Happy Monday! I'm Karen and I'm happy to be a NY State Rep for the Northeast Bloggers. I live with my family on Long Island and I love it. When I tell out of state people where I live, they either bring up "The Long Island Medium" or the Hamptons. Yea, everybody knows about the ritzy Hamptons where a bunch of celebrities have huge summer houses on the South Fork. But I much prefer the North Fork of Long Island.
First of all, I find it quieter and less congested traffic wise. And there's so many cute towns to drive through. But, of course, my favorite thing is Long Island wine country! Just driving along Route 25, you can basically hop from one winery to another. And not only are the views from the wineries gorgeous but the tastings are so much fun. There are even a few wineries that have fun family days complete with games and petting zoos. Pindar happens to be a personal favorite Long Island winery for me.
Another thing I love about the North Fork is all of the great farm stands. They carry amazing produce, fresh baked goods, and in the fall, most of them have the best pumpkin picking. Every October, a group of us always take our kids out east and visit a few pumpkin patches. If you venture further east, towards Orient Point, there's even a beautiful lavender farm called Lavender By The Bay.
And while I am into more modern furniture, there are a ton of shops to hit up for some good antiquing. If you're in the mood for some great food with a historic vibe, there's Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Jamesport. The brunch there is delicious!
There's so much to love about living on Long Island, from the beaches to the proximity of New York City. And a drive out to the North Fork is just another great thing to do whether you're just visiting or a Long Islander yourself!
Today's post comes from our Northeast Blogger, Megan, who is sharing a special announcement with us today!
Hi friends!
I am very excited to announce that I am launching The Baltimore Baton on Instagram!
You’ve probably heard of or participated in The Blog Baton. Mason was inspired by the Raleigh Durham baton account and started The Blog Baton which I’ve participated in and LOVED.
If you haven’t heard of the concept of “passing the baton” it’s when an Instagram account and different people log on each day to post photos. The idea behind The Baltimore Baton is to show people who do not live here what they can do when visiting besides the typical tourist spots. It is also a way for locals to find new things to do or to “meet people” with similar interests. Check out @RDUBaton, @ilovetexasphoto and @NYCbaton on Instagram to see the concept in action!
How can you be a part of this? Sign up for a day! Most of the accounts above have locals “hold the baton” each day of the week. Since TBB is brand new I would like to have one person posting from the account each Saturday/or Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. If you live or work in the Baltimore area feel free to email with which weekend you’d like to hold the baton and we can get you on the schedule!
Thanks for sharing Megan! Just as a heads up, we also plan on doing this for Northeast Bloggers soon, too! So if you want to participate, but don't live in the Baltimore area, keep an eye out for more info on that coming soon!
Welcome to the Friday Five link up! This link up challenges you to come up with a list of 5 things to post about! Do you have five favorite spots to visit in your city? Five best makeup tips? Five TV shows you love? Or just five pictures of your week? Then you have a Friday Five post ready to go!
This week's guest Friday Five comes to us from Kelly who writes the blog A Lovely Life, Indeed. Kelly is sharing 5 ways to enjoy a no-cook date night this spring!
5 Components of a Perfect, At-Home, No-Cook, Date Night Dinner Al Fresco
When the weather warms, the living gets a bit easier. There is no equivalent for a lovely night outside, under the stars with someone you love. If you want an easy, no-cook dinner, here's 5 things to gather for your party. 1. Start with a cocktail or a cocktail. In the morning, before work, prepare a pitcher of my famous sangria. It is not too sweet and it is a crowd-pleaser, even with a romantic crowd of two.
2. Build a charcuterie plate. Use a big wooden cutting board and assemble your favorite creamy cheeses and savory meats for the beginnings of a charcuterie board that you can make your own. Here's what we put on ours:
Manchego cheese from Spain
Local smoked gouda or aged Vermont cheddar
A creamy goat cheese infused with honey or fig, or coated with blueberries or cranberries and cinnamon.
Prosciutto
Jamon Serrano, if we can find it, or Spanish Chorizo
French baguette
Gherkins for a sweet bite or dill or half-sour pickles
Assorted dried fruits, like figs, dates, or apricots.
A sprinkling of nuts, or olives.
Add whatever you like...make it yours.
