Monthly Archives: October 2017

Sanctuary Salon: Brooklyn, NY

Sanctuary Salon Outside

Located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn this salon opened late summer 17 is exactly as the name suggests. Walking in the space is serene, the decor is soft and subtle with plants and murals throughout. Owner Jill Syslo of Sacred Skin NYC wanted to create a warm comfy environment while offering top notch hair services. I was immediately offered a glass of wine by my colorist/stylist James, it was a friday afternoon after all.

Owner Jill Syslo

Colorist/Stylist James

Interior

He gave me a consultation and we decided on a single process and balyage to update my look for fall. Having done lots of color and summer, pools, and salt water my hair needed a little work. He lightened up my base a bit and gave me golden highlightes around the front. I ended up with a golden look I love. He also gave me a great blowout that lasted for days. I also received a much needed Olaplex treatment to keep my hair healthy and shiny. The salon also offers cuts, bang & neck trims as well as Keratin.

Sanctuary Salon 677 Lorimer Brooklyn, NY 11211 (929) 373 – 8682 sanctuarysalonnyc@gmail.com

Posted on October 30, 2017 | Image

Celebrate Halloween at The Raines Law Room’s decadent Halloween Masquerade Ball at The Shakespeare at the William @TheWilliamNYC

It’s almost time to get your costumes and masks out to come celebrate Halloween at The Masquerade Ball at The Shakespeare. Dine, Drink, and Dance the night away with a special performance by The Rakiem Walker Project. Taking place on Saturday evening the 28th from 8pm to 2am.

General Admission Tickets are $25 and all the entertainment is included. Every room has a special surprise. Food and drinks are extra.

For $145 you get a premium open bar with a variety of light bites and 3 specialty cocktails.

Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.theshakespearenyc.com/store/event/masquerade/

The William is located at 24 east 39th street between Park and Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016 (646) 837-6779.

theshakespearenyc.com

Posted on October 24, 2017 | Image

Tapa Lounge and Hookah Bar Murray Hill NYC

Exterior Tapa Lounge

Interior Tapa Lounge

The newest addition to an area that is filled with Indian eateries is Tapa. Led by restaurateur Abishek Sharma (Swagat, Surya, and Badshah), this colorful cocktail and hookah lounge serves Indian Tapas and cocktails in a relaxed laid back environment.

Naan Bread

Setting Tapa apart is the menu focused on an extensive bread bar with eight varieties of the classic Indian naan bread. Our favorite was the Prime Time, sliced prime cut rib-eye steak, cheddar, monterey jack and mozzarella, served with a smoky chipotle dipping sauce. A nice vegetarian option is the Eat Your Veggies lay with mushrooms, olives, and truffle oil, topped with marinara or mint sauce.

Our favorites from the Tapas menu include the Badass Chicken Tikka marinated in a houseblend of spices, yogurt and jalapeños, Agni “Fire Wings” prepared spicy or “want to cry” extra spicy, or for none spice enthusiasts, butter-chicken style, and the Masala Calamari tossed in Indian Masala sauce.

Sassy Lassi

Hookah

Mixologist Warren Bayami (Summit Bar, Badshah) created signature cocktails like the Sari Not Sari (tequila, lime, cucumber, mint, with a salted rim), Flight to Mumbai (gin, lime juice, cardamom), and Sassy Lassi, our favorite, made with housemate mango lassi and rum.

Over 40 flavors of Hookah are available to enjoy divided into three sections in different price ranges from the House Hookah, Exotic Hookah, and the Exclusive Hookah.

Tapa is located at 102 Lexington Ave. New York, NY 10016. (646) 657- 0512. tapaloungenyc.com

Posted on October 14, 2017 | Image

Murrells Inlet & Pawley’s Island South Carolina: Vacation Destination on the Hammock Coast

Beaches Aerial Shot

Marsh Walk

Pawley’s Island Beaches

South Carolina offers hundreds of miles of coastline with beautiful beaches and waterfront communities that make for a great vacation destination and also a popular retirement destination from the north with favorable real estate prices and warmer weather year round.

The Hammock Coast comprises of of several areas with Georgetown being the city center and Murrells Inlet, Pawley’s Island, Garden City and Litchfield Beach dotting the coastline.

