Tag: the hungarian pastry shop

 Coffee Break

That’s an upside-down picture of a green tea match latte from Perpetuum Cafe in Flatiron. I love those. They’ve been my main jam for the last week+. I woke up last Tuesday, after a night of a couple of drinks and some shitty (yet delicious, of course) bar food during the first debate and decided, “Nope, no coffee.” 

I wasn’t tired throughout the day, while opting for tea. I’m well aware that tea has caffeine, but when it’s steeped, the caffeine weakens greatly. Tea doesn’t send my digestion system into overdrive and make me feel like shit, so there’s that, too. 

I did it the next day. And the next. And the one after that. I kept doing it until yesterday, Tuesday, morning rolled around and it was super dreary out and all I really wanted was a Hungarian Coffee from The Hungarian Pastry Shop. I had one, but I got decaf. 

Fact: Caffeine isn’t all that. It just blocks the adenosine in your body from telling the receptors in your brain that you’re tired. Hence why you often crash after it wears off and need more.  

I still felt pretty good after my decafe Hungarian Coffee. I haven’t had anything yet today, besides water, and I’m not at all tired. I’ll probably have tea soon to help digest the cupcake I just ate. 

I love the smell of coffee and the process of making it, and drinking it (you know, with whipped cream and almond extract). But it doesn’t really make me feel great. I’m going to try to keep transitioning to tea. We’ll see what happens. 

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My Name is Jonas.

Fans were lined up outside of the Richard Rodgers today to get cancellation tickets to Hamilton, and now they must be pissed now that both the matinees and evening performances of every show are canceled. 

The above-ground subways are actually shutting down mid-afternoon, the buses are ceasing at 2:30pm, and the NYPD are literally threatening to arrest people if they’re found on the street. 

Call me crazy, but a storm this crazy is so fun. I awoke at 9:30am because I was sure my yoga studio would cancel classes (spoiler alert: they didn’t until 11:30am, oops) and put on my layers and went out for bagels. I walked around a few blocks and even saw some dude running on Broadway in SHORTS. He wins the Crazy Award.

Now I’m doing my laundry, my dude is doing work on his laptop, and we’re listening to the Danny Elfman Pandora station (Batman is currently playing). 

I wonder if being outside under my buildings awning would put me at risk for getting arrested? I may have to find out later. 

Enjoy the storm, my East Coast friends and Tumblrs! Stay safe!

An Upper West Side Weekend

I spent all weekend in my ‘hood. I really like my ‘hood and I wasn’t seeing a show, so I didn’t have a real reason to leave. Additionally: this weekend was for being lazy. On Friday night I watched Gone Girl (for the millionth time) and colored a page in my “art therapy” coloring book. I basically just vegged. It was the nicest. After pouring myself into bed before 11pm, I woke up at the crack of 8am to head to my 9am yoga class. It’s an advanced class and is always hard but this was by far the hardest class my teacher has ever taught. I was dying and I also set a record for the most calories ever burn in one 90-minute yoga class (478 calories to be exact).

I spent the next couple of hours relaxing (and eventually showering) before Justin came over and we went to get coffee at the Hungarian Pastry Shop (somehow I was still exhausted) and he suggested watching John Adams. (Meh. It’s good, but sort of slow.) We headed out into a rather mild winter evening to The Ellington on 106th and Amsterdam for dinner with my folks. I like brunch at The Ellington better than dinner, but it was good anyways. After saying goodbye, we ended the night at new Amity Hall on 109th and Amsterdam (the location used to be another Pourhouse) to watch some football and have a drink. I fell asleep to another episode of John Adams later in the evening.

