Paige's Blog

Frank Sinatra was my first celebrity crush. As embarrassing as it is to admit that, it’s completely true. Since third or fourth grade, I have absolutely loved Frank Sinatra and his music.

When I heard about “Come Fly Away,” a Broadway show featuring Twyla Tharp choreography set to Frank Sinatra music, I knew I had to go. As a former dancer, I could imagine nothing more enjoyable than watching an evening of the two combined.

I was able to get a student rush ticket for $30! That’s a great deal, considering that the next price level was $66.50 (after that it hit $90+). If you have a valid student ID card, you can get discounted tickets to several Broadway shows. You should check on the show’s website to see whether they offer student rush tickets and if they offer them on the night you’d like to go.

My seat was in the orchestra level. Of the five Broadway shows I’ve seen this time in New York, this was definitely the best seat I’ve had! I was right in the middle of my row and had a clear, full view of the stage.

The show revolves around four couples who meet and fall in love at a crowded nightclub. They dance their way through the night to the tune of classic Frank Sinatra tunes, like “Come Fly With Me,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and “My Way.” It ends with “New York, New York,” which was absolutely awesome, as that tune is not just one of my favorite Sinatra songs, but one of my favorite songs, period. The spectacle of outstanding dancing and the best vocals ever (in my opinion) made “Come Fly Away” seem more like a really good dream than a Broadway show.

You’ll enjoy the show more if you have some familiarity with the songs (many of them are standards, so it’s likely you’ll know at least a few) and/or you appreciate great dancing. I know nothing about critiquing dance, but I thought all of the dancers in the show were fantastic. Twyla Tharp, the choreographer, is world-renowned and choreographed the Broadway hit “Movin’ Out,” so you know it’s good.

But regardless of how much you know about Sinatra or dance, if you can get a $30 ticket, go see this fantastic show!

A grocery store? Yes. I am obsessed with a grocery store, Trader Joe’s.

Imagine every wonderful food at a wonderful price. Imagine that, generally speaking, the food is natural, organic or good for you in some way. Combine this with free samples, friendly staff in Hawaiian shirts and chalk drawings and signs around the store that reflect local places and events and you have Trader Joe’s.

There are several locations in Oregon, my home state, so I was happy to discover that the stores existed in NYC, too. Even in a city where eating out is the norm, grocery stores filled with awesomeness still exist. I’ve been going to the Trader Joe’s at Union Square. It’s a little bit of a trek from the Marymount residence if you’re carrying a big bag of groceries, but it’s 100% worth it.

Trader Joe’s is known for having pretty reasonable prices, so if you’re in the city on a student budget, it’s a lifesaver. I recommend some of their pasta choices: this weekend, I bought a bag of penne for 99 cents. My favorite, mini ravioli with cheese, is just $2.99 for a bag that will last you a couple of meals. Also worth trying is their mandarin orange chicken and microwavable white rice. If you’re looking for something sweet, they have a huge selection of chocolates and cookies.

"Grand Sample Station," the corner of the Union Square store where samples of TJ's products are served.

I could go on and on about how much I love Trader Joe’s. Each store has a unique flavor and does a good job of catering to the locals. Even though the line can stretch around the store at the Union Square location, the great deals and unique foods are worth the wait. Hey, they’ll even put you in a drawing to win a $25 gift card if you bring a reusable shopping bag. That’s a deal.

Check out Trader Joe’s if you haven’t already. They have two current NYC locations, with one on the way:

72nd & Broadway (coming soon) – 2075 Broadway

Chelsea – 675 6th Ave

Union Square – 142 E 14th St

No, I did not really go to Italy.

But, I did spend last night in Manhattan’s Little Italy neighborhood. Two friends and I decided to meet there for dinner. One friend, Emily, was spending her last night in New York, and she wanted to have dinner in the neighborhood.

A main drag of restaurants in Little Italy, on Mulberry Street

We didn’t spend much time in the area aside from eating our meal, but just being in Little Italy was a surreal experience. Even though I’ve never been to the real Italy, I’m guessing that Little Italy gives you a pretty good taste of what it’s like. The main street, Mulberry Street, is lined with Italian eateries. Menus are displayed on the street, and most of the diners are eating at outdoor tables so you can see their delicious Italian meals right before your eyes.

