Two seasonal firsts!

What a crappy day today.  Nothing but rain and a cold breeze.  It is gross out!

My BFF came into town last night and we kicked of our day with a late start.  It was great! I love lounging on a crappy day!

Brunch was ANOTHER bagel.  Um that is my 3rd in a week.  So not like me but we needed some staying power for the day.  Since it was brunch I got the everything bagel with low fat cream cheese and lox at the local bagel shop.  That place never disappoints!

Our plan was to walk the Brooklyn Bridge but with the weather that was not going to happen.  So we jumped on the train and started our shopping adventure.  Similar to last weekend we were in and out of shops, working our way uptown.

Finally when we hit midtown we decided to grab lunch.  Jessica had been to a great restaurant in Bloomingdales a few years back and we thought that would be a great place to grab a quick sandwich. On the 7th floor is a great little restaurant for a quick bite to eat, called Forty Carrots. Cute, bright cafeteria looking restaurant. 

I had the “no mayo” tuna sandwich.  So tasty.  It had celery and onions and instead of mayo they used a lemon vinaigrette.  It hit the spot.

As we were leaving Bloomingdales look who we saw!!

That is right Leonardo DiCaprio! Ok, ok… maybe not the real Leo but a wax mannequin that looked JUST like him.  I mean it was scary!

Anyway, we continued up to the Upper East Side so I could pick up my race packet for the Fitness Magazine 4 miler race tomorrow! An all women’s race! I am kind of nervous about it because I haven’t been running consistently since I twisted my ankle (s0 probably no PR will be set) but that is not going to stop me! I love when it is an all women’s race! It is so inspiring!

After a full day we finally made it home but before that I stopped in Starbucks for my first of the season, Pumpkin Spice Latte!! It was delish!!

Dinner tonight was at a cute little French seafood place in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.  BYOB. Called Petite Crevette.  It is so small and so eclectic it gives it great charm! Oh and the food is out of this world!

We picked up a bottle of Pinot Noir, a recommendation from the guy at the wine store.  It was perfect! A perfect pair with seafood (even though usually white wine is “suggested”).

 

The menus were hand written and posted all over the restaurant.  Very informal.

We both started off with the chowder.  I had the seafood chowder and Jessica had the crab and corn chowder.  WOW!! The seafood chowder just melted in your mouth.  Plus it had big chunks of scallops, crab meat and lobster meat. 

 

Not sure why this came out sideways…

For my main course I had the Mussels Provencal.  Again, outstanding!!! Ate it all and even dipped a little too many pieces of bread into the broth.  yummm…..

After such a rich dinner we were stuffed! We finished off our bottle of wine and continued with the girl talk before walking back to my apartment.

We are now settled in our pjs watching reruns of Sex and the City and I am hydrating, pumping myself up for my race in the morning.

So before I leave you for the night here is the second seasonal first of the day for me.  I am in my first Fall outfit, Cole Hahn riding boots and an oversize sweater from H&M. Ahhh… Fall is in the air!  Are you excited/ready for the Fall season?

Remembering September 11th

I have been living in NYC for 3 years and for the past 3 years on September 11th it always feels so surreal that I am here. For the first two years living here I worked across the street from the World Trade Center site.  Each morning and each afternoon I walked past the site, looking into the pit and trying to imagine what it was like to be here in 2001.  It gives me chills just thinking about it.

Do you remember where you were when 9/11 happened? I was a senior in college working in the Human Resources Dept for my University.  The VP’s assistant went out to buy a small tv for us to watch everything unfold (not knowing how bad it would really be).  I remember us all huddled around the tv and watched the towers fall.  Shortly there after Downtown Chicago was evacuated and we all made our way home to be with our loved ones.

I still can’t believe it has been 8 years….

What a weekend – Day Numero Uno

Well after a slow start on Sunday we eventually made it out of the house.  First stop – Dunkin Donuts for coffee.  From there we started our walk down to Park Slope for brunch and more shopping.

For brunch we went to this great restaurant with outdoor seating called Miracle Grill.  It is on 7^th Ave and 3^rd Street.  While we were waiting for my husband to meet us we had some chips and guacamole.  Miracle Grill is definitely a southwest style restaurant.

