We’ve been having a lovely break so far. More updates to come later this weekend, but for now, have a look at these lovely coffee cake muffins that I made for brunch this morning!
[Conde Nast] said this morning that it will produce three “special edition” magazines built around recipes that were published in Gourmet before its demise last year. The first, called Gourmet Quick Kitchen, is made up of 81 fast recipes, freshened up with new photography, kitchen hints and menus that suggest wine pairings.
Read more from the Diner’s Journal blog at the New York Times.
People have grown accustomed to being tracked online and shown ads for categories of products they have shown interest in, be it tennis or bank loans.
Increasingly, however, the ads tailored to them are for specific products that they have perused online. While the technique, which the ad industry calls personalized retargeting or remarketing, is not new, it is becoming more pervasive as companies like Google and Microsoft have entered the field. And retargeting has reached a level of precision that is leaving consumers with the palpable feeling that they are being watched as they roam the virtual aisles of online stores.
This is overkill, no? Read the full story from the New York Times.
It was one of those “not a cloud in the sky” kind of days. Perfect for a ferry ride and some 1920′s jazz, no? As I wrote on Friday, Governor’s Island played host to the Jazz Age Lawn Party, which was too irresistible to ignore! There was dancing! Barbecue! Flappers! And tastiest of all, St. Germain cocktails! You can bet we’ll be stocking that in the bar from now on.
Check out some of Guy’s photos from this afternoon:
And in case you want to see some seriously awesome 20′s style dancing…
So! As planned, on Saturday I went to my first “real” ballet class at a legit, grown-up dance studio! Steps on Broadway is right above Fairway (our favorite grocery store) on 74th and super easy to get to from our place, which bodes well for future visits. It was a beautiful day so I decided to walk to the studio and enjoy the sunshine.
In the Studio
I got there early so I had some time to people watch and meditate on the differences between a yoga studio and a dance studio. The atmosphere is definitely old New York - gorgeous hardwood floors and original fixtures, flattering lights and framed headshots on the wall. None of the modern-urban-minimalist-amenity-laden look that some of the new yoga studios have.
Inside there is the hustle and bustle that one would expect – girls and women (and a few men) everywhere in varying states of undress, with varying degrees of makeup, stretching, bending, contorting, laughing, chatting, texting. One girl was standing en pointe at the barre, hair in bun, aloof, and… texting. Yes – standing on the very tops of her toes, like it was nothing, texting. ! There were women who looked (forgive me) decidedly middle aged, who were outrageously – I mean, seriously – flexible. They just picked their legs up and moved them about, almost as if they weren’t connected at their hip joints at all. Me? I sat quietly in a corner and gawked at all of this. I mean, I do yoga but I can’t pick my leg up and put it over my head. Not yet, anyway.
During Class
So the class was an hour and a half, and let me just say it is lucky that I have taken some beginner classes at NYU prior to this. At least I understood some of the French (tendu, pas de bourree, plie, releve) but in general, the teacher would “mark” the combination of steps we were to do, throwing in some French and gesturing far too quickly for me to catch on, and then expect us to follow. I just tried to pay attention and follow the other students around me, as I imagine Guy did when he came to yoga with me for the first time. In yoga, the teachers typically name the poses in Sanskrit and expect you to know what they’re talking about. In ballet it’s the same – only I don’t know what they’re talking about.
There were exercises at the barre for about half the class, which was ok because everyone is standing stationery and it’s easy to follow the people around you. The second half, where you come into the center of the room, was a bit touch and go. There were leaps! Twirls! Jumps! ”Turn out! Point your feet! Straighten your legs!” There are arm movements to go with the feet positions. Basically, I was a sweaty, dizzy mess at the end of class. But it sure was fun.
Also, did I mention there is a pianist in the corner, who plays along with the exercises? I am smitten.
Something to Look Forward to
I think I am going to do a beginner workshop in the fall!
After you’ve lived in New York for awhile, it’s surprisingly easy to get complacent, staying within your own neighborhood (read: 5-block radius from your apartment), refusing to go up- or downtown to see friends or go out to eat. I suppose this doesn’t happen to some people but it definitely happens to me and others. Anywho, this weekend, Guy and I are going to do some fun New York things!
Saturday afternoon: I’m going to take a beginner ballet class at Steps. We’ll see just how intimidating this is! Something tells me “beginner” at Steps and “beginner” at NYU probably don’t mean the same thing…
Saturday evening: we’re going to the Central Park Film Festival to watch the Woody Allen classic “Manhattan.”
Sunday: if we’re very ambitious, I think we will go to the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor’s Island! Doesn’t this sound awesome?
Celebrate summer’s remaining days Gatsby-style at this ’20s-themed afternoon of dancing, picnicking, and music courtesy of Michael Arenella and his 11-piece Dreamland Orchestra. Read more…
I’ll report back!
Every mother knows intellectually that her children are flawed human beings, so then why should it be such a surprise when their less-than-desirable personality traits and behaviors begin to surface? I think the answer lies in the fantasy we bring to motherhood today.
The thought has crossed my mind: “If I am making so many mistakes and have so little control, why should I keep trying?” Fortunately for my children, it is not as simple to dump your kids as your spouse.
Read more over at Motherlode.
photo: markbittman.com
So I think I’d have to say that this is the first time Mark Bittman has failed us. Last night we made sweet potato and quinoa salad from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and it was pretty… not good. It was the first time Guy or I had ever had quinoa (pronounced “KEEN-wah”) and I think it was probably also the last. Some call it the “supergrain of the future” because it has significantly more protein than other types of grain. Be that as it may, I thought it was fairly bland. The recipe also calls for red bell pepper, sweet potato, shallots and olive oil + balsamic vinegar. Other than the crunch from the raw red pepper, the texture was uniformly mushy and the flavor was dull. Well, you win some, you lose some I guess. Alas!
photo: eater.com
Eataly, Mario Batali’s newest Italian food emporium, is going to open on Tuesday, August 31st. I fully intend to check it out since it’s on the way to my yoga studio and I pass it every day. Apparently it’s 50,000 square feet of pasta-pizza-prosciutto goodness. It’s on 5th Ave at 22nd St in case you want to go, too!
