hidden gem: long island wine country (and mystic, ct)

about a month ago, after a furious googling session to find ideas for LDW, my friend brianna and i came across a site for "long island wine country." previously, my only associations with the area were terrible accents, a few terrible girls whom i shared a dormitory floor with my freshman year of college, and that terrible tv psychic. but i was intrigued, and we booked a tour (with vintage tours) for saturday afternoon. spoiler alert: it was great.

the ferry

first of all, i didn't think it was possible to make it to long island in two and a half hours, but we somehow did? turns out that there's a modern marvel called the cross-sound ferry that takes you from new london, CT to orient point, NY in just over an hour. easy drive down, easy ferry ride over. and our tour guide was waiting at the ferry to whisk us away with a well-air-conditioned van and promises of gratuitous pinot samples.

the wine (and the goats)

we only hit up four of the approximately 30+ wineries on the north and south forks (also new terminology to me), but hoo boy, that was more than enough.

first was sparkling pointe. we kicked things off with a bubbly toast, eavesdropped on the bachelorette party in matching hats sitting next to us, and took in the bizarre-but-fun rio de janeiro-inspired decor:

then, onto mattebella. we ate some bread with brie and a cute little boxed lunch of eggplant panini, orzo, and a chocolate chip cookie at a picnic table while the tastings kept coming. it was at this point that i really felt like i was living my best life (thanks, oprah). fun fact: the name of the winery is a hybrid of the names of the owners' children, matthew and isabella. ugh, so cute i might puke.

the third winery, lenz, was thoroughly "meh" in terms of the samples, but had a fantastic atmosphere with some chill bros covering ellie goulding and such (not pictured, sorry).

AND THEN, our tour guide surprised us with an impromptu stop at a dairy farm that was home to like a billion baby goats, some of which lived on a fake boat:

can you handle it? 'cause i couldn't handle it. it also reminded me that when i went to san francisco about a year ago, we stopped at a winery in sonoma that had a donkey farm. is this a thing? people just like to get blitzed and pet animals or something? anyways, i'm not a feta fan so the cheese tasting was kind of wasted on me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

the final stop was one woman vineyards, where comments about our personal brands abounded. but seriously, we saw the owner/winemaker/grower during our visit, and what a BAMF. you go, one woman. i also posed in front of a tractor because it felt like the right thing to do after four generous pours of various wines:

 

the treehouse

since the accommodations on long island were insanely expensive, we opted to ferry back and spend the night in mystic, connecticut. before a reallyreally good dinner of blackfish at oyster club, we had cocktails at the restaurant's treehouse bar. i know! i ordered the "painkiller," which had orange and pineapple juice and rum and stuff. ambiance for daaaays:

 
the b&b

i'd never stayed in a true bed and breakfast before, so i was simultaneously excited and frightened for what awaited me at the mermaid inn in mystic. yo, it was adorable af (save for that creepy mermaid on the piano, but so what, who cares). less than a 10-minute walk into town, too.

 

our room was refreshingly tasteful and classy, and had bathrobes and a fancy glass pitcher of cognac and chocolates. if only i brought my brandy snifter...

the innkeeper, josephine, was an absolute sweetheart. not only did she put pie and cookies out for guests in the evening, but she made a bomb-ass breakfast the next morning with ~organic~ yogurt, quiche, french toast, and baconbaconbacon.

she also gave us a little goodie bag with apples, more cookies, and bottles of water when we checked out. seriously, this woman is a saint. more importantly, my dreams have now shifted from owning a bakery in santa barbara (a la meryl streep in it's complicated) to owning a b&b in a beach town. how do i own a b&b in a beach town?!

anyways, we rented bikes that morning from the town bookstore and went on a veeery short ride (i was too rusty to be trusted for an extended period of time in the downtown traffic). then i talked to the bookstore dude about how mystic is basically stars hollow from gilmore girls for a while.

after a drive to dubois beach in nearby stonington, it was 11:30am, aka time to start drinking again. enter saltwater farm vineyard, a converted airplane hangar.

and what's a day in mystic without a slice from its most famous pizzeria? somehow, despite having visited the town a handful of times, i'd yet to make a visit to mystic pizza, which inspired the 1988 movie with julia roberts. the wait for a table was insane, so we snagged some seats in the bar area and took it all in. surprisingly, the pizza was delicious, and i devoured it in like 30 seconds, prompting brianna to laugh at my unbridled enthusiasm. i was hungry, man.

even if you aren't a wine aficionado, i highly recommend LI wine country -- and mystic -- for a day or weekend trip. for northeasterners like myself, it's a helluva lot closer than napa and sonoma, but i had just as much fun as i did at the wineries there. cheers!

