Edible Manhattan

http://www.ediblemanhattan.com

Hudson County Businesses

I was walking around the side streets of Hoboken I struck up conversation of a man who owened (and was selling) his produce store.  Apparently when he opens, everyone is at work and when he closes everyone just comes home.  I asked him why he didn't just change his hours - times are different now - there are no steady market of housewifes spending the family money on the businesses of their neighborhoods.  I myself do spend some of my earnings on business closer to where I work vs. where I live.  

So a part of what I want to start doing, and you can call it my New Years Resolution, is to start buying locally without breaking the bank. 

Here I will list all the places of business I'd like to start supporting:

JERSEY CITY HEIGHTS

Palisade Wine & Liquor

These folks will buy anything you request - the funny thing is that they don't even drink themselves.  They are also planning on opening an organic food store in the area.

HOBOKEN

Paramus Meats

305 1st Street, Hoboken, NJ

I bought pork, bacon, ground beef, and whole chickens here.  The taste and quality of purchasing directly from a butcher is unquestionable.  

The Cheese Store

http://thecheesestorehoboken.com

I bought some gureir and chedder - they will let you sample the cheese if you want to try something new!

 

Send me a note if you know others.  I'm trying to been a good Earth citizen and go for organic, fair trade, etc...

JPGMAG: Delectable

View My DNA

Oranges

SE1Q6608
Originally uploaded by Sandra M. Martinez

California Oranges: 4 Lbs for $4.29 

14 Simple Ways to Super-Charge your Brain

14 Simple Ways to Super-Charge your Brain

50 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do

This has some pretty neat videos...

50 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do

Free Cycle

I'm curious if any of you tries this out...let me know! :)
www.freecycle.org

Top 10 Restaurants in Hoboken

okay, so after living in and around the area on and off for a few years, I have to admit that the better restaurants survive in Hoboken. here are the top 10...

The Dining Room at Anthony David's

www.anthonydavids.com

111 Tenth Street at Bloomfield St.

Brass Rail
http://www.thebrassrailnj.com/they have a great wine list and i've had some solid dinners here.

LUAhttp://www.luarestaurant.com/
1300 Sinatra Drive North, Hoboken, NJ
hands down, this is at the top of the list. I don't think I've ever had anything there that I didn't like. though the place is a little loud the few evenings I've been there, the Sangria is consistently the best I've ever had.  Normally before my second glass, I know that calling a cab is a good idea.

Empanada Trio & Hummus Platter

Charrito'shttp://www.loscharritos.com/
best Mexican I've ever had. If you bring some good red table wine they also make a killer sangria. These pictures unfortunately don't do it justice.



Court Street
http://www.courtstreet.com/This place has some salads I really dig and when you go there for lunch on the weekends, the Irish Soda Bread is something you will never get tired of.

Maxwell's
http://www.maxwellsnj.com/i had an awesome cosmo there on a saturday night.
they also have a solid menu of things they make really well & their shows rock and it's an intimate venue. What's not to love?

La Isla
http://www.laislarestaurant.com/probably the best Cuban in NJ.

7 Star Pizza
they have the best pizza.
forget about all that nonsense about other places having gi-normous slices.


Qudobamexican grill
If you don't eat the whole burrito in one sitting, you will thank yourself in the morning.


The Madison Bar & Grill
http://www.madisonbarandgrill.com/This place has some top notch steaks and salads. I've spent a New Years dinner here. I've never had a dish here that I didn't love.
Their $25 jazz brunch is awesome too!! Viva creme brulee french toast!

Margherita's
The best Italian in town.

Cucharamama

malibu
when i missed dinner because i was working late while in college, this place always saved me from major cranky tyraids. they have great pancakes, coffee (much love to Lacas), and hamburgers.

Tokugawa Sushi
1120 Washington Street

BYOB what more can I say asesome seaweed salad, awesome sweetheart dumplings, new favorite sushi place in Hoboken...
If you weren't counting, there were actually 12! Ha! I'll update with pictures if I come across them...

Sweet Seattle

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff
This is a neat video.

Big Apple Dance Sport Latin Dancers

Shelf Milk

I never tried shelf milk (i.e. Parmalat) because I thought the concept was a little strange, but this makes me want to try it out:

http://itotd.com/articles/220/milk-in-a-box/

scrapBlog

So I created my first scrapBlog using the pictures I took in Seattle. I didn't think I'd get too into it but this brings back the fun back in the days of prints!

It's much easier/fun to see/read when you view it full screen - let me know what you think!

Need Some Hope

Life's been to insanely busy to really write anything these days. I've seen a couple of great shows. A few CDs that have been on repeat include Delta Spirit's Ode To Sunshine, which is an AWESOME CD! And Josh Rouse's Subtitulo ..both of which I'm psyched that they are so good because it's been such a long time since I've been able to listen to a whole CD from start to end over and over (and over). I saw Delta Spirit open for Dr. Dogg at the Maxwell's a few weeks ago and they brought down the house so to speak. It was amazing. When I was at the show I couldn't help but comment how I felt like I was in a room full of mountain people; but I don't want to bucket the whole room into one category because I do admit that I think I also saw a fisherman, a hunter, and a blacksmith in the mix. So it was to no surprise that the liner notes in the CD said:

Recorded in a cabin.

