Allie's Blog IV: Revenge of Allie's Blog

[Lori Dee]

Have a safe trip, Allie! Sounds like a lot of fun.

[imallie]

We had to stop to pick up a few last minute items at Target and, well, I'm not proud of this but ... share everything right?

Me (thoughtfully) : Ummm, I know this is going to sound kind of mean. But... walking around in that store made me feel really good about myself and how I look.

My wife (laughing) ok, well good for you.  Welcome to the club!

(She then offered me a fist bump)

😉

[Sephirah]

We had to stop to pick up a few last minute items at Target and, well, I'm not proud of this but ... share everything right?

Me (thoughtfully) : Ummm, I know this is going to sound kind of mean. But... walking around in that store made me feel really good about myself and how I look.

My wife (laughing) ok, well good for you.  Welcome to the club!

(She then offered me a fist bump)

😉

LOL we don't even have Target in the UK but I can kind of understand what you mean. Some people literally resent the fact they have to even get dressed to go to the shops. There have been reports of people getting arrested because they went to the supermarket in their pyjamas and dressing gown here. Not even kidding.

[imallie]

LOL we don't even have Target in the UK but I can kind of understand what you mean. Some people literally resent the fact they have to even get dressed to go to the shops. There have been reports of people getting arrested because they went to the supermarket in their pyjamas and dressing gown here. Not even kidding.

Yes, it was a combination of many factors... that among them. Even so, it was SUPER judgey of me and I'm not proud of it. But I GUESS because I was really spinning it as something to make me feel good, so it wasn't about them at all... it was a bit better. Nah, any way you slice it it wasn't very nice of me. I can be better.

[Sephirah]

Allie, there is no shame in feeling good about yourself, sweetie. Far too many people think that if they feel good about themselves, it's at the expense of other people and that they don't deserve to feel that way. It becomes a mathematical formula of "I feel X because other people are Y". That's the way wrong way to look at life.

Take the win, honey. No one got hurt by you feeling that way. As people we do, and will always compare ourselves to other people. That's just how our brains work.

You felt good. No one felt bad. Don't read into it any more than that, okay? Feel good because you put the time and effort into looking the way you want to look. You don't need to be "better". You didn't go up to anyone and laugh in their face, or say "Damn you look bad!" You just felt good about yourself. Allow yourself that, honey. Those moments are all we have in life. To make it worth living. Guilt is the hangman's noose we are all too eager to put around our necks for crimes we didn't commit.

*hugs*

[Lori Dee]

And then there is a whole website dedicated to "The People of Walmart". I'll let you do your own searching. 

[Sephirah]

And then there is a whole website dedicated to "The People of Walmart". I'll let you do your own searching. 

What is wrong with you people?

I searched that and omg... no. Just... no. Why? I am scarred, for life!

[imallie]

Yeah Sephirah, you're right. 😘

By the way, I posted this thoughtful note in the thread where the OP asked how they could pass when they felt they weren't necessarily blessed genetically (or so they claim)... and now I think instead of all I wrote I could have just said "walk through a Target or Walmart for 30 minutes and you'll feel great about how you look!" 😉

[davina61]

A bit like going around this music festival on in town, 27C yesterday and the amount of flesh on show that should have been covered up was an eye opener. XXXXX size women wearing skimpy clothes!! walking with sticks or on mobility scooters NNNNOOOOOOO.

[Oldandcreaky]

Allie, there is no shame in feeling good about yourself, sweetie. Far too many people think that if they feel good about themselves, it's at the expense of other people and that they don't deserve to feel that way. It becomes a mathematical formula of "I feel X because other people are Y". That's the way wrong way to look at life.

Take the win, honey. No one got hurt by you feeling that way. As people we do, and will always compare ourselves to other people. That's just how our brains work.

You felt good. No one felt bad. Don't read into it any more than that, okay? Feel good because you put the time and effort into looking the way you want to look. You don't need to be "better". You didn't go up to anyone and laugh in their face, or say "Damn you look bad!" You just felt good about yourself. Allow yourself that, honey. Those moments are all we have in life. To make it worth living. Guilt is the hangman's noose we are all too eager to put around our necks for crimes we didn't commit.

*hugs*

I am in love with ^this^ post.

[Oldandcreaky]

We had to stop to pick up a few last minute items at Target and, well, I'm not proud of this but ... share everything right?

Me (thoughtfully) : Ummm, I know this is going to sound kind of mean. But... walking around in that store made me feel really good about myself and how I look.

