun and quirky (and gorgeous!) stuff there …

^^ I mean, is there anything better than trees all lit up for the holidays?

^^ I just love the Empire State hiding out in the background.

Bis bald, friends! Hope you’re all having a fabulous Tuesday night as well.

Travel Truisms

Published on December 6, 2013December 6, 2013 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

I know I talk a lot about my favorite bloggers here (heads up: I’m about to do it again!), but they just inspire me so. Blogging is about so many things. A lot of times when I’m traveling I’m often taking photos of things that I think will look good on the blog. (Signs to remind me exactly of where I am, for example, or cute people I see out and about who are just too darn adorable not to photograph.)

But then there are times when, in the middle of taking those photos, I wonder: Would I be having more fun if I weren’t so concerned with what photos I’ll be putting on the blog? Or with jotting down every last detail so that I’ll have it to write about later?

Would I be more in the moment during my travels if I (gasp!) didn’t have to blog about it later??

And then of course there are times when, five years after visiting a place, a friend asks me what the name was of that adorable little rooftop drinks place in Rome and I can say, “You know what? Let me just look that up in my blog …” and it all goes away.

The photos I take. The memories I write down. They’re all part of this ongoing journey I’m on to see as much of this crazy, beautiful, wonderful world as I can. And yes, maybe sometimes taking photos takes me out of the moment for a couple of seconds just so I can get that perfect shot! But I think, I hope, that if a moment is really worth having all to myself (or worth having with just someone special), that I know just when to put the camera down, and to just sit there and savor it. All for myself. Not for the sake of the blog.

Anyway, as I said at the beginning, I’m constantly inspired by bloggers I follow religiously who have beautiful photos, gorgeous families, travel up the whazoo and seem to just always, always have it together. Today, however, one of those favorite bloggers of mine wrote a post that was so real and so authentic, that it got me thinking I should do the same.

Here’s my version …

I know I blog a lot about how amazing it is to live in New York City, but sometimes I really don’t feel that way. In fact, sometimes I hate it. Sometimes I hate walking up four flights of stairs to get to my apartment. Sometimes I hate being shoved around on the subway. Sometimes (pretty much all the time) I hate the sweltering summers, with one tiny air conditioner for the whole apartment and sticky subway platforms and no cooling breezes or oceans to play in. But then I remember — I truly do believe that this is one of the best cities in the whole, entire world, and for however long my life keeps me here, I’m incredibly lucky to have this time.
The No. 1 tippity top place on my list that I want to travel to is the Galapagos Islands, and sometimes I get frustrated with myself that I haven’t made that enough of a priority.
Travel, to me, is about broadening my horizons. It’s about learning new things and meeting new people and seeing how everyone around the world lives.
I get incredibly jealous of other people’s travels, and I hate that about myself.
Sometimes, just sometimes, when I’m traveling, I wish I wasn’t a vegetarian so I could try more of the local cuisine.
Occasionally I feel guilty about how much money I’ve spent on travel over the years. I always try to be cheap about it, but let’s be honest — traveling is expensive. I’m young, and I have a lot of years to save up, but I’ve made traveling my priority for a while now, and it might be time to start thinking about some other things that’ll take up some money in the future. When I do start to feel guilty, though, I just go back and read some past travel posts. Then I remember that really, every trip I’ve had has been priceless.
I always feel like I haven’t traveled enough. Then I remember (ahem, Chris reminds me) that life is a marathon, not a sprint, and we have plenty of adventures to go on in the years ahead.
All of my trips have meant so much to me for different reasons, but I’d have to say the one that stands out the most was last summer when I took a surprise trip to Calabria to visit my Grandfather’s side of the family. I visited the house where my grandfather was born and raised, met family members I probably would never in my life have otherwise met … and I’ll never, ever forget the look on my grandfather’s brother’s face when he recognized who I was when I walked in the door.
Sometimes my travel goals keep me from doing things around New York City that I might enjoy. Chris and I are so busy saving up for future trips that sometimes I wonder if we’re robbing our present selves of interesting experiences.
I’ve never learned more about my girlfriends and sisters then when I’ve been traveling with them. Sometimes traveling together can be difficult — especially if you come into it with differing budgets and ideas for what you’d most like to accomplish — but if you can find a travel buddy who meshes with your own ideas of what travel should look like … well there’s nothing in the world more fun than that!
I will never, ever be able to print out all the photos I love most and create the photo albums/frames that I have planned in my mind. That’s just one more reason why I’m so thankful I have this blog to look back on.

