We PARTY

Last night we had our final 9J apartment party.  Three of us are moving out and Jill is staying and moving on with new roomies. Although I'm incredibly excited to be making a change in location (Philadelphia, if you didn't know) and life, I am more than sad to be leaving the life I've had for 3 years of coming home every night to some of my best friends.  I could get really mushy right now, but since I don't want to cry at the moment (I already cried this week about puffins -- did you know they were real?!), I'll keep this upbeat! Here's a glimpse of some of my favorite parties over the years.  :)

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Halloween Pumpkin party. Pumpkin carving, hot apple cider, roasted pumpkin seeds, banana bread, apple cider donuts. Need I say more?

Mmm yummers. Pumpking gook.

Some sweet carving.

One Shady Night (my 25th birthday party).  There was only one requirement for this celebratory evening: everyone wear sunglasses.  Our night began with a 22A pre-party with dancing, strawberries & champagne & pretty headbands for my favorite ladies :) We then migrated to our ultimate destination, Pheobes NYC, for the main event.  The night closed out perfectly when "Sunglassess at Night" played just for me. :)

Pre-party. Jaclyn flew up for the occasion. :)

Sissy flew up, too, the night before. So spontaneous! 

Strawberries & champagne @ the preparty.

Sporting our sunglasses. At night.

The original 22A: Jill, me and Kelly.

Shaking my groove thang.

Party essentials: champagne, shades, chocolate, flowers.

Plaid party.  Though I wasn't the host, it was one of my fave NYC house parties hosted by my then-new friend, Fred.  One night Jill and I suggested we have a plaid party, and Fred ran with it.  Awesome time.

Me and Fiance-Matt. This was one of our first hang-outs as a couple. Early signs of a bright future :)

Roommate Matt and Jill (with long hair!)

Randomonium. Just a fun night of dancing on the town with the original 22A girls at Pheobe's (apparently the hot spot that year).

Jill's infamous straw.. perfect for getting free drinks!

Me proud of my catch.  Also quite sweaty.

Party @ the Pier (Jill's birthday).  Picnic, games, friends. What more could you ask for?

Fiance, me, Heather and Jeff. Love my peeps :)

22A (version 2)

Master piece!

Egg toss. Bringing it back old school.

Halloween Party (Numero dos). Soooo this was a fun one. We intended on having an open house to meet our neighbors. What ensued was an adventurous night of Jill and I recruiting neighbors via knocking on doors and singing them a Halloween rap, and handing out flyers in the lobby. Shameless I tell you, shameless.  Don't be a jelly-bean.

Sexy skeleton. 

Devising our recruiting strategy.

Flyering.  They only thought we were a little cray cray.

Taking a break to get our scare on.

Inter-floor traveling in between rap performances.

Pink Party (my 26th birthday).  Perfect celebration with everything PINK! Pink balloons on the wall served as the guest book.  Mini pink cupcakes with pink sugary sparkles. All topped off with a pink wig from Heather (I may or may not have used the name "Candy" that night).

Fiance showing his support by wearing a pink polo. Thanks BAYYBBB!

Me and Els. Dancing it up. 

Me, Erica and Eleanor enjoying the mini pinks. 

Love at first hair-grab.

9J Housewarming/My 27th birthday. Most rambunctious festivities I have ever partaken in.  We got shut down at 2AM by a grumpy neighbor lady yelling at me for acting like we were in an "F-ing dormitory." Woopsies! (it was worth it though :)

Miami vice. Bronze and loving it.

Collage of 9J roomies made by Matt :)

Surprised by a cake straight from Carlo's bake shop. 

Matt's bday at Stout.  More cake and friends!

And last but not least...

Our Final 9J party (last night). Sprinkles cupcakes, dollars flying everywhere, and dance party central. Such fun :)

Hand crafted Facebook ads by Matt. 

Showing Jill some extra love.

Paige came! 2 of my longest time friends :)

And that's all, folks.  My time here is almost a wrap, but you can bet your bottom dollar the party will continue on in PHILLY! WOOOP!

Celeb Stories: Tim Gunn

Photo courtesy of Tim Gunn's Facebook fan page

In case you were wondering if Tea Leoni was the only celeb I have encountered in my New York life, have no fear! There are more, one of my favorite of which was with Tim Gunn.  Allow me to set the scene:  It was a normal lunch hour on a work day so I made my way to Cafe Duke in Times Square (their tuna melt flatbread sandwiches are delish...mmm yummers!).  I hopped in the sandwich line, and after ordering my food, noticed a group of young professional girls whispering to each other and staring toward the salad line.  My celeb-radar turned on, my eyebrows raised, and my dilated pupils scanned the line to find the object of the girls' gaze (think Spidey senses).  In less than .0025 seconds I spotted him: the debonaire Tim Gunn of Project Runway.  

