The Armory Show

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to attend The Armory Show here in New York. The Armory Show is the largest art fair in New York. It is a leading international contemporary and modern art fair that takes place once a year on the West Side of Manhattan. This year it took place March 8th-11th.

Every March leaders in the art world, art dealers, art aficionados and artists cram into Piers 92 & 94 along the Hudson River in Manhattan's west side to celebrate art. The Armory Show is one of the principal annual art events in the international art market. The fair showcases some of the world's most important art galleries. A variety of artists are exhibited from Picasso to Andy Warhol, and from Cindy Sherman to Chuck Close. 

The Armory Show was founded in 1994 by dealers Colin de Land, Pat Hearn, Paul Morris and Matthew Marks. It was first named after its initial location at the Gramercy Park Hotel, but then The Armory Show acquired its new title when it was moved to the Armory on Lexington Ave.  The location there was only temporary, and in 2001 the current Armory Show moved to the west side piers. Here they would be able to house a larger collection of contemporary art under one roof from all over the globe.  The piers are located between 52nd St and 55th St on 12th Ave. The piers are a visual reminder of New York's past history when the Hudson River was central to the city's transportation and commerce. Cargo and passengers were let off at the various piers, which were then connected by the now public park, the Highline. The Highline used to be a rail road that connected the surrounding area by rail. The remaining piers closest to the Armory still serve as a port for ships and cruise liners. The Intrepid and a Second World War aircraft carrier, now turned into a museum, can also be found a few blocks down. 

The Armory Show has become an essential part of the cultural aspect of Manhattan. It will continue to host and support the great galleries and artists of our time. 

My Recommendation: Go during the week, the weekend gets too crowded to enjoy. Spend more time at pier 92, this pier houses the more prestigious galleries and artists. 

General Admission: $30

Students: $15

Seniors: $15

And with that I leave you with some of my favorite pieces of art this year, 'til next year!!!

                                                    "Fin de Fiesta" Artist: Fernando Botero

Artist: Damien Hirst (background)

Live Performance

"HOPE" Artist: Robert Indiana

"Elizabeth" Artist: Anselm Kiefer

toodles!!!!

Invisible Children

Please share this video. I was lucky enough to hear them speak 4 years ago at NYU, and it's incredible how far they have come from there. I supported them then, and I support them now. Please support this cause, we can each make a difference. PLEDGE NOW.

Eataly

Italy(the country), Italian(the language), Italians(the people) and Italian (the food) is something I am OBSESSED with. I was fortunate enough to have lived a year in the Tuscan city of Florence back in 2006. One day I hope to be able to live back in Italy, as I think it is such an extraordinarily rich country in every sense. So.... you can imagine my excitement when Eataly, the largest artisanal food and wine marketplace in the world opened up its doors here in New York City!

Let me give you some background on this place. Back in 2007, Italian business man Oscar Farinetti converted a vermouth factory in Turin into the first Eataly. The New York Times has described Turin's Eataly as "a megastore that combines elements of a bustling European open market, a Whole Foods style supermarket, a high-end food court and a New Age learning center." Two years later he teamed up with Joe Bastianich, Mario Batali, and Lidia Matticchio Bastianich of Batali-Bastianich Hospitality Group to open the first store of its kind in New York City.

Eataly is located at 200 Fifth Ave in the Flat Iron District. The 50,000 square place is a mecca for food Italian food lovers. Here you will be able to find Italian delicacies and wine, a culinary education center, a birreria (a rooftop beer garden) and many small boutique eateries.

Hosting a dinner party? Head on over to Eataly to purchase your ingredients! The marketplace has a huge variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, cured meats, cheeses, fresh fish and meats, desserts, handmade pasta, coffee, pasta sauces and assortment of different types of bread. Not a good cook? Worry not, you can also purchase cookbooks or take some courses at the culinary school.

Feeling lazy? And just want to grab a quick bite to eat... head on over to the boutique eateries (some listed below).

LA PIAZZA
A standing table enoteca,where you will be able to savor cured meats and cheese. Highly recommend having a glass of wine with anything you order here...
LE VERDURE
Here you will have a vast variety of vegetable dishes. This is one way you can get me to eat veggies...
I PESCE
Italian seafood at its best created by Esca's chef, Dave Pasternack (aka. "the fish guru").
LA PIZZA & PASTA
Savor the classic Neapolitan pizza and pasta made from the freshest ingredients.
MANZO
Eataly's more formal dining experience. If you are craving meat, this is the place to go. No vegetarians allowed.
I PANINI
Classic Italian panini. Not comparable to the NY deli scene.
GELATERIA
Home-made gelato.. nothing makes me happier than Nutella Gellato.
CAFE LAVAZZA
True Italian coffee bar.

