My earliest memory of New Year’s Eve is sleeping on my couch waiting for the clock to turn midnight. My mother promised to wake me beforehand so we can watch the countdown. My grandmother was over and also falling asleep while we waited for Dick Clark to tell us when that ball will drop. I think my father was working overnight shifts then because I don’t remember him there. My brother wasn’t born yet so this makes me about three or four years old. I can even remember the blue nightgown I had on. As I grew older, there would be other New Year’s where neighbors would come over and we would yell and holler out on our stoops and bang pots and pans. Brooklyn was always great growing up for New Years and the Fourth of July for big celebrations. When we finally got classy enough to buy noisemakers I loved getting to be the one who took them out of the plastic bag every year and hand them out before midnight. Between elementary school and high school there were th

Since I have started my journey writing this blog and exploring great places to eat and visit, I get a lot of suggestions. Everyone thinks their suggestion is the best, naturally. I am a picky person with everything I do and when it comes to trying a new restaurant that I will think is special and worthy of a blog, these recommendations have an even smaller chance since they weren’t on my list to begin with. I am happy to say that this particular review was not planned but based on a friend’s suggestion after many months of bragging that I would love it there. Friday night I finally got to see what all the hype was about and if his review would sink or swim. The Burger Bistro was our destination that evening and has two locations in Brooklyn and one Manhattan, New York.   It is has a simple theme- that you build your burger with the toppings, bun, sauces, and sides you like using a menu you color in with a red pencil. It makes you

As a lifelong New Yorker there are very few things that can surprise you, especially in a positive way. For someone like me who attends as many concerts, comedy shows, and plays as I can, there are only a handful of venues that can contain the amount of people that will want to come and also be someplace I will be willing to go. When you also consider what tickets go for these days that may also throw a wrench into my plans, though I have been known to overpay for shows and it stings if I am disappointed. But if it is someone I really love I will go anywhere, any time. Such is the case for someone familiar to anyone who has read this blog. I am of course talking about the very talented singer, songwriter, and actor, Levi Kreis. When I found out Levi would be back in New York City the week of Thanksgiving I considered it a blessing. But as if that weren’t even enough, he would be performing as a new venue I had been a

I can’t believe it’s that time of year again. It seems to go by in a flash. Each year the seasons go faster in faster. I don’t know how people who live in climates that are the same year round do it. I would be totally confused. The changing weather and the holidays marked on my calendar force me to acknowledge that time is passing and to sit up and pay attention. For us New Yorkers we recently got a serious wake-up call. Hurricane Sandy blew in and took with her many homes, personal belongs, and even more tragic- lives. I believe that since we are not accustom to hurricanes actually making land fall and doing damage the reality was even worse. Having to acknowledge that the repercussions would last months and not days was a hard pill to swallow. I am very lucky to have had power and shelter throughout the storm and I am well aware of how grateful I should be ( http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html ).  I have family members and fr

Is there anything better than eating a salty food alongside a sweet food? No there isn’t. It is like the ying and yang of meals. For every bite there is an equal and opposite taste. You won’t need to eat another thing, although by the next day you will be craving this meal again I guarantee it. Sylvia’s is a staple of New York City and more specifically of Harlem where it has grown from a local restaurant to notoriety among the tourists who seek it out. I have been thinking of going for many years and I am sorry to say that when it’s creator, Mrs. Sylvia Woods passed away this summer on July 19, that was when my mission took on a feel of urgency. This iconic restaurant has been in business fifty years and that is a tribute to the legacy it has created. Over the years the restaurant expanded both in size, and by word and mouth. Recently many loyal and local visitors feel that the quality of