5 things i love: '90s one-hit wonder edition

what are your favorite OHWs from the greatest decade ever?

1. spacehog - "in the meantime"



come on, i'd deserve to be tarred and feathered if i didn't include either this or "possum kingdom" by the toadies, though i think this one has a slight edge in terms of being the most '90s song of all time. as soon as i hear the opening "oooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooooh-ooooh" i'm instantly transported to that glorious era of flannel, scrunchies, and doc martens.

2. citizen king - "better days (and the bottom drops out)"



god bless the music director at 92.9, who apparently loves this song as much as i do. i've heard it on the station approximately 5 times in the past couple weeks and it was what inspired this post. it teeters juuuust on the edge of carefree sublimey/311 fare and jangly alt-rock and trip-hop in the perfect way. but, uhh, have definitely been picturing a mark mcgrath-y bro as the lead singer for the past 17 years. mind = BLOWN. at least i got the frosted tips part right.


3.  tom cochrane - "life is a highway"



damn you, rascal flatts, for ruining this gem. with his swoopy blonde locks and leather jacket, tom captured my six year-old heart from that first harmonica wail. the fact that he's canadian is just a bonus. GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME YEAH!

4. alana davis - "32 flavors"



usually, when i say, "i haven't thought about that one in forever" in reference to any given song, i'm lying and just trying to pretend that i'm not a huge music geek that regularly thinks about one-hit wonders. BUT, when consulting a list of flash-in-the-pan tunes yesterday, i realized that i really, truly haven't thought about this song since i was 12 years old. i'm so happy i rediscovered it -- and alana davis' entire debut album, which was in heavy rotation for me in 6th grade. this is actually an ani difranco cover, but i much prefer it to the original. so much soul.

5. deadeye dick - "new age girl"



confession: while i do vaguely remember this song from dumb and dumber, it wasn't until last month that i heard it randomly and decided that i loved it. from the weird collective "RUH" noise to the lyrics about this crazy bitch mary moon (who, FYI, is a vegetarian and will outlive all the septuagenarians), it's awesomely bad. but it's also just a great time. LOL @ the line "she don't eat meat, but she sure like the bone." what the hell is going on in this video?!

around town: open newbury street and st. agrippina's feast

though i've lived in the boston area on and off for the better part of the past 10 years, i truly never tire of being a tourist here. this is especially true in the summertime, when every weekend means some sort of festival or feast or other such whimsy.

when i read a couple weeks ago that iconic newbury street was going to be temporarily car-free all day today, i decided to take my "real" camera and re-explore the city on foot.

i began in the south end with a visit to the recently relocated sowa open market. i've gotta say, it was lacking the energy of the old market, possibly because there seemed to be far fewer vendors. meh. i got bored and wandered down some side streets and admired the brownstones instead:

then it was off to open newbury street, which was just such a great sight to see. cafe tables in the street, children on scooters, families playing four square and cornhole, people hula hooping, couples playing ping pong, and instagram husbands maxing and relaxing in lawn chairs. i hope they make this a regular thing.

i passed through the common and faneuil hall...

next was the north end, where the locals were celebrating st. agrippina's feast. fun fact: our girl agrippina is the patron saint of thunderstorms, leprosy, and evil spirits. pretty killer combo, i must say.

anyways,  i'm always nostalgic for this neighborhood, as i lived here for two years in college, and the procession used to pass right under my window every weekend in the summertime. as much as it pains me to see that the powers that be have allowed pinkberry and some other bullshit chains into the neighborhood, it still retains that authenticity and italian charm that made me fall in love with it a decade ago. i mean, a dozen guidos carrying a saint statue covered in dollar bills past a fried dough stand while their fathers yell "nicholas!" or "tony!" and a band of police officers play "when the saints go marching in?" it just doesn't get better than that.

i wanna be like killer mike

in the year of our lord, 2015, the great philosopher big sean (sean don if you're nasty) rapped, "i wrote myself a million dollar check in fifth grade/I put it on the wall and promised it'd be this way." while the line doesn't quiiiite rhyme, the motivational sentiment remains.

