Lifestyle

STS: Bigg Mozz

/ James P. Crowley / Leave a comment

Savor the Season is a new column from Burger-A-Day where writers discuss seasonal favorites.  Today, we’re breaking down mozzarella sticks that we found in Bryant Park.

Mozzarella sticks are a food for drunk people and children.  If you’re sober and order mozzarella sticks, you’re trying to recapture some childlike sense of wonder or the emotions of being borderline blacked out at a dollar slice pizzeria.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with this.  Mozzarella sticks are a simple pleasure that the appetizer gods have bestowed upon us mere mortals.  Big Mozz captures that and only that. Continue reading →

STS: The Witch’s Brew Frap

/ James P. Crowley / Leave a comment

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Savor the Season is a new column from Burger-A-Day where writers discuss seasonal favorites.  Today, we’re talking about Starbucks’ limited new frappuccino just in time for Halloween!

Who says a cash grab can’t be good?  Starbucks’ limited release frappuccinos have been mostly bad, colorful (mainly purple) attempts to sell people aesthetically pleasing Instagram posts with so much sugar they’re undrinkable.  Nonetheless, it is Halloween so I figured if there was a time to try the Bucks’ Witch’s Brew Frap, it was today.  Unlike the Unicorn Frap or the Crystal Ball Frap, Starbucks really made something almost worthwhile. Continue reading →

Snapchat: A Loveless Marriage

/ James P. Crowley / Leave a comment

I never took the kids and left Snapchat, but we only spoke when we needed to and started sleeping in different beds.  I do think Snapchat and I are spared our divorce, but we’re still trapped in an unhappy marriage that I won’t leave for the sake of my contact list.  This was probably foreshadowed by Snapchat’s tumbling stock and when the layout for the app was first altered, but I think that Snapchat’s most recent update is the most half-hearted attempt at making the app better.  Worst of all, it’s going to hurt the app and user’s relationships with it. Continue reading →

Coffee Date: The Crystal Ball Frappuccino

/ James P. Crowley / 1 Comment

Coffee Date is back! Coffee Date is a column where we cover coffee and tea trends.  This week we’re covering The Crystal Ball Frappuccino from Starbucks.

Those Starbucks guys are marketing geniuses.  They can pump out crappy, sugar-loaded Frappuccinos every few months, and they sell like crazy.  When I remember to, I try them, but I’m always disappointed.  Marketing stunts like The Crystal Ball Frappuccino act as a reminder to a bizarre sense of curiosity and brand loyalty.

Continue reading →

Top 10 Podcasts from 2017

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It almost feels like every day someone tells me that they want to start listening to podcasts, and since it’s become a regular medium, you can find podcasts about literally anything.  I’ve listened to podcasts about everything from tech to crying.  There really is a podcast for everyone, whether you need information, a laugh, or an emotional reaction.  Here are some of the best new podcasts and veterans that have kept up the good work:

 

  1. Swipe Out

Alix McAlpine’s podcast is simple enough on the surface, and it’s certainly not the first dating podcast.  The premise is Alix goes on first dates, then discusses them with her friend, while creating a list of qualities she’d like her ideal partner to have.  Occasionally, it’s funny, but McAlpine is doing more than just gossiping about her dates.  She’s really exploring what it’s like navigating the dating world, as a millennial, with dating apps, and as a young adult.  It’s a mostly transparent look into the dating world, and it provides so much insight to those single among us.

Standout episode: Connor/Slim Thicc Continue reading →

Pickle Me, Pete-Bryant Park, NY

/ James P. Crowley / Leave a comment

Continuing our exploration of Bryant Park’s Winter Village…

Fried pickles are an underrated masterpiece.  Fried mac-and-cheese bites reign supreme, but there’s something about a nice juicy pickle, covered in breading that makes them a savory appetizer.  They can burn your mouth, but having the hot pickle drip on your tongue is also a skill that makes them excellent. Continue reading →

Sigmund’s Pretzels-New York

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Continuing our exploration of Bryant Park’s Winter Village…

When you think New York street food, you think hot dogs, but the closest runner up (and arguably, the underrated superior street food) is the big pretzel.  More often than not, these pretzels are a little dry, overly salted, and occasionally much heartier than you’d expect, but when you get a good pretzel, you know you’ve got a good one.  The truffle-cheddar pretzel that I tried from Sigmund’s Pretzels was a pretty damn good one. Continue reading →