making a juror: eating my way through nyc jury duty | Chinatown, NYC

Last January 21st I was called for jury duty at New York City Criminal Court. I was annoyed (as everyone was), packed up my computer and a book and headed downtown to endure what would surely be the most boring day ever. Until I got picked for a 6 week murder trial! You could say that disrupted my audition season just a bit. However, if you've recently binged Making a Murder like me and half of America, you know it's anything but boring. 

First of all, NYC is far from Manitowoc and my judge with her sassy gray bangs would have never put up with half of that shit. My jury and I heard more details than we could imagine about how a young deaf man stabbed his younger deaf girlfriend to death and stuffed her body in a barrel...and all the sadness in life that lead up to that point and the subsequent horror. Though it was quite tough to digest, I found freedom (and warmth) between 1-2:15pm everyday when we broke for lunch. I figured if I'm going to be stuck in Chinatown in the middle of winter, why not take the opportunity to explore? Seriously-- New York City is your oyster if you have the eyes to see it. It can also make you pretty handy with a pair of chopsticks. 

In conclusion, I give you some lunch suggestions should you find yourself serving time down at the NYC courthouse:

First things first, honey dew melon bubble tea. On the regular. 

Right around the corner is Pongsri (a popular Thai restaurant) and this bowl of heaven: Coconut Red Curry Noodle Soup. Ok I'm drooling... 

A few more steps down the road and you're in pho heaven if that's your thing. (It's a little tricky if you're vegetarian...but I was an equal opportunity lunch juror so I found my ways of making it tasty.) Xe Lua was a happenin' and cheap lunch spot amongst the suits. 

And dim there were sum. Some of the ladies on the jury insisted I join them at the "best dim sum in town" at Ping's...so we treated ourselves. #ladieswholunch

Speaking of treating yourself...sometimes there is a parade thrown for you on your well deserved lunch break. Especially if it happens to be Chinese New Year. 

Pho for days at Vietnamese restaurant Nha Trang on Baxter Street.

Walked an extra block one day (I know a lot of effort) for award-winning ramen at  Bassanova, and I can confirm it deserves all of its awards. And it was the most hipstery lunch I had during my 6 week residency...the only place that didn't have that grungy "local" vibe to it. Do the two go hand in hand?

I decided to start going the budget route and made it across the usually Tai Chi -filled snowy Columbus Park where I got my fair share of warm plump veggie dumplings for $3 at Tasty Dumpling. Towards the end, this became my happy place. Quick, cheap, and indeed tasty. I know everyone recommends this place, but that was too far of a walk for my cold juror self. 

One day, I was convinced to go on a grand lunch adventure over Canal Street and through the snow to Little Italy we went. The lunch at Buona Notte was cozy and the view from inside was dream.  

And for dessert? Ferrara's is queen. It's famous for a reason. I would bring home souvenirs from here and other little local Chinese markets of candies and treats I'd buy and try. You don't know the neighborhood until you've eaten your way through it.

Last, and certainly not least, I have to give a shout out to my favorite bakery, Lung Moon Bakery. There, I would escape the conversation of murder by looking at cute little foreign desserts. Nothing bad could happen in a world like that, right? For a dollar, I'd buy angel food cake wrapped up in wax paper, kind of like a cupcake. And I'm fond of anything resembling a cupcake. I have such vivid memories of this cake. (It was also fun to buy bags of fortune cookies to take to your friends and jury family.) I highly suggest stopping in to this mom and pop shop the next time you're in Chinatown. These couple of streets are some in the few in the city that still feel like they have maintained their local feel and not become too commercialized. And English is not the first language!

At the end of the day when walking to the train in the snow, you're hearing all these things in this case and thinking so many thoughts, and you're so out of the loop of your normal life and so cold, you might stop into Magic Jewelry on Canal Street and drink some hot tea and get your aura read. (oh, and it was Friday the 13th.)

