#The Praise Of A Naturist

[nzubestruthblog]

The Praise Of A Naturist

I’m too cautious about ignoring your Laws And Principles Of Life, and my restraint in expressing them never implied unopinionated or disregard for the lessons you, NATURE, have taught me, for one can never hide your Glory. I do not call you OKIKE merely on your ability to create and recreate, for your ability to destroy has shown me how much you love me to have preserved me to this day.…

[vren-diagram]

a close relative's tendency to praise others as though their virtues were set in stone does often lead her to quietly endorse an incredibly naturist worldview

[johobi]

Falling, Falling, Gone

Word count: 5.8k

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Warnings: None really, it’s my first ‘SFW’ fic, though there is some extremely bad language in here. And there might be an erection because I can’t help myself.

A/N: This is the fourth and final ‘drabble’ for the drabble game I ran ages ago. Prompt: “The thought of me making out with someone else is ruining you.”

Music inspo: Don’t Be So Serious, Baby Don’t Stop, Waste It On Me

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23477485

Taehyung. Captain of the soccer team. Master of your heart. You'll never tell him for fear of rejection.

So why the fuck are you about to do it in front of dozens of his peers?

Banana and peanut butter become pulp in your mouth as you glare out the kitchen window. It's so grey out there. Greyer than it has any right to be. As if your dour mood has polluted the very atmosphere. Rain lashes the exterior in leaden pellets, each one compounding your headache like a rap on the head. Don't be so serious, your bluetooth speaker croons as you chew and chew, unblinking. The bridge of your glasses slip further down your nose but you don’t correct them. Don't be so serious.

Oh, but it's all so serious. 

Your final portfolio lacks in ways your mentor is incapable of articulating, and you only have so much time to fix it. Your college life is coming to a close. There are frighteningly few opportunities out there and they’re sure to spurn a sham like you. What do you do now? Where do you go from here—

"God, you listen to such depressing music," a husky voice sounds. It’s thick with sleep and horribly attractive. You hear his feet next; big and bare as they slap the tile floor and disrupt the ambience. 

Yes, dismal is an ambience. 

Before you glimpse the interloper himself, his fingers pilfer your next mouthful of toast. His other hand has your phone and is skipping through your carefully curated playlist of moody tunes. With all the scant energy you can muster, you glower at him. 

“Taehyung.” 

Soccer captain. Campus celebrity. Doofus.

Unlikely friend and unlikelier crush. But life is strange, and he is both these things. Indeed, he proclaims himself your best friend to all who will listen. As for the matter of your tender feelings, however, he is oblivious. And will remain so.

Taehyung is long-legged and limber-bodied, but round of face and feature. A kitten in a tiger’s pelt. Will mew for affection and roar when angry. Has quite literally nudged your hand for pets and raged at referees in the same afternoon. There is usually no in-between. 

Your scowl goes unseen. He sidles past like the oblivious buffoon he is and continues to tamper with Spotify.  Smears his peanut-buttered thumb around your phone display. Ugh. You brush back your hood and fix him again with extra scorn.

"Actually, douchebag, it’s good music for thinking. And I have a headache. I hardly wanna listen to something like—no, don't you dare put fucking Party Rock on right now. Tae!"

It’s too late. The lanky idiot is already gesticulating to the beginning beats. Your phone is an unreachable hostage in his flapping hands. You’re about to lunge for it but he preempts the attack by smothering you with your own hood. “Tae.” Your whining sounds all the more pitiful muffled. “Everyfing hurfs. ‘m hungover. Pleathe.” 

Taehyung relents after further, strangled pleas. Unwraps you with a grin that grows like the sunrise. For a moment, you’re dazzled. “Sorry. No more torture,” he chuckles all low, hair in his eyes. His locks are long and always untamed. An aureate crown befitting of his celebrity status. 

One swipe and he’s muted the racket and returned your phone. You turn the sticky thing over in your hands, rueing the day you met the overgrown imp. “How did you get it this dirty…?”

You go ignored and Taehyung gets closer. He scrutinises your hunched and hoodied appearance with a thoughtful hum. “Headache?” A rounded nose and two brown eyes come into focus. "Hungover? How? I didn't see you go out last night."

Averse to such study, you shy away. "Well, I did." You did not. You stayed home and guzzled $4 Prosecco while lamenting your trash portfolio. But you aren’t about to regale him with that pitiful tale. The sheerness of shame prevents you. Taehyung would be so sweet about it, too! So buoying, with his sunny smiles and fervent encouragement: "Why were you crying over that?!" He'd ask. "Your work is amazing. Seriously amazing. I love everything you do!" He'd gush. "People will be stumbling over themselves to hire you!" He'd continue, naively. And that hurts the most, because he just doesn't get it. Taehyung is a sponsored, collegiate athlete that's graduating into a guaranteed draft. He is—and always has been—praised widely as up-and-coming. The kid has had scouts scrapping for him mid-way through high school!

You, however, are small fry, swimming in a shoal of other unknowns, leaping for the hook of internship. Your dreams of animating for Disney died long back. They dwelled with Walt now.

But you don’t resent Taehyung for any of it. Ever. He’s a paragon. Born for the limelight. Has sweat and bled oceans for it. And for some reason he insists that you, too, are deserving of that same renown. Why? He’s ridiculous. Far too kind. And—Christ, he has a big dick.

"Taehyung, can you please not shove your tiny fucking penis in my face while I'm trying to eat? I'm nauseous enough as it is."

The soccer captain rests a foot on the seat next to you, giving you ungainly insight into his crotch. Taehyung, as he often, inexplicably is, is clad only in his boxer-briefs. This would be alarming were it not so goddamn commonplace. He is allergic to clothes.

According to him, he’s a naturist. 

According to you, he’s an attention whore.

Taehyung points to his elevated foot, but it's a little difficult to ignore the bulge he's brandishing. "Do you understand the concept of inappropriate proximity and your current state of undress?" You rattle on, words slurred half by OJ, half by fluster. He simply points again, and with more insistence. Relenting, you follow the line of his finger to his pretty, if gigantic, foot. Then notice the ink around his ankle, black and fresh. "Oh, wow, you got a tattoo? Cool!"

"Yep! I didn't ever really think about getting one 'til I saw yours. They were so cool I became kinda obsessed with getting one. So I finally did it last night."

‘Til he saw yours? Your stomach flutters. It's not the nausea. You smother it with more orange juice. "Well, that's awesome, Tae. You'll probably want more eventually. I would've gone with you if I'd known you were gonna go alone."

Finally, he lowers his leg. It’s a small mercy. But then, for no discernible, earthly reason, Taehyung begins flexing his many defined muscles. His calves in particular catch your attention. They’re so goddamned thick. They ripple. Fucking soccer players. "Hm? Oh, I wasn't alone. I went with some guys from the team." He ogles his reflection in the microwave door.

How can you avert your eyes when his pecs dance so compellingly? It all becomes a bit too much. "Okay, what are you doing? Seriously, what? I know you're into yourself, but this is ridiculous.” He stops. Snorts. Thank God. “If you were with the guys, why did you come back here last night? I thought you’d go back to your dorm."

Finally Taehyung sits, but he’s spread-legged and that’s perhaps worse than what he was doing just now. He’s 6ft of pure, hewn sex and just so fucking casual about it. He reclines. "Some of them took girls home last night so I needed somewhere to go and you're always an open door." Finger guns follow a cheesy wink.

You scoff, but he's right. You’d do anything for the big-hearted clown. Open door? You'd be the doormat under his soccer cleats, licking them free of dirt— "You're lucky Areum isn’t here right now. Don't think she’d take kindly to having some almost-naked oaf clambering into her bed."

"You say that, but she’s tried to hit this several times.” Taehyung is smug, brows high on his forehead. Yours lower harshly. “Tell her I slept in her bed last night. She’ll cream herself thinking about it later, I guarantee you."

“You’re gross. And can you stop—why do you keep flexing? There’s just me here.” You peer about for emphasis. Taehyung is again admiring his form in some burnished surface. “No-one is looking. Or cares.” Contrarily, you’re doing both those things. But he needn’t be privy to that. 

"This is serious. I need to work on my angles.” He contorts himself into something of a pretzel to peek at his back muscles. “We're holding a hook-up auction at our dorm to raise money for a graduation blow-out. And I'm on sale. Do you think I need to work on my back?"

You ease into a squint. "When you said serious, I thought serious words were about to follow."

"I am being serious!" Again Taehyung flexes, biceps bulging by his ears like an overfed turkey’s thighs. "How much do you think I'm worth?"

The world.

"I dunno. I'd take you for free, I guess, if you were the last one left."

Taehyung is unperturbed by your acerbic wit. It ricochets off him like rubber bullets would a muscle-bound ox. He is your greatest adversary. The bastard lacquers his lips until they’re plump and glossy and boasting a smirk. 

He’s always doing this. 

Always moistening himself. 

"Oh yeah? Well, I think you'll be disappointed." A boxy smile emerges. "I got girls and guys already approaching me about it. Some of the guys literally just wanna buy me for mentoring. I mean, that’s more effort than kissing, but—" He shrugs. The thought goes unfinished.

"That makes sense. You are a God among these mere mortals, Taetae." It's not sarcasm this time. Taehyung senses it. The grin he returns is life-affirming. You're so close to reaching across the table and squeezing his hand. Telling him you're proud. Telling him you most likely, maybe, love him. But you notice you've dragged your sleeve through peanut butter—”Ah, shit,”—and you can tell him how you feel some other day.

Some other day.

"Some of them just wanna make out too, of course, and, like, I'm happy to comply. It's all for charity." His altruism knows no limits.

"Charity, huh?" You snort. Taehyung's mouth grows more square at your incredulity. "Who else is up for bidding, then?"

"Mostly guys from the team and dorm. There are some mutuals who just wanna get in on the action, too. Uh, you know Kim Namjoon?" He measures your reaction. When you give none: "Jeon Jungkook?"

Disinterest mellows your features. "Oh, right. Cool."

"So you don't like Jeon Jungkook?" Taehyung's eyes are eager, his body poised. Anticipating.

"What? No. What gave you that idea? I've talked to him, like, twice." Your face crumples as you towel your soiled sleeve. The peanut butter smears into a tragic, shit-brown stain. "Damn, that's never coming out."

"He's gonna be so disappointed. He might even cry." Taehyung heaves a hammy sigh and clutches at his breast. There’s nothing the captain enjoys more than clowning his subordinates.  "Kook likes you so much. He's really into your whole androgynous fuckboi thing you got going on. He literally said, 'She's like a mystery, man. I'm not sure if she's a girl or a guy and—like, I'm not like that, but that's hot.'"