My wife (laughing) ok, well good for you.  Welcome to the club!

(She then offered me a fist bump)

😉

Hey, I was probably one of those people! j/k

[imallie]

Exhausting yet wonderful first day in NYC. I'm 36 minutes from my 1:07 am cluster headache time... and based off of today, I will either not have one because my body is so completely exhausted (please, please) or it will be an all-timer. Sadly, there's no middle ground.

So.. while I contemplate the sword of Damocles above, I shall write...

Upon arrival we dropped our bags and walked over to Hudson Yards, a nice little new.... Neighborhood? Ecosystem? Development? I don't know what they classify it as. But it's well done and we've been enjoying it the last several years. It's a bunch of high end shops and restaurants, plus some nice wide open spaces to hang out... tables, benches, shady trees, etc. It's well done, especially for Midtown, where it replaced some big ugly something.

Anyway, we went to Ci Siamo, an Italian spot that has popped up on a few "best of NYC" lists...which, for Italian food especially, is no small feat! It was cute, and the food was good. They are famous for their carmaelized onion torte ...which they very much should be. It was delicious. We split that, one of their home made pastas, and a wonderful summer bean salad. Just enough to sate two hungry gals that the start of a busy day!

We then hung out in Hudson Yards for a few hours waiting for our room to be ready. It was quiet (for the city), a nice breeze, some shade... it was perfect.

And then after a quick check in we began our night's activities.

We had a pre-theatre dinner at Butter. This is a repeat experience for us... we've been back 2-3 times. It's always excellent. It's Alex Guarnaschelli's signature restaurant (she of Food Network/Iron Chef fame). Her Parker house rolls are to die for ... and people come far and wide for her beignets, but the highlight for us tonight was something we'd not tried before... the carrot cake dessert:



This little gem is a moist carrot cake with a cream cheese icing filling, with a cinnamon gelato, caramel sauce, and sweetened crispy fried carrots on top. It will be memorable.

It was then, thankfully, just a short walk to the Golden Theatre to see Tony-Award winning Stereophonic.  It's been described as the next great American musical and an entirely new theatrical experience... and both were true. We loved it.

I do think that all the Tony hype might have brought in an audience expecting something a bit less challenging... we saw a few people walk out at intermission, and I thought the ovation at the end was 30% less than for other shows we've seen recently.

(And please don't get me started on people showing up to a Browadway show on a Saturday night— or any night really, but Saturday night? Please! — dressed in t-shirts, shorts and/or baseball caps. It's all I can do to say "oh sorry, the Greyhound terminal is two blocks down on the left..." Have some respect.  End of rant)






For those unaware, Sterephonic tells the story, over a period of 2-3 years, of a band in the late 70's (very much like Fleetwood Mac) as the navigate interpersonal relationships, struggles, drugs, and professional differences as they become the number one band in the country.

The set, as you can see, is a recording studio... and it's told completely IN the studio... as they are making an album ... and all they do in between. So while it is a "musical"... no one breaks into song, the actors are actually the musicians.... So they rehearse and record tracks for the album live in the studio, playing the instruments as well. It's quite something — the depth of talent of the cast.

It was the closest thing I've ever seen to a live action film. It really felt like something new, which was exciting. Truly. It was also 3 1/2 hours long... and FLEW by.

Ok...thats enough for day one.

Love to all,
Allie

 

[davina61]

That dessert looks delish! Have a good time dear.

[Oldandcreaky]

So they rehearse and record tracks for the album live in the studio, playing the instruments as well. It's quite something — the depth of talent of the cast.

Most people who make it to Hollywood's or Broadway's heights are deeply talented. Creativity generally isn't narrow. An actor can often play an instrument or paint. The creative compulsion pushes one into other media. I'm creative, so I write and garden. One might not think of gardening as equivalent to painting, but I'm working with form, texture, and color too to compose my gardens. Unlike a painter, who can apply paint to a canvas and immediately assess its effect, I have to foresee what a bush or tree will be through the seasons and over the years, while it's subjected to the vagaries of weather, while the Mona Lisa sits behind glass in a climate-controlled environment, sequestered forever.

I've long observed that creativity traditionally practiced by a female-majority, such as quilting, gardening, flower-arranging, knitting, etc. are considered craft, but the male-majority creativity, such as sculpting and painting, are elevated to art.

Anyway, if I owned it, I'd trade the Mona Lisa for that carrot cake.