Bis bald, friends — and thanks for indulging me!

Back in the Borough: A Glorious Walk to the Dentist

Published on December 4, 2013December 4, 2013 by Cheryl Lock3 Comments

December is absolutely the best time to be in New York City. (Well, to be fair, there’s no bad time to be here. Except maybe in the sweltering summer. Yes. I take that back. It absolutely stinks to be here in the summer.)

I digress. Sometimes, my friends, when you live in a city like New York, you get so distracted by all the fabulous holiday decorations walking to the dentist that it takes you an extra 1/2 hour to get there.

OOPS.

Ah well, what can you do. Here’s a bit of what I saw on my way to the dentist this morning.

^^ Lazy pigeons taking a nap on a pole.

^^A note about the horse and buggies around Central Park: I don’t agree with them.
That’s a whole other story. They sure are pretty to look at, though.

^^A hint about NYC holiday decor: Don’t forget to look up!

^^See? Up! Pretttyyyy!

^^A festive wreath in my dentist’s office.

^^My, my. That otter sure is fancy!

^^This little starburst decoration is hard to see in the photo,
but they’re so pretty, lighting up the streets at night.

^^And oh my goodness it wouldn’t be the holidays without the
Bloomingdale’s window displays! [Ed note: Please ignore
the horribleness of these photos, as they were taken with my
iPhone and I was trying to be somewhat inconspicuous.]

^^I think Italy was my favorite 😉

^^How cute is this couple looking at the displays? You know
how I like to take photos of random, unsuspecting people …

^^The NYC display wasn’t half bad, either

^^Who could be grumpy — even if you are heading off to the dentist —
with an entire holiday tree display set up right outside
your subway station? Not me, that’s for sure!

Bis bald, friends! And may your trips to the dentist bring you as much joy as mine did today!

Back in the Borough: I Recall, Central Park in Fall …

Published on November 8, 2013November 8, 2013 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

I hopped, skipped and jumped through Central Park today on my way to a store on the West side. I also stopped to snap some quintessential fall photos on my phone along the way …

Bis bald, friends!

Back in the Borough: A Day With Myself (Sort of) in NYC

Published on November 7, 2013December 17, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Fall/Christmas in New York City is my absolute favorite time of year, and yesterday I took some time to do something I haven’t done for a while — walk around by myself. I walked from our Upper East Side apartment to meet a friend for lunch in the 60s (We ate at the Eat Here Now diner. It’s really tiny and packed, but the atmosphere was fun, the food was great and the big front windows allow you to people watch on Lexington ave right outside while you hang.), picked up some craft supplies at Sam Flax and spent a couple hours browsing the Christmas shops (yup, the Christmas shops!) and the ice skaters at Bryant Park.

^^ Ahhh, my favorite time of year at Bryant Park — and in the city, for that matter — has arrived! You will find me at the skating rink in my very own ice skates very soon, my friends!

^^ Not a bad backdrop for ice skating, if you ask me.

^^ Beautiful blue NYC skies.

^^ I love the atmosphere here this time of year. And the music! Love the old-timey music.

Afterwards I met up with more friends at the Haru Sushi near Union Square for a couple happy hour martinis and sushi rolls.

As a freelancer, I sometimes forget that I’m allowed to take a break every now and then. I often keep myself chained to my computer during business hours, and continue to check and respond to emails well into the night. But the whole point of taking this time to freelance was to have a little bit of flexibility. Yesterday just reminded me of how nice that can be.

Bis bald, friends! Hope everyone is making the most of fall while it lasts!

Back in the Borough … Plus A Little Facelift

Published on November 5, 2013 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hey friends,

So I’ve been blogging over here at WW since Feb. 4, 2010, and I figured it was time to give my old friend a bit of a facelift. This design is something I’m just trying on for size at the moment … we’ll see if she sticks.

In the meantime, though, a little thing called democracy happened over here in NYC (and around America) today:

Bis bald, friends! Drop me a line if you have an opinion either way on the new site design!

Back in the Borough: A Couple of Hot Spots

Published on October 29, 2013 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hey friends!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. I didn’t get the memo that we were celebrating Halloween before it happens this year … silly me! Costumes were out and about this weekend! So fun!

