Last Friday Kevin and I went to the third annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic at the New York Public Library (Read about last year’s gala and the 2011 gala here.). Being Kevin and my third Cocktail Classic as well, I kind of felt like a veteran. I had no problem just having a sip or two of a drink and setting it down if I didn’t like it that much. I think I also covered more ground that way. I wasn’t as concerned with the cocktails that were being served even though that’s kind of the point of the event; I was more so interested in the little details of the event which in my opinion, is what makes the Manhattan Cocktails Classic gala special and unique.

For example, there are all sorts of fun, quirky things that make you feel like you’re almost at a carnival except classier. It’s the little, well-thought out details that make the gala into a sort of adventure. There was a couple dancing on stilts, there was a woman whose skirt was a table covered in chocolates, there was a bookshelf with plates of mini bread morals, there was a corner of a hallway filled with umbrellas full of small bags of popcorn, and much much more. It’s easy to miss all these things if you have a one-track mind of getting schwasted. Instead, I had fun simply wandering around and taking in everything.

My other favorite part of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic gala is getting dressed up for it. It was also perfect timing because I recently saw The Great Gatsby at the movie theater, so I was in the 1920′s spirit. I wore a sequins dress with fringe on the bottom that reminded me of a flapper. I also wore a big feather head piece.

Kevin and I had a great night. I’m looking forward to the next Manhattan Cocktail Classic!

Last week I got to see Orphans on Broadway starring Alec Baldwin, Ben Foster, and Tom Sturridge. It was AMAZING. I figured it was good since Alec Baldwin is in it and it was nominated for some Tony Awards, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it actually is. Orphans is a very intimate play with only three actors setting foot on the stage. It is nominated for a Tony for the Best Revival of a Play and Best Actor: Tom Sturridge.

Orphans “takes place entirely in the seedy North Philadelphia home shared by the siblings of the title: Treat (Ben Foster), a hoodlum who supports them by sticking up people at knifepoint, and Phillip (Tom Sturridge), who, convinced by his brother that it’s unsafe to leave the house, has remained inside for a decade or so, living on tuna sandwiches and television. One night, Treat returns home with a drunken, middle-aged stranger named Harold (Baldwin), whom he ties up and plans to rob. But Harold, himself an orphan since childhood, turns the tables and, after pistol-whipping Treat, moves in with the boys, becoming a kind of father to them while hiding out from some Chicago mobsters who want to kill him” (Vogue.com).

I liked that Orphans  is only two hours, but it almost goes by too fast and I left wanting more details from the storyline. For example, I understand that Treat and Phillip’s mother is no longer alive, but I want to know what happened to her. I’m assuming the boys were close to her because they still have her coats hanging in the closet.  I also don’t quite understand why Treat doesn’t want Phillip to read or leave the house. Is it because Treat wants to feel needed or have control over the house he’s worked hard to keep for himself and Phillip?

I understand why Sturridge is nominated for a Tony; his acting in Orphans is phenomenal. He plays Phillip, the mentally challenged younger brother. Phillip is actually the most dynamic character. He is funny and he shows growth throughout the play. He reads and looks up words he doesn’t know in a dictionary, and he blossoms under Harold’s care. By the end of the play, Phillip shows that he’s not totally dependent on Treat. In fact, the closing scene ends with Phillip presented as the stronger, nurturing brother.

Orphans is ending in a few days, so I’m really happy I got to see it. Lucky Guy and Orphans on Broadway all within two weeks–I’m a lucky girl!

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, May 2013

Two Saturdays ago, my boyfriend and I went on a double date to see Lucky Guy on Broadway. Saturday also happened to be the day of the Kentucky Derby race. One of my co-workers had me pick a horse for him to bet on, so I wanted to see how “itsmyluckyday” did. We went to Southern Hospitality and drank a mint julep before the race. Unfortunately, it was not my lucky day and my horse didn’t win, but it was still fun. Also, if you’re wondering why I’m wearing a weird hat thing in my pictures, it’s because I was getting into the derby spirit. Giddyup!

After the race, we went to Don Antonios for pizza before the show. We had a really good fried pizza…needlesss to say, anything that is fried is delicious. With our stomachs full, we headed to the theatre. Let me preface this by saying that I did not read what Lucky Guy was about before going to the show. I actually like going into a show having no idea what it’s about so that I don’t have any expectations. The two main reasons I wanted to see Lucky Guy though is because Tom Hanks is in it and it’s nomintaed for a few Tony Awards. To be more specific, Lucky Guy is nominated for Best Play, Best Direction of a Play by George C. Wolfe, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play-Courtney B. Vance, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play-Tom Hanks.

