Happy Hour

So I should probably starting writing about more fun stuff, as this has been deemed my "Summer 'O Fun." JM and I had no idea what we were in for when we arrived at 230 Fifth. I was running late and arrived just in time to stand in line. I am finally past that stage where I wait in line but now I was curious, what was waiting for me on the 21st floor? :-) What characters in this place, definitely a scene. My favorite part, a stuffed Zebra. It was fun to check out ONCE, on a sunny day for the cool view. We are all suckers for a rooftop in Manhattan. Rumor is they will be serving Malaysian snack food by rising chef, Zak Pelaccio. So head over to 230 Fifth perched atop a random commercial wholesale building. Get there early. Best view of the night was the three dudes that smuggled in cans of Budweiser. :-)

How is it that I have been in NYC since 1999 and have not yet been to the Bread Bar at Tabla. From Blue Smoke and Shake Shack, Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern, and now Tabla, I have declared myself a huge fan of Danny Meyer. My favorite was: Bread Bar Ceviche East coast halibut dressed with peanuts, Thai basil, lime and cayenne peppers. I'll be back to check out Tabla and try some of their famous cocktails especially the Tamarind Margarita and Pomegranate Gimlet! Cheers!

All about ME

"I don't know why people settle for so little. I don't know why people aren't more greedy to discover what is inside them." - Jack Gilbert in an interview in the Paris Review

Word of the Day

authenticity

See ya in Kismet

Freedom

A free spirit always
has somewhere to go
living without tomorrows

No more tears

Due to some recent circumstances, I of course found myself reading another Paulo Coelho book. This one is "By the River Piedra, I Sat Down & Wept," a novel about forgiveness. I thought I would use this blog to talk about beer but I have found books more interesting these days. I should combine the two and bring my books to the bar. :-)

So this book made me think, as most do. The main character in this book tells us, "It's life that takes us by surprise and orders us to move toward the unknown." Yep. I have learned that it's definitely not always when we want, or when we expect it, but when we need to, life forces us to move on. I like Paulo Coelho's books because they are very spiritual. Spirituality is something I have been thinking about a lot these days.

Page 79 "But love is always new. Regardless of whether we love once, twice, or a dozen times in our life, we always face a brand-new situation. Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere."

Page 118 "But now I discovered that I too was capable of loving. Even if loving meant leaving, or solitude, or sorrow, love was worth every penny of its price." EVERY PENNY, NICKEL, DIME, QUARTER, DOLLAR, ETC.

Balance, Travel, Self

Illustration by Viktor Koen from a NYT Book Review