ACTIVITY: +Pool, an Eco-driven pool

I subscribe to Kickstarter, an innovative company that gives entrepreneurs a platform to raise money for whatever project they've dreamed up. That's how I got my klutz-proof iPod wristband, the Lunatik, that turned my iPod into a watch and made sure I didn't murder yet another mp3 player.

This week, they featured a project called +Pool. Three brilliant gentlemen are on a mission to build a cross-shaped pool in a New York City river, using the river as a source and filtering it to make it swim-able (and of course accidentally drinkable). The center strip would be a lap pool for serious swimmers and fitness addicts; one side would be the kiddie pool, and the other would be the lounging/cooling off pool.

They've already been approved by Parks & Recreation, and done the research that proves this is totally doable. They've already raised enough money to test prototypes, but they still need $75,000 to test the more complicated structures and disinfection methods for the people and the river. Depending on how much you donate, you get complimentary gifts, like a cozie, sunglasses, a beach ball, a tank top, a towel, a tote bag, an engraving of your name on a pool tile, or a permanently reserved poolside lounge chair. Check out there presentation:

I think it sounds really cool. Of course, I have my concerns. New York is a very large city, with hundreds of thousands of people. This all sounds totally Utopian, but they're going to need security, life guards, cooperation from the Coast Guard, an on-site doctor, time limits for pool-hogs, a mandated maximum capacity, and a cap on the amount of food carts that will undoubtedly crowd the coast. Regardless, I like how innovative our generation is...even though I'm terrified of fish and I won't be going in there. ;)

TASTE TEST: Nuevo Latino at Zengo

I'm on a Bon Chon strike. I've seriously been gorging myself on Korean fried chicken for like 8 months, soooooooo I comprised a list of restaurants I plan to force myself to try. The first of what hopefully will be many was Zengo. I get all of my restaurant recommendations from my Thrillist newsletter, because they always introduce me to places with interesting menus...and because I'm too lazy to look anywhere else.

They mentioned that Zengo had Nuevo Latino cuisine, a mix of Latin American and Asian delicacies. I figured since I love both of those types of foods, I'd probably love them together.

When Ali and I first arrived one Saturday night around 9pm, we were told it would be a 20 minute wait. It was actually an hour-long wait and probably would've been longer if we hadn't complained to the bartender. We were then given booth seating meant for at least five people, so that made up for the neglect. Prior to being seated we got drinks at the upstairs bar. I'd recommend going up there. If you love architecture and interior design, you'll be in awe of the above-view of the hanging wooden beams and spiral chandelier. It's like a permanent art installation.

Once we were seated near the windows, I saw the intricate designs of the window gates. The decor seemed very Asian-inspired.

After realizing that the bar bill doesn't carryover onto the meal bill, I skimmed the menu for food I normally eat (pork, beef, and pasta). I never eat chicken or fish outside, because I already eat chicken at home every night and I'm afraid of food poisoning when it comes to seafood. I also try to stray away from $20 salads (because they're not very filling or flavorful), burgers (because nobody can top Five Guys), sandwiches (because nobody can top Subways or Chopt), and anything with spicy sauces (because downing five glasses of water is sort of a killjoy).

So after skipping over Churrasco (since I've never really liked it), lamb (because I can't remember if I like it and I didn't want to find out for $31), tofu (because yuck), and all the seafood, I settled on Braised Beef Short Ribs ($28).

And I'm so glad I did. It was de-licious! However, I read the words ribs and thought, That's totally edible. I decided to skip reading the meal description so that I wouldn't talk myself out of it. Had I read it though I would've known that it contained oaxaca cheese potato puree, shiitake (a Japanese mushroom), huitlacoche (an edible corn fungus), and dragon sauce. Dragon sauce. As in spicy. The tender beef and smooth mashed potatoes just melted on my tongue, cradling it in pillowy waves...and then assaulting it like a fire-breathing dragon. It's delicious, like I said, but probably far more enjoyable if you like spicy food.

