new york city: 3 days, $200, even more pizza

Ellie lives in the Brooklyn neighborhood Bed-Stuy. It's residential - packed to the brim with brownstones and middle school kids. The brief four-block walk to her closest subway station is a live-action soap opera: a 13-year old couple tearfully fighting on one corner, three boys perfecting their rapping skills on another, and a cute brother-brother duo walking their dog and intently discussing the merits of the newest James Bond movie. If I lived in Bed-Stuy, I'd save a lot of money getting rid of cable and walking for entertainment (the poor man's Gossip Girl?).

I woke slowly Saturday morning at nearly 10:00. I can't remember the last time I slept that late - I guess that's what happens when Theo isn't around to wake me at 6:45am, sharp! I stretched on Ellie & Andy's queen-sized air mattress and turned over to answer my ringing cell. Noelle suggested we meet for bagels at Bergen Bagels off Flatbush and Atlantic in Brooklyn. Bagels? Did someone say bagels? That got me out of bed.

Noelle is my closest girlfriend from my brief stint in Los Angeles after college. We interned together at Ms. magazine. We became quick friends back then, surviving working two jobs each with undue amounts of laughter, weekend hikes and movies at the $1 theater. I miss her, and catching up was as easy as it gets.

Some say Bergen Bagels are the best in Brooklyn, and though I have nothing to which to compare them, I agree. The line snaked through the small shop, even close to 11:30am. We ate toasted everything bagels, and I bought a dozen to go with a few sides containers of cream cheese - for the grand, inexpensive total of $17.50. Noelle introduced me to the famed New York black and white cookie. I'm a big fan.

I followed breakfast carbs with lunch carbs. After Noelle and I parted ways on the subway, Ellie and I ran to Brooklyn Heights. (I promise, there were a few hours in between!). We met up with Dan - New York Times social media producer and former DCite and TBD reporter (I roll with the bigwigs!) - for lunch at Grimaldi's - one of New York's most famous, and oldest, pizza joints. (Anyone keeping track? If so, yep, I ate pizza every single day!)

If you're ever looking for Grimaldi's - it's the white building front under the Brooklyn Bridge with no real sign except a lopsided, small one precariously hanging near a barred window, and the line is down the block. It moves surprisingly quickly for a place that only accepts cash and doesn't do slices.

We ordered a large with extra cheese, pepperoni and sausage, and we each got a soda. We devoured it in minutes. It came to $33 with tip for the 3 of us, making it my most expensive meal thus far. We stuck around to watch the first quarter of the Nebraska (Ellie & me) versus Penn State (Dan) game and snuck out during a commercial to find a sports bar to finish the rest of it.

We stumbled into a bar whose name I can't remember. Dan called it one of the reasons he loves New York: "You can't just finda bar like this in DC." He may be right. I ordered a cider and a Nebraska victory, and both were served cold. :)

Determined to still get some touristy sights into my short visit, Ellie and I decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. On our way, we stopped into Jacques Torres Chocolate. It smells like heaven in there, and the chocolate is divine. We ordered one piece each - I got a champagne truffle, a small hot chocolate to share (they only had enough left for one cup), and they offered us a chocolate chip cookie on the house since they were closing soon ($7). Saddled with goodies for the walk, we climbed the stairs to the Bridge.

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge was a true highlight of my trip. At night, the Manhattan skyline is illuminated in front of you. You can spot the Statue of Liberty to your left, and the extension wires line up in the most beautiful fashion. "It's so old, I just want to hug it!" Ellie said about the Bridge... and then she did.

We came across a column on the Bridge to which multiple locks were attached. Names were inscribed on them. It has become a new tradition for couples to "seal" their love on the Bridge. Maybe it's gimmicky, but it's sweet, too.

Across the Bridge, we made the short trek to Ground Zero. Right now the area is under construction, and all you can see is the new World Trade Center being built, a large crane, and a lot of fencing. I didn't need to see more. What got me and made me stand still for several moments is the church across from Ground Zero. The quietness there by the church is haunting - less peaceful than it is hurting and filled with stories too complicated and painful to share. It meant a lot to me to be there and experience that area. New York is a resilient city, but that area, Ground Zero and the church that took in the wounded on that day, will forever be filled with ghosts of a time we will never forget.

