royal palms shuffleboard club

Kurt and I recently met up with some friends at the new shuffleboard club in Gowanus called Royal Palms. I had never played the game before but knew it had the reputation for having a rather geriatric following. While I can't say our session was strenuous in any way, we had a blast! I think the decor was my favorite part. They really designed the bar to feel like a cruise ship docked in Florida. I appreciate a good theme and so many of the details were really well thought out.

The courts are the main focus of the space, but there are still plenty of tables and open areas for leisurely drinking (Which is good because you will be waiting for a court. This place is already super popular!). You can even reserve a black and white striped booth by the bar.

Eventually we scored a coveted court, got a quick rundown on the rules from the owner (pigeons!? biscuits?!), and began our boys vs. girls battle. The concepts are pretty simple but the technique takes a little bit of finesse. The girls dominated for most of the game, and while the boys caught up towards the end, the ladies won pretty handily. Better luck next time, guys!

The space used to be a warehouse or factory and the owners turned an old loading bay into a food truck dock. They have a rotating cast of characters (it was Dub Pies in the afternoon and Red Hook Lobster Pound in the evening for us). It's such a cool way to keep your customers full and happy while teaming up with local restaurants who create a variety of amazing foods.

Other things of note: league nights are Monday and Tuesday and they've got quite a roster already! The cocktails are fantastic. Great for day drinking :) And the bathroom wallpaper is not to be missed. How about we put some flamingos in our entryway, Kurt?! I loooooove them!

Happy Weekend! If you are in Brooklyn, definitely check out the Royal Palms. It was a fantastic way to spend a Saturday afternoon. 

drinks to die for

This summer, the Brooklyn Historical Society has teamed up with Green-Wood Cemetery and Brooklyn Brewery to host a monthly happy hour on the cemetery grounds called "Drinks to Die For". 

Other than historic trolley tours, the cemetery doesn't often hold events (you can't even bike or run through it...walking only), so this sounded like a pretty interesting opportunity. They even had a band playing in the chapel. Rock n roll?! At Church?! My inner Catholic was a little distressed. Oh, but the alcohol in church? I'll let the Protestants sweat over that one :)

Sadly, as soon as we arrived, they ran out of the good beer and had to offer us Coors Light instead :( And then they eventually just ran out completely even though we still had drink tickets to burn. I guess they weren't expecting such a crowd. Who wouldn't want to hang out in a graveyard to have a few drinks? I think they've struck gold with the idea. And the proceeds benefit the Brooklyn Historical Society, so I guess I can't be too bummed about my "donation".

Here is Kurt looking really upset about his sub-par beer. What. A. Hipster.

There's only one more Drinks to Die For event this season. Don't miss it on August 22nd! Get there early for the good stuff and to find the best tombstone to hang out by!

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Because we are crazy and can't seem to sit still/stay in one place for a few days, Kurt and I are travelling with friends to Portland, Maine this weekend to explore and eat our body weight in lobster. I! Can't! Wait! Wish us luck! Maybe I'll post some pictures...right after a few Charleston posts...oh, and our apartment updates...sigh...one of these days! Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend!

date night at the brooklyn crab

Back at Christmas, Kurt gifted me a homemade book of coupons for dates around the city. It was such a fun present, but six months later, I had yet to use any! I decided it was about time to start cashing them in, so I told Kurt to keep Saturday night clear because he was taking me out. I chose my coupon for dinner and drinks at the Brooklyn Crab in Red Hook.

The place has three open-air levels for eating and drinking and an enormous backyard with mini golf and corn hole (sadly I didn't get a shot of the back). The place was packed (and somehow I missed the memo to dress up and looked pretty schlubby in my shorts) so it wasn't shocking when we were assigned a nearly two hour wait. Luckily we weren't starving and got some beers while we waited for our turn.

Finally, we were granted a table on the top floor. I wish there was still a little sunlight left because the view that high up was amazing. You could see the Statue of Liberty and out to Staten Island. We perused the mainly seafood menu, asked the waitress a few questions, and settled on an appetizer of mussels and then spicy snow crab legs for dinner. So good. We were a mess by the end of it all but full and happy.

Lest I think about double dipping and using my coupon again, Kurt made sure it was clearly marked "VOID" in my book :) Thanks for the great date night, Kurt! Lookout, I've got many more coupons to burn through!

brooklyn half marathon

I did it! I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon! Constantly moving for 13.1 miles and I didn't collapse! Yay! Overall it was a really great experience. I don't think I'll be running another very soon, but it was a fun time and I felt pretty accomplished when I crossed that finish line.

All us runners crowded into our corrals at the starting line in front of the Brooklyn Museum very early on Saturday morning. The day was overcast and cool which was actually perfect weather. Just standing around waiting to start made me so nervous! I was convinced I wasn't prepared and was going to have to be picked up by an ambulance in embarrassment. Everyone around me seemed so calm and experienced. Thankfully, once we got started, running felt good and I calmed down a bit. 

20,000+ people ran this thing! I know they do it all the time but the NYRR did a great job organizing. I was amazed how well people were coordinated and how much support staff was around to answer questions or hand out water etc. Kurt got this shot in Prospect Park when the crowd was still pretty dense. I'm usually a solo runner, but it was nice to find a neighbor to keep pace with.

I couldn't have done it without my cheerleaders! Kurt, Jenn, and Kristin rode their bikes and met me with cowbells and words of encouragement at several places along the route. Kristin even went to the trouble to make me neon Gravytrain themed signs! I love them! Thanks, guys!

