Home Alone 6: Macaulay Culkin's ipod

NEW YORK BUCKET LIST ALERT: Party with Mac at Macaulay Culkin's ipod - CHECK

Yo Mac, now I want a picture of us all slapping our faces a la Home Alone...DEAL?!

Only in New York City could a former child star, armed with his ipod, host a random themed evening in a small bar.  So I shouldn't really have been shocked when I discovered that my favourite eight year old, Kevin McAllister, appears once a month, on a thursday, at le poisson rouge on Bleecker street.  His ipod filled with his favourite tunes and a crazy idea, like June's, "Dinosaur Birthday Party" theme, for example.  I have no idea what odd antics took place at that party, perhaps Barney turned up to try and re-ignite his career, after all where is that purple dinosaur these days?  Perhaps in a bar in Chinatown hosting a karaoke session, his rendition of that "I love you, you love me" song he rocked every episode, on repeat.  I digress...

Despite my shock and dismay that Macaulay, sorry Mac as he is now formerly known on the NYC bar scene, is having to host these evenings sans the Wet Bandits and his plan to save Duncan's Toy Chest, I was not letting another month go by without my attending.  So when I discovered that July was his "New Year's Eve Party", I knew I needed to be present.

Upon arriving we were handed NYE paraphernalia, aka a party hat and one of those trumpets.  For FREE.  Did I also mention that entry is FREE?!  I would have paid but ssshhhh don't tell Mac.  We were promised a countdown at every hour and we arrived right before the first one at 11pm.  We'd already been hounded with whatsapp messages from a friend exclaiming "I can see Macaulay Culkin"... "I'm stood in front of Macaulay Culkin"...you get the idea.  Molo and I had party prepped ourselves with a slightly different playlist than usual.  Gone were Drake, Rhianna and Jay Z, instead the Home Alone soundtrack played loud and clear for all to hear in our apartment.  And there, when we arrived, was Mac, sat on his throne adorned in his party hat.

"Well I guess it must be about to hit midnight in Nova Scotia...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

Auld Lang Syne began to play and Mac launched himself at us for a big festive New Years hug.  He waded into the crowd to pass on his best New Year wishes to all.

Right before midnight he returned again for another countdown, again launching himself into the crowd to wish everyone a Happy New Year.  No one is more aware of how weird this evening was than me.  Trust me.  It was amazingly hilarious though and considering none of my group were drinking alcohol, we had probably one of our greatest nights in NYC yet.  We didn't stay after the second countdown, it was a school night after all but the hour and ten minutes were just enough to have a great time and truly soak in the atmosphere that we were partying with the kid that saved his house and a New York toy store from the same pair of dimwitted thiefs.

Clearly tweeting what fun I'm having.  OBVS!

This months edition of Macaulay Culkin's ipod takes place this Thursday 9th August from 10pm with the theme, "Sluts".

After my foray into Mac's crazy world it begs the question, "Do you give up, or are you thirsty for more?" (shameless Home Alone quote thrown in)

Mac...I am definitely thirsty for more...

And if you still haven't quite understood how you need to book your trip to NYC around this event then check their latest podcast, where Mac will tell you himself...

*Images taken from a friend and www.lepoissonrouge.com 

The Scent of Departure

Bond No.9, if you haven't previously been introduced, is such a funky and quirky scent-sational idea!  They are also sensationally expensive and as much as I personally adore the fact that each perfume is tailored to a different area of New York City there is no way that my intern wage can cover the cost currently.

If you've been a reader for some time you know that I'm a fan of the high-end meets eccentric and Bond No.9 fulfills both categories.  If you've got the funds then I wholeheartedly point you in their direction here. 

If, like me, you are currently a little financially challenged, read poor, then perhaps just as fun and at just a fraction of the price you should consider The Scent of Departure.  Pay homage to your favourite city, whether it be Tokyo, Dubai, or my personal preferences London or New York.  

The Scent of Departure is a unique slant to your dressing table, an awesome gift idea for someone on their travels and a dedication of commitment to your city.  

I personally prefer the fragrance of New York but my patriotism is forcing my hand in the London direction.

Available at Urban Outfitters for $45 or Harvey Nichols for £35

*Images from www.bondno9.com and www.urbanoutfitters.com

Make Your Own Havaianas

There's not a Summer that goes by without someone squealing in delight over their latest Havaianas purchase.  Honestly, I don't own any but I always imagined some day I would and I think that day may arrive sooner than expected.

After getting stuck in the E of the LOVE sign on 6th Ave, another story entirely, some friends and I breezed past Bloomingdales to be greeted by their window display informing us we can "Design our own Havaianas" in store.  *insert squeal here*

The interactive shopping experience isn't limited to NYC though.  Turns out you can shop your perfect pair of flip flops online too.  Fancy yourself as the next Diane Von Furstenburg, Sarah Burton, Stella McCartney?  Well here's your chance to put your creative skills to practise.

