Totally 'Wicked'

If you want to see a theater production or musical, one of the best places to go is Broadway in New York City. Walking down the streets and taking in all the show marquees is really amazing. There are so many great shows that it's hard to decide which one to see because every show seems to get rave reviews. However, Wicked was the show on my list. I literally have not heard one bad thing about the show from women or surprisingly men. So we ventured to the Gerswin Theatre, which is located near Columbus Circle, to take the magical adventure that is Wicked.

Gerswin Theatre was much bigger than the ones I have been to previously. Once we got to our seats, it was hard not to notice the incredible set. Stretched across the top of the stage was a giant dragon with red eyes that would later blow smoke and flap its wings. The backdrop was a map of Oz and the sides were flanked with wooden staircases. It was obvious that the show really does take you to a magical place. What is 'Wicked' about you ask? It is the story about the witches of Oz and how they get to be the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch. Everything about this show is amazing. The plot moves along rather quickly so it's easy to follow, there is a good balance between singing and talking, the costumes are beautiful, and there was a surprising amount of humor in the show. (I think the humor is what probably makes it so appealing for both genders.) However, the cast did a phenomenal job! They were perfect for the roles and I literally felt like I was in the story and definitely did not want it to end. If you are ever in an area where this show is playing, go see it! It is absolutely fantastic and fun for all ages. I can't wait to go see it again.

Serepidity

When someone says Serendipity, a movie might pop into your head. However, it's the restaurant called Serendipity 3 that's featured in the movie that made it famous for me. Once you walk down the stairs, you see all the tables have these soda fountain type chairs and the decor is whimsical. They serve food, but I went for their one famous dessert... frozen hot chocolate! It is somewhat like the texture of a milkshake, but with ice chips in it. The chocolate flavor tastes more like a chocolate malt than a milkshake. It is served in a bowl and topped with a healthy dose of delicious whipped cream and freshly grated chocolate. It's so delicious, but something that you have to share! It's pretty addictive and definitely makes everyone's heads turn when they bring it out. Whenever you order one, someone at another table will ask you what it is. They have other flavors like mint and peanut butter chocolate, but we decided to stick to the original. It makes you feel like you are at an old school soda shop because you are sharing it with someone. I have to day that it's probably one of my favorite things and something that I need to work on recreating at home.

Basically, you need to share all of their desserts. This is the size of their sundaes and it's not a joke. It's like everything is larger than life. This was just plain vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, and of course a cherry. The hot fudge was more like partially melted chocolate that wasn't too sweet...definitely not the plain old fudge out of a squeeze bottle. When you order dessert, just know that you won't be finishing it. They are so good and reasonably priced. Though this place is a bit hidden, it is definitely worth going to. Plus it's open until midnight, so it's a great late night find. There may be a short wait, but I can guarantee you it's worth it! Make sure to stop by and try anything off the dessert menu because it all looks so delicious!

Sightseeing Galore

One of the neat things about New York is how you can just walk into things. While we were walking around the Madison Square Park area, we ran into the famous Flatiron building. This uniquely shaped building has made several film and TV appearances and was one of the first two skyscrapers in New York. We also tried to stop by the 9/11 Memorial, however, we didn't know that you needed to reserve a time. The tickets are free, but you need to reserve a time, so we walked around the visitors center and put it on the list for next time. Since we were down in the Financial District, we of course had to make a stop at the New York Stock Exchange. Though we didn't get to go in, there are tours you can take where they take you inside and give you all the insider information you are dying to know.

Photo Courtesy of Tony the Misfit

Walking down Wall Street, we also happened to stumble on Trinity Church. Literally we turned a corner and there it was. (And yes, it was in the National Treasure movie.) It was beautiful and it was like a step back into history. It was a stark contrast to all the modernness of New York today, but it was beautiful and a reminder of the roots of our country. There is also an app for your phone called History Here that will give you the location and information on all the historical things around you. This is especially handy if you are somewhere and are walking around on your own. Being able to walk around and take in all the sights of New York was amazing and is a reminder to always stop and enjoy life.

Take a Walk Down Butter Lane

There is something magical about a cupcake. I think it's because they come in so many different shapes, sizes, and flavors. During our travels, we decided to take a walk down to East Village to Butter Lane for one of their cupcake classes. We made three different cakes: vanilla, chocolate, and banana with six different icings: vanilla, raspberry, chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, cream cheese, and cinnamon cream cheese. Now I know that banana sounds weird (and I was skeptical at first too), but it was light and delicious. The teacher was really knowledgeable and made the process really easy. Though it helped that everything was measured out already, but it the cupcake process is really easy. The thing I found interesting was that the batter was mixed for a lot longer than I thought. I guess that's how they get the light and airy cake. The basic steps to making a cupcake start with creaming the butter and sugar together. While that's mixing you put together the dry ingredients which were flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs one by one until they are fully incorporated. Then you mix in half the dry ingredients, all the buttermilk, and the other half of the flour mixture. I thought it was also interesting that we used buttermilk...Something I will have to try when I make these at home. Lastly, gently add the mashed banana and then it's time to go into the pan. *Side note: apparently the best way to mash a banana is with a paddle attachment in the mixer. We used an ice cream scoop which I have recently started using because it makes for much easy batter filling and more even cupcakes. They go into a 300 degree oven for 23 minutes and when they come out they are delicious.

