Yeah I'm with her...

City Winery, NYC

     With all of this immigration nonsense going on I was annoyed that I missed out on getting tickets to see Kaitlyn Bristowe’s spring break live podcast tour (because who would have thought I would still be in New York come March!?) Any of my friends can tell you how obsessed I am with KB. She was once the bachelorette on ABC and is now running a ridiculous amount of businesses including a podcast, scrunchie line, and apparently upcoming vocal artist? So on the day of the show last week, I saw that Kaitlyn had posted on her Dew Edit page (name of her scrunchie company) about that nights live show in the city. I figured I’d post a comment about my disappointment of not being able to go to the show, hoping for a miracle that she would magically just want to invite me or someone would have a ticket they were selling. What happened next was something I couldn't ever imagine occurring.

      As I send out this post I see that Kaitlyn (or whoever runs the Dew Edit page) likes my comment. I start scrolling through the other comments seeing if anyone is selling, when all of a sudden I see a post from another fan who had no idea this event was even going on and was desperate to go. She was also searching for a single ticket, and got a reply from a girl who said that she had 2 tickets to sell because she was unable to go to the show herself. Tickled with delight for myself and this possible opportunity I quickly typed in that I would take a spare ticket because I was flying solo if I went (because my friends are not as obsessed as I am, and rightfully so). The girl agrees to sell me one of her tickets and Corinne (the other fan searching for a ticket) the other spare. All of a sudden I start thinking the worst, like what if this is a scam? This is just way too good to be true, and she only wanted the amount she paid for the ticket! I’m not as trusting of the internet as most so I start messaging Corinne and the girl (Jeneva) who was selling the ticket. I express my concerns to Corinne about buying the ticket from a stranger while also expressing to Jeneva my interest in buying, without sounding too eager (which I was SOO EAGER!). Corinne had said that Jeneva had already sent her the ticket without even paying her yet so she was all on board. Once I exchanged emails with Jeneva and saw she had also already sent me the ticket my worries faded and I knew that this was just meant to happen. I should also mention that this was a mere 4 hours before the show was starting which meant I had to be ready to leave to get into the city in 2 hours (also meant that I would have to wash my hair that night, and that’s a major process).

     By the time I knew it I was all jazzed up and on my way into the city. Excited was an understatement to how I felt, I had nervous sweats and everything from the anticipation of seeing the show and wondering where my seats would be. When I got to City Winery (the venue for the show) I was pleasantly surprised that it was an intimate crowd (probably around 100 or less people, and mostly females). I didn’t have to wait online very long before getting inside, since I was spot on with my timing getting there as soon as the doors opened. What I thought was strange was that they didn’t even ask to look at my ticket! The guy merely just asked for the last name that the ticket was under and a girl ushered me over to my seat. That’s really when the magic happened. I was just feeling lucky enough to get a ticket last minute so it really would not have mattered to me where I was sitting but as I was following this girl to my seat she passed through the back all the way up to the middle section of the stage and 3^rd table in!! WHATTTT I couldn’t believe my luck just then, not only did this happen only a few hours before but the seats were literally up next to the stage.
https://citywinery.com/newyork/

     Of course I ended up buying some exclusive to the tour merchandise before getting settled into my seat at the show. Corinne still hadn’t showed up and I was beginning to think she was going to be late, until only a few minutes before the show she was escorted over to the seat next to me. She had explained that she had been there from the beginning, and the girl seating people had put her at the wrong table all the way in the back of the room. We quickly hit it off and chatted about everything KB and bachelor. We already knew that KB was bringing her new boyfriend Jason Tartick, who I have been asked by a lot of people who know my love for KB how I feel about them together. I was open to giving them a fair shot since I would be seeing them in person together and really see how they interact. For me it was very weird to just see her with anyone but Shawn, who I had also met back in December of 2017 when I had dragged Sam to her Broadway show that was a Christmas concert.