Here’s the synopsis of Lucky Guy:

 LUCKY GUY marks a return to Ephron’s journalistic roots in a new play about the scandal- and graffiti-ridden New York of the 1980s, as told through the story of the charismatic and controversial tabloid columnist Mike McAlary, who won the Pulitzer Prize shortly before his untimely death on Christmas Day, 1998 (Lucky Guy Play).

The ensemble cast of “Lucky Guy” portrays real-life New York news  reporters and editors. The play spans the time period from 1985 to 1998, when, according to a notice for the play, “the city had become  polarized between rich and poor, black and white, criminals and cops” and the environment was perfect for an aggressive and tough reporter  looking to strike it big (CBS New York).

The star-studded cast of Luckt Guy is comprised of Tom Hanks, Maura Tierney, Christopher McDonald, Peter Gerety, Courtney Vance, Peter Scolari, and Richard Masur. There were some seriously good actors on stage and it made a difference. The fact that Lucky Guy is based on a real person’s career and was riveting as it was told through several characters makes it unique and very worthy of Tony Awards in my opinion. I’ve seen tons of Broadway shows over the past two years, and I will say that it was definitely one of the best plays I’ve seen. My boyfriend’s favorite show was Book of Mormon and he even liked Lucky Guy more. One of my favorite comments about Lucky Guy, which I also think explains why the play is fast-paced and engaging, is from the New York Times where Brantley writes, “…as a love song to a fast-disappearing, two-fisted brand of  journalism — a field in which she [Ephron] began her long and varied career — it  has the heart and energy of the perpetually engaged, insatiably curious  observer that Ephron never ceased to be” (New York Times).

After an amazing show, we had some great wine and cheese at The Cellar in Flatiron to end the night. All in all, it was a perfect Saturday evening spent doing fun things with good company.

All in all, Kevin and I had a great time at the wedding. We spent time together, danced a little, and enjoyed each other’s company.

Birthday Dinner at Sagano in Brighton

I’m not a huge birthday person anymore. Growing up my parents always planned a special day for more whether it was a surprise party with friends or a nice dinner followed by a dozen presents. After entering college, I stopped really caring about celebrating my birthday. I remember I didn’t even want to do anything for my 21st birthday because it was around finals and I was too stressed studying for my exams and wrapping up the school year. I was excited to be able to legally drink, and that was about it.

This year, while I didn’t mind turning a year older on my birthday, I didn’t really have any desire to do anything so I decided to use my birthday as a reason to fly home to spend some time with my parents. I flew to Michigan from NYC on Friday evening. For the rest of the weekend we drove all over the place from outlet mall shopping at Frankenmuth to dinner to more shopping at Twelve Oaks. I even got to go back to my alma mater, The University of Michigan, to walk around before going to the movies to see Oblivion with Tom Cruise in IMAX.

Dinner at The Pound in Brighton

In front of U of M team locker replicas found at Yost, Crisler, and The Big House. Go Blue!

My dad in his Michigan snuggie

Overall, it was a great weekend and I had a happy 25th birthday. I wasn’t home long enough to meet up with any of my friends still living in Michigan, but I got to spend quality time with my parents which was nice considering I hadn’t seen them in a few months.

Even though I was only gone for the weekend, Pants was so happy to have me home.

A few weeks ago I learned a valuable piece of wisdom at an unexpected time from an unexpected person. One morning as I was riding up the elevator at work I made small talk with an old man that I often see around the building. I said something like, “It’s only Tuesday and I already can’t wait until Friday” and the man said, “Honey, if you spend your life wishing it was another day, your whole life will pass by you.” All I could quickly say before exiting the elevator was “Very true” but I’ve been thinking about those few words ever since. The man, whose name I don’t even know, made me realize that I should look at each day head on.

We often spend so much time thinking about the bigger picture that we forget that the things we do on a daily basis are just as important and are necessary in order to achieve the bigger picture goal. A few weeks after, I read a great article on Thought Catalog by Ryan O’Connell titled, “Why Being in Your 20s Is Awesome” that similarly got me thinking of life, my career, and my age. The article is about ones twenties; it encourages us to take the good and the confusing and frustrating times and just live our lives without stressing that

there’s a certain path or order one must follow.

My favorite three points in the article are the following:

1. “Being in your twenties allows you to start carving out the life you want for yourself. Everything is on your terms now which seems daunting but is actually liberating. For the first time in your life you’re the boss.”

I’ve heard many of my peers complain that after high school or college no one was there to guide them to the next step in their lives. But part of being an adult is making the kind of decisions like determining what you want to do with your life. Life would be much more generic if there was always someone telling us what step to take next. It’s called freedom. Love it. Breathe it. Roll in it.

