Friday, June 11, 2010

bacon doughnuts, 64 oz beers, and corn-on-a-stick (a la 'nacho libre')

enticing title, eh? ;)

i spent a long memorial day weekend (thank you troops!) in new york visiting my sister. now, i've been to ny a lot of times, so i don't need to visit the empire state building or times square anymore. my favorite thing to do is walk around cool neighboorhoods, sit for hours at brunch, shop street vendors, sit in a park and people watch, start dinner early and end the night late.

this time, my trip didn't disappoint!

thursday: a local bushwick place:
- motorino for some fine italian style pizza. my recommendation: stick to the good ol' margherita or marinara.

friday:
- photographer's heaven: b&h photo in midtown. one word: awesome. this is what i got: 85mm. it took all the dreamy crisp pictures of lea's engagement session and a wedding i shot last weekend (stay tuned!)
- lunch at cafe habana for some cuban sandwiches, smushed plantains with garlic sauce, and corn on a stick (you know the kind with the white sauce and spicy red powder)
- quick dinner at santa ana deli in bushwick. authentic mexican food. YUM.

saturday (engagement session day):
- started off with cinnamon coffee at casa lea (if you have tried it, you must now! just put some cinnamon in the grounds before you brew the coffee; it infuses the water and adds a special something)
- lunch at life cafe in brooklyn. a cozy little neighborhood joint with awesome food, brunch, bloody mary's, beer selection. all types of customers welcome; including stuffed giraffes. they have local artists displayed all over the walls.
- ice cold beers on the staten island ferry
- dumont restaurant for dinner. very chill atmosphere and backyard outdoor garden dining. we waltzed in around 11:30 and they didn't kick us out. great chicken, hamburgers, and service. can't ask for more.
- dancing at bembe. basically the tiniest dance club i've seen, reminded me of loca luna in atlanta before it moved locations. the air was THICK. but you basically didn't care because the music was hot and the beers were cold.
- tandem bar for a nightcap. you'd miss it if you didn't know where it was. it looks like a house and it's in the middle of a bunch of other row houses, but it's a bar. complete with loungey and dancey areas. oh, and tons of hipsters. my clothes were ironed, so i didn't fit in ;)

sunday:
- manhattan and the smith for brunch. eggs with hot sauce, country biscuit, gravy, chicken sausage, grits. i guess you can take the girl out of the south, but you can't take the southern out of the girl. mimosa included with brunch, holla!
- browse artists booths at union square. i got a photograph from john and picked up a couple of cool postcards. this is one of my favorite things to do in ny. there are so many creative people packed in this square.
- went down to d.u.m.b.o. at night and brought only my point-n-shoot. photos to come!
- traif in brooklyn for dinner. it's pork & shellfish. it's tuna taretare and bacon wrapped figs. did i mention bacon doughnuts with coffee ice cream?? a.delicious.feast. go there before too many people hear about it.

monday:
- take a really loooong train ride and arrive at coney island! first stop is nathan's famous for hotdogs and literally 64 oz beers. i had to use 2 hands. unfortunately, coney island is probably not what it was in it's heyday during the turn of the century. it was kinda dirty and reeeally crowded. i tried to imagine women in fancy dresses with parasols and men in straw hats with white suits taking a stroll on the boardwalk. it was still fun to be there where so many have been before. stay tuned for photos!

it was a great trip to one of my favorite cities. i hope to go visit again in the fall and do another review! let me know if you have any favorite places!

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