The Dutch @ NYC Restaurant Week

The New York Restaurant Week started yesterday and will be on until August 10th. I have already started enjoying the deal and went to have lunch with a friend at The Dutch yesterday. For 24.07USD you get 3 courses (appetizer, entree and desert) for lunch and 35USD for dinner. You can't complain, can you? :)
The Dutch was on the list of places I would like to go in New York and as soon as I saw it would be taking part in the New York Restaurant week I made a reservation. I wanted to know what all the hype is about...
The Dutch specializes in American Nouveau/Traditional and Global cuisine and has a location at the W Hotel in Miami as well. The restaurant belongs to a very famous chef in New York called Andrew Carmillini. He has worked in some renowned restaurants in New York such as Le Cirque, Café Boulud, A Voce and Locanda Verde, winning a Michelin star whilst working at A Voce.
The food was lovely and my favorite bit was the delicious warm loaf of cornbread. Yummy!!!!!! I would definitely go back if there were not so many places to go first lol
For more details in regards to the restaurants taking place at the New York Restaurant Week click  here.
Hope you enjoy!!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Must Read: Time Out, NYMag and Eater

In a city that offer so much, it is so difficult to keep up with the 1000 events taking place at the same time + all different options of places to eat. One of the best things we have done was subscribing to Time Out. Every Wednesday we receive our magazine with all the events taking place during the week as well opening restaurants and the restaurants receiving great reviews.
The New York magazine and Eater are so helpful as wel. And the best thing about them all is that you can check most of the content on line on the following websites: Time Out , NYmag and  Eater.
Therefore, if you live here or are planning a trip and would like to find out about all different sorts of events, restaurants, etc. those are great the places to go :)

Hope you enjoy!!!! xxxxx

Happy July 4th + Hubby's Bday @ Hotel Americano

July 4th happens to be my husband's birthday as well. As it was our first July 4th in the US, we wanted to find out what all the fuss was about. And of course, I wanted him to feel special with the fireworks I had prepared specially for him lol ;-)
I was amazed how people embrace the date and with the amount of people on the streets.
On our way to Hotel Americano, where I had made a reservation for dinner, we were shocked to see the queue for the lifts in our building. As many flats have a great view of the Hudson river, it was a perfect place for house parties whilst watching the fireworks. One of our neighbours was giving a party and she said people were queuing up for 35 minutes in the lobby to get a lift!!!!!
Anyways, we had a lovely time at La Piscine at Hotel Americano. The hotel is quite new and we could see some of the fireworks from the roofdeck. In spite of the chaos, the service was amazing :) The views of Manhattan skyline are breathtaking as well.
We will indeed go back with friends for drinks, brunch and whatever else!!!!!
It was a very unforgettable experience indeed :)
Hope you enjoyed! xxxxx


Hotel Americano:518 West 27th Street  New York, NY 10001

View from the bar with the Empire State in the background

The smallest swimming pool I have ever seen in my life. Nevertheless a very stylish one.

The fireworks

View from our flat. What a beautiful evening!!!

New York Pride March

On the same weekend I managed to go to two different parades. The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island on Saturday and The New York Pride March on Sunday, June 24th. I truly loved it!!!!!!!What an amazing atmosphere, everyone having a great time :)
It is so amazing to live in a place where DIVERSITY is celebrated, respected and appreciated. That is what I love about cities like London and New York. You can be whatever you want to be. No one cares!!!!!!
It was the 43rd Annual Gay Pride Parade and also a celebration of the first anniversary since same sex marriage was legalized in New York.
Usually it takes place during summer and starts at Fifth Avenue going all the way down to Greenwich Village.
It is one of the year's most exciting events in New York. Very glad to have been part of it :)
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Mermaid Parade at Coney Island

The Mermaid Parade takes place every year in Coney Island. It usually happens late June. This year it happened on my birthday (June 23rd)! Since we moved to New York, we talked about going to visit Coney Island. The best thing is that you can take the subway all the way from Manhattan. In our case, we took the train in Herald Square (where Macy's is located took us nearly 45min). You can use any of the yellow or orange lines for the bargain of 2.25USD each way. You can't complain, can you?
The Mermaid Parade exists since 1893 and attracts a large crowd of people in search of some fun. The day was glorious and we fun we had!!!!!
When in Coney Island, you need to have a hot dog at Nathan's. The famous Hot Dog Eating Contest happens there every July 4th (in fact, it happened yesterday).
There were quite a few naked mermaids too... Oh dear...
Overall, I would definitely go back to go to the beach. The water is very cold though!!!!! The place is so tacky it becomes cult in my opinion.
I am sure you have seen this amusement park in some movie before. It is just so iconic!!!!!
Hope you enjoy :) xxxx

Gustav Klimt: 150th Anniversary Celebration at Neue Gallery

One of the things I love the most about living in big cities such as London and New York are the cultural attractions. Seriously, you have no time to get bored in such cities. There is always so much to do!!!!!!! As soon as I knew there would be an exhibition to celebrate Gustav Klimt's 150th anniversary, I knew I would end up there. Klimt is one of my favorite painters. I love his style, the colours, the beautiful mosaics we find in his art. Also, I had never been to Neue Galerie, which is located in the Museum Mile and is devoted to early 20th century German and Austrian art and design. The gallery is based in an impressive landmark mansion on Fifth Avenue and it offers a diverse program of exhibitions, lectures, films and concerts.

The Klimt exhibition was open on May 24 and will be on until August 27.It features major works from the collection, as well as several never-before-seen photographs of the artist. He looks so bohemian in some of them. I could imagine him living in the 70's!!!!!

I was a bit disappointed because there were not many paintings. Anyways, it s always amazing to be so close to a master's work. Beautiful and rich as the lovely ladies from the Viennese society he used to portrait.

If you go, make sure you have a coffee afterwards at the beautiful Cafe Sabarsky inside the mansion. It evokes the great Fin de siècle coffee places in Vienna and is supposed to be a favorite spot for New Yorkers.

 Neue Galerie:  1048 5th Avenue  New York, NY 10028

(212) 628-6200

Cock at The Duke

If you are looking for an Off Broadway show, I would definitely recommend going to see Cock. It has been receiving raving reviews and it is a very different experience from the box standard theater thing. There are only 4 actors in scene and the stage is very tiny, a sort of cockpit-like arena with stadium . In our case, we were lucky to be on the first row. If we wanted we could touch the actors!!!!!
Cock tells the story of a gay man, who begins an affair with a woman while separated from his lover. The performances are amazing!!!!! Besides, Cock is an Olivier Award-winning production from The Royal Court Theatre :)

Hope you enjoy!!!! xxxx

Big Apple Barbecue Block Party

The Big Aple Barbecue Block Party takes place one weekend each June at Madison Square Park (in front of the Flatiron building and Eataly). This year it happened on the 9th and 10th of June. Basically, it is a free admission event to celebrate award-winning barbecue and Southern-inspired fare from the country’s top pitmasters available for $8/plate. There was a great Motown style band playing when we were there. The weather was absolutely beautiful and everyone was having a great time.
I truly enjoyed it!!!! As the queues were so long, we didn't have any food from the stands. Next year, I definetely will :) xxxx