Thank God for Spa Week!

#62: Get a Facial once a year

Without Spa Week, I might never get to enjoy the wonderfulness that is a facial (or a real massage for that matter). Thankfully, Spa Week does exist and I got to get my first facial in a year! I went to a place I hadn't been to before, but it was conveniently located and got good reviews - Moonflower Spa, located on 41st street between 5th and Madison. It was a cute little place and everyone was very nice and friendly. The facial was relaxing and made my skin feel fresh and smooth! I'm already looking forward to the next Spa Week, whenever that may be! Massage next!

Always check if it's a BYOB!

#11: Try a new restaurant every month

So this past friday night I met a couple of my girlfriends for dinner down on the lower east side. We chose this restaurant, new to all of us: Antibes Bistro. One little issue with the place...it was a BYOB and we didn't know it!! The site has a wine list under the list of menus and you have to click onto the wine list for it to tell you that it's a BYOB and then it gives you a suggested wine list. I mean come on! That was a major disappointment since on a friday night, I was in need of a nice big glass of wine to start off the weekend right.

Anyway, the place was cute and small with nice ambiance, tho a little too tight with other tables. I love small places downtown but waitresses shouldnt have to ask people to move so they can reach another table! They put the 3 of us at a table for 2! And we did call for reservations in advance. They also had a small little outdoor seating area that would be nice in the warmer weather. We were astonished to see multiple groups of people sit there in the 40 degree cold! At least they had their own wine tho!

On to the food - I got the Beet and Goat Cheese appetizer which was sooooooooo yummy. I'm a big fan of this combo. For the entree, I got the Salmon with Ratatouille which was a little disappointing - for one, I saw a picture on their website of this which looked a LOT better than what was served to me. Secondly, the salmon wasn't so great, not enough flavor, a little too fishy. The ratatouille was good though. Then we split a Vanilla Panna Cotta with Poached Pears for dessert, which just didnt look appetizing at all. The pears had a pinot noir sauce that I just didn't like and the Panna Cotta was better than I expected (I have a thing about foods with weird consistencies) but still pretty blah.

Overall, I loved the appetizer and the ambiance of this place and would consider coming back with Justin sometime - with a bottle of wine in hand - and trying a different entree (since both my friends loved theirs).

Nothing like a good ChickLit!

#2: Read 1 new book every 2 months

So after my foray into a very long sci-fi series, I decided to go back to my favored book genre - Chick Lit! Now, it may seem like I strictly read books that are in a series, but I promise that's not true...it just is true for this particular Chick Lit book...and the one I plan on reading next...

Well see, what happened was...when I was looking for a new book to read, I started the search with authors that I've read in the past and liked - a natural place to begin! So first up is actually book #2 in a series (somehow I've read books 1 and 3...but it's not like a serious series, just has the same characters) of Rachel Benjamin mysteries - The Jinx, by Jennifer Sturman. This series is a lot of fun cause it's a mix of chick lit and murder mysteries!

The first book in the series, The Pact, follows Rachel and her college best friends who made a pact back in college to make sure to tell each other if the group ever felt a man was not worthy. Well, one of the friends was about to marry someone not so worthy and they all were there for the wedding - when the night before the wedding the groom-to-be was found dead! Needless to say Rachel helps figure it out - AND meets a guy while she's at it!

The Jinx picks up when Rachel is in Boston for the week for business and for her annual reunion with her friends...when her client/friend is attacked! Rachel has to figure it out all while wondering if her boyfriend is cheating on her and her college crush comes back into the picture! (I totally should write those summaries on the back of books, am i right??)

Anyway, long story short, it was a fun, short read!