All stories about "Alicia Kachmar"

Forget pulse-pounding cab rides, stifling subways, or touristy buses -- the best way to see Manhattan is from a vantage aboard the nautical vehicle of your choice. Barring seasickness, one can find a multitude of excursions to satisfy your boating desires while observing this surprisingly tiny island. That can mean doing the physical rowing yourself, gorging on a three-hour waterborne brunch, or getting trashed on a happy hour cruise, depending on your concept of pleasure and the depth of your pockets. One of the simplest and most flexible options is the ever-expanding New York Water Taxi, with 12 stops and counting; but there are, of course, other choices.

Everyday on Gridskipper we give you a new map. Some are new, some are fetched from our archive, newly updated. Happy Gridskipping. Given you visit them once the extreme heat subsides, gardens can provide a haven for those with urbanity overload, even if you still see the tops of skyscrapers or hear car engines from within. In New York especially, personal gardens can be limited to window boxes or patches of plants dominated by evacuating canines. Manhattan is the only borough without an official botanical garden, but there are many a plant oasis amongst the hustle and bustle. Although not mapped here, there are also over 100 community gardens that dot the city, and many can be found on the Garden Locator. Regardless, there are many examples proving that "the Garden" does not always mean that eyesore of an arena in midtown.

There are only three categories of purchasables that genuinely motivate me to shop: books, food, and yarn, in that order. Since independent bookstores have been done, and I don't want to bore you with my philosophical musings on Pathmark, deli counters, and self-checkouts, it looks like I'll be pointing you in the direction of fuzzy bunches of mohair and bamboo knitting needles. Hooray! In the past 10 years, yarn shops have gone the way of a lot of small New York businesses, transforming from mom-and-pop joints into upscale boutiquey venues with a painstakingly "curated" array of goods. The latter shops are fun for browsing, but when you calculate that your knitted sweater pattern will take upwards of $150 and 18 hours of labor to create, the whole do-it-yourself ethic loses it appeal. If balls of cashmere fibers don't get you going, perhaps the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Project at the World Financial Center will. Pictured at left, the exhibit seeks to raise awareness about dwindling coral reefs, but at the very least, it should convince you to pick up that crochet hook and join the rest of us cool I-craft-on-the-subway folks. (photo)

Remember the exciting day Trader Joe's opened its doors in Union Square? How about the WINTER day Shake Shack started dispensing its custard and burgers for the 2007 season? Magnolia Bakery on any goddamn weekend day? Long lines, people, everywhere! All of these so-called godsends in our fair city may have the edible goods, but only if you're willing to wait upwards of an hour or so to obtain them. Is it all the blog hype? Do we all just need new and interesting "food concepts" in order to get through a Manhattan lunch? Are we missing something at home, in our love lives, in our life's central purpose, that results in ecstasy over a slice of pizza or free sample of organic cheese, after 45 minutes of standing time? I haven't a clue. Anyway! Lines, insanely, painfully, tortuously long ones. Ignoring post office branches and the hell that is TKTS, what are your worst long line experiences? The most rewarding? The dealbreakers?

Pittsburgh tends to be several years behind on most trends (like dropping that outlawed "h"), so the recent onslaught of, you guessed it, cupcake bakeries should come as no surprise. Speaking of the tardy factor, though, if you are ever in need of a successful business concept, take a look at what the "cool" cities are doing, copy them, and then haul your ass to the steel town and set up shop. Anyway, cupcakes! Last year, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the prominent newspaper in town, conducted a taste test of the city's cupcake offerings, utilizing a panel of "judges" from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. The results? A supermarket chain's mass-produced version, reeking of chemicals, beat out most of the other offerings. That's Pittsburgh for you! Luckily, there are plenty of other alternatives for discerning palates, from the old, traditional mom-and-pop bakeries to the glitzier cafes run by a younger breed of newcomers. They do indeed take the cake. (photo)

Apparently, the "Do one thing, and do it well" maxim is in the water at New York restaurants, as can be seen from all the outcroppings of focused, sometimes gimmicky venues, such as S'mac (mac & cheese!), Totally Baked (baked potatoes!), and Rice to Riches (rice pudding!). These and other places hone in on one food concept and run wild with it. Maybe it's the feasibility of having a more streamlined menu, or a desire to diversify in a sea of cookie cutter restaurants, but underneath it all lies simple food: macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and pommes frites, to name a few. But since this is New York, why not kick it up a notch? One Hazelnut Chocolate Bear Hug Rice Pudding with Toasted Buttery Pound Cake coming right up! After the jump, your guide to some one hit wonders worth visiting more than once.