And if charcuterie's not your thing, bring home a pizza and share it on a blanket under the stars with a bottle of wine or your beverage of choice.
3. Mood music.
Our go-to Pandora station is Diana Krall, but consider a station featuring Sade, or Chris Botti or Miles Davis...or a station that's relevant to you and your love. Bluetooth wireless speakers make it so easy to stream music these days. Have a favorite playlist ready to go? Enjoy!
4. Candles/tiki torches/fire bowl
Here in Massachusetts, may flies take pride in their name. They arrive en masse and at times, overstay their welcome...perhaps waiting for their cousins, the mosquitoes. Regardless of these unwelcome visitors, stay safe and create a romantic barrier of light with candles, tiki torches or a fire bowl so the only nibbles you get come from your love.
5. Dessert
If you have a fire pit, s'mores seem like the go-to dessert. But with a couple of minutes in the microwave tempering chocolate, you can have chocolate-covered strawberries, or cherries, or whatever is in season.
Or, if you're not a chocolate person, try this with strawberries...dip them in sour cream and then in brown sugar. I know it sounds crazy, but it's divine
And of course, if you're lucky enough to live to a farm close by, ice cream stands are a hot bed of romance. After all, it was here that I met my own husband.
Two spoons, one ice cream...now, that's romantic. Or better yet, one spoon...you get the idea.
So we're here. Por fin! We have waited a loooonnnggg time for this weather. Enjoy it. Soak up every last second and savor these nights you wish would last forever.
It's spring time, and the living's easy. Or, if the not the living...at least the loving. Enjoy!
Besos...
Inspire me...what's your perfect outdoor date night?
Thanks Kelly!
And now it's your turn! Link up your Friday Five post with us below and please be sure to hop around and comment on a few others! Remember, this hop is for Friday Five posts only!
Today's guest post is all about taking photos and we are loving these "everyday life" photos from our guest blogger Farin! Farin is sharing photos from her commute to work on the NYC subway.
Some people travel to and from work and never look up from their iPhone.
Today I'm posting all the photos I've taken on the NYC Subway, that you
might've missed otherwise.
I have a long commute, so grab a coffee and get comfy.
Welcome to the Friday Five link up! You can link up any post that is a list of five!
Today's guest Friday Five post comes from Kallie of the blog But First, Coffee. Kallie visited the Thomas Hooker brewery in Bloomfield, CT, and is sharing five snapshots of her visit with us today!
5 Brewery Snapshots
Thomas Hooker Brewery is in
Wallingford, Connecticut, and for a meager $5 you can show up on a
Saturday and not only get a tour but also a full tasting (which includes
10 samples that are about 3-4 oz. each.) That, if you're not too good
at math, is about 3 full size beers, which also makes it one hell of a
bargain.
Today's guest post comes to us from Jenn, of the blog dainty revelations! This is a continuation of our State Love series! If you have a state love post to submit, please let us know!
Everyone has their own version of hometown pride, though certain cities are more known for it than others. What most people that aren't from Buffalo don't know is - we've got as much of it as they do.
Yep. We LOVE it here.
Many people find that hard to believe. But I'll have you know - Buffalo, NY is much more than a punchline in a joke about snow or chicken wings. Believe it or not, we DO have Summer, and though we know how to handle a little snow, we aren't shoveling it in July. Our sports teams may continuously let us down, but you should see the energy and unflinching loyalty of our fans. We may be known for junk food, but...have you ever tried a realBeef on Weck, or actual chicken wings made with only Franks & butter? (Those complicated recipes you make down south don't compare. I've tried many - you guys are trying too hard.) That junk food is the best of the best. We're BFFs (and sometimes frenemies*) with Canada. We can sing their national anthem by heart, and our kids grow up vacationing in another country without batting an eyelash.
(*If you're wondering what fuels our love-hate relationship, it mostly consists of hockey rivalries, and conflicting driving styles. It's probably the conversion from kmh to mph. Oh, and it's also annoying that our malls and parking lots are always flooded.)
What Buffalo actually is, is a city full of history, art, tradition, architecture, and family. It's a great place to raise kids, educate our youth, enjoy all four seasons, and sustain connections between sprawling generations of family.
So this is why it infuriates me to hear Buffalo referred to in a negative light.