We had a busy one ourselves. On Friday we continued celebrating the 30 years of Chris’s life with friends down at Ace Bar in the East Village.

A second to make some comments about this bar. While it’s not exactly right in the heart of the craziness that is the East Village, if you’re walking here, you’ll most likely be walking through the craziness that is the East Village, which can be really fun, especially on a Friday night. Some things you just might see:

A really old man smoking a pipe while leaning against a tree
A man with a cat on a leash who is climbing up a tree
Throngs and throngs and throngs of people standing outside of some dumpling shop or another, just waiting to get their hands on some late-night delicious drunk food

It’s really a hoot.

Ace Bar itself is cool too, with its pool tables and Skeeball machines, darts, pinball and other game. Needless to say, lots of fun was had by all.

On Saturday my sister and her boyfriend came for a visit with their new kitten (squeee!), and we took them to Merrion Square, a bar that is literally one block away. At MS you get a free burger (or veggie burger!) with any full-priced drink, and free wings with a full-price pitcher of beer. They’re all about the games here, as well, with more pool, Skeeball machines and Duck Hunter. Plus they have 16 beers on tap, 58 types in bottles and 24 can varieties — so you know, you’re covered there as well.

Sunday we spent mostly in Central Park with Chris’s uncle, who is back in town to run the New York City Marathon this upcoming Sunday. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the New York City marathon ranks seriously high on my list of favorite days in this city. There’s this feeling that everyone in the entire city is rooting for someone (or everyone!), and the crowd is so excited and happy. If you don’t need to maneuver yourself around the city by car on the day of the race, it’s really something that’s amazing to be a part of.

And that about takes us into November friends. Can you even begin to believe that? I’m off to Van Cortlandt Manor in the Hudson Valley this weekend with my family for The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, then back to the city to watch a friend try on wedding dresses (another squeeee!) and for the marathon on Sunday.

Bis bald, my friends! Happy fall!

Back in the Borough (Kind of): A Trip to Governors Island

Published on September 8, 2013September 8, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hi friends,

So I may have mentioned this before (meaning I definitely have), but summer isn’t exactly my favorite month. The heat. The humidity. The inability to do anything at all with my hair. Blech. It’s just all too much.

So this year, I set a goal to attempt to have as much fun with summer as possible, and I think we’ve done a pretty great job at that. Here’s a little of what we’ve done:

We’ve made it our mission to try out new bars and restaurants that have been on the ‘must hit up list’ for a long time now, and we’re doing a pretty good job of it. (Like here, and here.)
We took a trip to Charlotte and Arizona.
We saw the New York Philharmonic play in Central Park.
Carla and I woke up at the crack of dawn and sat in Central Park for six hours for tickets to Shakespeare in the Park. Totally, absolutely worth it!
My nephew came for his first ever visit to New York City.
We took a bike ride in Central Park.
I checked out DUMBO in Brooklyn with a friend.
I took a quick trip to D.C. to help a friend throw a baby shower for her sister.
I went to the Central Park Zoo for a bit of research for a project I’m currently working on.
We went sailing in the Hudson around the city for a friend’s birthday.
We took in a Mets game and checked out the Warwick Valley Winery with my family.
I took my dad to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for father’s day to check out the amazing Civil War photography exhibit they had over the summer.

All in all, I think I’d have to say that it’s been a busy, fun summer. I cannot complain. With the weather slowly changing into Fall (hurrah!), Chris and I decided to do one more summer-ey thing before we hit the new season head on. So we woke up early, caught the express train down to Bowling Green and hopped on the (free) ferry over to Governors Island.

Governors Island is, in my opinion, a hidden treasure. I’ve only been over there twice now, but it’s so much fun, relatively easy to get to, and has such a laid-back, welcoming vibe, I always wonder why we don’t go more. My purpose for heading there today was to check out the Fete Paradiso, a traveling festival of vintage carnival rides and carousels from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It’s over on Sept. 29.

While there we ended up renting bikes and riding all over the island (if there is a possibility to rent bikes somewhere, my husband will find it), stopping for some seafood and beer at Little Eva’s Beer Garden, and then grabbing a Mr. Softee (my first this summer!), before taking the ferry back into the city.

