Holiday Cheers, Ugly Sweater Fears

Well the holiday spirit is full force here in NYC!!  The peppermint mocha has hit Starbucks, the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree is up, and the tourists are EVERYWHERE.  It's been a pretty busy couple of weeks with work but I've had plenty of time to squeeze in some fun as well.  For all of your sakes, and sanity, I'll try and make this post as short as possible.

Last weekend was Shana and Evan's housewarming party.  The theme was "Ugly Sweater" and I scored second place with that bad boy on the right.  The party was a great time filled with lots of ugliness, delicious sangria, and quality time with my favorite, Bob Frankel. 

On Thursday my friend took me to see Wintuk for Hanukkah.  This was our second Cirque Du Soleil show we've seen and neither deserve rave reviews.  The first one, Banana Shpeel was horrendous, enough said.  Wintuk was better in comparison with creative music and imaginative sets and character, but I still felt the acts lacked a certain wow factor that I imagine should come from a Cirque Du Soleil performance.  The most exciting aspect of both Banana Shpeel and Wintuk was the confetti at the end, which I get to enjoy days after as I still continue to find remnants of it in my purse. 

This weekend in NYC was the annual SantaCon.  It's one of the largest gathering of people dressed up in Santa costumes crawling from one bar to the next.  I had no idea that this weekend was when this blessed event was going to occur, so you can imagine my surprise when I was running in Central Park and stumbled upon this image.  Attempting to maneuver your way around drunk people all dressed as St. Nick is not an easy feat. 

 

Along with all the holiday events going on, I've also had the opportunity to dine at great restaurants around the city.  Last week I went with coworkers to Rare in the Shelburne Hotel.  They have one of my favorite veggie burgers in the city and an amazing fries trio.  They opened a second location in Chelsea this summer, and the rooftops offer amazing views of the city during the summer.  After Wintuk, my friend and I went to Kyochon in KTown.  I don't eat meat, obviously, but anyone I've gone with has raved about their chicken wings.  I'm still a little weary about chicken in a Chinese restaurant, but to each is own.  Saving the best for last, last night Weiss, Jess and I went to dinner at Vai on the Upper West Side.  We all shared the white asparagus salad, crispy artichokes and burrata ravioli.  YUM-O.  Pretty much all of my favorite ingredients, from truffle to fattening cheese, were incorporated in the meal.  The restaurant itself had an incredibly cute and romantic atmosphere.  Every element was fantastic including the two bottles of wine we finished off!

I hope everyone is having fun in their respective cities celebrating the holidays and staying warm!