If your eyes could roll past the bounds of their sockets, they would. "Wow, what a poet. He sounds like a douchebag and I'm even less interested now. Fuckboi? Is that really the vibe I give off?" You don't fuck full stop. Nor were you aware you could dress like you do. 

"I dunno. You just seem kinda like a gremlin to me. Or like that weird guy from Death Note," Taehyung is quick to reassure you. Cool. You’re fucking overjoyed that he perceives you that way. Not as a goddess, or his beautiful, sexy soulmate, or the princess that wanders the spires of his captive heart. No. A gremlin. Or L.

"Well, you got me there, son."

"What about Kim Namjoon?" Taehyung presses, urgent again. He picks at your bread crusts with one hand, head cradled delicately in the other. The boy could be a world-class model, too. His loose, dark curls hang like a Van Gogh nightscape, framing the planes of his unmarred face. It hurts to look at him. It hurts to be looked at.

A self-conscious shuffle. "What about him? I don't know who that is." You flick away his foraging fingers but he draws you into an impromptu game of thumb-war in retaliation. It's the only thing to extract a smile from you today.

Taehyung looks sceptical. "He's the physio student with our team! You literally talked to him all day during this season's semi-final." His lengthy digits best yours easily. But though the match is won, he doesn’t withdraw his hand. Instead he encroaches further. Thumbs your wrist. Encompasses your knuckles in a soft, warm palm. He’s clasping you like an enamoured suitor might their bashful sweetheart, and it’s very strange. What is he doing? His mind looks to be elsewhere, now.

"Uh...—oh. Oh." Yours ambles back to you. "Yeah, he was really nice, but you know my rule. No—"

"—dating in final year. Yeah, I know. I'll tell him that if he asks about you again." Taehyung has returned, too. His hand is gone. Your gooseflesh ebbs with it.

With a cough, you sober. "I think the auction's a bit stupid, really, Tae. You sure you wanna do it?"

"Stupid? Why?" He shimmies in close, smug on his face and intolerably naked the rest of the way down. His skin is hot and golden and just far too close. "You're only saying that because you're jealous, right?" He tickles your chin to keep you honest and your eyes on him. You seize and squeeze the offending hand because he might be right and now you’re embarrassed. "The thought of me making out with someone else is ruining you," he goes on to say, brazen as the smirk defiling his cherubic cheeks.

"Some rather large conclusion-jumping going on there," you smile, sweet as sugared cyanide. Your vice-grip tightens until he’s pouting in repentance. "I meant it's stupid to put yourself in a potentially uncomfortable situation if you don't want to kiss that person." 

"I'm just joking!" he whimpers like the overlarge puppy he is and you free him of his snare. Because you would die for this big, soppy boy and his big, soppy eyes. “You’re so grouchy today.”

‘The joke won’t land if it collides with the truth, Taehyung,’ you muse. You expect him to know this despite never having apprised him of your situation. You’re jealous and cowardly and completely unreasonable. You want him for yourself but you never want him to know that. 

If he wants your candour he should be a telepath. Simple.

Irritated by your own nonsense, you lash out at the unsuspecting boy. "You know what? I was joking, too. I remember Namjoon, he was hot. And smart. I think I'll cheat on my dating ban this once and bid on him. He has super nice lips, so." 

Taehyung simply smiles. "Oh, okay. Cool! Glad you’re gonna come along." 

Your threat proves ineffective because he doesn’t like you like that. Wouldn’t give a shit if Namjoon rawed you on stage while you stared him down. You stall on that thought because it’s kinda hot. “It’ll be great. Can’t wait to get my tongue down his throat.”

“Hell yeah! I knew you liked him.”

Yep, Taehyung is oblivious to your pining. As he should be. Because outwardly, your pining consists of nothing more than the odd, lingering look here and there. The balled-up sketches of him he will never see. A secret smile if you’re feeling particularly sentimental. Other than that, you're steely. Poker-faced. Rarely blind-sided by his allure, especially now that you've acclimated to his penchant for exhibitionism. 

 "Thank you in advance for your patronage." Rising from his seat, Taehyung comes to a stand behind you and leans. Encircles your shoulders with his terribly athletic arms and puts his lips to your ear. You're like a feral cat in the arms of a senseless child. You're bristling. "If he turns out to be a jerk and tries something he shouldn't, I'll protect you." For a moment, you're touched enough to unclench a little. "With these guns." And then you choke between his straining biceps and vie to repay him in kind.

----

The common room of Taehyung's dorm has been crudely transformed. Some questionable construction has taken place in order to build the catwalk centrepiece. Sofas and tables line the walls, thrust from the limelight. You've occupied the drinks table for the last 45 minutes, from the second you entered this place. You harbour an intense dislike for the chaotic energy of Taehyung's dorm. Machismo rages noisily between these walls and you much prefer less testosterone-drenched environments. Nevertheless, despite it all you're here on an endeavour this evening. One your idiot, rampant mouth has obligated you to. To buy time with a guy that's perfectly nice and all, but isn’t Taehyung.

Kim Namjoon makes eyes at you from the head of the runway, awaiting his musical cue. The beer you just slurped down bubbles up. You have to look away. Unfortunately, when you do, Taehyung is immediately there, his face in yours, his thumb and fingers pulling at your cheeks. "Hey you, don't get too drunk, okay? I don't trust a single man here. Especially not nice-as-pie Namjoon." 

Nice-as-pie Namjoon has chosen some Bruno Mars track by the sounds of it. The auction-goers' excitement ramps up considerably.

Unable to move your captured face, your eyes sweep the room. "Not even your own teammates?" you scoff cynically, swatting at his hands until he’s baited into a game of slapsies. "Now who sounds jealous?" 

Taehyung stops for a moment, thoughtful. "You know, you're right. I'm extremely jealous. I want Namjoon all to myself. He gives the best massages. And a happy ending when I ask nicely." And then he's back to rough-housing you, slapping your upper arms to alternating beats. "You look cute tonight. Your outfit, I mean," he offers up out of nowhere, so quiet you almost lose it to the bass. "He's lucky."

But you look exactly the same as you did earlier that day. Exactly the same as that afternoon in the cafeteria when he ribbed you for raiding Billie Eilish's Good Will donations. "Um, thanks. I guess." You're genuine, but don’t sound it. You can't look at him for fear of revealing the dopey grin that has hijacked your face.

"You're welcome, buddy." A large palm flattens your hair. His fingers get all in there, ruffling it until it probably looks more akin a bird's nest. Is Taehyung trying to sabotage you? Also, buddy? "Look, Namjoon's walking." 

You turn and see that he is. Strutting, moreover, albeit awkwardly. It's obvious that the lanky boy is unaccustomed to the same attention the team he services is. Nevertheless, there are whoops and hollers aplenty for the handsome blonde dork, and you, too, catch yourself smiling. How can you not, when he pokes at his dimples so? The others seem captivated, too, though less by the  finger-hearts and more by his form-fitting tracksuit. 

“I’d wrap my car around a tree if he was the tree,” one auction-goer confides to her friend. “And then I’d wrap my legs around—”

“Yeah, we get it Lisa.”

Lisa quiets. 

Namjoon’s endless legs sidle to a stop at the catwalk's end, directly opposite you. His bespectacled eyes meet your bespectacled eyes. For one, long second, the interest is palpable.  But then he breaks, and casts his gaze down to his FILAs. 

"Okay, he's, like, in love with you, I think," Taehyung whisper-yells, hands aflurry in applause. "Are you gonna bid?"

Shouts puncture the cheering either side of the room.

"$10!"

"$20!"

Neither of them are you.

The evening’s auctioneer - Taehyung's partner-in-slime Park Jimin - echoes each cry that rings out, giggling into a tinny karaoke mic. "$20 for our team physio?! Is that all you got ladies and gents? Do I have to remind you this guy can grope away pain with his magic hands?"

Namjoon spins toward Jimin's makeshift podium of an upturned bookcase and menaces him with his eyes. Well, it would be menacing were the man not as threatening as a ribbon-wrapped basket of newborn sloths.

The striker backpedals. "Okay, the massage might not be included, but don't let that deter you! He kisses like a pro!"

Screams of how do you know that, Jimin?! erupt and the throng grows ever more wild. Namjoon is redder than the cup you're strangling.

"Are you gonna bid?! You're gonna miss your chance!" For some reason Taehyung is still here, harassment game still strong. He should be preparing to walk next, but sees fit to pester you instead. And because of that, he's caught you in your lie, bare-faced and blushing.

No, you are not going to bid on Kim Namjoon.

"Uh, oh no, I forgot my purse," you grumble around the rim of your next drink, gulping it down like the bottom is your way out of this God-awful situation.

Then what are you doing here?

"It's right there." Taehyung pokes the cross-body bag hanging traitorously by your side.

"Oh, is it?" You reach for another cup even while burdened with one. Anything to sidetrack this conversation.

Taehyung intervenes with a firm hand. Swaddles your knuckles ‘til the shaking stops. You’re shaking? Beer slops over the sides, unnoticed. “___?”

Stupid, warm hand. And why are his fingers so fucking delicate for a footballer? He should model jewellery. Wedding rings.

Yours.

His ringless fingers close around your wrist when you persist in avoiding his gaze. The ruse is almost up. Fuck. There’s nothing left to do but to look at him. 

You do, ever so timidly. “What?”

"What are you doing?" Puzzlement becomes him well. Why is he so goddamn handsome? "If you aren't gonna bid on Namjoon, why did you come?"

Silence, but for the pump of background Bruno Mars.

‘You. I came for you. You were the plan all along. Not him,’ your mind screams.

You, however, just stare.

"Going—going—gone! Sold for $70! Come claim your kiss!" Jimin can hardly stop himself from squealing. For a guy that beds girls on the daily, his sincere excitement over simple lip-locking is amusing.

Taehyung's teammates hail him from the drapery behind the catwalk but he won't yet go. No, he insists on searing holes into the side of your face while you watch Namjoon get sloppy on-stage with some girl you don't know. They're really getting into it. Damn, he forgot about you quick. In  their fervour they edge towards the bounds of the catwalk, too absorbed in one another to notice. Thankfully, voyeuristic bystanders are on-hand to catch them before they fall.

"Kim Taehyung! How many times do I have to call you?! Get over here before I kick your fucking ass," Jungkook roars across the hubbub, halfway through the room. He  enacts the violent gesture for emphasis and knees some unsuspecting girl in the ass. Immediately the macho facade drops and he's all doe-eyed and buck-toothed, prostrating himself before the girl who actually seems grateful to have been assaulted by one Jeon Jungkook. Between his hushed apologies, Jungkook shoots Taehyung a look something murderous. And then he sees you and throws a shy wave, the kind a little kid might when cajoled by his parents.

