February 2019 – LongLegsBigCity

Harris Hill Ski Jumping Road Trip

February 26, 2019 2 Comments

Last weekend I went to Vermont to watch an event most people will never see in their lives: ski-jumping. And guess what, it wasn’t even my first time. I hopped in the back seat of the car with my sister and brother-in-law, loaded up with snacks from Trader Joes, and we took off for Brattleboro, Vermont Saturday evening. It’s quite a drive to begin at 7 pm, but we made a few stops along the way.

To start at the beginning, my sister and brother-in-law have been attending the famous Brattleboro Ski Jump competition at Harris Hill for 6 years. My brother-in-law went to college in Vermont, which is sometimes a detour we make on our road trip, but I don’t even know if that is how he originally found out about the event. Two years ago, I made my first trip up to watch, and it was everything I dreamed of and more. This year, since it was so fun, I made my best friend come, too.

I did some pre-ski-jump-watching braiding, because duh.

This year’s 38-hour road trip included a few stops to see my brother-in-law’s friends, and a quick beer at one of his favorite college bar hangouts, The People’s Pint in Greenfield, Massachusetts. We stayed for the night in a DELUXE SUITE at the Comfort Inn (jk, but they did have free breakfast!). The next morning, we went into downtown Brattleboro to get delicious coffee at Mocha Joe’s. We were not the only ones with that idea – there was a line out the door! But we had stopped there the last time I went on the road trip, so I knew it was worth it. I got a maple latte, which was AMAZING, and we headed to the hill.

The town of Brattleboro’s biggest event! There were signs up in every store’s window.
GREAT coffee.
THE CREW!

Ski jumping is a sport that most people have seen on TV in the Olympics, and let me tell you, it’s nothing like how it is in real life. People plummet down ramps at 55+ mph with no padding or anything, and only skis on their feet. Then they free-fall/fly with their legs and arms akimbo like a flying squirrel, and somehow land on their two feet. And you can watch it from feet away from them. If you’re thinking, “WHAT?!,” then you’re thinking the same thing as me.

Each year, male and female jumpers in Junior, Open and Masters categories jump to their death. Well, hopefully not to their death, but it surely looks that way to a novice. Speaking of novices, the junior category is comprised of CHILDREN. And speaking of jumping to their death, we actually witnessed an injury this year, where a 14-year-old girl became unconscious after a fall. Thankfully she was fine, we followed up on her on the internet. Anyway, there is definite danger involved. And despite the fear of injuries, people come out every year to watch. It’s the most extreme sport I’ve ever seen up-close.

The competition began back in 1922 and is a two-day event that attracts jumpers from around the globe. This year, there were jumpers from Slovenia and Austria who jumped up to 102 meters down a hill and landed on their skis. It was amazing to watch. Even better with hot coffee in my hand and trail mix in my pockets. We watched the warm up jumps from the bottom of the hill, so they landed and skied right in front of us. Also, this put us next to the commentator’s tent. It was helpful to listen to the commentary, because I knew nothing about the sport, and they explained quite a bit as they were killing time. One of the commentators, Nicholas Fairall, was a former Olympian in the ski jump, who was paralyzed from an injury. Even with his injury, and after witnessing the 14-year-old girl lay unconscious on the snow, he said that the sport was “one of the safest.” I do not believe him at all, but I was still happy to watch safely from the sidelines.

Our view from the bottom. Look how high that is!!
FAST BRAIDS! This was one of the jumpers.
ALL FOR THE GOLD AND THE GLORY!
These super young jumpers, ready to plummet.

The best part of a sport that consists of one single downward slope, is that there is no bad place to watch! After the warmup jumps and the first round, we went on the stairs up the side of the hill to watch the final round. Being on the stairs means that I could see exactly where they landed on the hill after they appeared from nowhere, flying over the edge of the slope. It is impossible to describe, so I will refer you to my Instagram videos for videographic evidence. It was thrilling to be so close to the action.

Our view of the bottom, once we went up the stairs.
HOW COOL IS THAT!?
They landed right in front of us!
Spot the flying man!
An almost-fall.
And back up again!

The weather was GORGEOUS and sunny, but it was melting all the snow and ice from the previous days. After a few hours standing in cold slush, we left and grabbed lunch in town, then headed back toward New York. We took a final pit stop at another friend’s house and ate dinner at the quaintest place called The Norwich Inn, and continued our drive back to the city. We stopped one MORE time for food, because of course, at The Donut Dip in West Springfield, MA. The donuts were supposed to be phenomenal, but it was 9:30 pm at that point, so they were just ok. An ok donut is better than no donut, though. I’d like to go back and try them fresh in the morning. Maybe next time!

I can’t wait to go back and watch again. Maybe next year I’ll compete, the entry fee is only $25 and it includes lodging! KIDDING MOMMY, THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. But I will most definitely watch from the sidelines.

Next year… meet me at the top!
That’s me!