2. “It’s important to talk about why your twenties are great because it seems like we spend so much of our time wanting to be somewhere else other than where we are.”

I’m definitely guilty of this one. My 25th birthday is approaching yet in my mind I feel older and I want to say I’m older. I need to remember to embrace my age today because I won’t be able to get these years back. Our 20s are damn hard, but I keep reminding myself that the hard work I’m putting in will just help to elevate my career even more when I’m at a senior level.

3. “Anything is possible. People are ready for you. They want to hear what you have to say. They look at you and are curious about what words are going to come out of your mouth. You’re the new generation. What do you have to say? Don’t bite your tongue. One day you’ll be pushed aside for a younger “fresher” perspective so you better get it out now. Make a mark. Make a stain. Make something.”

Because I’ve always looked up to older leaders, I’ve never considered that likewise, there are things they can learn from me too. I also haven’t thought about the generation behind mine that is still growing up and will someday in the not so far future be the fresh out of college person with fresh, new ideas.

So, to all of my friends who are stressing because they don’t exactly know what they want to do with their lives yet, don’t stress too much. Just take it a day at a time and remember to “leave your mark.”

This January I went skiing for the first time. Yes, you read that correctly, I just learned how to ski. Better late than never though, right?! I flew to Reno and my boyfriend picked me up at the airport and we drove to Squaw Valley in Tahoe. I was really nervous not just because my first time skiing was going to be on a huge mountain, but also because Kevin’s co-workers we were going with are experienced skiers and snowboarders.

Long story short, I ended up having a blast. I took lessons for the first three hours which was a really good idea. I have tried snowboarding (kind of) one time in my life, and it was a disaster. I went on a large hill in my hometown, Mt. Brighton, with some friends who knew how to board, and although I started off on the bunny hill, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I ate it getting off of the chairlift which didn’t help my self confidence, and then every time I started picking up speed I got nervous and panicked. So basically, I slide on my butt down the hill and spent the rest of the afternoon in the lodge until my friends were done. What’s worse is that I was still in high school so I wasn’t even able to at least drink in the lodge to pass the time.

Anyway, my three hour lesson went well. I had a great instructor and went quickly from beginner to intermediate. After my lesson was over I even skied on my own for two more hours. Skiing is addicting! Each time I went down the mountain I felt more and more confident. I didn’t wipe out many times either which definitely helped. The view on top of the mountain was pretty awesome too. I could see Lake Tahoe from the top of the highest slope I skied down.

I now understand why people love skiing and snowboarding so much. It feels like a special club and I finally just got an invite. Spending the day on the slopes and then coming to the lodge for lunch makes food taste much better than it actually is. Additionally, nothing tastes better than a cold beer after skiing all day. Exercise, socializing, and drinking? Sounds like the perfect combination to me. Skiing on Squaw was a blast and I’m really looking forward to going skiing again sometime soon.

After we woke up on Sunday we had tea and croissants at Laduree at the Champs-Élysées location which kind of became my obsession considering I I wanted to go there every day. It was also conveniently close to our hotel. Luckily, a Laduree location recently opened up in NYC, so I can still get my macaron fix.  Champs-Élysées is also a good street to go shopping. Kevin and I went to Guerlain, one of the oldest French perfume houses, and bought new cologne and perfume. It was fun because the sales girl let us test out everything until we found the one we liked most, and she also told us the history of Guerlain and the original golden bottle the perfume came in.

Since the majority of the stores on Champs-Élysées can be found in NYC too, Kevin and I decided that the best way to see the main attractions would be to hop on one of the tourist buses. Since I had never been to Paris before, I figured it would be the best way to see as much as possible. It ended up being a great idea. The tour bus came with a head set to listen to the audio guide. We learned some history about the city while also seeing the famous tourist attractions. The last stop we got off at was the Eiffel Tower because I wanted to be there at dusk to see all of the lights come on. Kevin and I took some pictures as the sun was setting and then after dusk when all the lights came on. It was a really special moment. Even though the Chrysler building is taller than The Eiffel Tower, it is still a beautiful structure and I’m so happy I saw it in person for the first time with the person I love most (corny again, I know). Paris is the city of love after all.

Parisian breakfast at Laduree

Gilles Clement Garden

On Monday after lunch and tea at Laduree, Kevin and I  headed to the Lourve Museum. I mainly wanted to go to see the Mona Lisa but I ended up loving so many other things about the museum including the giant glass pyramids and the amazing view of the city from inside. I was actually surprised about the lack of security in the museum, mostly around the Mona Lisa where people were moshed together taking pictures.  My favorite room in the Lourve is actually the Apollo room. It was beautifully dripped in gold and the ceiling told Apollo’s story while also representing all the months in a year and the seasons.

