Your New Go-To For Snack Attacks

Searching for a snack that will get you through your afternoon, or even a nice, no-mess addition to a picnic in Central Park? I recently came across Crispy Fruit by Crispy Green, specifically the mango and Asian pear flavors, and I loved them so much I had to share. 

Each snack pack comes in a convenient tear-open packet and what you get is 100% pure fruit. It's been dehydrated of course, but don't confuse this process with the typical drying method we've seen produced by several supermarket brands. The way Crispy Fruit is made preserves the true flavor of the fruit with no added sugar. The result is a light, crispy texture with maximum taste.

Crispy Fruit are available for purchase throughout NYC at stores like Gristedes, Garden of Eden, and Balducci's. Comment below which is your favorite flavor!

Disclosure: I received free snack packs of Crispy Fruit but all opinions are my own.

Get Your Greek On at Eons

The Chipotle model has obviously proven so successful for Mexican food, so it's no surprise we've seen numerous other cuisines steal the build-it-yourself meal restaurant and make it their own. The Greeks have done it this time with Eons in Murray Hill (633 Second Ave @ 34th Street) and it's bound to be your new go-to for fresh, flavorful food.

Walking in, you get the view similar to what you seen in Chipotle--a line of people waiting to choose their base (here you get you meal served as a pita, over rice, or over salad), protein (chicken, pork, shrimp, octopus, steak, lamb, salmon, or veggies), and toppings (tzadziki, garlic spread, feta spread, eggplant, humus, or something called lado sauce). Then you can choose from a variety of veggies and condiments to top off your meal.

We met the owner Anoush and she sweetly walked us through our options and made some recommendations.

Anoush making my lunch

Proteins!

More proteins!

Toppings!

Prices range from $7-$15 (with octopus by far being the most expensive). I opted for salmon over rice and have been craving it for lunch ever since! The fish is super flavorful and you can tell that it hasn't been sitting there for days just waiting to be served. The tomatoes which topped my bowl were some of the reddest I've ever seen and I would definitely recommend you not skip the lentils! Also they serve Boylan's sodas, so Eons officially gets 2 thumbs up.

Anoush also brought us a sample of Eons' spreads. The humus was, well, not my favorite, but all the others were great, especially the garlic spread! Mmmmm. No vampires here!

A spread of spreads

Our lunches

If you live or work in the area, Eons would be a great place to pick up lunch or dinner. And if you're anything like me, you'll even have leftovers! Don't be afraid to splurge for bigger ticket items like the salmon because they are fresh and definitely worth the few extra bucks.

AWESOME ALERT: Free Antigravity Fitness Classes Next Week in NYC

Don't fall over, but one of my favorite (and most unique!) workouts of all time will be free to all newbies in NYC next week. Antigravity Fitness, is an exclusive program that combines aerial arts, yoga, pilates, and plain old fun into several different classes designed to push your boundaries, increase your flexibility, and generally make you more aware of your body and it's capabilities.

I've been taking classes for more than 5 years and there's not much more to be said than I LOVE IT!

Antigravity Fitness Creator Christopher Harrison and some yogis

To celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21, AntiGravity invites you to take flight with AntiGravity Fundamentals: Open Level classes at no cost from June 22-27, 2015. NO COST people! FREE! 

You don't need to have a current yoga practice to join, so everyone will take something away from this class (and more than likely get hooked and want to go back again and again). The patented hammocks are rated to hold more than 1,000 pounds, so no need to be scared. The trained instructors will walk you through your first inversion step by step and you'll be amazed at how good the world feels upside down. Bonus: there's no compression on your head and neck like there is with traditional yoga inversions!

To sign up, contact: labmanager@antigravityfitness.com to reserve a space. Just specify your Fundamentals class preference after selecting your preferred class time by clicking here.  Spaces are limited and are confirmed on a first come, first serve basis.

And one more time to show you how much fun it is, here's me and my friend Rachel just hanging last year:

Have fun flying!

Satisfy Your Crustacean Craving at Ambrose Beer and Lobster

Last month the Seaport got a new venue that has our vote for awesome summer hangout spot. Ambrose Beer and Lobster (18 Fulton Street) hosted a fun-filled event featuring the longest lobster roll I've ever seen, music by DJ Kalkutta, and an appearance by Dashca Polanco from Orange is the New Black.

