Spot Dessert Bar

I usually get a craving around 4 o'clock in the afternoon for something sweet, and this weekend I caved in and went to Spot Dessert Bar on St. Mark's Place in those few hours before dinner. Oops!

Spot opened in December in a cool little basement space, and the decor is sort of earthy and fun. The menu is pretty simple and consists of only dessert items and drinks. Despite this being a dessert "bar" there is no alcohol served, but they have a pretty good selection of coffee and tea, including bubble tea.

 The desserts are pretty good here, and I am a fan of the cupcakes! Not only are they creative (try the sea salt caramel cupcake!), but they also come with edible sparkles on top. And really, you can't beat a sparkly cupcake.

The prices at Spot are sort of high -- you'll pay almost $3 for a cupcake and $4 for a Thai Iced Coffee -- but if you want to treat yourself, it's a fun place. Also keep in mind that if you plan to sit and eat at the restaurant, it's table service only, so you'll have to tip a waiter as well.

Spot
13 St. Mark's Place
6 to Astor Place
www.spotdessertbar.com

Cheap Eats: Hummus Kitchen

Do you find that warm weather makes you crave healthier foods? I do! In general, I tend to crave heavier foods during the cold months and fresh foods like vegetables and fruit during the summer! In celebration of the beautiful weather that we've been having, I want to go to Hummus Kitchen this weekend!

As the name implies, they serve up delicious, fresh hummus with warm pita. Yummmm! Of course, they have a full menu with wraps, but I really like the Mazze mixed platter. For $9, you can get a sampling of three different mazze (appetizers) with warm pita. The traditional hummus is fantastic, but I also recommend the oven-roasted cauliflower! So good! I am somewhat of a cauliflower lover so I might be biased, but I don't see how someone couldn't love this dish. Although it isn't the best I've ever had, HK serves a pretty tasty Babaganush (a roasted eggplant mixture) as well.

When I ate here last year, the weather was beautiful and we sat in front of a big open window that kept the air fresh while still allowing us to be out of the sun. There is outdoor seating as well! I'd recommend going on a weekend afternoon and ordering two mazze sampler plates to share and two glasses of sangria to wash it down with!

Hummus Kitchen
768 9th Avenue
C,E to 50th Street
www.HummusKitchen.com

The Apartment Hunt is On

These last few weeks have been incredibly busy, but I am happy to say that I am officially an employed college senior. I won't go into the details of my employment here (blogging about work is Blogging Cardinal Sin #1, right?), but let's just say that I'm extremely happy and excited.

Now that I know I'll be staying in New York, I need to find an apartment. Oh boy. I've always sort of casually browsed apartment listings in preparation for the day when I would finally move out of the Bronx and into... anywhere else, but thinking about it and actually doing it are two different things!

It seems that every Craigslist post that I respond to ends up being totally scammy -- note that if you get a reply that explains that the person had to leave the country suddenly and is renting out the apartment for a ridiculously low price, it's a scam. Amazingly I've had two variations on the same story: man with apartment on Upper West Side is in London either serving as a pastor or studying theology. Ack.

I'm going to try using a broker to find something, but then there's the other problem: I don't have a roommate. Miraculously, all of my friends are either moving away/out of the country, going to grad school, or live in New Jersey within commuting distance of the city. So then, how does one find a roommate? I'm pretty sure I can't afford to live on my own, but I also would prefer to find a place with someone as opposed to moving into someone else's preexisting space. And yes, I've checked Craigslist and let me tell you there are some WEIRD "roommate" requests on there!

So, I'll keep you updated on my NYC Real Estate progress and maybe if my apartment can handle more than 3 people at a time, I'll have a party to celebrate! Oh, and just in case you're wondering, I'm not really expecting a doorman at my building. Someday though... :)

Upcoming Events with New York Women in Communications

When I first moved to New York in hopes of becoming involved in the communications field, I didn't really know anyone who could help me out. During my freshman year I saw an ad for an event run by New York Women in Communications, and I decided to check it out. The event featured speakers from different areas of communications talking about how they got to where they are now, and the best part was that they were willing to hand out their business cards and answer your questions.

