Things are getting loopy...

Hello everyone! I know it’s Sunday and I said I would post Saturday but I had a lot of things going on this week so I was delayed a little bit. I am posting today for you guys instead. I am really excited about today’s blog post because I had such a good time here and I know you all will also. On Saturday night Jamie and I went to this rooftop bar in the city called Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar. It is located in the Conrad hotel in Battery Park City. I am sure you have seen pictures on Instagram because it is extremely Instagram worthy but I will post pictures at the bottom of this post. They are known for having an ice pop in your wine. Right now you are probably like what are you talking about but I swear it will all make sense once you see the pictures. Before that let me give you a little backstory with it so you know what to expect if you pay a visit. Since it’s a rooftop bar it can’t hold an insane amount of people so they do let you put your name on a list and once the bar isn’t over occupancy they send you a text message to tell you that you are allowed up. This is a great idea because it gives you a chance to walk around and explore a little bit because the water is about a block away so it’s nice to not just have to sit and wait for your name to be called. However my one and only complaint was that since the bar is very tiny they don’t have enough seats for everyone so people are standing on top of people and it gets very hot so it becomes a little unbearable especially on those hot summer days. Jamie and I got lucky enough to get a seat right away but some people I saw were standing for 2 hours. However the entire rooftop has an incredible view of the city so you will see the gorgeous view no matter where you are. 

 

Another thing to keep in mind is the time of day you want to go because like I said this place is very Instagram worthy between the drink and the view. My suggestion is to go before the sun sets because if you go at night you won’t get a great picture of the drink because it’s dark and the flash will reflect off the glass. I went at 7:30 and I would honestly say it was the absolute perfect time because we got to watch the sunset and it was absolutely gorgeous. Pictures will follow. When it comes to what to wear you can dress very casual  I was in a long sleeve sundress with a little pair of heels. Jamie was in a dress and she wore sandals. I saw some people very dressed up and some in just jeans so just dress for comfort. Keep in mind that this bar is only open from April to October so if you want to go soon is probably better. The prices are a little pricy but not too bad considering it is the city and the view is incredible. The drinks with the ice pops come out to $22 each but you have more than enough that you will only need one drink. They have about five flavors of these drinks so far because it is fairly new so I am sure they will start to make more flavors but Jamie and I both got the strawberry peach margarita prosecco. It was out of this world. I absolutely loved it. It was sweet but still had that wine taste. I loved it so much that I will definitely be going back. They don’t serve food however, downstairs from the hotel, they have a Chinese food place, an Italian place and a Shake Shack so you can eat either before or after if you were hungry. I highly recommend this place because I had a really great time and I know you will also. If you visit here please let me know because I want to hear all about your experience. For more pictures and updates my Twitter and Instagram is listed above so come say hi. Come back next week when I discuss my best dressed at the Teen Choice Awards. Very very excited about that! I hope you have a great week ahead of you and I will talk to you soon. 

 

Sincerely, Sam

Brunch with a view...

This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to go for brunch at a place I’ve been dying to go to for the past two years. Right in the heart of New York City, there’s this amazing rooftop lounge called 230 Fifth. If you live in New York and you’ve never been there, I suggest you pay a visit soon because you certainly will not regret this; and if you are planning to visit New York in the near future, make sure you put this on your “must see” list before you leave. 

My best friend Jamie and I had such an amazing time that I thought I would share my experience with all of you. About two years ago, I was on Instagram (of course) and I saw this beautiful picture someone posted of her lunch from a Manhattan rooftop. Immediately, I showed Jamie the picture and said, “We have to go here”. We always tried to make it work to go, but it was never the right time. About three weeks ago, we just decided to treat ourselves and have brunch. We made a reservation, which I highly suggest because it does get quite busy, but it’s not absolutely necessary. 

When we arrived at the building, we took this tiny elevator up 20 stories. Now, if you’re like me and you’re freaked out by elevators, you might not like this part because the elevator moves very slowly, but I just took deep breathes all the way up (which actually helped!). Once we got to the rooftop level, the hostess, who brought us right to our table, greeted us. The room was really cool and different. The chairs were funky—some were shaped like circles and some like squares and the colors varied from green, white, black and purple. Our first thought was “wow, this is bigger than we thought.” Once we got to our table we looked out the window and there stood the Empire State Building. This was pretty cool because for our entire meal we stared at one of the most well-known sky scrappers in the world. 