"Ew." The word comes up involuntarily, like bile.

A deep cackle emanates from beside you. "Okay, guess I'm up." Taehyung squares his shoulders. His mouth, too. He's a very angular boy. "Better get my kit on. Cheer for me!" With a pat to your shoulder, he makes for Jungkook. Leaves you with an insidious dread. His soccer kit is your weakness. 

No, he is your weakness.

"Next up - and I'm sure most of you here tonight are anticipating this guy - our very own Team Captain and soon-to-be Major League Soccer player, Kim Taehyung!" Banshee-shrieking reverberates at Jimin's announcement. "Stick around, he'll be out in a few minutes!"

Oh fuck. Oh fuck. You turn from the catwalk and fully embrace the drinks table, supporting yourself with two hands and God's grace.

Nah, you aren't gonna do this.

No way.

This wasn’t an actual plan. Just a fantasy.

You're not gonna tell him like this.

You're not gonna tell him ever.

All you have to do is just say you turned out to support him. You rarely get to go out with him anyway, what with his ever-growing entourage. Taehyung would appreciate that, and he'd never have to know that you came here for cornier purposes.

You're not a big gesture kind of girl.

Nah, you aren't gonna do this.

Distantly, you wished Areum were here. She'd have slapped some sense into you, maybe even literally.

No. Wait.

The devious cow would've talked you into doing it. For sure. She has a flair for the dramatic.

"Sorry, can I just—thanks." Someone with offensively bony elbows bulldozes you aside and passes a drink to her companion. An apology is on the tip of your tongue but evaporates into the ether upon seeing the twosome in question. Both were complicit in the casual bullying you endured during your high school years. They don't appear to recognise you now. Not that they even spare your pitiful person a glance.

"Who's up next?" the worst one queries, cup snug to her bosom.

"Taehyung," the lackey answers, glee upending her petulant features. "Kim Taehyung."

An elbow jabs you again as the girl struggles with the clasp on her clutch. Her overlong claws impede her. "Oh shit, already? I thought we had more time. Shit."

"Nope. It's go time. Hurry up, girl, competition's gonna be fierce." The other one watches her digital acrobatics to get into her purse.

Oh God. She has so much money. There's no doubt in your mind she'll trump everyone present.

No. Oh, no.

Not her. Not with him.

Your mind flits through premonitions of the future. They’re all  rather grim. The last one is that of a wedding. A marriage between this dreadful bitch and your most cherished of friends, Taehyung. It's garish and tacky - she's denied him input, of course - and the ceremony is filled with faces that once mocked you mercilessly. None of Taehyung's friends are there; indeed, he is no longer even part of his team. Her possessiveness and his undying loyalty have put an end to his blossoming career. He looks sad beneath a mask of happy. Eyes that once blazed with the embers of ambition are doused by despondency. He is a husk.

And their first meeting is this auction, this cute anecdotal encounter of oh, I just had to have him, and when I kissed him I knew.

Just a glimpse at this dystopian future disturbs you silly. Conviction, while tentative, burgeons in your heart.

You can't let her have him. Anyone but this noxious cunt.

And suddenly you've money in hand, too. Bills you withdrew specifically for this purpose, and yet would sooner have left them crisp and cold in your purse than followed through. But public humiliation is endlessly preferable to damning Taehyung to a kiss with this serpent. Because it won't stop there. It won't just be a kiss but an appeal for more. She’ll say it’s no strings attached, but she doesn't attach strings. She weaves webs. You recall her high school boyfriend. He was a well-performing, jovial guy that always waved hi. And she consumed him, heart-first, ‘til he was naught but a sunken-eyed zombie. He took a leave of absence that never ended.

Sexy, dangerous synth sounds from the speakers either side the catwalk. Ah, shit. Not that song. Any song but that one. NCT U’s Baby Don’t Stop. Of course Taehyung picked that. It fills the air with a fatal drum beat and in he comes through the curtains, strutting like he is the rhythm. The room, rather than become uproarious, falls eerily quiet. Everyone breathes as one entranced being, and no one moves but him. Halfway down the catwalk he body-rolls with the fluidity of wind-rippled satin, burgeoning from his chest and snapping at the hips. Prospective bidders gasp, as do you. And then his thumb is in the hem of his shirt, luring it upwards, exposing his olive expanses inch by mouthwatering inch. You see his abs near every day, but in this context, backed by that song, you find yourself as winded as everyone else. His stomach tautens for show, feeding into loose-waisted shorts that sit far too low. Even you haven’t been privy to this much. And especially not the alluring trail of hair that thickens at his waistband.

Someone shatters the stupor and screams, “$80!”

“Geez, you’re a horny bunch.” Jimin’s laughter peals. “We already have $80. Any advance on—“

“$100!” Some breathless sap cries next. “Oh my God, look at his thighs!”

And look you do. Taehyung grooves at the catwalk’s end, shirt back in place but hiking up the hems of his shorts instead.  You almost glimpse groin. He’s absolutely shameless, straining the muscles of his thighs until they’re lewdly pronounced. They’re veritable tree trunks. His calves, too, defy belief. Rock-hard and rounded and begging to be bitten. The party-goers crowding round his feet must think similarly. 

What distracts you most, however, are Taehyung’s straying fingers. They skirt his crotch in a salacious manner, stretching the material where it shouldn’t. Accentuating things they shouldn’t. You may pass out.

All the while his eyes are down, maybe closed. You want to see his face more than anything. The playful smirk on his plump, wet lips and the focus in his brows. 

“$120!!” You almost lose your head to a cash-strangling fist beside you.

It's her. Pointy-elbowed bitch.

But you aren't thrusting your student loan up just yet. You're in the middle of an almost holy, revelatory experience. Taehyung is still undulating and provoking the crowd, who are no longer hushed but whooping like chimps in heat. His shirt is off and helicoptering overhead. He allows one overcome girl at the sidelines to verify the thew of his biceps and bags himself another bid. You, however, do nothing but gawp, bills clutched to your chest and your eyes affixed to the glorious grin that breaks across his face. His eyes open onto you and then it's you you see at his wedding, standing afore him, bouquet instead of a wad of cash. You want to be the one. Now is the moment, while he's watching you envision this.

"$200,” you splutter. Volume is difficult when your voice is a quivering inconstant.

"What was that? Did we just get another bid?" Jimin wavers too, out of disbelief. "Did someone say $200?!"

The room is a clamour of confusion but Taehyung watched you mouth the very syllables. The shock is such that it softens his salacious movements to a dance more modest. His eyes are wider than you've ever seen them; mouth too. It hangs agape and downturned, as yours does. Because you're not quite sure whether you said something else altogether. Maybe you hurled a cuss word out of frustration? Did you momentarily black out and proclaim Hitler did nothing wrong? Nothing else can account for the scrutiny with which he punishes you with now.

Or.

You actually did bid, and that's why he's walking over, to the very drop-off of the catwalk, no longer any swagger to his step. "What are you doing?" he calls down, the music still strong and now strangely inappropriate. You simply watch the mole beneath his bottom lip move, dumb.

Louder, now, you call again. "$200!"

"Oh! It was a bid! ____?!" The flame-haired MC shares his puzzlement with the rest of the reacting room. All heads turn toward you.

But yours turns nowhere but Taehyung, your expression an open book of long-hidden liking. You watch, suspended by dissociation, as he lays a palm flat against his chest. "Me?"

It could all still be explained away. A joke. You drank too much. You just wanted to see the look on his face. Instead, you grant him the minutest of nods. A simple tip of the chin. "You," you whisper, whether it's heard or not.

Taehyung sees it in the shape your lips make. And then his gaze sweeps back upward, his chest heaving far too much for a man standing stationary.

"What's going on?" The disgruntled echo each other.

Jimin is quick to make sense of things and keep it rolling. "Okay, so, a bid of $200! Anyone else?"

A new song comes on; it's gone on too long. Something with a cantering beat that's adequately sentimental.

So if love is nothing more than just a waste of your time—

Clambering atop the platform, you counter someone's desperate bid of $220 with a measured breath. "$250." You hold Taehyung at fingerpoint. "You."

Waste it on me.

For a pants-shitting second, nothing happens. Your outstretched arm gains a tremor that could crumble it. Taehyung sifts your soul with his big, dewy eyes and then he's walking. Stalking toward you. Knocks the money from your hands and seizes your shying face with both of his. The last thing you see is his nose mole before his mouth joins with yours. His grip is like a vice and his lips are no gentler. They pry you open with little effort and then you're flooded with wet heat. Taehyung is insatiable in pursuit of your tongue. His hands drop to draw in your waist, your chest, every inch of your overclothed form. He's underclothed but burning hot, planes of honed skin beneath your fingertips. It's all so right. Feels so good. Taehyung moans that much into you when he chances a breath of air. Applause starts up as the music swells. It's so cliche but you've never had a cliche of your own before and your gloom-ridden ass needs this.

"Going—"

"I didn't know. I wish I had. This would've happened sooner," Taehyung gasps between desperate, too-short smooches. It proves too difficult to resist the pull of your mouth and he captures it again, sloppier. Slower.

"Going—"

"It doesn't matter." You pull the oxygen in, impatient. "Doesn't matter." Your fingers are a tangle at the nape of his neck, tugging on his lustrous locks. "Make up for it."

"Gone! Sold for $250!"

The two of you won't be parted for a moment. Not even when dismounting the platform. There's ruckus around you but it's so distant when his lips are on you. You sink into him like you would a scalding bath. "You don't have to pay that," Taehyung tells your cheek, smearing his saliva-slick mouth back to yours. His greed for you manifests against your stomach, and you ache in return. "This is a freebie."

Your passionate clinch takes you to the sidelines, away from prying eyes. Most of them, anyway. "What about this?" Your hands are suddenly in unseemly places.

"Th-That's also free. Everything's free. Oh, God."

[gagakumadraws]

Head canon time, here’s what I got:

Alexander absolutely gets jealous easily. Knowing that horseback riding was part of Laurens curriculum when in Geneva, and that he was kind of known for being a bit of a naturist- I absolutely imagine him paying extra attention to his horse during the war and spending time pampering/brushing him down, and Alex getting all sorts of petty over the idea of the horse being complimented and praised when it’s just a dumb fucking horse.

Omg this is so precious XD Alex walking around, mumbling that were are his fucking pets and compliments. XD John would totally find it absolutely adorable. 

[namjoonswifesstuff]

Arranged Marriage to the End of My Life

Chapter 1:

Y/n POV:

*knock-knock*

"Come in!" I shouted.

"Hello, dear." My mom walked in.

"Hey mom. How can I help you?"