Besides eating lunch, my jury and I became quite close-- planning potlucks, celebrating birthdays, teaching some old dogs new tricks on how to use their cell phones. Since we were all respectful of the rules, we really honored not discussing the case until it was time to deliberate. (and that was REALLY hard, because I like to talk about all my feelings...obviously...which is why I had to eat my feeling instead. note: still in recovery.) Instead, we got to know each other. I was the youngest white female by about 40 years, and I'd have to say it's quite an interesting group to pick a cross-section of Manhattanites to sit in a room. When I caught a cold, three different ladies brought in homemade soup and remedies for me. We had a group text. We kept in touch. We even had a dinner after it all passed over. Community can come in surprising places. (if you let it)

There was no doubt in my mind about our guilty verdict for our guy, but that didn't make any of us less heartbroken. I cried when I walked passed him on the last day of the trial knowing his fate, and months later we all were asking whether he'd survive prison given all that we learned about this individual. I'm a sucker for justice...and a redemption story. 

As we settle in for winter so is my deja vu and an appetite for dumplings. 

ps: I know the groan and eye roll that comes when you get that jury summons in the mail. It's really f-ing annoying. But civic duties are no joke, and the system only works if we have active citizens. (read: your vote matters!) At the beginning of this journey, I thought my life was ruined because I was missing so many auditions and fell out of loop of the ole dancer's hustle. (Then it got further ruined when I started to eat my way through Chinatown as a coping mechanism. #jurydutymakingfat) But then whatever happened in that courtroom started to become way more fascinating than any audition holding room (they're the worst). I mean have you watched 4 sign language interpreters in action at once? This wasn't a CSI episode, it was real life. I accepted the challenge and tried to be as present in mind and appetite as possible. When it ended and I felt out of shape and completely hopeless as far as picking up any crumbles of hope of booking a dance job for the season, I get called for my first TV gig out of the blue (plug: check out The KNICK). They say you make plans and God laughs at them. Well, no shit. I couldn't have made all of this up if I tried.  

ps #2: I wasn't in search of what's the best of the best in Chinatown. I merely was searching for a break and a breath of fresh air everyday, a warm meal, and a little distracting adventure for my one hour of freedom. These are a collection of what I found. (critical of food, but not a food critic)

thankful in new york city

Forward: I intended to write this post a month ago. Or a year and a month ago, when my family came to spend Thanksgiving in New York City and I was going to share all the things you should do. The thing is, I got caught up doing them. And then it was Christmas, and there are so many Top 5 Lists of Best Things To Do fighting for 10 seconds of your eyeballs’ time all over the internet, and I didn’t know if the world neeeeeded another. So, of course, I planned to do it this year (since I knew all the things you should do), and I have alas failed again. Meg has been holding down the Lupine fort (I’m very grateful—even though she’s super busy) while I’ve been in a transition the past few months taking on some more clients and work projects. I’m thankful for the work and the opportunities, but when you work in social media and creating online content, I’ve been a little adverse to wanting to spend more time on the internet or in front of a screen in my downtime. I’ve had some Lupine adventures and many many thoughts (I have all the feelings), and I’m hoping to start sharing those again here over the next few months. Finding balance is key— and Lupine is a kind, peaceful, inspired sharing space— not our jobs. (maybe someday? #dreams) So for some catch up and that Thanksgiving post… 

This year I created my own Thanksgiving in New York City, deciding to see my family at Christmas. Last year we checked NYC Thanksgiving off our #FreemanAdventure bucket list and drank hot cider at the Macy’s Parade on the Upper Westside in the rain, saw the balloons being blown up the day before at the Museum of Natural History, gazed at all of the holiday windows on 5th Avenue, strolled the Christmas markets in Union Square, walked the Highline, ate at our favorite spots, and of course saw a few Broadway shows. (support live theatre people!!) Unfortunately it was cold and rainy most of the time, but we enjoyed it anyways…it’s hard for NYC to NOT be magical during the holidays.

