Why I Love Ben Affleck's Boston

There are so many landmarks, symbols, colors, things that define the city of Boston, and almost all of them show up time and time again in Ben Affleck's movies.  I saw The Town today, and from the very first scene--bird's eye view of Boston with the Garden in the center--I couldn't help but miss that city.  I'm pretty sure people from the Boston area look at movies like The Town in aversion the way I look at the remake of Hawaii Five-O, but to me, the accents, the Bruins and Sox jackets, the Irish bars, the yellow and orange Fall trees reminded me of all the reasons why I love Boston.

It wasn't until I lived in Boston for college did I understand how it felt to love something so much (like BU hockey) that you would do anything for it or understand how it felt to love something so much that is hurt like hell to lose it (like BU hockey).  I had the fortunate pleasure of working with great people from the Boston area that I would easily call family and the pleasure of witnessing a World Series win along with a National Championship.  Boston is a city where bonds and traditions are strong, and Affleck's The Town perfectly captures the romantic notion of duty, brotherhood and passion.

It always confuses me how a city like NYC can never live up to its movie persona, because the actual NYC is less glamorous, more dirty and smelly and people don't live in 3 bedroom apartments with giant living rooms.  Boston movies, however, always seem more real.  Less icing, more cake.

The Town was an awesome movie and I recommend seeing it.  Now I can't wait for hockey season to start!

Whos says NYC is more romantic than Boston?

Google's Watch This Space Campaign Is Stalking Me

I can't help but think Google is stalking me with its recent 'Watch This Space' campaign promoting the Google Display Network.  I personally find the campaign refreshingly simple, game-changing (by changing perceptions about the power of a typical 300x250 placement) and a great example of how Google has mastered the art of streamlining.  Google is known for dominating the search space (65% of market share) and now it looks like Google wants to dominate (the world) the display ad space too.  

Learn more out Google's Watch This Space here.

Recent MediaWeek Magazine cover wrap

NYC Advertising Week Guide double-page spread 

300x250 on LinkedIn Profile

Money Never Sleeps But I Do

The new Ganesvoort Park Avenue Hotel is now open in Gramercy with a super swanky 4-floor rooftop penthouse club/lounge Plunge that I was lucky enough to experience for an Everyday Health party last Thursday.  Ganesvoort did not hold back on decking the place up with elephant tusk-sized chandelier fixtures floating above the bar, wrap-around glass balconies you can see through the floor down 20 stories below and a pool tiled with a 40s pinup Blond next to the phrase "I'm Waiting..." overlooking the bright Empire State building.  For my first drink, I asked for a Tanqueray Tonic and the bartender told me she only had Bombay Sapphire--I'm not really sure what that says about my taste but any bar that doesn't carry Tanqueray seems a bit off to me.  I simply solved the issue by having Champagne and Goose the rest of the night, no biggie.  Plunge is everything I would expect from an exclusive New York City rooftop lounge and exactly the type of place I expect to see in a movie about capitalist New York starring Shia Labeouf or a rap video with Jamie Foxx.  I felt like I was partying in someone else's dream, and by the end of the night, all I could dream about was going to sleep in my bed.

Please Don't Tell Sindoni, It's A Surprise

There's a first time for everything like being the dumbass to ruin a surprise birthday party.  I accidently "replied all" to an email chain that the birthday girl was on disclosing the surprise birthday location ("I can make it for cocktails at PDT... should I dress in my best 20s attire?"), so we had to cover it up by piling on a million emails, and it worked!  Sindoni the birthday girl didn't. even. know.

We surprised her at East Village speakeasy PDT (Please Don't Tell).  The name is quite ironic actually.  It's really not that big of a secret since PDT has been on the Food Network and is located in the hottest hot dog place in NYC Crif Dogs.  Anyways, SURPRISE SINDONI!  PDT was pretty awesome with its $14 cocktails like Kansai Kick (12 yr malt whiskey, orgeat and a bunch of other high brow stuff), kim chee bacon-wrapped hot dogs and TATER TOTS & WAFFLE FRIES.  Pretty classy speakeasy.

Happy Birthday Sindoni and I'm sorry that I almost ruined your surprise birthday but surprisingly didn't.

Girl's Night gang + Jason

Chihuahua Dog for Sindoni (you can only order from Crif Dogs if you know what you want)

The Ultimate Chicken Shnitzel Plating Battle

Last night, my friend Hannah, boyfriend Sean and I cooked Chicken Shnitzel with Anchovy-Chive Butter sauce with sauteed kale and baby red potatoes for dinner.  I found the simple shnitzel recipe in my new bon appetit fast easy fresh cookbook that I received this week at a bon appetit/epicurious event.  We split up the cooking duties: Sean potatoes, Hannah kale, Zeny chicken--and banged dinner out in an hour.

The real challenge came at the end--PLATING COMPETITION (because everything has to be a competition).  Some of us took a more traditional route, some took creative risks playing with the shapes and forms of the food.  We don't mess around when it comes to plating--Hannah and Sean both wiped their plates (I'm totally giving away which one is mine) and paired it with their favorite beer.

I will let you decide, WHO WON THE CHICKEN SHNITZEL PLATING COMPETITION?  

