snOwMG

i try to avoid cable news panic attacks at all costs, but fell prey to check on the weather, excuse me, SNOWPOCALYPSE/SNOWMAGGEDON that was heading our direction. i only cared because i was on my way out. at least that's what i thought. blizzard 2010 had another plan for me.

i narrowly escaped blizzard 2009 right before christmas, as i was probably one of the last flights out of jfk, praise be to luck/jetblue/no one in the airport. but this time i wasn't so lucky. the crazy linguistic exaggerations of cnn turned out to be true and rather than sipping champagne in hotlanta with nene and sheree, i'm drinking wine in the dirty jerz and watching bear grylls aka man v. wild aka HUGE CRUSH conquer urban survival. not bad, but i would've rather boarded the plane today.

all wasn't lost though, at least i had today off and got to partake in a retro snowball fight. watch out for this maniac in a park near you.


pray to any celestial being that my flight tomorrow isn't cancelled so all is not lost and i can continue the non-stop dream vacation/valentine's love fest eating buttermilk biscuits down south.

new york in black and white.

hello. you have been asked to participate in a small survey that will take less than two minutes of your time:

1.) do you like decent japanese food, most of which could be set on fire?
2.) do you enjoy black?
3.) is dining in a cave something you've always dreamed of?
4.) do you like magic tricks?
5.) would you be open to sharing stories of how you lost your virginity?

if the answer is "yes" to any of these, then ninja new york is for you! set in the terrible neighborhood of tribeca, this gem of a restaurant will move and groove you. the food is pretty standard (though as our waiter pointed out, we were more of a drinking crowd anyways) with sushi rolls ranging from $8-$12. there are other prix-fixe options available for $38-$88, but as mentioned this place isn't really about the dining, but rather the experience. mixed drinks aren't too bad at $12, $47 bottles of champagne, and $3 beer. oh, and there's a magic show by a ninja who will do mind blowing tricks and then ask for tips. the servers also do little cameos in and out of different dining rooms as well as slap you with towels when you least expect it.

overall, it was the perfect place to spend a final night in new york city. i would def say this is a group place as the people who were on dates kind of got caught in a weird aisle table situation. it's overpriced, but worth the experience.

help me find it!

as we all know by now teal is the color of the year. via someone on tumblr with very good taste, we found the fiercest dress ever, my dream dress! but who is it by? how can i find this amazing piece of apparel? someone help if you know who designed this!

DO NEED

a playlist for the end.

while tonight will involve ninjas, animal masks, and $30/all you can drink specials, what i'm really hoping for is the playlist of my dreams (circa february 2010) to come true. if my last night in new york city could have any track list, these songs would be heavily rotated in some trashy dance club in the lower east side:

1. passion pit - sleepy head
2. dirty projectors - stillness is the move
3. lady gaga - bad romance
4. animal collective - my girls
5. heartless bastards - the mountain
6. phoenix - lisztomania
7. grizzly bear - while you wait for others
8. lcd soundsystem - someone great
9. la roux - bullet proof
10. mariah carey - fantasy
11. anything girl talk
12. noah and the whale - blue skies (twelves remix)
13. florence and the machine -rabbit heart (raise up)
14. marina and the diamonds - i am not a robot
15. the killers - all these things that i've done

let's get C-R-U-N-K!

spa castle/inspa world/heaven

Recently a few friends and I decided to venture out to Queens (brownie points for the borough) to try Spa Castle, and it was as ridiculous as it sounds. Run by Koreans, it's 4 floors of heavenly madness.

Bad news first:
-It's a little pricy on the weekend ($45) so I'll skip out of work and try a weekday next time.
-For a $45 entrance fee, you don't get towels, but hey, you can rent basically everything else including old lady bathing suits with skirts. Or buy. Still regretting not getting the $5 Princess Leia bun head towel, such a bargain!
-There are kids running around everywhere. We were so relaxed we didn't care too much except in the saunas where the little monsters kept coming in and out and letting out all my heat.

Good news second:
-It's super relaxing and kind of kitsch, in a good way. You can spend the whole day here without feeling bored, rotating between massages, facials, pools, relaxing rooms, saunas, food and hey, you can even sleep right on the hardwood floor in the "sleep section" next to the cafeteria. SO comfy.
-THE WATCHES! As animals that just stepped out of the jungle we've apparently been deprived of fancy technology. When you check in they give you a watch with a number and don't tell you at all what to do with it, except pay $50 if you lose it. Not only does it get you into your separate shoe and clothing lockers, but it also buys everything you want- food, apparel, massages without really seeing a price or anything in English at all. Perk after getting the massage, no money/tip handling and it makes the whole experience feel less awkward and more free. (Just wait for the sticker shock @ check out time.)
-It's super clean. No footwear of any kind anywhere or you are outta there buddy.
-Pool bar and upstairs bar with lounging couches. 'Nuff said.