Here’s a bit of what we saw:

^^ Helicopter tours were taking off while we waited for the boat to take us to Governors Island.

^^The island is very environmentally friendly. They have this little composting center where they teach all about it.

^^There was something beautiful, and at the same time creepy, about the old carousels of Fête Paradiso.

^^ View of the Freedom Tower from Governors Island.

^^ Lady Liberty, making an appearance in the background.

^^ A boy walking a goat. You certainly don't see that every day. — ^^ A boy walking a goat. You certainly don’t see that every day.

^^ The cute little beer garden where we ate lunch.

^^ I recommend the Mahi Mahi fish tacos...although they were a bit expensive. — ^^ I recommend the Mahi Mahi fish tacos…although they were a bit expensive.

^^ Me, eating my ice cream, in front of the structure that was made entirely of recycled water and milk bottles, filled with blue liquid.

^^Buh-bye Governors Island ... see ya next year! — ^^Buh-bye Governors Island … see ya next year!

And that’s it my friends — our trip to Governors Island in a nutshell. Next weekend we’re off on Chris’ Super Secret Birthday Trip. Can’t wait to share those details here! Then in three weeks we’ll be heading over to Australia for our wedding celebration with Chris’ family and for our honeymoon at the Great Barrier Reef.

Bis bald, friends! And happy last days of summer!

Back in the Borough: Farewell, Gus, We’ll Certainly Miss You

Published on August 29, 2013August 29, 2013 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

^^ Gus, the gorgeous Central Park Polar Bear.

Hi friends,

Well I can’t believe that only two short weeks ago I was at the Central Park Zoo, saying hello to all the amazing animals there — one of which was Gus, the polar bear. It was with great sadness that I read the news yesterday that Gus had to be put down at the ripe old age of 27. The docs had found an inoperable tumor in the poor bear, and he was euthanized.

To be sure, Gus had a good life. Experts say most polar bears living in zoos only live to about 20.7 years old, and after Gus started exhibiting worrisome behaviors (like swimming obsessively for hours in his habitat), the zoo ordered therapy for the bear and made changes to his daily routine to help keep him stimulated and happy.

Still, I hate to hear when any animal dies, especially those being held in captivity.

At least he’s in a happier place, now. You’ll be in my thoughts, Gus.

Back in the Borough: The American Civil War at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Published on August 28, 2013August 29, 2013 by Cheryl Lock2 Comments

^^ The Metropolitan Museum of Art steps. Always gorgeous.

Hi friends,

My dad came into the city today for a (super!) belated Father’s Day adventure at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. When I read that they were having a Photography and the American Civil War exhibit, I knew I had to invite him. Unfortunately you aren’t allowed to take photos in any of the special exhibits at the Met, but with more than 200 photographs and paintings, it really was something exquisite. This particular exhibit ends on Sept. 2 (go see it if you’re in town this weekend … seriously!), but being there today just reminds me of how much more I need to take advantage of all the culture this city offers to me.

Admission tickets to the Met also include admission to The Cloisters for the same day, which is something Chris and I have been wanting to do for a while now. Today was rainy and dreary though, it wouldn’t have been a good day for that. Plus it took me and my dad a little over three hours to get through all the Civil War photos … girlfriend needs a rest after that!

This weekend is Labor Day weekend, and Chris and I don’t have a ton planned, which is nice because September is seriously rockin’! We might try to head to Smithtown one day to kayak, we’ve got Chris’ Super Secret 30th Birthday Trip and then we’ll head to Australia for Wedding No. 4 and our honeymoon in the Great Barrier Reef.

Now that’s leavin’ summer with a bang!

Bis bald, my friends!

Back in the Borough: A Sailing Adventure on Pier 25

Published on August 22, 2013August 23, 2013 by Cheryl Lock2 Comments

Hi friends,

So tonight was one of those nights where Chris and I were two very lucky Manhattanites. For her boyfriend’s 3oth birthday, my good friend treated myself and Chris and one other couple to a surprise sailing adventure in the Hudson off of Pier 25. Unfortunately since it was Carla’s treat, I don’t know too much about the company, or how much it cost (I’m guessing it might have been a bit pricey), so this post will mostly be beautiful photos and not very helpful, should you like to replicate. (Sorry!)

We also had a “theme” for this little birthday bash — let’s see if you can figure out what it was.