I had the poached eggs on cornbread with a side of home fries.  That is right, carb city and it was delicious!!

Here is a picture of my husband and I during brunch.  I look EXHAUSTED!

 

After brunch we walked around checking out local shops and then made our way to see Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Brodrick’s new Mansion.  Yep, the SATC Queen is moving her family to Brooklyn. 

Here is a picture of the massive house, it is all under construction but I am sure it is going to be gorgeous.  It is a 3 story greystone.  It is huge!! I can’t believe a family of 5 will be living there.

 

After some sightseeing we made our way back to my apartment so the girls could collect their things and head to the airport.

We had a great weekend and I was sad to see them leave.

SATC: The Sequel is definitely in the horizons soon!

What a weekend – Day Numero Dos

Well after a semi-early night I woke up at 8:30am ready to get a quick run in.  I hadn’t run since the week prior because of my ankle injury so I was itching to go out for a run.  I did 4.1 miles at a slow pace.  My ankle was a little stiff but still felt great to get out there.

When I got back the girls were up and getting themselves together for a day out.  On the agenda: Bagels, walking the Brooklyn Bridge and shopping up Broadway and we did it all.  

I took them to a local bagel shop for an authentic NY style bagel and ice coffee. We inhaled the bagel on our walk to the Bridge. We stopped by the Brooklyn Heights Promenade to see the Manhattan downtown skyline which also allowed them to see why I fell in love with Brooklyn and how different it is from where I lived before on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

We leisurely yet aggressively walked the Brooklyn Bridge.  I have never walked the Bridge when it is busy with more than two people, but we got a rhythm going and we only had to run down two or three people (it is PACKED after 9:00am on a weekend).  

On the Manhattan side of the bridge we hit Broadway and worked our way through every boutique from Tribeca all the way up to the East Village.  We must have walked close to 3 miles… possibly 4.

We stopped for lunch at a cute bistro called Bistro Manhattan in Soho.  I had the Tuna fish sandwich on French bread with a greens salad.  The bread was perfectly soft, it really made the sandwich!  After digesting for a bit we continued up our walk, then deciding at 8th Street and Broadway to turn back down because there were a few items that they were starting to regret not purchasing.

So as we made our way down, stopping at stores we missed, and in one store as I am kind of wandering around I spot this really tall young man and as I focus on his face and hair I realize it is NBA Star Joakim Noah from the Chicago Bulls.   Now I am not a huge basketball fan but I remembered Joakim from watching him play college basketball down at Florida.  Plus with crazy hair like that how can you forget!

I love celebrity sightings!

Finally at 6pm I was itching to get back home and unwind before going out.  We grabbed a bottle of  cabernet sauvignon to enjoy while we got ready.

Dinner was at Casa Mono, there was a wait and we went next door to their sister bar Bar Jamon.  Casa Mono is a very small Tapas restaurant in the East Village.  Wow was it good.  We choose about 4 plates to share amongst the 3 of us.  They were sautéed mushrooms with garlic (so good), croquetas with pumpkin and goat cheese (out of this world), fried calamari, and patatas bravas (spicy potatoes).  I think we all licked the bowl clean!

After a delicious meal we continued with our night.  From a recommendation we went to Flatiron Lounge on 6^th and 19^th.  Great small lounge with a great vibe.  We sat at the bar but we could have put our names in for a table.  You know one of those half circle red cushion style booths.  Next time.

We were there for a drink and then decided to move on.  I wanted to show my friends the best skyline from a rooftop bar so I took them to the ever popular 230 Fifth.  I think I have taken every friend to this bar and it is pretty cheesy in a “hook up” bar sense but the skyline just could not be beat.  We were there for mmm… maybe 10 minutes total.  Enough to snap some great shots and move on.

Last bar was a new lounge I had juts read about.  It is suppose to be one of the bars to look out for in Fall of 2009.   It is called Forty Eight.  It is in Midtown, in the McGraw- Hill building.  Kind of hidden, but cool none the less.  It was pretty empty since it had only been open for a few weeks and the grand opening wasn’t until the 15^th of September.  But we enjoyed it.  

We had several of their signature drinks.  One of them being a “Lojito”, similar to a Mojito but made with different juices and STEVIA as its sweetener.  I   commended the manager on such a great progressive drink!