My suggestion: Buy some mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, basil leaves, home made pasta, pesto sauce and some fresh parmesan cheese... and make yourself a caprese salad and linguini pesto. It's a bit on the expensive side... but well worth it.

Eataly is the perfect cure to my Italy withdrawals. And it's much cheaper to pay a cab $10bucks, than to buy a roundtrip ticket to Rome and back.... FOOD FOR THOUGHT ;). Ciaooo!

The Mudspot

Being unemployed is a great way to get to know all the different coffee shops in the city. I have mastered the sport/art of coffee hopping/caffeine sipping. I work at my best when I leave my apartment. Trust me between the fridge, the Apple TV and Antonio's (my roomate's adorable french bulldog) love for squeaky toys.. i get nothing done. Talk about ADD... so each morning I have been making it a point to go to different coffee shops in the city.

Today, I'm going to post about one of my all time favorite coffee shops in the city. I always end up going back to this spot (or should I say the Mudspot). The coffee shop I am talking about is Mudspot, located at 307 East 9th St and 2nd Ave. It is a charming, rustic looking coffee shop with an earthly East Village decor. Mudspot is a great place for quality coffee and a good meal (they also offer an interesting selection of local beers). The cafe caters to chatting mud mocha sippers, attentive laptop workers and food lovers alike. They always have house specials and their menu includes a variety of soups, salads and sandwiches. If you are there over the weekend, be sure and check out their brunch menu as well.

My Faves: Chai Latte $4.50 and the Guacamole $7.95 (not necessarily in that order or together)... but trust me. Yummmmmmm

Sidenote-  I never use my earphones here, music is great. la la la laaaa..

If you are in a hurry and need a quick pick-me-up, fear not! Just keep your eye out for the orange monsters (as New Yorkers call them); the large bright orange "mudtrucks" parked in the neighborhood... they offer I wide range of coffee and tea selection on the go.

PEACE OUT

Did anyone say...Karaoke?!?

Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston may be gone, but they won’t be forgotten—not as long as we have hordes of New Yorkers all simultaneously screaming off-key renditions of “Billie Jean” and "I Will Always Love You". 

Finding a Karaoke Bar in NYC is not a challenge. For some reason, New Yorkers love singing at the top of their lungs while embarrassing themselves in front of everybody(me included).  With that said, my two favorite Karaoke Bars in NY are: Sing Sing and U2. 

U2 Karaoke: It is located at 6 Saint Marks Place. The decor is a very futuristic one, where it feels like you just stepped onto a Star Trek set. However, it offers a wide variety of songs, private rooms, full bar and food at a very decent price ($8.00 per head/hour). 

Sing Sing Karaoke: It has two locations on the Lower East Side (81 Avenue A and 9 St. Marks). Both are very New York bars, with the Japanese twist. Sing Sing offers private rooms, props, food menu, full bar and of course a HUGE directory of songs. Price is $8.00 per head/hour. However, you should definitely check out happy hour if you have a chance. Happy hour is $4.00 per head/hour Mon-Sun 1pm-7pm. If you decide to come here just make sure you make a reservation. 

Also, for other good Karaoke bars... I would go to K-Town. SO MANY to chose from, and guaranteed a good time(fyi- most of them are not street level). Trust me, Asians know how to Karaoke.

My suggestion while at Karaoke: Get yourself a private room with 6-10 of your closest friends, order a pitcher of sake bombs and eat some chicken wings (gross, i know- but perfect combo if you plan to embarrass yourself all night singing to "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey). 

So, having a hard time deciding what to do on a Friday or Saturday night in NYC? Head over to one of the many Karaoke bars in New York City, and sing your little heart out. And with that I leave you with one of my all time favorite Karaoke songs....

Have a great weekend fellow readers!!! Rock out...

Miss Favela

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more." - The Wizard of OZ (1939)

Feel like stepping out of your comfort zone? Venturing off into an unknown, non-manhattan land... then head to Brooklyn! Brooklyn has so many cool restaurants, galleries, parks and shops. It does not seize to amaze me. 