A year later, of course the weather was unseasonably warm, and they are not here to do all of the things! Ha! Instead, I slept in, hopped to my couch at 9am to watch all of the Broadway performances at the top of the Macy’s parade in my pajamas. My boyfriend and I slowly got ourselves out of the house and biked/skated over a few avenues and caught the end of the parade as it headed down 6th Ave from Central Park. This is the way to do it— performances on TV at home, and then the last few balloons in person. Quite a few people who had probably been lined up since 6am were heading out by the time we rolled up around 10:45, and it was such a chill crowd. And 20 minutes later, Santa rolls by, and we have the streets to ourselves, so we decided to head up into Central Park.

The day couldn’t have been more perfect, what all of the tourists could only have imagined New York City to be in the Fall… the sun was out, the colors were vibrant, and the leaves were slowly floating down as we moved through the park. There wasn’t a person without a smile on. We cheered during “showtime” in front of the bandshell, laid in the grass and looked up into the sky, and grinned at the local sax player- he just makes my heart so happy. We picked up a few last minute ingredients on our way back home to make some family favorites, cooked the rest of the afternoon, watched holiday movies, had friends stop by, and of course ate way too much. (you HAVE to.) The day was so surprisingly calm and savory. Thanksgiving was different than last year, but I’m still grateful for both. Did I mention I woke up to a small real Christmas tree in my apartment my boyfriend threw in the back of an Uber with a Radio City Christmas Spectacular santa hat on top several nights before? 

Moral: Celebrate Thanksgiving? Eat food with those you love?

Today marks a year since a small/giant miracle happened. I’ve officially been in my own apartment that I won in the NYC Housing Lottery for an entire year…ahhhh. I think it took about 9 of those months for me to actually believe they weren’t going to call and say, “Ooops! We made a mistake!” or “You forgot to do XXX so unfortunately…” and kick me out. I started to settle in and create a new home and new season of life of my own. I finished off my year of being #twentyGREAT and turned #twentyFINE at the beginning of December. I met my boyfriend in the Village the night before my birthday and we went to a bar hidden on top of a Five Guys where my friends surprised me with jazz hands, smiling hearts, and pink cupcakes. I’ll tell you, it’s really awesome to have a group of friends that know you and love you. That’s what we all actually want— to be known. And loved. Really loved, because they actually know you. Not just love the idea of you or what you often pretend to be. It’s rare to find. And it’s a lot of work, and long nights, and desperate phone calls, and waiting rooms, and bottles of wine, but it’s oh so worth it. Your tribe is the best thing you can invest in. And I’m so thankful for this intimate community I have; it’s what makes my life rich. 

Each year I choose a word or a mantra to focus on - to heal, to be happy, to be free, to go do all of the things - and I’m thinking #twentyFINE will be a year of action. A year of creating and fulfilling all of these plans and dreams and wishes we keep talking about. I follow-through on ideas for my clients and work projects, and I’m working on building a creative lifestyle where I also have just as much (if not more) creative energy and focus to invest in my own work. I have too many ideas that I haven’t followed-through on; what am I waiting for? I’ve spent some time away from the dance community to hear my own thoughts instead of just following the herds. So, now that I’ve found some clarity and rejuvenation, it’s time to do something with it. #twentyFINE (like a glass of wine) = to CREATE. Create art, dances, stories, relationships, community, experiences, journeys that I believe in. Ones that matter. 

Andddd I just spent the last two weeks in the Swiss Alps and German Christmas Markets…so let the games begin! (don’t worry, you will be flooded with all of the german-austrian-swiss stories very soon. hint: it’s true, the hills ARE alive.)

Let's kick Christmas ass, shall we? 

And one last parting gift from the goddess Cheryl Strayed:

“Stop worrying about whether you’re fat. You’re not fat. Or, rather, you’re sometimes a little bit fat, but who gives a shit. There’s nothing more boring and fruitless and than a woman lamenting the fact that her stomach is round. Feed yourself. Literally. The sort of people worthy of your love will love you more for this.”