Ali ordered the Achiote-Masala Grilled Chicken ($21) with black bean dal and mango salsa. I thought it was kind of bland, but she really enjoyed it. All in all, I'd recommend this restaurant if you love an array of Latin and Asian food. I probably won't eat there again because $28 is pretty pricey for a meal that's too hot for me to finish, but they have several other interesting-sounding offerings: Torched Wagyu Beef, Volcano (seared salmon, red crab, sesame-chipotle aioli), Mango Eel Roll, Thai Coconut Chicken Soup, Tuna Tataki (involved grilled watermelon), and even a Build Your Own Bento Box option. It sounds like one of those restaurants you only hear about on the Food Network. So if you have every series from the channel TiVOed, get off your couch and get to Zengo.

622 3rd Ave. | at 40th St | New York, NY

#1 Reason to Get a Smart Phone: NYC Food Truck App

I don't have a smart phone. I know. At this point that's like admitting that I go to the library to write this, because I only have a typewriter at home. But there are so many negative variables involving smart phones (i.e. short battery life, expensive phone plans, an addiction to Angry Birds, etc.) that I've managed to resist the urge to upgrade from my text-friendly Sidekick to an iPhone or a Droid.

However, every now and then, I learn yet another cool thing a smart phone can do that tempts me to reconsider. After all, who needs to pay rent when I can photograph scan tags that allow me to watch trailers as I read Entertainment Weekly's Summer Preview? That isn't the reason I'm tempted today though. No, that was yesterday's reason. Today's reason is The New York City Food Truck App.

I don't normally eat from food trucks, but every food truck I have eaten from has provided me with a delicious meal. The thing is: I don't know where most of them are. Several of them have numerous spots they like to park at and I obviously never frequent those areas, because I never see them. I've had the good fortune of discovering the Korean food truck on 49th between 6th & 7th ave. that serves the most delicious Bulgogi beef, and I once passed the Wafels & Dinges truck in Union Square, but I've yet to cross paths with the rest of the food trucks my friends gush about.

At this point in food truck history, several of the business and web-savvy entrepreneurs have wised to putting a kabosh on their anonymity, and broadcasting their current locations on Twitter. That's great and everything, but how about a less text-heavy, all-encompassing guide to food trucks? How about a map that pinpoints nearly every food truck in Manhattan, giving you a bird's eye view? *sigh* Now that's the stuff.

Murder Mystery at The Met

"Who wants to pay $46 to play a murder mystery game at the Met?!"

That's the text my friend Kristine sent me a week before the event. My mind immediately calculated the number of things I could purchase with $46:
- 3 movie tickets
- 23 iTunes tracks
- dinner
- cab fare...

Obviously, I was trying to talk myself out of it. But everyone I ran it past, thought it sounded like fun. I actually thought it sounded hard. I was afraid they were going to make me act out a persona, like a live action Clue or that wonky day at Dunder Mifflin. I also thought there would be pressure to contribute from my fellow teammates. I mean, I haven't "solved" anything in 7 years, having finished all mathematical and deductive problems in high school, so I was pretty sure I was going to suck at this. Ultimately, my mom and my bff convinced me to go, and the Met pried 46 pesos out of my tightly-gripped fingers. As for the pressure, I figured I would just be the comic relief slash cheerleader if nothing else.

When I first arrived, Kristine introduced me to her college buddies, Steph and Yedi. Our first task was to name our team. Steph wanted The Fantastic Four, but then squealed when she heard Yedi's suggestion, Rockapella. I suck at naming things, which you might agree with if you find this blog's name to be lame, so I was happy with whatever. But by the suggestions that these ladies were churning out, I knew I already liked them.

Once we were all branded and united under a common goofy name, the event coordinator from Watson Adventures, the company who runs the game, gathered us for mystery orientation. She gave us clues, waivers, and team sheets. Uhhh, signing a waiver that says the Met is not responsible for anything that happens to you during a murder mystery game is a little unnerving. There were muttered jokes about the likelihood that one of us would be the actual victim. I was happy she was going over the mystery details and games instructions, because I'm an unbelievably slow reader and it was hard to concentrate among all the excited chatter. The giant number on the front of our clue sheets denoted the question number to start with. Ours was 6. Afraid I was going to screw this up, I immediately started pounding her with questions--one of which being "What about questions 1-5?" Turns out, to prevent cheating, overlapping, or overhearing, they start each group at different numbers and then you have to circle back to finish off the ones you "skipped." Seems easy enough.