After spending a few hours in the Lourve, we had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant. It was kind of weird and the restaurant was half health/vitamin store, but it was still an interesting experience. Though the portion sizes were moderate and it ended up being an expensive lunch, it felt healthy and it was nice not having to worry that I was going to be served meat considering I can read and speak zero French. After lunch we walked around the area and I lusted at some little Parisian boutiques and designer stores. I fell in love with a coat and dress but willed myself to give it up–the exchange rate is a killer. When we got back to our hotel area, we walked Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe to take some pictures, then we saw a movie. None of the French films had English subtitles, so our only option really was to see Gangster Squad.

Lourve Museum

Apollo Room in the Lourve

Me and Kev at the Lourve Museum

Arc de Triomphe

On Tuesday we followed a friend’s advice and had hot chocolate at Angelica. It was delicious but probably the richest hot chocolate I have ever tasted. Then we took the train to the Catacombs. We waited over an hour in line, but it was totally worth it. The Paris Catacombs has about six million dead bodies buried underground. It was kind of weird because the bodies are all aligned–it’s almost like art the way the bodies are stacked on one another. Again, like with the Mona Lisa in the Lourve I was surprised there weren’t more guards around. Visiting the Catacombs was actually one of my favorite things we did in Paris.

After our fun adventure in the Catacombs, we had tea and then we took the train to  a street with a few designer resale shops–we’re talking about all the major designers including Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Louis Vouittan, etc. I could have spend hours going through racks of clothes and purses, but even with a large discount, the clothes and purses were still a few hundred dollars.

Paris Catacombs

Catacombs

Space Invaders tags Paris!

We were hungry after shopping, so we then tried to find a spot that had pizza. France is very meat and fish heavy so we ended up walking around for 45 minutes trying to find a spot. It was kind of fun because we had no idea where we were going and we weren’t concerned about time, so we just kept walking and walking. When we finally found a pizzeria, they ended up being closed. It was about 5pm and they weren’t opening up for dinner until 7pm. Everything works out in the end though because we ended up finding a spot that served good tortellini, and the bakery next door that I stopped in before heading back to the hotel had the best macaron I have ever had (even better than Laduree, believe it or not).

On Wednesday, my last morning in Paris, Kevin and I had a Parisian breakfast at the Four Seasons before I had to head to the airport. A Parisian breakfast consists of fresh squeezed juice, tea or coffee, and an assortment of pastries. It was the perfect way to end my trip. I had an AMAZING time in Paris, and I cannot wait to go back. Au revoir for now!

A few weeks ago I got to see Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring Scarlet Johansson. I was really excited because I kind of have a girl crush on Johansson.  Her raspy voice makes her sexy but not intimidating. She does not disappoint in Cat on a Hot Tin roof either; I think she did a fantastic job. 

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a long play, but it doesn’t feel that long. There were a few times I was a little bored of the dialogue with Maggie (Johansson) trying to get Brick (Benjamin Walker) to open up to no avail, but luckily, the other characters bursting on the scene were good distraction. Benjamin Walker looks great with his shirt off too. The first thing I thought when I saw Johansson and Walker on stage was that they make quite a pair.

I also liked the stage setup, though it did seem a little weird to me that almost all of the scenes took place in the bedroom and centered around the bed. Perhaps that’s the point—Maggie and Brick’s whole relationship is rocky because what is not happening in bed.

The play made me want to dissect the meaning of the metaphor “cat on a hot tin roof.” What does it mean exactly? Perhaps it means it’s only a matter of time before the cat will jump off. Maggie compares herself to a cat on a hot tin roof, restless and uneasy. In a 1957 interview with Williams he says the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is about lying (American Conservatory Theater). All the characters in the play lie about one thing or another. Williams said,

“I THINK THAT DELIBERATE, CONSCIENCELESS MENDACITY,
THE ACCEPTANCE OF FALSEHOOD
AND HYPOCRISY, IS THE MOST
DANGEROUS OF SINS. . . . I MEANT
FOR THE AUDIENCE TO DISCOVER
HOW PEOPLE ERECT FALSE VALUES BY
NOT FACING WHAT IS TRUE IN THEIR
NATURES, BY HAVING TO LIVE A LIE.”
—Tennessee Williams

My favorite kind of plays are those which have issues broiling under the surface. Although I was a little impatient to learn the reason behind Brick’s distancing himself from Maggie, I think the way everything unfolded was timed well. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, especially with Scarlett Johansson, is definitely a Broadway show worth seeing.