Immediately my heart began to beat hard and fast (such is my normal reaction upon an anticipated interaction with anyone of even remote fame, especially if their name is Tim). I began thinking of what I would say. Would I say anything? Should I even go say hi to Tim or would that annoy him? Everyone else was just whispering about him around him, but nobody was actually talking to him.  Once I finally talked myself into approaching Tim, I remembered my outfit and questioned whether it was Tim Gunn-worthy. He was a dapper fashionisto, and I was wearing just some plane-Jane in my accountant-type business casual garb.  But there was hope yet! I was wearing a new purple winter coat I had just purchased.  It was one of my snazziest wardrobe components, so it would have to be my salvation.  That settled it. I was going to say hello.

The scene. Photo courtesy of midtownlunch.wordpress.com

I marched myself and my tuna melt sandwich over to Tim. He was facing away from me, so to get his attention I gently rested my hand on his arm and said, "Tim?" as if I were a dear old friend who he hadn't seen in years.  Tim turned toward me with a quizzical brow in full effect. "Hi, I'm Jenny, I just wanted to say hi and I love watching you on Project Runway."  He couldn't have been more gracious to my cheesy intro: "Oh hiii!" he said, turning his confused look into a smile. "Thank you so much for saying hi. You know, I hope the show goes on this season."  Me: "What do you mean? What's going on? Or are you not allowed to talk about it?"  Tim: (chuckle) "Oh I'm allowed to talk about it. Basically there's some sort of lawsuit over the rights of the show so hopefully it all works out."  Me: "Oh wow, i didn't even know.  Well I hope everything works out too.  Good luck and nice meeting you!"

And that was it. He was so super sweet I couldn't believe it.  I mean, I should have believed it. He seemed fabulous in more ways than one on the tele.  All in all, it was probably my most rewarding encounter with a public entertainment figure, because I actually talked to him, which I haven't ever done before. I always end up getting scared and nervous, but this was a big moment for me, and makes me happy thinking back on it :) I only wished I had asked him more questions or asked if we could meet up for coffee so I could pick his brain about his career and the show.  Oh well, my moment was had, and it was a good one. 

Have you ever had to work up the courage to talk to someone you were nervous to speak to? How did it turn out for you? Please share!

New Yorkers Keep it Classy

New Yorkers do some very classy things.  Allow me to illustrate:

We play concert piano in Washington Square Park (Please pay particularly close attention to the elderly woman in the wheelchair.  Her stylish turban and XL sunglasses make for an absolutely fabulously fashionable get-up.  Love it!).

We go to swanky events, like Evening in the Garden hosted by the Central Park Conservancy.

We take strolls to the elegant Lincoln Center to gaze into the reflecting pool.

We row boats in Central Park when we get engaged.

But then there is the questionably perhaps not-so-polished side of New Yorkers...

We pierce peoples' faces (or pop their pimples... the action going on here is debatable) in public. (Note: just prior to this, the tall lady with orange hair punched a man in the face. Awesome)

I was entranced by this group of people for at least a solid hour. I tried to get really close but I got in trouble.

This guy, like me, was just taking it all in.

We ride around in wheelchairs dressed like robots (I do give this guy props). 

And finally, we take great pride in our City and keep it meticulously clean...

Stay classy, New York!

The B-List: What remains on my NYC list to do.

The end is near approaching (not of the world, my friends, but of my time here in NYC). Therefore, I am taking another look back at the NYC bucket list I drafted just 6 months ago.  It's interesting to note I've crossed almost all of the food bits off, and have left most of the cultural ones :)

I have been out of town the last 2 weekends (Philly, then Greenport, NY.. beautiful town!) and will be in Maine this coming weekend.  After that, I have just one month left to crack down and get to it.  Any last minute suggestions for items to add to this list??

Food
1.  Eataly early July 2012
2. Per Se (this is a reach item.. kind of like Princeton on my college app list)
3. Dos Caminos (seems basic, but it's a Mexican place I've heard great things about, and given my inclination for guac, it's a must-do)  3/2012 (forget which day)
4. Amy's Bread (down the street from my apt. but have yet to be patron) 1/29/12
5. S'mac
6. Lombardi's pizza (I originally had Grimaldi's on here, but per someone's advice that Grimaldi's is over-rated, I switched it out for this one)
7. Lincoln 2/11/12
8. Chelsea Market 1/29/12
9. Carlo's Bake Shop in Hoboken 2/4/12
10. Lani Kai Hawaiin cocktail lounge

Museums/music/culture
11. MoMA
12. Tenement Museum 1/14/12
13. Museum of Natural History 1/8/12
14. NY Philharmonic concert
15. Museum of the Moving Image
16. The Cloisters/day in Harlem
17. Concert @ Terminal 5
18. Blue Note Jazz Club
19. Opera @ the Met
20. At least 1 more broadway show   5/16/12
21. Movie at Lincoln Center movie theater   1/21/12

Everything Else
22. Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge (I've done this once, but this is for my boyfriend Matt... shout out to my Babaayy!)    6/16/2012
23. Bergdorf Goodman
24. 9/11 Memorial
25. Spend a day photographing New York
26. Weekend at the Hamptons (something I've wanted to do every summer but have just not managed to make it happen)
27. Walk the entire perimeter of Central Park
28.  Professional blow-out at Dry Bar (with sister :)