(Sorry for so many photos — I’m the worst at that! I swear this is an edited down version of what I took …)

^^Views from the pier. There's mini-golf and sand volleyball -- it's pretty amazing! — ^^Views from the pier. There’s mini-golf and sand volleyball — it’s pretty amazing!

^^ So -- what's the theme? Can ya tell? Hint: I'm wearing a red wig! — ^^ So — what’s the theme? Can ya tell? Hint: I’m wearing a red wig!

^^ My adorable husband as the ... did you guess it? ... Skipper! — ^^ My adorable husband as the … did you guess it? Skipper!

^^ Freshman year JMU roommates -- go Dukes! — ^^ Freshman year JMU roommates — go Dukes! (P.S. The red wig is so weird on me!)

^^ Thurston Howell, III. In all his glory.

^^ Ellis Island in the setting sun. Gorgeous.

^^We were all fascinated with that gorgeous boat in the background. It looked so fancy and old-school!

^^Towing the line. Or rowing the hoe. I may not have picked up on any nautical terms during this little adventure.

^^ Coming back into the harbor, we noticed the Empire State Building was purple and pink. So fun!

^^ After our sail we sat at the picnic tables near the water and ate the chocolate cake Carla had baked for Ryan. A perfect way to end the evening!

That’s it, friends. This weekend we’ve got the Mets game on tap for tomorrow night for another friend’s birthday and a winery on Saturday with family. Bis bald everyone — hope you all have fun things planned!

Back in the Borough: A Trip to the (Central Park) Zoo

Published on August 19, 2013August 19, 2013 by Cheryl Lock2 Comments

Hi friends!

So my summer of Central Park continued last Friday when I took a trip to the Central Park Zoo to do some research for a little project I’m working on. (Shhhhh…it’s a secret! More details to (hopefully) come later.)

Anyway, the zoo is great. It’s pretty small, so you can get everything done in a couple hours, and there are some really fun animals. Here’s a bit of what I saw …

^^It was a gorgeous day for the zoo! Plus it was the middle of a weekday, so it wasn’t all that packed.

^^The seals put on a cute little show at certain points during the day. You know, cause they're awesome. — ^^The seals put on a cute little show at certain points during the day. You know, cause they’re awesome.

^^The penguins! Oh my goodness, the penguins ... — ^^The penguins! Oh my goodness, the penguins …

^^These cute turtles reminded me of the one we have at home. His name is Marty, and he's a Red-eared slider. — ^^These cute turtles reminded me of the one we have at home. His name is Marty, and he’s a red-eared slider.

^^ This little guy -- a Red Panda -- was sleeping so peacefully in the basket. — ^^ This little guy — a Red Panda — was sleeping so peacefully in the basket.

^^Can you "spot" the spotted cheetah? — ^^Can you “spot” the spotted cheetah?

^^This big guy, the polar bear, was quite shy. Or sad. Or both. — ^^This big guy, the polar bear, was quite shy. Or sad. Or both

^^ This little guy reminded me of 'Rainbow Brite,' one of my favorite movies as a kid. — ^^ This little guy reminded me of ‘Rainbow Brite,’ one of my favorite movies as a kid.

^^ The Land of the Tropics was really fun. All the birds fly around and it's loud and swampy. Totally fun! — ^^ The Land of the Tropics was really fun. All the birds fly around and it’s loud and swampy. Totally fun!

^^This bright little guy was fancy and he knew it.

^This little mongoose baby was getting some attention from his mom the whole time I was there. So cute! — ^This mongoose baby was getting some attention from his mom the whole time I was there. So cute!

I got a lot of great fodder for my research — so now I just need to put it to good use.

Bis bald, friends! We’re off to the Mets game this Friday and the Warwick Valley Winery on Saturday. Hope ya’ll have a great weekend 😉

Back in the Borough: A Place for Cheese Lovers

Published on August 16, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

^^ Beecher's Handmade Cheese on Broadway. — ^^ Beecher’s Handmade Cheese on Broadway.

Hi friends,

Last night I met up with some friends at a place called Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, and I thought I’d blog about it because it’s so. much. fun.

I won’t bore you with all the details and history (which you can read here, if you’re interested), but I will tell you that the upstairs area is a cheese-lover’s delight (you can actually watch them making the cheese!), while downstairs is a fun bar and restaurant with really great happy hour offerings. (The happy house mac ‘n’ cheese is a must!)

