The Egg House

June 9, 2018

I visited the Egg House back in April when it first opened with my sisters. I saw it from @feedyourgirlfriend's Instagram and it looked cute so I figured why not, I was going to be in the city for the day anyway.

The ticket fee was $18 which isn't terrible, but I think it's a little expensive for what it was from my experience. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it as much as I did the Museum of Ice Cream in LA. In my opinion, it felt a little like a Walmart rip off version of MOIC. The egg pool is akin to the sprinkle pool, as the hanging spatulas are to the hanging bananas, and the cracked egg swing are to the ice cream sandwich swing. There were some cute original aspects though like the floating balloons and the clouds to make it look like a sunny side up egg, and the giant carton with giant eggs.

The Egg House is set up like a "house" per se, but it's an open space for the most part with one extra room and a basement downtairs. It's the living area of an egg called Ellis. But it was kind of more like an egg studio apartment than a house. The areas are all open to each other so you can see everything at a glance. MOIC is set up so you walk room to room and monitored so no one room overcrowds to ruin the experience. Although these tickets were sold in batches, it seems they didn't stagger the number of visitors enough and the space is relatively small so the experience felt a little cramped and it felt like a one conveyor belt line to experience everything and take photos. The pool was one of the more popular pieces of the show so that took the longest to get to, as well as the fact that it's located towards the back. And once there, of course, everyone wants to take their time and get as many photos as possible so that further boggles down the line. This is the problem with some pop-up ideas. They spend too much time making one idea great and half ass on others. I would rather the pop ups give equal effort into each "room" and make it all equally amazing. But of course, you never know what people will love more than others until you put the idea into motion and see what happens.

My favorite was the giant egg carton. It was more unique to this exhibit and really cute. The egg pool is cute but I wish you could sit in it a little deeper for some reason. The egg swing and the rocking egg is cute too.

I went on a Saturday and I would have to say I regret it. I know people who went on a weekday and during a less busier time like lunch and had the place all to themselves. I felt a little rushed trying to get my pictures in and didn't have time to think so I just went into auto-pilot of basic easy poses for photos. It probably would've been better had I went on a weekday and been able to take my time and take as many cute pics as I wanted and a better experience as well with the place being more 'clean' in a sense that they would've had it all tidied and ready to go for the next guest. Since it was a Saturday and busy, it was like a conveyor belt getting one person in and one person out so they never reset up the pool for the next guest. You just jump in. And sometimes you're sharing the pool with another guest. I would've liked a picture with the entire pool in the frame and all by myself. Yes, I'm already aware I'm vain. This is nothing new.

And they also had Eggloo available to them from what I saw from other visitor's photos on Instagram. When I went, the Eggloo vendor was not available so no waffles and ice cream for me. Only cold egg tarts that weren't very fresh. That's the other thing about the price. For $18, it should be the same experience all around. the Eggloo vendor was something I was looking forward to and I was disappointed it wasn't included in that day's admission. Luck of the draw, I guess but they should've had something else to substitute to make up for it.

I don't mean for my post to be a negative review of the pop up, because I did enjoy it. I just feel there's room for improvement and changes to make it a better and more similar experience from guest to guest in terms of quality. But this is also a lesson the original MOIC in NY had to learn and it helped to make the LA one amazing. So hopefully they take any feedback they receive and make it even better. It would be really cool to see them do a new and improved Egg House 2.0! Like a version of Ellis when he moves up in money in the world and gets a nicer estate. The Egg Mansion, hahaha.

These new pop-ups and interactive exhibits are on the rise and I am definitely loving it, as a person who's always looking for something to do since I don't like to party or drink, but rather take fun photos and explore around NYC with my friends. So these are right up my alley. I do enjoy this trend and going from pop up to pop up. And since they're pop-up dessert shops opening up and being more aesthetic and designed with the gram in mind, with flower walls, tons of cute decor on the tables as well as super cute furniture and other gimmicks to draw you in. This is probably going to be that kind of summer as I eat my way through NYC from dessert place to dessert place. My sister laughed at me the other day as she realized that now that I'm maintaining my weight and physique and no longer trying to lose, what I've been doing is pumping my body full of poison on these days where I adventure through the city, and then spending the next 3-4 days working it off at the gym. It's a roller coaster of eating and then undoing the damage only to go back and do it all over again. But at least now I have it under control and I don't waste my cheats on the stuff I can get anywhere. I save my cheats up especially for exploring for the gram, hahaha.