After the solemnity of being at Ground Zero, Ellie and I were about ready to call it a night. But we had one more stop to make. When I planned my New York trip, I mentioned wanting to find Brooklyn's best tacos. Los Hermanos was fantastic, but was there better? We took the subway back into Brooklyn and walked, trusting our iPhone maps to guide us, until we found the truly hole-in-the-wall Mexican grocery, Chinantla. In the back of the market is a restaurant, complete with table-side service and Latin music.

We ordered three tacos each and a plate of regular (no meat) nachos to share. That was way. too. much. food. They're not playing with portion sizes! It's great food and the server only speaks a few words of English, giving me a chance to practice my recently learned, rough, basic Spanish.

Which taco is better? Chinantla had excellent steak tacos, but the others (and we tried them all, nearly) were lacking. Los Hermanos wins the taco war, but Chinantla delivers, and has a larger menu - serving everything from mole to enchiladas to chicken fingers, for the kids.

A block away from the Hispanic neighborhood in which we found Chinantla, we passed a Hebrew school bus to our left, and a group of Hasidic Jewish men headed to Synagogue on our right. A local bar boasted $2 PBR and $5 glasses of wine, all night. Garbage bags lined the streets of brownstones, interspersed with restaurants and coffee shops.

This is New York.

I left New York at 10:30 the next morning. Including breakfast & a water for the road, my grand total for the weekend came to $187.50.

the secret lives of gymnastics enthusiasts: the kellogg's tour

as excited as the gymnasts meeting POTUS. Yep. #perspective

If you saw my twitter or facebook feeds at all yesterday evening, you know that I spent my night at the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions. I'd decided to write this great, ironic post about it all - how Matt (my roommate) and I were so cool at this show with an average audience age of 11 (irony, irony, more irony). But about 10 minutes into the show, this came out of my phone:



I geeked out. I really geeked out. And all irony went flying out the window, never to be seen again!

For whatever reason, gymnastics isn't a socially acceptable sport to really love and appreciate and know, unless you yourself were a competitive gymnast or are under the age of about 12. My best guess is that it's because most female gymnasts are young themselves - 18 is considered getting up there - and often retire before they've finished high school, that adults feel strange watching the sport. Is that it? The truth is, though, that male gymnasts typically don't peak until college-aged or after, and there are an increasing number of adult women gymnasts.

One of my favorite gymnasts of all time is Ariella Kaeslin, a Swiss gymnast who hit her stride in 2007, sweeping the Swiss nationals and competing well internationally - at age 20. She competed for several more years before retiring in 2011. She once said, "I'm taller, I'm bigger than the normal gymnast. I'm proud to be a good gymnast as a woman." Then there's Oksana Chusovitina, The Great. This woman is a powerhouse, a world class vaulter and placed 5th in the vault finals at the 2012 Olympic Games at age 36. I have no greater respect for a female athlete than for Chusovitina.

I love this sport. I think it's beautiful and powerful, at once. It's a testament to what the human body is capable of.

Now that I've written a love song to gymnastics... let's get back to the show.

I took a NUMBER of pictures. And I mean, I warned you - I geeked out. All I can say for myself is this: while it was great seeing the "Fierce 5," as they're called, live, I got really excited seeing the veterans perform: Alicia Sacramone and Chellsie Memmel. I almost wrote another diatribe on them and why they're great, but I'm stopping myself! ;)

Matt got us the tickets for my birthday back in September, and ridiculous, ironic, FIERCE and all - it was a fun night. I laughed until I cried - AT LEAST twice, and we got to see some great gymnastics, including almost all of Jonathan Horton's Olympic high bar routine. So thanks to Matt for a most memorable birthday gift. Let's do it again in 2016, yeah?

THE END. Gymnastics fan girl out.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/pBvHC-nhFgw]

new york city: 3 days, $200, a lot of pizza

3 days in New York City for $200. Can it be done? Definitely.

A sights-stacked, jam-packed, delicious food and drink-laden 3 days in New York City for $200? Well, that's a different beast...

The facts: this price tag includes transportation but does not include lodging. In fact, those facts makes me antsy and fidgety and awkward. Is $200 for 3 nights without hotel  in the city that never sleeps truly frugal, even if it does include transportation? Help me decide.

My college roommate, former DC roommate, and most recently, New Yorker, Ellie, issued me an open invitation to visit and stay with her and her boyfriend. The words were still in her mouth when I booked a trip on Megabus to see her new digs and experience the city. I compared prices between Amtrak ($160+!), Megabus, Bolt Bus and DC2NY buses. After toying with dates and times, my roundtrip ticket came to $35. Sold.

