Blog - Grits in the City - discounts and faves

let them eat cake

October 28, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Wedding cake has always been a favorite of mine – in part because I love almost anything dessert-oriented and in part because it’s something you so rarely get to enjoy. The true classic wedding cakes I’ve had over the years are limited to, well, weddings! Until recently, I’d been to very few weddings over the years, making tasting a slice even that more enjoyable. I always knew that when it came the time for me, the cake selection was going to be one of my favorite “stressful” details of the wedding planning process. It was every bit as sugary delicious as I’d thought it would be.

Joking aside, there was a great deal of research that went into picking the right bakery. While I’m very into cupcakes, I also knew that wasn’t what I was thinking for our big day. That meant taking a look at additional options to select the final winner. I wasn’t aware of this going in, but many bakeries will charge you to taste. It’s good idea to first whittle down your list to the true contenders before you schedule with any – and the below considerations will help you start thinking through which ones best suit your needs/wants. [Read more…]

day trip to sleepy hollow

October 27, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Even though Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow are fairly close to Manhattan (a straight shot up on the Metro North), I’ve never been. I didn’t realize just how many seasonal events take place there understandably leading up to Halloween. There’s even a special water taxi that runs between the city and Sleepy Hollow just for those couple of weekends at Halloween (for this year it was October 17 and October 24), and so M and I went up yesterday to check it out.

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aerial yoga + brunch

October 25, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

M suggested we buy the Gilt City special for aerial yoga, citing it would pair well with some post-yoga brunch. 5 classes at $35 is a steal, so I was in. If you haven’t tried aerial yoga, it’s pretty awesome. I’m a big fan of the classes offered through Crunch. Being active in flying trapeze, I prefer the classes be heavier on the silks/aerial work than the yoga portion. The class we took today through Sacred Sounds Yoga was great, though definitely heavier on the yoga angle. Just a matter of preference. [Read more…]

the quick scoop: pumpkin-palooza

October 23, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

The countdown is on to Halloween, and this weekend is prime pumpkin carving time! It’s also down to the wire if you’re opting in to dressing up for the occasion. If you’re looking for some snacks to whip up while you’re carving away, I recommend giving these pumpkin cornbread muffins a go. Easy finger food while you’re focused on the task at hand.

If you’re ready to get into the spooky spirit sooner rather than later, Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg is running a number of Halloween classics over the weekend. Greenwood Cemetery has a number of special appropriately creepy evening events, but as of now they are all already sold out. Saturday is the ever-popular Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade. You might not be able to handle all of the cute. Things get underway at noon. There’s also the Halloween Harvest Festival at Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria, which kicks off at 11AM. There’s a full schedule of events, including the annual canine costume contest from 1-2PM. [Read more…]

choosing a nyc wedding venue

October 21, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

I never thought about it this way, but your venue is your backdrop. The palette which sets the stage for your special day. For us, we didn’t have one venue going in that we had our hearts set on. This ended up being a very helpful thing, as we learned just how far out some venues book. We both really liked the likes of the Green Building in Brooklyn, but the space was booked essentially for the entire year. Insane.

And it’s not just them. This is pretty common for some of the more notable spaces in the city. If you have one particular venue you want, then a last minute, 6 months or less til wedding day approach might not be possible. If you are set on that one venue, then you should start with the venue and then plan the details from there. For us, going in we knew we wanted something that felt cozy and represented our relationship but that also had enough space to accommodate our wedding size. We ended up going with a venue that was a Brooklyn brownstone, beautiful and with enough space for our slimmed down guest list.

It wasn’t as simple though as just choosing the vibe we wanted. Choosing a venue boils down to a few main considerations you’ve thought about, and a number of additional ones that might not have yet crossed your mind. [Read more…]

big band brunch at the heath

October 19, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Last weekend was the first time we treated ourselves to brunch in the city since our wedding weekend. Hard to believe that in a few weeks, that will have been four months ago! The Heath is one of the venues associated with Sleep No More, an immersive theater experience we are both big fans of. We found ourselves plotting our next visit between rounds of brunch.