While we were waiting for the cupcakes to bake, we started on the three basic icings. We were handling the cream cheese icing which only included butter, cream cheese, and confectioner's sugar. So, obviously not the most healthy, but then again icing isn't really healthy, but it was delicious. It wasn't overly sweet, didn't leave a film in your mouth, and was light and airy. Another interesting lesson I learned from the class was the best way to test if a cupcake is cool enough to ice is to test it on the inside of your wrist that way you avoid destroying the top of the cupcake. As they finished cooling, the teacher showed us how to make the other three icings. I guess I never really thought about making a few different ones. Butter Lane makes their cupcakes with as many fresh and local ingredients as they can. They make all their preserves in house and you can really taste the difference. When she was demonstrating how to do the chocolate peanut butter icing, she said you can't use organic peanut butter because it is too oily, which is good to know.

Next, we were shown the proper way to ice a Butter Lane cupcake. Interestingly enough, you take a dollop of icing and smooth it out on the side of the bowl. That gets all the air bubbles out and makes it easier to smooth into a ball. Once you have the small icing ball, you hold the spatula at a 45 degree angle and put the icing in the center and spread it out. Then for the finishing touch, you put an indentation in the middle and leave a little bit of the cake showing. You each get to take home a box of 9 cupcakes and get to eat a few while you are there, so this is definitely worth it. However, there was no way that we were going to eat 18 cupcakes in a day, so we gave them away but of course saved a few to try. If you get a chance, take the class because you get to make some new friends, learn how to make a few varieties of cupcakes, and you get some to go! There is really no losing in this situation. We had so much fun and really enjoyed Butter Lane!

A Donut and A Stroll Through the Park

There are few perfect days that I get to experience. Everyone jokes that the seasons around here are spring and summer. There may only be a handful of fall and winter weather days, so I appreciate them even more when I get to experience them. On this beautiful morning in New York, we found ourselves down by Chelsea and the Flat Iron District. The goal was to find the Doughnut Plant. Now, I know that one: doughnuts are not healthy for you and two: that you think they are always them same...wrong! Let me just say the Doughnut Plant does not make average doughnuts. When you visit, you can choose between yeast, cake, or doughnut seeds (aka giant doughnut holes). Not only are the flavors out of this world, but they are much bigger than your average donut. I warn you though, once you eat these you will never want to go back to the regular ones.  Since I don't eat doughnuts too often, I was okay with the splurge. Though I usually prefer cake doughnuts, I decided to try a cake and a yeast doughnut as we took in the peaceful scenery of Madison Square Park.

Yes, the square thing is indeed a doughnut... a peanut butter and jelly doughnut that is. What more could you ask for then two childhood favorites rolled into one. And boy, did it taste exactly like it's sandwich counterpart! It was crunchy on the outside and the inside was a good ratio of jelly and doughnut. The cake doughnut I had was tres leche. It was almost beyond words and I am drooling just thinking about it. The inside was soaked in the milk and then it was glazed on the outside. It wasn't too soggy or sweet and the flavors exploded in my mouth. We opted to try the seasonal flavors which were raspberry and orange blossom cashew. The raspberry one was very natural tasting, but wasn't overwhelming sweet and its color was beautiful. I wasn't sure what to expect with the orange blossom cashew, but I was pleasantly surprised. The crunch of the cashew in the outside and the twist of citrus proved to be a very complementary pair. It was a light and refreshing flavor and not something I have ever had before. All I can say is that Doughnut Plant is somewhere that you should definitely check out if you are on the area because it will completely change your view on doughnuts. It's probably really good that there isn't one here because I think I would definitely be eating doughnuts way more often than I should!

Table for Tapas, Please!

Photo Courtesy of Amsterdam

So getting to go on vacation and see a friend was a real treat, especially when it happens in the beautiful city of New York! I haven't had the opportunity to visit the Upper West Side during my previous travels to New York, so this was great. We went to this place called Amsterdam Restaurant and Tapas. I love tapas because you get to try a ton of different things and you don't feel overly full afterwards. We opted to try fried calamari, spicy Thai garlic shrimp, duck tacos, and sweet potato and apple pierogies. We got so caught up in the delicious food and chatting that I didn't get to take many pictures, so forgive me.

The calamari had a great seasoned coating and the remoulade sauce was amazing. The spicy Thai garlic shrimp were super spicy, but they were light and full of flavor. I have never had duck before, but we were feeling adventurous so we gave it a shot. It wasn't too bad, but it really wasn't my favorite and I probably won't be trying it again. The duck was similar to chicken and the sweetness of the pear added an interesting twist to it. However, it was the sweet potato and apple pierogies that were the favorite of the night. For those of you that don't know what a pierogi is, it's a dough that is first boiled and then fried and stuffed. I would have never put together sweet potato and apple together but it was heavenly! It was fluffy, sweet, and full of autumn spice. These are definitely something that I would eat more often if I was closer... but it's probably good that I'm not.

Since we were in the area, we of course had to take a detour through the Columbia campus. Even at night it was beautiful, though much smaller than some of the other campuses I have been to (which isn't all that surprising). This was the main library of the campus when it first opened, though it has since been changed to an office building. I didn't get to see it during the day, but I am glad that I got a chance to visit while I was up there. It's definitely something to stop by and see if you are in the area.

Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel

I was lucky enough to be able to jet off to New York City this weekend for a short getaway. I love New York and the weather was beautiful, so it was a great way to kick off fall. I decided to go off the beaten path and chose a boutique hotel called Fitzpatrick Manhattan located in Midtown. This hotel is run by an Irish family (so everyone had fantastic accents) and was perfect for a more manly experience. It had dark wood, library chairs, and lots of leather. There is some old world charm, like the mail drop, and the pictures of the owner with special guests made it feel personal. The canopy bed made the room feel cozy and it was surprisingly quiet. The staff was very attentive and friendly and the rooms were bigger than I anticipated. If you are looking for a neat little hotel, this is the place to go. If you have some other fun places you stay, let me know because I am already planning my next trip!