Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Cane & Able

It was Monday evening, a little after 6pm, and I had just left work. I was about to cross the street and enter the subway when I passed a little old lady with a cane. She was slowly, but surely making her way across the street not paying any attention to anything, but making it before the light turned. After I passed her, I didn’t think anything more about it. I crossed the street, hung a left and made my way down the stairs of the subway. As I was walking down the stairs, I heard the sweet screeching of my train arriving. Like any New Yorker, I got excited when I heard my train coming. It’s like the proverbial “icing on the cake” after a long day. YESSSS, I would be home sooner than I thought.

So I picked up the pace, subway card in hand, and passed through the turnstile. I casually jumped on the train and moved to the side making room for any last minute riders. As I was watching the people rushing onto the train, I saw the little old lady with the cane pass through the turnstile like lightening. I thought...wow, she’s fast, but then again she’s had a lot of practice with subway cards over the years. She’s a pro. Before I knew it, I was watching Flo-Jo running to the train. The old lady was sprinting with her cane tucked under her arm. What happened in the last couple minutes? Did her joints miraculously heal? One minute she was feebly inching her way across the street...the next minute she was doing hurdles over turnstiles.

As she approached the doors, the door bell chimed signaling the doors would be closing. Little ol' Flo-Jo leaped onto the train (with the greatest of ease) with the doors closing right behind her. She had made it just in the nick of time. I looked around to see if anyone else had witnessed the little sprite other than me. Sure enough, another passenger had witnessed her magic and we both laughed. Shortly after, a young man offered the little old lady and her cane a seat.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Last Week's Wardrobe

Monday's Outfit
Cardigan: Banana Republic
Shirt: Forever 21
Skirt: J Crew
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Forever 21
Headband with Vintage Pin



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Tuesday's Outfit
Dress: Anthropologie
Tights: Forever 21
Shoes: Franco Sarto



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Wednesday's Outfit
Dress: Ann Taylor
Cardigan: Leifsdottir
Belt: Anthropologie
Shoes: Franco Sarto
Headband & Ring: Forever 21




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Thursday's Outfit
Dress: Max & Cleo
Necklace: Forever 21
Headband with Vintage Pin


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Friday's Outfit
Dress: Anthropologie
Shoes: Delias

Friday, October 23, 2009

You Learn Something New Each Day

In preparation for a wedding this weekend, I treated myself to “the works” – a manicure, pedicure and a 10 minute massage at Ann’s Nails. As always, it’s a tough decision picking out a polish with so many colors to choose from; let alone two colors for my manicure and pedicure. I quickly picked out the color for my toes as I tend to stick with shades of red. But the color for my nails was a much harder decision to make. The last few months, I’ve been experimenting with bright and dark colors. This time, I wanted to tone it down a bit so I was looking for the perfect light pink. As I scanned the wall of color, all the Essie pinks started to blend together. There were at least 30 shades of pink and they all looked so similar. I was looking for a pink that was not too sheer or too flat. So I chose “Spaghetti Strap”.

After the first coat of polish went on I knew it was going to be too sheer even after the second coat. Crap! This was the exact thing I was trying to avoid. I asked the manicurist to do 3 coats and she immediately asked “Too sheer?” She knew exactly why I wanted the third coat. So the manicurist walked to the wall of color and came back with a heavier more opaque light pink called “Guchi Muchi Puchi”. She said she would put this on top. With no reservations, I agreed to it and by the time she painted the first nail with the new pink, I was so happy with the turnout. It was exactly what I wanted. She told me about combining sheer colors with more opaque to strike the perfect balance of color.


After my relaxing massage and drying my nails for another 10 minutes, the manicurist came over to me to help me put my shoes on. Even though my toes should have been dry by then, she wasn’t going to take any chances. She whipped out a bottle of Essie Cuticle Oil and quickly painted my toes. She then placed a piece of saran wrap covering my toes and slipped my shoes on. The oil was to prevent the saran wrap from sticking and the saran wrap was going to prevent the polish from smudging in my shoes. When I got home and slipped my shoes off, my polish looked perfect. Another reason why I love Ann’s Nails.

See, you do learn something new each day.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Didn't Your Mother Ever Tell You....

