The Weekend: A Postmortem

Part I
In which I met Taylor Swift

On Friday, Lauren, Bethany and I attended a Rolling Stone luncheon with Taylor Swift.  The job perks are few and far between these days, so this was an extra special treat!  We have been to a nice handful of these luncheons over the years (Sheryl Crow, Adam Duritz, Wolf Blitzer, Milo Ventimilgia, Jennifer Hudson, and more), but we were all exceptionally excited about Taylor.  

I must say - she was one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I have ever encountered.  Unlike most celebrities at these luncheons who just come in, sit down, and do a pleasant interview, Taylor walked around and shook hands with every single person in the room... and there were at least 75 people there!  She even had a lengthy conversation with Lauren about the pitfalls of curly hair in humidity.  She was totally delightful, with a contagious personality and an impressive articulateness to match.  Loved her!

Part II

In which I was scared by a creepy clown

On Saturday evening, I was down in Little Italy to get my hair cut.  (Thanks to the eleven of you who weighed in... I ended up going for a 2-inch trim!)  As I left the salon at dusk, I walked right through the most fascinating little street fair/carnival on Mulberry Street.  

Now, if you are familiar with the city in the summer, you know the typical street fair that pops up all around - grilled corn, cheap jewelry, bins of socks and sheets, crepes.  But this fair was different!  Yes, that's right - it had an Adventureland, Coney Island-esque carnival deal going on too.  A dunking booth with a heckling clown - ACK! - little games with water guns and balloons, neon lights, and even fried Oreos.  It was kitschy and adorable and bizarre and I loved every minute of it.  Except for the clown.

Part III

In which I compare a restaurant to Vietnam

"Food & Wine" magazine recently named New York one of the world's best food cities.  Within New York, F&W picked a "Hot Food Zone."  Where did they pick?  Before you assume it's somewhere downtown, think again - that's right, it's the Upper West Side!  

One of the hot spots included in the article (and getting lots of buzz all around) is the Fatty Crab, a downtown staple that's opened a second location a few blocks away from where I live.  Some friends and I had been dying to try it, but reservations are hard to come by.  So, we sucked it up and made plans to go Saturday night at 10pm.  Normally, this might not be my style, but it was absolutely worth it.

The Malaysian restaurant had a crazy unique vibe... casual (our waiter was wearing cargo shorts), but still a destination.  Big metal fans spinning on the ceiling, retro '90's tunes blaring, beachy cocktails with umbrellas.  It reminded us of both South Pacific (the musical) and Vietnam (the country/war), which I suppose makes sense given Malaysia's geographic location.  Best of all?  It felt like we were eating at a downtown hot spot, but we were right in the middle of our cozy hood.  Four stars from me!

Part IV

In which Sacha Baron Cohen made me feel really awkward (but not as awkward as Kristen Stewart did)

Did you watch the MTV Movie Awards?  Enough said.