I generally love American traditions, and watching the 4th July fireworks while chowing down barbeque last month was no exception. However, for someone who possesses a mammoth ego, a birthday that falls on that most widely celebrated of unofficial American holidays, 31^st October, and a boyfriend from New York are an unfortunate combination.

Last year, he had a Halloween party in his apartment. Most of my British friends had recently returned to the other side of the pond, so only a few could make it. As a result I didn’t know most the people there and spent the evening chatting to a werewolf, the Times Square naked cowboy and Paulie Bleeker from Juno. I had fun, but did very little in the way of celebrating my actual birthday.

Last year, I put my foot down. I wanted to go out for dinner with Anthony – no parties, no dressing up, just me, him and a restaurant where they didn’t serve chicken wings. Unfortunately this became the cause of a) fights, b) passive aggression – “I thought you might WANT to spend time with me, as we NEVER SEE EACH OTHER” and c) guilt trips – “You know, this’ll be the first time in 28 years I haven’t dressed up for Halloween” (knowing his mother, this is no exaggeration – I can picture him clearly aged 1, in a pumpkin costume, clutching an Almond Joy in one hand and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in the other while cracked out on high-fructose corn syrup.)

Eventually I got him to agree to my plan of Halloween a deux, but there were setbacks. Having overlooked the prominence of the holiday in America enough to be baffled by my boyfriend’s attachment to it, I’d also forgotten the parade which dominates most of the village i.e. where all my favourite restaurants are located. Should we have managed to make it to the right side of 14^th St, it was unlikely that we’d be able to get a table.

I called Babbo to test the water:

“A table for two on the 31^st? You mean Halloween? Sorry, we’re all booked out that night.”

“It’s not Halloween, IT’S MY BIRTHDAY” I barked, before hanging up.

The day itself came and we stayed uptown. We had breakfast at the delightful Viennese Café Sabarsky at the Neue Galerie. We returned to his apartment to find a delivery of balloons from my little sister. She had also ordered Magnolia cupcakes which never arrived, but it’s the thought that counts. Shame on you, though, Magnolia. We pottered across the park, past Strawberry Fields, where a couple dressed as John and Yoko were having their photo taken. We ordered burgers at Shake Shack and were given a free serving of Spiced Pumpkin custard because Anthony told the man behind the counter that it was my birthday, then ate them on a bench outside the Natural History Museum. We stopped at Duane Reade to buy Tootsie Rolls on the way back, then sat on his stoop giving them out to the well bred trick or treaters of the Upper East Side.

Dinner was at JoJo on 64^th St. Anthony ordered champagne and pretended he actually wanted to be there and was generally adorable and perfect. It had been a perfect day. Never satisfied, I wanted to go for drinks at the Carlyle on the way home. He was sceptical.

“Aww babe, it’s 50 bucks just to sit down in that place.”

Eventually he relented. Leaving the restaurant, however, a car sped through a nearby  puddle, soaking me from head to toe (fans of Flight of the Conchords may note that he was not “walking on the outside of me” at this point). Retribution on me for making him miss his favourite holiday and testing him to the limit? Maybe. It was pretty funny though. We went home to shower and pass out in front of the Phillies game.

Photos by derek purdy and  thebrokenone used under a Creative Commons License

We discovered the Scene by Laurie blog over Twitter, and loved its mix of travel writing and New Yorkology, with posts on subjects as diverse as The Incredible Cakes of St Petersburg and the Wackiest New York Restaurant. Blog creator Laurie DePrete was kind enough to take time out from her globetrotting to answer a few questions about her home city.

How long have you lived in New York?

I came to New York immediately after graduation to work on Madison Avenue and fell in love. During the years, I’ve lived all over: Upper West Side, Upper East Side, West Village, Park Slope, the Bronx, Long Island, Westchester and even across the Hudson River in Hoboken.

There was one time when I ventured out, but New York pulled me back. It was after my first year here and a friend and I decided to travel around the US on a quest to find the best city to live. We covered all but six states, stopping along the way to check out different places, several for extended periods of time, to make money to continue traveling. In the end, it was NY that won. It’s not that I don’t love other cities in the US and abroad, I just think New York offers more diversity than any other single place.

You love to travel, but also write extensively about cool and unusual places you’ve discovered in New York..what are your favourite recent discoveries?

A fellow travel blogger took some of us to Momofuku Ssam this last weekend and the food is sublime, particularly the pork buns which literally melt in your mouth. Summit Bar on the LES was also a great recent find. It’s in an old tenement building, they play a mix of old and new music (we were shazaming all night) and the bartenders are fun.

Also I’m looking forward to the opening of 4food. They’re on a mission to de-junk NYC by starting a healthy fast food revolution and they’re employing some pretty cool social media tactics. For instance, you’ll be able to create your own menu item and the more popular it becomes the more rewarded you are with discounts.

And what are your all-time favourite places in New York?

My favorite place is Central Park at all times of the year. There’s a ton you can do, from softball to tennis to concerts in the summer, ice skating and sledding in the winter. I also really love the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, it’s beautiful and there are amazing exhibits throughout the gardens. Fave burger joint is Shake Shack, fave bar is Wilfie and Nells, fave jazz club is Smalls, and fave place to play is Fat Cat (dive joint with jazz and ping pong!!).

