adventures off the beaten path.
[VIDEO]: New York City Summer Governor's Island
In this video, I escape the craziness of New York City by visiting the abandoned Governor's Island, and unexpectedly find myself in the chaos that is New York Experimental Art Week. Always a fun thing to do during the summer. Produced by Brandon Li and Patricia Serrano.
[VIDEO]: Pedicab Ride at Rush Hour in New York City
4:30pm is the absolute WORST time to find a cab in the city. That's when the drivers change shift and even if you beg them to take on along their route, they are more than likely not to pick you up. When I find myself in that situation, I hop on the alternative and very effective manhattan transport - the Pedicab.
A pedicab, one of those bicycle powered rickshaws is a summer staple of Manhattan. Not only are they eco-friendly and fun to ride in, they can also be your knight in shining armor.
Here’s my pedicab to the rescue story…
Flashback to the summer of 2012: It’s 4:45pm. It’s raining and it’s 15 minutes until my bus leaves for DC. I’ve been standing outside trying to hail a cab for 25 mins. Everyone’s off duty and I’m infuriated. I’m having a heart attack because I’m going to miss the last Tripper bus of the day going to Arlington, VA where I’m supposed to meet my friend Anna. And I already missed the earlier bus that I was supposed to catch. Argh. Off-duty cab after off-duty cab and another 5 minutes pass me by. 10 mins left until my bus leaves! I’m not sure what to do anymore. My clothes are soaked and I’m screaming inside. Suddenly, the solution appears. Low and behold, a pedicab pulls up before me.
I only need to go 3 avenues away, I tell him. 30 bucks, he says. I only have 20. He says 25. I only have 20 in cash and I need to catch my bus pronto.
Although a cab is much cheaper, I’d pay extra for the human powered vehicle as long as I don’t miss my bus!!!
He helps me put my two suitcases for my month long Best of the Road trip on his little vehicle and pedals his mighty legs through the sheets of rain and zig zagging through congested traffic and even through a red light. Go Mr. Pedicab Man!
We get to my bus 2 mins shy of it’s departure. Whew! A BIG thank you to Mr. Pedicab Man. I am eternally grateful.
[VIDEO]: Dim Sum in Flushing
If you don’t know what you’re doing, going for dim sum in New York City’s second largest Chinatown can be nerve-wracking. With too many options and pushy dim sum cart ladies dumping undecipherable items onto your table, how are you supposed to navigate through this chaos and find an authentic dim sum place—especially if you don’t speak Chinese?
I considered my sister’s advice about discovering a good authentic Chinese restaurant in New York City: #1. Low sanitary ratings and #2. Low yelp ratings. I could do some extensive research following this suggested algorithm and trek over to Flushing to practice my practically non-existence Chinese or I could harness the powers of social media and reach out on Facebook to my former elementary school buddy, Mandarin speaker, and dim sum connoisseur, Henry, to help me get through the language barrier standing between me and an earth-shattering dim sum experience. I choose the latter.
Featured in this video:
Asian Jewels Seafood Restaurant
13330 39th Ave Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 359-8600
Nearest subway station: 7 train to Main St Station
Produced by Patricia Serrano & Yohei Suzuki
Edited by Christopher Quintano
Music by Christopher Quintano
[VIDEO]: Authentic Paella in New York City - Socarrat Paella Bar
I absolutely LOVE PAELLA but I also love eating with people who grew up eating the dish so I know how to eat the dish properly and whether or not what I'm eating actually tastes authentic. So, I go with Daniel, a real-live Spaniard who lives in New York City to a paella bar to find out whether it's really authentic. Produced and Edited by Patricia Serrano
Here's where we went:
284 Mulberry St (at E. Houston) b/t Houston St & Jersey St in Nolita Phone number (212) 219-0101
[VIDEO]: The Windsor Gansevoort Park - An Uber Classy Manhattan Sports Bar
I find a classy alternative to the normal sports bar in midtown Manhattan that would please both sports lovers, fancy gourmands and cocktail snobs alike.
Address: 420 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10016
Phone:(646) 380-5301
Nearest subway: 28 St stop (6 train)
Video Produced and Edited by Patricia Serrano.
[VIDEO]: How to Make A Half Windsor Cocktail
One thing I LOVE is a well-made cocktail and New York CIty has too many great cocktails. I am lucky enough to have as my friend, Ben Scorah, the head Mixologist of Crown Group Hospitality and in this video, he teaches me how to make their specialty cocktail, The Half Windsor. Why don't you follow along and make your own at home?
Half Windsor
Vodka 1.5 oz
Cucumber Juice 3/4 oz
Lime Juice 1/2 oz
Agave mixed with water 1/2 oz
Video Produced and Edited by Patricia Serrano. Shot by Evan Groll at The Windsor Gansevoort Park
[VIDEO]: How To Make A Porn Star Martini
Yummmm.... my friend Ben Scorah, the head Mixologist of Crown Group Hospitality also teaches me how to make another super fun specialty cocktail, the Porn Star Martini. Follow along and make your own at home!
Porn Star Martini
42 Below Passionfruit Infused Vodka 2 oz
Fresh Passionfruit
Lime Juice 1/2 oz
Vanilla-Infused Simple Syrup 3/4 oz
Video Produced and Edited by Patricia Serrano. Shot by Evan Groll at The Windsor Gansevoort Park