Hopefully you guys enjoy as I eat my way through Manhattan this summer and review every new spot and pop up.

If you visited the Egg House, what did you think? Or sound off below if you're planning to go in the future. Do you enjoy pop-ups too?

Best Friends

June 8, 2018

Today is National Best Friends day.

It's funny because I have a very eclectic group of friends. My best friends are basically the people who were in my wedding party; my bridesmaids and my husband. I still have a strong and special relationship with each and it's funny because no matter how different each one of my friend is, the connection is the same. I love every one of them and I don't know what I'd without them in my life, even if we don't see each other every day or often or at all.

It's been a while since I've seen them all and I miss them so much.

One bridesmaid is a friend from the 3rd grade and my rock. She's the level headed one that always talks me back down to Earth when I'm being irrational. Funny because in high school, we were so crazy and wild together and now, she's the more sensible one.

One bridesmaid is a friend I met in the 7th grade and we lost touch in high school but reconnected during college years and have been glued since. We're both so alike and yet still so different in many ways. Sometimes we end up wearing the same outfit when we leave the house without even consulting each other. And never has one of us looked to the other and went "Well, one of us has to change." Hahaha.

One bridesmaid is a friend from college that I met at freshmen orientation and we've been together since as well. Our friendship was small at first but then grew into something more as we battled through the basic bitches and idiot personalities at pharmacy school, and then extended beyond college.

My last bridesmaid is my most recent friend and yet that relationship is just as unwavering. I met her in 2010 during my first summer at CVS as an intern. She was just there to help fill staffing issues but something clicked. She brought out the workaholic in me to my fullest potential while I probably only brought out the worst in her as I was that bad influence friend your parents warn you about. We were amazing at filling everything in record time and my boss's strongest techs, but we also spelled out TROUBLE when we were put on the schedule together.

Sometimes I wonder how these people put up with my shit though, lol. I'm not dumb. I know I have a loud and strong personality and it's not for everyone. I'm very outspoken, opinionated, and out there. I imagine I can come off pretty abrasive to other people, both people who know me and people who don't know me well. Brazen was the term used in college to describe me once.

Actually, this reminds me of a conversation I had at work a while back.
Originally I was talking about the houses in Harry Potter and how I didn't feel like I belonged to any of them, really. I got sorted into Ravenclaw on one occasion and I can see why but I didn't feel like I belonged there still. Friends say I'm Slytherin and I can see why there too but I still don't truly feel like that's my house. I never really thought of myself as Gryffindor either because I'm not very brave in my definition of the word. You won't find me first in line to sky dive, or go bungee jumping off a cliff. I get scared when the boy drives way too fast and I'm easily frightened at Halloween Horror Nights even though that's all fake too. I'm so jumpy even at work when people enter the room and I'm unaware they're there. I don't like public speaking and being in charge so I'm not that person that likes to volunteer and spearhead projects, even though I can do it when push comes to shove. But that's just my definition of brave.

A fellow pharmacist overheard the conversation and cut in and said she considered me to be very brave, actually. She felt the way I carried myself, in the way I dress, my personality, and my presence to her, was very brave. She loves the way I dress, but thought it took a lot of courage to dress how I want to dress everyday still even when people say stuff to me and judge me. And for me to continue doing what I love and the way I carried myself and lived my life, in spite of what others might think. She said she thought the world was very cruel and for me to still have the spirit I have in spite of it, was very brave.
I thought it was a nice insight and a fresh look from someone else. You don't know how you come off to others all the time and I thought it was really nice that she admired that of me.
I don't consider myself brave at all because all the things she talked about, I didn't feel they were brave. I just felt they were normal for me. But that's part of the bravery. It's not always doing things that you personally are scared of doing.