This is a great place to pick up gifts for the cheese lover in your life, or even for a first date, I would say 😉

Bis bald, friends!

Back in the (Different) Borough: A Weekend Morning Stroll Through DUMBO

Published on August 3, 2013August 5, 2013 by Cheryl Lock3 Comments

HI friends,

I hope your weekend’s going well! I met up with an old friend of mine from junior high this morning in DUMBO (an acronym for the Brooklyn neighborhood that stands for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”) to help her look for wedding dresses. (SQUEEEE!!!)

Anyway, DUMBO. It’s the cutest area—even when the weather is crappy, which it was this morning. I wanted to share some photos of the stroll we took after shopping here:

^^This cute little pooch was patiently waiting for his owner to come out of that store. I couldn't resist taking a photo. — ^^This cute little pooch was patiently waiting for his owner to come out of that store. I couldn’t resist taking a photo.

^^The carousel at the Brooklyn Bridge Park.

^^We're always so serious. — ^^We’re always so serious.

^^This photo wall extends along the length of the park and has some great artwork.

^^Stolen from Istagram, thank you very much.

^^From the photo wall--look at this little munchkin! — ^^From the photo wall–look at this little munchkin!

^^These kayakers were determined, despite the fact that it was raining pretty heavily at this point.

^^If you squint REALLY hard, you can see the Statue of Liberty in the middle. I can't wait to go back on a clear day and take my good camera. — ^^If you squint REALLY hard, you can see the Statue of Liberty in the middle. I can’t wait to go back on a clear day and take my good camera.

^^All of my favorite mommy bloggers have been talking about the "the pop-up pool in Brooklyn." Well today, I finally got to see it! — ^^All of my favorite mommy bloggers have been talking about the “the pop-up pool in Brooklyn.” Well today, I finally got to see it!

And that’s DUMBO! I’d recommend a trip to that area if you’re visiting Manhattan–it’s got really spectacular views of the city, and a lot of great restaurants. It was just a short walk from there to Brooklyn Heights, where we walked along the famous Montague Street and ate breakfast at the Heights Cafe. (The Portobello Omelet is seriously delish! I’ve definitely had better Bloody Mary’s in my life, though.)

Bis bald, friends! Happy weekend!

Back in the Borough: Shakespeare in the Park

Published on July 31, 2013August 2, 2013 by Cheryl Lock5 Comments

Hi friends,

I was telling Chris yesterday that I feel like this has been the summer of Central Park. First we saw the NY Philharmonic in the park, then we took a bike ride through it, on Sunday we took my 4-month-old nephew there, and last night we partook in a long-time New York City bucket list item of both of ours … seeing Shakespeare in the Park.

Allow me to explain. You see, every summer The Public Theater provides free tickets to eager New Yorkers willing to do insane things (like get up at 4:30 a.m. to camp out in line for said free tickets) for performances at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The tickets are, as you can imagine, very popular, and therefore very hard to get. There’s a public lottery online—but I’m convinced no one ever wins tickets that way (at least I never have!)—you can purchase a $175 summer supporter membership and get one free ticket to one show, OR (and this is a popular one) … you can camp out in Central Park, starting at around 6 a.m., until they open their doors at noon and start passing out tickets.

Yesterday my friend Carla and I bit the bullet and just did it — we camped out in Central Park for six hours, starting at 6 a.m., to get free tickets.

And I have to say, my friends, it was TOTALLY. WORTH. IT. Honestly, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. (Of course weather is key, here, people. If you’re going to be laying in the grass for six hours, you must have nice weather, which we did. Couldn’t have asked for better.)

Anyway, here’s a bit from the morning:

^^I took this hazy Central Park path photo around 5:50 a.m. as I was entering the park. It reflects my mood nicely. Hazy.

^^The line pass beyond the point where we could see it. Turns out there's something called "The Rock of No Hope." Rumor has it if you try to get in line past that rock for tickets, you're probably out of luck. — ^^The line passed beyond the point where we could see it. Turns out there’s something called “The Rock of No Hope.” Rumor has it if you try to get in line past that rock for tickets, you’re probably out of luck.

^^Along with the free play tickets, the New York Times was passing out this lovely book to people in the line, for free.