clearly, my man sean is also a proponent of the law of attraction. i was intrigued when i heard this lyric, as the LOA typically appeals to bizarre middle-aged white men that host sweat lodge retreats, millennials who read the secret and attribute every good or bad event to *~the universe~* (guilty as charged), and jim carrey. the basic tenet is that like attracts like, and that positive thinking brings about more positive circumstances in our lives. pretty straightforward stuff. and then, i realized what i love about hip-hop. well, besides those sick beats that i bump in my impreza en route to my corporate job, and the fetty wap lyric, "so fine, i swear i see you with my left eye."  what i love is the unapologetic arrogance of its key players. all dj khaled does is win. every time you see drake, it looks like he hit the lotto TWICE. 2 chainz just ate a $300 hamburger. lil' wayne's been fly so long, he fell asleep on the fuckin' plane! nicki minaj is on a diet, but she's doing donuts in the six-speed. and don't even get me started on kanye.

while some may view this ridiculous bravado as off-putting, i think it should be an inspiration to us all, honestly. misogynistic lyrics aside, i think that all of the bragging and boasting can certainly be applied (more humbly, natch) to our own ambitions and pursuits. i won't go so far as to say that these mainstream rappers are lacking in talent; have you heard some of kendrick lamar's brilliant verses? but also, have you heard some of french montana's terrible verses? "shorty saw the wings on the car/she forgot about her plans for tomorrow?" i could probably freestyle something that's ten times better ... and probably have, after a few glasses of riesling. i think that was also the night i felt inspired by chris brown to change my tinder tagline to "i don't fuck with broke bitches." but i digress.

my point is, it seems to me that most of these guys quite literally faked it 'til they made it, writing rhymes about bugattis, bling, and bitches until that actually became their reality. or such is the story they tell us. for all we know, they could be living at a holiday inn and relying on food stamps. but we buy into their larger-than-life projections and set our sights on more for ourselves, with aspiring teenagers peddling mix tapes on the street and upper-middle-class women like myself trying to twerk at suburban dinner parties.

you may not dream about fancy cars or private jets or gold grills. personally, i'd feel pretty pimpin' with a six-figure salary, a published book, and an apartment with in-unit laundry. when i crank up the waka flocka flame as i'm churning out a blog post, or nod along with rich homie quan while i'm lugging my sheets and towels to the washing machine in the basement, all of those things feel a bit more within reach, thanks to their not-so-quiet confidence.

come to think of it, i guess a million dollar check would be pretty nice, too.

new york weekend: 4knots 2016

this past weekend, i made my annual sojourn to new york city for the 4knots music festival in order to see one of my favorite bands, guided by voices, live. i have to admit, last year's festival was better for various reasons, but it was still a great time.

random prince mural in brooklyn, because ... prince.

FOOD

- upon my arrival to the big apple, you best believe i made a b-line for the white castle on 8th ave -- duffel bag on one arm, ten-pound purse on the other -- and stuffed my sweaty little face with sliders. for those blissful 5 minutes, life was perfect.

- that night, we grabbed dinner at little dokebi, a cozy korean spot in greenpoint, where i had my first bibimbap experience (ahi tuna ftw). though i barely made a dent in my huge hot stone pot, the spicy/sweet sauce and the rice and the vegetables were the best. oh, and they brought us all pickled everything before the meal. yaaaasss.

- finally, my sunday brunch plans fell through, so i found this tiny gourmet oatmeal shop in greenwich village, cleverly called oatmeals. i snickered to myself as i ordered the "hot date" (dates, pecans, granola, peanut butter, and honey) from a cute-ass ponytailed dude who was probably way too young for me. oatmeal and iced coffee in hand, i strolled through washington square park and had myself a nice little manhattan sunday morning.

DRINK

- after dinner on friday, our first stop was a williamsburg speakeasy-style cocktail bar called the richardson. i ordered a "no rocking chair," which had bourbon, honey liqueur, lime juice, aaaand some other stuff i can't remember, including a cinnamon stick garnish. i sipped and gawked at a bar back with the most glorious, intentional mullet i've ever laid eyes on.

- we couldn't maintain that highbrow vibe for too long, so we strolled over to a dirty dive known as the callbox lounge. this place had everything: a broken jukebox, a broken arcade game, chips on sale at the bar for $1/bag, and a ghetto disco ball/accompanying mirrored ceiling that provided the perfect illumination for the disco dance party that ensued. we rocked down to electric avenue, indeed.