Sometimes I don't give myself enough credit for the things I do, simply because I see them as normal and things I would ordinarily do anyway. I see other people doing more and greater things than I do so I always feel like I'm not worth noting. But it doesn't mean I should discredit myself at the same time. I do a lot for my friends, family, coworkers, patients, and even strangers sometimes. More than I should, a lot of the time. But I think it's just a part of who I am. Funny, sometimes while I'm doing these things, a part of me even says why are you doing this? Would they do the same for you? And it's sad because a lot of the times, the answer is no. I think I do more for people than they would ever do for me and I'm not even sure why. It's just in my nature. I continue even though I know it won't be appreciated in the way I would like to be appreciated for what I do for people. But that's the thing. I do it not expecting anything back. I do in the hopes that one day when I need help, the other party would do the same for me.

But most of the times, I choose not to play the card because I'm so afraid to ask for help and I'd rather do things myself. But that's when I suffer. I also need to learn to ask for help when I need it. It's funny because I'm open to talking to other people when they're feeling down and need a friend. But I myself don't know exactly how to reach out when it's my own soul that needs healing. I chalk it up to human nature though. It's a very scary feeling opening up to someone. You don't want to appear weak and vulnerable. You don't want to look like a bitchass. But the funny thing is, when my family and friends reach out because they're hurting, I don't think that of them. So why do I think that others will think that of me? I don't know what I'm afraid of honestly.

LOL, I have no idea how I digressed this far from the original topic of best friends.
Basically the main point was sometimes I catch myself thinking and wondering why my friends are friends with me. When I get self conscious, I wonder if I come off as too much to them. I actually have no care how I come off to strangers, but how are these people still sticking around? Aren't you sick of me yet? My husband is sick of my shit 99% of the time, and somehow he's still madly in love with me. Wonders of the world. But I know they do care and love me as much as I love them because of all the amazing things they do for me. I'm the girl that celebrates her birthday the entire month. I'm excessive. And my friends DO feed into it, lol. They take off for my birthday celebrations, they travel all the way just for a day to see me. They send me cute ass cards in the mail and thoughtful gifts. They get me beautiful cakes, yes, cakes as in plural, even a Tiffany box cake with a crystal red bottom shoe. And they even bond together to surprise me with a beautiful pair of real Loubies. They go on vacation with me and put up with all the ridiculous things I want to do and all the places I want to hit up just for a photo. And they try hard to get the shot for me. Hahaha, listen if they're not willing to do anything for the shot for the gram for you, are they really your best friends? LOL.

But if I reverse the scenario and wonder what draws me to my own friends and why do I stick around, I don't think negatively about things like that as to why my friends aren't sick of me. I can't get enough of my friends sometimes. I always want more time with them but alas, adulting does not allow for such luxuries as you get older and responsibilities settle in. As we get older, I spend less and less time with the people I want and our lives start to grow apart and thinking about it gets me really sad. I try my best to make time for my friends as much as I can but the stars do not always align. I also always worry about my friends thinking I'm not doing enough for them or living up to my potential of being a good friend. I try my best but sometimes I wonder if there's any more I could have done to help. I don't want them to think I'm not there or don't care. I don't want my own friendship to be questioned. I want them to have that confident feeling there that I'm always down for them whenever they need me.

These are the late night ramblings of my tired self when I'm left alone with my thoughts, lol. Ignore me.

Bonus point, comment below what house you think I fall into, or what you would sort me into!

The Pint Shop

June 7, 2018

The Pint Shop is a new art installation and shopping experience created by the Museum of Ice Cream to help promote their new Target collaboration. It's like a baby Museum of Ice Cream, essentially. It just opened up yesterday and you bet your bottom dollar I hopped my little ass there today on my day off. It's running from now until August so make sure you stop by before it's gone!

For those of you who don't know, the Museum of Ice Cream is an interactive art installation that consists of several rooms with different themes, colors, props and sensory experiences. It's an artist's vision of how ice cream brings people together and makes them instantly happy, brought to life in a dream world like playground. It originated in summer of 2016 in NYC, but ironically I did not get to experience the NYC location. I didn't hear about it until after it was sold out and ended for the summer. But from what I read, it wasn't that great back then in its beginnings. The NYC version was the modest one and generally considered overpriced. I honestly can't tell since I never made it there. But the following summer, they opened an LA location and I was able to make it to that one in the fall for my birthday. And that one, I can tell you was awesome. I've never seen or experienced anything like it. My favorite experiences were the sprinkle pool, the giant gummy bears and the ice cream sandwich swing. It was a lot of fun and I really hope to one day be able to attend the San Francisco location before that one gets closed down too. The Miami one opened last winter and has since closed as well. It's on the move to its next mystery location currently but this Pint Shop was a return to its roots for the summer. It's also notable that it's free compared to it's MOIC big sister counterparts.