Somewhere in between:
-We were not prepared for the cult-like atmosphere due to the uniforms. When you go into your appropriate locker room, you see a bunch of naked women (or men) and then are handed a uniform and a toothbrush (kinda like prison I guess). Ladies in orange tops and pick bottoms like a creamsicle, and gents in blue bottoms and grayish tops. The hellions wear all yellow for easy identification. Amusing and liberating to look crappy like everyone else (o hai communism) but a little unnerving and semi-cultish (this is AMERIKA I will sue for my individuality!!!!!).
-Couples massages are fun, especially when it's with your friend and the massueses think you're together/too dumb to take your shirt on/off yourself. So sometimes they giggle and dress you. Not always bad things. Depending on your definition of "bases," you may feel like you've hit a home run with the way they get on top of you. But damn my back felt good after.
-Facials are also great and leave your skin looking fresh and new. However, don't you DARE get the 30 minute facial or the facialist will ridicule you because only teenagers get that one and tell you your skin is so bad you better come back as soon as possible for the 1 hour serious woman facial. She will also keep reiterating both of those things for that short time of 30 minutes and tell you what clogged pores and how many blackheads you have. How dare you inconvenience her. Then she will sell you $63 facial products and you will leave scared/happy/confused at what just happened.

So, keep a sense of humor about a lot of things, grab some friends/lovers and go out there during the week. (I think there's a shuttle but just make your friend/lover drive you.) I promise it will be some kind of experience.

red mango: i can feel your soul.

in a week of goodbyes, it's time to pay official homage to a part of new york that has kept *~* fed and in love the past year: red mango.

claiming to be healthy (icallbullshit.com) and probiotic, what we really love about red mango is the perfect flavor (not too sweet, not too tart) and selection of toppings. as pictured here, my favorite combination is blueberries, mochi, and crushed graham cracker crust, though you be the master of your own universe. current flavors include original, cocoa (which is disgusto), tangomonium (disgusto #2), and pomegranate. i'm still praying to the mango gods that green tea will return, but it seems unlikely before saturday, february 6th.

the good news is that this isn't just a new york treat. in fact, red mango started in la and can now be found all up in the yay, so the world is your oyster. if you're in the city though, i recommend hitting up the location on 6th and 14th: it's spacious, always playing tacky music, and urban outfitters is right across the street. epic win for all.

goodbye, brooklyn.

it's a day of epic sadness for us here at *~*. after two and a half faithful years as brooklynites (and nearly one year since beginning our venture here at the blog ooo hai i heart vintage lyke wot), we will officially abandon our favorite borough. williamsburg will be one hipster short after this afternoon, though somehow it must continue to thrive. we wish it the best of luck in finding other legging wearing, bang bearing, organic food loving, teal fierceness, and music obsessing loquitas. this will not prove to be difficult. in honor of this delightfully pretentious neighboorhood, here is a random list of our fave spots:

1. dumont - cait is well up on this shit. i personally don't pay more than $7 for anything at a restaurant, but she claims the food is worth it. cards still out.
2. sunac - all time favorite grocery store. natural food and open 24 hours -- the perfect combination for a late night out.
3. atlas cafe - the staff here are crazy (the chick who makes caps always makes one take note on how light and fluffy her pour was), but the italian ambiance is worth the stay. amazing paninis, pastries, and coffee aka kinda makes you wish you were italian (sike!).
4. pop - right around the corner for atlas. it's basically everything you can find on modcloth.com and more.
5. mine metal art - the fantastic metal creations and collectibles from welder kristina kozak. always interesting finds for your home and your sanity.
6. gimme coffee! - there cup sizes are ridiculously small, but their coffee is ridiculously amazing.
7. second stop cafe - obvi have to give a shout out to the place of our birth. love the ambiance, love the people, love the donuts.
8. beacon's closet - if you adhere to the mantra "never buy anything full price" then this is your store. essentially all my clothes are under $10 and come from here or...
9. buffalo exchange - less pretentious second hand selection than beacon + have found three pairs of jeans in two years there FTW.
10. pinkyotto - overpriced korean fashion on the streets of new york = too cute to resist, too expensive to buy, but still fun to look.
11. artist & fleas - a cheap mix of fashion, art, books, food, and designers melt together here. verameat often has a stand here that is ~ 50 percent off the shit she sells in stores or on the website. aka needs it always.
12. kellogg's diner - fucking awful food, but huge booths that you can lounge around in for hours. they also put whip cream on their cappuccinos, so that deserves a bonus point or two.
13. moto - i almost debated not putting them on here after so terribly bitchy service last time there, but the interior design is too good not to mention. it looks like a little french hole in the wall circa 1938 and the bathroom is very nautical. the food is pretty good and live music most nights of the week.
14. hugs - okay, so i've only been here one time and it was like two years ago, but it was epic. they have 90s night every second saturday or the month -- who doesn't want to listen to mister jones blasting?

this list could go on, but williamsburg is to be discovered so just come and see for yourself.

brooklyn, you have been wonderful + amazing + unforgettable.