Put This on Your List: Coney Island

It’s time for the very first Put This on Your List. And I know it might seem a little corny to say Coney Island, but seriously I had so much fun there. For a former Midwestern gal, it’s kind of like the state fair only there is also beach and ocean (and of course, NYC prices).You can play games and win prizes (or a whole family of prizes).

You can play games and win prizes (or a whole family of prizes).

You can eat a whole lot of junk food for lunch.

You can end the day with Italian Ice (or ice cream like Mr. T did).

You can also buy an awesome new pair of sunglasses.

The thing that I liked the most about it was it was super easy to get to, but it kind of felt like a mini vacation (in the form of a day trip). You kind of don’t realize the city is just a few subway stops away. So if you’re a New Yorker who has never been, go. If you’ve been, go again. And, if you live someplace else and make a trip here definitely put it on your list.

A Review: The Performers on Broadway

Last Friday, I had the privilege of seeing David West Read's new romantic comedy, The Performers. And, I have to say, I was hooked from beginning and it’s totally not because of the almost naked man in the opening scene.

Evan Cabnet directs this World Premiere production, featuring the Cheyenne Jackson (Xanadu, 30 Rock), Ari Graynor (For A Good Time, Call..., Relatively Speaking), Daniel Breaker (Passing Strange, Shrek The Musical) and Jenni Barber (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), with Alicia Silverstone (Clueless, The Graduate) and Henry Winkler (Happy Days, Arrested Development).

The Performers is a romantic comedy about the ins and outs of life and love in the adult entertainment industry. The play centers on two high school friends, Mandrew and Lee (Cheyenne Jackson and Daniel Breaker) -- and the women in their lives, Peeps and Sara (Ari Graynor and Alicia Silverstone) -- who reconnect at the Adult Film Awards in Las Vegas. Peeps and Mandrew are the married porn star couple while Lee and Sara are the classic couple who have been together since high school. And then when the night goes array, Chuck Wood (Henry Winkler), the veteran in the business, steps in to help them out.

What I really like about the play was its overall humor. I mean, it was literally laugh out loud until you almost cry kind of funny. There were puns all over the place, many that you sort of saw coming. The characters are the opposite of serious and stuffy. In fact, I’d even consider them a little raunchy at times. But, given the overall feel of the play and the fact that it’s about the adult entertainment industry, it all came together and worked really well.

All in all I’d say there were very few moments where I didn’t feel entertained. So, if you’re looking for a good time, definitely check it out. It makes a great lady date and I would say it makes a great couples date as well.

Five Things I Want To Do This Month: October

I am a slacker. True Story.

OK. Correction. I feel like a slacker. And that’s the true story. I mean, let’s be honest here. On any given day I am doing 40 things on top of maintaining a social life. I do a pretty good job and I’d say that’s pretty far from slacker.

But, for some reason the list of all the things I want to do always gets shoved aside. In my defense, though, it’s usually for a good reason and it’s totally not on purpose. For instance, I am usually doing one of the 40 things or something that’s not on my to-do list that someone suggests I should do.

If you remember, last month I was supposed to:

Go to a zoo

Visit the Farmer's Market in Union Square

Go to Brooklyn Bridge Park

Visit the Museum of Sex

And, well, I did none of them.

However. I did walk the highline. 

I also found a fantastic new breakfast place with a bakery near my apartment. And ate pancakes. I love pancakes.

And, I checked out five or so new bars that I am a huge fan of. One that inspired this amazing night. I also went to a bar where there was karaoke and magic tricks (on a date!). Seriously, you can’t get better than that, can you?

And then I played tourist in Battery Park.

I would love (really, I would) to tell you that I will complete my list this month, but I will be in the Midwest for several days and when I get back the month will be almost over. Plus it’s my birthday and fall so there are so many other things I could add to that list. But, I am going to try.

And, I guess at the end of the day I shouldn’t pressure myself so much about this whole list thing. After all, I am having a blast in New York so that means I am totally achieving my goal.

Trojan Study About Sexual Preferences By City

Chicago, New York City, and sex. Interesting stuff here.

Today I stumbled upon an article about a study by Trojan. The study surveyed men and women in metropolitan cities about sex.

If you read this blog regularly you know that I don’t get that into stats because it’s kind of hard to determine things without asking every single person out there. And, well that’s impossible. But, nevertheless, I find studies about mostly anything pretty interesting.