Don't knock it til you try it, haters.
Recently, I decided to get through old episodes of How I Met Your Mother, in hopes that I could catch up fast enough to watch along with the final season next year. In one of the first few episodes, Barney made a joke about Buffalo that made me mad! Being a girl from Buffalo, and all.
One of my go-to "when nothing else is on" shows is The Golden Girls. While they weren't trying to pick on Buffalo itself, the reference was still used as a punchline. It paints a picture of snow and cold, and so far north, it might as well by the North Pole. Why not say Chicago? Or Detroit? Or Cleveland? You know, we all have the same "mistake on the lake" reputation.
The Buffalo reference comes in at 1:51-1:52.
And here's well known and respected Anderson Cooper laughing uncontrollably about one of our cultural traditions.
Is Dyngus Day a little silly? Well, yeah. But our area is very heavily saturated with people who have roots in Poland (myself & my husband included), and we love to keep tradition alive. Besides - silly, dumb, or whatever you want to call it - who doesn't love an excuse to act like a kid and have fun? Isn't that what life's all about?
People love to poke fun at us, for whatever reason, but I felt it was my Buffalonian duty to take a moment and do my part to let those jokesters know that Buffalo is worth something. Just take a look at a handful of the famous people that have spent time in our wonderful city and its suburbs:
Joyce Carol Oates (born here)
Mark Twain
Ani DiFranco (born here)
Goo Goo Dolls band members (born here)
Rick James (born here)
Brian McKnight (born here)
David Boreanaz (born here)
Chad Michael Murray (born here)
Grover Cleveland
Millard Fillmore
And that is a very small sample of people that I figured you wouldn't have to Google. There's a sprawling list of athletes, musicians, politicians, architects and artists that have either lived here or were born here. They've all experienced the real Buffalo.
Check out these videos for proof of how great our hometown really is.
And check out the videos on THIS YouTube channel. They cover everything from food and beer, to shopping and architecture. Wait til you see how much Buffalo actually has to offer!
I'm not trying to convince you to move here. Although, there are worse things. (Buy a hat, you'd get used to the snow.) I just want you (the collective you), to understand that Buffalo is made up of more than snow. It's full of heart and history, and deserves to be understood as more than the butt of a joke.
Thanks Jenn! Be sure to check out her original post on her blog!
It
should come as no surprise that Boston is a very historical city...in
fact it's not uncommon to run into Ben Franklin on the street (he's
camera shy...and charges $5 for a picture...lame). I snatched one of him
anyway...
As someone who appreciates History, I always try to soak up all the cobblestone-y, New England-y goodness that is Boston....
Because
of the history factor, The Green Dragon emerged as my favorite go-to
bar in the city when I first moved here. Not only has it been around
since 1773, but it was the spot where the Boston Tea Party was planned,
AND where Paul Revere left for his midnight ride. My friends roll their
eyes when we're halfway through a round of drinks and I get all
sentimental...'but guys, Paul Revere drank RIGHT HERE'. I think it's pretty cool...
Besides
the historical greatness that is The Green Dragon, I find that
it's always a good time on a Friday or Saturday night. In fact, I used
to go so often that my friends and I know the bouncers and bartenders by
name (let it be known that if you bake a bouncer a cookie, you will
forever get into their bar for free...).
The crowd is generally on the older side, but drinks are well priced,
and there is always a live band (and they are always playing the
greatest hits of the 80's and 90's). There is also rarely a line
compared to the neighboring bars (probably because the crowd and music
are old...but I prefer a good rock-out to Bryan Adam's Summer of '69
over David Guetta's newest remix...I'm a very old 23 raised on Guns and
Roses, Aerosmith and Hootie).
Is the Green Dragon a place to meet a future boyfriend...no. Is it a place to take your friends to impress them...definitely no. Is it a place to rock out and dance your socks off to the live band until you're kicked out the door...you betcha!
And if the British ever decide to
attack again, there are plenty of revolutionary weapons on the wall to
defend yourself! Now, go make Pauly R proud!
Connect with us!
Today's guest post comes from Jacky who writes the blog Keep Clam and Blog On. Jacky is a Northeast blogger living in New York who loves all things British, traveling and big comfy sweaters