We’re on the McKittrick’s mailing list due to our multiple visits to Sleep No More. We get all of the notices of the fun activities at the McKittrick, Gallow Green, and The Heath – but this one was perfectly timed. For $35 a person, The Heath’s Saturday and Sunday Big Band Brunch includes an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet, coffee or tea, and a complimentary mimosa. Not a bad deal. This is something you should definitely book in advance (it was sold out the day we went). [Read more…]

the quick scoop: pass the sweaters edition

October 16, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Tomorrow promises high temps in the mid-50’s. Brrrrr. Oh why hello, sweaters. So lovely we’re reunited. This weekend promises lots of great college football if I can get myself layered up and out the door to take it all in. You can bet I will be anxiously watching as #10 Bama takes on (preferably crushes?) Texas A&M. Can I get a Roll Tide?

This weekend, of course, is the annual New York City Wine and Food Festival. If you’re not planning on joining in for this year’s events though, there’s still plenty to be done here around the city. Up in the Bronx, this weekend is Honey Weekend in Wave Hill. From candle-making to honey tasting, there are two days of packed activities on the agenda. This Saturday, the corn maze at the Queens County Farm Museum is open until 9pm, allowing the opportunity to try out maneuvering the maze underneath the stars. Up for the challenge? You can also take your pick of flea markets. There’s the Brooklyn Flea on Saturday in Industry City (Sunset Park, Brooklyn), or the LIC Flea & Food on Saturday and Sunday in Long Island City. [Read more…]

cocktails at slowly shirley

October 15, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

A few weeks back, I was trying to find a fun spot for drinks with a friend during the week. I haven’t tried a ton of places as of late that I’ve loved for cocktails, so I was determined to find something new to me that would likely be fabulous. I came across several mentions for a spot in the West Village by the name of Slowly Shirley, and I was curious to give it a go. I love the West Village. I do. But I’ve yet to find a good go-to spot in the neighborhood that doesn’t come with the likelihood of an involved wait. Until now…

See this massive mob of people? You will likely see people waiting outside to go in. Don’t think – like we did – this is Slowly Shirley. Instead, it’s a bar by the name of The Happiest Hour, which is part of the same establishment as Slowly Shirley. Likewise, don’t wonder if you should go here instead. Oh no no … let me let you in on a little secret. Instead head slightly to the right to a door labeled “Slowly Shirley”. Knock or wave at the worker standing right there at entrance, and they’ll let you in. Don’t think that the need for someone to help you get in means this is a stuffy place. Not true by any means. [Read more…]

3 ways you can do less to do more

October 12, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Think about it for a second. If you’re like me, you’re never just doing one thing. I actually started writing this post as I was waiting on an elevator. It’s a problem! Even when I’m “relaxing” on the couch at home, I’m trying to catch up with my husband from the day, pet my dog, eat dinner, and watch TV. It’s a problem. If you work in a space like social media, then interruption is your reality. Nonstop. All day.

It’s not easy. I’m no pro. I’m far from it. Today I made myself shut down on the earlier side for some yoga this evening. By stopping the other things you’re doing for a bit and focusing on one thing to mix it up, you give yourself the balance you need to be effective during your day job and with all of the millions of other things people depend on you to do daily. These are three ways I’ve found to strike this balance along the way, and the struggle to mix these into the week is persistent – but it’s worth fighting the good fight.

Pause for the cause. Disconnect in some form or fashion. At least for a 30 minute to an hour window once a week. Maybe it’s walking to the subway without your headphones in for once – instead taking time to smell the fresh warm bagels mingled with brewing pots of coffee in the morning. Maybe it’s waking up early to spend a bit of uninterrupted time writing (I’m a big fan of The Artist’s Way and fabulous writing prompts like NaNoWriMo).

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