Oh and another sports celebrity sighting.  Jesse Palmer from the NY Giants… well he no longer plays football he is now a sports anchor for ESPN or you ladies may know him better from the Bachelor! That is right, he was The Bachelor in season 5 a few seasons ago.

Well after all the girl talk and drinks it was time to bring it back to Brooklyn.  Wow what a long day!

Missed Day Numero Uno check it out here.  And I will soon catch up on Day Numero Tres.

Trying to clean out the kitchen

Since it is such a short week for me (another friend coming in on Thursday for the weekend), I figured the best thing to do is clean out the fridge and pantry.  So dinner was rice pasta with broccoli, carrots, garlic and scallions in a non-fat yogurt and lemon juice sauce (spiced with paprika, oregano and salt).

It hit the spot.

I have so much I need to do around the house but the only thing that keeps calling my attention is the couch!! Grr… I hate it when it wins!

What a weekend – Numero Uno

It is Tuesday, the girls left on Sunday and I am still exhausted.  I didn’t take many pictures because I couldn’t find a way to tell them about my blog.  So I will break down the weekend with short reviews of the places we went and insert fun pictures when at all possible.  How is that?

Well at 2:30pm the final whistle blew at work and I was off.  I met the girls who had already kicked off their weekend of shopping close by my office.  We attempted to start happy hour at the Bryant Park Hotel but I guess at 2:30pm that is just too early for the hotel.

So we walked a few blocks to the Public House on 41^st and Lexington.

I have been to the Public House on Tuesday’s when then have unlimited wine night (yes that is right) with their 3 course prefixed menu.  I loved the vibe of the place.  Nicer than a pub but not fancy.  Usually you find a lot of after work guys and gals who are looking for a good happy hour deal.

Sure enough, $3 domestic draft beers.  The girls wanted something local so I turned them on to Brooklyn Lager from the Brooklyn Brewery.  After about 8 consumed (and a little confusion on the bill) we decided that is was smart to head back, pick up their luggage which was still at my office and ride back to Brooklyn.

When we got to my apartment, we unwound for a bit.  Caught up with my husband and then proceeded to get ready for night numero uno!

We were staying local, Thai food at a restaurant called Joya on Court Street which has gotten great reviews and then a local bar.
Joya was just as popular as the reviews said they would. The atmosphere was not what I expected, kind of reminded me of a lounge in the City with even a DJ spinning dance music.

We got there and there was a 30 minute wait for a table. So we settled as close to the bar as we could and ordered a drink.  I ordered the Mango Martini that I saw the bartender pour for another person and thought that looked really refreshing.  Well I was wrong.  I must have been thinking it would taste differently because it was just too strong.  I sipped on it for the rest of the night.

After 30 minutes (and what felt like longer), we sat down.  We were STARVING! I wanted everything on the menu but I was especially craving Pad Thai with tofu.  With that order we also ordered the calamari (yum!), fried eggplant and veggie spring rolls.  Honestly, there wasn’t a bad plate on our table.  The Pad Thai was the BEST Pad Thai I had ever ordered.  I mean heaven!

So for anyone in the Cobble Hill area of Brooklyn I HIGHLY recommend Joya for Thai Food.  Plus it is great atmosphere and cheap food. 

After stuffing our faces we worked our way to Smith Street for an after dinner cocktail. By that time I was exhausted.  I was practically in a food coma.  The 2 beers before dinner and the martini during dinner finally hit me, as well as the 5:30am wake up call for the gym.

But we stuck it out for a drink or two.  We went to Apartment 138 on Smith Street.  My husband and I have been there before for brunch and dinner but we always said we would stop by the bar for drinks one day.  The atmosphere is cozy, kind of reminds me of a old country cottage.  With distressed wood and miss-matched chairs and tables.

We weren’t there for very long, I had a vodka and fresh lemonade.  It took me forever to finish it.  I guess I wasn’t in the mood to party too hard.

After about an hour we decided to call it a night.  We new we had another long one ahead of us for day numero dos!

Quick Post Before The Crazy Weekend Starts

I pulled myself out of bed this morning for an early morning workout.  Really the hardest part is just getting out of bed.  After about 15 minutes I am always completely wide awake.