"Well...I have something to tell you. It's very important and I don't want you to get mad at me, as you may object a bit."

I was immediately skeptical, but nodded as a sign for her to continue.

"You will be meeting up with your future husband today. Now I know what you're thinking. I'm pretty sure you know him, you were best friends as children. I'm not going to tell you his name, but we'll be meeting with him and his family today for lunch. Go ahead and get ready." She said it all so fast I couldn't object.

She left the room, leaving me with my jaw on the floor. All I could do is follow her instructions.

I dresses in a nice outfit, wanting to make a good first impression. Even if I'd met him before, I wanted to look good, and make a good impression on the parents I may have not met before.

My outfit:





I walked downstairs, not too excited about dinner.

"You look stunning darling!" My mother complimented sweetly.

"Thank you." I smiled and walked out the door, toward the car.

Me, my mother, and my father all got in and drove off to the restaurant.

We walked in, and I was stunned by how nice it was.



It's not that I don't go to nice places all the time, it's just that I typically go to more naturistic places. They have more plants and nature-like color palettes.

Anyways, we walked through and walked up to a table where three other people sat. I was shocked by who I saw.

"Jungkook! It's so wonderful to see you again!" My mother genuinely seemed elated by his presence. Like he was some angel and she was praising him for saving her.

Has she even met the guy?

Jungkook has been my bully since the fourth grade.

Yeah, we were friends when we were really little -like 5 to 7 years old- but after that, he just stopped talking to me, he became popular, he started to bully me. I wanted to die because of how sad I was. He has no idea how much he hurt me. I began to tear up as I sat down.

"Are you okay, Y/n?" Mrs. Jeon asked.

"Huh?" I said, looking up. I didn't realize that a tear had fallen down my cheeks until I saw her shocked and confused expression.

"Oh!" I wiped my cheek. "Sorry, I don't know what's come over me."

"It's fine dear do you need a moment?" She responded. She was such a dear.

"If you don't mind, may I use the restroom quickly?"

"Of course you can dear."

I got up and walked towards the bathroom. I needed to take a breath.

After a few minutes and a wash of the face, I walked out if the bathroom. Outstanding the door, stood Jungkook.

"What do you want you jerk?" He was the last person I wanted to see right now.

"To marry you." He said bluntly.

"Haha." I said sarcastically. "Yeah right. You just want to make my life miserable like you have for years!"

His face seemed to fall before he replaced it with the normal smirk.

"Well if I had known you were miserable, I would have stopped." He was obviously lying.

"Uh huh. I'm going back to the table." I walked back and was greeted by our parents.

"Hello dear. Are you alright?" Mrs. Jeon asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. I just had an odd wave of sadness. Nothing to worry about."

"I'm glad. Jungkook went to check in you, but he hasn't returned."

"Oh! We spoke and he comforted me. He had to use the restroom though."

"Oh, alright. This is a perfect time to talk without him getting in the way."

I was skeptical of what she was going to say, but nodded for her to continue.

"As you may know by now, you and Jungkook are to marry. When I told him, he seemed so happy and his cheeks were red as cherries, it was the cutest thing."

I was shocked by her words, but it was probably just acting(I don't know how to fake blushing though. She may be over exaggerating).

"When I told him we were meeting up today, he got very nervous and got scared that you may not be happy about the marriage. I think the reason he's still not here is because he's scared you were sad about the marriage or upset about marrying him. I hope he's okay."

I put my head down. His mother thought he was sad because of me. I don't really know where he is, I don't really care.

"Oh, don't worry dear. I'm not upset with you. He can be a little over-dramatic or over-think things. Don't worry about him, he'll be fine."

I'm not worried. I hate him. Why should I care?

I wanted to say those words so bad, but I know everyone at the table would hate me for them, so I kept them to myself and gave a weak smile.

Soon enough, Jungkook returned to the table. If you looked closely, you could see that he's been crying.

No, that's just my imagination. He doesn't care. It's all an act.

"So, when's the wedding?" My father abruptly asked.

"That's a great question." Mr. Jeon stated.

"I agree." My mom replied.

Suddenly, all four of our parents were looking at us. I only looked down. If I could answer, I would say "never", but that's not allowed.

"How does three months from now sound?" Jungkook suggested.

All four of them grinned. I scowled behind my hair.

"That sounds perfect." Our mothers said in unison. Our fathers shook hands and the waiter came and took our orders.

We ate and the parents conversed, I only sat silently and ate. So did Jungkook, but sometimes when I looked up, I could catch him looking and we would lock eyes. We would then both quickly look away and blush.

I hated that I was blushing. I hate him. He means nothing to me. Why am I blushing?

After about an hour, my mother spoke up.

"Well, dinner's been amazing and I'm so glad we got all the wedding plans done, but tonight is a school night and Y/n needs to study." She stood and me and my father followed her actions. "I'll call you later to discuss the honeymoon plans." She winked and me and Jungkook locked eyes, both with shocked and embarrassed expressions.

My parents and I left the restaurant and drove home in silence, my mother had a grin in her face the whole time. My father seemed content with life for once. Maybe because he was going to merge his business with the biggest in Korea and almost the world.

I fell asleep and woke to that familiar turn.

*time skip*

I got ready for bed and school tomorrow and went to sleep. I was not looking forward to school tomorrow.

*the next morning*

I woke up to the sound of my alarm and I knew what today was. The first day I would go to school engaged.

Oh, yay. I just can't WAIT to run into Jungkook.

I got dressed in my uniform.



These are the uniforms at my school.

I walked downstairs and ate breakfast, my mother had gone to volunteer at the orphanage and my dad was already at his office for work.

I drove to school and walked in, heading to my first class. I saw people whispering among themselves as I passed. I could only hear bits and pieces, but what I did hear, I didn't like.

"Isn't that Y/n?"

"Omg! That's the girl who's engaged to Jungkook!"

"She's a goddess!"

"No! She's a total whore. She's totally ugly! Who does she think she's fooling? She just wants in his pants."

That pisses me off, but I wasn't going to give them the time of day.

I walked to my class and sat down to read a book. Three more classes passed and it was lunch break. I was starving. I walked with my lunchbox and was just about to go outside when an anonymous person(obviously Jungkook) pulled me into the janitors' closet.

"What do you want." I rolled my eyes before I realized how close we were, our faces inches apart. That's when my facial expression became serious.

"I want you~" he replied. I could hear the smirk in his voice.

That's when it hit me. In that very moment- a split second.

I'll act so innocent, he won't try anything. He'll say things to tease me or try to flirt or say something dirty and I'll act oblivious. He doesn't know me that well anymore, he'll totally fall for it. hahahahahaha

I put a confused look on my face, starting to act. "What do you mean?"

His face became confused too. "Um...nothing." He began to suspect that I was acting, so he tried again. He went to my next and began to suck, leaving light marks. I held in my noise. I felt something on my hand. I looked to the side to see him sliding a ring in my finger.



It was covered in real diamonds and I was shocked.

"Don't play around baby~ You know you want me too. You want my baby? After we're married, I can do whatever I want with you."

I put the confused expression back on. He looked up and was confused again. He backed up.

"Uh...keep that on." He walked away.

I walked out after him and went to the bathroom to check my neck. The marks weren't noticeable. I went to lunch and ate and before I knew it, the school day was over. This was going to be a crazy rest of my life.

--------------------------------------------------

Hey fizzies!

✧⁺⸜(●˙▾˙●)⸝⁺✧ʸᵃʸ

I finished the first chapter! And

I felt productive so it's almost 2000 words long! I hope you enjoyed! 😊



[rndyounghowze]

Disrobed Is A Revealing Show About Family (In More Ways Than One)

Well I guess we can cross “play with naked people” off that bucket list we didn’t know we had.

By Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

Hollywood, CA @HollywoodFringe

Venmo: @rndyounghowze

Review 185

So when we first got invited to see “Disrobed” by Steven Vlasak and Troy Peterson and directed by Troy Peterson we didn’t know what to expect. I remember logging into the press screener and thinking, “Wow, people are actually naked”. We were really not expecting that and frankly it surprised us. It’s not that we’re prudes by any stretch of the imagination. It’s more that we’ve never seen a show about naturists before and had no idea what the rules of engagement were. I think we thought the whole play was going to be how many crazy ways they could Austin Powers their way through it for an hour (which is funny because they actually made that joke). I’m actually glad that they did it this way. There was a little bit of “where is it going to go from here” nervousness at first. However it turned out to be just like most naturist families: boring and devoid of any sex like the Goddess intended.

As far as Zoom plays go the staging was on point. They were able to use the space and framing to give everyone room to breathe (so to speak) and act. The hallmark of good Zoom plays is giving everyone the kind of space they need to move and do their job even if they’re going to be standing still. Then it’s just a matter of using the different Zoom functions like people moving in and out, the 45 minute ticking time bomb, and other things to move the script forward. Great job everyone!

I know families like this. In fact I think I have friends in the clothed world to match every single one of these characters and I’ve never even seen them with their pants off. Every one of these actors deserves the highest praise and it’s a credit to how much they acted their butts off (maybe I should rephrase that) and pointed their energy forward so that they could not only reach their scene partners but also to break the fifth wall and reach us.

Dana and I are the semi-prudish vanilla friends to a crap ton of Wiccans, Queers, and Porn Stars. We also came from crazy homes so our “kinky” friends are the ones that have families that do those weird things like “love” and “support” them (makes me sick). So what we loved was how this was a “meet the parents” style show where the weirdest thing wasn’t that they were nude it was because they were normal. In fact if you have any kinds of preconceptions about how these kinds of nude dudes live this seems like a great show for you. Disrobed is quite funny, touching, and tastefully done. The nudity was super boring in the best way possible. It was very respectful to the actors and audience. It’s a simple story about a loving, kind, supportive family with quirks and that’s fun to watch.

I think there are going to be some people who read this whole review and are still going to say “you didn’t tell me that they were naked”. So let me warn you that when you click this link you’re buying tickets to see a play with forty-five minutes of naked people in it. Don’t come at me or the creators of this great show because you couldn’t read.

The Show Opens Today!!! Get your tickets here.

*****A Word From Our Sponsors*****

We have a YouTube Channel. We’re working furiously to get new videos up weekly.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0ob09-C2hBFeG0opRAJ5S4apXyy1hgHP

We have official merch now! Keep us fed and get gifts for the family all at the same time!

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[okuri-okami]

(Probably) Everything you ever wanted to know about Chae-Rin.

-Appearance-

Gender: Female Race: Au Ra (Raen) Height: 4'8 (Very short.) Weight: A little overweight/chubby. Eye Color: Cerulean (With limbal circles of a much brighter shade.) Hair Color: Powder blue with white highlights/streaks.