It poured all day on Sunday. In the brief break we got in between downpours, I ran out to Absolute Bagel to pick up the freshest bagels ever and we made coffee and started to wake up. Multiple cups of coffee later, we made ourselves semi-presentable and took a long walk to Petco to look at adoptable cats. There was a really sweet one named Grace that seemed really calm. Shortly after, we tried another new bar near my apartment, The Hamilton, which used to be ‘The ‘Dam,’ until it closed suddenly and without notice. The bartender was Scottish with a heavy accent and he was really friendly. They’re still trying to find their way into the neighborhood but with their prices and selection of craft beer, I have no doubt they will. Both of our meals were delicious and our bill came out to $29.

After we finished eating, we took out the chess board that we’d ordered (him, rather – it was really him) and played. I’d never played Chess before and I had a lot of trouble remember which pieces could move which directions and how. I felt like a dope, but he showed me how to beat him and I tried not to let my ego get too down on itself.

Back at my apartment, I worked on something for work in my bedroom while more John Adams was watched in the living room. That show, while interesting, bored me to tears. While perusing Netflix after, we found the documentary “The Nightmare,” about 8 people who suffer from sleep paralysis. It freaked me out, for sure, while my dude just laughed.

It was a good Upper West Side weekend. New places, new experiences, and I definitely remembered to enjoy the day.

an unremarkable, too-short, but awesome couple of days

This weekend was way too short. It felt like it went by in a day and a half despite the fact that we gained an hour. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary for Halloween so I didn’t lose time being hung over. I just woke up on Sunday and the weekend has vanished behind me.

I was able to get to a 6pm yoga class on Friday with one of my favorite yoga teachers. Then I proceeded to buy a purple sweater at TJ Maxx in an attempt to create a half-asses “Hipster Ariel” costume. It’s a really cozy sweater and I will continue to (over)wear it through the winter. I spent the rest of Friday eating whatever was left in my fridge (spoiler alert: not much) and watched the next episode of The Leftovers (still the weirdest, nonsensical show on TV).

I watched Real Time with Bill Maher on Saturday morning and then went for a way-too-hard 2.10 mile run. It should not have been as difficult as it was. I was just running too fast, I guess. Later in the evening I joined my friend Selena and at the “Girls Pint Out” booth at the NYC Craft Beer Fest for a couple of hours. I sampled too many beers. 

The rest of the night included a drink with my dude at my friend’s bar in midtown, and after his friend and her man showed up, we migrated to an Irish pub a few blocks away hoping to see some shameless costumes (and oh my goodness, we did). 

Sunday was lazy. Very lazy. Justin and I watched a few more episodes of The Walking Dead (we’re still on season 5) and enjoyed some caffeine from The Hungarian Pastry Shop before I met up for a long overdue brunch with @endotique at Melba’s in Harlem. We split the eggnog waffles and fried chicken which was delicious, to say the least. It was lovely. We watched some people running the marathon at 110th and 5th for a while, noting that they’re all insane (seriously, people who run marathons are insane – it’s unhealthy). 

The rest of the evening was filled with the rest of season 5 of The Walking Dead with Justin and later (much later) some Italian food to get us through the final episode. I read, went to bed early, and kissed inexplicably short and unremarkable weekend goodbye. 

Morning Glory

Since it’s starting to be darker and darker in the morning, it’s been realllllly hard to get out of bed and make it 7 flights down to my basement to go to the gym. I know: life is hard. So, instead I’ve been taking it easy and drinking tea, meditating, stretching, getting ready, and then walking a couple of miles before I get on the train (i live about 3 miles from my office). Today I listened to a podcast called The Bowery Boys and “Supernatural Stories of New York.” I’ll usually stop at The Hungarian Pastry Shop or Irving Farms for coffee along the way too. I like Plowshares on 102nd and Broadway too, but their takeaway cups are the worst.

I’m trying to take it easier during the week because I’m usually booked up 100% between yoga+shows+friends+errands. Last night I had to run or go to yoga, so I ran down to Trader Joe’s (2.12 miles) and then shopped. Running on Broadway is kind of a pain in the ass, but it was okay. I ran sub-10 minute miles which is way too fast. I was dead by the time I got to TJ’s. I’m starting to love/hate running again because it’s so mindless. Just one foot in front of the other.