Happy Holidays!

summering

So... maybe we've taken a break from blogging over the past month? Don't get us wrong, it wasn't intentional. We were summering and adventuring and having such a good time that we forgot to write about it. Maybe that means we're doing it right?

It's looked a lot like this:

NAAATTTUUURRREEEE 🙌 #vacay #grandtetons #jacksonhole #nationalpark #thehillsarealive #imeanmountains #freemanadventure #slomo #soundofmusic #wanderlust #wyoming

A video posted by grace freeman (@graceefree) on Jul 3, 2015 at 8:01pm PDT

and this:

and this: 

When we weren't able to escape the NYC area, we found all the things we love about summer in the city to cope. Those things most always include sunsets, rooftops, beaches, and cupcakes. 

Perhaps we enjoyed the glass of wine on the roof or savored the last moment of the sun setting over the Hudson a little too much... as the last thing I've wanted to do is go to my computer and tell you about it at the end of the day. I rather soak up these moments than sit in front of a computer screen. Do you get me? Sometimes screens seem like the loneliest thing to me. I know cell phones and social media have connected our world in a way never imagined, but there is nothing sadder than watching someone taking a selfie on a sunset-lit pier to prove to all of these mythical followers of theirs that they're having a blast, when really they're alone and they want someone to share it with. So they share it with a screen. I wonder if all these bloggers and travel writers out there actually enjoy their present? It's hard to balance being where you are and trying to document and share it all the time. How do you balance? We're trying to experience our summer, our friends, and the places we wander and share what we find. Not plan out our photo shoot of a journey before we've even taken it. We don't want to go on such predictable journeys. That's not how we roll :) And I'm so thankful for it. But boy, do we have some stories to share! And we promise we're taking the time to start sharing them again here! Sorry for the delay, we were too busy summering. 

it's the little things, like dreams coming true

Last Friday night Meg and I had a very classic New York City evening of dinner and the theatre. It was an especially special treat...as we got to see one of my very best friends in his first Broadway show, Mr. Drew King. (Oh and the show is On the 20th Century starring the lovely Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher... even though Drew is our star!) 

Drew and his tap dancing quartet stole the show. I mean just look at them:

Can you tell I'm proud? Well, I'm certainly not the only one. I met Drew years ago in tap class. We performed one of our first big NYC gigs together, we became roommates and lived together, and we pounded the pavement together. We bonded over this love for dance, the heartbreak of the hundreds and thousands of hours we were putting into it but not necessarily feeling noticed or successful, and the hope that maybe we'll really get a chance to "make it" someday. We just wanted the opportunity to try. (We also bonded over our love of Bon Iver, red wine, kale, traveling, boy problems...and lots of other "human" things too.) We'd have this cycle of encouraging the other through the rejection of the business-  "You can't give up!" "Hard work will pay off!" "Work ethic and kindness don't go unnoticed!" "You're not fat!" "You're not too skinny!" "There will be more auditions!" "They don't hate you!" "YOU'RE being CRAZY!" "You ARE NOT crazy!" " I'm sure you didn't sound that bad!" "Here, have some wine." It goes on... And I'm not the only one who had this relationship with him.

For all you non-theatre-folks out there, we're all kind of in the trenches together. Or at least that's how I'd like to look at it. It's easy to feel isolated and discouraged when you're not caught up in a whirlwind of work opportunities, but if you look around you're in the same boat of a lot of people- the whole 300 people in the holding room at every audition are in that boat or they wouldn't need to be auditioning too. And you can either judge the other people down in that trench with you, compete against them, and give them all the side eye, or you can find a few comrades to survive it with. What do you have to lose in finding some trustworthy and encouraging friends to go through this season of life with? Make it a little less discouraging, a little more comical, and a LOT more joyful. 

