Once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger

One of the consequences of catching a cold is that, even after you get well, you become really, really lazy. It becomes all too easy to make excuses to stay home and even something as ordinary as getting dressed feels like a monumental, impossible task. “I have the sniffles! Maybe I won’t put on pants today.” Given, it’s only been three or four days since I put myself under house arrest, but last night, it literally took five phone calls ordering me to go out before I finally dragged myself to my sister’s birthday party. Luckily, by the time I got downtown, the antibiotics started to kick in and today I’m feeling about 90% better. Saturday night was a night full of friends and family, bottle service and spilled drinks, and a fun DJ who liked to mix 80’s classics (Jackson 5, Salt N’ Pepa) with Lady Gaga.

Me, Jenny, and the birthday girl

More of the weekend, and a few more photos, after the jump.

You can have your cake and cough up phlegm too

I stopped by my local bakery today to pick up a cake for my sister’s birthday. I used to work behind the counter so when I walked in with my little sister, the Boss-man would not let us leave until we tried a few of their new sweets. When I protested (for appearances, of course– I had every intention of stuffing my face with as much chocolate as humanly possible), he responded by serving us yet another slice of cake and packed up my 8” red velvet cake on the house. Right now, I’m suffering the consequences. I’m fairly positive it’s not a good idea to have sweets or dairy when you’re congested, but who in their right mind would turn down Oreo cheesecake or strawberry-banana-cream angel cake?

I picked quite the time to come down with something. Not only is it spring break, but it’s also a pretty busy weekend. I have tickets tonight to Keigwin + Company at the Joyce theatre but it’s unlikely I’ll feel well enough to go. Two of Benny’s friends are having a joint birthday party tonight, and tomorrow I have a friend’s housewarming potluck and my sister’s birthday party. Hopefully, by Sunday, I’ll feel well enough to head to Brooklyn. It’s the last few days of Dine-In Brooklyn and I’ve been meaning to check out al di la or applewood . The weather has also been beautiful but with my luck, by the time I get well, it’s going to be cold and rainy and time for a parka and galoshes once again.

Germs, you are turning me into a pale and lonely hermit. But at least, at least there will be cake.

No such thing as a free meal

It’s March 17, which means two things. Not only is it St. Patrick’s day, but it’s also my sister’s birthday! She’s turning 25 and to celebrate, she’s having dinner tonight at Tabla with her coworkers. Thanks to something called an expense account, I’m also invited (chaaaa-ching!). Tabla is another one of Danny Meyer’s restaurants and, aptly enough, it’s located right across the street from Shake Shack (where I’ve eaten at twice this past week alone). Indian food is one of my favorite cuisines and free always tastes better, in my opinion!

Afterwards, I’m headed to the Lower East Side to check out and book a venue for her birthday party this weekend. I’ve got a low fever and all the symptoms of strep throat and I’m still going to trek all the way down to Avenue B (on St. Patty’s Day, too). It’s quite the favor, yes, but then again, there really is no such thing as a free meal.

36 Hours in New Orleans: Day 2

Taking a stroll in the Big Easy (Photo by Benny Wong)

They shut off the water in Benny’s apartment so, while he is busy programming and doing other nerd-related things at work, I am sitting in his apartment, still in my PJs, ready to start my day as soon as I can shower (the water should be back on by 3pm). It’s a beautiful day in New York and I’m wasting it indoors. So instead, I’ll take the time to be productive and finish blogging about our weekend adventure. (Read about Day 1 here)

Red Meat, I love you

Five guys, you make a pretty damn good burger.

So what if this is an airport terminal (we are in Dulles, Washington DC, eating lunch between flights)? You had me at free toppings and free soda refills. I don’t care if this is contributing to America’s obesity epidemic. I’m getting my money’s worth and stealing some napkins while I’m at it too.

I will admit, though, that the Cajun fries don’t really do it for me. Some people rant and rave about the virtues of Old Bay but I just don’t get it. Maybe I’ll come around eventually. Maybe.

36 Hours in New Orleans: Day 1

Hellooo New Orleans!

It’s our last night in NOLA and even though we’ve been careful not to waste a moment of our time, I wish we could have spent one more day here. We’re staying at the Marriot and, though it’s a 15-minute walk to the French Quarter, I’m really happy with our hotel. It’s in the Arts/Warehouse district, a slightly more “bourgeoisie” area than the tourist-laden streets of the French Quarter. Because we’ve literally been walking everywhere, we’ve seen and explored a lot more than we would have had we stayed at a more centrally located hotel and the exposure makes me feel a little less of a tourist.

Our first stop was a random deli we passed by on our way to the WWII museum. We shared a fried oyster po’boy and I’m not exaggerating when I say Benny and I literally spent the rest of the trip talking and dreaming about that first meal. The sandwich was that good. It helped that the counter guys were real friendly too. We must have spent a full twenty minutes chatting with them, a comical image of two huge, 250-lb Irish guys with big fros with two comparatively tiny tourists from New York. It was a memorable moment, and they gave us our first taste of the infamous NOLA food and hospitality.

Hello Chicago!