     So Brandi Cryrus (Miley’s sister) comes out and starts pumping the crowd up djing and the show is ready to start. It gets quickly underway and right into some of the topics KB usually hits on her podcast. They do their confessional (admit something embarrassing they have done), bring out Jason’s brother and brother in law, sing karaoke, and got into an intense game of rock paper scissor with a fan. It was a great show in that they were super interactive with the crowd. People were yelling things up at them and they would just talk right back and incorporate it into the conversation. There was also A LOT of sexual conversation which at this point I’m sure was mostly triggered by the large consumption of alcohol on stage and the crowd of mostly single girls swooning over Jason. There were even a few digs about KB’s ex fiancé, Shawn Booth, that I was not a fan of. I don’t think bad talking your ex is cool to do in any situation, especially to a crowd of people that are easily influenced by what you do, but again was probably because of the alcohol consumption that they really laid into him. But the show was playful and they even did a FaceTime session with Kaitlyn’s mom who is also hilarious!

     I was super thankful for the intermission after 2 hours of the show going on (I was not expecting it to be so long so I was really feeling like I got my money’s worth!) because after 2 glasses of wine I was in dire need of a ladies room break. On the line I got chatting to a girl named Brooke who was the sweetest human. We chatted about the show and back story to how we got tickets. She was in a similar situation getting tickets last minute to the show and was surprising her sister who recently went through a bad break up (I told you she was sweet). We exchanged Instagram handles as we parted ways and got ready for the second half of the show. Since there was still a bit of time left I figured I would go grab one last glass of wine at the bar to hold me over till the end of the show. That’s when I met another very nice human who offered to order my drink for me since the bartenders were way understaffed and she had been waiting for a while. We ended up chatting and when our drinks were finally served we put our money in together and she ended up having to Venmo (transfer money app) to me to make it even. I was thinking to myself where else in the world could you be this trusting of other humans? And why was everyone so nice?!? It was on another level of girl power (that sounds lame but I can’t think of any other way to describe it!) There was no cattiness with each girl, we were all just there for a good time. Going to this show was like being with 100 people who have the same kind of personality as you because how can you not if you’re a fan of Kaitlyn who is laid-back, funny, and kind to everyone.

     The end of the show comes around I shout out to Jason for a quick selfie and then I opened the flood gates because all of a sudden I was trapped in between chairs and couldn’t move. When the Off the Vine (name of the podcast) cast finally went off the stage people were flying out of there to catch cabs and get trains home. But Corinne and I are standing there slowly putting on out coats while she was telling me she was going to try to get into the meet and greet. Although our tickets said premium you were supposed to pay another $50 ticket to get into the meet and greet. Corinne had said she talked to Brandi Cyrus at intermission and she told her to stick around for the meet and greet. I quickly jumped onto this band wagon because you know why not? What was the worst that could happen?

     Like a bat out of hell Corinne was forming her own line for the meet and greet and I was just in awe of how in charge she was. I push through the crowd telling people “yeah I’m with her” as she barricaded through people telling them to get out of the way. As we’re waiting on the line a woman who was running the event came over asking to see everyone’s wrist bands. As the few girls in front of us on line all lift their wrist to show their neon green wrist bands, I was thinking game over we’re out. But as quick as the woman asked us for ours Corinne spit out her story of Brandi Cyrus telling her to stay. To which the woman replied if you don’t have a ticket you can’t get in and she’d be back to check on us. I told Corinne how impressed I was that she was just so cool and confident talking to everyone that even I believed she was supposed to be in there. I told her to do all the talking since the honest human part of me was like "go home Nicole you’re not supposed to be on this line". But I stayed put with my new friend who had more lady balls than I did. She even chatted up the bouncer holding the line up in front of the door. When a guy came over from the meet and greet area asking us where our wrist bands were Corinne did her thing and he simply said how many of you and when we said it was just the 2 of us they ushered us in to go meet Kaitlyn, Jason, and Brandi. Que the biggest smile on my face with a hint of how the actual F did that just work.

     Now if this wasn’t magic enough, I was able to chat with KB for a hot minute telling her how much I loved the show and that I had met her on her final night on Broadway. She then replied F yeah and high fived me and I think I might have blacked out with happiness because of all the fan girling going on in my body. We said a quick hello and took a picture with Brandi Cyrus who admired my new mustard yellow scarf that my very talented mother in law had made for me. As we made our way through the cast we were directed to a table just before the exit where we pick up our party bag complete with MVMT sunglasses and scrunchie!!!!! Oh happy day, like a big in pooh I couldn’t stop squealing with excitement.