[imallie]

It was a beautiful morning in the city today, so we took advantage of that fact.  After walking around the city a bit, we took the 1 train down to lower Manhattan so we could take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry.

The Ferry is one of NYC's really unappreciated treasures. It's part commuter transportation and part sight-seeing boat ride. And it's completely free, all the time (despite the fact that, on occasion, some nefarious types will sit out front and accost obvious tourists with offers of "premium tickets"... when in reality no tickets whatsoever exist!)

The views from the Ferry of lower Manhattan, the skyline, the Statue of Liberty... it's really a nice way to spend an hour (30 minutes each way)..







Afterwards we visited another much less well-known location not far away, it's called the "Elevated Acre" and it's located at 55 Water street for those looking for it. (Look for the escalator tucked between the office entrances).

It's this rooftop public park, open to the public, with spectacular views of the East River, Brooklyn, and the Brooklyn Bridge. It has lots of flowers and green space, shady places to hang out and relax... benches and tables... and a huge green space. And most of the time no one is there. When we visited it was us and one other person.  It's a little oasis.

Sorry for no pics, all the pics we took were with me and the wife!

We then went to lunch at Le Gratin, a little French bistro by chef Daniel Boulud. His "Daniel" is one of the city's top fine dining restaurants, but this, while also wonderful, is a smaller more intimate space in the financial district... named after a dish for which his grandmother was famous.

I had Steak Frites, my wife Moules Frites... and we, of course tried the signature potatoes... along with a stunning chocolate cake. The atmosphere (a live three piece band playing lovely, NOT LOUD music), service and food were all on point. We will definitely return!

[Lori Dee]

Those pics are wonderful. You could frame them and sell them for $100 or more each! Looks like beautiful weather too. I've gained ten pounds just looking at those food pics.

[imallie]

I hear you! The key is to walk it off.... Which in this city is easy! Although tonight is a challenge.  Heading out to a 21-course Michelin Star omakase dinner. They're all mostly one bite but it's quite an experience!!!!

[Lori Dee]

For that, you might have to sleep it off. 

[imallie]

Sushi Nakazawa was, as it was on our first visit, outstanding. Perhaps even better this time, if possible. We ascribe that intangible to having brought a couple of dear friends with us, and sharing the experience with them was also wonderful.

The bulk of the meal's 21-courses are, of course, amazing single-bite pieces of nigiri. Extraordinary, really. So first with which you're familiar, tasting so much brighter, richer and fuller than any version you've ever tasted, and some make of ingredients you'd never heard of or normally would avoid - but here you ravenously chow up the moment the chef places it in front of you.

Here's just SOME of the photos. The first two were so-called appetizers... #1 was a wagyu beef tartare with caviar on nori, while #2 was crab with an uni cream sauce. Both were incredible.





Next up, the nigiri. In case any are wondering, I took these photos the moment the piece was laid down before me with my right and then then immediately ate it with my left.  It is an insult NOT to eat the fish immediately when presented, as that is when it is at its height of flavor (and the reason why a sushi chef's counter experience is wildly better than a table experience where food is brought to you.)

Nigiri is also meant to be eaten in one bite. I think most people who eat sushi know that. Well our friend who joined us this evening obviously did not. She was turning each piece into two bites, until our chef gently chided her - "one bite, please".  Our interaction was wonderful. He told us stories of where each fish was sourced, which fish we shouldn't eat from a grocery store,etc etc.

But in all of that, when he was coaching our friend I found a nugget that will stick with me. He offered to make her pieces smaller even than he was doing if she wished... because he really wanted her to do one bite. When she asked why, he said because the seasoning on a piece of nigiri is placed underneath the fish, in the middle. As too is any seasoning on top of the piece (mandarin zest, a bit of sauce, etc).  So if you bite in half, you might get all or none of the seasonings in one bite, and each bite will be unbalanced.

Thus - one bite.

Anyway, a few snaps of the one bites:












And finally, the "desserts"

The first is a sweet and savory eel nigiri. I know, sweet eel? Don't knock it until you try it. It's quite the memorable bite!

Next is a signature dish - the tamago (or egg custard). For those who saw Jiro Dreams of Sushi, this is the dish the owner Mr. Nakazawa himself spent 10 years making in that legendary Japanese sushi spot. He made NOTHING but this dish, until he was ready to advance.

And lastly a Japanese milk pudding with green matcha tea (think lighter creme brûlée)

[davina61]

Made my street food Thai rice/chicken/tempura with sweet and sour sauce look like road kill!!