Hot Tub Time Machine in Magical Realism

Thursday was a rushed day - worked from the regular office, then headed home and got ready for Hot Tub Cinema - a rooftop movie screening in Williamsburg. We had tried to do this when we were in London for the Olympics a couple of years ago, but the dates didn't work out, so I was super excited for them to finally launch in NYC! We got dressed, packed, and took the subway to the event. Space was right by the water with a pretty view of the Williamsburg Bridge on one side and the Manhattan skyline on the other.

Weather was still a bit cloudy, chilly, so we hung out for a bit, grabbed drinks and walked around. They had coat/bag checks, changing tents, and restrooms including a semi-functional shower. By each tub there were tables for food/drink and plastic bins for your clothes. Some people had bought takeout food which was kind of weird. During the movie servers came around periodically to bring drinks.

Before long the sun was setting and it was time to get into the tubs and watch the movie. It had been a long week and I wasn't overjoyed to head to Brooklyn on a Thursday, but it ended up being totally worth it. The water was so nice, just floating in the warm tubs with a cool drink, watching the beautiful misty skyline and enjoying a movie.

The crowd was kind of hipster-ific, but we had our own tub so weren't really affected by it. Had a couple glasses of wine and some beer along with a ton of bottled water. I had never seen the movie Hot Tub Time Machine and it was no masterpiece, but John Cusack and the guy Dale from Greek were in it, so that was fun.

After the movie ended, they filled our tub with bubbles and rubber duckies and there was a deejay. For some reason we got way more bubbles than everyone else (I said this was because ours was the only tub no one had peed into) and a few people asked to get into our tub but I said no. Ha!

Headed out around midnight, did a quick deck change and popped into Rosemary's before taking the subway home.

Went to sleep around 2am, then woke up at 6 to get into the office by 7am. Blaaah. Worked until 6, then headed out with Caroline for vinyasa yoga class. After yoga I went shopping at TJ Maxx and bought:
- Three pairs of workout pants,
- a top for yoga, and
- a shirt for A.

On the way home I met A at Hu Kitchen for dinner. He had roasted chicken and sweet potatoes, and I had moroccan chicken on their raw veggie bowl (shredded beets, kale, broccoli, and carrots.) It was terrific as always. Went home and vegged out to Sons of Anarchy on the Netflix.

Woke up decently early on Saturday, A brought us toasted bagels and iced coffee. He dropped off some stuff at the post office and UPS for me, then headed into the office to finish up some work before we leave for vacation. I headed out a bit before noon to:
- Return books/get new ones at the library,
- Return a skirt at Forever21,
- Pick up a couple of travel books/maps at The Strand
- Get a nice bright red mani/pedi.

On the way back I met up with A, and we went to buy him a new workout shirt, gels, and socks at Jackrabbit Sports. By that time we were really hungry so went to Hu Kitchen again and had the same exact meal as the night before!

Walked home, got changed, and headed to our gym for a mini-triathlon event they were hosting for charity:
- Did a 500 meter swim in the pool,
- Changed into bike/run clothes in the locker room,
- Biked 10 miles on the spin bikes. So boring, but it was so nice not to have to worry about sunscreen, helmets, etc.
- Then changed out of cycling shoes and into sneakers, and ran a 5k on the treadmills. That part was kind of fun, we did a program where the display showed courses in Wellington, New Zealand and Munich, Germany. So pretty!

After the mini-tri we went home, showered, A put the laundry in and I put on way too much makeup to go and help him fold. We ate a bunch of sugar snap peas before heading out to the "Midnight Classic Cocktails and Peking Duck Dinner" event as part of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic at Decoy, a new bar/restaurant under RedFarm. It was amazing. I meant to take home our menu but I forgot to so here goes with some vague recollections:

Course 1: Drink: Cognac punch made of ginger green tea, cognac, cardamom, and anis. So good and it was served in an ornate teacup - gotta love it! Food: Amuse of pastry cup filled with shredded strawberries, sliced green apple, and seared foie gras. I don't usually order or like foie, but this was delish, plus it was shaped like a little duck. (I don't know if that is sad or amusing, so I shall choose amusing.)

Course 2: Drink: "Forbidden City" - fruity gin drink shaken with egg white, kind of like a pink pisco sour infused with lavender and honey, served with a squiggle of carmelized sugar/lavender candy, in a french champagne glass. Not my fave, but still good. Good: Grilled octopus with radish, pickled ginger, and asparagus, in a light cold broth.

Course 3: Drink: "Flawless" - Hangar 1 vodka with rice vinegar, basil, soda and clear tomato juice with cherry tomato garnish and a salted rim. This was amazing, kind of like a liquid caprese salad - it was what I wish bloody marys tasted like. Food: Fried crab dumpling stuffed with pork in a dipping vegetable curry sauce. Not my favorite, but still tasty.

Course 4: Drink: "Eastern Pearl" - Tin Cup rye whisky from Colorado with paprika, balsamic vinegar, grilled pineapple and shredded lychee. Weirdly meaty tasting, which sounds gross but paired well with the beef. Food: Wagyu beef with kimchi. Very good!

Before the last course they had us do a shot of a palate cleanser - warm miso broth to get ready for the Peking Duck course!

Course 5: Drink: "Me and Mr. J" - I am not remembering what was in this drink or even what glass it was in. I asked about the name and the bartender said he and his boyfriend both love Amy Winehouse. I don't know. It was a tasty drink though. Food: Peking Duck with hoisin sauce, raspberry sauce, and peanut sauces, served with rolling pancakes. Very very good. Usually by this time into a multicourse tasting menu I am overly full/drunk but they did a great job of pacing/portion size so I was only moderately drunk/full.

The meal/atmosphere was great and we contemplated staying for another drink, but it was late and I had delusions of getting up decently early today so we walked home in the warm rain and went to sleep around 2am.

This morning I woke up around 9am, feeling decent but not amazing. Part of it was probably the lack of sleep/mass amounts of food/booze consumed, plus allergies I think. A went out to grab bagels and iced coffee, I took down the laundry from the clothesline, and we ate breakfast, cuddled up and watched SOA. He headed out to get a haircut and I went to get a keratin treatment for my hair.

We met up after that for some shopping - I bought:
- Six pack of sport socks,
- Ten coat hangers,
- Two dresses - one navy shift dress for work, one textured red dress for fun.

After that we went to Benny's Burritos for the first outdoor Mexican/Margaritas of the year, so much fun.

This entry brought to you by conspicuous overconsumption. And gladiator sandals.