On my way home from Jones Beach...

Rock The Bells 2009, Jones Beach, NY. If you weren’t there, you missed the best show of the summer thus far. I am a huge music fan, especially Hip-Hop. I most definitely got my fix this past weekend. If you aren’t familiar with RTB, it’s an annual all day music festival filled with top MC’s and groups. This is my second year attending and this year was amazing b/c I was 1 row back from the stage. Seriously, I don’t think I can do another show in the back b/c I felt like I was on stage with them and the energy was crazy, totally different being in the back as I was last year. I had a chance to witness: K’Naan, Big Boi, The Roots, Common, Talib Kweli, Wu-Tang, The Lox, KRS-1, Pete Rock, Supernatural, Nas & Damian Marley just to name a few. By far, I am a fan of this wonderful event and I would highly recommend anyone to go especially if you like good music and Hip-Hop. 5 stars, nothing less! See you next year!

Husband

Get Your Umbrella Drink for 230 Fifth

My husband and I love to eat Brunch. So my husband found 230 Fifth, a restaurant on the rooftop of a building near midtown. We walked in and were greeted by the security and told to stay right, we walked toward the end of the hallway where there was an elevator waiting for us. I checked my makeup and looked in the mirror to make sure I fit the part.

We arrived at the 15th floor where we were told to walk up one more flight. We were greeted by someone who guided us to our seats. He asked whether we wanted the sun or the shade, but we didn't answer. He sat us at a table where there was both sun and shade. My husband doesn't like the sun, but he sat in the sun because I refused to be in the sun. There was a seat right next to me, so he sat next to me. I'm sure the staff was not too happy that we took two places instead of one. One thing I wasn't too please with was the table. I was already imagining how I would eat because the table was very low. I started visualizing myself eating without dropping any food on myself. I was afraid the food would be cold by the time it got to my mouth, since I had to be careful in order to eat.

The decor and the ambiance of the restaurant really impressed me. It was as if we were in a different world, on an island somewhere. It was relaxing to sit and enjoy the music that played in the background. Just the right kind of music too. The soundtrack of the place was smooth but modern. The Dj played Michael Jackson's music, but not the kind where you gotta get up and dance, but just the type where you can just bop your head from side to side like Stevie Wonder.

I ordered the Homemade Lemonade to drink. Unfortunately, it had that fridge taste. You know the taste, like you're eating the inside of the fridge. It hardly tasted homemade. I also ordered the Pancakes, which were delicious. Although, I do think I can make them just as good.

We ended our brief stay by taking a few photos. Our greeter volunteered to take the photos, which I thought was very nice. He told us that the restaurant had only been opened for three years and that recently started to open for brunch. I'm sure they've been hit by the rough time. Anyway, I would definitely go to 230 Fifth and once again experience the island paradise in the middle of New York City.

-Wife
4 Stars - They've got my Stamp of Approval!

You gotta be cool to eat at 230...

230 Fifth, in NYC is a pretty cool restaurant. This spot is located blocks away from the Empire State building and if you are in town, I would suggest you stop by. It’s located on the rooftop, great views of Midtown and they even had a DJ spinning classics from Michael Jackson, just a wide range of different tunes. As we were eating, it felt like being at a cook out where you can enjoy good music and food at the same time. My wife and I had reservations for brunch, we arrived, were seated promptly. I ordered the Super Grilled Cheese w/ Fries and Cranberry juice. The food didn’t take long to come out and that is something I like when I go out to eat. The grilled cheese was pretty good, I enjoyed it. Based off brunch, the location, and the uniqueness of this restaurant, I would go back for Dinner especially late evenings just to absorb the sunset over the city and to see how it feels at night. I am giving 230 Fifth 3 stars. I will most definitely go back.

Husband

Go to Bus to Get Lost

One service we forgot to write about for the July 4th Weekend post is the Go To Bus. A friend of my husband recommended the bus service because she used it to come to New York. This was not our first experience on the bus, we used it before on a tour to Boston. We didn't have the best experience, but were desperate because we waited to book until the last minute.

We geared up for five hours of travel by getting a coffee and a muffin. The full stomach didn't prepare us for the big day of travel. We found out we were fortunate to have tickets to board the bus. We were lucky because lots of people were on standby. The only seats we found were at the front of the bus, but they seemed ok.

Everything was going fine on our trip until we started noticing little things here and there. Our bus driver didn't seem experienced enough. He started lightly hitting his leg as if he was a horse and was trying to make himself go faster. All this could be fine, but we lost total confidence when he stopped in the middle of the road to look at a map. I forgot to mention one thing, he had a GPS system that we could see from our seats. The weirdness didn't end there, the bus made one stop Baltimore before heading to DC. In Baltimore we were scorted by an employee of Go To because the bus driver didn't know where he was going. There were lots customers other than us volunteering to give him direction, but he didn't listen.

On the way back home from DC the only problem was getting a bus that was not full. The driver seemed experience and we didn't lose any time. If you want to travel and use the Go To Bus service I would recommend you skip holidays and days before or after holiday, otherwise you'll get stuck with whomever they can find to drive.

-Wife
2.5 stars