^^This lovely gentleman serenaded us with his flute while we waited in line. Then asked for money, which of course we were happy to give him. When we returned 8 hours later for the actual play, he was playing a saxophone. So talented. — ^^This lovely gentleman serenaded us with his flute while we waited in line. Then asked for money, which of course we were happy to give him. When we returned 8 hours later for the actual performance, he was playing a saxophone. So talented.

^^At one point I took a short nap. When I woke up, this was my view. Not too shabby.

Now just because this could be considered a crazy thing to do, don’t be fooled. There’s a method to the madness, people. Theater workers walk the lines every so often, keeping count and making sure no one cuts in line. (There’s no holding spots for other people, and no one was meant to join you later on, is what we were told. Going to the bathroom. That was the only time you were allowed to vacate your spot (thank God!)).

There was also a cute little delivery man on a bike who smartly handed out take-out menus from a restaurant located right outside of the park. Carla and I were all too happy to ask our neighbors to add two cappuccinos for us to the delivery they ordered for themselves at around 9 a.m.

Tickets are handed out randomly–so as long as you’re in the line before they run out, it actually doesn’t matter if you’re the first person or the last person–both are just as likely to get good seats. Unfortunately, despite our pretty amazing location in line (I’d say about 25-35 people deep), our seats were pretty high up. The theater is on the smaller side, though, so no seat is really a bad seat, per se.

So you wait in line for six hours (or at least we did), you get your tickets, then you leave and come back around 8, when the doors open. Performances start at 8:30, and there are no intermissions. That’s okay, though, because the performances are so amazing, you don’t even want a break.

The performance we saw was called ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’. The gist of it is that the King and three of his friends decide at their five-year college reunion to swear off women. When four cute girls–including the princess–show up from their past, though, things get ca-razy. (And ca-razy funny, too!)

You aren’t meant to take photos from inside the theater, but Chris went rogue and shot this one quickly:

Is that not the cutest ever? With Turtle Pond in the background, the skyscrapers in view from the Upper West Side and the vague noises from people enjoying the park all around the outside of the theater … it’s honestly a moment where you think: “Am I really watching a Shakespeare play, for free, in the middle of Central Park?”

It’s pretty incredible.

You’re also allowed to bring food and drink into the theater, as long as you don’t take in any glass bottles. So we loaded up on sandwiches and snacks and little bottles of boxed wine–and had ourselves a merry Shakespearean Central Park night … just the four of us!

I would highly recommend this to any tourists, too. It gives you an excuse to get up early enough to start your day, and if the weather’s nice, there’s nothing better than camping out in CP in the early morning, watching everyone with their dogs running around, ecstatic, off their leashes. Then you have your tickets by 12:30 at the latest, and you have until 8 p.m. to spend the rest of the day however you like. And you can end the evening with a magnificent (free of charge!) play.

What can be better than that?

Bis bald, friends! I purchased my ticket for D.C. for next week yesterday–I cannot wait!

Back in the Borough: Babies in New York City

Published on July 29, 2013July 29, 2013 by Cheryl Lock3 Comments

Hi friends,

This weekend Chris and I had a baby in New York City.

Not our own baby, mind you, but my nephew, and even though his father was with us the entire time I have to say … the experience left us both exhausted!

We had so much fun toting Rory around on his trip into the Big Apple, but it definitely gave me a new-found respect for moms who do this with their own children every day … especially those who travel around with them on their own. We couldn’t take a cab with Rory anywhere, since we didn’t have a car seat, which meant subways all the way! The one thing I will say that surprised me was how sweet everyone was to us–even when we were at Penn State in the middle of about a hundred people all trying to push to get onto the train. People were very respectful and helpful … it kind of renewed my faith in the people of this city.

Anyway, here’s a bit of what we did and saw:

Rory.CentralPark1 — ^^We started out with a picnic in Central Park, where we camped out behind a morning softball game, had tummy time and practiced our walking …

Rory.CentralPark2 — ^^Oh, and we got thrown in the air a lot, too. We kind of loved that.

After a brief meltdown, we headed over to Turtle Pond ….

