We’re Thankful For…

Nov 27, 2012 By Smith & Ratliff in Living, New York 2 Comments Tags: brunch, fall, hudson diner, photos, west village

…Our neighborhood diner—where you can always get a seat (a vinyl booth, of course), the home fries are always hot, and our favorite waitress, however brusque she may be, always manages to sneak a smile and a “hun” at the end of her sentences.

There aren’t very many of them left in the city, so we make sure to appreciate ours, and I think other folks in our neighborhood do too, judging by the repeat customers we see on our Sunday visits—everyone from blue-haired old ladies to dads and their sons. It’s a quintessential New York experience and the food is pretty delicious, too.

- Laura

A Fall Day on Convent Avenue

Nov 21, 2012 By Smith & Ratliff in New York 5 Comments Tags: bikes, fall, harlem, photos

During a bike ride over the weekend, I found myself in the middle of Harlem in the middle of a beautiful fall day. After a few unsuccessful attempts to photograph an old theater, I gave up for the day and started riding around the neighborhood.

Running from just above 125th Street to 152nd Street, Convent Avenue is an almost storybook stretch of New York City, featuring beautiful brownstones and row houses.

The tree-lined street is so storybook, in fact, that Wes Anderson used it in filming The Royal Tenenbaums. Royal lived in 337 Convent Avenue, but every house on the block is equally charming.

A few blocks down on the Avenue is the breathtaking Gothic Revival campus of the City College of New York, a branch of the city’s university system. Just a few blocks long, City College’s campus easily rivals that of Columbia and Fordham University as far as beauty goes.

Steps away from Convent Avenue, you’ll find Hamilton Grange, the last home of founding father Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton only had the privilege of living in his new home for two years, before his famous duel with Aaron Burr just across the Hudson River.

As the light began to fade on another short fall day I began to ride back downtown, wishing I had more time to explore the neighborhood’s other hidden gems. Next time you’re thinking of taking a stroll around the West Village, take the A train to 145 Street instead; you won’t regret it. (Or better yet—ride your bike up the Hudson River Greenway.)

- Ryan

Good Luck

Nov 12, 2012 By Smith & Ratliff in New York 2 Comments Tags: bikes, fall, sunglasses, west village

We’re all guilty of making a goofy mistake every once in a while, and if we’re lucky, we don’t even pay for it!

After an extra long night on Sunday, I went to lock up my bike as normal, not paying attention to the sunglasses barely dangling from my shirt. They fell into my bike’s back wheel as I locked up, and somehow during the process I completely forgot about them. I ran inside.

The next morning, with the rays of the sun beaming in through the windows, I began a frantic search for my trusted glasses. Had I really left them somewhere the night before? Checking pockets of coats you know you hadn’t worn recently is always a bad sign.

I had misplaced an identical pair of glasses a few years back in what might be the most ideal way to lose a pair of Wayfarers outside of them actually going overboard into the sea—lost among the stands at a twilight polo match in Virginia horse country. These Wayfarers, which replaced the polo pair, have been through a lot more wear and tear and the thought of starting over yet again made me feel like staring at the sun.

Resigning myself to the fact I made an idiot mistake—and one without a great story to back it up—I went outside to get my bike.

Precariously tucked into the spokes of my back wheel sat my Wayfarers, looking up at me helplessly like Iggy so often does when he needs me.

Perhaps the frames blended in perfectly with my bike’s wheel, or maybe even a few people saw them and had pity on me. Whatever the reason, I got lucky when I probably didn’t deserve it. I will be paying it forward later today.

- Ryan

Halloween Comes to the Village

Oct 19, 2012 By Smith & Ratliff in Living, New York 5 Comments Tags: fall, halloween, holidays, photos, pumpkins, west village

Every year our neighbors somehow manage to top themselves when Halloween comes around.

It’s always great when the temperature dips just low enough to make a sweater necessary. It’s a perfect time to take a walk to check out all the new decorations, especially since all of the leaves are changing as well. It’s definitely one of our favorite days of the year.

Some opt to make their brownstones look like something right out of a Vincent Price film—complete with spider webs and gravestones—while others keep it simple with just a tasteful Jack-o-Lantern.

A personal favorite this year is the house positively overrun by a gang of terrifying pumpkins that are carved in a non-traditional, but brilliant, way.

Even a few of the storefronts get in on the fun. Marc Jacobs typically has classic horror villains modeling his latest collection in his windows, whereas Magnolia Bakery has put up faux tombstones in theirs.

Does your neighborhood put up any creative decorations?

- Ryan

P.S: Last year’s decorations!

The Blue Moon Burger Bash

Oct 16, 2012 By Smith & Ratliff in Food, New York 4 Comments Tags: burgers, fall, giveaway, lower east side, nycwff

A couple of weeks ago, we gave away an extra ticket to the Blue Moon Burger Bash at the New York City Wine & Food Festival, generously given to us by one of our favorite companies (and one of the event’s sponsors), FreshDirect.

Our winner, Christina, was excited to attend, as was I, and we braved a slightly chilly, windy evening down at the Lower East Side’s Pier 36 in order to stuff our faces with plentiful burgers, beer, and sweet treats.

The event featured more than 30 of New York City’s best chefs and restaurants all showing off their burger-making skills in attempt to win the coveted People’s Choice award, previously won multiple times by Josh Capon from Burger & Barrel and the seemingly indomitable Bobby Flay.

We managed to try (or at least take a nibble out of) 17 of the 31 burgers on-hand, meanwhile drinking Blue Moon beer on tap and even filling in the gaps with a dessert or two from Doughnut Plant and Jacques Torres. When we got too full and needed a break, we checked out the Sir Kensington’s ketchup photo booth (complete with great moustache “tattoos”).

Christina and I both decided that our hands-down favorite was—surprise!—Bobby Flay’s California-inspired burger, topped with watercress, goat cheese, and Meyer lemon mayo. The real surprise about Flay’s burger was its unusual topping. Just below the top bun was a layer of crunchy, salty potato chips. We both agreed that this put his burger over the top and eagerly threw our voting tokens in his direction when the time came.

Each burger, some of which were surprisingly large, was served with a unique side too. A few of our favorite sides were the baked beans from TriBeCa’s The Harrison, the sweet potato and provolone tater tots from Park Avenue Autumn, and the delicious spiced potato skins from North End Grill.

At the end of night, Josh Capon’s burger emerged victorious once again, but Flay was the runaway victor in our minds.

My only regret of the evening: not starving myself in advance so I could have tried all 31 burgers!

- Laura