The futuristic Chicago O'Hare International Airport (photo by Benny Wong)

We’re in Chicago now, biding our time at O’Hare International airport. It’s a surprisingly nice terminal, especially compared to the leaky and corroding shithole that is LGA. The flight was a quick 2-hours but, due to the shift in time zones, it’s still only 7AM. Weather is just as glum as it was in New York: rainy, windy, and very, very grey. Luckily, we didn’t experience (and don’t expect) any flight delays so we should arrive in NOLA before noon!

Right now, to pass the time, Benny and I are having a mediocre sit-down breakfast of stuffed french toast and applewood-smoked bacon that I’m fairly certain were both made on a hot plate. We realized shortly after ordering that we probably had enough time during the layover to have left the airport and  done a little sight-seeing. Our next flight is at 9:40AM, which would have given us plenty of time to take a cab to and from Millenium Park. Fortunately (or unfortunately), the weather discouraged us. Besides, how terrible would it be if we missed our flight?

I’m making a conscious effort to blog more. I’m actually typing this using my iPod Touch, and will upload it as soon as I find some WiFi. It’s actually proving pretty successful, this mobile blogging. I underestimated how easy it is type, though I’m now debating over which blogging platform will work best for me (WordPress? Posterous? Blogger?). Any suggestions, folks?

Bachelor of Arts, Master of Packing

I’m staying over Benny’s tonight so that we can finally put together a to-do list. We ordered take-out sushi and I’m noshing on an enormous bento box set of katsu and gyoza as he finishes some last-minute work. Lately, all we’ve been doing is ordering-in (we are hazardous in the kitchen) so the weekend in NOLA should be a welcome change. We won’t have too much time there, but our ultimate goal is to see as much as we can, stay away from work/the computer, and get some much needed rest and relaxation.

Benny laughed when he picked up my luggage. It’s absurdly heavy for its size, but I have a full six outfits in it, along with three different pairs of shoes. I’m a master at packing and friends and relatives always ask for my assistance when they are going abroad. Two years ago, when I worked in Houston, I packed a summer’s worth of clothing in a single suitcase while the rest of my coworkers brought an average of two or more. When we went to Puerto Rico, I managed to stuff a good 10+ outfits into a piece of carry-on luggage. It’s a questionable skill that I’m unusually proud of… but, like I said, better to be prepared, no?

And of course, we are packing some tea! Benny surprised me today with a tea sampler from The Art of Tea.  It comes with two double-walled glass cups and I just know that I’m going to crack them within the next month. I have a small collection of single Bodum glasses, after breaking one of every pair… Yeah, clumsiness is one of my other signature traits. A friend once enjoyed introducing me as “clumsy, but occasionally elegant.” I  may as well have my own epithet: Laura, sacker of cities and breaker of glasses. Meh.

Inside, I am a 40-year-old woman

It’s 3:30AM and I am sitting here, blogging, waiting for my laundry to dry. While the rest of the East Coast gets threatened by a rainy Nor’easter this weekend, the weather in NOLA looks like a solid sunny 70s. I’m overpacking, that’s for sure, but I figure it’s better to be prepared. Besides… if it fits in a piece of carry-on luggage, it can’t be that over-the-top, right?

Tonight, after I got out of my Fiction Workshop, I met a few friends for dinner at Cafe Habana. After an absurd wait of almost an hour and a half, they squeezed five of us into a booth meant for four. Sure, we might be a group of tiny Chinese American kids… but  that doesn’t mean you can pack us into a small space like sardines in a tin can. Ironically, I ordered the Baja style fish tacos, stuffed with beer-battered catfish, and they were kind of tasteless. Rice and beans were good, tostones were delicious, but the maduros were burnt and inedible. Even the corn left us a little wanting. The past two or three meals at Cafe Habana have been kind of mediocre and tonight was no exception. I’m thinking this is the last time I eat-in. Take-out has never disappointed me, and maybe I’ll stick to ordering corn when it’s summer and in season.

Afterwards, in lieu of drinks, we headed to a cafe on Prince Street for coffee and dessert. I know, I know! Passing over alcohol? Coming home early to do laundry? I swear I have the soul of a 40-year-old. We gossiped over birthday cupcakes and cappuccinos, and made tentative plans to try to attend one another’s graduation. I am somewhat in disbelief that we are all graduating. It really does feel like it was just yesterday that we were all in Lincoln Center, wearing our green and white caps and gowns, anticipating our high school commencement. Funny how quickly time flies!

WADDUP NOLA

Benny has been itching to get away lately but, mostly because I’m 1) still unemployed and 2) living on a meager student budget, I’ve been pretty hesitant on making any concrete plans. Instead, I plan imaginary itineraries to cities like Portland and Seattle and spend Tuesdays browsing through Jet Blue cheeps. We’ve heard rumors of $400 5-day spring break trips to Cozumel, Puerto Rico, or the Bahamas, but none of these fit into our schedules. Benny can take at most a day off from work, so we settled on a little weekend staycation and tried to brace ourselves for the rainy NY forecast. Yesterday we felt pretty glum about all our plans falling through and fairly moody after having our hopes raised and dashed more than once.

But today, imagine how happy I was to stumble on a dirt-cheap deal to New Orleans! It’s only 2-nights, but the flights are well-timed and give us a solid 36 hours in the city. We impulsively booked the trip and on Saturday we are boarding a 6AM flight to NOLA. I’m so excited I can barely sleep. Friends are supplying us with lots of suggestions, but we’d love to have a few more. Most importantly, how does one correctly pronounce New Orleans?!