After surveying some of the menus, we settled on a place called Il Fornaio. I ordered macaroni and broccoli (gotta get your vegetables, right? Never mind that they were nearly swimming in olive oil and dusted with parmesan cheese). At first I regretted not ordering fettucini alfredo, but when this plate arrived in front of me, I was pretty confident in my choice:

Delicious macaroni and broccoli at Il Fornaio

I doubt there was a bad thing on the menu. Really, I doubt any of the restaurants on Mulberry Street had a bad menu item; they’re all more or less the same, but it’s worth it to take a look at the menu and compare prices and specials.

I’m sure you could spend a lot more time perusing shops and restaurants than we did, but our evening in Little Italy was wonderful. Combined with the ice cream we had later at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, it was a great evening with friends and great food.

When my dad helped move me in eight weeks ago, he had some time to himself when I went to the first day of my internship. He signed up to take a walking tour of Brooklyn (led by a guy whose tour company is called “A Tour Grows in Brooklyn”) and loved it.

This past weekend, my dad came back to New York to visit, so he took me to Brooklyn and showed me some of the places he went on his tour. He remembered a lot of what the tour guide said and it was fun to not just spend time with my dad but also learn a little bit about the area’s history.

The beautiful Soldiers' & Sailors' Memorial Arch in Park Slope.

Since my residence and my workplace are in midtown Manhattan, it takes a little effort to get around. I’ve been pretty good about exploring Manhattan but this was the first time I’d really explored Brooklyn (except for one trip to Coney Island).

My dad and I spent most of our time in Park Slope, a neighborhood near Prospect Park (and it slopes, hence the name). It was a super-hip, ultra-cool neighborhood filled with cute boutiques, great restaurants and quieter streets than Manhattan. We had a great time walking around and ate a great lunch at Press 195 (get the belgian fries – delicious).

A hippie mantra spray-painted on the side of a clothing shop window in Brooklyn: Live. Work. Create.

We spent some time on 5^th Avenue in Brooklyn and then walked up toward Prospect Park. The area is filled with residential areas and old brownstone houses. The brownstones are honestly some of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen, and I have my sights set on living in this cute pink one someday:

My future brownstone home! In my dreams, anyway.

Brooklyn makes you feel like you’re in a completely different world. It’s much quieter than Manhattan; granted, we were there on a Saturday morning when things would have been slower in Manhattan, too, but Brooklyn gives you the sense that it’s less crazy in general.

If you haven’t been yet, Brooklyn is a must-see during any New York adventure.

As a complete social media nerd, I am obsessed with blogging and reading blogs. Hence, why I am writing here. But, if you’re in NYC right now, or if you’re thinking of living here, blogs are the perfect way to learn more about the city. People blog every day about different things happening in NYC: good places to eat, fun cultural events, etc.

I’ve been adding several New York-related blogs to my Google Reader (a web application from Google that puts all of your blogs in one place – it’s like reading e-mail, only you’re reading blogs), and they’re packed with great info. Here are a few to check out:

The New York Times’ City Room blog is basically your one-stop shop for New York City news. They don’t cover super in-depth news stories, but post multiple times a day about (among other topics) local events, scandals and interesting people. If you want to feel in the loop about city news, read City Room.

Grub Street New York is New York magazine’s food and restaurant blog. They talk about local food deals, organizing them by neighborhood, where celebrities dine and offer general restaurant world news. If you’re a foodie, or want a bit of food-related celebrity gossip, Grub Street is a great find.

New York is one expensive town, but the Own This City blog from Time Out New York magazine aims to help you find some cheap deals. Every day, they feature a “Free things to do today” post, but post throughout the day with tips and ideas of interesting things to do or places to go. I just discovered this in the past week, but it’s been fun to read some of their free suggestions.

Hopefully, those blogs clue you in to what’s happening in the city. If you read any blogs about NYC that aren’t listed here (and I’m sure there are hundreds more), leave a comment and let me know!

So, yes, I understand that food in New York is kind of a broad topic for a blog, but because I’ve spent much of this week obsessing over, and often taking pictures of, my food, I knew I had to blog about it as this week’s obsession. (Oh, sidenote: I’m not sure why my pictures didn’t show up in the last post. Hopefully I’ll get that fixed tomorrow.)