#1

#2

#3

Colors, the Best Place to Throw a Mad Men Party in NYC

Last week, I checked out Colors in NOHO near Astor Place.  Their daily happy hour specials are a steal for New York, $5 calamari, meatballs, cocktails and sangria until 8pm.  If their Happy Hour menu doesn't suit you their signature cocktail list (Passionita, Orange Tricycle) and beer selection won't break the bank either, but the REAL REASON you should check out Colors is for its awesome art deco interior and total Mad Men vibe--velvet booths, marble bar, candle light.  If there was one place Roger Sterling and Don Draper would be caught eating dinner/cheating with their secretaries, it would be at Colors.

The restaurant is right near Astor Wines and Butter at 417 Lafayette Street.  The staff is super friendly and can accommodate parties of any size.  I definitely recommend this place for a Mad Men-themed holiday party or just to burn some of that advertising steam.  You may need to check whether smoking is still allowed though...

Woot Woot--Live Bloggin' the VMAs

9:01pm - Eminem is giving me the Emperor vibe from Star Wars.  He looks a bit nervous, possibly pulling a Britney "Gimme More"?

9:04pm - I'm loving Rihanna's raggedy Ann red hair

9:06pm - Lindsay's cameo... jokes about drinking wonderful, but Chelsea Handler's entrance was definitely a better start than Russell Brand's.  YAY for the 1st female VMA host in six years.

9:12pm - "BIG BLACK ELEPHANT" = Kanye... however Taylor Swift is seemingly absent from the awards or else they would have zoomed the camera on her

9:16pm - Love the Alexander McQueen ensemble Gaga is wearing, especially those crazy heels

9:24pm - AHHHHHH my 7th grade crush Johnny Knoxville looks so hot in a suit

9:28pm - BIEBER FEVERRRRRRRR (before we get into that Kim's hair reminded me that I need to get a hair cut soon), glad Justin decided to have someone around his age on stage.  LITTLE KIDS ARE SO CUTE.

9:46pm - This Nicki Minaj girl needs to stop... can't take her seriously after her awful performance in the preshow.  I wonder if Eminem really had to leave or if he just didn't want to sit next to Gaga (where his assigned seat was).

9:55pm - There's always that one performance that saves the VMAs, and Florence and the Machine was it.  Thank you England.

10:07pm - Gaga outfit #2 < McQueen

10:08pm - TAYLOR SWIFT IS HERE, now when is Kanye going to jump on stage?

10:14pm - Deadmau5 is the second redeeming factor of this VMAs

I JUST REALIZED I AM MISSING MAD MEN FOR THIS...

Lady Gaga's meat dress just stole the show... who needs Kanye.

11:10pm - Kanye, "Let's have a toast for the Douche Bags."  I take it back, Kanye always finds a way be the scene-stealing douche bag he is.

Sean & Greg's Epic Journey to Williamsburg White Castle

I was not surprised that when my roommates discovered there was a 24-hour White Castle four blocks east of our new Williamsburg apartment that a late-night epic journey to White Castle would ensue.  All day Saturday, everyone's minds was dwelling on that night's trip to the mystical fast food chain.  Most of us were White Castle newbies, never experiencing the mini sliders stoner's put on a pedestal.

My dear friend Greg who was visiting for the weekend captured the journey to White Castle on his iPhone complete with real-time commentary ("Sean and Greg go to White Castle.  Here we go.  We are walking to White Castle. Sean and Greg go to White Castle...").  I highly recommend watching the clips below, you will not be disappointed, it's double rainbow worthy.  

I ordered one original White Castle, one pulled pork and onion rings.  When my food arrived I got ahead of myself and bit my tongue so hard it started gushing blood all over my mouth that I could only taste my own blood (mmm yumm), which is ironic since I just had my wisdom teeth pulled last week (boo).  Lesson learned, don't get too excited at White Castle.

Photo recap:
Greg and Sean was too focused on the mission at hand to stop for a celebratory photo (see the two bodies behind, Greg is the one filming with his iPhone in front of him), but the rest of us was excited we made it

Mission accomplished, Sean and Greg made it to White Castle.  You can watch Greg's footage of his four-block journey to White Castle.  Part One:

Part Two, the promised update upon arrival at White Castle:

More White Castle hilariousness:

Things Are Looking Up

Lunch at Google Just Made My Day

Oh my goodness the view from the Google NY office just kills me.  Just as much as the shrimp tempura spicy tuna hand rolls, salmon sashimi, honey mustard chicken wings and seaweed salad I had for lunch.

Last Pool Party with Special Guest DMC, Doug E. Fresh, Gucci Mane

I made an effort this past Sunday to make it out to the last Jelly Pool Party of the summer, as the rumor was a 'Super Special Guest' was going to perform.  Super special guest?!  Who could it be?  Must be someone big, someone good.  C'mon MGMT and Girl Talk headlined the final pool parties of the last two summers, so with the anticipation of--I don't know, Jay Z, Kings of Leon, Chairlift, LADY GAGA...the hipsters piled into East River Park clothed in their party jorts.  Boy was Williamsburg caught by surprise as the last pool party was basically an extension of Rock The Bells with hip hop acts Dominque Young Unique, Cool Kids, DMC, Doug E. Fresh and Gucci Mane...

Yes, Jelly Pool Party just showed Williamsburg Hipsters what's up.

Line outside of Pool Party--Jorts galore

First beautiful, sunny Sunday in a long time

ZYNC ZONE, American Express Holler

The boys aren't having any of it--the sun, the music, nothing

DMC & Andrew W.K. performing "It's Tricky"

Original Beatboxer, Doug E. Fresh "This is how you DougE, This is how you DougE..."

First time I have heard of Gucci Mane

The sun sets on this sad, disappointing non-indie-hipster music day