My new "HOOD"

I should have known better and probably less naive as to the way things were going to be...

But I signed my year lease and now officially live in the affluent, polo shirt wearing, small dog carrying, Starbucks on every other block, preppy overly-white Upper East Side of Manhattan. I was honestly still shocked by how goddamn expensive everything is from groceries to the closest Chinese take-away spot. I mean it's the same MSG filled (and delicious) broccoli with garlic dish that they make in Brooklyn for about half as much - right??

That being said, I'm not about to learn how to cook a week's worth of meals for one. I was perusing the magical interweb at work today and found a useful list of UES restaurants to check out:


American (new, regional):

• Alice's Tea Cup Chapter II (soups, sandwiches, tea house)
• Central Park Boathouse: Don't come here with high food expectations, but do come here for the unbelievable scenery~grab a drink at the bar while you watch lovebirds canoeing in the pond
• Post House: They call it a steakhouse, but I'm not so sure that I'd eat a hunk of beef in this uber fancy environment~lovely setting for brunch~perfect for quiet conversation
• Swifty's: The ultimate Upper East Side brunch joint~eat your eggs in intimate quarters surrounded by professional ladies-who-lunch and their Wall Street hubbies
• The Wright at the Guggenheim Museum (New American)

Bagel:

• Pick-a-Bagel: Grab your warm, homemade bagel with a hefty slab of schmear and walk over to Central Park to enjoy it at a park bench

Bakery:

• Two Little Red Hens (bakery)

Chinese:

• China Fun: Perfect food for a hangover, breakup or girls-night-in-pig-out~greasy and heavy, but super delicious

French/bistro:

• Bistro Chat Noir: French served in a beautiful, bright atmosphere~grab brunch then head over to Central Park, which is just up the street
• L'Absinthe: Gorgeous French serving tasty bistro fare
• Sel & Poivre: French fare served in a homey atmosphere~great prix fixe dinner special!

Indian:

• Tamarind: Delicious Indian served in a casual setting with wonderful outdoor seating in the warmer months

Italian:

• Serafina Fabulous Grill: Decent and reliable Italian with a vast menu of familiar favorites~warm and charming atmosphere
• Uva: Great place for small bites and wine or a full meal~Italian food served in a charming atmosphere~make sure to try the cheese with black truffles!

Mediterranean:

• Beyoglu: Fantastic Turkish/Med served in a pleasant bi-level space~hummus, Greek salad and mezzes to die for

Mexican:

• Burger One (burgers, Mexican food)
• El Paso Taqueria (Mexican)
• Maya: Haute Mexican served in a cool atmosphere
• Mustang Grill: A great summer hangout...grab a table outside and sip on tasty frozen 'ritas and chomp on chips and salsa
• Taco Taco: Mexican that's just about as authentic as it can get in NYC~charming, festive and small space

Middle Eastern:

• Ravagh (delivery): Delicious Persian cuisine serving wonderful grilled meats, dumplings, breads & dipping sauces

Pizza:

• Mimi's Pizza Kitchen (delivery): Some of the city's best pizza by-the-slice
• Totonno's (delivery): Dishing out some of the city's best pizza pies~great penne a la vodka, chicken/eggplant/meatball parmesan sandwiches, house salad & homemade tiramisu

Sandwiches/salad/soup:

• E.A.T: Truly delicious food-to-go made with the highest quality ingredients~something for everyone to enjoy
• Le Pain Quotidien: Belgian bakery/cafe serving great sandwiches, salads, soups & pastries~eat-in or take-out

Sushi:

• Sushi of Gari: Definitely listed in The Lunch Belle's top-five sushi restaurants in NYC~fantastic rolls served in a no-frills atmosphere

Vegetarian:

• Candle 79: The Belle's pick for some of the best vegetarian cuisine in town~make sure to try the polenta fries~chic atmosphere

Now I just need a dinner companion! Any single, good-looking, interested men folk with wicked awesome Boston accents willing to come down for a good meal? :)

Things we leave behind...

So I'm pretty much all moved into my new studio apartment in the trendy UES and luckily for me the last tenant left behind quite a bit of random stuff...

* 35 cents under the mini-stove

* Shiny maroon shower curtain & super tiny bathroom trash can

* Pantry items: Canned soup, olive oil, sauces

* Dishes made circa 1980s and other random kitchen stuff - a few utensils, cooking pot, bowls

* 7 pairs of size 12 men's shoes in the cupboard

* Ginormous wood framed mirror with matching nightstand & fold-out kitchen table

* Bar of christmas chocolate left in the fridge

* Cleaning supplies & step ladder

* Take-out menus, dry cleaner card, lighter

* By far my most bizarre find was located under the sink in a Strand shopping bag - a frame with an envelope of pictures & a sentimental note attached to the back. (Out of respect I will not post what this girl wrote but trust me it was entertaining) To my surprise these pictures were of a half-naked chick who had decided to artfully pose with a piece of plaster painted on her torso. So thoughtful? Apparently this dude who lived here didn't think so because he left it behind. Now I'm not sure what to do because it seems wrong to throw it in the trash after so much love went into the present but I very much doubt that Salvation Army would enjoy receiving that particular donation.

Thoughts?