I ended up joining NYWICI, and I can't even begin to express how much the organization has helped me over the past few years. Not only have I met a lot of really amazing people who are so eager to help me, but I also received an incredible scholarship and internship experience from them last year.

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks, because there are some really cool events coming up! This Wednesday, there is a Round Table event where I'll be listening to the advice of professionals in two of my areas of interest: travel writing and online publishing!

In early April, NYWICI is holding a Night Out with Kate White, the Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan. Last year this event was with Candance Bushnell, author of Sex and the City. The event takes place at the Diane von Furstenberg store in the Meatpacking District -- really cool space! In addition to hearing Kate speak, I'll get to catch up with some of my friends from the organization over cocktails!

Finally, in late April are the illustrious Matrix Awards! Last year, I got to attend Matrix as a scholarship recipient which was amazing! The awards are given to communications professionals in different categories -- this year NYWICI is honoring women like Tina Fey, Sheryl Crowe, Ina Garten, Marissa Mayer, and Gayle King. And yes, Oprah is presenting the award to Gayle. I'm so excited to see what all of the recipients have to say this year!

I'd strongly suggest joining NYWICI if you want some great connections in the communications industry. I've gained so many mentors and friends through them, and the events are always a really good time! They can be a little pricey if you aren't a member, but student members especially get great discounts to them!

The Smoke Joint

This weekend, I visited my boyfriend in Boston. We went to a BBQ restaurant for dinner in celebration of the beautiful, warm weather. Our meal was great, and it made me really look forward to going back to one of my favorite BBQ restaurants in New York: The Smoke Joint.

The Smoke Joint is in the Fort Greene area of Brooklyn, and I've never been disappointed. The ribs are great, but I love the pulled pork sandwiches too. Side dishes are completely necessary -- the cornbread has a deliciously sweet, crispy top. The one thing that we never go without is the corn on the cob! They drizzle them in an amazing house sauce that is tangy and addicting, and for only $2.50 you can't skip it!

If you head over to the restaurant this week, you'll be able to take advantage of the Brooklyn Restaurant Week menu, which will get you a ton of food for two people for $20. When I went last year, we got ribs, rotisserie chicken, cornbread, pickles and corn on the cob -- more than enough food for two people!

The Smoke Joint
87 South Elliott Place
Between Lafayette Ave and Hanson Pl
C to Lafayette Ave 

Dreaming of Central Park

For the past two years, I've lived at Fordham's Lincoln Center campus over the summer. In addition to being close to awesome restaurants and shopping, I always loved that it was just a short walk away from Central Park. Unfortunately, graduating seniors can't apply for summer housing again this year, so it looks like I'll be apartment hunting before graduation.

I doubt that I can afford anything too close to the park, but it would be nice to be within walking distance again! I love going in for the afternoon, finding a nice sunny patch of grass and settling down with a book. I'm already thinking about my summer reading list... here's what I'm looking forward to reading this summer!

• What the Dog Saw by Malcom Gladwell
• The Travel Writer's Handbook by Louise Purwin Zobel
• Beowulf on the Beach by Jack Murninghan
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Liberty of London for Target

I was really disappointed with the Jean Paul Gaultier for Target collection. The thing about Target collections is that the cheap construction constraints that they have can make some of the pieces look really tacky. Everything in the JPG collection was polyester, making things stiff and shapeless, but Target made up for it with the Liberty of London collection that was released last weekend!
The pop-up shop that they opened in Manhattan sold out and closed two days early. The collection also sold out online immediately, but luckily I was at home in New Hampshire where people don't care as much about Designer for Target. Our stores were completely stocked with everything Liberty.

 I focused mainly on some cute housewares for the apartment that I don't have yet (but I will!). I picked up some adorable pillows for my couch, fabric covered storage boxes, and peacock feather coffee mugs and ceramic bowls for the kitchen!

 As usual, I had to be a little more discerning with the clothes, but I ended up walking out with some really cute pajamas, a blouse, and a printed cotton dress. I'd stay away from the polyester dresses in this collection -- the maxi dress was so cute, but I think the material would make you die of heat wearing it in the summer!