I arrived in New York on Thursday night - time: 11:00pm, mood: famished. The 4.5 hour scheduled bus ride had turned into 5+. The bus driver 'ran out of driving time'and was forced to pull into a desolate petrol station to wait for another driver to resume the trip. On the plus side, Megabus has power outlets, some of which work.

I got my first taste of New York pizza sooner than expected. Ellie and I stopped into Cavallo's - a narrow, late-night pizza joint steps from the bus stop with some interesting specialty slices but little else to commit to memory. At $7 for two slices, though, it satisfied my hunger and budget.

I spent Friday morning and afternoon working remotely in Ellie and Andy's small, efficient one-bedroom (if I learned nothing else in New York - housing there is even more expensive than DC, a truly mindblowing concept). It's cozy and homey, filled with remnants of the two years Ellie and I lived together in DC. Invigorated with a sense of new found belonging, I wandered out for lunch, determined to find Brooklyn's best tacos.

Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos in Bushwick - a neighborhood that has thus far escaped gentrification, was not the direction I walked. In fact, the subway wasn't the direction I walked, either. Me, lost, you say?! No way! After a good mile of aimless wandering, I hailed a cab (I'm so New York now!). Twenty seconds later, I realized he wasn't metered or marked (oops). He wanted to charge me $8/mile. I threatened to get out, most likely by Bond-style dive and rolling, and his tune changed. I got a lecture on karma, a strong cautioning against being in Bushwick alone and a detailed story of how he - my cabby, twice beat the world tae kwon do champion. Dubious times.

At long last, and a heavily haggled $10 later, I arrived at my perfect hole-in-the-wall. Homemade tortillas, fresh salsa and the smell of sizzling chorizo greeted me. The cash register dinged $7.75 for three tacos.

I found my way back on the subway this time, and Ellie, Andy and I headed into Manhattan.

They say drinking in Manhattan is expensive. And eating. And breathing. It's an expensive city. Or is it?

We ambled about the charming main strip of East Village until we found Ten Degrees, an upscale wine bar with a penchant for low brow hip hop. You haven't quite experienced all New York has to offer until you've drank good wine in a low-lit establishment while chair dancing and trying not to sing - out loud, "lick my neck, my back..."

Ten Degrees's happy hour is from 12:00-8 and is 2-4-1. It's a buy one drink, get one drink per person for eight hours. And it includes bottles! Callie, my closest girlfriend from my days doing the JET program, met us there, and the four of us split two bottles of wine for the grand total of $45, with tip.

We indulged in another round of drinks at the Belgian Room next door to Ten Degrees - where our drinks were half off for their happy hour. We couldn't resist ordering their famed pommes frites. Total: $30.

[caption id="attachment_501" align="aligncenter" width="538"] but, wait. this isn't wine?[/caption]

(Still) hungry and tipsy we headed to East Village's must-eat spot: Artichoke Basille, the pizza of the gods. That's my tagline, not theirs. We devoured a small artichoke pizza and breadsticks, and Andy got a beer - a really, really giant beer - for $40, including tip. Artichoke isn't traditional New York style pizza, but it doesn't need to be. Andy gave it two thumbs up. We concur.

Our tour of East Village wouldn't be complete without a nightcap. Fortunately, my old college editor-in-chief and personal buddy - and current Mashable entertainment writer, Brian (@BAHjournalist), lives nearby and howed us to Destination. It's a fun bar with a lively crowd - and best yet, a wall of various phone chargers. That should mandatory in bars... by law! Ellie and I were fading fast (lightweights!) but managed one more drink each ($9).

The trek back to Brooklyn was painful, with a 40-minute wait for a train. I'm thankful to have been in the company of friends, who didn't judge me (out loud) for seriously considering napping on a subway floor....... and who saved me from doing it!

By Friday night (okay, Saturday at 2:30am), my grand New York City weekend total came to $119.75. Did I make it through Saturday & Sunday seeing some sights, drinking some beer and continuing to eat great food without surpassing my $200 limit? That'll be in the next post, because this one is 900 words. Are you still reading? Yes? I have a reader!

graffiato and the who?

[caption id="attachment_474" align="aligncenter" width="538"] the secret: Graffiato's brussels sprouts are flash-fried, with pancetta, yogurt and boiled egg[/caption]

There are two types of people in the world: those who hate Brussels sprouts and those who have had them cooked correctly. Have you ever met anyone who's not in one of those two camps? It's either horror at the very mention of Brussels sprouts or a telling of a tale involving "this one time" they were cooked that one way. That story is usually followed with a contented sigh. You know what I"m talking about.

