It's the first annual Beer Of The Year post! In which I share with you my favorite beer from 2017. It doesn't have to be a new beer, just the one I liked the best, which is to say, I ordered and drank it many times over. Which I don't usually do.
And now that you're on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what lucky brew is the recipient of the distinguished award I, a nobody, have just made up, without further ado, I present...
Read MoreI was just reviewing my recap of 2016, and upon reaching the last sentence was somewhat redeemed. While 2017 was really quite marred by non-stop presidential buffoonery - which ranged from simply embarrassing to large-scale life-threatening - on a personal level, I got quite a bit done. I completed two fairly large freelance projects, almost entirely on my own. I took on several smaller, but fulfilling, side gigs.
Read MoreI stumbled upon Plan Bee Farm Brewery with a google search. We were looking for a good day-hike in the Hudson Valley region, and seeing as a cold, fresh beer is probably the best way to end a long day on the trail, the location for our trek would have to be near a brewery (naturally). I don't remember what hike we ended up doing, if we even did one at all, but I found Plan Bee in Poughkeepsie with that search, and reached out via the general email on their website, asking if I could come and do a video about them. A cold call, basically. Co-owner/co-founder Emily Watson responded quickly, quicker than many of my friends respond to my emails, to be honest, and we got a date on the calendar to go shoot.
Read MoreSo you wanna live in NYC.
New York City! The Big Apple! The concrete jungle! Home of Jay-Z, Donald Trump, and 8.5 million other people who may or may not be famous. Global destination for fashion, music, and street meat. Hot tourist spot for humans and lizard people the world over. Great place to take Instagram photos of insane milkshakes and stand in line for Cronuts. But also, it's where I live! And have lived since 2004. (Please, hold your applause.)
Read MoreWhen I have time for a lunch or coffee break in the middle of my work day and no errands to complete, I often find myself gravitating towards Grand Central, especially in cold weather. I inevitably end up stalking up and down the market aisle, doing the food equivalent of window shopping; looking and looking and staring excessively and maybe drooling a little bit but hardly ever buying, because these foods are too perfect to be consumed, and everything in Grand Central Market is perfect. The breads and baked goods, the shiny fruit, the fresh pasta in delicate coils, the glistening fish on ice. If food were art, this would be The Met.
Read MoreIn addition to being a beautiful tract of undisturbed forest with numerous trails varying in length and difficulty, Sterling Forest Park was at one time owned and operated by Sterling Iron Works which mined and shipped iron ore on the land. The last of the mines closed in the 1920s, but there are quite a few old structures and ruins left behind on the property which are great for exploring and photographing, so even in December when the trees are bare and wildlife is scarce, there's plenty to see.
Trails within the park are really well marked and maintained so it was very easy to follow the map and chart our route. We chose the firetower as our midpoint goal, and it took us about 2 hours to get there from the visitor's center (granted, I was stopping a lot, to take a million photos.)
Read More