After the Q&A portion was over, we all playfully bolted towards our respective starting lines. Each clue starts with directions on how to get to the piece of artwork where the answer is hidden. Our first question brought us to a room with religious paintings and statues. The clue asked something like "There are 12 of these men and one is not like the other." So I thought, What religious painting involves 12 men? Thankfully, my mom's Roman Catholic and I immediately thought of The Last Supper. Calling the girls over so we could examine the painting, we realized that one man didn't have a crown, Judas. But Yedi corrected me and called it a halo. Later, we discovered that being exact would be crucial to finding the murderer. My favorite clues were the ones that involved cool paintings/sculptures, like the memento mori (left). The clues I hated were the ones we couldn't find because of confusing directions. At the end, we went over our clues and discovered an anagram. Once we were triumphant, we had to figure out a motive. Duh! Power! Every villain's kryptonite/Achilles heel/Rosebud.

With 15 minutes left on the clock, we raced towards the finish line to discover the events coordinator sitting all alone near an Egyptian temple. We were 1st! I'm not a natural born gloater, but these girls were. They were ready to crown themselves and take a victory lap. We spent the rest of the time taking pictures in front of a temple and filling out opinion surveys.

Once the other groups arrived, the events coordinator calculated each of the groups' points and with an implied drumroll announced that two groups won: Womp! There It Is (the new name Steph and Yedi came up with while we waited, lol) and Asian Invasion. We were tied! Eager to win the mysterious prize, we waited with baited breath for the tie-breaking question: "How many possible endings are there to the game of Clue?" WHAAAAT??!! Who the ffff..?" Only two members of my group had ever played Clue, so we were at a disadvantage. Not to mention, I was never any good at probability. In the end, the group that guessed closest to the number won. And that group was...Asian Invasion. Their prize? T-shirts with modern hieroglyphics spelling out "Watson." Bummer, I know. But still, the most fun I've ever had at a birthday party.

Photos courtesy of Karrie Anne Ducusin and DanielMitsui.com (memento mori)

N to the Y to the C to the L to the U to the V

Last night, I was reading this blog post on the finance site Bundle.com and one of the writers asked the community: “What do you look for in a city?” After my travels all over Europe, and my subsequent love affair with Seville and Rome, I realized that at the top of my list of must-haves was family.

I LOVE wandering the world, but I cherish my family more than anything else. And if my friends reach a point where I love them, instead of just like them (or tolerate them, lol), they become family too. What I hadn’t realized though, until just this morning, after having a dream about my dad and brother moving to Tampa, was that New York has become a member of my family as well, and I couldn’t bear to leave it either.

We’ve had too many good memories to just brush it aside. We’re about to hit our 25th anniversary together this December, and we still have so much to do. This summer will be the first in 3 years that I haven’t gone on vacation. It’s no surprise. I don’t generally have an influx of cash to pour into a generic vacation spot somewhere in the tropics. But after getting laid off last Fall and hopping onto the never-ending freelance train, I really wanted to treat myself to something relaxing and uninterruptible. Alas, I must be financially responsible and have a (ugh!) staycation. (I hate that word—not just because of the meaning, but also because of its mere existence.)

New York and I are going to get acquainted, like cousins who only see each other on major holidays and birthdays. No more surface pleasantries and ritual hangouts. No more treading the same ground and regurgitating the same information. It’s time to find new favorites and make original memories. The MTA just released the new Subway map and I’m about to put it to good use.

Annnnd since I have the worst memory in the History of Forgetters—couldn’t tell you what I did, said, wore, or ate yesterday—I’ll be recording it on this blog, along with flashbacks/snapshots of what I did the Spring of 2006, when I immersed myself (as much as an American can) in European culture for an entire semester.