-The Facts-

Name Day: 15th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon Occupation: She assists her lover, Rory, with his trading company. (The Willowynd Charter.) Sexual identification: Pansexual Romantic identification: See above answer. Alignment: Neutral Good leaning toward Chaotic Good. Criminal History: None to speak of. Relationship Status: In a polyamorous relationship.  💓 Sweet on: Her 'Big Brother' Rannyo!  💘

-Favorites-

Favorite food: Fried dumplings with a sweetened shoyu sauce. Or buuz? Favorite drink: Sheep's Milk Favorite artist: Chae isn't aware of any artists in particular, though she did meet a noblewoman, Odeai Carthain ( @carthainffxiv ) whose art she enjoyed! Favorite scent: The smell of rain, either when it's pouring or afterward! Favorite person: Her beloved, Rory Willowynd. 💕

-Randoms-

Ten facts about your muse:

⚫ Chae-Rin is very spiritual and believes that everything happens because the kami/spirits willed it so. She is also very superstitious and sometimes holds very interesting and silly beliefs (however true or false they may be!)

⚫ Chae-Rin grew up alongside a tribe of Xaela known as the Aluqchai, whose religious faith mingled with her own over the course of a century or more. (Before she was even born.) For that reason, Chae is not your typical shrine priestess in some ways!

⚫ She loves all animals, and has a special affinity for wolves and mice/rats, in particular, holding them in high regard.

⚫ Chae-Rin developed an ability as a child to both hear and (potentially) communicate with the spirits. An elder priestess attempted to help teach her about the gift privately, but Chae-Rin was taken from her family before ever having the chance to truly learn more about it. She does not always understand what the spirits desire, and thus mostly just ‘listens’ to them now, when she can hear them. In Eorzea, she could hear and sense the elementals, even if she was fairly clueless about what they were trying to convey. The elementals there seemed distrustful of her, and thus Chae was not really able to develop her abilities much in that land. It is her hope to one day join the Conjurer’s Guild in hopes of learning more about Eorzea’s spirits.

⚫ Chae-Rin is rather tattooed, and will be adding more ink in the future. Most of her tattoos bear some kind of religious significance or importance (such as the wolf and mouse upon her hands,) though some of her body art is simply there because she likes the look of it! She also is fond of painting her face with delicate designs, just to enhance her appearance.

⚫ Chae-Rin plays a kind of bamboo flute, called a dizi, though she is very shy about doing it in front of others. She took up the instrument as one way of praising the spirits of her home, by playing them beautiful music.

⚫ Since her home is in the mountains of Yanxia, Chae is fairly adept at traversing such places, and often worked as a guide to take travelers up and down the mountain. She has a great sense of direction, and is unafraid of heights.

⚫ Though not an expert by any means, Chae-Rin is an alchemist, and already knows how to make quite a few traditional medicines, salves, and tonics common to Yanxia. Since she is young, she does not have the experience of elder apothecaries, though she is trying to learn as much as possible!

⚫ She is a budding shaman-priest, able to manipulate aether to mend grievous and superficial wounds alike. Oftentimes, she uses a combination of Yanxian traditional medicine, aetheric healing, and prayer in order to accomplish her goals. She believes that her gift comes from the spirits of her homeland, and thus is especially thankful of her abilities. Additionally, Chae is able to perform a handful of offensive and defensive spells, and is learning more everyday.  

⚫ Chae is currently learning a style of martial arts likely founded in Yanxia, both in an effort to be a better offensive fighter, but also because she just loves learning the movements and finds them fun to perform! Additionally, it helps to keep her in shape, of course!

-Five Things-

5 Things they like:

1. Wolves, wolves, wolves! 2. Animals in general, actually. Chae has a deep appreciation for all the critters of the world! 3. Dancing! Sometimes silly, sometimes more serious! She once had a painted wolf mask (similar to the common kitsune masks, but not quite that) which she used to dance with. 4. Frustrating her siblings, to the point of insanity! 5. Rain and thunderstorms!

5 Things they dislike:

1. Being frustrated by her siblings! 2. Work, of any kind. If she could, Chae-Rin would take up the easy, lazy life! 3. Mean people, of any kind. 4. Certain insects (which are usually the ones that transfer disease and irritate people, such as mosquitoes and ticks.) 5. Wearing clothing; Chae-Rin is very much a naturist when she can be! (As in, she has the ability to go around naked safely and without bothering others!)

5 Good habits:

1. Gratitude; Chae will go out of her way to show others appreciation when they do something for her or are otherwise kind. Nor does she often take others for granted. 2. Each morning, she starts off with a prayer and meditation, and also gives thanks for any food or drink as well. Again, she’s a very appreciative girl! 3. Chae-Rin likes to make others feel good, so she will often smile at others or otherwise try to make a stranger’s day just by being nice in some way. 4. She’s a very clean girl, bathes as often as possible, and keeps herself kempt. 5. Each day, she spends some time in nature, in an effort to try and connect with the creatures/spirits nearby, especially. 5 Bad Habits:

1. She tends toward shyness, most of the time, anyways. Especially if she doesn’t know the person/people or is in an unfamiliar place. 2. Sometimes, she can be needy or dependent on those closest to her, likely in part due to some things that have happened in her past. 3. Lazy; Chae-Rin has no desire to work, unless she has to, which leads to the next bad habit: 4. Procrastination; She will put things off for as long as possible, if it’s something she is struggling to understand - or if it’s work! 5. Superstitious, sometimes to the extreme.

5 Personality traits they gravitate toward:

1. Compassionate 2. Loyal 3. Trustworthy 4. Quirky 5. Optimistic 5 Personality traits they avoid:

1. Domineering 2. Condescending 3. Scheming 4. Selfish 5. Shallow 5 Fears:

1. The Garleans. Anything and everything about them. 2. ..That she will never see her family again. The Garleans took her from her home in the mountains of Yanxia, and she has been struggling to make her way back ever since. 3. Displeasing the spirits and kami of her homeland in any way. 4. The death(s) of a loved one, be it her siblings, Grandmother, or those closest to her now. 5. That she will never achieve everything she has set out to do, such as becoming a knowledgeable mender/healer and apothecary, for example. Tagged by: Saw it on @lithia-lacrima​ ‘s open tag and then @little-purple-thundercloud​ tagged me ages ago!

Tagging: No one in particular, since this is a long and extensive RP meme, a lot of people have done it already, and it took me ages to get it done! :3 But please feel free, if any of you want to do it! Here’s an open tag for you! Just @ me if you do!

[drwatrugudat]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by point1percent (@point1percent)

🌐 This is not new...Just because its NU to U...This Book is "Written by Ancients"..."Stolen by Atheists"..."Guarded by Plagiarists"..."Worshiped by Naturists"..."Capitalized Upon by the Consciously insignificant"...Thats abt 1% ❗ (Now just let that sit) Somebody's gotta TEACH... MY RIGHTEOUS ACTION SPEAKS...To PRAISE the WISE who EDIFY the MAGNIFICENT...Please accept this GIFT I PRESENT...my most SINCERE @point1percent ~ QIMetaHekaa #BuildingEssentialSolutions #AlternativeTechnologiesforSecurityinProsperity #QiMetaSutra #LIGHTBODYBUILDING #LOVE #NOW #NEWBaseLineNormal #KuwaBure #OriginalIndigenous #ImmunoEfficiency #PrimarySolution #CellpH #HiddenScienceOfURFavorite4LetterWord #AcceleratedSolutionsManual #hiddenscienceoffree #wholebodybuilding #WHEALTHHACKERZ #emotionalisspiritualinthephysical #djedeyejegna #fit #maskoff #RIGHTMOVE #AnExcerciseInPhysicalTherapy #Imnotflexin #myknotsflexin #GOMUSCLE #GODSTASH #GODMAKER #greentekonallplatforms #IEATDABEAST https://www.instagram.com/p/CDmC5iQHvHI/?igshid=1ajslmlnvnot6

[tearofmysury]

3rd video experiment: Workout from Hugo Faz - Estúdio NU on Vimeo.

* see below for English *

Eu venho experimentando cada vez mais na produção de vídeos, e minha idéia é começar a partir das formas mais simples até chegar a técnicas mais complexas de fotografia e edição, o tempo todo tendo o corpo performativo no centro da experiência visual. Este é o terceiro experimento em vídeo que decidi publicar, anos depois dos dois primeiros, agora que retomei a produção audiovisual.

Pode-se dizer que no seio destes meus experimentos em vídeo estará a a exploração de videografia alternativas com a exposição do corpo nu de maneiras que não estamos habituados a ver nos meios tradicionais em que se expõem corpos nus (na fotografia ou no cinema, por exemplo), seja através da ação performativa realizada, que não está normalmente vinculada à nudez (como normalmente está associado o sexo, ou a cena de um banho, por exemplo), seja através de recursos fotográficos ou de edição que tragam visões alternativas não usuais para a nudez do corpo.

Muito mais virá nesse campo esse ano de 2020. Parte do que devo aprender experimentando aí acabará de alguma forma encontrando lugar na série de vlogs "Hugo Faz Vídeos Nu". Agradeço, como sempre, os comentários e impressões que não se resumam a elogios ou depreciações!

Se você ainda não conhece meu trabalho, por favor visite hugofaz.art/br para conhecer meu portfolio. ______________________

[EN] I've been experimenting more and more with videos, and my idea is to explore the simplest forms all the way through to more complex photography and editing techniques. All the while having the performative body in the center of the visual experiences. This is the third video experiment I decided to publish.

One could say that in the core of these experiments on video is the exposure of the naked body in ways that we are not used to seeing in traditional media where nude bodies are commonly exposed (in erotic photography or on cinema, for example) and the exploration of alternative videography. This is achieved either by means of the action performed, which is not normally linked to nudity (not like in sexual situations, where nudity is expected, or in bath/shower scenes, or even in naturist contexts, for example), or through photographic or editing techniques that bring unusual views to the nakedness of the body.

More will be coming from 2020 on. And some of the videography that I'll be experimenting and thus learning in this series will eventually find its way to the "Hugo Faz Nude Videos" vlog series. I thank you, as always, for sharing your comments and impressions on my videos, especially when they are not limited to just praising or showing depreciation.

If you're new to my work, please visit hugofaz.art to see more of my artist portfolio.

[koolkrew1]

Travel Trends To Look Out For In 2020

The new year is just around the corner. Travel enthusiasts will have busied themselves in making potential travel plans already. But what travel trends would rule the travel industry? Will we see sustainable travel receive an even bigger boost from this year? Do solo trips continue to be a popular option, or does it fizzle out? Let’s learn below –

 Nakations – Nakations is the term given to vacations with swimwear strictly optional. Skinny dipping has been catching up, and more and more individuals are coming out as naturists, comfortable in the nude. Expect nude camping, swimming, yoga, and much more in the coming new year!