Travel

Mystery Weekend in Hudson, New York

February 14, 2019 No Comments

I love surprises. I don’t understand people who don’t. Why would anyone not like the suspense and excitement behind someone planning something for you!? It’s the best! Thankfully, my mystery (emoji) boyfriend knows this. I mean, he better, it’s been a while, ya know? In honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s a blog about one of the best surprises he’s pulled off.

He has taken me on many mystery date nights before. From random restaurants he has found, to dinner at a restaurant I love but he doesn’t, and even to row 4 tickets of a Broadway show! You may remember that he even took me to a staycation once in a hotel room that overlooked the freedom tower. I know, I know, I bagged a good guy, here. Well, not to gloat, but he outdid himself. This time he planned a whole getaway!

I went to Washington DC for MLK weekend, and since I was going to be away all weekend, he asked me what I was doing the next weekend. I assumed he wanted to Netflix and chill, because we are old and that’s the usual date night for us. But then he asked me what my plans were for all weekend, and I knew he had something up his sleeve! I told him I’d reserve the weekend for him. The next Friday, I packed an overnight bag, and we walked 4 blocks to Avis. He had told me that Amtrak was too expensive (it generally is, if you only book a week in advance), so he rented a car instead. I had no clue which way we were going until we got on the west side highway toward the George Washington Bridge and realized we were going north.

I wish I could tell you I figured it out then, but I didn’t. Plus, with traffic, we were barely out of the Bronx an hour later. And then I had to pee. Word to the wise: don’t drink coffee before a road trip. We had to stop at McDonalds for a pit stop and a few Chicken Selects. Because duh. We finally arrived at our destination at 10:15 pm, thankful for the fast food sustenance along the way.

We were in Hudson, New York! Not Hudson Valley, Hudson Hudson. I knew we were driving for a while, but I didn’t realize how far it was until our Uber driver later told us he lived in Albany. I gasped and said “wow, you must have taken a long trip to get here!” And he told me it was 40 minutes. Woops.

Unfortunately, we arrived so late that only two restaurants in town were open, so we took an uber to one of them, and had drinks and appetizers. The food was good, but we were exhausted. We went back to The Wick, where we were staying, and fell asleep within minutes.

Thank goodness for these drinks after a long drive!

Hudson, New York is home to a very quaint strip of restaurants and stores, and is supposedly a food destination. This is why my emoji man chose it for our getaway. What he didn’t know, is that it is also home to Etsy headquarters. I happen to have a good friend from the gym who works for Etsy, and she spends a good amount of time in Hudson. As soon as she saw I was there (because if you don’t Instagram it, it didn’t happen), she started sending me recommendations. Funnily enough, when she goes to Hudson for work, she stays in the same hotel we were in! She told us the best food and drink spots around town, and we took one of her recommendations, Le Merche, for brunch. She did not lead us astray! This place was fab. I had an egg sandwich on SUPER fresh bread, and my bf had the Croque Madame, which was delicious, fresh, and HUGE. I tried it, of course. And the side of potatoes… let’s just say that the food was so good I barely had time to take a photo of it. And we all know how rare that is.

My delicious breakfast sandwich on freshly baked bread.

The rest of afternoon I spent doing nothing, while my bf worked. I asked him before we left if he was sure he wanted to go away with so much work to do, and he assured me that he did, and a change of scenery would be nice. Meanwhile, I read a book and styled my hair 5 different ways. I need to keep creating content for Braid in Manhattan to keep my followers happy! Also, my bf is becoming quite the insta-husband. He is so great at taking hair photos! I told he better be careful or I’ll make him go full-time.

So many hairstyles.
And even more hair pics.
Spot my gray hairs?
Emoji man loves to take pics when I’m not ready.

After many hours of blissfully doing nothing, we went to dinner at W.M. Farmer & Co., which we heard was the SPOT. In fact, every online article about food in Hudson mentioned this as the best restaurant. We made a reservation. Unfortunately, we are underwhelmed. The food, although farm to table, and not bad, was not overwhelmingly good, and it was very expensive, even for people from Manhattan. The one remarkable part was the cocktails. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a GREAT drink. We each had two and were very impressed.

Since the only reservation available was at 6:30 pm, we had plenty of time after dinner to mill around. Unfortunately, it was 20 degrees outside, so we speed walked to a bar my friend had recommended. It seemed like a cool vibe, but the inside was very smoky (maybe because they are famous for a mezcal slushy?) and we decided it was too much for us. We went to a bar next door and had a beer. Then, surprisingly, after a day of doing absolutely nothing but eating, we were tired and went back to the hotel. We watched Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in bed and went to sleep. We really are an ancient couple. But that bed was so comfy!! I just love a king size bed. Someday when I move out a shoebox NYC apartment, I’m going to get one of my very own!

The next morning, we packed up and got ready to leave. The life of a man in finance means work on a Sunday, so we had to get back to the city. However, we needed sustenance first! Thankfully, my friend offered a final breakfast recommendation 10 minutes outside of Hudson, Gracie’s Luncheonette in the Catskills. We went from watching Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, to pretty much being in an episode of our own. We ate more delicious food and got a freshly-made donut for the road. We tried to leave quickly, because it started to snow as we ate. Not just flurry, but SNOW! I’m from Florida, and my bf is from Texas, so neither of us are too used to driving in a white-out. Thankfully, he took the wheel and I handled the donut. I’m pretty talented at feeding the driver, if I do say so myself.