Volunteer Abroad

Direct flight from New York to Costa Rica: $325.42

Weekly fee for the IVHQ reconstruction program in San Jose: $285.00

Spanish classes at Máximo Nivel: $85

Ray-Ban sunglasses from the mall in San Pedro: ₡89,150

Spinning class taught all in Spanish: ₡1,500

Movie ticket to see the Informant with Spanish subtitles: ₡1,000



Being called a gringa while walking down the street............... PRICELESS!

My Buried List

Because I’m a 14 year old girl at heart, I still watch quality MTV shows like Real World, Jersey Shore, and True Life. Most recently I saw the first episode of The Buried Life with these 4 tan cuties who have big hearts and ambition to live their lives to the fullest. I would love to be on that bus traveling across North America and not have to sit in an office all day in front of my computer (ah, to dream). I just looked up their Buried list online and cherry picked the ones that I want to do before I kick the bucket (which hopefully won’t be for a long while):

3. Get a tattoo

4. Start a dance in a public place

6. Be in a Hollywood movie

7. Plant a tree

8. Ride a bull

9. Destroy a computer (I would love to do that right now!!)

13. Help someone build a house

19. Write a book

23. Learn how to play an instrument (besides the recorder)

25. Drive across North America

27. Give a stranger a $100 bill

28. Send a message in a bottle

30. Make a big donation to a charity

32. Get something named after you

34. Pay for someone’s groceries

44. Catch something and eat it

48. Skydive (actually I’m too chicken to do this but I might bungee jump and pee my pants)

51. Climb a large mountain

52. Go on a blind date

56. Write an article for a major publication

57. Spend a week in silence

61. Draw a mural

62. Be in a protest

68. Swim with sharks

75. Be a contestant on a gameshow

78. Fall in love (with a non-douchebag)

84. Run a marathon

88. Jump off a waterfall

92. Learn how to surf

93. Ride through the desert in a dune-buggy

97. Be in a boxing match


I better get started soon...

To Dos for 2010

See ya later 2009 - you sucked a big one! I'm looking ahead to bigger and better things in the teens decade. I just started making a list of things I want to accomplish in the beginning third of this new year:

• Quit drinking booze until March (or maybe just stop doing shots on weekdays)

• Attend a cooking class or two at the Brooklyn Kitchen, so I can pretend to cook something other than pasta

• Learn a little Spanish - hopefully I won't embarrass myself too much while traveling abroad

• Go to Costa Rica in February to volunteer in San Jose for a week - still need to pay for it

• Officially give up eating dirty fast food like McDonalds and Burger King (Chinese food and pizza are still ok though)

• Ween myself off my pricey morning addiction to Starbucks - I don't need a latte a day

• Lose 10lbs so my mom's Wii Fit doesn't say my age should really be 47 years old

• Actually finish one of the many books I've started writing
  

• Run my first half-marathon on March 20th at the National Marathon in DC

More to come...

Help ME, Help YOU!

So I've been thinking lately that I need to fix my karma by doing some good in the world in 2010. I have four travel options right now that I'm mulling over:

Option 1:
Go on a volunteer trip to India with an organization called International Volunteer HQ, the program's web page: IVHQ.

My friend Jenn from Boston went on a trip with IVHQ before and has already booked her trip to Palampur to work with street kids for 2 weeks in late February. You typically stay with host families and works the entire day in an orphanages, teaching English or in day care centers with street children.

My only concern with traveling to India is that I've talked to several people who have had very bad experiences traveling there (especially going to Delhi) and are recommending strongly against it. Also the flight and program costs will be about 2 grand - big dent in my savings account!

Option 2:
Travel to South Africa, with a company called OverlandingAfrica.com on a 14 day camping trip from Cape Town to Durban. According to the website, you can "make a REAL difference" by helping the people of Africa with family planning, environmental projects,
building infrastructure, etc.

Downsides of this trip would traveling alone, which is slightly concerning given that South Africa seems to have a bad reputation for crime. Also I would be camping for 2 weeks in a tent and it costs $1,055 per person for the tour, food and volunteer experience. That doesn't factor in the cost of a flight which would be over a grand.

Option 3:
Take some personal time off to visit my friend Sara from London who will be working in Hong Kong sometime next March.

The obvious negatives are that the flight would be horrendously expensive and take a long time to get there. Plus I wouldn't really be doing any good stuff to help other people, although I would be eating delicious food and exploring China which sounds pretty amazing.

Option 4:
Go on a fun beachy trip with girlfriends in late January to relax and sip fruity cocktails with little pink umbrellas.

Again the negative would be that this trip is completely self-serving and not helping to fix my karma in the slightest. On the other side it would help drastically improve my skin tone. Plus it's a cheap holiday which would be good fun with the girls.

Ughhh too many choices and so little vacation time!

All I Want for Christmas...

Here's my list in case anyone wants to buy me a few prezzies this year:


- North Face black backpack

- Rollerblades (ladies size 9)

- Mini food processor

- Hunter rain boots (in black or green)

- Granny cart

- Ray-Ban sunglasses (aviator style)

- Ikea MALM dresser (med. brown color)

- New job

- Tropical vacation in January

- A puppy


I don't think I'm asking for too much :)


**Update - A new cute boyfriend is going on the list too!