Miss Favela, a Brazilian neighborhood bistro, is located in the trendy hispster neighborhood of Williamsburg right next to the Brooklyn Bridge. It's at 57 South 5th St between Kent Ave and Wythe Ave. You can take a taxi from Manhattan and the ride will cost you at most $18.00 bucks (keep in mind the taxi HAS to take you to BK, it's the law - second :13). If you prefer to subway it the L, J, M, Z (yes there is a Z train) will take you there. It's about a 10 to 15 minute walk from any of these stations. They are open 7 days a week, from noon to midnight; except Friday and Saturdays until 1am for food, but the bar stays open late.

They serve traditional Brazilian dishes (the best that I have tried outside of Rio). Their dishes include Moqueca de Peiz e Pirao (fish stew with onions, veggies, coconut milk), Carne Seca (Brazilian beef jerky served with yucca), Pao de Queijo (Cheese bread), Pastel de Carne (Beef "cake" - trust me it's better than it sounds) and Feijoada (traditional Brazilian dish).

I have to say, I have only been to Miss Favela in the summer. I mean, what sounds better than a refreshing sangria or caipirinha on a scorching hot day right? During summer, I recommend you make a reservation for brunch. It gets crowded!! I have seen this place exploding at its seams. Let me try to describe the scene here: Havaianas pinned to the ceiling, Brazilian flag colored walls, beat up tables, live music blasting and Brazilians/Non-Brazilians moving as though samba was going out of style. Truth be told, the place is so welcoming that you can't help but to samba in... and try it out for yourself. During the not-so-hot seasons the place stays open, and according to their website have live music and dancing most of the nights.

And if you think that the place will be overcrowded by hipsters, worry not the crowd here is VERY eclectic... in a good way of course! 

My suggestion: Go to brunch on a Saturday (preferably in Summer) Pao de Queijo ($6.00) as an appetizer,  Feijoada ($21.00) as a main dish and a pitcher of Caipirinha. 

Never been to Brooklyn? Give it a chance! 

                                                                       Obrigado!

Butter Lane

Who ever said diamonds were a girls best friend? CUPCAKES are a girls best friend, and New York has plenty of them! From small bite size cupcakes (Baked by Melissa) , to vegan cupcakes (Babycakes), to famous cupcakes featured in Sex in the City(Magnolia Bakery), to the overly huge cupcakes (Crumbs Bakery)...

Every New Yorker will have their opinion on what cupcake they like better: the sweeter one, the smaller one, the bigger one, the most original... however I am going to make a very strong statement (one that some may argue is not accurate) and say that the best cupcake you can find in the city is at Butter Lane.

Butter Lane is located at 123 East 7th street in Alphabet City. Being a former Alphabet citier... I frequented this place quite often (oink oink). You just can't help walking by without going in. First of all, the smell of cupcakes is so heavenly that you can't help turning your head when you walk by. Secondly, the place is so welcoming.. it's tiny yet has a very small town feel.  I love this place because all they serve is 3 types of cupcakes: Vanilla Cupcake, Chocolate Cupcake and Banana Cupcake. Simple right? Now comes the hard part... choosing the icing! At Butter Lane the icing variety is overwhelming (in a good way!). Icings include: vanilla bean, french vanilla buttercream, blueberry, raspberry, key lime, cream cheese, maple pecan, chocolate, french chocolate buttercream, strawberry, lemon, espresso, burnt caramel and cinnamon honey.

Can't get enough of them?! Well learn how to make them. Butter Lane offers classes in their own kitchen. However, reserve with anticipation as they get filled up quickly! They also cater and do weddings.

If you are not in Manhattan, worry not! Butter Lane just opened up their bakery in Park Slope at 240 7th Ave.

If you are in NY, make it a point to go here! Oh, and... according to their blog they have started selling Blue Bell Ice Cream and cake pops. Even more the reason to go...

My Recommendation: Banana Cupcake w/ cream cheese icing ($3.00)

                                                        Butter Lane in Alphabet City

Personally, the only cupcake place that might compare to Butter Lane is Sugar Sweet Sunshine. It's located at 126 Rivington street in the Lower East Side. The cupcake shop has a very cozy feel to it, and the prices are very acceptable. Not a cupcake fan? They also offer pies, cakes, morning sweets, puddings and brownies.

                                  Sugar Sweet Sunshine w/ my lovely Grandma and cousin

However Butter Lane takes the cake!! (or should i say cupcake!)