I stopped by today with my friends and family and it was so much fun! I loved it and I look forward to going back there again with my friend Kayla and Kerri later on this summer so they can both experience it. And well I'm the ice cream queen.

The Pint Shop itself is filled with 6 aisles of cute merchandise, dedicated to the 7 unique flavors being promoted by this unique experience. The flavors will drop in Target stores July 8th. A line of children's clothing and accessories recently launched in Target this past week as well.
The aisles are beautifully lined with adorable merch and albeit a little overpriced in my opinion, still ridiculously cute and unique to the company's brand. The cheapest thing you can purchase actually are the pints of ice cream themselves. And yes, they have a tasting station where you can taste all the flavors before purchasing, as long as they are in stock. Today I tried Vanillionaire, Chocolate Crush, Churro Churro and Cherrylicious. Cherrylicious was my favorite. It tasted like a nice hint of cherry and not like that artificial medicine cherry counterpart I hate. Nana Banana, Pinata and Sprinkle Pool weren't available to try but alas, not to worry! I will back and update you guys. I didn't take a pint home though since it wouldn't survive the trip home from NYC to Long Island before becoming ice cream soup.
The items you can buy include keychains, pins, yoga mats, lunch bags, tote bags, tumblers, stainless steel water bottles, backpacks, ice cream pop makers, hats, plushes, and even sprinkle crowns. And yes, everything is a little expensive than one would expect. The sprinkle crown was definitely unnecessarily expensive but you bet your bottom dollar I bought it because YOLO.
One side of the shop was filled with aisles of merchandise, with the middle of the room containing the freezers filled with the pints you can buy, and on the other side resided three life sized pints for cute photo ops; one was a smaller lite version of the banana room from LA, one was a sprinkle pool swing, and one was a cherry pool. Of course these giant pints were where there were the longest lines and waits. Mostly the cherry pool, which is funny since that was the case with the sprinkle pool in LA.

The shop is free to look around and browse at your leisure but they do also offer tasting experiences which are ticketed experiences and $38 a pop for 30 minutes and grant you access to the shop without waiting on line outside. I haven't yet decided if I wanted to participate in this but they are also offering "pint sessions" later this summer although details regarding them have yet to be released. And although free, the Pint Shop, similar to the MOIC, is a controlled experience, meaning they only allow a certain amount of people in at a time to help keep the experience at a comfortable level. I like this since it helps prevent overcrowding and you can get the best pictures without too many people in your shot this way. Everyone was really nice and it was a really fun time. I would love to go back.

I would have to say this is my favorite of the interactive "rooms" trend. I visited the Egg House about a month and a half ago, and while still fun and interesting, I would have to say it's overpriced for what it offered compared to MOIC and the Pint Shop. I'll blog about the Egg House later on this month when I get a chance. I still have to move all my 20,000+ photos off my phone onto my computer. It's been a process.

I'll try to blog about the MOIC in LA if I can find and upload those pics too.

Ironically, the Pint Shop was not the focal point of my adventure today originally. I was supposed to finally make it over to Mister Dips. I've been trying to go there since last summer but never seem to make my way fully over there. I didn't mean to spend so much time at the Pint Shop considering how small it is in comparision to the MOIC, but it really is a lot to take in on the first visit and I didn't want to leave. Here are pics from earlier in the day when I ventured around the city with my baby sis while waiting for everyone else to get out of work to join.
We went to lunch at Gemma, originally planning on trying a rigatoni dish we saw on the gram but upon arrival learned that the dish has been discontinued and no longer available for the season. The waiter recommended the pappardelle to us and oh man, it was amazing. 10/10 would have again. The pizza was really good too. We finished everything and headed down to Milk and Cream to try their Birthday Cake before they discontinued that special too. We browsed some shops and art galleries on the way there too since we were waiting for everyone else to get out. As you can see, I'm still immature AF.