Just when I thought I didn't have anything to write about today, something embarrassing happened.

I was walking down Fifth Avenue enjoying the beautiful weather. I was about to make a right turn when a street cleaner stopped me and said "Congratulations". I immediately thought about the big fat crystal flower ring I was wearing on my left-hand ring finger. But then I quickly dismissed the idea because the ring is obviously fake. So I asked the guy "Congratulations for what?" He then said the worst thing every woman dreads hearing - "Oh I'm sorry. I thought you were pregnant."

Huh! What?! I couldn't believe that just happened. I was in a state of shock not to mention mortified. I stopped in front of a store window to check out my profile. Okay, I am wearing a dress with an empire waist, but I definitely don't look pregnant. What an ass! I've always heard these horror stories about other women, but never imagined it would happen to me or at least any time soon. After replaying the brief conversation, I wish I would have scolded him with a big fat "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to say that!?"

That comment was WAY below the belt (both figuratively and literally).

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

And the Winner is....



Last night I answered the age-old question – Are the soup dumplings at Shanghai Café better than Joe Shanghai’s?

To help judge the soup dumplings, I brought my trusty companion Ashley. Ashley, a long-time Joe Shanghai-er, knows her soup dumplings. She’s a lover of all things soupy and spicy like me. So it’s only fair that I bring a judge as knowledgable as me to judge this ultimate showdown.

Shanghai Café sits on Mott Street sandwiched between Chinese restaurants. The street is very much like Pell Street (the home of Joe Shanghai’s) – there are endless Chinese fruit markets, foot/back rub places, and the curbs are lined with trash. Ah, welcome to Chinatown. As we walked into Shanghai Café, we were sat at a table immediately. Awesome, I thought. After I got situated in my chair, I took a good long look around. Shanghai Café looked like a cracked-out Johnny Rockets! There were neon squiggly lasers all over the sealing, booths that looked like they were ripped out from the wall at Outback Stackhouse, and to top it off…it was hotter than the dickens.

But I was not going to let the décor and temperature taint my judgment just yet. I opened the menu to find the soup dumplings were actually more expensive than Joe’s. At $4.95 per order, this was 30 cents more than Joe’s. I was surprised at the price because the online menu says they are $4.50 an order. Not that 45 cents is going to break the bank, but that was a huge leg-up Shanghai Café had on Joe Shanghai’s.
Anyway, after sitting at our table for a good 6 minutes, the server finally asked us for our order. No introduction like - “Hi, welcome to Shanghai Café. What kind of dumplings do you want?” She just asked us for our order. Not a good sign in my book. That means people actually dine at Shanghai Café for the food and not the soup dumplings. Don’t get me wrong, Joe’s food is delicious too. But for a supposed “soup dumpling rival”, you’d think they assume most people want some soup dumplings.

Scoreboard (Ambiance + Service)
Joe Shanghai’s = 2
Shanghai Café = 0

So Ash and I order ourselves a TsingTao beer, pork fried rice (that’s what Ash and I eat at Joe’s) and an order of pork soup dumplings. A few minutes later, our rice and dumplings arrived. Finally! Let the ultimate showdown begin.

I carefully placed a dumpling in my spoon, bit the nipple of the dumpling to open it up and loaded the dumpling with my favorite spices– ginger vinegar and spicy red chili sauce. After eating the nipple of dough, I immediately added another point to Joe’s scoreboard. Shanghai Café’s dough was much heavier. One could even say the dough was more durable, but durability is something I am willing to sacrifice considering I am a dumpling pro.

Scoreboard (Dumpling Dough)
Joe Shanghai’s = 1
Shanghai Café = 0


After pouring out the soup into my spoon, I slurped it up. Not bad. Not bad. But it’s still not as good as Joe’s soup. Then I gobbled up the remainder of the dumpling. Hot! Hot! Hot! The pork dumpling was still hot! In fact, way hotter than Joe’s. Point for Shanghai Cafe. And to top it off, the dumpling was scrumptious. After 2 orders of dumplings and some pork fried rice, Ashley and I were satiated…no wait, comatose-stuffed. Nothing promises a good night of sleep like some soup dumplings.