We flew into Myrtle Beach about a 20 minute drive from Murrells Inlet. Spirit offer nonstop service and both Delta and American offers convenient flights from the Northeast.

Exterior Inlet Sports Lodge

Inlet Sports Lodge Room

Pool Inlet Sports Lodge

The newest and most comfortable property in Murrells Inlet is The Inlet Sports Lodge. A boutique property with luxurious touches and a real homey feel. Located only a mile north of Murrells Inlet Marshwalk and Marina, the dining and entertainment capital of the area as well as a starting point for boat rides, fishing expeditions as well as water sports rentals. Rooms range from deluxe studios to luxury suites. All rooms feature kitchenettes with full size refrigerators, cooking utensils, and a sleeper sofa. These rooms are perfect for families or a group of friends sleeping 4 comfortably. Luxury suites are identical to studio suites with an adjoining room.

The Wicked Tuna

Inlet Crab House

Costa Restaurant

Bistro 217

Coming from New York City and often writing about food we are pretty jaded when we travel about what to expect. We were very pleasantly surprised with the burgeoning foodie scene with many top notch eateries offering everything from local seafood, which is fresh and delicious, to Italian cuisine and beyond. Here is a list of our favorite restaurants:

The Wicked Tuna: A massive multi-floor waterfront restaurant overlooking the marsh walk. The menu is seafood based with the freshest sushi in the area. Specialties include just caught “Catch of the Day”, varies nightly, a raw bar, fresh crab and for meat lovers there are various Steak and Ribs options. The must have dessert is the S’more’s Baked Alaska, Layers of chocolate cake and chocolate marshmallow gelato, covered in toasted Italian meringue. Served with chocolate ganache and graham cracker crumble. On many evenings there is live music played in front on the marsh walk. Thewickeduna.com 4123 Highway Business Murrells Inlet, SC 29576 (843) 651-9987

Inlet Crab house and RawBar: Family owned and operated in Murrells Inlet since 1992. The Crab House is the only Captain and family owned eatery in the area. As the name suggests the menu is seafood based with crab being the obvious specialty. The She Crab Soup is world famous. The crab cakes are huge filled with fresh crabmeat and the Crabhouse Steam Pots let you try a bunch of items including clams, mussels, spicy shrimp, oysters, crab legs, sausage, corn and potatoes. Servings are plentiful and most definitely can be shared. Cocktails offered are frozen creations with locally themed names like “Inlet Freeze”: Pina Colada, Raspberry, and Rum. Inletcrabhouseandrawbar.com 3572 Highway 17 Murrells Inlet, SC (843) 651- 8452

Costa Coastal Kitchen & Bar: Located Adjacent to the Inlet Sports Lodge. A real find with excellent fare. Classic Italian favorites created by Chef Jimmy. Shrimp Olivia and Crab Stuffed mushrooms are a must for appetizers and The Zuppa de Pesce and the Chicken Marsala are delicious main courses. A wonderful wine list is available to pair with the meal. Costamyrtlebeach.com 46-06 US 17 Business Murrells Inlet, SC 29576 (843) 299- 1970

Bistro 217 in Pawley’s Island offers a refined American Menu with lots of seafood and meat dishes. Co- owned by Anne Hardee and Chef Adam Kirby both with over 20 years in the restaurant business. Painted brick walls, wrought iron tables and cozy booths and banquets. Bistro 217 is perfect for date night or a business lunch/dinner. Bistro217.com 10707 Ocean Highway Pawley’s Island, SC 29585 (843) 235-8217

Things to do In Murrells Inlet:

Huntington Beach State Park

Black River Outdoors Kayaking Tour

Huntington Beach State Park offers sandy pet friendly beaches, picnic tables, bird watching and alligator viewing.

Brookgreen Gardens 9100 acres of manicured landscaped gardens, exquisite sculpture gardens, a zoo with many species local to the region. Offers several tour daily, workshops, classes. Weekly passes available.

Black River Outdoors offers guided eco-tours through the salt marsh, on the Waccamaw River, swamp tours, and bird watching tours. Extremely experienced, family friendly and knowledgeable guides will teach guests about the area, look for wildlife, and will provide both adults and kids an authentic nature filled kayaking experience. Blackriveroutdoors.com