Gym was nice and dead this morning, I guess a lot of people took off early for the holiday weekend.  I did 30 minutes on the Arc Trainer and then back and biceps.  The usual routine mainly.  I need to switch up a couple exercises to keep my muscles working.  But I do have to say today they were working.  Lifting my usual weight was challenging.  I don’t think my muscles were as wide awake as I was.

• Seated row – 3 sets of 10 – 55lbs
• Assisted pull ups – 3 sets of 10 -100lbs
• Lat pull downs – 2 sets of 10 at 60lbs, 1 set of 12 at 50lbs (that is when I realized my muscles were still sleeping)
• 21′s – 3 sets of 10 at 35lbs
• Concentrated curls – 3 sets of 10 at 15lbs
• Hammer curls- 3 sets of 12 at 15lbs

Also I did 50 crunches on the ab bench and 2 set of pike touches on the exercise ball. 

I wanted to do more abs but I was running short on time.  Oh well.  Maybe I will fit some in later?? Nah…doubtful.  When I finally meet up with my girlfriends (who are in town already as of 10:30am) I am sure we will be up to no good!

So what is in store of us today?? Well the office closes at 3pm, then I will meet them at were ever they are and then start Happy Hour a little early? Bryant Park has an outside bar that is usually packed during the summer.  Since there aren’t too many nice days left I was thinking we could start out there.  Then make our way to Brooklyn for dinner and drinks. 

My husband is coming out with us tonight.  Not sure if that will be a good thing or a bad thing.  We shall see!

I leave you with the view from my office (well I sit in a cube but when I look out this is what I see).  Love it! It makes me appreciate being in NYC everyday.  Oh and the aerial view of the tents for Fashion Week.  I can just picture the runway and all the white chairs.

Have a great long weekend!

Almost gave in

I almost gave in to a Pumpkin Spice Latte today but I didn’t feel it was right considering we haven’t even had Labor Day yet and in my mind “summer” officially ends then.  So come Tuesday Pumpkin Spice Latte here I come!

But I do have to say today was a beautiful soon-to-be autumn day.  It was low to mid 70’s, sun shinning and a cool breeze.  I hope we have a great Fall since we didn’t have much of summer.

No workout today.  My alarm went off at 5:30am and I quickly calculated in my head that it had been 9 days since my last rest day so I reset the alarm for a later time.  Plus my foot isn’t healing as quickly as I’d like it to and it is probably cause even though I am not running I am still fairly active so a rest day was definitely in order.  My hope is that I can get out for a run on Saturday.

So after work I treated myself to a manicure!! Now I am pretty boring when it comes to manicures.  I do get crazy colors on my toes but when it comes to my hands I stick with a light pink, “Mademoiselle” by Essie to be exact.  Simple and clean.

But I can’t wait to get a pedicure soon to get a nice dark Fall color!

After the manicure I did some stuff around the house, laundry, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.  Nothing exciting.

Dinner was from Eat Drink and Be Vegan, the Blackened Tofu.  All the spices gave it a great kick.  I paired it with whole wheat couscous and half an avocado.  Quick and easy meal.

I am super excited because two of my college girlfriends are coming in town tomorrow.  I have a feeling it is going to be a LOOOONG weekend! And I wouldn’t have it any other way!!

I hope to post a couple times while they are here but if not, have a great Labor Day Weekend!

I don’t think I am a fan of Ikea anymore…

Phew what a day.  Started off with a great workout and has ended with a glass of pinot grigio and a great squash and couscous casserole.

I got up this morning and went to the gym.  It seems that I am averaging 2 out of 5 days a week of early morning workouts.  I would like 5 out of 5 but I will take what I can get.  I think I have no problem waking up when I know I can’t fit in a workout at any other time but when my brain knows I can find time it zonks me out until the very last minute.

At the gym (which was pretty busy for a middle of the week am) I did 30 minutes on the Arc Trainer and then today was chest and triceps.  Here is what I did:

• Dumbbell Chest Press – 3 sets of 10 w/ 20lb dumbbells
• Dumbbell Chest Fly’s- 3 sets of 10 w/20lb dumbbells
• Chest Press with a 30lb bar – 3 sets of 15
• Tricep press with a 30lb bar- 3 sets of 12
• Tricep dips (own body weight)- 3 sets of 10
• Push ups using bench- 3 sets of 10
• Tricep pull downs- 3 sets of 10 (2 sets at 45lbs and 1 set at 50lbs)

And in between all of those I alternated between bicycles, reverse crunches, toe touches and v sit pull ins (I will keep calling it different things until I get the correct terminology haha).