We took toll roads back to the city, and got back within 2 hours! My bf dropped off the luggage and me, then returned the car, and I settled back into regular life and meal prep. Overall, it was a great 42-hour getaway with plenty of food and relaxation, and time with my better half. I have to keep reminding him of how much fun it was, so he knows to plan more surprises for the future! I promise to keep you guys posted. Do you have any fun mystery date ideas? Do you know my mystery man behind the emoji? Send him a text with an idea!

Morning Catskill Kisses in the Snow.
Evening FREEZING stroll. Doesn’t my bf look cold? 😉

Big City Living

Heat v. Knicks Game

February 7, 2019 2 Comments

I know I keep on saying I’ve peaked, but now I really have. I had the best day of my life when I was in the Macy’s Parade (I’m literally never going to stop talking about that, so you should get used to it). And now, I have had the best night of my life, attending the Heat v. Knicks game in the FIRST ROW, center court. You may remember how my friend got me into The Parade, well another friend of mine got me in to see this game! I am really #winning at this “friends” thing.

Here’s how it happened: My best friend and college roommate works in media. When you work in media, you tend to have reps for companies you work with, and they have perks. Lots of perks. My friend didn’t even ask for this these tickets! She just casually mentioned being a Miami Heat fan, and the rep was like “let me see if I can get you tickets next time they are in town.” He didn’t mention they were ROW ONE!!

See me photobombing?
We were basically on the court
Selfie Skills

It was a girls’ night with four of us, and we met up 30 minutes before the game. These top-notch tickets also come with access to the Delta Sky Club lounge, which means FOOD. FREE FOOD. There is a catered buffet with lamb, mashed potatoes, shrimp cocktail, burgers, the whole nine. Then there are also hot dogs, soft pretzels etc. AND there is a sushi bar with fresh sushi and all of the condiments. After we finished our pre-game food, we stocked up on food-to-go to bring to our seats. There were bags of cotton candy, bowls of candy, boxes of popcorn and cracker jacks. We were loaded up. I should have brought a bigger purse. We didn’t have time for 16 Handles. Shame. Booze wasn’t included but I was already too full. Plus, one of my friends is pregnant, so #Solidarity, or something.

Once we got to our seats with our many snacks, we realized how AMAZING the seats were. Center court, right behind the announcers. This came in handy for replays. We could see them on the announcer’s screens in front of us! Let me mention the celebrities. SO MANY OF THEM! First of all, the legend, Carmelo Anthony was in the house as well as Sophie Turner. But better yet, we were sitting directly behind “comedian row,” courtside in front of us were Hassan Minhaj, John Mulaney, and Leslie Jones! Also in front of us was CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees.

We were so close, we were almost in the shot when they zoomed in on celebs
We were as shocked as John Mulaney and Hassan Minhaj to be there.
Who is this guy? Def famous but I couldn’t place him!
Dwyane Wade hugging Leslie Jones, and CC Sabathia Photobombing me.

I was so busy staring at the celebs in front of me, that as I was mindlessly chatting with the random guy to my left about my love for Dwyane Wade (natch), I got a text from my friend sitting on my right. “Do you know who we think you’re sitting next to? Elton from Clueless.” Aka Jeremy Sisto. It was true! I couldn’t place him, but it was definitely the famous “rollin’ with the homie” and I was was rollin’ with him! I tried to google him a few times during the game, but he was literally sitting next to me, so I waited until halftime. I finally got up the courage to ask him if he was in Law and Order (I didn’t want to date myself with the Clueless reference) and he said yes! He sort of rolled his eyes and he said “that’s me, Detective Lupo,” to which the guy he was with replied, “You were in Law and Order? Detective Loophole?” HA! Little did I know, the guy who thought he was Detective Loophole was actually his costar on his current show, FBI! Who knew!?

The night would not have been the same if the Heat hadn’t won. That is the whole point of the game, right? It was so awesome to be courtside, it felt like we were IN the game! We were much more invested because we felt like we were on the court. And the game was CLOSE! The Heat pulled through in the 4^th quarter and won 106-97. YASSS. It was amazing to be there to witness Dwyane Wade’s last season, and to wear his jersey, the same color they were wearing that night! When he left the court, he received a standing ovation, as he should have.

The fun didn’t end there. My friend (the same one who got us the tickets) is from Miami, and her sister knows a few of the guys on the team. My friend, therefore, knows them, too! One of her Heat friends left us post-game passes at will call, so we were able to go to a special section of the stands after the game and mingle with the players. Wade is too cool for that, but a couple of the other heavy hitters came out and chatted with friends and family all around us! Whiteside, Richardson, Winslow, etc.

It was a dream come true. Everything from the free food, to the girls’ night out, to the celeb spotting, to the Heat win… it was magical. And now I can never go to a Heat Game again because it will never compare.