Summer Of Chipotle: Chiptopia 2016

This is a tribute post to Chipotle’s Summer Reward program that was held over the summer of 2016 (1 July to 30 September) in the States. From my knowledge, Chipotle never ran this same Summer Reward program again. And this is probably why… Back in in 2016, Chipotle just couldn’t shake off all their bad…

Applying for a New York State Driver License as an expat

Do you want to transfer/convert/exchange your Australian Driver License (or nearly any other nationality license) for a New York State license? According to the New York DMV site: “You can drive in New York State with a valid driver license from another country. You don’t need to apply for a New York State driver license…

FreshDirect Thanksgiving Dinner Feast Kit

This is a review for the small 2016 FreshDirect Thanksgiving Feast kit. I am posting early so that people (in New York area) that like to plan ahead (like me) can consider this as an option! Our first Thanksgiving in New York was in 2015 when we went to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. That year…

2016 PaleyFest – Elementary & Gotham

What is the PaleyFest? The PaleyFest: Made in New York was an organized event by the Paley Center for Media. The event ran over a couple of weeks in October 2016. Actors from different TV shows filmed in New York came out to discuss their show on stage. Fans got to see a screening of…

NYC Speakeasy bars

Finding the NYC speakeasy bars was one of my NYC bucket list to-do's. What is a speakeasy bar? It is an establishment that sold alcohol during the Prohibition which meant they were out of sight (hidden) from the general public. How did you come to the list above? I collected a list of bars from…

Murder. Mystery. 2017 birthday!

I recently celebrated my 35th birthday in February. I’m not shy about disclosing how old I am because as I just noted, it’s a celebration! I love celebrating birthdays and it doesn’t even have to be mine. There is nothing to dislike – birthday cake, birthday cake ice cream, birthday cards, birthday parties, birthday presents,…

Food Truck Friday

Food trucks are always lined up on 55th Street & Broadway on Friday. It is close to our apartment building and I have always termed it “Food truck Friday”. I decided to finally write about these food trucks and take my photos this past Friday, 3 March. Unfortunately, only 3 food trucks were parked on…

My Stay At The Plaza Hotel, NYC

I am so grateful to have a job that allowed me to stay at The Plaza. Otherwise I don’t think I would have had such an opportunity in this lifetime, unless I won the lotto or some sort of prize, because the rack room rate is approx $800-1000+tax. I stayed at The Plaza for a…

Levain Bakery, NYC

Almost any New York guide book will tell you to head to Levain Bakery up on the Upper West Side and grab a cookie, or two. Not being one to turn away from a cookie, or two, Husband and I headed up to UWS in November. The ‘thing’ about Levain cookies is that they are…

Husband’s 2015 birthday – NYC style

Husband celebrated his birthday in December. Since his parents were in town, I planned a full day of events for all of us to enjoy. First up - breakfast at Sarabeth’s Tribeca. There is a Sarabeth’s near our apartment at Central Park South, however the reviews on Yelp for that location were hit and miss…

“Fall”ing more in love…

I have always loved fall/autumn. And by "always" I mean since 2007. In Australia, especially Queensland where I am from, we don't tend to get distinct 'seasons'. Sure - we were taught there are 'seasons' - we are not that uneducated as some other countries may believe - but in reality, for me while I…

BookCon 2015 – Saturday, May 30

I attended the BookCon earlier this year, and my main reason for going was to see Mindy live.BookCon is like the famous ComicCon but for.. well, books and authors. It’s relatively new as the first one was only held last year. The 2016 event will be held in Chicago. Bodhi the menswear dog - http://mensweardog.tumblr.com/ The…

A visit to Hulu’s Seinfeld pop-up apartment

On Sunday a few of us went to the pop-up Seinfeld apartment re-created by Hulu. It was created in celebration of the full Seinfeld series being streamed on Hulu. It was truly an awesome experience.  The pop up apartment was only opened for five days and Sunday was the last day. We arrived at 8am…

Getting Work in NY as an Expat, I-765 application

I hope my job hunt story will be as much as a surprise to everyone as it was to me. For those that have been following our journey to New York, you would know that I wasn’t able to immediately work once I arrived, however Husband was able to. Someone had told me that I…

Smorgasburg in Williamsburg

Our first trip ever to Brooklyn was to visit the Smorgasburg - http://www.smorgasburg.com/ in Williamsburg. Smorgasburg is a weekly event where loads of different food vendors set up a site and sell their food.  Anything from ribs, burgers, buns to cookies, ice-cream sandwiches and popcorn. It was the first weekend the Smorgasburg returned to its…

Carlo’s Bakery, NYC

I had no intention of going to Carlo’s Bakery because I actually didn’t know it existed.  I stumbled across it the day I walked home from sitting the 5 hour pre-licencing course.  Carlo’s Bakery is situated at 625 8th Avenue at 42nd St, near Time Square. I have since found out that there are nine…

My Girl Scout Cookies hunt (2015)

Here are a few facts about these elusive Girl Scout Cookies that you may or may not know: • You can (or should) only buy them off a Girl Scout• It’s one of the largest Girls Scout fundraising events for the year• The cookies have been sold since 1917• Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, and…

Birthday in New York

It was my birthday on Wednesday and Husband worked overtime on a public holiday so he could get the day off and spend it with me. I must admit I must be one of the lucky ones to have one of the most best husbands in the world as I didn’t have to lift a…

My First Blizzard (Juno)

You might have heard about Blizzard Juno heading towards NYC and the forecasts originally stating it may be the worse snow storm to hit the city. Several types of transportation were cancelled, and there was a vehicle ban on the streets after 11PM on Monday night. Well, being an unemployed home-maker at current, I had nothing…

Coal fired pizza from Lombardi’s

Last night we walked to Little Italy for pizza from Lombardi's Pizza - 32 Spring St. New York, NY 10012 after a recommendation to go there because they had coal ovens which they cooked the pizzas in. [We had our starter from Urban Lobster Shack which you can read here] When we arrived we were given a…