 First things first, we headed for the bar. Vaction-y drinks we sampled included the Starboard--Absolut Mango, watermelon juice, and Saint Germain--and the Shipwreck--Sailor Jerry rum, Malibu, Bacardi, lime juice, and grenadine. Just add sand :)

Ambrose Cocktails

The decor is great. Very shipwreck meets fun times. There's even a giant lobster!

The food was just want you'd want while sipping a beer outside on the cobblestones. We tried the giant pretzel with spicy honey mustard and cheese sauce, lobster avocado lettuce wraps, truffle fries, and the aforementioned lobster roll. Can you tell they like their lobster here? Dascha Polanco likes it too (see below!).

Giant lobster roll!

Look who we met!

Lobster roll

Dascha Polanco loves the lobster roll too!

Lobster lettuce wrap

Giant pretzel

Truffle fries

Check out Ambrose Beer and Lobster for a warm summer evening of fun and let us know what your favorite menu items were!

Fall In Love Further With New York (And Enjoy a Film Outside!)

Looking for something cool to do tomorrow evening? Rooftop Films is presenting a showing of "New York Nonfiction" in partnership with Spin and Juul at Industry City (220 36th Street. Sunset Park, Brooklyn) at 9 pm (doors at 8).

The film follows unique characters from the Upper West Side to Brighton Beach, from the Civic Center courts to Red Hook’s baseball parks. Bootleg toy‐makers, pickle‐selling skaters, taxi drivers hurt by life: they wouldn’t have anything in common if they didn’t share the same city. Each of them has a story to tell, and as unbelievable as they may sound, their chaotic pasts, uncommon ways of life and weird pick‐up techniques are very real. They’re what makes New York, New York. For more info, click here.

Stick around after the movie for an after-party sponsored by New Amsterdam Vodka and Ommegang Brewery. There will also be live music at 8:30 pm by Jojo Abot.

Tickets are $15 online or at the door and include live music, film and after-party. In the event of rain, the show will go on indoors at the same location.

AWESOME ALERT: Free Iced Tea Today at Teavana

It's hot out there and iced tea sounds like the perfect refreshing drink to tame your dehydration. So why not stop by Teavana today and get some FOR FREE!?

To celebrate National Iced Tea Month (who knew right?), Teavana wants to give you a free 16 oz. Pineapple Berry Blue iced tea (no purchase necessary!). Just stop by one of their 3 NYC stores TODAY June 10:

• Greenwich Village (63 E. 9th Street)
• Upper East Side (1291 Lexington)
• Upper West Side (2261 Broadway)

One free tea per customer. Enjoy!

Buy a Cookie from Your Favorite Broadway Star

Disclosure: I LOVE Schmakary's. I've tried at least half of their cookie flavors and merely walking into their shop and inhaling the aromas of fresh-baked cookies makes me smile. I also love their strong ties to the local Broadway community.

So it only makes sense that if they were going to do a fundraiser, it would be for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS--a wonderful organization that practically all of the Broadway productions get behind twice a year to raise money for people afflicted with the terrible disease.

Join them for the third annual BROADWAY BAKES 2015, and come watch your favorite Broadway stars play cookie peddlers just for you! From May 25-29, 2015, from 3-7pm, over 20 of the biggest names on Broadway (Audra McDonald came last year!) will join together to work behind the counter at Schmackary’s selling delicious cookies.

Half the proceeds from cookies sales and 100-percent of the tips generated while the Broadway stars are working at Schmackary’s will go directly to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Over the last 2 years, this event has helped raise more than $25,000 for the organization.

Here are some photos from last year:

Sneak a Peek into the New 190 Bowery Tomorrow

I'm a sucker for NYC architecture, especially when talking about old-timey buildings with substantial, and often grungy history. If you have lived in the city over the past decade, at least, and EVER walked down the Bowery, you will have undoubtedly noticed 190 Bowery in all its graffitied glory.

Photo credit: Gothamist

But if you have walked down NYC's old skid row lately, you will also stumbled over the fact that this building has been buffed of all of its colorful vandalism. The gorgeous old 190 Bowery, formerly Germania Bank, has been a private residence of photographer Jay Maisel for the past 5 decades. But it was recently sold to a developer and is being converted into an office space.

For those curious lookie-loos and architecture appreciators alike, this Saturday from 5-8pm, the new owner, developer/art collector Aby Rosen, will open the doors of the historic building to the public. So sneak a peek and let us know what you think!