     

     With some of my new friends in toe we jumped in a cab on the way to Penn Station so I could catch the drunk train home. I said goodbye to Corinne and went on my way to the LIRR while she went opposite to the NJ transit. My happiness was so overwhelming I didn’t even mind being squished in between to very large KISS fans who had just come from the concert at MSG. And if there is anything to be learned from all of this it’s don’t be afraid to go places on your own because you just don’t know who you could meet and what could come of the night. I went from just sitting in the basement of my parents’ house picking out which show I would binge watch that night on Netflix to seeing a show of a podcast I love with my biggest style/life icon. I did it in Hollywood at Universal Studios and I did it in NYC. I’m now a firm believer in taking the opportunities given to you no matter by yourself or with a group. But by doing things on my own I get to meet new people, and I felt more approachable and comfortable talking to people when I wouldn’t usually do if I was with a group. It was seriously and insane night that was completely unexpected.

My new bad ass new friend Corinne 

The first time I met Kaitlyn December 2017

Kaitlyn's ex fiance Shawn Booth

New Year, New Fitness Addiction?

     Before the start of every New Year I make a list of things I want to improve in my life. This year (probably because the excess amount of free time I have) I’ve been able to really focus on those things and get off to a great start. I think where I’ve gone wrong in past years is that I have given myself too broad of an idea rather than little realistic things I can do everyday in order to get a significant result. My small changes that I wanted to keep up from last year are to write and read more. One of my big changes for this year is trying to become a pescatarian (with the exception of slip ups every now and then). Last night I struggled to stay away from the buffalo chicken spin dip at the super bowl party I was at. But it’s a working progress. My other improvement is the ever popular fitness goal. I am making a point to move/workout for at least 30 minutes a day. Having an apple watch helps massively in that I can see my daily movement, standing, and calories burnt in the day. I have already felt a massive change in that I don’t feel pressured to workout everyday but just move around, because really 30 minutes in a day isn’t that much. I have even started making up workouts by running up and down the stairs with intervals of push-ups and sit-ups in between sets. And of course when the weather is permitting I go for runs outside for however long I feel good for.

     After bumping into an old friend from high school last weekend we got to talking about how we used to run together on our track team and how he’s now working at the Peloton showroom in Chelsea in the city. If you don’t know what Peloton is, it’s a semi new fitness bike and now treadmill that’s very high tech. It has a large screen where you can log into workouts from home and take part in a class that’s going on live in the Peloton studios. Of course these machines cost you a pretty penny because of all these features, but you can also download the Peloton app that gives you the workouts to complete on any stationary bike or treadmill that you have at home or in your local gym.

https://studio.onepeloton.com/tread

     So when Kevin asked me if I wanted to come and take some classes I was jumping at the opportunity. I went to my first treadmill boot camp class on Thursday and now I am hooked! The studio itself is absolutely gorgeous! Let’s just say it wasn’t like walking into a Planet Fitness or any old gym. It felt like I was walking into a high end gallery. The locker room has everything a girl could need for her fitness essentials including deodorant, dry shampoo, hairspray, you name it really and they had it. So after I was done admiring the locker room it was time to get acquainted with the machine I would be doing my work out on.

     At first glance it doesn’t look much more than your average treadmill with the exception of the large screen on it, but after Kevin showed me all of its features it seemed like a runners dream. The belt in which you run on has grooves to prevent slipping and felt like to keep you in place. I know when I run on a regular treadmill I can sometimes feel myself swaying from left to right on the belt. It has a “free” button which allows you to run sprints at your own pace without the help of the speed up button, so basically it goes as fast as you can. The other main difference between a Peloton treadmill and a regular one is the two buttons on the sides. On the left there is the incline and on the right side is the speed, but instead of a + or – button it is a wheel that is just so much easier to use when in a work out. The screen shows you speed, distance, incline, and rank in the class. At home it would show all of these things and also the instructor doing the workout of your choice.