Head on over to www.us.havaianas.com/myoh 

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Here's some we made earlier...

If I was to meander over to "proceed to checkout", these would set me back $45.  More expensive than a $3 Old Navy pair of flip flops but infinitely more fun!

NY Room Anthems: Frank Ocean

I don't know a lot about music but I do know when I'm in love with a record, yes I do still call them records, they become somewhat of an anthem on my ipod.  I've been obsessed with Beyonce's I Miss You this year, for example, which is constantly on repeat and a favourite morning track of Molo's (that's Mohini and Louisa to those of you less informed, yes we've TomKat'd ourselves) 

The latest morning room anthem is soulful singer Frank Ocean with his track Thinking Bout You.

So it's no surprise he actually penned I Miss You. 

I still prefer the Beyonce version but this is rising up the Molo NY Anthem charts too...

Christian Marclay's, The Clock: Not to be missed...

I've had an obsession with going to see an art installation in the middle of the night ever since I saw the Russian take Carrie Bradshaw to one at 3am, after dinner at the Russian Tea Rooms.  So last night after dessert at 1am at Max Brenner's Chocolate Restaurant, my sister and I headed to the the David Rubenstein Atrium at the Lincoln Center to stand in line for Christian Marclay's, The Clock.

What Sex and the City didn't tell us is that no way is there ever going to be the chance of just walking in a la Carrie.  Instead we stood for two and a half hours, from 2am to almost 4.30am.  The line itself highlights how worthy this installation is and my desire to see this for the past two weeks was literally the only thing keeping me awake.

The Clock, is actually a working time piece.  Relax on a sofa after your excruciatingly long wait and take in cinema history with each clip depicting the time it is at that very minute, whether it be through a clock, watch or character vocalising the time.  It ranges from the serious to the hilarious and is quite frankly phenomenal.  Each minute shows numerous moments from film and television summised in a video collage that is not only genius but so time consuming that I can't even begin to imagine how Marclay began to compile this.

No midnight dashes left, I'm afraid, as The Clock is closed today and finishes tomorrow, running from 8am-10pm only.  Be prepared for around a two hour wait but stay as long as you want.

NY Bucket List: Visit an art installation in the middle of the night - CHECK

New York Bucket List

Whilst I'm living in New York City for just a year and as a very financially challenged intern, there are certain iconic moments that need to be taken in and by extension some I may need your help with.  So scroll down, take a look and either follow me along for this ride or pipe up if you know how I can make some of the more impossible happen.  As the year continues I'm sure I'll be adding to my New York Bucket List.

In no particular order the list is as follows...

• Party with Mack at Macauley Culkin's iPod - CHECK, more to come on this...
• Play chess in Union Square
• Learn how to play chess so I can fulfil the above activity
• Play music on the BIG Piano in FAO Schwarz from the movie BIG - CHECK
• Walk in Central Park in the snow
• Drag a Christmas tree home like they do in the movies
• Eat lunch in Katz's Diner, where Sally fakes an orgasm in When Harry Met Sally
• Get a photo with Macauley Culkin, with all of us, including him slapping our faces as in Home Alone
• Interview Patricia Field for the blog
• Date in New York City - to be continued...
• Visit an art exhibition in the middle of the night
• Go for coffee in a diner at 3am
• Work a Fashion Show - CHECK
• Attend a show at New York Fashion Week
• Go to the top of the Empire State Building on Valentines Day night
• Visit the Hamptons for the weekend - who has a house and wants to put me up????
• Go to the Barefoot Contessa deli in the Hamptons
• Cook in Ina's kitchen - Ina, how good would that be? *winky face*...if you think it would be great then make it happen!
• Drink coffee out of those little blue greek-esque paper cups they always drink coffee out of in movies and tv shows - watching Carrie Bradshaw do it right now!
• See the ball drop on NYE in Times Square
• Perform in a play
• See the Wooster Group perform (I co-wrote and performed in a play with one of their former performers whilst at University)
• Perform in a Wooster Group performance - Yo Wooster Group, where you at?  Help me out - you won't regret!!!
• Eat in Chinatown at 4am - CHECK
• Eat Pizza at Mystic Pizza in Mystic, just like I'm in the movie Mystic Pizza - technically this is not NY but sssshhhhh!
• Take part in an Improv Everywhere 'performance'
• Stay for one night in a suite at The Plaza just like Kevin McAllister/Mack in Home Alone: Lost in New York, I've been obsessed with the cookies etc in the mini bar from that film since FOREVER - ps this I DEFINITELY need help/your charity for
• Go vintage store shopping with the Olsen Twins - yep you guessed it....HELP PLEASE
• Be in a Woody Allen Movie - Woody I'm not even going to be picky I'm happy to be just an extra but yes I am a Diane Keaton if you happened to be looking for the next one...
• Visit as many outdoor markets as possible - working on it!
• Carriage ride through Central Park in the snow
• Kick leaves in the Fall in Central Park
• Date a Celebrity - just the one date will suffice...just because...
• Have breakfast at Tiffany's
• Visit the Christmas Tree at the Rockefeller Center
• Do yoga in Bryant Park with the hundred other women doing 'downward dog' on a thursday evening
• Walk in a parade - CHECK
• Do something with Sarah-Jessica Parker...ANYTHING...SJP did you hear that ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING, no matter how inconsequential

USA bucket list...for those things that NYC just can't provide for me...

