Slattery's Mid Town Pub

I love coming to this pub - it is my local, sit down and grab something to eat or to drink kind of place. One of the first times I went there was with Ann - we stopped on a pub crawl - thank goodness we had a burger. One of the best burgers in Mid Town!! No crumbly brioche buns here - wonderful medium rare beef with cheese in a roll that holds together with lettuce tomato and half sour pickles (my fave).

I also frequent the buffalo wings here - the hot are really medium and the deep fried skin is to die for. The home made bleu cheese dressing is amazing and the celery/carrot accountrements are tasty too!

If you get happy hour, you can get 2 for 1 drinks and/or shot of the day comps which could be the orange kamakazis that Ann and I had or perhaps Apple shots like an apple martini. They are very creative!!

If you find yourself between 5th and Madison, or across the street from the Gingerman, this place is a whole lot less snobby, and so much more welcoming. I love stopping here. Hope you decide to try it too!

Ruthie Foster in Madison Sq Park

Tonight I went out for the free concert Ruthie Foster played at Madison Square Park. I tried really hard via facebook to get a date, but unfortunately it didn't happen. Around 3 it was looking like rain and I considered not going thinking it would be called off. When I left the apartment, it had rained at some point between 5:20 and 6:45, but wasn't raining right then, so I put on my new science sandals, grabbed my camera and an umbrella and made my way back to the park outside the building where I've been working.

I was very pleasantly surprised that the park wasn't entirely mobbed. Usually when you go to a free thing in NYC, 3 million other people want to go too. This was wonderful because the park itself was relatively open - even bench seating was available from the North side. The stage was set up near the Shake Shack (I'll review this place later when I've actually eaten there!), and all the tables and chairs were filled with people eating and drinking, and then extra seating in front of the stage was for blankets for people to bring picnics - just like Prescott Park in Portsmouth! People walked though and stopped to listen and moved along, and I actually got a chair behind the sound guy. This wasn't a great seat for watching, but in the middle of fans so very enjoyable!
After the beer I got (a Shakemiester brewed especially for the Shake Shake by the Brooklyn Brewery) I sat, watched, clapped, and did a very good job of not singing the choral parts from Rock My Soul's versions of "Joy" and "Death Came a Knockin'" arranged by Cheryl Lynn Stromski for the group. I'm proud of me for being relatively quiet :)
I decided I had to buy a cd, and of the 8 options, the person at the stand recommended "Runaway Soul" as the most gospel like of the bunch. I just listened to the whole thing and highly recommend it to my gospel loving friends :)
I started on my way out with my CD while the band was riffing on "Death Came a Knockin'" and watched the folks in the middle of the park ballroom dancing! I tried to upload this but blogger nixed that. You can see the last photo (with the girl wearing a see through crinoline skirt as a shirt) that there are people dancing in back.
I mentioned on fb that this was the most fun I've had on my own in NYC, and I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the MSP music series as this was only the first show.
If you come to the swamp, otherwise known as NYC in the summer, put this on your list :)


PS - Pandora has a Ruthie Foster station for your enjoyment :)

I love Ophelia

Rick came home after Ophelia came by and he was so excited he grabbed my camera and took pictures :)

It's true - I suck as a housekeeper. I'm a great project manager, analyst, commucator, negotiator and fun director. My husband thinks I'm a great wife, and my friends tell me I'm a great friend. But I am horrible at cleaning.

I think this was the cleanest our apartment has ever been!













The bonus is that she does laundry too!

I love Ophelia!

Concord Hair Design in Murray Hill

I have a feeling that job interviews (in person) will be coming soon. My hair was in desperate need of some love. I hadn't had it colored or cut since May when I did the big chop. I didn't feel I could afford to go to see Coco again, and I've been trying to decide what the "next style" should be...
While at Nail City, I heard a young woman talk about a salon on 40th Street between Park and Lex. She liked the salon alot. I walked by a couple times, and got a list of services. Today I took the dive - I made an appointment at Concord Hair Design and went over. After some misunderstanding (is my name Susan, Suzanne or Suzette - it made a difference today), I had my hair washed and met with my stylist, Misha. Initially I thought he was Italian, but I realized later he is Russian. His oldest daughter recently had a daughter and he is a very proud grandpa.
I told Misha I'm interested in growing my hair into a bob, and I'd like a cut to help me get to that end. He cut for a while, and then started to blow it dry. It has a nice shape, but man, look at all that gray! Ugh. I needed color. Misha had time to touch up my roots (thank you!!), so now I'm interview ready:)

City Nails - Murray Hill

You know you are stressed when it seems like work to get your nails done. I was thinking I'd blow off getting my nails done until tomorrow when I was in the apartment, but when I did actually get outside, I ended up walking in to City Nails around 4:00 anyway. I was in desperate need to have my cuticles cut before I wrecked them entirely, and I was starting to cut the callouses off my feet with scissors.

A mani/pedi at City Nails (590 3rd Ave between 38th and 39th) will run you $25. I 've been a number of times, and after the 3rd or 4th time, I could tell they treat their return customers well. I went in today to "get it done" and I left thinking - wow - that was awesome! The massage chairs you sit in for the pedicure made it so wonderful :)

I highly recommend Nail City - a little corner with a lot of relaxation :)