Following Rabbits Blog

Over the weekend I did a lot of exploring downtown-- checking out stores, restaurants and spa treatments for upcoming blog posts. The highlight (and splurge!) of the weekend was a couple's massage treatment and lunch down at Go Green Organic Spa. They offer regular promos that got us each an hour massage and complimentary lunch across the street at Wild Ginger vegan cafe for a very good price. Livin' on a city budget, I can't afford to regularly pamper myself, and this massage was so fabulous!

Go Green uses all organic products, using organic champagne and apricot oil for their massages. Their staff are all very professional and courteous, and we felt welcome and comfortable from the moment we stepped in the door. Stalks of bamboo, strategically placed crystals, and new age music set a relaxing tone. We were shown to our room and made comfortable; the tiki-vibe and dim lighting was very relaxing. We both opted for deep tissue massages to help our tight necks and backs versus a more relaxing massage treatment. I've never had such a comprehensive massage, and could tell that the massage therapist was knowledgeable and experienced as she zeroed in on my sore spots without me telling her or pointing them out.

After our hour was up, we sleepily trudged across the street to Wild Ginger with our free lunch vouchers that came with the spa package. After an hour of intense massage we were both mostly just very thirsty, but we had a light lunch of miso soup, tofu, veggies and rice. The dining area was cozy, seating just 26 people. Service was great, the vegetables were fresh, and the overall flavor of everything was good. I would absolutely recommend this spa/lunch package! There is a similar package for individuals, with an added bonus of a facial and eye treatment along with massage and lunch. It's well worth the splurge, and priced very reasonably for what you get.

Located at 365 Broome Street, Go Green is open daily from 11a-8p. They offer a wide variety of organic waxing and body treatments at great prices. Wild Ginger is located across the street at 380 Broome Street. Click here for their hours and menu.

photograph by Edouard

SEE IT: photography I fell for this week
With all of this muggy, sticky heat we've been having in New York this week, I've been longing for some time on a breezy beach. These beachy photographs are about as close as I can come for a while... well worth browsing through.

WATCH IT: videos I peeped this week that you should too
The NYC Street Pianos Project has come to an end, with the pianos being donated to local schools and community centers. Players were encouraged to film their performances and upload them for all to see. Check out some highlights of the project here.

This is an amazing ad for Delux's Let's Colour Campaign- an initiative to transform gray spaces with lots of color.

The Creator's Project held a panel in NYC, where the mission was to create an original pop song with audience participation and a lot of off-the-cuff improv. The video is great, and you can also stream the MP3 that they created. It's actually a pretty hot song... very dance-worthy with a mean hook.

HEAR IT: songs I downloaded this week
1. The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver by Elbow 2. Tikal by E.S. Posthumus 3. Unnecessary Trouble by Hard-Fi 4. Everybody's Changing by Keane 5. Here It Comes by Doves

 
photo via flickr

It's safe to assume the one common goal all New Yorkers are sharing this week is staying cool. We're officially in a heatwave; Central Park was 103 degrees yesterday, and pushed 100 degrees again today. A surefire way to beat the heat: a frozen treat from People's Pops. (And you can get one FREE today at the Cooking Channel truck parked at Vesey Street b/w Broadway and Church from 3:30-5pm!)

People's Pops was just named one of Brooklyn's Best Entrepreneurs by Inc. Magazine, an honor that Joel, David, and Nathalie worked hard to earn. They source local fruits and herbs and make their pops fresh, slinging flavors like Raspberry-Basil and Blueberry-Cardamom at the Brooklyn Flea and Chelsea Market. I've had the pleasure of a Watermelon Basil People's Pop at the Flea-- don't let the flavor combos scare you, it was delicious! And they're much more refreshing and light than ice cream, especially on a day like today.

 photo I took of Friday night's sunset from my apartment window

I had a really great 4th of July weekend-- complete with sunsets, sunrises, fireworks, bike rides, and our own little BBQ. Aside from my trip to Governors Island on Saturday, I stuck close to home-- wandering around the city in 95+ degrees didn't seem like a good time to me. Most of Sunday was spent lounging around in my air conditioned bedroom watching netflix. We skipped the crowds and stifling subway ride and took advantage of my fabulous view of the Manhattan skyline, and watched the Macy's fireworks display from my fire escape:

After a mid-afternoon nap on Sunday, we weren't very sleepy after the fireworks. We wound up staying up all night, and watched the sunrise sitting out on the fire escape in our skivvies... silliness.

Monday we hit the grocery store and stocked up on all the essentials: burgers, pineapple, cheddar, corn on the cob, tater tots (at my insistence), pina colada mix, and fixins for s'mores. We came home, whipped out the George Foreman, mixed up some frozen cocktails and had ourselves a BBQ!

We followed up our pineapple cheeseburgers with gooey s'mores toasted over the gas stovetop... classic!

I have an extra long weekend for the 4th of July holiday and wanted to get out of the house today before the temps hit the 90s and I'm glued to my A/C. I had never been to Governors Island and have been itching for a bike ride, so I packed a sammy and a bottle of water, my camera, sunglasses and map and headed for the ferry.

The ferry is free and took about 10 minutes. I got there around 2:30p, and the line to bring your own bikes on the ferry was enormously long! If you're gonna bring your own wheels, I'd suggest getting there for one of the first trips over in the morning. It was a gorgeous afternoon, lots of sailboats out on the water.

The island is very pedestrian and kid friendly. The only motor vehicles I saw on the island were golf carts driven by staff and an FDNY truck. Other than that, bikers and walkers rule. I rented a bike first thing, and was pleased to see that I hadn't forgotten how to ride in the 10+ years its been since I last rode a bike.

There is a main path around the perimeter of the island with plenty of room for everyone to check out the views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, New Jersey, and Liberty and Ellis Islands.

Governors Island is the closest land to the face of the Statue of Liberty. I took tons of pictures of everything!

Picnic Point has food stands, picnic tables, and plenty of shady patches of grass for taking a break from all the biking. There are even a few hammocks!

After lunch I waited in an uber long line for a Blue Marble ice cream cone... 

...and me and my bike took a little 30 minute siesta in the shade before finishing our tour de GI.

I'll definitely be going back (hopefully when it's cooler outside!) to check out the forts and historical aspects of the island. It's a beautiful place, and a great budget-friendly way to spend the afternoon!