Check out our guest post!
Our friends at Sip N Sizzle, a new NYC food & reviews blog, reached out to us for a guest post. Inspired by the 30 flyers the New York Blood Center sent me in the last 2 months, I explain my three favorite places (and desserts) to refuel after giving blood. One catch: No cupcakes allowed! We all know where to get those…
Check it out here: Top Places to Get Sugar After Giving Blood in NYC
-Tara
You know you’ve been spoiled when you have to shower twice before the smell of barbecue smoke begins to subside.
Madison Square Park turned into a literal pork steam bath this weekend for the 9th annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party. New York institutions like Blue Smoke, Pappy’s and Hill Country had crowds lined up to suck on four ribs or a pulled pork sandwich for $8.
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Everywhere, people were eating. They slurp down ribs on stairways, brisket while leaning against walls, pork sandwiches sitting in the park, and whole hog standing in lines for more whole hog. Picnic tables and impromptu beer gardens line the Madison Avenue side of the park, and bluegrass bands rotate playing sets. [Below, a favorite: The Crooners.]
What makes the Big Apple BBQ unique is its attendance. All ages, backgrounds and personalities make their way here. Unlike some festivals, where everyone seems to have the same interests, the only thing bringing this crowd together is a love for meat. …But I’m sure the 75-degree weather didn’t hurt.
-Tara
Tagged Big Apple BBQ, New York City, outdoor festival, Tara
The fashion, styling and off-the-wall beauty tips have magazine editors swooning, but being a spectator at fashion week is all about the show: lights, cameras and music.
Sam Ronson, Charlotte’s sister, is famous all on her own for her skills with a turntable. Her best move? When a model with hot pink hair emerged from the backdrop, she made the seats shake with The Strokes’ first single from their new album. The song, “Under Cover of Darkness,” was released February 9th.
And then there are the bloggers.
Bloggers are always happy to strike a pose. Bryan Boy (left, obviously) is pictured with my fashion week date, Adryan of La Bird Boheme, by Tara for TKGO
Yes, bloggers. Bryan Boy, who splits his time between New York and the Philippines, found himself with front row tickets to multiple shows, including Charlotte Ronson’s. His neon lime green fedora and matching fluorescent lime green fur anklets may have been photographed as frequently as what was actually on the runway.
The sponsors were equally flashy. To promote the new Pepsi Slim, Pepsi built a bar in the middle of The Tents to hand out samples and erected seven-foot aluminum high heeled shoes around the courtyard to amuse anyone waiting in lines.
(Did I mention why they call it “Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week”?)
-Tara for TKGO
As you enter Lincoln Center on your way to New York Fashion Week, the first sign that greets you demands that you have an invitation to enter. The second sign (below the first) explains that by entering The Tents, you agree to allow anyone to take a photograph of you. These two notices exactly describe the people and the attitude you’ll find inside.
Charlotte Ronson makes her after-show appearance, New York Fashion Week Fall 2011, by Tara for TKGO
Designers, models, journalists, bloggers and rovers there for the free Kim Crawford wine in plastic stemless glasses meander around the lobby. Between glancing at their free copies of New York Magazine, Women’s Wear Daily and T Magazine and posing for photos, they’re kept busy until the next show begins (or they tire of the scene and leave).
Tickets are given to individual shows, so store buyers and the press attend the vast majority, while people like me and my friend Adryan (of the fashionable La Bird Boheme) scored tickets for one show. We stayed for two laps around The Tents stalking men in feathered hats before high-tailing it to a bar. Tres chic, I know.
Without further adieu, I give you a preview of the Fall 2011 collection from Charlotte Ronson. (Keep your eyes on the spectators. It’ll pay off, I promise.)
And the finale…
Come back Thursday for Parte Deux, featuring fashion blogger Bryan Boy in a neon lime fedora and a high heel made of Pepsi cans!
-Tara for TKGO