- on saturday night, we hit up one of my new york spirit bars, high dive. unfortunately, the jukebox here was ALSO broken, but i dug up an old photo to show you what we're dealing with here.

ya dig? anyways, high dive also offers free popcorn that's smothered in old bay seasoning, and it's the perfect place to have long, drunken conversations with your best friends. plus, it's unpretentious and dark and kind of dirty, but not TOO dirty, and man, i just love it.

MUSIC

since last year's 4knots had twin peaks and mikal cronin and stephen malkmus, it was a hard bill to beat. however, guided by voices has been at the top of my "bands to see live" list forever, so it was a no-brainer that i'd be attending before they broke up for the 20th time.

earlier in the afternoon, diane coffee blew me away with his self-described "psychedelic motown" sounds, incredible stage presence, and adorable costumes. i didn't know much about him going into the set, except that he was the drummer for foxygen, but i came away a fan for sure. just pure fun.

after refueling for the evening with some rose and seafood mac 'n cheese at vbar, it was time for GBV. yeah, we were incredibly far away, and most of us only knew about 3 or 4 songs of their 50ish-song set, but they sounded great! and the other audience members more than made up for our inability to see the actual band.

uncle bob from way far away

there was the solo dude who went nuts for every single song: jumping, clapping, singing, air-guitaring-and-drumming, bonding with the random guys next to him. there were the middle-aged hipster couples (one of which included a bearded ginger man in a loud, floral-print adidas jacket) smoking weed. there was the small child on his dad's shoulders who kept plugging his ears, only to have pops remove his hands every time. "you will learn to love guided by voices, dammit!" we imagined the father whispering. DAD OF THE YEAR.

my 2016 to-do list: 6-month update

so ... i gots a lot to do. out of the 40 items i set out to complete, i've only accomplished 8 of 'em:

2. have high tea in london
the most 'grammable tea groupon could buy.

3. drink coffee & eat a croissant at a sidewalk cafe in paris 
i got a crepe instead, since the waitress was being mad rude...cigarette emoji for dramatic effect

4. visit an amsterdam coffee shop 
twice...really don't want to remember the latter experience

10. celebrate my 30th birthday in style
said "hey, what's up, hello" to the big 3-0 with a little soiree on the patio of one of my favorite local restaurants with booze, music, food, and some of the best people i know.

19. watch live jazz
twice! at the beat brasserie in cambridge, and wally's in the south end.

27. see the mona lisa at the louvre
naaaailed it.

33. organize my gmail inbox (and get to 0) ... of course, it's back to being a hot mess now


that means i have 32 left. here are some of the "reach" ones i might need some help with. anyone?

8. CRASH A DAMN WEDDING
9. complete my book manuscript
25. go skinny-dipping
26. visit 4 new states (to reach 30 states visited)
32. buy a home
37. visit montreal

5 things i love right now

1. the "lucy blue" smoothie from b. good

so, i first tried this delicious concoction last night ... couldn't stop thinking about it ALL DAY at work, and went to get another one tonight. blueberries, almond butter, almond milk, dates, lemon and cinnamon. i said goddamn! might have to start keeping the ingredients on hand like a grown-ass woman so i'm not spending $6 every day on my new obsession.

2. this song by the aces, "stuck"



one of my favorite summer jams thus far. i never really got the whole HAIM thing, but these chicks i can dig. it's the perfect tune for driving with the windows down (to a giiiiirls night that involves white wine spritzers), giving yourself a manicure, and trying on rompers at forever 21. basically, lauren conrad would love it. in the best sense.

3. this brownstone in back bay

judging by the decor, the seller of this place looks like they must be as nutty as a fruitcake, and it's fantastic. anybody have an extra 4 mil lying around?

4.  the denny's twitter account

i was slightly disheartened to learn that um, an actual marketing agency is behind the thoroughly "meh" diner's genius twitter feed (i was hoping for a perpetually stoned teenager). unlike a denny's, which you'd never admit to dining at while sober, these weird-ass tweets are worthy of proudly sharing with the world.

put your hands in the spaghetti, it's friday baby

— Denny's (@DennysDiner) May 20, 2016

we have grapes pic.twitter.com/QoFMakjTtD

— Denny's (@DennysDiner) April 27, 2016

5. this swimsuit from modcloth

 

 yeah, i rarely go swimming or to the beach. BUT I STILL NEED IT.