Happy Friday!

Illustration by Lindsey Frances | Prints available here

Things that happened recently:

A woman tried to bring her "emotional support peacock" on a plane and—shocker—she wasn't allowed. This article makes some good points about how the emotional support animal culture has gotten out of control, and also every time I see a peacock now I think of this scene.

Does anyone else watch—and cry throughout every episode of—This is Us? There were two extra-emotional episodes this week and I thought that Jack's death reveal was handled expertly (and was, not surprisingly, exquisitely sad).

I'm sure you've heard about PepsiCo's maddeningly dumb idea to make quiet chips for women, but if you happen to be a woman who loves loud, crunchy, cheesy chips (like me) you should hunt down a bag of these, my new favorite chips (or at the very least they're tied for first with these).

---

Things to do in New York this week:

Today in Greenpoint, Acme Smoked Fish will be attempting to make the World's Largest Bagel and Lox sandwich. The free event begins at noon, and participants are invited to help eat the sandwich after it's completed and measured for the Guinness Book of World Records.

Tonight is this Mind Reading and Mysticism event at one of my favorite (definitely haunted) NYC historic houses, the Merchant's House Museum. There are a few VIP tickets left, but just reading the description makes me want to start this book about the Fox sisters that's been sitting on my shelf for years.

The Westminster Dog Show is at Madison Square Garden on Monday and Tuesday. My mom and I got tickets for Monday night (including toy, hound and non-sporting categories) and I'll be re-watching this in preparation.

---

Things I discovered recently:

Have you seen the trailer for the upcoming movie about Sarah Winchester starring Helen Mirren? I'm obsessed with the Winchester Mystery House, and I can't wait until I finally get to tour it in real life (now that my friend Jim lives in CA we should get serious about planning this). They just recently opened parts of the house that weren't previously available to tour, and I've put this book on my wish list to read before I go.

I recently discovered this great shop filled with all sorts of creepy curiosities (and reasonably priced!) and couldn't resist buying this funeral sign.

Lindsey is my skincare guru and she recommended this magical green cream—it's a moisturizer, SPF and color-corrector all in one. I am hopelessly clueless about makeup/skincare but I'm trying to learn more and get a routine that works for me, so I'm excited to try this. I'm also accepting any and all recommendations for products that help oily/yet dry/acne prone skin because I'm so over having breakouts as an adult.

---

As of now the weather forecast for this weekend looks pretty grim—warmer, but with rain likely on both days. Finding rain shoes that I don't hate has been a total life-changer for me, but luckily I have a few indoor activities planned. On Saturday morning, my mom and I will probably hop over to New Jersey to check out the oddities market and grab pancakes at the Brownstone Diner and Pancake Factory. On Saturday night, my friend Sabrina and I are going to see David Cross at Union Hall in Brooklyn and we have plans to grab burgers here before the show.

No plans for Sunday yet, but if it's still raining maybe David and I will see The Phantom Thread. I've been told by multiple people that it's "bizarre" but that I'd like it (I'll take that as a compliment). We saw The Shape of Water last week and it was so, so good—it's my personal pick for Best Picture this year, but we'll see if that holds after seeing some of the others. I hope you have a great weekend, and stay dry if you're in the New York area!

Happy Friday!

Caffe Reggio illustration by Lindsey Frances

Things that happened recently:

It seems like every week I read another article related to the #metoo movement that makes me think/rage/and feel every other emotion possible. Here's this week's: The Female Price of Male Pleasure.

Despite having very little interest in children (having my own or dealing with other people's) I have been forever obsessed with mom blogs and this article is a fascinating glimpse into the life of a toddler who recently went viral and her mom, who now manages her daughter full-time.

This famous photo was taken 50 years ago and it's still just as unbelievable as when it was first published.

---

Things to do in New York this weekend:

Today is Groundhog Day and I'll never be able to forget the time that Mayor DeBlasio "dropped" Staten Island Chuck (who was actually Charlotte, Chuck's granddaughter) and she died a week later. Also, the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn is screening the movie Groundhog Day (only once) tonight at 10pm.