Celeb Stories: Tea Leoni

For some reason I was just thinking back to one of my first celeb stalking moments in New York.  And yes, I said "stalking."  It was an intentional following.  I am not ashamed.  This memory was probably spurred on by my being slightly jellybeans of roommate Jill having been on the same flight with Joan Rivers yesterday.  But I'm not bitter, I swear ;) 

Anyway, it was a summer day and I was home sick from work with a bad cold/fever.  I had been stuck inside my Upper East Side apartment all day, and as much as I'm a home-body who loves the state of cozy especially when sick, I had the urge to get outside.  So I ventured out into the world beyond my brick walls to return a movie to Blockbuster (when they were still in business -- did I just date myself?).  I'm going to guess that movie was either "27 Dresses" or "Pride & Prejudice"... those movies were on repeat at that time of my life.  I digress.

While walking down 2nd Ave, I heard two women talking pretty crassly behind me, one dropping f-bombs like nobody's beezneez, and the other responding with a scratchy voice.  Out of curiosity (a.k.a. nosey-ness) I turned around ever so slyly to get a glimpse of just who was speaking in such a manner.  Lo and behold! It was Tea Leoni and ... well, I don't know who, but her friend I'm assuming.  And for the record, it was the unknown friend who was cursing like a drunk girl who thinks she's the life the PARTAY.  I vividly remember noting that Tea was wearing a light purple Burberry collared shirt and cowboy boots.  Anyway, I slowed my pace on the stealth, and let the ladies pass me so I could follow unnoticed.  'Twas innocent, I swear!  I just wanted to see what Tea did as a normal human being on a day out and about in the City.  

Photo courtesy of Leonionline.com

Somewhere in the 70's, the ladies turned into a teen clothing shop called Lester's (creepster store name, right?).  Every ounce of my being wanted to follow her into the store, but I maintained composure and self control and continued walking past the store toward my destination.  Granted, I walked incredibly fast for a sick person in hopes of catching Tea in Lester's on my walk back, but that's besides the point!  Well, my speedy little sick legs and luck were on my side.  On the return trip, I walked into Lester's.  While pretending to scope out some teen garb, I scanned the shop and there she was. Spotted! Tea Leoni and un-named friend at the checkout counter.  I inched closer to the counter where cute little beaded bracelets were hanging on display.  Beaded bracelets that should not be worn by anyone over the age of 10, might I add.  I studied the bracelets ever so carefully, thinking of who I could possibly buy one for just so I could get in line behind Tea. 

Bingo! My little cousin Monica. Despite the fact that I hadn't seen little Monica in about a year, she would save me! I grabbed a bracelet and hopped in line behind Tea, acting oh-so-casual and cool.  And that was that. I didn't say hi. I didn't make eye contact.  I just stood. Behind Tea Leoni.  And that was all.  Tea and her curser-friend left about 2 minutes later, and there I was, purchasing a bracelet I would give to my little cousin at some point in life.  

By now you're either judging me or laughing. Or maybe neither? Either way -- it was a memory I will savor forever.  'Cause that's Sh*t New Yorkers Do, birtches!

This was not the day of stalking, but I wore the exact same dress (I am on left -- Besty Paige on right.)

Watermelon Agua Fresca: a Sip of Summer

Photo by: Rachelraymag.com

I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July! Despite the heat, mine was filled with fun and relaxation:  picnic at Pier 84, indoor swimming, city's best margaritas at Anejo  (my new fave Mexican spot -- though no A/C!), topped off with fireworks viewed from the balcony.  All around a great summer time :)

To beat the heat and get a taste of summer, fiance-Matt and I recently made Watermelon Agua Fresca: a deliciously refreshing (nonalcoholic) watermelon beverage.  It was just sweet enough (though you can make it sweeter by adding honey), and felt like an indulgence even though it is rather healthy.  Here's the recipe, as found in Rachel Ray's Everyday magazine. 

Ingredients:

8 cups seedless watermelon (we bought pre-cubed melon from the Food Emporium)

6 tablespoons of honey or agave nectar (we used honey)

1/3 cup fresh lime juice plus 1 sliced lime (it took us 2 limes to get about 1/6 cup of lime juice, so I would recommend buying 5 limes)

A few sprigs of mint or rosemary (we used mint - it is just a garnish and does not get blended in)

How to Make?

1.  Puree in a blender or food processor the cubed watermelon.

2.  Strain the puree using a fine mesh colander.  

3.  Stir in the lime juice, 1.5 cups of water, honey, sliced lime and mint.

4.  Enjoy!

When Matt and I made the drink we forgot to add the water, so we were drinking more of a thick watermelon puree drink... but it was still delish!  Next time I might try actually blending it with ice to get a frosty treat.  Hope you all try it and love it for summery sipping :)

Our version :)

What are your favorite summer drinks? What did you do for the fourth?