January Fun!

I feel as though I’ve been ignoring PopFitLife this year. My initial reasoning was that I’ve been all work and no play recently, but then I realized that’s not true at all! I’ve been doing tons of awesome, blog worthy things, but I just haven’t been taking the time to snap many photos. (I guess this is a good thing since one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to be more present…) While I don’t have enough photos to publish separate posts for each outing, I think I have enough to sum up my January fun. (Prepare yourself for the most random post ever.) 2015 is off to a fantastic start if I do say so myself!

At the beginning of the month, I introduced the BF to one of my favorite restaurants in New York City, The Mermaid Inn. While I’ve only been to the Upper West Side location, we decided to journey to their Greenwich location known as the Mermaid Oyster Bar. My restaurant tip for this place is to attend as much of Happy Hour (5-7:00PM) as you can because they have great deals from $1 oysters to $3 fried oyster tacos. One can definitely fill up on Happy Hour specials alone, but the regular food is delicious too. Save room at the end, because complimentary chocolate mousse pudding is served when your bill comes.

After getting our seafood on, we walked over to Big Gay Ice Cream. I’ve been wanting to go here for…ev…er, and I finally got the chance. I got Rocky Road which is chocolate soft serve rolled in marshmallows, chocolate chips, and nuts. Even in the dead of winter it was the perfect treat! On this particular evening, we also spontaneously stopped by the Garrett which is a speak easy hidden in the back of a 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. It’s full of unique artwork and signature cocktails.

Speaking of burger joints, I also finally ate at the Burger Joint – another hidden restaurant located at Le Parker Meridien in Midtown Manhattan. I’m sure this place has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives even though it’s secretly located in the lobby of a fabulous hotel. People still wait in line out the door just to order and find a table!

January also includes one of my favorite times of the year – Broadway Week! During Broadway Week, tickets to select shows are half price. It’s the best time to see a show…or two…or three. This time, I saw Jersey Boys which was full of the catchy music I grew up listening to with my dad. Broadway Week is sadly over now, but no worries. It returns in September!

On the Sunday before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I grabbed brunch with my family at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Members Only Dining Room. While washing down Maryland crab salad, Eggs Benedict with beef short rib, and brown butter apple cake with mimosas, I spotted Project Runway star Tim Gunn enjoying a casual Sunday Brunch at the museum as well. I’m usually not embarrassed to turn into a paparazzi when celebrities are around, but I got so nervous about this one!

Yes, that’s him in the background drinking his champagne. (I claim that he took a sip because he knew I was trying to snap a photo of him, but the BF thinks Mr. Gunn was probably just parched. We will never know…)

While dining with Tim Gunn on the regular would be a great Sunday brunch tradition, I’ve instead opted for Sunday SoulCycle at their W27th studio followed by some delicious flatbread pizza at Waldy’s.