Saturday is the monthly Target First Saturdays celebration at the Brooklyn Museum. This month's night is honoring Black History Month with talks, movies, hands-on art workshops, music and more—all free from 5-11 pm. Also, here are some helpful reminders about Black History Month.

Of course you probably know that Sunday is the Super Bowl, and while I don't care at all about football, I do care a great deal about commercials and snacks. I might try my hand at making this delicious-looking cheese dip (minus the devil weed, cilantro) and I already know there won't be leftovers.

---

Things I've discovered recently:

I'm trying to stick with my goal of reading more books from my own bookshelf this year, so I started reading this book and I'm loving it so far. I think it's even better than The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and every few sentences I think "damn!" about Michael Chabon's wonderful descriptions and phrasing.

Elton John has announced a three-year farewell tour and I HAVE to get tickets. Tickets for his 2018 Madison Square Garden shows go on sale this morning at 10 am so wish me luck!

I love everything that comes out of the design duo Brave the Woods, but I finally pulled the trigger and bought this Paul and Blue print since I recently saw my first (and hopefully not my last) set of Bunyan and Babe statues.

---

I had a short work week since we were in Florida on Monday and Tuesday, so this weekend came up on me fast. David and I will probably watch the Super Bowl on Sunday (aka eat a lot of snacks) and maybe see a movie. I'm doing a movie marathon of some of the Oscar-nominated films in a few weeks, but I still need to see The Shape of Water and The Phantom Thread. I'm also hoping to sleep in, maybe finish my book and hopefully have at least one diner breakfast. I love traveling, but sometimes I look forward to our weekend routines just as much. I hope you have a great weekend, however you choose to spend it!

Happy Friday!

Illustration by Lindsey Frances  //  2018 Women's March photos here

Things that happened recently:

David alerted me to this recent New Yorker article about one of our favorite places in Brooklyn, Dead Horse Bay. If you want to know more about Barren Island (like I did) here is another good article about it and I'm excited to read this book that I recently ordered about the history of New York City's garbage. 

The Schitt's Creek season 4 premiere was this week—I'm obsessed with this show and it's killing me to have to wait for it to come to Netflix (you can watch seasons 1-3 now). The cast came to 92Y this week and you can watch the talk here and a short trailer for season 4 here ("It's probably nothing, but I think I've killed a man").

This week the US had its 11th school shooting—of 2018. The New York Times didn't mince words with this headline and I think this tweet perfectly explains how absurd things feel right now.

---

Things to do in New York this weekend:

The Central Park Winter Jam is this Saturday, featuring skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, ice sculpting and something called "arctic golf." Because we now live in a wacky weather world, the event has a rain date (February 3rd) and one year it was cancelled altogether because it had snowed too much. 

It's New York Restaurant Week, which somewhat confusingly lasts more than two weeks from January 22-February 9th. I don't have plans (yet) but in the past I've gone to the Russian Tea Room, Delmonico's and Red Rooster. During Restaurant Week a three-course prix-fixe lunch is only $29 and dinner is $42.

The warmer weather this weekend would be perfect for ice skating—the LeFrak Center in Prospect Park is usually less crowded than other city rinks and it's only $9 for adults.

---

Things I've discovered recently:

After reading this article about the fascinating trend of arsenic wallpapers, I spent way too long browsing this book of samples, digitized because even with careful handling the book is dangerous to your health.

I became enamored with The Everywhereist after reading her viral cinnamon roll post and I immediately reserved her book at the library. I started reading it this week and it's so good. I love medical non-fiction and really dense novels, but every once in a while a smart, snappy memoir is the perfect brain snack. 

After browsing photos of myself on Facebook (this is a normal thing to do, right?) I realized that most of my clothes were 10+ years old and I decided that I deserved something new and pretty. I then impulse-bought this sweater exclusively because of the color, and it's so soft and warm and I hope I have it for at least the next ten years.