Ancestry Travel – Ancestry travel or tracing your lineage back through travel is growing in popularity. People are increasingly setting off in search of where their forefathers belonged to. It could be a counter to rising nationalist sentiments, with people trying to find shared genetic links and cultural origins.

Bunk Beds Reimagined – Bunk beds have been a patent in traveler dormitories and cheap hostel accommodations. 2020 will witness bunk beds in a new avatar. Hotels are now introducing bunk beds into their rooms instead of double beds, which are both space-saving and fun.

Flight Shame – Climate crusader Greta Thunberg’s acts have received widescale attention and praise. Environmentally-conscious and wary travellers will give into the concept of flygskam or flight shame, rethinking the number of flights they take. They will turn to more eco-friendly tourism methods, such as trains, instead.

Insta-tourism – People no longer take vacations without posting snapshots of the same on their Instagram. In 2020, this behavior might escalate. Some people could begin to take vacations for the very purpose of adding content to their social media page.

Micro Trips – 2020 will be the year of micro trips. Not all of us may have the time and money to go on extended luxury trips. Short yet experience-dense trips will rule in the next year. One-day trips, weekend getaways, and more will experience a rise in popularity.

Literary Travel – Imagine going in search of your fictional literary hero’s hometown? Sound good? It does, to countless other bookworms too. Literary travel is fast catching up, and people are booking vacations in the locations mentioned in their favorite novels. Literary festival travel is also gaining currency.

We've discussed only a handful of the travel trends that one can expect to witness in 2020. Let the new year roll around, and you will experience more in person!

[jimdsmith34]

New York City: Insider Travel Guide

(CNN)Trying to do the best of New York City in a few days is like announcing you plan to see Africa in a week: it minimizes just how much there is to experience and completely disregards travel times.

Hotels

Luxury

Mandarin Oriental New York

Located atop one of the twin sentries comprising the Time Warner Center, the five-star Mandarin enjoys unobstructed views through its floor-to-ceiling windows of the Hudson River, Central Park, Brooklyn and Portugal (at least, it feels that way).

Its best of New York City position in bustling Columbus Circle centralizes it near perfectly — just north of Midtown — with subways linking to virtually every part of the city.

Unlike in much of the rest of the United States, there’s no shame in walking in New York.

Plenty of attractions are within an easy stroll, including Lincoln Center, Broadway, Hell’s Kitchen and Times Square.

Crosby Street Hotel

With high ceilings and full length windows reflective of SoHo’s history as a factory cum gallery district, Hotelier Firmdale’s only non-London property is an all-new structure built in the neighborhood’s classic style, its 86 guest rooms each receiving their own individual designs.

As charming as the cobblestone street out front, the hotel has an outdoor sculpture garden, all-day afternoon tea service with cakes and sandwiches in the bar and a 100-seat screening room with a Sunday Night Film Club open to all.

The neighborhood’s overall lower profile makes the Crosby’s upper floors all the more recommended.

Mid-range

The Standard, High Line

If aesthetics are a requisite, The Standard, High Line — situated directly above a stretch of old elevated railway now known as High Line Park — is a best of New York City landmark in Manhattan’s most model-intensive neighborhood.

The decor is mod and the vibe is downtown, so go ahead and pack your shiniest shirts for the clubs, bars and bistros of the surrounding Meatpacking District.

Among the property’s greatest draws are its views.

Of models, yes, but also of the Hudson River, downtown and, to a lesser extent, New Jersey.

Ensure you see as much as possible by getting a room ending in 24, which will net you two walls of windows.

The Bowery Hotel

Two hundred years ago, the Bowery was a poor man’s Broadway. By the turn of the last century, it was just poor.

But those familiar just 10 years ago with this erstwhile skid row would hardly recognize it today, and the Bowery Hotel embodies its new, loftier status.

Lying right at the intersection of hip and elegant, the hotel is appointed with luxurious old world refinements and dcor while retaining a vibe that’s lively and modern.

Factory windows offer 360-degrees of the city, while several rooms have their own terraces, complete with outdoor showers.

Budget

The Pod Hotel

The only way you can stay overnight in Manhattan for less than one of the single rooms in this Midtown budgetier is by staying with family in the area.

And if you stay at the Pod’s 51st Street location, in some cases it, too, requires you to share a bathroom with people you may not like.

But rooms at the newer Murray Hill location all feature private bathrooms, along with free Wi-Fi and an emphasis on communal space typified by the Pod 39’s rooftop lounge.

The hotel’s perks are few and the rooms are barely bigger than the beds, but if you want hip and affordable, you won’t likely do better.

Insider tips for more American cities: Chicago | Los Angeles | San Francisco

Dining

Per Se

With its modern decor and swanky address at the tip of Central Park, Per Se strives to turn your dinner into “a journey that returns you to sources of pleasure you may have forgotten,” which would seem pretentious if that wasn’t precisely what it accomplishes with nearly every dish.

Hailed by food critics ever since its doors opened, Per Se is the brainchild of Thomas Keller, the only American chef to have been awarded three Michelin stars for two different restaurants (including Per Se).

Per Se is the East Coast version of his flagship French Laundry in California, having since far surpassed it on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

While the chef’s tasting menu changes daily, there are mainstays, such as Keller’s well-known twist on “oysters and pearls,” which combines succulent oysters, tapioca pearls and caviar.

Keens Steakhouse

Americans tend to value massive portions; fine dining is inevitably about small but perfect items.

Keens earns best of New York City marks by seeking to combine the best of both philosophies.

While up against worthy steakhouse competitors including Peter Luger, Old Homestead and The Strip House, Keens has an edge by serving the city’s top mutton chop.

The chop comes flanked by pieces of lamb bacon.

Keens also has the edge in decor. Its ceiling is stippled with thousands of clay pipes that represent an erstwhile club membership including American icons Theodore Roosevelt, Babe Ruth and General Douglas MacArthur.

Atera

With novelty as a guiding, but not solitary, principle, chef Matthew Lightner is dazzling diners at his tiny new tasting room in Tribeca.

Foraged ingredients and innovative ideas drive a constantly changing 22-course menu that’s designed as much to stir emotions as it is taste buds, which can go unrewarded in any given moment in favor of a gastro-narrative revelation four courses later.

Modernist creations like gin-cured scallops, cedar-oil-drizzled lamb and a baguette colored with squid ink to resemble a razor clam are served on flat rocks, hay and driftwood in the naturist style pioneered in Portland, OR.

The award of two stars by Michelin isn’t doing anything to ease accessibility to an already modest space, so reservations are vital.

Osteria Morini

“New York” magazine recently called Michael White “the city’s hottest Italian chef,” and “Esquire” put his bustling new Osteria Morini on its list of best restaurants in the city.

So why shouldn’t we put it on our best of New York City list?

White has earned praise with his knack for taking home-style fare and providing a gourmet twist, like tortellini with a duck-liver cream sauce.

Of course, man cannot live on food alone, and Osteria Morini’s cocktails are also superb.

The Dutch

Dress code at The Dutch?

“This ain’t no country club, but it’s no ball game either,” states the American bar/restaurant’s website.

“This is New York. Do what you feel, but keep it fresh.”

That casual but earnest logic lies at the heart of Andrew Carmellini’s latest offering in New York.

Inspired by a mix of cafs, country inns and seaside shacks, diners get reinterpretations of American classics like the good old porterhouse steak and fried chicken served with biscuits.

Just remember to look up from your food occasionally, or else you’ll miss the celebrities meandering through the dining room.

Caf Nougatine

Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most celebrated chefs in New York.

If you want to experience his creations at reasonable prices, try the lunch deal at Jean-Georges’ Caf Nougatine in the Trump Building.

The French haute cuisine goes for around $25 every lunch hour at the acclaimed restaurant.

Miss Lily’s Cakes

While the name promises cakes, this hip diner in downtown Manhattan serves remarkable Jamaican dishes.

The most revered item at this best of New York City diner is jerk chicken.

The decor is simple, but you won’t care as you watch leggy servers carry hearty platefuls of curry goat, oxtail stew and, yes, even cakes if you so desire.

Warning to anyone looking for a relaxed island vibe: the atmosphere of Miss Lily’s tends to get clubbier and the music louder as the night goes on.

Joe’s Pizza

For a best of New York City experience, there’s no more quintessential fast food than a slice of pizza.

Joe’s modest storefront unloads exceptional slices to an uninterrupted queue of patrons nearly 20 hours of every day.

Stand in line, point, pay, apply Parmesan and chili flakes from the public shakers, fold, eat and hustle back to work.

Hey, now you’re practically a local.

Best rooftop and sky-high restaurants in the world

Nightlife

Campbell Apartment

Step back in time and behold fully restored glasswork, furnishings and architectural appointments of a cavernous lounge that was once the massive private office of 1920s magnate John W. Campbell.

Now a swanky club, Campbell Apartment evokes images reminiscent of the more elegant side of “The Great Gatsby.”

(For Gatsby-esque smoking ruins, you’ll have to look elsewhere.)

Having a cocktail amid such elegance comes at a price: no jeans or sneakers allowed.

The Breslin Bar & Dining Room

In the lobby of the Ace Hotel, The Breslin is separated into small rooms for eating, drinking and generally feeling good about rubbing shoulders with trendy New Yorkers.

There’s a good chance you won’t even get a table in the bar, which has dark wood, antique pendant light fixtures and the feel of a private British club — but the buzz and people scenery will make up for it.

The Breslin’s lamb burger draws raves from regulars.

The dining room is the place for pork in all its marrow and other modern guises.

The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, 16 W. 29th St. (between Broadway and Fifth Avenue); +1 212 679 1939

GoldBar

Anyone who feels every New York nightclub is the same should hit this NoLita (North of Little Italy) establishment with an interior every bit as eclectic as its playlist, which includes new wave, rap, rock and pop.

How eclectic? For one, the entire space is swathed in gold.

For another, it includes a wall studded with gilded human skulls. (That’s right, skulls.)

Be advised that while you’ll likely want to capture an evening here for posterity — it’s pricy enough that it’s less a night out than an investment — photography is not permitted.

McSorley’s Old Ale House

As at Campbell Apartment, you feel like you’re stepping back in time. McSorley’s, however, is the sort of place that would welcome those traveling steerage as warmly as those in first class.

Rough-hewn wood floors, workmanlike bartenders and assorted memorabilia said to have been in the building since 1910 make you feel like you’re in a simpler age.

There are only two options for sale here: dark beer and light beer, the latter being called “light” not for its caloric value, but because it’s not the former.