I've been reading Cheryl Strayed's Tiny Beautiful Things lately, which ranges from advice letters on love, life, loss, relationships, and all things in between. In one letter, she is asked what to do when you're jealous of people who succeed at what you do even if you like them.

“It makes me sick that I don’t feel happy for them, especially when it comes to my close friends, but there it is. When I think of their successes, it only reminds me of what I don’t have.”

— Awful Jealous Person

Besides putting this lady in her place, Strayed taps into how someone else's success doesn't have to define yours.

“I know it’s not easy being an artist. I know the gulf between creation and commerce is so tremendously wide that it’s sometimes impossible not to feel annihilated by it. A lot of artists give up because it’s just too damn hard to go on making art in a culture that by and large does not support its artists. But the people who don’t give up are the people who find a way to believe in abundance rather than scarcity. They’ve taken into their hearts the idea that there is enough for all of us, that success will manifest itself in different ways for different sorts of artist, that keeping the faith is more important than cashing the check, that being genuinely happy for someone else who got something you hope to get makes you genuinely happier too.”

— Cheryl Strayed, aka BOSSSSSSS

When I read this after seeing Drew's show again last week, it made my heart smile. It's the little things. Like being able to be genuinely happy for someone else's success. That's not a little thing, it's actually a big thing. To be able to have joy for others, the ones you've spent years in the trenches with, and to be able to celebrate them. If that doesn't give you hope, I don't know what will. If you don't know Drew, he's one of the most encouraging friends you'll have- and he's got lots of them! He's always busy out supporting someone's show, celebrating a birthday, bringing over a bottle of wine on one of those nights where the extra large bottle of wine in needed, which is why his dream coming true has made so many people incredibly happy and proud. He got his chance! There was a collective gasp heard around the country as his friends far and wide gathered around their TVs to watch our own perform at the Tony Awards. And right at the top of the number, there he is!!! (0:15 below to be exact) 

I had the perfect view of the show that Friday night: I looked over Meg's lap to the aisle across from us where Drew's mom was sitting on the edge of her seat surrounded by his aunts and uncles who drove 5 hours that day to see him perform. She may have been beaming more in that seat than Drew was up on that stage on the other side of the orchestra pit tapping his face off. My heart grew three sizes as we all were so proud in that moment. That's joy. 

Don't you want to be part of a community like that? No matter what industry you're in? I don't know if my creative endeavors will ever make me millions, but this is the rich life. 

notes:

- see On The 20th Century through July 19th and cheer on those porters! 

- support theatre and the arts in general and give us jobs :) 

- if you want to learn how to tap dance, it will make your life happier and it's never too late to start a new hobby! we suggest BDC or STEPs if you're in NYC!

wanderlust wednesday: airport diaries

Walking through the airport, ever wonder what it would be like to hop on a different flight? Pull a whole Home Alone move? Scratch all your plans and wake up somewhere new? Go some place without expectation of what you "should" do and just chill out? I do it all the time. 

Playing with the idea of going anywhere at the snap of my fingers feels free. After spending a long weekend at home with my family, I had European thoughts on the brain. I'd love to go stroll around Paris or Croatia or Italy for several days. To be in a place where I didn't know the language- and therefore wouldn't be required to talk to lots of people- seems so relaxing. (I guess you could say I got plentyyyy of family time.) I could sleep when I wanted to, eat when I wanted to, stroll around for hours and get lost in a new place. I would love to spend hours sitting in a little outdoor cafe writing and day dreaming. With no stress of meeting a deadline. Oh, and I could wear sundresses the whole time. (Hey, it's my dream.) I wouldn't complain over island life in the Bahamas or off the coast of Nicaragua either... 