Last night, I entered the latter category. In the span of 10 minutes, I went from a nose-crinkler to a contented sigher. I've officially switched camps. I'm a proud and true, bona fide Brussels Sprouts lover. Because of this one time they were cooked that one way at Mike Isabella's Graffiato.

I'm a hole-in-the-wall, authentic international cuisine 'foodie.' I'm pretty sure that's an oxymoron, but it's true! Finding the most legit (fill in the blank country's food) is a hobby. Fine dining at Top Chef restaurants isn't a high priority to me. But it is for Zan, and I'm so glad it is. I've tried so many wonderful places because of his taste in food (and I hope he has because of mine)! So when he made reservations for us and his brother and sister-in-law for dinner before a show at the Verizon Center, I couldn't wait. That probably had a lot to do with the fact that they are well-known for having Prosecco on tap. Okay, that had everything to do with it!

I'm so glad we went because it blew me away. The wine list alone featured so many great Virginia wineries I barely contained my excitement: Boxwood's rose (my favorite rose!) and the mild, perfect for pairing with various tapas Cab Franc from Fabbioli are just two. And, of course, prosecco on tap!

Bold statement alert. Of the fine dining establishments I've been to in DC (half a dozen, or so), Graffiato and Central by Michel Richard are the two that are most worth the cost. Have a bonus coming up soon? Just want to treat yo'self? Get over to Graffiato, stat.

After dinner, we made our way over to the Verizon Center for The Who concert. When Zan excitedly bought tickets months ago and texted me the great news, I texted back, "the...who?" Corny joke, but confession: I did have to wikipedia and youtube the group. Turns out I knew exactly one song: Teenage Wasteland. While I didn't rock quite as hard as the guy two rows behind us who air guitared like a champion and head banged until I thought the last of his hair would fall out, I did have a great time. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a group Zan enjoys so much. While the two remaining members of the original group look old and aren't quite as agile as they once were, they were in it to win it - they rocked, hard, and the crowd had a great time. Plus, it was pretty fun to hear "Teenage Wasteland" live!

I'll be back at the Verizon Center tomorrow night, for, wait for it... wait for it... (are you still waiting or did you leave this page?) the OLYMPIC GYMNASTICS TOUR! Oh yeah. OH YEAH. I can't help but laugh (and make up a kid that I, uh, gotta take to see it), but I'm stoked, y'all. Matt got us tickets for my birthday, and they're nosebleed seats, and we're probably going to make "FIERCE 5" t-shirts (probably? there's no probably about it!). Stay tuned for that post - it's sure to be extra ridiculous.

For more Graffiato pics and descriptions of dishes you gotta order, check out my instagram @alwaysfrolic.

theo storms the beach, and i'll be there for you

While I gallivanted around New York this weekend (more to come on that tomorrow), not helping the relief effort (bad person), Theo went to the beach for the very first time. Zan's parents live in Rehoboth, and when he decided to get out of the city and rest and relax for a few days, he volunteered to take Theo with him. I don't think he knew what he was getting himself into! He sent me pictures of Theo every day, and I couldn't help but laugh at the pup's antics - even when he was poorly behaved -- like the time a small deer neared them, and Theo went berserk trying to catch dinner. He's a handful. Today, I'm obsessed with those ears. I saved all the pictures to my phone for a rainy day, when my world needs a little brightening, and today is that day.



I got a phone call last night from a close family member that left me upset. My family is small - very small. I can count us on one hand. We've been through a lot in the past few years. My stepfather passed a year ago this December. My mom lost her job almost two years ago. My brother has struggled with herniated discs in his back. I was asked to pay a bill - a pretty expensive one. Last year a similar situation occurred and I emptied my meager savings. It has taken a year to rebuild. Paying the bill would mean losing much of it again. Not paying it would mean, well. I am reading the science-based opinion piece, "I cry, therefore I am." It's fascinating.



I'm currently listening to Jason Mraz's song, "I won't give up." I've had it on repeat for what seems like days. Even when no music is on, I'm hitting "play" again in my mind. The line that sticks out to me most is, "We have a lot to learn, but we're worth it."



I had a rare chance to catch up with my friend Noelle this weekend. We interned together years ago at Ms. magazine. We laughed hard and often, and we hiked a lot. And boy, we bitched about Beverly Hills. I served tables and she served up frozen yogurt, and we stockpiled stories of entitled customers. Today I'm thinking about our conversation from Saturday morning, over bagels and cream cheese and a shared black and white cookie. It's possible to love without guilt, it's okay to put ourselves first, we're allowed to succeed. And also, happy and shit looks good on you.



