Julie's Adorabowls & Jewelry

                                      

love.

                                      

                                      

                                              

                                      

                                                

                                        

                                              

                                      

                                              

                                      

                                          

                                       

                                       

                                                                                    

                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                

For prices & information, click here.

until next time,

g

Dear ChaCha

After getting her new Droid and experiencing her first tech device with GPS capability, my mother was convinced that tiny little people lived inside her phone.

"How does it know where I am?"
"How does it know what I'm doing?"
"But, really - how does it know?"

Well, Mom, here's another tidbit to make you feel like you really do have a tiny little personal slave that lives underneath the screen of your phone.

Her name? ChaCha.

Yes, that's the unfortunate name they came up with. You can name it what you want to, but I do indeed have a phonebook entry in my blackberry titled "ChaCha" and I refer to it as a "she". Perhaps this is old news to some of you, but I have recently discovered the joys of ChaCha - thanks to a trendy younger sister of a close friend - and decided to pass it on.

Have you ever been somewhere and needed to know the answer to a question -- and you either don't  have a search engine on your phone or you're too lazy to sit there and wait for the page to load to try and pull up the right link that might have the information you're seeking?  ChaCha is for you. You simply text your question to 242-242 and voila - you have your answer!

It's perfect for: trivia nights (I won't tell), help in the kitchen, a debate with your friends ("how old do you think Bethenny Frankel is?"), if you need to know the score of a game OR if you're just walking around clueless wondering what everyone and their mom is talking about.

ChaCha won't judge.

Here are some sample questions from their website:

What is cytoplasm?
What is the weather in Naples, Florida?
What was last weekends Bengal’s game final score?
Where is a great Italian restaurant in Manhattan?
What is Procter and Gamble stock trading for?
What is the name of the stadium where the Cincinnati Reds play?

ABZ, did you help ChaCha with these? ;)

You can even just text weather + zipcode (ex: weather 10011) and ChaCha will give you a complete forecast. Plus, she's available 24/7.

As stated on their FAQs page , "ChaCha is free for you to use. You only pay standard text messaging rates from your carrier if they apply to you". After asking her a few questions (I know that there are multiple people that answer the questions, but I'd like to pretend ChaCha is a tiny lady under the screen, remember?), ChaCha asked me a couple things to personalize my settings  -  gender, type of phone, zipcode and age. 

The catch? ChaCha needs to make $. So she will send you 1 or 2 texts of advertisements in addition to your answer. It's just jibber jabber. Ignore.

Oh, and if you're skeptical like I am and ask the question "What came first, the chicken or the egg?", ChaCha will reply with "Science has not answered that key question, but I do know the Egg McMuffin came before the Chicken McNugget!"

Heh. So funny, ChaCha, so funny.

until next time,

g

NYC Summer Restaurant Week 2010

Yup, it's here. It's our semiannual chance to check out some of the finest dining in the city at a fraction of the cost.

image from www.nycgo.com

NYC Restaurant Week begins today and goes until July 25th. (yes, I realize it's more than one week. Alas, no one consulted me when naming the event.)

Normally, the restaurants offer a three-course lunch for $24 and/or a three-course dinner for $35. Check out the list of participating venues here. You can view the menus and offer details by clicking on the restaurant names.

Take a gander and book your reservations soon!

until next time,

g

4th of July Fireworks in NYC - 2010

Here's the scoop of where you can watch the fireworks this Sunday in NYC:

Macy's fireworks show will return to the Hudson River for the second consecutive year. (yay!)

The show will begin ~ 9:20PM.

According to About.com, "the best views will be from Manhattan's West Side between 23rd and 59th Streets and choice spots along the New Jersey waterfront. Keep in mind that the public viewing areas get extremely crowded, so arrive early (by 5 pm if you want a decent spot) and bring chairs or a blanket to spread out and whatever other supplies you need to enjoy the wait (water, food, iPods, etc.). Keep in mind that large bags and containers will be subject to security checks. The West Side Highway will eventually turn into a giant New York City block party. Just make sure you hit the bathroom before you get there – public restroom facilities will be crowded and disgusting if available at all (no official word on bathroom situation as of yet). The best views of the fireworks show will be from the northbound lanes of the West Side Highway and 12th Avenue between 23rd and 59th Streets. Pedestrian access to the viewing area will be via the following streets: 24th, 26th through 30th, 34th, 40th through 44th, 47th, 49th through 52nd,54th, 56th, and 57th."

Piers 54 & 84 are the only two piers that Macy's suggests for providing a clear view to the show. The rest will be closed.

Also (ABZ, this is for you), please note that the Highline will be closed.  Due to the anticipated crowds and space limitations of the Highline, the New York City Police Department is requiring the park to close at 6:00 PM Sunday. Regular park hours will resume on Monday, July 5th.

Besides apartment rooftops and places that are either sold out or charging an exorbitant cover fee, you can also head to The Sky Room at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Times Square (330 W. 40th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 212-380-1195). New York Magazine says that at 400 feet above ground, there shouldn't be much to obstruct your view at this brand-new rooftop bar. There's no cover and reservations for table service are available. Of the different areas there, the Northside Terrace will be the best place to watch the show.

 

Whether you're in the city or enjoying your holiday elsewhere, may you all have a fun, happy & safe 4th of July.

 

image from here

until next time,


g