With a strong college-kid presence and perhaps an even stronger, refuse-to-grow-up-and-act-older-than-20 constituency, it should come as no surprise that New York decks out a slew of its bars with beer pong tables. First off, there is some debate about the nomenclature: beer pong is also referred to as "beirut", the former being a similar game utilizing paddles, but since the authority of all things collegiate, CollegeHumor, says that 77% of those surveyed call the game "beer pong," I will follow suit here. Note: half of the following bars have the same owner, but most bars listed are essentially identical in decor, clientele, and cost. That is, nothing fancy, full of frat boys, and cheap. Then again, people who get off on throwing an overly-used ping pong ball into a cup of shitty beer probably care little about ambiance. Suggestions welcome! (photo)

Damn, have warm embraces ballooned in price to the point we need a Free Hugs campaign? Like all things New York, inflation and market fluctuations are painfully felt here, but don't give up on your waiter-turned-famous-actor dreams! Since I moved here five years ago, I've read numerous articles and lists that claim to point out brilliantly thrifty ways to survive in this so-called "Greatest City in the World." Here's a common fault: either the suggestions are too obvious (buy a monthly subway pass, cook instead of eating out) or just plain stupid (eradicate your nightlife, find a cheap, closet-like, rat-filled apartment next to a highway and two hours from work). How about some realistic and viable suggestions to save money while preserving some semblance of "quality of life"? My five-item list can be adapted to non-NYC locales, but this particularly bloodsucking city actually has some unique cost-cutting opportunities if you're sticking it out until you make it big. (photo)

The brilliant David Sedaris writes that: "The bus from North Carolina to Oregon takes four days, which breaks down to roughly seventy-five thousand hours if one is traveling without the aid of a strong animal tranquilizer." How eloquently put! Unless you have said tranquilizer, any upcoming bus trip, especially a Greyhound one, is bound to be hellish and will probably scar you for life. But, wait a minute, what say you? You never go anywhere by bus in the U.S. of A.? Kids, let's face it, the economy sucks, renting a car is a scam, Amtrak train rides are long and expensive, and air travel has become a lot less reliable. A memorable bus trip is probably in your near future, but do not embark until you read my tried and true advice, from one survivor to (hopefully) another.

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Fancy restaurants and trendy dining usually conjure up images of prime cuts of beef or strange animal parts euphemistically called "delicacies," so what can vegetarian cuisine possibly bring to top-notch eating? A lot, in my opinion. Now, before you voice your frustrations with vegetarianism and how ridiculously stupid it is, note that I am not one. So, save it! (But if you're craving the anger-filled shitstorm that is the debate between vegetarians and omnivores, check out this post in Frank Bruni's Diner's Journal). With a few exceptions, these slightly more upscale offerings still fail to break the bank, unless you order the truffles or overindulge on organic wine. Nonetheless, their vegetarian options are sometimes healthier and their dining rooms are always fancier than those in our previous post on vegetarian junk food.

Bread pudding was originally a resourceful and frugal response to the uselessness of stale bread (besides using it as a doorstop or burglar-defeating projectile). Nowadays, it's uncertain how many bread pudding-makers are actually utilizing old bread, but nonetheless, combining bread with some kitchen staples (milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon) and baking the sopping load turns out to be an incredibly rich and tasty dessert. However, it seems to be one of those foods you either absolutely love or vehemently hate. Perhaps obviously, I am in the former category, perpetually on a search for bread pudding, high and low, near and far. That search has lead me to many fine and not-so-fine establishments in my home borough of Brooklyn, and hence, the following guide shall direct you to bread pudding goodness.