I’m going to go to a yoga class and then make it home to chill out and hopefully be able to stream the democratic debates (#feelthebern). I also need to buy kale, so there’s that.

What’s your morning routine? 

(The above photo was actually taken during a sunset one night in the last month.)

Mornings in Morningside

Because I ran myself ragged yesterday (in the best of ways), I decided to take this morning off from the gym and instead spend 20 minutes or so drinking a Hungarian coffee (coffee with almond extract, cinnamon, and whipped cream) and reading (current read: Spinster)  at The Hungarian Pastry Shop. 

It wasn’t the suffocating 90* that it is currently and there was practically no one else sitting outside. There were hoards of Columbia students having just moved back into the neighborhood this past weekend already making it their morning routine to grab coffee on the way to their classes though. My neighborhood feels incredibly packed and busy again, but in a good way. Not in the same way that Times Square feels packed. I shudder to think that I almost moved into Hell’s Kitchen. 

I think this week I have to make it my priority to take it easy in the mornings, sip coffee outside, read, and go to yoga after work. I probably won’t, but it sounds nice.

Weekend Things.

Friday night: BANG! Said the Gun had their second installment. It was, again, AWESOME. I highly encourage you to check it out, last Friday of every month. It’s a slam poetry night that originated in London.

Saturday: Yoga, duh. Then I chatted with a lovely International Politics professor from Baruch in The Hungarian Pastry Shop, picked up “Street Justice” for $6 from Book Culture, and listened to the Columbia University band practice out on their quad. Saturday night I celebrated my best friend’s husband’s birthday at Subject, L.E.S. It was a cool place with $6 Abita, but it was too crowded. They also lost my credit card (which I’d just activated that day) until I looked on the floor behind the bar and was like ‘IT’S ON THE FLOOR. RIGHT THERE.’ I don’t think I’ll be heading there again. Also: the Lower East Side on a Saturday night? Shit show. We all know this, but come on. Really, it’s a shit show.

Sunday: I tried out a class at the new 104th/Broadway Yoga to the People. It’s a great place to go for experienced yogis but I wouldn’t suggest it unless you have a solid practice already. I bought the wallet (on the right) that you see above at the street fair on Broadway. It’s from a company called Big Skinny and it’s amazing and so compact. I ventured later on to Brooklyn to see Ghosts at BAM (review coming!) and went with a lovely guy to an Italian restaurant called Frankie’s 457 in Carroll Gardens. Another upside to my new purse? The middle part is the perfect size for fitting Playbills. 

A Laidback Easter

Since my brother wasn’t going to be home from school and most of my mother’s family is scattered now, my parents weren’t really doing Easter this year. I was okay with this as I’m seeing them next weekend for brunch for my birthday and my friend and her husband were throwing a Jesus-Free Brunch in their midtown apartment.

After a quick run & power walk at the gym, I showered and grabbed what is my favorite new coffee drink, Hungarian coffee, from The Hungarian Pastry Shop. This is a typical coffee with almond extract and whipped cream. I sat outside and read. It was gorgeous.

My friend’s brunch was awesome, tasty, with lots of amazing company. After we ate, her husband hid Easter eggs on their terrace (the building’s terrace, so it was a big space) and surprisingly it was kind of fun to race around and find them. They have quite the sense of humor so in some of the eggs were condoms and Easter-y notes.

After a yoga class, I’m home watching the rest of Bill Maher’s Religulous. The only and perfect way to end any holiday. 

For more festive ways to celebrate the last hours of this holiday, you can read about the Pagan roots of Easter here. And incase you’ve watched “Going Clear” recently (the documentary about Scientology) and find yourself saying, “that’s insane!!” you should probably read this article by Neil deGrasse Tyson where he makes a completely rational comparison when he says that you can’t laugh at Scientology if you believe in the Christian story of Jesus.