Birthday: the Best Holiday

Those of you who know me might recall that I absolutely love birthdays. Mine in particular. Birthdays are the one day out of the year that everything actually revolves around one single person, who is in turn permitted to embrace their inner narcissist- outwardly.

The proximity of the Fouth of July to my birthday traditionally pairs festivities with fireworks, perfect summer days, splishin' and splashin', and all the other lovely things that go on in early July. Festivities this year include a pot-luck barbecue and cocktail party- followed by a field trip to Boston to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and embark on a cocktail tour. I'm knocking on wood, but let us hope the rain will come to an end this weekend.

Those of you who might have interest in hopping aboard the party boat ought be in touch with me, and, just in case you were wondering...

Vintage bar tools... and other accessories

A dome bubble umbrella with white trim

Dremel Cordless Rotary Tool

Some wholesome reading material and materials...

Thriller

I'm certain that Michael Jackson has been on the mind of every devoted fan out there the last few days, and I am grateful that he is being remembered and honored for his contributions to entertainment above all else. My turntable has been blaring Off the Wall and Thriller since I got the news, and while this video may be old news to the rest of you, it put a big ol' smile on my face.

Certainly my fondest memory of MJ's music was when my friend Pamela and I tried to learn his moves from a DVD- It was a night of stumbling and laughter and the next day I was sore as could be. I never mastered the moves, but the man moves me just the same.

Cocktails!!

You might read down below, in my previous post about my recent vacation, that I made some visits to some lovely nighttime beverage establishments. Some of my drinks proved to be inspirational- literally. Hence, a new love of beautiful drinks was born. I have always believed that a perfect beverage, be it tea or tonic, can cure any variety of mean reds, bygone blues, or sneezy flues.

So break out the shakers, citrus, and all manor of spirits and send me your favorite cocktail recipes! I want to build a book- ultimately- but mostly develop a portfolio and practice the art of the cocktail. Naturally, you will be included in the process- and if we're lucky, my lovely little shop will evolve into a lovely little cocktail lounge.



Should you find yourself lacking inspiration, might I suggest a trip to your local used book store to find an antique collection of cocktail recipes, the one pictured above never lets me down! Some other suggested reads include either of Dale Degroff's books, and this website.

The Big Apple

Recently I took my first vacation in nearly two years. Moving to the city was something that has been in and out of my head for quite sometime, and I thought it silly to consider having not spent serious time becoming acquainted with it.

The flight from Portland was the easiest thing to do, if I had plenty of disposable income I would do it with regularity. Forty-five minutes is all it took to escape the banality of everyday life and arrive in what can only be described as a magical metropolitan area. Not to bore you with details, I will make a list of highlights!

• Joe's Coffee Shop (West Village)

• Magnolia Bakery (West Village)

• Little Branch beautiful cocktails (West Village) shh, don't tell!!

• Hell's Kitchen Flea Market (Chelsea)

• Topshop (Soho)

• Breakfast at Tiffany's (Upper East Side)

• Central Park (Upper East Side)

• The Rabbit Club (West Village)

• The Cangelosi Cards at Banjo Jim's (East Village)
  

• The Met

• Exit the King on Broadway (starring Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, and Lauren Ambrose)

• Billy's Bakery (Chelsea)

Little did we know, our vacation would become something of a cupcake tour. We went to Joe's on Waverley Place nearly everyday in hopes of getting an Amy Sedaris cupcake (to no avail). Thankfully, the lattes there were always worth the trip.

Magnolia Bakery skyrocketed to fame when it was featured in Sex in the City, and really is all that it is hyped up to be. Pictured way up there on the right is a caramel cupcake with caramel meringue frosting and caramel drizzle- it was the best thing I have ever tasted.

Billy's Bakery (above) was lovely, but no match for Magnolia.

The trip might be summarized as follows: great shopping, great eating, amazing cocktails, delightful company, thrilling entertainment, and a whole lot of walking. Needless to say, a move is still a pipe dream and a possibility.