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...
For the month of August, New York City has been blessed with the pop-up Museum of Ice Cream, appropriately located in the trendy Meatpacking District across the street from the Whitney Museum.
The "Museum" is really more of an ice cream experience, and while it does include ice cream art and a few tastes, it's mostly just an incredible photo op. That said, here are the photos!
So 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.)
When 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.
Back in November, I teamed up with Chris Littler (who is apparently my muse) and Ellen Winter of Chamber Band to shoot a music video for their insanely amazing song, "Love Left."
We got up early as hell and traipsed all over New York City, from Times Square to the East Village, with a good amount of gear, several outfit changes, and of course a selfie stick in tow. The original idea was to cut a video made exclusively of iPhone footage from the selfie stick, but once we saw this incredible slow-motion single take of Ellen passing through Washington Square Park, this was the only way to do the video. It has everything. Skateboarders, a live jazz band, massive soap bubbles, and of course, pigeon man, all shot at 96 fps.
Days when winter breaks and you can go outside unencumbered by your gigantic coat and hat and heavy bag and walk down the street with nothing in your hands and be free. And you could probably walk forever because you are so light, and so happy to be alive, and the wind's in your hair and it feels good and nothing else matters. And the city is quiet and your head is quiet with no sounds in your ears except for these words that need to escape and go somewhere, because not every day is a day like today.
Yesterday, winter storm (blizzard? Nor'easter? Snowpocalypse?) Jonas battered the northeastern United States from Maryland up to New York, dumping more than 27 inches of snow over the course of 24 hours. With crazy snowfall, intense winds, and freezing temperatures, even typically unstoppable NYC came to a bit of a standstill with suspended public transportation and businesses closing midday in the interest of public safety.
Back in December, Josh and I wanted to make a new feature for our YouTube channel, The Camera Project, that would allow us to make videos without necessarily going through the trials and tribulations of testing out all new gear. I can't remember who came up with the idea to do a photography challenge between the two of us, but I can say for certain that I'm the genius who came up with the idea of incorporating beer, and also thought of the ever-so-clever punny title for our challenge, "Beer & A Shot".
A good brewery is no longer hard to find in New York City, if you're willing to leave Manhattan. Within the last decade, dozens of small and not-so-small breweries have popped up within city limits. Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx are rife with spots to drink the day away under the guise of your "craft beer hobby" or "beer tourism." In fact, there are so many breweries to choose from in NYC that it can be a little bit overwhelming deciding which ones to hit, and in what order, especially if you're in town for a limited time.