What I did not know about this workout I had signed up for at the Peloton showroom was that it would be recorded! The workout that I would be doing would be broadcasted live in front of every Peloton machine in the country! Thinking about this all my fears flashed through my head, the number one being falling off this machine and having it on tape FOREVER! And trust me if you know me well you know how clumsy of a person I am and this was a reasonable fear. Luckily for this session I was just out of sight of the camera if all went terribly wrong, but they also had a few staff in the room in case things did go wrong for me or anyone else.

     The class probably had about 10-15 people in it and I was all sorts of pumped up once I knew this would be recorded. Plus knowing that I would be competing with everyone in the class put my competitiveness into overdrive. I need a class that challenges me but also has the sense of competition because that will automatically make me push even harder. As the workout went on I was feeling really great honestly, it was quick to get into the groove and the instructor Jess had the sweetest demeanor that she really made me feel like I could run a marathon. She kept me pumped the whole time and her little shout outs during the class had me pushing harder for some recognition of my own. Every time I felt like I was getting winded I would just look up at the leaderboard and see how close I was to the person above me and increase my speed to catch up with them. I ended up finishing the class in fourth just behind Kevin and the two other trainers in the room who did the class so I was feeling pretty good about it.

     The class finished with 15 minutes of all lower body weights, which was probably the hardest part of the workout for me. The instructor Jess was an absolute machine busting out 15 reps of everything seamlessly while also talking into the mic (it really is a talent in itself). When the class completely finished I felt a rush of energy and felt really great. Seeing this I was asked a staff member if I wanted to complete a yoga class that was starting about 40 minutes later. I was skeptical because I had literally done one yoga class in my life and it went horribly wrong, but for some reason I also jumped at the opportunity to try another class and said yes.

     For all that don’t know my athletic/coordination/flexibility they have no correlation because although I can run for miles and have decent stamina, I cannot touch my toes or stand on one leg without toppling over. So yoga really isn’t something that should be in my vocabulary. As I was waiting to walk into the studio I had asked one of the staff members to put me somewhere in the back so that I wouldn’t be seen on camera (because this is also a class that gets broadcasted to all Peloton app users, there isn’t a machine for yoga). The girl responded that it is a small classroom with only 1 row so it would be hard to not be seen at some point or another. HA! Way to put the viewers at home at ease if they weren’t advanced yoga participants. To add insult to injury my instructor Jess and another trainer also did the class with me… oh and were right next to me to make me look extra gangly and uncoordinated. When the class finally starts the yoga instructor began by telling the people at home that this was not a beginner’s class so if they had only just started their method they should return to this video after more practice. WHAT AM I DOING IN THIS ROOM!?!? But it was too late, the camera was rolling and there was no escaping the next 45 minutes of my torture. BUT plot twist! I actually ended up getting the hang of all the moves relatively quickly, because really what choice did I have? There were a few times where I was thinking “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this but I think I’m doing it pretty damn well!” Well at least that was my thought because I don’t know about you but sometimes our mind tells us we're doing something really well but in reality you’re just not. Like when people are drunk and think they can dance but then watch it the next day on their friend’s Snapchat and they forward it in embarrassment (not that it has ever happened to me of course lol).

     So I finished the class strong and honestly felt like a million bucks. I wasn’t achy as I would usually be after running on a treadmill, and wasn’t as tight thanks to the yoga class. And the days after I definitely wasn’t as sore as I thought I would be. To be honest I would love to buy one of those treadmills for my house if I had the money for it because I 100% think they are worth it, but for the meantime I now have reconnected with Kevin who is happy to have me take classes whenever I want! That obviously meant I booked another class which is actually tonight! I cannot wait to get back and try another treadmill class. What is really great is that they are finally expanding to England and they have just opened up a show room in London! This could just be my new fitness addiction.

I really can't thank my friend Kevin and everyone at Peloton enough for such a great experience and not only that how incredibly friendly, helpful, and supportive everyone was! 

A New York State of Mind...