Work was work.  I had some projects to get through but nothing to exciting.  Oh wait… what is exciting is I work across the street from Bryant Park and yesterday they started putting up the tent for Fashion Week! I can’t wait to see all the celebs come in (even though I hear the good ones come through a back entrance)!

After work I had to run to K-mart and Ikea to get some things for the house (throw pillows, extra pillow for guests, cat bed, etc.). K-mart wasn’t as bad as I expected so I was in and out relatively quick (minus stopping in their dishware section to check out bowls ).  Then it was on to Ikea.

Now because there aren’t a lot of Ikea’s in the NYC Metro Area, the ones that are around offer convenient transportation options.  The one in Brooklyn in particular offers a free shuttle that happens to be 4 blocks away from my apartment.

So I had a list of things I wanted and I told myself I wasn’t going to wander and for the most part I didn’t.  This time around I wasn’t impressed with Ikea.  In the past I can spend hours there, this time it was just blah… I hope that changes cause you can get some great deals there.

Anyway, after a quick turn around I was home. STARVING! So I prepared dinner.  Baked Couscous with Summer Squash.  Now I know Fall is almost hear and that type of squash really is not in season but that is one of my favorite dishes to make.

 

Baked Couscous with Summer Squash

1 14oz can of vegetable broth, divided

3/4 cup of couscous

2 small yellow squash, sliced

1/2 cup of green onions, sliced

1 Tbs of fresh basil (I used dried)

1 Tbs of fresh oregano (I used dried)

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup of fontina cheese, shredded

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, grated

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 salt

1/4 group pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray baking/casserole dish with cooking spray

2. In medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of broth to a boil.  Cook couscous as directed

3. Heat a medium to large skillet.  Coat pan with nonstick spray.  Add squash, onions, basil, oregano and garlic.  Sauté for 3 minutes or until squash is tender.  Set aside

4. Combine cheeses

5. In casserole dish mix couscous, squash mixture and half of the cheeses. Stir in the remaining broth, egg, salt and pepper.  Top with remaining cheese

6 Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown

Well I am off to prepare for a new day. 

So here is a question,  anyone ever had a favorite store and then when you go back you realize you’ve lost your spark for it? If so did you ever love it again?

Urban Rebounding & “B”LT for Din-nah!

I walked out of work today tired.  The only thing I wanted to do was curl up on the couch and catch up on my dvr’d shows.  But I knew I wouldn’t feel good about myself if I didn’t get some kind of workout.

So I pulled up the exercise schedule at my gym and saw that there was an Urban Rebounding class at 6:30pm.  Perfect.  I could attend the class, get a good sweat and not really think about what type of workout I am doing. 

I love Urban Rebounding.  There is an instructor on Saturday mornings that just kicks butt, I haven’t been able to take his class since running season started but after today’s class it had me itching for his class again.

For those that aren’t familiar with what urban rebounding it is a great cardio workout.  It is all done on a trampoline and it also incorporates kickboxing moves as well as strength training moves.  No matter who the instructor is, in a class like this you always get a good workout.  Plus it is fun, who wouldn’t want to jump on a trampoline for at least 45 minutes!

Dinner tonight came from the Eat, Drink and be Vegan Cookbook.  It was a BLT sandwich, with of course the bacon not really bacon.  Now I haven’t had a BLT in a long, long time.  But I think it came out pretty good.  Reminded me of what I had in the past.  The only alternations I made to the recipe was that I used spinach for my lettuce since that is what we had on hand and I didn’t put any mayo on the bread (Arnold Thins).

But for the meat eaters out there I am sure you would taste the difference.  I am glad I decided to make this one when my husband was working late!

On the side I also made some sweet potatoes fries.

Now I am off to clean up the kitchen and put myself to bed.  My bedtime is approaching FAST!

P.S. Don’t forget to check out Quinn’s “Favorite Things Giveaway”.  Click here to check it out!