Tom Brady may frequently frolic around Manhattan with his eye-candy girlfriend, and Eli Manning may live and love in Hoboken, but Brooklyn is proving to be the site of genuine Super Bowl XLII frenzy. Last week, a bar patron at Park Slope's Carriage House asked a fellow patron who would win the big game, and he predictably picked the Patriots. For that, he was subsequently punched in the face, kicked in the head, and left unconscious. Ergo, I don't recommend asking such a provocative question if you prefer to watch the entire Super Bowl at one of these Brooklyn bars. A few require food/drink minimums, but the majority boast drink and wing deals, and the occasional Go-Go Half-Time show or all-expenses-paid trip to Atlantic City. More options quite welcome in the comments or tips. May the best red, white, and blue team win!

I love candy, and in college, I discovered that only two degrees of separation come between the heir of Just Born (maker of PEEPS) and myself. I envisioned a future career in PEEP research (which I was already conducting via microwave), but then all my friends started applying to grad school and "real" jobs, so I tossed my dreams aside and became a teacher instead. Such is life, but luckily New York feeds my sweet tooth with options ranging from the old-school mom-and-pop shops to the flashier, sugar-high venues that suck away my last shreds of sanity.

And we're moving right along from our previous rundown of Austro-Hungarian delicacies. It's easy to overlook the Ukrainian presence in Manhattan, but some 70,000 people of such descent are still scattered about the city. Ukrainian restaurants and bars, however, tend to congregate in the East Village, with a speckling of choices in Gravesend and Brighton Beach, the latter of which is better known for Russian cafes and clubs. Long-established venues such as Kurowycky Meat Products and Kiev Cafe are sadly no more, and poor Kiev's space has undergone a faulty makeover to become "American Grill," a sad tale indeed. On the bright side, the tastes of "Little Ukraine," like this vegetarian borscht, are all yours to savor.

When you're a ribs-eatin', turkey sandwich-noshin', cocktail shrimp ring-devourin' kind of gal (or guy) dating a strict vegetarian, where to dine becomes one of those proverbial relationship compromises. My vices -- lobster rolls, pulled pork sandwiches, and McDonald's Chicken Selects -- are, unfortunately, served up in restaurants that are, how shall I put it, ridiculously unfriendly to vegheads. On the other hand, I cannot always sacrifice my meat needs by dining at 100% meat-free establishments, even though it must be overwhelmingly fun for your vegetarian half to peruse the entire menu for once.

When most restaurant/bar backyards and gardens have pulled in their tables and chairs, there are some that promise a year-round "outdoor" space. Yes, it is fabricated and a false sense of, "Hey, it's nice outside!", but as Frank Bruni noted in a particularly humorous NYtimes article entitled "Curbside, We'll Never Have Paris", we will settle for a car-exhaust fumed, ugly sidewalk cafe seat most any day of the year we can. It comes as no surprise then that backyard gardens are becoming enclosed, heated, and winter-proofed at all costs for the blustery days ahead. Where are these temperature-regulated, vegetation-filled, patio furniture-strewn oases? A guide awaits you, and feel free to comment on malfunctioning heaters or less than waterproof roof coverings.

Any way you cut it, there are a lot of crappy sludge-making coffeehouses here. Like most who have inhabited or at least visited Park Slope, I've been run down by strollers, glanced at disapprovingly by parents when I curse, and disappointed by overpriced stoop sales. What I probably do not share with most of you readers is that I was a Park Slope after-school nanny for 2+ years. Tack on three other jobs in Manhattan and the Bronx, and the living/working combo in Park Slope predictably resulted in many cups of coffee from neighborhood establishments. Perhaps I was unlucky in hitting up most in the midafternoon, rather than at prime coffee time in the morning, but a good coffee place should be able to deliver throughout the day. Bad cups of coffee were the least of my worries then, but now that I'm no longer a sleep-deprived domestic laborer, I can bitch about each and every one.

Despite the proverbial declaration that most New Yorkers fulfill their daily sustenance needs by going out or ordering in, there are those of us who do enjoy spending evenings in our tiny kitchens, and we require more gadgets than the requisite ice cube trays and coffee pot. Where to turn for Creuset French Ovens, Madeleine pans, and food mills? When I received a pink KitchenAid mixer for my 24th birthday and the following year a $200 gift certificate to my favorite kitchen store, I realized that my significant other is really just a strategic gift-giver who directly benefits from all these purchases. For those of you who have never spent $16 on a spatula or $100 on a saucepan, this is the shopping guide for Kitchenware 101. Now go out and buy that spaetzle maker you never knew you needed.