#adventuretime - OBX!

I recently took a trip to the Outer Banks and it was oh so lovely! We stayed in Corolla which is the farthest north you can go before you have to drive on the sand. A few of my favorite things:

1. Watching the sun set over the sound. Duh! Grab a glass of rosé or local beer and head out to the pier closest to you. If you're lucky you'll choose one that isn't too crowded. The view from The Whalehead Club is AMAZING.

        This is a painting of the Whalehead Club and Currituck Lighthouse by Robert Dance

2. Getting fresh fish every day at the market. I went to Dockside North Seafood Market, flirted with some surfers and bought whatever looked delicious...and it WAS! (here's a tip - bring a big pot of water with a Zatarain's Crab boil packet, a halved lemon and a cup of vermouth to boil, add a couple pounds of shrimp for like 3 minutes and immediately strain and dump them into a big bowl of ice. #YUMS)

3. Wild horses! Need I say more?

4. Beer and seafood at North Banks Restaurant and Raw Bar. Delicious and reliable! I went there every other day... I highly recommend the steamers and they have a great lunch.

5. The Shack: a coffee house and beer garden. Ok. This place is crazy. It's a coffee shop during the day and turns into a beer garden at night. There is a huge outdoor area with rocking chairs and driftwood furniture. Huge beer selection and local music. Very chill, very beachy. Kinda feels like its not 2015 when you're there.

6. The Blue Point. Fancy. Delicious. Sunset. Date Night!

7. Rundown Cafe. This place is a great stop when you are turning from the bypass onto the beach road. It's kinda Caribbean, kinda fusion-y (I mean, this is the south people), but in a good way and definitely a good stop after you've been driving for a while. FYI: it is a good 45 minutes drive north from Kitty Hawk to Corolla even though its only like 20 miles...

8. Kayaking, body surfing, jet skiing, surfing, HANG GLIDING!!

                                                                                                                                                                                             YAAAAAASSS

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#grillmaster

I LOVE a whole grilled fish. Yes, there are bones, a head and a tail but the flavor is so much richer and I feel good about being able to see the whole thing. I may be alone here...

This grilled whole Snapper from Food and Wine looks amazing and the radish salad caught my eye, partially because I recently learned there is a NIGHT of the RADISHES festival in Oaxaca. How cool is that>!>!> It happens during Christmas time and the winner who makes the craziest radish sculpture wins a cash prize. I couldn't find a radish Swan so I think we may have a unique advantage.

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Adventure Time - Classes in NYC!

We love adventures -- experiencing new things, re-experiencing old haunts, traveling and exploring! Our exploration focus is often outside of the city, as we day dream about vacations and getting away from the hustle and bustle of regular life. Sometimes it is refreshing and exciting to remember that the place we chose to call home has so so much to offer in terms of exploration. And we are not just talking geographical exploration. We are also talking about physical exploration and mental exploration and any other kind of exploration you can think of! Living in NYC full time can make you immune to much of the allure and excitement that brings millions of people here every year. During these last hot weeks of summer and into the glorious fall, we encourage you to explore in all the ways you can and take advantage of this crazy, hectic, beautiful place by indulging in a class or two or ten. Here are a few that we can't wait to make time for and some great options for your own #adventuretime hunting!

Papermaking at Dieu Donne

Running Clinics through Jack Rabbit

Introduction to Meditation at the Interdependence project

Trapeze class at TSNY

Street Skills class and ride with Bike New York

Flower arranging at Stems

Discover more spectacular class options through these organizations!

92nd Street Y
Over 4,000 classes and seminars are offered every year at this NYC institution! We especially recommend their wine seminars!
 

Brooklyn Brainery
Offering a rotating roster of eccentric classes, Brooklyn Brainery crowd sources their topics to bring you classes you cannot find anywhere else!  

 

Course Horse
This website is a wealth of information on class offerings in all five boroughs. They have done the hard work of collecting and sorting thousands of class options  for your browsing pleasure!

And don't forget to take a peek at the event calendar for one of our favorite Fort Green stores Jill Lindsey. There are always some fun things happening there!

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Memorial Day Weekend Adventures!

Three day weekends are magic. They open up a world of possibilities to all the Monday to Friday people of the world. They should not be taken lightly and should certainly not be wasted. So have a cook-out, go on an adventure, spend the day inside on the sofa watching movies because you have not been able to do that for months. See a parade. Do some Pilates! Celebrate those who have died in the service of our country's armed forces by living a full and happy life!

Need some help figuring out what to do? We thought you'd never ask!

Memorial Day parade in Brooklyn, 1895! (Image from untapped cities.com)

In massive need of some R&R? Make yourself stop by the grocery store on your way home and pick up all the snacks you could possibly need. Our favorites are hummus, baba ghanoush, fresh mozzarella, cured meats, carrot sticks, rice crackers, deviled eggs...you get the idea! Then settle in for some serious sofa time. Time Out New York has a list of the 50 Best War movies in honor of the weekend!

Get outside! New York City is home to over 5,000 different public parks. Grab a blanket, a good book and some snacks (because snacks are important in case you had not noticed) and head to your favorite park for some quality time with the sun. Feeling extra adventurous? Go on an exploration and discover some of NYC's hidden green spaces! 

Image from ny.curbed.com

Bryant Park, 1925. Photo courtesy of the NYPL archives

Tis the season to impress your friends with your amazing cook-out food skills. Our cookout recipe suggestions from last summer remain spectacular! Never ones to settle when it comes to new recipes, we have found quite a few since then that we can't wait to pull out this weekend!

This Snap Pea, Watermelon and Edamame Salad is delicious and easy!

We continue to embrace our watermelon obsession with this wonderful Ceviche recipe!