So I've been addicted to this wine from Australia - Hope. I've had a lot of Hope these past few weeks. A new wine store down my block was sampling a few bottles and this was one of them. So what if I have a problem? I'm beginning to think I need help. What ever happened to the corporate limit? Wasn't it 2 drinks?

My boss came to town a few weeks ago and after a dinner with the team [after a few drinks] I vaguely remember dessert. In fact, the next day my boss commented to me that we went over what the average per person rate was, as to which I responded:

Me: How did we go over? Didn't we only do the $22/person package?
Boss: You forgot the incidentals.
Me: What incidentals?
Boss: The Merlot?
Me: The Merlot??
Boss: You DON'T remember the Merlot??
Me: OOOH! The Merlot? Yeah...(I did remember, it was pretty good...)
Boss: Yeah! After your second glass you started talking to Matt in Spanish!
Me: I don't even know Spanish.
Boss: Well you were also to the waiter in Spanish and you two were having a conversation.

So folks, looks like I know Spanish. There's Hope for me yet.

So a new favorite restaurant as of recent is the much admired and respected Cuba, where we ate more than we should but, nevertheless, the Oxtail was excellent as well as the Sangria. Think of a home cooked meal. Think Martino's up a few notches and less heavy (i.e. not an evident amount of oil and butter).

I also saw a reunion tour of Superdrag a few weeks ago at the Filmore (formerly known as our beloved Irving Plaza). That was a way awesome show as well and was one of those shows that got me listening to all their songs again.

Another satisfying meal was on a biz trip up to the evar-exciting Rochester where I stayed at the Marriott. By the time we got there (we drove) we were so drained that we ate at the hotel restaurant, which is not a bad thing since it is known for being really good anyway.

I has some filet - medium rare and boy did they do me right!

Somewhere along the hustle and bustle, we also paid some guy on the street $5 to write us a poem. Can't say you do that everyday, but if he ever published it into a book, at least we can say we have an original!

Other than all that, nothing too new and nothing too exciting. I'll leave you with a picture that I really like. The kids were really hyper at this shoot. I would wear these socks to work if it wouldn't be such a career killer. Maybe I could use the cold weather as an excuse...I'm not a fan of the 80s fashion comeback, but I'd do these legwarmers...

New York Underground

This is pretty cool - I always wondered what was under the streets of Manhattan.

Life Explained

Life explained.

Ron Paul Rocks

Just like the radio, tv controls what they want you to hear, like, and buy [into]:

http://www.freewebs.com/ronpaulwinsdebate/

http://ronpauldaily.blogspot.com/2007/09/fox-lies-you-cant-vote-twice.html

Hallowig

Can someone knit me one of these?

Vacation Starters

It's not everyday where you get to enjoy your home and where you live. Especially when you spend so much time working....so, anyways...

I finally took a ride out on Saturday to check out and photograph some parts of New Jersey. I visted a very pretty neighborhood by the beach with some of the most beautiful houses I've ever seen!




It was SUCH a nice day! Picture perfect! (Too cold for beach weather though.) Some kid who said he was going to be famous one day asked if I was a photographer and asked that I take his picture because he almost signed a record deal but had to go do some time for something that happened. He's mixing again though so watch out world!

The evening brought about an early Weston show at Maxwell's. I've never seen them play before but it was one of the funnest concerts I've been to. It was actually the earlier show we saw because the late show was sold out.



Sunday I had an awesome bran muffin at Malibu that made we want to drink a gallon of Lacas. (I was just impressed to see that they had a web site just now...). I can't even remember the last time I had Lacas coffee or where it was I use to go to to drink it. It may have been Felix #9. I digress, but I'd buy Lacas coffee by the pound. Anyway, the day turned out pretty dreary but I managed to get in about half of a photoshoot that I had planned as well as get my jeans soaked up to my knees. I didn't really mind it so much though because the temperature wasn't too cold or hot.

On Monday Loren stopped by! Lana is SO CUTE! :)

She couldn't stay for too long because she had a few other things going on, but I was so glad I was around to see them! So cute Loren!!!

We walked all the way down to Hoboken and split ways at 23rd Street. I went to Adorama to get some supplies (*sigh* => ) followed by a 5:30 meeting at Union Square to get to THE BEST PIZZA EVAR (L&B Spumoni Gardens)!!!!

Yes, no doubt that the CitySearch reviews caught my eye with so much feedback while maintaining a five star average. The long haul was worth it! I've never had such a good slice of Sicilian pizza, chicken parm (which came with the best knish evar!), a bottle of Riesling, coffee, and tiramisu. I think this was the only meal of our day. And make no mistake that when i bit into the lady finger at the end, I almost fell off my chair.

Highly, seriously, highly recommended. You can thank me later or just bring me with you and buy me a slice. hehe... and just for the record, a picture of us in Brooklyn's own Ave. V.



Getting off at Canal to run around some more, we stopped by a place called Cachaca to catch some jazz show that we saw an ad for at Maxwell's.

I forget how much I miss riding the Subway. It's such a different frame of mind and it's more relaxing because you have more time to think and, if you're brave enough, nap.

You know you've done it.

Seriously though, you don't need to spend a lot of money going to far away places, although it's awesome, when you live near NYC. You can go into any neighborhood and find some of the best food, music, shopping, and culture that you can't find anywhere else.

Also, my hand still hurts...should I be charging a claim against the building insurance since it was the door that hurt me?