What lesser-known places/restaurants/sights would you recommend to people visiting New York?

For museums it’s the Cloisters, a wonderful oasis of peace and tranquility with Medieval European art and gardens, beautiful archways and corridors and it sits in Fort Tryon Park overlooking the Hudson.  If you like art, hit the galleries in Chelsea, the LES or Dumbo. They feature cutting edge artists and are free to visit.

For neighborhoods, I recommend checking out the LES, it seems less popular with tourists but there are tons of bars and restaurants. Also try to fit in a visit to Brooklyn. A walk over the Brooklyn Bridge is fun and the views amazing. On the other side explore Dumbo and the waterfront, Brooklyn Heights or Park Slope.

To see different views of the city in addition to the Brooklyn Bridge there’s the free ferry to Staten Island, bike riding along the west side, or kayaking along the Hudson River (free at several piers along the west side).

For booze, entertainment and food: The Back Room on the LES is a cool speakeasy without the crazy cocktail prices; the Upright Citizens Brigade is $10 for an hour of hysterical improv; and food trucks are the new thing and popping up all over. You can get everything imaginable. One of my favorites is the Wafles and Dinges truck.

Here is a post I wrote about a few more of my favourite restaurants in New York.

Read more…

The High Line is an elevated ex-freight railroad in the Meatpacking District that has been turned into a park/green pedestrian walkway. It’s been open for about a year now and garnered much praise, both for the innovative use of space, and because it’s a lovely, free way to see the city from a whole new perspective. Photographer Rhiannon Wilkey has kindly let us repost some shots she recently took on sunset stroll down the walkway.

Flowers on the High Line

A view of 14th Avenue

City Sunset

The sun is shining, the pubs of Soho are already thronging with people and the office is empty. This can mean only one thing – it’s time for the Friday round up!

New Lists

Duvels, Deliriums and Triples aplenty in London – if you like your ales pale, wheaty and very, very strong, you should check out this list by Belgian beer aficionado mrfionn. And drink a glass of milk before you leave the house.

New Places

The Dove – A friendly boozer on Broadway Market, it gets a bit crowded in the evenings!

Spore Boys – Possibly the best name for a mushroom stall EVER.

Off Broadway – a bar in London modelled after one in New York. Perfectly Metrotwin darling.

Merito Coffee – Independent and much lauded cafe.

Gossip Cafe – The site of the best coffee at least one person has ever had…

Stumptown – West Coast coffee in an East Coast hotel lobby.

Twins

Stumptown and Merito Coffee – see above!

McSorely’s Ale House and The Dovetail – strong ales in old ale houses.

East of Eighth and Balans - you’ll find a fine steak but no husband here, Madam.

Hungarian Pastry Shop and Louis Patisserie – The New York side of this twin is a good definition for both to be honest.

Photos by dinoboy and jacopast used under a Creative Commons Licence

In our new feature, we are going to bring you five events/happenings/situations of note going down in your city in the next month. This inaugural post is for the New Yorkers.

Nathan’s Famous 4th July Hot Dog Eating Competition.

Celebrate that most of American of days with the most American of ’spurious activities that could be defined as sports’- competitive eating. Nathan’s in Coney Island hosts the world’s most famous competition, the annual 4th July Hot Dog championship, which attracts 30,000 spectators and an incredible 1.5 million viewers on ESPN. Who knew that watching ‘athletes’ consuming anywhere up to 68 hot dogs in ten minutes could be so gruesomely compelling? In any case, it’s a fun day out by the seaside, and it will make you feel everso much better about eating one hot dog with extra chilli, fries and a bucket-sized lemonade.

River to River Festival

The aim of R2R is to ‘bring arts to downtown’ and how! A massive programme of events are scheduled for the coming months, encompassing a wide range of the arts, from dance and music to cinema. Most of the events are free, held in public venues and generally outdoor ones at that, so check out the schedule and bask in culture, as well as sunshine this summer.

Bryant Park Film Festival

Going to the cinema is a nice night out, but unless it’s properly sweltering and you’re desperately searching for air con, it seems a shame to spend sunny summer days indoors. The Bryant Park Film festival is the perfect solution to this problem, screening films on a large temporary screen in the middle of the park. Take a picnic, take a rug and cross your fingers it doesn’t rain, because if the weather holds, this is a perfect summer activity.

New York Restaurant Week

Between July 12th – 25th, some of New York’s top restaurants (such as Tao, Blue Water Grill and Nobu) will be offering cut-price fixed menu deals, with three course lunches for $24.07 and three course dinners for $35. You can make reservations from June 29th, but remember to get in there early, as it’s bound to be popular!

Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival

‘I’d like to tell ya now who’s number one, Brooklyn, Brooklyn is where I’m from.’ Well, it’s actually Long Island in the case of headline act De La Soul, but between July 5th – 10th, all manner of shows and events will be happening in City of Rocks to celebrate one of New York’s greatest musical legacies. There will be concerts, screenings of hip-hop films, DJ nights and even a family day celebrating the social change and empowerment that the genre holds at its core. Reprazent.

Photos by roboppy and flysi used under a Creative Commons License