Since beers here must be ordered in pairs, try one of each.

ReVision Lounge

ReVision’s theme is reclamation, with a front room furnished in bar stools made of recycled snow skis and a countertop of shredded, outdated U.S. currency glazed to a smooth finish.

But it’s the best of New York City back room you’ll remember.

Filled with couches fashioned from old coffins, porcelain bath tubs and the back ends of 1970s American luxury cars, it’s got a DJ table formed by the front end of an old Cadillac.

If you get in early in the evening you might be able to dodge the often unbearable late crowds.

Just be sure not to show up wearing real fur. (Seriously.)

World’s best cities for nightlife (and yeah, NYC is on the list)

Shopping/Attractions

Bergdorf Goodman department store

All high-fashion roads lead to this city institution, where the merchandise, layout and presentation are first-class, the staff is renowned for obsessive courteousness and historic New York department store shopping is still a dignified experience.

Bergdorf’s offers some impressive sales, though half off a US$1,000 sweater is still 500 bucks

BG’s four on-site restaurants are surprisingly good, a find for anyone who normally wouldn’t dream of eating in a store.

Century 21

For expensive stuff cheap and cheap stuff even cheaper, there’s no more beloved and simultaneously bemoaned retailer in New York City than Century 21.

Shoppers ascend C21’s five floors, slipping through the hordes searching for deeply discounted designer fashions, mainstream basics and mall-brand overstock, as well as items including luggage, watches and handbags.

If you’re willing to brave masses of consumers, C21 probably has a version of whatever clothing item you desire at every level of the economic spectrum, whether it’s a $1,200 coat for $400 or a $25 pack of socks for $10.

B&H Photo Video

B&H does a healthy amount of Internet business, making it known to many planet-wide, but the brick-and-mortar version is a hive of retail wonderment that really must be observed offline.

Thousands of daily customers seek counsel and competitive prices from hundreds of employees on photo and video cameras, computers, audio and lighting equipment, TVs, portable media devices and all of their associated accessories.

It’s worth it alone to buy something just to watch it travel via the store’s overhead rail delivery system.

National September 11 Memorial & Museum

Finally opened on September 12, 2011, after years of legal and architectural haggling, the 9/11 Memorial replaces the footprints of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers with reflecting pools fed by gargantuan ground-level waterfalls.

While the scale is massive, the aesthetic is in many ways quite personal, making the experience imposing yet touching all at once.

As long as construction continues around the site, visits require advance reservations; go to the official site to secure your visit time.

Top of The Rock observation deck

Like Meg Ryan and King Kong, you may be filled with a yen to rush to the top of the Empire State Building.

Unfortunately, this is an impulse shared by a zillion or so other tourists.

Instead, check out the observation deck at Rockefeller Center, which offers 360-degree views that are nearly as stunning and can be seen after a fraction of the wait.

Central Park

The expanse of green in the middle of Manhattan is your chance to do everything from seeing Shakespeare in the Park (there’s also a Marionette Theater at the Swedish Cottage if your little ones aren’t ready for Titus Andronicus) to challenging old Italian men to a game of bocce on the green near Sheep’s Meadow.

In the summer, Conservatory Water is filled with model boats. For even bigger kids, rental rowboats are available.

In winter, you can ice-skate at either Wollman or Lasker Rink.

Seasonal attractions

Visitors might experience completely different New Yorks depending on the time of year.

Here are some seasonal suggestions.

Winter

Madison Square Garden

Hopes are high again at the Garden as the resurgent New York Knicks NBA franchise has emerged from one of the bleaker stretches in its proud history to contention for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

If you prefer your athletes with fewer teeth, the Garden is also home to the New York Rangers, one of six original members of the National Hockey League.

Citi Pond at Bryant Park

Ice-skating at Rockefeller Center may be the most iconic activity available for any winter visit to New York City.

Unfortunately, every other visitor willing to lace on skates knows this, as well.

If lines prove too horrific, consider heading south to the seasonal Citi Pond at Bryant Park.

The park also fills up in winter with holiday shops to amuse those who choose to stay off the ice.

Admission free, skate rentals US$14.

Spring

Hudson River Park

New York’s west side waterfront has undergone wholesale improvements over the last decade, including the installation of an eight-kilometer bike and walking path, tennis and basketball courts, soccer fields, batting cages, playgrounds, skate park, trapeze school, open lawns and free kayaking at Piers 96, 40 and 72nd Street.

Yes, that’s right, trapeze school.

Good burgers and beers can be found at the Frying Pan, a wartime barge turned bar and grill at 26th Street.

Yankee Stadium

From April through September, the Bronx comes alive for the most successful sports franchise in North America, which supplies New York with a good chunk of its swagger — it’s easier to call yourself “the greatest city in the world” when you’ve won 27 World Series, not to mention those two by the Mets.

Take the B, D or 4 subway trains to 161st Street for a game, including time to stroll the team’s new billion-dollar stadium.

Beware purchasing tickets from street scalpers: counterfeiters here are among the best in the world.

Summer

Brooklyn Bridge

Ironically, one of the best ways to appreciate Manhattan is to leave it.

Get off the F train at York Street in Brooklyn and enjoy the two-and-a-half kilometer walk back to the city via its most historic gateway, enjoying a remarkable view of Manhattan that will make you feel like you’re living a particularly charming moment from a Woody Allen film.

Before making the journey, spend some time in Brooklyn.

Check out Brooklyn’s bridge-side DUMBO neighborhood, which offers a waterfront view and features warehouses converted into an array of residences and businesses.

If you enjoy waiting in line for food that you eat with your hands, check out Grimaldi’s, one of New York’s best-rated brick oven pizzas.

Fall

The Cloisters

If you’re looking for a museum missed by most tourists (and a surprising number of New Yorkers), make time for the Cloisters, located in Fort Tryon Park.

A reassembled French building houses the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s medieval Europe collection, but for many visitors the best part of the visit occurs when you step outside and see gardens patterned faithfully after medieval designs for landscaping and architecture.

You’ll be going far further north than most visitors, but when you witness an attraction unlike anything else in New York you’ll know it’s worth the journey.

source http://allofbeer.com/2017/12/12/new-york-city-insider-travel-guide/ from All of Beer http://allofbeer.blogspot.com/2017/12/new-york-city-insider-travel-guide.html

[samanthasroberts]

New York City: Insider Travel Guide

(CNN)Trying to do the best of New York City in a few days is like announcing you plan to see Africa in a week: it minimizes just how much there is to experience and completely disregards travel times.

Hotels

Luxury

Mandarin Oriental New York

Located atop one of the twin sentries comprising the Time Warner Center, the five-star Mandarin enjoys unobstructed views through its floor-to-ceiling windows of the Hudson River, Central Park, Brooklyn and Portugal (at least, it feels that way).

Its best of New York City position in bustling Columbus Circle centralizes it near perfectly — just north of Midtown — with subways linking to virtually every part of the city.

Unlike in much of the rest of the United States, there’s no shame in walking in New York.

Plenty of attractions are within an easy stroll, including Lincoln Center, Broadway, Hell’s Kitchen and Times Square.

Crosby Street Hotel

With high ceilings and full length windows reflective of SoHo’s history as a factory cum gallery district, Hotelier Firmdale’s only non-London property is an all-new structure built in the neighborhood’s classic style, its 86 guest rooms each receiving their own individual designs.

As charming as the cobblestone street out front, the hotel has an outdoor sculpture garden, all-day afternoon tea service with cakes and sandwiches in the bar and a 100-seat screening room with a Sunday Night Film Club open to all.

The neighborhood’s overall lower profile makes the Crosby’s upper floors all the more recommended.

Mid-range

The Standard, High Line

If aesthetics are a requisite, The Standard, High Line — situated directly above a stretch of old elevated railway now known as High Line Park — is a best of New York City landmark in Manhattan’s most model-intensive neighborhood.

The decor is mod and the vibe is downtown, so go ahead and pack your shiniest shirts for the clubs, bars and bistros of the surrounding Meatpacking District.

Among the property’s greatest draws are its views.

Of models, yes, but also of the Hudson River, downtown and, to a lesser extent, New Jersey.

Ensure you see as much as possible by getting a room ending in 24, which will net you two walls of windows.

The Bowery Hotel

Two hundred years ago, the Bowery was a poor man’s Broadway. By the turn of the last century, it was just poor.

But those familiar just 10 years ago with this erstwhile skid row would hardly recognize it today, and the Bowery Hotel embodies its new, loftier status.

Lying right at the intersection of hip and elegant, the hotel is appointed with luxurious old world refinements and dcor while retaining a vibe that’s lively and modern.

Factory windows offer 360-degrees of the city, while several rooms have their own terraces, complete with outdoor showers.

Budget

The Pod Hotel

The only way you can stay overnight in Manhattan for less than one of the single rooms in this Midtown budgetier is by staying with family in the area.

And if you stay at the Pod’s 51st Street location, in some cases it, too, requires you to share a bathroom with people you may not like.

But rooms at the newer Murray Hill location all feature private bathrooms, along with free Wi-Fi and an emphasis on communal space typified by the Pod 39’s rooftop lounge.

The hotel’s perks are few and the rooms are barely bigger than the beds, but if you want hip and affordable, you won’t likely do better.

Insider tips for more American cities: Chicago | Los Angeles | San Francisco

Dining

Per Se

With its modern decor and swanky address at the tip of Central Park, Per Se strives to turn your dinner into “a journey that returns you to sources of pleasure you may have forgotten,” which would seem pretentious if that wasn’t precisely what it accomplishes with nearly every dish.

Hailed by food critics ever since its doors opened, Per Se is the brainchild of Thomas Keller, the only American chef to have been awarded three Michelin stars for two different restaurants (including Per Se).

Per Se is the East Coast version of his flagship French Laundry in California, having since far surpassed it on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

While the chef’s tasting menu changes daily, there are mainstays, such as Keller’s well-known twist on “oysters and pearls,” which combines succulent oysters, tapioca pearls and caviar.

Keens Steakhouse

Americans tend to value massive portions; fine dining is inevitably about small but perfect items.

Keens earns best of New York City marks by seeking to combine the best of both philosophies.

While up against worthy steakhouse competitors including Peter Luger, Old Homestead and The Strip House, Keens has an edge by serving the city’s top mutton chop.

The chop comes flanked by pieces of lamb bacon.

Keens also has the edge in decor. Its ceiling is stippled with thousands of clay pipes that represent an erstwhile club membership including American icons Theodore Roosevelt, Babe Ruth and General Douglas MacArthur.

Atera

With novelty as a guiding, but not solitary, principle, chef Matthew Lightner is dazzling diners at his tiny new tasting room in Tribeca.