A few weeks ago, I wrote about frozen yogurt. Well, my eyes have been opened to even more wonderful food. Pizza, for example. I went with a few friends to Lombardi’s, which is New York City’s oldest pizzeria, having opened in 1905. It’s in the NoLita area of Manhattan and serves up a great pie. Three of us split a large pizza and had two slices left over, and we didn’t break the bank, either. It’s in a really cute building and they play Frank Sinatra music, which in my book is a must for restaurant to be considered “good.”

Our half-margherita, half-Italian sausage pizza from Lombardi's. Good stuff!

I can’t believe I lived my first twenty years without sampling the cupcake fare at Magnolia Bakery. Their Grand Central Station location has a special “Grand Central” cupcake, which I selected – it was a chocolate/vanilla marble with super-creamy frosting. My mouth is nearly watering just writing that. Needless to say, it was the best cupcake I’ve ever had. (I kind of felt like I was cheating on Saint Cupcake, my favorite shop at home in Portland, but Magnolia truly is better.)

My "Grand Central" cupcake in its protective plastic case (that's how they package it), just begging to be eaten.

In NYC, you also can’t count out street food as another great option. It’s inexpensive and often some of the best food you can find! The meal below, from a street fair in Midtown, cost me $6 – lemonade from one stand ($1) and chicken satay and pad Thai from another ($5). And it’s not food-related, but if you really want to go on the cheap, check out the free summer film festival in Bryant Park – a free movie on a big screen every Monday at sundown!

A $6 street fair meal - AMAZING to say the least.

If you’re looking for more good food in NYC, check out the Grub Street blog from New York magazine. Their “Eat Cheap 2010″ issue is on sale right now and it’s also packed with great finds. Happy eating!

Locals generally turn up their noses at Times Square, it seems, because it’s crammed with tourists, smells kind of bad, and is very commercial. No one has actually given me those three exact reasons, except for the tourists part, but I’m guessing they all play a role.

And, since I’m trying to be as local as possible, I felt a little guilty for spending Friday night either in Times Square or at the nearby St. James Theatre, where a friend and I saw the Broadway production of “American Idiot.” The show “follows the exhilarating journey of a new generation of young Americans as they struggle to find meaning in a post-9/11 world, borne along by Green Day’s electrifying score,” per Broadway.com. That’s an accurate description.

My friend Emily (right) and I at the St. James Theatre before "American Idiot."

If you’re into soul-searching, rock music and skinny jeans, you would love American Idiot. And even if you’re not, you’d enjoy it simply because the sets are spectacular, the performers have great singing voices (there are few spoken lines in the show) and because there is a thought-provoking storyline woven through all of the songs.

While spending an hour and a half in the presence of outrageously loud and upbeat music was pretty electrifying, there is nothing quite like being right in Times Square. You truly feel like you are at the center of the universe and that you have your finger on the pulse of everything that makes the world go ‘round: bright lights, sounds, smells, a smattering of people from all over the globe. (And American Eagle.)

The center of the universe.

I worry sometimes that living here for an extended period of time is causing the city to lose some of its luster in my eyes – when you see the Empire State Building nearly every day, it’s not quite as exciting as it is when you see it for the first time. But, spending an evening in Times Square reminded me that the bright lights and electrifying feeling of New York could never be entirely eliminated. It is New York, after all.

A night in Times Square - not complete unless you've got a picture with the NYPD!

Wednesday night, I went to the Philharmonic in the Park with a few friends. And because it allows you to sit in the park, lay in the grass, bring a picnic, listen to amazing music and enjoy fireworks, watching the New York Philharmonic play in Central Park is my obsession of the week.

The New York Philharmonic is one of the most prominent symphony orchestras in the United States. They play in the Lincoln Center in NYC, but for a few nights in the summer, they take their concerts outside and share them with New York City – for free.

Central Park is pretty awesome in and of itself, but when you pair it with some equally awesome symphony music, it’s even better. On Wednesday night, the Philharmonic played several different selections (I won’t even try to pretend to list all of them because I really know nothing about classical music.). Even if you’re not a big classical music fan, a Philharmonic concert will entertain you; it’s not about knowing the music every step of the way, but about enjoying the spectacle and appreciating the unbelievable sound that comes out of all these musicians playing their instruments.