After we sat, a waitress came over and put red band bracelets on us, probably to let the wait staff know we were over 21. With brunch we had the option of either champagne or a mimosa. Now Jamie and I aren’t very big drinkers at all, but we have been dying to try a mimosa since we turned 21, so we decided to get one of those. 

While our drink was being made, we headed over to the buffet to choose our brunch. They had a ton of options, but I think they needed more variety for their food selection such as turkey bacon. They had all the usual: bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, French toast, bagels, fruit, etc. I decided to get French toast, pancakes, waffles, roasted potatoes, a banana, and an omelet of spinach, tomato, and cheese (pictures to follow). Once we decided on our food, we couldn’t wait to sit down and eat it because everything smelled amazing. When we got back to our table our mimosas were waiting for us, as well as a carafe of water. First, I had to try the mimosa, which I have to say I was disappointed in because I expected it to taste a lot more like orange juice and I didn’t actually taste orange juice at all because it was very bitter, maybe due to the type of champagne this restaurant serves. It wasn’t something I would get again, but I was glad to have tried it here. Now came the best part—the food. First, I tried the French toast because it smelled like vanilla and cinnamon and it was just calling my name. Once I bit into the French toast I knew this was the most amazing French toast that I have ever had in my life! Not only was it light, thick, and fluffy, but also it tasted like vanilla which was incredible because it wasn’t too sweet and wasn’t too bland. The maple syrup on it made it taste a hundred times better because who doesn’t love maple syrup!  After this I knew I had to try the waffles. Unfortunately, I did not think they were as good because they were a bit bland, even with the syrup. In my opinion, they could have added vanilla to the mix to give it a little kick. Next up was the roasted potatoes and boy were they good! The potatoes were sprinkled with herbs giving them a very flavorful taste. They weren’t very burnt, which I seem to find usually happens when you go to a restaurant these days, but were soft and cooked just right. They smelled like a vegetable garden and garlic all mixed into one. Next up were the pancakes!  The pancakes were not my favorite because they were very thin, not fluffy and I also felt as if they were a bit dry. Then again, I’m comparing them to Ihop pancakes, which are my absolute favorite. Finally, it was time to try the omelet that was the best omelet I have ever had in my life. What made this omelet different was that I asked for mozzarella cheese, which I never had before, which made it taste creamy, not too tangy which I find American cheese to do. In addition, the mozzarella cheese paired really well with the spinach and tomatoes. With every bite of this omelet I kept hoping it would never end because it was just that good. Once I finished everything on my plate I was so sad it was over because it was delicious, especially the French toast and the omelet. 

Before we went up to the rooftop, we paid the check, which you should definitely consider before eating here because it was pretty pricy. For our brunch, it cost $65, before tip. If you live in New York or have ever been to New York, usually the things that you really want to do are very pricy so I wasn’t too surprised. After we paid, we finally went up to the rooftop. Since this is open all year round, they have heat lamps that give you the opportunity to eat outside if you want, but we just decided to eat inside.  The roof is a large area that can hold about 300 people.  Once we got outside, we saw the entire city right before our eyes and it was pretty amazing. Right in front of you is the Empire State Building and to the right is the Chrysler Building. From up on the rooftop you can even see the beautiful Freedom Tower as well as the rest of Manhattan. To me, this was the best part because I have been to the city numerous times, but I’ve never seen the entire city in front of my eyes. We were also lucky that it was a beautiful sunny day outside and that there was still snow on the ground that made it feel like a winter wonderland. After about twenty minutes of taking this all in, and taking about a million pictures, we decided to go on our way and enjoy the rest of our day shopping in the city. 

Now that I finally did this after two years, I am really happy I was able to go. This was an experience I will never forget and, hopefully, I get to do it again really soon. I hope you enjoyed this post and thank you for taking the time to read it! Talk to you soon in my next blog! 

Sincerely, Sam