---

Ok, so this is actually the weekend when David and I are going to Florida. His parents have a house in Bradenton, so we'll be flying into Sarasota on Saturday and staying with them until Tuesday. I have a few fun things on my list to see, including the mermaids at Weeki Wachee, a dinosaur-shaped auto center and the sponge capital of the world. We're also going to revisit Tootsie, who has recently undergone a dramatic makeover and probably hang out a beach at some point (because David loves the beach and I love him). The weather is supposed to warm up again in New York, but I'm still looking forward to temps in the 70s and exploring the weird whimsy that is unique to Florida. Have a great weekend, wherever it takes you!

Happy Friday!

Illustration by Lindsey Frances

Things that happened recently:

Everyone is talking about Aziz Ansari this week—here are two good articles that I think do a good job of explaining why this story matters and why it's not just as simple as "she should've just left."

The flu is particularly nasty this year, and ever since reading this book about the 1918 pandemic I've been terrified of living through a similar situation. Apparently the flu shot is even less effective this year than in year's past, so be careful out there, wash your hands and don't be that jerk who comes into work sick and infects your coworkers!

I never thought it would happen, but the basket-shaped Longaberger Basket headquarters in Newark, Ohio has finally sold—and while the new owners will repurpose the inside, they intend to keep the iconic basket shape.

---

Things to do in New York this weekend:

Today is Edgar Allan Poe's birthday (happy 209th, Edgar!) and tomorrow the Bronx HIstorical Society will celebrate his life "with an illustrated presentation about his famous work experience living in the Bronx." The free event will be held at the Poe Visitor Center, located right next to Poe's cottage on Grand Concourse in the Bronx.

I've taken several tours at Green-Wood Cemetery and they're always excellent. This Saturday you can take a Dead Distillers Trolley Tour, and visit the Green-Wood residents with connections to whiskey distilling. The tour also includes a tour and tasting at Kings County Distillery in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. If you can't make the tour, you can read the book or read my review of it here.

Can you believe it's been an entire year since the Women's March? There are anniversary marches all over the country, and I'm planning to join the one here on Saturday.

---

Things I've discovered this week:

I caved and finally ordered this bathmat that I don't need but definitely wanted. It's backordered until February, but it will be a nice surprise whenever it shows up.

Like the rest of the Internet, I'm obsessed with the Google Arts and Culture app. I keep getting matched with pasty old Dutch women in bonnets and young men (pretty accurate, tbh) and I'm still laughing at this tweet.

I started reading From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death this week and my copy had a postcard slipped inside about the art exhibit, Icons in Ash (I bought my copy at a book signing event with the author at Green-Wood Cemetery). The New York exhibition unfortunately ended in May, but Heide Hatry's cremation portraits (using actual cremains to create a portrait of the deceased) are incredible.

---

So David and I are going to Florida on the 27th, but I thought it was this weekend until a few days ago, so I basically discovered an entire week in January that I didn't know existed. We never got to watching The Godfather parts 2 and 3 last weekend but it's supposed to be warmer this weekend so maybe that will have to wait until we feel like hibernating again. On Saturday I'm planning to join the Women's March here in the city (details above) and I'm looking forward to being able to shed a few layers since the high is supposed to hit 50 (a heat wave!). I hope you have a good weekend, wherever you're spending it!

Happy Friday!

Illustration by Lindsey Frances

Things that happened this week:

This technically happened last week, but Fred Bass, the owner of the Strand bookstore died at age 89. Lindsey and I share a love of The Strand and its 18 miles of books, so she illustrated its famous building this week, as a tribute to Bass. It's also her birthday tomorrow—Happy Birthday, Lindsey!

The extreme cold finally broke a few days ago, but the temperature is going to drop again this weekend. Here's a fascinating (and upsetting) look at how the subway trains turn into de facto homeless shelters in the winter.

Everyone is talking about Oprah this week after her inspiring Golden Globes speech (and rightfully so), but Meryl will always be my number one.

---

Things to do in New York this weekend:

It's the last weekend to see Gingerbread Lane—the Guinness World Record holder for "largest gingerbread village" for the past four years—at the New York Hall of Science. I've still never been to the Hall of Science, but it was originally built for the 1964/65 World's Fair and it's been on my to-do list since I moved here. On Sunday, from 2-5pm you can take home a piece of the village for free (BYOB - bring your own box or bag).