• Martha's Vineyard
• Eat nectarines in Nantucket...just because the names sound kind of similar
• Eat a lobster dinner in Maine at a seaside restaurant
• Sail on a boat on Cape Cod...all you boat owners don't rush at once...
• Mardi Gras in New Orleans
• Make snow angels and throw ball in the snow at Harvard just like Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neill do in Love Story
• Send me someone awesome to do the above with
• Go to Wilmington, North Carolina...Why? Because that's where Joey and Pacey fell in love - duh!!!
• Visit Yale so I can see where Rory Gilmore went to school....so lame
• Visit Hartford CT so I can be even more Gilmore Girl-esque
• Drink coffee in Seattle
• Visit Salem, MA at Halloween
• See the Home Alone house in Chicago
• Do the celebrity houses tour in LA
• Go to watch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park

Thank you for reading and thanks in advance for helping me out.....RIGHT????!!!!!

For those able to help the impossible become possible for this British Girl's year in New York City, email toelleandback@yahoo.co.uk 

Bridesmaids: A Year On...

I don't often do personal posts on the blog but I couldn't help but.  

Tonight I went to see Bridesmaids in Hoboken, NJ, as part of their "Movies Under the Stars" Series.  I saw this movie for the first time a year ago, almost literally to the day, which got me thinking a lot about the past year, life, where I am now and where I'm headed.

A year ago I had just finished working QVC's Beauty Bash on a Friday, for one of the skincare product lines I had been working in the head office for.  It was a bittersweet job, working in an industry I truly felt I had a passion for but the job situation was less than desirable.  My confidence had been knocked, I spent every day feeling as if I had just survived a skate off on "Celebrity's Dancing on Ice" and everybody around me was moving towards their goals, desires and dreams at such a rapid pace.  I felt like things were at a stand still for me, I was left behind.  I saw the film with one of my many friends that are on the express train to marital bliss and there I was, still living with my parents, no partner, no savings, career progression impossible in my current role and generally just feeling sorry for myself.

Seeing Bridesmaids really touched a nerve at the time.  My situtation was totally relateable to Annie's.  Whilst everyone was laughing, I secretly cried a little.  I thought it was really sad.  The position she was in made me feel more sorry for myself.  Then I cried at the end when everyone told her it was her own fault.  To forget blaming the World and get up and change it.  That too made me sad because I realised that I was just letting things happen to me, feeling distressed about it but then not doing anything to change it.

Tonight sat under the stars, looking across at the Manhattan skyline, Empire State Building staring back at me and Bridesmaids projected on a big screen on the Hudson, it felt incredibly poignant.  This time last year seems like such a long time ago.  A lifetime ago even.  So much has happened and even more has changed for me.  The obvious being that I am living and working in New York City.  An incredible opportunity that until now I haven't truly appreciated or grabbed with both hands.  I'm nowhere near where I had hoped to be at 27 and I don't know when I'll ever get there but I do know that every struggle I faced last year has been totally worth it to end up sitting in the warm breeze, surrounded by laughter and a beautiful view.

Where will I be this time next year?  I have no clue but I hope I'm as grateful as I am today.

Hoboken's Movies Under the Stars Series will run throughout July and August, full screening details available here

Audrey Hepburn and I

I had to post this because I'm just totally taken aback by it.  I referenced an Audrey Hepburn quote yesterday regarding the difficulty with taking life in when you're in the moment, to which a friend said that I reminded her of Audrey.  I'm not sure I feel that way but grateful for such a lovely compliment.  And then I saw the below quote on pinterest.  I literally said this to someone last weekend. 

Cynthia Rowley: Style-Aid

Now that I'm living in New York it's important that I prepare for every eventuality.  So when a cool New Yorker friend asks me to walk in a Fashion Show and this happens...

The people of Johnson & Johnson have ensured that I needn't worry about the aftermath with their Cynthia Rowley plasters or "band-aids" as their more formerly known in the States.

The pack contains an assortment of 20 with designs including, sequins, crystals, gold chains, lace, bows and catwalk images. 

I can't remember the last time I even needed to use a plaster but these stylish numbers are giving me good enough reason to throw myself infront of a cab or two. 

Available for $2.75 at all US drug stores and Target.

Nora Ephron

To the woman that brought us these two and many more ...