If all you have been thinking about for weeks is firing up that girl, this recipe is for you. So is this one!

If you are lucky enough to get out of the city for the weekend, we would love to know where you are headed! Always looking for more great weekend retreat ideas to add to our #Adventuretime series!

Have a great weekend! See you in the studio!

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Adventure Time: Montauk in the Winter

Looking for a weekend getaway that won't drain your bank account but will rejuvenate your mind and spirit? Might we suggest a winter trip to Montauk. The ocean in winter is soothing, mysterious, and vast. Everything that the city in winter isn't. 

Getting there.

Located on the eastern tip of Long Island, Montauk is just a hop, skip and a jump from the city on the LIRR! The trip is a little over 3 hours. The perfect amount of time to ease into non-city mode and do a little reading (or napping) on the way. A one-way ticket will run you between $20 and $30 depending on the time of day you travel. 

Upon arrival

The LIRR will drop you off a little over a mile from the center of town. There are usually a few cab drivers waiting for passengers who need a lift into town. Don't forget to get your cab drivers card or phone number so you can call them when you need a ride back to the train station at the end of your trip. In city walking terms, 1 mile is practically nothing, but in the winter in Montauk, with your bags and the very cold breeze coming off the pond, walking is just not how you want to start off your mini vacation.

Royal Atlantic as viewed from the beach!

Pick a Place. Settle in.

Where you decide to shack-up while on your weekend jaunt greatly depends on the kind of vacation you want to have. In the summer, your hotel is a place to put your stuff and rest your head. In the winter, you can count on spending a bit more time indoors. My personal favorite winter hide away is the Royal Atlantic Beach Resort. The rooms are clean and spacious with comfortable beds and good heat. The absolute best part- $100 a night gets you a room directly on the beach. You can smell, hear and see the ocean all day! 

Other options include the Oceanside Beach Resort (a bit farther from the center of town and not on the beach, but very close), Born Free Suites (kitchens in every room), and the Montauk Manor (for your upscale getaway needs: indoor pool, day spa and more). 

Go explore

While just being able to walk on the beach, see the stars and read a book to the sound of the ocean (instead of the sound of traffic) is enough activity for me, there are plenty of other things to do on your weekend getaway. Bundle up for many a long walk on the beach. With months of light winter foot traffic, you can find some pretty stellar shells and other ocean treasures washed up during low tide. Or take a longer jaunt to the Montauk Point Lighthouse. 

My most favorite thing to do on vacation is eat and luckily there are quite a few delicious options open all year around in the village of Montauk. Stop by O'Murphy's Pub for delicious bar food, good beer and great scenery. Anthony's Pancake and Waffle House is a Montauk staple perfect for a casual breakfast. For something a bit more classy, check out Harvest on Fort Pond. Shagwong is another Montauk institution know for delicious food! Hoping for a casual night, watching tv and snuggling to the sound of the waves? Grab a pizza at Pizza Village. All of these places are in walking distance of most local hotels! 

Grab a drink before heading home!

Depending on the time of year, stop by the Montauk Brewing Co. tasting room on your way out of town. Open in early spring of every year, go taste a few local brews and take home a pint glass or two as a souvenir. 

Adventure Time: Smith Street Soup Festival

Nothing says fall quite like a steaming bowl of soup on a crisp day. The restaurants on Smith Street, in the Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens/Boerum Hill neighborhoods of Brooklyn, couldn't agree more! Each year in October, restaurants between Atlantic Ave and 2nd street participate in a "soup crawl" to help the local public School For International Studies raise money for it's Culinary Arts program. Tasting tickets are sold in multiple locations up and down Smith Street, which can then be redeemed for the soups of your choice. The options are plentiful (see last years menu above!), the portions are generous and it is all for an excellent cause. This is my absolute favorite event of the fall! Did I mention that it happens tomorrow? From 1 to 4 on October the 18th, Smith Street shall be my heaven. I encourage you all to attend!!

A kind soul serving last years lamb based ramen soup form Dassara!

Click on this image to go to google maps!

Adventure Time: Hiking near NYC

Living in this crazy, wonderful, non-stop city can take it's toll on body, mind and spirit. You might have used all of your vacation days already this summer, but luckily, NYC is ideally situated for a plethora of day trips and weekend-long jaunts. 

Our client, friend and fellow adventurer, Kelly, often sends us information on hiking expeditions that are perfect for a day trip. This post on guestofaguest.com has eight great options to help you get into the woods. With information about trail difficulty, distance from the city and what you can look forward to on the trail, planning an out-of-city adventure has never been easier!   

View from Breakneck Ridge at Hudson Highlands State Park

Fun Fact Friday: Labor Day Weekend Edition

Got plans for this long weekend? If you are staying in the city, might we suggest a trip to Coney Island; home of Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs and one of the world's oldest wooden roller coasters. Looking for a thrill that won't make your life flash before your eyes? Hop in one of the Wonder Wheel's swinging cars instead! 

Did you know that the Wonder Wheel -- called an eccentric ferris wheel because of it's moving cars -- gave it's first ride on Memorial Day, 1920?

On this, the last official weekend of summer, celebrate the season with a ride and some free fireworks!

Swan Travels: Delicious Coffee in Portland, Maine

All images from Tandem Coffee's wonderful website!

In Portland, Maine and need some delicious coffee?  Check out Tandem!  

We met Will, one of the owners, and talked for a long time to Chris the barista, who has spent time at Blue Bottle in SF and New York and now lives in New Orleans. The coffee was great -- we bought a pound of beans scooped out from a bucket, freshly roasted in the back. Tandem is opening a bakery/second location in just a couple weeks!