57th street and 6th ave
Single Cut Brewery, Astoria
Big aLIce Brewery, Long Island City
ST. Jame's Theatre  

       Yay I’m finally writing about some of the things I’ve been doing while being back in New York! Although this stuff was a month ago it was the start to my longer than expected return and I just haven’t had the chance to write about it all yet. There really is nothing like coming back to the motherland and seeing the New York City skyline pretty much every day. So literally night one of Sam and I landing in New York we got to have a good catch up with my parents and celebrate my dad’s birthday! A few days later we celebrated my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! This one was even more special than usual as my dad was invited to partake in the parade as a marshal. It is my favorite tradition to wake up at the crack of dawn on thanksgiving day, put 2-20 layers of clothing on (weather depending) and stand in the middle of NYC braving whatever elements mother nature has conjured up that year. But the love I have for it is nothing compared to my dad, who started this whole tradition with us since I was a little one. This year Mother Nature decided to make it colder than Frosty the Snowman’s nuts as it was under 20 degrees (Fahrenheit sorry English readers I’ve not quite mastered Celsius yet) and a wind chill that brought the temperature into the teens! Now since I have literally gone just about every year, I’ve seen my fair share of cold days but this one was definitely one of the worst, and apparently one of the coldest days on record for the parade.

But talk about a kid in a candy store, I have never seen anyone more in their element and absolutely loving life than my dad was working that parade. It really made the day, and Sam and I were able to stand in a VIP section which gave us the perfect view of everything. And also some much needed coverage from the intense wind. Of course after the parade Sam and I spent some time in Legends bar (where we first met) while we waited for my dad to finish up his marshal duties (lol duty). Now you don’t understand what a feast is until you have been to my parent’s house for one of my mother’s infamous Thanksgiving Day dinners. I do mean dinners plural because the day consists of meatballs for breakfast, a first meal (you eat your favorite dishes), second meal (eat the things you were too stuffed to get to in meal 1), third meal is a combo of what were the favorites of the day and dessert. Add some naps and movies in there and you’ve summed up our day. Not to mention there’s left overs for about a week as my mom’s meal preparations are for a small army.

For the rest of the time that Sam was here that week we made it a point to see our friends and visit Astoria as much as possible since we both missed it so much. That also meant that we went to a lot of Queens Breweries. Probably our favorite thing to do while being in Queens. We stopped at our old local brewery Singlecut, then to my favorite Big aLICe. And even thought it wasn’t lit yet we stopped by Rockifeller Centre Christmas tree. Unexpectedly we stumbled upon the Candy Nations exhibit while on our way to Bryant Park. Their annual winter festival is probably the best holiday event going on in the city. They have a massive ice skating rink in the middle of the park with loads of small stands to buy handmade items and personalized gifts. And I have to say as I’ve done ice skating there a few times the prices aren’t horrible and when you buy the ticket you are allowed to come back the entire day and use that same ticket. Which is nice if you want to have dinner or a drink in the little restaurant and then go back to skating. But be advised if you want to save $15 on storage fee bring your own gym lock for their free lockers. They also sometimes have Groupon for it, which allow you to skip the line and get free hot coco when you’re done skating. I really do love this place and it’s always my number one recommendation when people ask me where to go in the city during Christmas time. This is also a place I had brought Sam on his first visit back to New York when we were dating, so it’s somewhat of a tradition to go.

http://www.jenkell.com/laurence-jenkell-exhibition-candy-nation-broadway-garment-district-new-york-october-2018

https://bryantpark.org/amenities/bank-of-america-winter-village-at-bryant-park

               

     Just after Sam left and I was feeling a bit down, my good friend Molly invited me to go see Frozen on Broadway, compliments of her sister Brittany. Honestly anything on Broadway that is put on by Broadway is just sensational. The affects they have leave me as an adult mesmerized so I can only imagine how kids must feel about it. I also saw Aladdin in September in London and that blew me away too. I would advise that you grab drinks beforehand because the prices were insane for their specialty cocktails named after characters in the show. Perhaps it was the sadness in my eyes or just the fact that the bartender over heard my sob story as I was telling Molly, but my “Arendelle” drink had more vodka in it than expected. But I appreciated the gesture none the less. I now feel like all other Broadway shows won’t be able to compare to the magicalness that is the world of Disney. That or I am just a giant child… probably just that.