Tonight is The Who (who?) concert. Zan got tickets months ago. We're going with his brother and sister-in-law. I'm craving bubbles and excitement and pretending to sing along to songs I don't know and most definitely being teased for not knowing. And after that - some puppy cuddle time. I've missed this boy.

ps - did you see that - Zan let him sleep on the bed! SPOILED!

#30daysofthanks the boy who cried war horse

Zan and I make it a goal to go on two real dates a month. I italicize reallll because we have casual date nights all the time - cooking, curling up on the couch and laughing at Modern Family, taking Theo for walks around the neighborhood... we do a lot of every-day-living kind of date nights. But we make a special effort to go out - in a way that encourages wearing more than pajamas, a few times a month.

This past Friday, the plan for date night was Ping Pong Dim Sum and the movie Argo. I ran home from work, took Theo to the park for a quick game of fetch and ran back in time to shower, change into clean jeans (what a novelty! what a rarity!) and straighten my hair (what is this, prom?!)! I even put on a touch of makeup (seriously, it's getting out of control now!). The evening was romantic, the chill pulling us closer together as we walked hand in hand down the street, into the restaurant.

We saddled up next to each other at the bar and toasted. We went in for a kiss..... and his phone buzzed.

ominous.

Work beckoned. Have I mentioned the insane hours he has worked the past few months? It's the name of the game when you work in anything political - and he had Romney as a client (had! past tense! yay!). He's a political media buyer - you can thank him for those obnoxious ads on tv! So when work beckoned at 7:30 on a Friday night, well, he couldn't ignore it.

We stuffed in some dim sum, then had some frantic moments rushing out, hailing a cab and skedaddling back to his place so he could deal with the situation.

Needless to say, it was still a nice night, but it wasn't quite the date night we had in mind.

Earlier this week, he told me we had plans for Wednesday evening. He wouldn't tell me what. If you don't know me well, you're about to know me a little better: I love surprises. I love surprises like Olympians like competing. I LOVE THEM.

I assumed a re-do of date night - dinner in Chinatown, maybe, and on to the movie we missed.

Instead.

The cab drove right past Chinatown - never even through it. It went through McPherson, over near the State Department and on down until... wait. Wait!

He dropped us off at the Kennedy Center.

Zan walked into Will Call and picked up our tickets for War Horse, the much-acclaimed, Tony-laden production that was sure to MAKE ME BAWL. Another tidbit about me: I don't do animal stories - not books, not movies, not anything. I stopped all that after seeing Babe 2: Pig in the City. I was 12 and I cried the entire movie. Cannot handle.

Yet, I was stoked. So totally stoked.

We headed up to the Cafe - which serves surprisingly delicious ready-to-go sandwiches and salads (we're talking smoked turkey, brie, apple butter, tomato, arugula on multigrain - omnomnom!). We stuffed food in our mouths, stressed at the time crunch (7:22, bite chomp swallow, 7:23, we really gotta go bite chomp swallow). We stuffed the rest in my purse for intermission.

The show is great. Wonderful. Captivating. Compelling. A tear-jerker. Well done. A marvel in puppeteer'ing and direction. The acting is spot-on. The storyline grabs you in the first moments and doesn't let you go until the final bow.

I cried.

Y'all, I really cried.

I had to remind myself over and over and over again they're not real horses, but still.  I kept crying.

Zan handed me tissues. He put his arms around me.

And after the show, we talked and laughed and held hands even though it was freezing cold in the 30 minute taxi line.

So I'm thankful for date night, for Zan, for live theater and for what a true treat it is every single time I'm able to experience it.

#30daysofthanks

As rad as it is, the Kennedy Center isn't always a $50 weekend-approved date. It can get pricey. But they do  have special. If you're disabled, a full-time student, military or on a fixed low-income, you might be able to get Specially Priced Tickets. And for the rest of us, Goldstar is offering 30% off ticket prices for War Horse, on November 9th and 10th - $59. Also check matinees for discounted tickets. See their schedule here - http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/?fuseaction=showmonth.

I’ll be writing about something for which I’m thankful most days in November. Follow me here or on twitter @dccyndi. Join the conversation in the comments or on twitter, using the hashtag #30daysofthanks! For what are you thankful today? Thanks for reading!