Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday we kicked off the long holiday weekend with some snacks at SouthwestNY, then caught an afternoon flick - Stranger Than Fiction, which did an admirable job of putting a twist on the classic "live life to the fullest" theme.

Afterwards, we finally checked out Century 21 Department Store, which we had heard much about.

Badly Drawn Boy - You Were Right

Brunch on Smith Street

Yesterday, we finally checked out restaurant row on Smith Street in Cobble Hill, Brookyn. We had brunch at Cafe Luluc. The prices were reasonable and food good though not extraordinary. My wife had the quiche while I had the eggs benedict. Coffee was decent, service solid and ambience good overall. We'll have to make a return to Smith Street for dinner sometime and maybe check out The Grocery.

Holidays Around The Corner

Nothing says "white" Christmas like some of the seasonal drinks at Starbucks or the recent releases of holiday tunes from people like Sarah McLachlan, Aimee Mann and Sufjan Stevens.

And though I do mock the yuppiness of it all, hey I can't deny that I enjoy the Peppermint Mocha drink or holiday interpretations by musicians whose typically angst-ridden work I've enjoyed over the years.

Yes, I've become that which I despise. I'll be wearing my handmade reindeer sweater, sipping my latte, and enjoying the soothing sounds of adult contemporary music over the speakers. Happy Holidays!

Lilly Allen - Smile

Ridiculous Celeb Sighting

Oh, no. Actually, it was Ludacris.

The Celeb: Ludacris

Where Sighted: Tao Restaurant (58th/Madison)

The Scenario: Saying goodbye to co-workers after having dinner at Tao and waiting for cabs outside - we then saw Ludacris and crew exit the restaurant, have his photo taken a couple times and then head to their limo

My Thoughts: Man, why is Ludacris going to Tao? Couldn't he go somewhere cooler?

Weekend in Montreal

So, of course, I forgot the battery to my digital camera on our trip to Montreal this past weekend (the pic to the left is from the Official Tourism site of Montreal).

But that didn't stop us from having a good time. After a short one-hour flight from NYC, we arrived in Montreal and set out to explore the city via a Coach Canada three-hour tour of the city. Yes, start singing the theme to Gilligan's Island ("three-hour tour, a three-hour tour..."). As touristy as it was, it was a great way to see the city. Montreal is a very clean, beautiful city with a mix of modernity and cultural heritage. And it certainly felt like we were far from NYC as everyone spoke French and all the signs were in French. We saw lots of sites (mostly short stops) on the tour, including:

-Centreville (or midtown)
-Chinatown
-Bonsecours Market Building (City Hall)
-Biodome
-Olympic Park
-University of Montreal
-St. Joseph's Basilica
-Notre Dame Cathedral
-Botanical Garden
-Old Montreal
-McGill University
-Mount Royal Park (designed by same architect who designed Central Park and Prospect Park!)

The architecture was amazing and our tour bus driver explained how they have universal healthcare and affordable education for its residents. That must explain why I didn't see many homeless people and why the streets were clean - just a better quality of life. Or perhaps that is too simple an answer and maybe I just didn't see the underside of Montreal.

Later that night, we went to a cool, trendy restaurant called Cube for dinner. Located in Old Montreal which (as its name implies) is full of cobblestone streets and charming old buildings, the neighborhood is now full of restaurants and art galleries and feels very European. We had been given a gift certificate to Cube and so indulged a bit with the tasting menu, which included:

-Cold zucchini soup
-Foie gras and cold pea soup
-Salmon and lobster risotto
-Beef filet/pork
-Cheese Plate
-Coffe/Caramel Cream
-Banana creme brulee/white chocolate sorbet and cake

All in all, a delicious meal within a very cool atmosphere. And because it's so cold in Montreal, much of the downtown area is connected with underground passageways, which we used to get to Old Montreal. It was surprising to see how quiet, clean and new the passageways were compared to NYC!

On Saturday, we took advantage of the underground city since it was raining all day and hit some of the different malls and shopping opportunites that Montreal offers, including a stop at Roots. Later that night, we went back to Old Montreal for dinner at Gargote. We had the escargot, my wife had the filet mignon and I had the duck, while topping it off with some creme brulee.

We definitely liked Montreal though would go back when it is warmer!

Goals and Goals

Yesterday, we walked over to 4th Ave. in Park Slope to watch some of the NYC marathon. Much like the Chicago marathon, it was pretty fun to see people come out and line the street to cheer the runners (and wheelchair racers) on.

Later on, we went to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers take on the Buffalo Sabres. I have to say it was the most lively crowd I had been around at a sporting event! It was fun to see them score a few goals as the crowd sings a "Goal" song afterwards, but we left after two periods when they were up 3-2 to get back home and relax before the work week.

Of course, once we got home, I turned on the t.v. and it turns out that the Sabres came from behind to win 4-3 in O.T. Guess we left at a good time.

The Cardigans I Need Some Fine Wine

East Village Brunch

Yesterday, we headed into the East Village to have brunch with my aunt and cousin who were visiting from Texas (and visiting my cousin who lives in the East Village).

We went to a place called 7A Cafe and it was pretty good.

Meals were about $10.95 and included entree plus coffee/tea and a choice from a variety of cocktails. I had coffee, a mimosa and the salmon eggs benedict with home fries.

Afterwards, we headed to SoHo for a little shopping but then I got quickly annoyed with the crowds on B'way so made our way back to the more relaxed and quiet atmosphere of The Slope.

Charm City

So, last weekend we made our way to Baltimore, MD (apparently known as "charm city") for the Notre Dame/Navy game. We took Amtrak for the first time and it was a pleasant experience - clean train, lots of legroom, and nice views of the autumn colors as we passed through NJ, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Of course, the price for a one-way ticket was a little steep - about $90 per person.

We had never been to Baltimore before and it was pretty nice - from the Inner Harbor to the Capitol City Brewing Company (where we grabbed lunch with our friends) to Ravens Stadium for the game. Though the game was fine (and ND ended up winning), there were moments when we realized why we typically don't go to these things - like loud, obnoxious fans making inane and offensive comments (and those were the ND fans!).

But we did get a chance to see our friends, who live in a nice area called Silver Spring, MD, grab dinner in Bethesda and play a competitive game of Balderdash. The next morning, we took Greyhound back to NYC - a little different experience - not as nice, but a lot cheaper and we got back fine.