Party with DoNYC and Jack Daniel's Tonight!

DoNYC and Jack Daniel’s have teamed up to host some awesome events lately and their last and 4th one is tonight, Thursday, May 14th!

Doors open at 8pm for live performances by SKATERS, Team Spirit, and The Bergamot, plus a DJ set by Justin Miller, amazing custom video-mapped art installation by Rhizome NYC, and photo booth by the Self-Portrait Project.

Must be 21+ with valid ID for entry. RSVP here for location details.

Posh Up Your Closet at the Lighthouse Guild's Annual Posh Sale

Is your Spring wardrobe looking a little sparse? If so (or even if it's bulging at the seams), check out the Lighthouse Guild's annual POSH Sale this week for some amazing deals on fashionable finds.

Kicking off on today, Wednesday, May 13, the POSH Sale, is a 4-day event featuring thousands of new and gently worn couture and ready-to-wear designer clothing, shoes and accessories at unbelievable prices! (We’re talking Louboutin stilettos, vintage Chanel coats, brand new dresses from M Missoni and couture Oscar de la Renta gowns for just a fraction of the cost!). I've personally scored some great deals here over the years (disclosure: my office is in the Lighthouse Guild building), and recommend this sale to all of my friends.

All items are donated by stylish New Yorkers, celebrities and top designers themselves, and all proceeds benefit Lighthouse Guild; the leading not-for-profit vision and health care organization.

The sale starts with a not-to-be-missed special preview event today (tickets are $200, which include a 4-day pass and a $50 gift card), with public hours on Thursday, May 14th through Sunday, May 17th ($30 for a 4-day pass or $10 per daily ticket). All items are available at 110 E. 60th Street on a first come, first serve basis, so it’s highly recommended that you go early.

                       

To purchase tickets and view a selection of sale items, visit poshsale.org or call (212) 821-9445.

Recap: Art Strut 2015 Brought Together Soho Galleries and I Won Art!

I don't really need an excuse to wander around SoHo looking at art and drinking wine, but Art Strut 2015 gave me a reason to do just that last week.

Sponsored by lifestyle website Soho Strut, Art Strut reminded me of the once-upon-a-time community event Fashion's Night Out, but swapping fine arts for fashion and in a smaller sect of the city. My friend and I began at LUMAS (362 West Broadway), where we were greeted with refreshingly chilled white wine and a rocking performance by La La Lush. I loved the art at LUMAS because it was seemingly affordable and all pieces required no framing and were ready to hang.

LUMAS Gallery

La La Lush

Next stop was LIK Gallery (419 West Broadway) where we were enthralled with the travel and landscape photography of Peter Lik. I seriously wanted to head straight home, pack my bag, and grab a passport after being inspired by some of Lik's pieces. We also enjoyed the musical stylings of Jana Pelle and sipped on oaky chardonnay.

LIK Gallery

Jana Pelle

Stop number three was Martin-Lawrence Galleries (457 West Broadway) where we closed down the show--gallery hopping ended at 8--and listened to Benny Oyama sing some tunes.

Martin Lawrence Galleries

Benny Oyama

Then it was time to pick up our tickets in the form of limited-edition Moleskine notebooks...don't mind if I do!

Limited-edition Art Strut Moleskine Notebook

The party continued over at the pop-up gallery featuring local artists Barbara Thomas, Zuzanna Kozlowska, Linda Mason, Zigi Ben Haim and Laura Kaplan and live music by Cat, Cat, Cat, KT Mulholland and Lily Lane. Wine and whiskey was provided by The Handy Liquor Bar (where we also hung out at the after party).

Pop-up Art Gallery

Pop-up Art Gallery

There was also a silent auction benefitting ACE Programs for the Homeless, and I absolutely LOVE silent auctions--something about the rush, winning, and benefitting a good cause I guess.

Silent Auction (I loved the rose!)

I got in a bit of a bidding war over Rüdiger J. Vogel's Jetty, but ended up winning! I can't wait to hang it up at home and have a fun reminder of an "Awesome in New York" night.

Rüdiger J. Vogel's Jetty

I won the silent auction!

Stay tuned for more Soho Strut events--on Thursday, May 14th from 7-9pm, they are hosting 'Cocktails & Conversations' at The Handy Liquor Bar. Tickets are $20 are and include a cocktail.