Kurt had a hard time spotting me at first, so a lot of my action shots are from behind. I like to think it's because I'm fast as lightning :)

After leaving Prospect Park, we ran a long, straight stretch out to Coney Island. It's pretty flat and even slightly downhill, but the scenery is a little bleak and monotonous. Thankfully there were water stations at each mile marker to look forward to.

We're almost to the finish here! (I'm right below the 400m sign in the lower left corner) I'm not going to lie, I was hurting at this point. I didn't even think to look for my cheering section. I was only thinking one foot in front of the other....you're almost there! 

We just crossed the finish line on the boardwalk! I was so happy at this point. My hips and knees were howling, but I was thrilled to be there. I finished without major tragedy and did just about as well as all those people I was intimidated by at the starting line. I didn't even care how fast. I've never been much of an athlete, so I felt pretty accomplished to make it that far.

And we got medals! In my exhausted, dehydrated haze, this made me so excited. Why yes sir, you can take a photograph of me AND my medal even though I look disgusting.

This is the family reunion area after the finish line. So many people! Apparently you and your crew need to approach this thing with a plan since there is zero cell phone service with this many people around. Eventually, I found my cheerleaders and we all went to a delicious brunch at Giovanni's. I've never been so deserving of unlimited mimosas before!

I finished in 2:07:02 which is certainly not fast but I am very happy with it. Maybe next time I will train a little harder in preparation and shave a few minutes off! :)

And now that I've tooted my own horn more than enough, it's time for some gratitude: Thanks, of course, to my cheerleaders. I've never been more happy to hear your obnoxious cowbells. Thanks to Kurt for taking photos and encouraging me when I was feeling lazy. Thanks to Jenn for helping motivate me in those first training days. I certainly would not have made it to those early morning gym sessions without some peer pressure. And thanks to all you blog readers for your support and advice along the way! Your tips and insider secrets were more helpful than you know. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

cohabitation!

Big news: Kurt and I are moving in together! We just signed the lease on a sweet little one bedroom apartment in Park Slope. I'm in love with the place! It's right off the park, super convenient to the subway, and still close to all our friends in the neighborhood. The broker let us measure and take photographs a few days ago, so we can plan for the big move in less than two weeks! We've got some great ideas for the space that I can't wait to share here. Wish us luck!

Building front (ground floor, great Southern exposure)

Entry hall (an actual formal foyer?! I feel like such an adult :) )

Kitchen (lots of cabinets (by NYC standards at least) and a HUGE pantry!)

Living Room (so bright!)

Living Room (cozy but usable space)

Bedroom (odd storage piece in the corner? perfect for extra pillows!)

Bathroom (claw foot tub! weird flesh colored walls, definitely getting painted asap)

Pardon all the goofy/way too serious photos of me. Kurt was taking pictures while I was quickly sketching the floor plan. In typical architect fashion, I've already got it drawn up in AutoCAD and will be sharing it soon! So excited over here!

fletcher's brooklyn barbecue

#meat

what an animal

the aftermath

Kurt and I just finished watching House of Cards on netflix (you should watch it too!). There are several scenes in the series where the main character visits this hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint in Washington DC for ribs. After it becomes a reoccurring scene, Kurt admits to me that when he sees another person eating ribs, he gets the biggest craving for them. Luckily I live two block from this new barbecue place we've been meaning to try for months.

We hit up Fletcher's on a Sunday night and met our week's quota of meat. I ordered a chopped pork sandwich (a little different from the pulled pork I'm used to) and Kurt got a half rack of ribs. We washed it all down with some cheap beer (who knew Genesee came in glass bottles?!). It was sooo good. All that meat is getting me excited for some warm weather bbq'ing! Neither of us were super hungry, so we passed on sides. Next time I plan on going when I am starving because there are tons of other options I am dying to try. Two kinds of pickles, mac and cheese, something called "burnt ends"? Sign me up!

Fletcher's Brooklyn Barbecue

433 Third Avenue 

Brooklyn, NY 11215

(347) 763-2680
@fletchersbklyn

van horn brunch

Jenn and I are trying to start up a weekly brunch outing on the weekends. How original of us, right? Anyway, our latest outing was to the Van Horn Sandwich Shop in Cobble Hill. I had been once before but never for brunch.

They sat us on the back porch. Even though it is still chilly here (getting better slowly!) they had a temporary structure and heat lamps set up to make the most of their outdoor space in the cooler months. 

Van Horn has a fancy cocktail list, so we started our meal with a couple. I went with the "Van Horn" because if a restaurant is willing to name a drink after itself, I will blindly put my faith in it. Luckily, I wasn't let down. Jenn ordered a type of grapefruit Negroni and didn't love it because it was super bitter. Drinkers beware, Van Horn likes to mix their drinks on the strong side. But I'm not complaining :)

For brunch, I ordered their chicken biscuit special and a side of hush puppies. You know how everyone has their thing that they just have to order when it shows up on a menu? Well, hush puppies are that for me. They were a little on the petite side and served with a side of sweet butter (weird?) but still very good. Two thumbs up, Van Horn. You'll be seeing more of me soon!

st. patrick's day parade

I hope you all had a great weekend! On Sunday, Kurt and I braved the freezing cold to watch the Brooklyn St. Patrick's Day Parade as it wove through Park Slope. It was a relatively small parade, but there were plenty of bagpipes, high school bands and flag girls, boy scouts troops, and even an Irish panda. It was a great day to take in some neighborhood action, but I can't wait for warmer activities!