New York à la Keiko: nykeiko eats, plays, shops....May was cray!

Well hello there! May has come and gone and I cannot believe that it is already June! It has been a while since I've posted something properly. My last few posts were about shopping so you must think that all I do is shop, shop, shop, but tis not (fully) true! I have been pretty occupied and simply have not found the time to sit down and write. I must admit though, when I do have time on the weekend, I choose to nap. Work has been draining for me lately.

Here are some snapshots from May which some of them may have already appeared on my Instagram!

We welcomed May with another beautiful hike. This time we were at Harriman State Park.

After hiking, we rewarded ourselves with a large $12 bin soo (korean shaved ice) at Cafe Mocha in Palisades Park. Totally ate it all.

We finally tried Rai Rai Ken which opened in Harlem not too long ago. Wasn't too impressed with the ramen. I don't really remember if I enjoyed the original Rai Rai ken in the East village but I sure didn't like this one... maybe being served from plastic take-out containers turn me off.

After about two years of purchasing a replica of this map with plans of framing it, David decided to buy the original map (somewhere on eBay) and frame it instead. Here it is!

We went to The Shrine World Music Venue in Harlem to support a friend who was singing with his pals from Burkina Faso called 'Mano'. It was a great set and we had lots of fun!

Passed by Marrimeko and saw this cloth on sale for 50% off. I met up with Dave and had him take a look before we decided that this would be the piece of cloth we wanted on our wall. Now it's stored somewhere until we buy stretcher bars for it.

Catching up on House of Cards. Just finished season 2 and starting season 3...yesss I am behind! Usually I can binge watch and finish a show but I need to take breaks with House of Cards or else it gets too intense for my little brain.

Went to 'Tiger' on opening day in the Flatiron District. Tiger is a store from Copenhagen which sells everything under the sun for super cheap! I'd say most of the things are under $15. This colorful pillow cloud is only $5!

On the same day, there was an announcement that 190 Bowery Street would be open to the public for the first time in 30 something years for an art showing by Vito Schnabel. A big crowd gathered outside only because no one was going in. Apparently, you needed to RSVP but the public obviously did not know this information. People that could not get in seem to be just hanging around. Some random guys brought pizza and it could have easily become a cool hipster block party.

We RSVP'ed to see the exhibition two weeks later but since it's from Mon-Fri from 12 pm - 6 p.m., we didn't make it.

I started making popsicle again. This is yogurt, black cherry and honey pop.

Citizen M organized an art workshop for Citizen M collaborators, ambassadors, bloggers and influencers. The night ended at Painting Lounge where we all got to show off our creative skills.

Cat-sitting Laurie's cats, Foxy and Diamond, for a week was easy peasy. We bought a laser pointer which drove them nuts but kept them skinny.

Went to Carnegie Hall for the first time. Friend's mom couldn't make it so I was a happy seat filler. We watched a mix of three different choirs and orchestras and I just found something new in the city to appreciate.

Dave's mom discovered Indian food and asked Dave to bring her to try more! We happily obliged. We brought them to Malai Marke in the East Village. The price and dishes were really good. We had the lunch specials and it was more than enough for everyone to share.

Our favorite cheap eat in the city. Wonton noodle soup with extra veggies with porc or duck leg at Wong Kee restaurant (102 Mott St.). This bowl is only $7 (would be $5-$6 without the meat)! Don't forget to ask for their homemade chili garlic hot sauce.

Finally went back to Tribeca Grand hotel after five years! Dave had the most expensive margarita we have ever had. Not sure if it was worth the price tag of $22 but we decided it was to celebrate something like my five years in the city or something (even though we were two months late). Oh we also had a $7 dinner before which we thought helps validate the price of the drink.

One fine Saturday, we parked our butts on some blankets in Washington Square Park and enjoyed the shade in the sun for an hour before we went looking for food. Here is Dave trying to lure a squirrel into his bag. This little fur ball was getting over-friendly thinking we had food so we wanted to teach him a lesson. He got close but since we did not have food, our trick did not work. I bet if we had nuts in there, he would have jumped right in.

Our good friend Laurie just opened up a new pediatric dentistry clinic right smack in Harlem! She threw a party with all of her close friends and family. We're so very proud of her. The space is beautiful. Looking for a dentist for your child? Check out Open Bright Pediatric Dentistry!

Laurie gave us leftovers from the party. There was a lot of cheese left which she end up giving to us. We had about 5 different types of cheese in our fridge that week and I had to find a way not to waste. Here's my super gooey and satisfying mac and cheese.

A new vanity for our guest room but is now in our bedroom because we currently don't have any guests.

Joined colleagues for happy hour at a bar after work one day but I opt for fries, cheese and gravy instead of beer.

We have been hanging around the East Village a lot. Here's a random meal at Otto's Tacos, a grab and go taqueria. I usually don't like tacos but I enjoyed these very much. The shrimp and mushroom ones before my fave.

One saturday afternoon with Racked Fit Club brought me all the way to Brooklyn Heights for a Xtend Barre class. My second time trying barre and like the first time, it is tough!

Another day in the east village brought us to Noreetuh for some Hawaiian-inspired cuisine. Will dedicate a blog post about it soon!

One afternoon in Harlem, we finally tried this new restaurant called The Handpulled Noodle in Harlem on 148th and Broadway. This is the spicy cumin lamb langman noodle dish which was decently spicy and comparable to Xi'an famous noodle's spicy cumin lamb. The spicy noodles paired well with their Tiger salad which is a mix of cilantro and celery in a nice vinaigrette. We also tried the traditional herbal beef soup which was not a standout for me.

I bought a bag of miso paste from my trip to Japan and try to make miso soup at least once a week. Apparently it's healthy and since it is easy to make, I recommend it! I like to put tofu, seaweed and enoki.

Citizen M invited me to a blogger bag design workshop with Kasia Dietz. Here's the inside pocket of my tote bag.

The seafood paella at Kefi is very generous with the seafood portion.

A few more weeks before the permanent closing of FAO Schwarz, we decided to bid farewell to the store and also give the Big Piano one last look. The line was a bit long and when we saw that it was mostly children playing on there, we decided not to ruin it for them by taking up all the space. Maybe we should come back on a quiet day and I'll have my 'Big' moment.