I’m not ashamed to admit that really the only part of the concert in which I really understood was a part from the

A look out at the concert crowd from our spots on the lawn.

Romeo and Juliet selection that was also the “Once Upon a Dream” music in Sleeping Beauty. That’s the extent of my classical music knowledge, and yet I still had a fabulous time at the concert. It’s the perfect opportunity to hang out in Central Park with your friends; just remember blankets to sit on, a jacket in case it rains and a lot of good snacks.

The Philharmonic played concerts in Central Park on Tuesday and Wednesday. If you didn’t have a chance to catch them then, they’re playing in Brooklyn’s Prospect park on Friday night and at two indoor shows: Saturday at the CUNY Center for the Arts on Staten Island at 8 pm and on Monday at the Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture in the Bronx at 8 pm. All the info you need can be found on the Philharmonic’s concerts page.

After the show, remember to stay for the fireworks! It's the perfect way to cap a fantastic night.

Lots of stuff! At my internship, I’m helping Bicycling magazine promote their Tour de France coverage. Since the Tour is now underway, things are getting busy!

It’s an exciting time for me to be working there, since I’m getting a lot of fantastic real-world public relations experience. I haven’t blogged much about my work, so this post is dedicated to sharing a little bit more about my internship.

On July 1 (also my birthday – now I’m 20! Weird.), Bicycling did a satellite media tour (or SMT) to promote the Tour de France. The magazine’s editor-in-chief did several different on-air interviews with news reporters from all across the country, answering their questions about the Tour and giving them a preview of the race.

The SMT was held at a studio in Manhattan, and it was so interesting to see how public relations professionals help SMTs run smoothly and get a feel for what type of questions reporters ask.

Yesterday, a co-worker and I went to Emmaus, PA (the company I intern for, Rodale, is headquartered there) to help out with a book signing. A Bicycling editor recently published a behind-the-scenes book about Lance Armstrong’s comeback at the 2009 Tour de France. He was signing copies at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center, a velodrome bike-racing track where races were being held last night. Thevelodrome is a popular destination in the community and I had a great time helping out and watching the races.

It was nice to escape the city for a day. As much as I love New York, it was fun to get away (but not too far away – Emmaus is about two hours from the city) and experience life at Rodale’s Emmaus offices. Spending some time in a small town was a welcome change of pace after spending a month in the nonstop craziness of the city!

The opening image of "Modern Family."

For the past year, I have been completely obsessed with the NBC sitcom “30 Rock.” And while I still have a very special place in my heart for the show, I’m starting to get into the ABC sitcom “Modern Family.” (And from here on out, I will not use quotation marks because they look too formal.)

A friend told me about how much she enjoyed the show, so about a month ago when I had to spend a long time packing for my move to NYC, I started watching.

And let me tell you…its HILARIOUS.

The show is a mockumentary, much like The Office, in which you see the everyday interactions of the characters, but also see the characters talking directly to the camera.

It follows the lives of three families: Jay and his much younger wife Gloria, and her pre-teen son Manny; Phil and his

Mitchell (left) and Cameron in one of the mockumentary interviews.

wife Claire (who is Jay’s daugher) and their three kids, Haley, Alex and Luke; and Cameron and his partner Mitchell (Jay’s son/Claire’s brother) who adopted a Vietnamese baby girl, Lily.

Basically, each episode tracks at least a few of those family members and displays the funny/awkward/unexpected situations they encounter. Some of my favorite moments include: Phil getting his family a dog without telling his wife (episode: Travels with Scout), Gloria surprising Jay with a romantic trip to Hawaii…that includes the whole family tagging along (Airport 2010), and Mitchell discovering the joy of Costco stores (Come Fly With Me). I can’t do the stories justice, so do yourself a favor and watch the ones available on Hulu.

Sometimes I feel guilty when watching TV in New York, like I should be out doing something more exciting. But, I’ve come to realize that there is a healthy balance between exploring the city (which can be exhausting at times) and just relaxing in your room while laughing at the hilarious antics of a modern family.

Have you seen Modern Family? What episodes do you recommend? Do you think Phil is the funniest character (because I do)?

Phil with the iPad he receives for his birthday in one of the funniest episodes I've seen.