But alas, I hopped on my very delayed flight back to NYC, and we're back to reality this morning! But hey, this kid hit the jackpot when he hopped on the wrong flight and ended up in the city that never sleeps... so maybe we're in for our own surprises. 

trail running (mostly) in nyc

There's something special about the start of spring.  The whole rebirth/reawakening metaphor is not lost on me and I fully ascribe to it.  While I may not be one for New Year's resolutions, by the time spring rolls around I am all for setting goals and a healthy dose of self-discipline. 

I mentioned last week that I signed up for this doozy and as a result I have been attempting to stick to the running bandwagon.  I have even been (somewhat) following this handy dandy marathon training plan.  The thing is I still have absolutely no desire to run down city streets.  So I have spent the past few weeks scoping out the best places to get one’s feet off of pavement and I am sharing them here just in case someone else is in a similar predicament.  

Dirt Trails In and Around NYC:

Bridle Path in Prospect Park, Brooklyn - Here you can find 3.5 miles of pretty level trail in Brooklyn. It runs mostly parallel to the main loop so just go through any entrance and look for the dirt path.  I prefer to enter at Grand Army Plaza especially when the farmer's market is going so I can grab a snack on my way out.  

Bridle Path in Central Park, Manhattan - If you opt for all of the various loops, you can have a 4 mile trail run right in the heart of Manhattan.  Not too shabby.  Apparently you can also link this with the Ramble for an 8 mile run but I've never tried it.

Greenbelt Trails, Staten Island - These four woodland trails (their moniker not mine) offer a range of terrain from an easy 1 mile nature walk to a pretty hilly 8 mile path, one way mind you.  To access the greenbelt, take the Staten Island Ferry and then the S57 bus to Brielle and Rockland Ave. 

Old Croton Aqueduct, Yonkers to Tarrytown - This 9 mile dirt path is atop the old aqueduct that supplied water to NYC back in the day. I've only been on a small section of this trail but I’m excited to try it out after I work my way up to longer runs.  It's a short ride on Metro North in order to access the trail but the views of the river will make up for the extra schlep.  

Putnam Trail in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx - While only 1.5 miles long, you could in theory connect to the previous trail on this list, the OCA, in Yonkers.  To access the trail take the 1 train to 242nd St, head south on Broadway, and the entrance will be on your left about a ¼ miles from the subway station

Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Pleasantville - A wide variety of trails and carriage paths add up to over 20 miles of routes and lets you mix it up each time you go which is why this place is one of my favorites.  It also conveniently sites next to Stone Barns so I can hang out with some friendly locals and eat some good grub at the end of my run. To access the trails, hop on the Metro North to Tarrytown and then (unfortunately) take a quick cab ride to the park's visitor center.    

Harriman-Bear Mountain State Parks - Situated up in the Rockland/Orange County area of NY, this trail system is definitely more of a hike (pun is always intended) to get to. If taking public transit, you will need to take a bus out of Port Authority.  I know.  The worst. Do it though - it's only a 45 min ride and  you will not be disappointed.  Pack up your bag with all sorts of goodies and make a day of it.  There are 200+ miles of trails to be explored and I would check out what these guys have to say before deciding on a trail.  The paths are usually well marked with trail blazes but it can get very confusing at times when multiple trails meet up. I would really recommend downloading their map to your phone as it will link up to your GPS should you find yourself all turned around.  

There you have it - all the places I will be scurrying about this spring in an effort to get some miles on my legs without the monotony of macadam.  Happy feet are dirty feet.

notes:

- these pictures are from a trail run i took last week at this park.  while you are allowed to run there, it's really intended for mountain bikers.  once the trail is no longer mostly mud and snow, i’ll be moving my feet elsewhere in order to stay out of the way of the biker folk.

- on the bridle paths and in rockefeller state park, keep an eye out for horses as they still grace these paths from time to time and they have the right of way (no matter where you are, horses will always have the right of way). be kind - slow down and let the rider know you are approaching; this is  especially important if coming from behind.  

- if you are new to trail running and looking for some sturdy kicks, i love my brooks pure grit (i have both the second and third generation of them).  i have also heard good things about these, these, and these.