What I found especially interesting about this study is the difference between Chicago and New York – my former city and my new city. Per the study people have the most sexual partners in New York City and Chicago is the city with the least. When it comes to taking control, New Yorkers are more likely to say they like to take control while Chicagoans are least likely.

Now, I didn’t move here based on the city’s sexual preferences or anything (no, really, I didn’t). But I still find it pretty amusing that I moved from the city with the least to the city with the most. 

What do you all think about the survey?

Five Things I want to Do This Month: March

It’s a brand new month which means a new set of things I want to do this month. Now, here is the tricky part, since this is a new feature for me, I get to decide how I want to do it. Since we've established I didn't exactly complete everything on my list last month, part of me thought I would just add the leftovers to the things for this month, but then it kind of seems like an afterthought. And, then I could end up with eight or ten things to do. The point of this is to be fun and enjoy life, not drive myself crazy.

So, I decided that whatever I don’t do will become a part of the next month’s five things I want to do.

Here they are for this month:

1. Visit Prospect Park – I never really knew Prospect Park existed until I moved to Brooklyn and, from what I have heard there are some insanely awesome views of Manhattan. So, I think it’s time to go.
2. Buy a cookbook and cook at least three meals from it – I confess, I don’t own a single cookbook unless you count the kind that tell you how to make cocktails. And, honestly, I need to learn to cook some different stuff.  I know it’s not that big of a deal since you can find so many recipes online, but sometimes trying to find something that sounds good online is extremely tedious. I think a cookbook will inspire me. Anyone have suggestions??
3. Go up in the Empire State Building – I confess (again) because I’ve kind of been a building snob. When you’ve grown up a few hours from Chicago and lived there for five years, you’ve definitely made your share of trips to the Sears (now called Willis) Tower. Since it’s taller than the Empire State, part of me always figure why bother. And, honestly, when I was a tourist here there were just so many other things I wanted to do. But now that I love here it’s a little different and it’s something I want to do.
4. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge – I didn't do this last month so I am carrying it over. I’ve done this once before, as a tourist, but now that Brooklyn is my home I desperately want to do it again.
5. Meet the lovely @MissMegasaurus – since this one is technically half done, I am going to add something to it. Make a new friend.

So, there you have it. And, as always, if you have any suggestions for me, leave them in the comments or contact me.

Five Things I Want To Do This Month

When I first decided to move to New York, I thought about all of the things I wanted to do. And it’s not all things like museums and landmarks but also little simple things too. You know, like sitting in a café reading or writing.

Since I have been here, I have done some of those things but I have found that most of them get lost in the shuffle. I find myself making lists of things I will do and then somehow I end up not doing any of them. I don’t mean to make it sound all dramatic or like I am just sitting around not having any fun. That is definitely not the case at all – I have been having a blast. It’s more that I seem to find other things that I want to do so some things take the back burned and it’s making my list a little outrageous.

So, I decided what better way to give myself the extra push to do all this stuff than to put it in my blog. And, that’s exactly what I am going to do. Let’s face it, that’s way more fun than just writing a to-do list.

Each month I am going to pick five things out of my ongoing list and I am going to make it happen sometime during the month. Sometimes it might be a few little things and sometimes it might be something big. But, whatever it is, I am putting it here. Then, at the end of the month I will check in to see how I did.

And, of course, if anyone has any suggestions feel free to let me know in the comments.

Now, I will stop babbling and get on with this month’s list…

1. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge -- I’ve done this once before, as a tourist, but now that Brooklyn is my home I desperately want to do it again.
2. Buy a sassy black dress -- because every gal should have one (I might need Miss Taylor Cast’s help with this one).
3. Go to an old book store or, really, a few old bookstores -- I adore checking out old books and I am dying to have some for my collection. I found some bookstores that look interesting in the East Village but I welcome anyone’s recommendations.
4. Eat one actual piece of fruit everyday of this month -- I know this one sounds lame but if you know me well you know that my fruit intake comes in one of two ways: juice or fruity candy (yes, I know that’s not fruit). I take vitamins and eat lots of veggies but fruit has never been my thing. Even when I was a kid I would take vegetables over fruit anyday.
5. Meet the lovely @MissMegasaurusand @LifesARunway (who I don't think is really on Twitter anymore, but she knows who she is) -- I’ve been tweeting with them for as long as I can remember and I’ve been in Brooklyn far too long to have not met them. So it’s time.
6. Ask someone to be my Valentine -- I know that makes six but since it's February and I don't really get into the Valentine's day thing I thought I'd go totally crazy.