There's an Edvard Munch exhibit at the Met Breuer that I need to go see. Munch is one of my favorite artists, and although the Met has decided to start charging admission to tourists, the admission price to the Met Museums (including the Cloisters and the Met Breuer) for New York residents is still just "suggested."

The Post opens in more theaters today, and if you haven't seen it, go! I know I'm biased with my love of all things Meryl, but this movie feels so important right now.

---

Things I discovered this week:

I'm always a million years late to things that are popular, but I started watching Big Little Lies this week and finished all seven episodes in two days. It was so good and I can't wait for season two, but in the meantime I'll be listening to this playlist on Spotify.

I finished reading The Leavers this week—it was so good—and started The Mysterious Benedict Society. I've already finished three books in 2018 and that puts me two books ahead in my reading challenge for the year. 

I've officially become one of those people who complains to brands on Twitter. After being turned away from Sweetgreen at lunch on Monday due to their system being down (and the fact that they no longer accept cash), I tweeted about it and they replied immediately and added a $20 credit to my account! I'm already in the cult of Sweetgreen because of their magically delicious salads, but now I'm equally impressed with their customer service. 

---

David and I celebrated our three-year anniversary this week (with a free Sweetgreen lunch) and we have plans to see a few friends this weekend, but not much else on the agenda for now. We have Monday off for MLK day, and we had planned to take a tour of Eclectic Props in LIC but they had a water main break so the tour was cancelled. I already had a diner picked out (of course), but I'm scrambling to make new plans. It's supposed to get cold again here, so maybe we'll just continue watching The Godfather trilogy (we still have to watch parts 2 and 3) on Neflix. I hope you have a good weekend and enjoy your extra day off, if you have one!

Happy Friday!

I'm trying something a little new in 2018. Instead of 365 Project posts, every Friday I'll post some fun links and feature things to do, along with an illustration from my super talented friend Lindsey. Lindsey is "dedicated to keeping a visual and written sketchbook about eating and traveling in New York City and abroad" and I love discovering new parts of the city through her illustrations. She made this lovely 2018 calendar, and you can download it here for free (and hire her for commissions!).

---

Things that happened this week:

Guy Fieri's "no-star" restaurant in Times Square has closed after five years. We went last year, and let me just say that I'm not at all surprised that it closed, but I'm definitely surprised that it lasted five years after this infamous review.

On Monday night, there was a major fire at the diner my mom and frequent. It's been in business for over 50 years and we just had breakfast there on New Year's Eve. I'm hoping for a speedy recovery but I'm also nervous because classic diners like this are an endangered species here in the city.

Do you make New Year's resolutions? I don't really, but I love reading about how to actually make realistic changes to your life—this article has a lot of great tips on how to start.

---

Things to do in New York this weekend:

The No Pants Subway Ride is still going on despite the bone-chilling cold (posting this information not so you can do this, but actively avoid it).

The Holiday Train Show is still going on at the NYBG until January 15th. I didn't go this year, but here are my photos from 2014 and 2013.

This is the last weekend for the Volez, Voguez, Voyagez Louis Vuitton exhibit. It's at the American Stock Exchange building and admission is free (online reservation required).

---

Things I discovered this week:

Through an Instagram rabbit-hole I discovered the incredible work of Laura Plansker and immediately bought one of her handmade salami ornaments. 

I also discovered this Instagram account called UnsolvedMysteriesPeople—which is exactly what it sounds like—and it's so good.

I bought these shoes a few weeks ago after searching for years for a "sneaker rain boot" and they're not warm enough to wear in these arctic temps but they're so comfortable and for the first time in my life I'm actually looking forward to rain.

---

I have no plans for this weekend, mostly because Saturday is supposed to be a high of 10 degrees. I love winter in the city (especially all of the snow we've had so far!) but this extended cold snap has really zapped me of any desire to do anything except sit under blankets and watch movies. It looks like we'll be back to somewhat normal temps next week (in the 30s), but until then a diner breakfast is probably all I'll be able to manage. My mom and I have decided that it is our civic duty to patronize a local diner every week, and we're doing a pretty good job of keeping that promise. I hope you have a great weekend, and if it's cold where you are stay warm!