Following Rabbits Blog

I grew up ice skating on frozen ponds and cranberry bogs, and still love it. I work near Bryant Park, and have been itching to lace up my skates since they opened Citi Pond for the season. Admission is free, and skate rentals are $13. If you have your own skates and lock for a locker, you're in like Flynn! I finally went for a spin with friends this afternoon, and the Pond managed to win me back over after my skate sharpening debacle earlier this month.

photo via @SMYLIFE

The lounge, Celsius, is an awesome way to end an evening on the ice. Try a snowcap- a hot chocolate with splashes of kahlua mocha and absolut vanilla, topped with whipped cream. (Yes, it's as delicious as it sounds.) They also have a full restaurant menu and amazing desserts. I'm in love with the decor, and am even more impressed since it's a temporary structure that is set up and taken down each year.

They've also got a winter film festival going on through February. Upcoming movies include Ice Age, Blades of Glory, and The Cutting Edge. They close for the season Sunday, February 27, so hurry over!

It is officially the snowiest January on record in NYC- ever... anyone else had enough?! Stop snowing, already! Alas, we've got 53 days of winter left. Here are a few pics I've snapped of the snow this week:

snowy commute down Fifth Avenue

snowy Empire State Building outside of my office

my neighborhood in Astoria... hurtin' for certain!

trying to get around on my street has been messy, to say the least

Following Rabbits is a year old today! And what a year it's been. I crossed dozens of adventures off my list last year, and have made a list of many more for 2011- including an Alice in Wonderland birthday party in the works for April. I get true satisfaction and enjoyment from sharing my New York City stories with you, and I appreciate every reader who drops by to see what I'm up to. 

I've spent January away from my computer... a lengthy grad school application, several concerts, many friends, and a new flirtation have been keeping me very busy! I promise to get back on track with my regular adventures and photo snapping. 

Here's to 1 year down the rabbit hole, and a toast to a fabulous new year! 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, after all. 

Continuing my stretch of coconut recipes, I bring you a super quick and easy coconut ice cream recipe. If you're ridiculous enough (like me) to have a Kitchenaid mixer in your tiny NYC apt, you can get the ice cream maker attachment I have. Otherwise, you can get one on Amazon.com for under $40. Most recipes require cooking and then overnight cooling, but this one uses all cold ingredients- super simple! I had a guest over for dinner and wanted to make a fun dessert, and voila. Homemade coconut ice cream in an hour. It was delicious too- like a pina colada... very smooth and sweet!

if you squint you can make out Mike Grubbs at the piano...

A friend of mine who was out at sea on Navy deployment told me about Wakey!Wakey!. Shortly after, I went to see W!W! perform at Maxwell's in Hoboken, and have been listening to their music on repeat ever since. My friend got home safe and sound, and I got us tickets to see them at le Poisson Rouge. I hadn't seen him in 3 years, so we had some catching up to do. We had dinner at Bread, then went down to the Whiskey Tavern where I was pressured into trying a spicy back (ew!). We went to Poisson Rouge, where I was delighted to find a photo booth (then promptly demanded we take photos, since even though we've known each other our whole lives, we had no photos of us together). 

During the show my friend noticed that they woman standing next to us looked a lot like Sadie from Across the Universe. He finally got up the nerve to talk to her, and it was indeed Dana Fuchs. She was very nice, and ended up inviting him to her show in April that's sold out. The show was amazing, as expected, and Mike Grubbs even signed some stuff for us. Fun night!!