^^We were none too impressed with the turtles. Guess we'll have to try this again when I'm a bit older ... — ^^We were none too impressed with the turtles. Guess we’ll have to try this again when I’m a bit older …

By the end of the picnic and the pond, the adults were ready for a brewsky, so we headed over to the Amsterdam Ale House. (As a side note, this is a great little bar with tons of tasty beer options, should you happen to be in the Upper West Side area …)

Rory and my brother-in-law were meant to leave after the Ale House, but we were having so much fun we decided to make one more stop and they would catch a later train. On our way to the second stop, Rory had Meltdown No. 2, though (someone was hunnnnggrrrryyyyy!!!), and it was raining, so we hopped into the closest restaurant, which happened to be Citrus. Of the many things I learned about having a baby in Manhattan this weekend, Number 1 was Baby always dictates where you will be going. Think you have plans? Think again, buddy! Anyway, the Cucumber Saketini drink at Citrus was delish, as was their shrimp quesadilla that we split, so it was all good:

Then it was time to head back to Penn Station, which meant one more subway ride ….

^^We mostly slept on the subway anyway ... — ^^We mostly slept on the subway anyway …

And then we were back to Penn Station where the adventure all began:

And that was it, my friends! I think Rory had a fantastic maiden voyage into the city, if I do say so myself. I really can’t wait for him to get just a bit older so we can take him to the museums and to the playgrounds and to a play …

I may be getting just a bit ahead of myself, though!

I’m off next Wednesday to D.C. for a baby shower–hope your summer’s going well!

Bis bald!

Back in the Borough: A Little Town for This Big One

Published on July 25, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hi friends,

Last night I caught up with a friend of mine at Little Town, a bar that she recommended that is right in Union Square. While there’s not a whole lot to say about the bar’s atmosphere—it was pretty on par with your typical bar—the food and drinks there made me feel like I had to blog about it.

For starters, the bar incorporates beer from breweries all over the state. From their site:

“Little Town NYC is a contemporary brewhouse that pays homage to NY and everything it has to offer by bringing the tastes of its “little towns” like Ithaca, Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton and Long Island to the heart of it all, Manhattan. Boasting a menu of almost 100 beers all sourced from NY breweries and food specials inspired by local hotspots throughout NY State, Little Town NYC proves you don’t have to leave Manhattan for quality food and beer and to feel like you’re at home.”

[Pardon my horrible photos, I was feeling a bit shy and tried to take them stealthily … obviously that didn’t work too well.]

For food we got the toasted goat cheese & honey baguette and the hummus & crudite. Holy cow, people. Now this might sound a bit snobby, but I consider myself to be a bit of a hummus connoisseur. I’m a vegetarian, and I get it pretty much everywhere I go. And this hummus was, my friends, some of the absolute best that I’ve had. Anywhere. Ever. And the goat cheese & honey? Who in a million years would have thought that would be the most delicious combo ever?

Anyway, all of this is to say, if you’re in the Union Square area and you’re in the mood for some tasty food (I think they actually might be known for their oysters) and a ton of beer options, this is your place.

Then, if it’s a weeknight, check out the seriously eclectic group of people you’ll see hanging out at the Union Square subway stop, to include rows and rows of people playing Chess.

Now that I think about it, I think I need to add it to my bucket list to find out how this whole tradition started. The Chess players have been here for years … it’s really quite fascinating.

Okay, bis bald, friends!

Back in the Borough: Cycling in Central Park (In 93-degree Heat, No Less … But Who’s Counting)

Published on July 22, 2013 by Cheryl Lock6 Comments

Hi friends,

Chris and I had booked a couple of bicycles through Travelzoo back around Memorial Day weekend, and only just this weekend got the chance to use them. So we picked up some coffees, took the 2.5-mile walk through the park to Broadway Bicycle and cashed in our vouchers.

The park was bumpin’ on Saturday! Despite the heat and humidity, people were out in spades. They were running, walking, biking, roller blading, playing instruments and singing. Here’s a bit of what we saw:

: ^^ Who knew there was a 6 1/2 Ave?!

^^ I seriously forgot how many hills there are in Central Park. I had to take a break about 3/4 of the way through.

_DSC1532 — ^^ Chris climbed the Harlem hills twice. I only had the stamina to go at them once. So instead I cut them off the second time round and waited for him at the bottom to take photos.

After our 13-mile ride (for Chris…mine was about 12 miles since I cut off the hills at the end), we headed over to Luke’s Bar & Grill on 3rd Ave. to load up on their super scrumptious Maine Lobster rolls.