Scoreboard (Soup, Temp., Meat)
Joe Shanghai’s = 1 (Soup)
Shanghai Café = 2 (Temp & Meat)

Ashley and I paid our bill ($12 each) and talked about our meal. We both gave Shanghai Café a 7 out of 10. Joe Shanghai’s was and will always be a 10 in our book.

And the winner for the best soup dumpling is…Joe Shanghai’s!!!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Rump Shakin’ with Bert & Ernie

Surprisingly, yesterday was fairly uneventful. Let’s see… I woke up, showered, went to work, finished work, walked to the Subway and saw the same homeless guy staring at the Au Bon Pain pastries through the glass window while licking his chops, caught a train home, worked out, watched Gossip Girl and Curb, then went to bed.

Yep, Monday was fairly uneventful considering I wore a purple tweed skirt and purple tights. I was convinced I’d get a California Raisins or Barney, the Purple Dinosaur comment, but apparently people decided to be nice yesterday. Just when I thought I’d have nothing to blog about today, I had an interesting and educational ride to work thanks to Bert & Ernie from Sesame Street.

Each morning, I strategically get in the last car on the train to grab a seat so I can read. Today was like any other morning; I got an end seat and was immersed in my book. After a few stops, the train got more crowded and before you know it, this guy was jamming out to "Bossy" by Kelis while his rump, covered by his black puffy coat, was steadily brushing the side of my head. I was getting annoyed because his coat was messin’ up my DO! Before I thought it couldn’t get any worse, he turned around to face me and revealed his ever-so-stylish “Bert & Ernie” t-shirt. We're not talking a cool vintage-style graphic tee. We’re talking Bert & Ernie in primary colors = Sesame Street galore. Seriously?! Bert & Ernie? At least go with something more modern like Pokémon or Power Rangers.

And please don’t rub your rump on me. It’s only 8:30am.


Monday, October 19, 2009

Last Week's Wardrobe

My goal last week was to incorporate my recently inherited vintage items into my everyday wardrobe. Since I acquired a horde of vintage pins and love them so much, I decided to pin them on a headband. Enjoy!!
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Monday's Outfit
Silk Dress: Banana Republic
Shoes: Delias
Necklace & Pin: Vintage
Ring: Forever 21



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Tuesday's Outfit
Silk Dress: Nanette Lepore
Shoes: Nine West
Necklace & Earrings: Vintage
Feather Headband: Leila Rowe
(Vintage Emerald Pin added)





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Wednesday's Outfit
Blouse: Banana Republic
Skirt: Ann Taylor
Shoes: Delias
Necklace: Forever 21
Headband: Vintage Diamond Pin added




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Thursday's Outfit
Dress: Anthropologie
Necklace: Forever 21
Headband: Added Vintage Pin



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Friday's Outfit
Sweater: JCrew
Shirt w/ Ruffles: Ann Taylor
Skirt: Ann Taylor
Headband: Orange Citrine Vintage Pin added



Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Ultimate Showdown


Most people challenge themselves by running a marathon or climbing Mt. Everest. Well, not this chica. I've never wanted to run a marathon or make it to base camp 1. My Challenge: I want to find the city's best soup dumpling. You might think I am crazy....But I think I am passionate.


The other night I was sitting on the couch, watching Gossip Girl with my roommates and heard the most absurd thing...I was told there's a BETTER soup dumpling place around the corner from Joe Shanghai's at this place called Shanghai Cafe! What!!! How could this be?! Is there really something better than Joe's and it's been under my nose this entire time? No way Jose!

Anyway, I went to Joe Shanghai's last night for my weekly fill of soup dumplings. As per usual, the TsingTao beer was refreshing, the potato scallion pancakes were greasy and the soup dumplings were steamy bites (and slurps) of deliciousness. As we paid our $11 per person bill and left my haven, I thought to myself - Erica, you should really branch out.

So the Girl in the Dress is on a mission...to see if Shanghai Cafe's soup dumplings are really better than Joe Shanghai's. What will be the outcome? I can't say for sure, but if the soup dumplings at Shanghai Cafe are as good as Joe's and the orange slices as juicy, I'll be the luckiest girl in the world. Until then, Joe Shanghai's is the ULTIMATE in soup dumplings.
To Be Continued...