Foraged ingredients and innovative ideas drive a constantly changing 22-course menu that’s designed as much to stir emotions as it is taste buds, which can go unrewarded in any given moment in favor of a gastro-narrative revelation four courses later.

Modernist creations like gin-cured scallops, cedar-oil-drizzled lamb and a baguette colored with squid ink to resemble a razor clam are served on flat rocks, hay and driftwood in the naturist style pioneered in Portland, OR.

The award of two stars by Michelin isn’t doing anything to ease accessibility to an already modest space, so reservations are vital.

Osteria Morini

“New York” magazine recently called Michael White “the city’s hottest Italian chef,” and “Esquire” put his bustling new Osteria Morini on its list of best restaurants in the city.

So why shouldn’t we put it on our best of New York City list?

White has earned praise with his knack for taking home-style fare and providing a gourmet twist, like tortellini with a duck-liver cream sauce.

Of course, man cannot live on food alone, and Osteria Morini’s cocktails are also superb.

The Dutch

Dress code at The Dutch?

“This ain’t no country club, but it’s no ball game either,” states the American bar/restaurant’s website.

“This is New York. Do what you feel, but keep it fresh.”

That casual but earnest logic lies at the heart of Andrew Carmellini’s latest offering in New York.

Inspired by a mix of cafs, country inns and seaside shacks, diners get reinterpretations of American classics like the good old porterhouse steak and fried chicken served with biscuits.

Just remember to look up from your food occasionally, or else you’ll miss the celebrities meandering through the dining room.

Caf Nougatine

Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most celebrated chefs in New York.

If you want to experience his creations at reasonable prices, try the lunch deal at Jean-Georges’ Caf Nougatine in the Trump Building.

The French haute cuisine goes for around $25 every lunch hour at the acclaimed restaurant.

Miss Lily’s Cakes

While the name promises cakes, this hip diner in downtown Manhattan serves remarkable Jamaican dishes.

The most revered item at this best of New York City diner is jerk chicken.

The decor is simple, but you won’t care as you watch leggy servers carry hearty platefuls of curry goat, oxtail stew and, yes, even cakes if you so desire.

Warning to anyone looking for a relaxed island vibe: the atmosphere of Miss Lily’s tends to get clubbier and the music louder as the night goes on.

Joe’s Pizza

For a best of New York City experience, there’s no more quintessential fast food than a slice of pizza.

Joe’s modest storefront unloads exceptional slices to an uninterrupted queue of patrons nearly 20 hours of every day.

Stand in line, point, pay, apply Parmesan and chili flakes from the public shakers, fold, eat and hustle back to work.

Hey, now you’re practically a local.

Best rooftop and sky-high restaurants in the world

Nightlife

Campbell Apartment

Step back in time and behold fully restored glasswork, furnishings and architectural appointments of a cavernous lounge that was once the massive private office of 1920s magnate John W. Campbell.

Now a swanky club, Campbell Apartment evokes images reminiscent of the more elegant side of “The Great Gatsby.”

(For Gatsby-esque smoking ruins, you’ll have to look elsewhere.)

Having a cocktail amid such elegance comes at a price: no jeans or sneakers allowed.

The Breslin Bar & Dining Room

In the lobby of the Ace Hotel, The Breslin is separated into small rooms for eating, drinking and generally feeling good about rubbing shoulders with trendy New Yorkers.

There’s a good chance you won’t even get a table in the bar, which has dark wood, antique pendant light fixtures and the feel of a private British club — but the buzz and people scenery will make up for it.

The Breslin’s lamb burger draws raves from regulars.

The dining room is the place for pork in all its marrow and other modern guises.

The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, 16 W. 29th St. (between Broadway and Fifth Avenue); +1 212 679 1939

GoldBar

Anyone who feels every New York nightclub is the same should hit this NoLita (North of Little Italy) establishment with an interior every bit as eclectic as its playlist, which includes new wave, rap, rock and pop.

How eclectic? For one, the entire space is swathed in gold.

For another, it includes a wall studded with gilded human skulls. (That’s right, skulls.)

Be advised that while you’ll likely want to capture an evening here for posterity — it’s pricy enough that it’s less a night out than an investment — photography is not permitted.

McSorley’s Old Ale House

As at Campbell Apartment, you feel like you’re stepping back in time. McSorley’s, however, is the sort of place that would welcome those traveling steerage as warmly as those in first class.

Rough-hewn wood floors, workmanlike bartenders and assorted memorabilia said to have been in the building since 1910 make you feel like you’re in a simpler age.

There are only two options for sale here: dark beer and light beer, the latter being called “light” not for its caloric value, but because it’s not the former.

Since beers here must be ordered in pairs, try one of each.

ReVision Lounge

ReVision’s theme is reclamation, with a front room furnished in bar stools made of recycled snow skis and a countertop of shredded, outdated U.S. currency glazed to a smooth finish.

But it’s the best of New York City back room you’ll remember.

Filled with couches fashioned from old coffins, porcelain bath tubs and the back ends of 1970s American luxury cars, it’s got a DJ table formed by the front end of an old Cadillac.

If you get in early in the evening you might be able to dodge the often unbearable late crowds.

Just be sure not to show up wearing real fur. (Seriously.)

World’s best cities for nightlife (and yeah, NYC is on the list)

Shopping/Attractions

Bergdorf Goodman department store

All high-fashion roads lead to this city institution, where the merchandise, layout and presentation are first-class, the staff is renowned for obsessive courteousness and historic New York department store shopping is still a dignified experience.

Bergdorf’s offers some impressive sales, though half off a US$1,000 sweater is still 500 bucks

BG’s four on-site restaurants are surprisingly good, a find for anyone who normally wouldn’t dream of eating in a store.

Century 21

For expensive stuff cheap and cheap stuff even cheaper, there’s no more beloved and simultaneously bemoaned retailer in New York City than Century 21.

Shoppers ascend C21’s five floors, slipping through the hordes searching for deeply discounted designer fashions, mainstream basics and mall-brand overstock, as well as items including luggage, watches and handbags.

If you’re willing to brave masses of consumers, C21 probably has a version of whatever clothing item you desire at every level of the economic spectrum, whether it’s a $1,200 coat for $400 or a $25 pack of socks for $10.

B&H Photo Video

B&H does a healthy amount of Internet business, making it known to many planet-wide, but the brick-and-mortar version is a hive of retail wonderment that really must be observed offline.

Thousands of daily customers seek counsel and competitive prices from hundreds of employees on photo and video cameras, computers, audio and lighting equipment, TVs, portable media devices and all of their associated accessories.

It’s worth it alone to buy something just to watch it travel via the store’s overhead rail delivery system.

National September 11 Memorial & Museum

Finally opened on September 12, 2011, after years of legal and architectural haggling, the 9/11 Memorial replaces the footprints of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers with reflecting pools fed by gargantuan ground-level waterfalls.

While the scale is massive, the aesthetic is in many ways quite personal, making the experience imposing yet touching all at once.

As long as construction continues around the site, visits require advance reservations; go to the official site to secure your visit time.

Top of The Rock observation deck

Like Meg Ryan and King Kong, you may be filled with a yen to rush to the top of the Empire State Building.

Unfortunately, this is an impulse shared by a zillion or so other tourists.

Instead, check out the observation deck at Rockefeller Center, which offers 360-degree views that are nearly as stunning and can be seen after a fraction of the wait.

Central Park

The expanse of green in the middle of Manhattan is your chance to do everything from seeing Shakespeare in the Park (there’s also a Marionette Theater at the Swedish Cottage if your little ones aren’t ready for Titus Andronicus) to challenging old Italian men to a game of bocce on the green near Sheep’s Meadow.

In the summer, Conservatory Water is filled with model boats. For even bigger kids, rental rowboats are available.

In winter, you can ice-skate at either Wollman or Lasker Rink.

Seasonal attractions

Visitors might experience completely different New Yorks depending on the time of year.

Here are some seasonal suggestions.

Winter

Madison Square Garden

Hopes are high again at the Garden as the resurgent New York Knicks NBA franchise has emerged from one of the bleaker stretches in its proud history to contention for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

If you prefer your athletes with fewer teeth, the Garden is also home to the New York Rangers, one of six original members of the National Hockey League.

Citi Pond at Bryant Park

Ice-skating at Rockefeller Center may be the most iconic activity available for any winter visit to New York City.

Unfortunately, every other visitor willing to lace on skates knows this, as well.

If lines prove too horrific, consider heading south to the seasonal Citi Pond at Bryant Park.

The park also fills up in winter with holiday shops to amuse those who choose to stay off the ice.

Admission free, skate rentals US$14.

Spring

Hudson River Park

New York’s west side waterfront has undergone wholesale improvements over the last decade, including the installation of an eight-kilometer bike and walking path, tennis and basketball courts, soccer fields, batting cages, playgrounds, skate park, trapeze school, open lawns and free kayaking at Piers 96, 40 and 72nd Street.

Yes, that’s right, trapeze school.

Good burgers and beers can be found at the Frying Pan, a wartime barge turned bar and grill at 26th Street.

Yankee Stadium

From April through September, the Bronx comes alive for the most successful sports franchise in North America, which supplies New York with a good chunk of its swagger — it’s easier to call yourself “the greatest city in the world” when you’ve won 27 World Series, not to mention those two by the Mets.

Take the B, D or 4 subway trains to 161st Street for a game, including time to stroll the team’s new billion-dollar stadium.

Beware purchasing tickets from street scalpers: counterfeiters here are among the best in the world.

Summer

Brooklyn Bridge

Ironically, one of the best ways to appreciate Manhattan is to leave it.

Get off the F train at York Street in Brooklyn and enjoy the two-and-a-half kilometer walk back to the city via its most historic gateway, enjoying a remarkable view of Manhattan that will make you feel like you’re living a particularly charming moment from a Woody Allen film.

Before making the journey, spend some time in Brooklyn.

Check out Brooklyn’s bridge-side DUMBO neighborhood, which offers a waterfront view and features warehouses converted into an array of residences and businesses.

If you enjoy waiting in line for food that you eat with your hands, check out Grimaldi’s, one of New York’s best-rated brick oven pizzas.

Fall

The Cloisters

If you’re looking for a museum missed by most tourists (and a surprising number of New Yorkers), make time for the Cloisters, located in Fort Tryon Park.

A reassembled French building houses the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s medieval Europe collection, but for many visitors the best part of the visit occurs when you step outside and see gardens patterned faithfully after medieval designs for landscaping and architecture.

You’ll be going far further north than most visitors, but when you witness an attraction unlike anything else in New York you’ll know it’s worth the journey.

Source: http://allofbeer.com/2017/12/12/new-york-city-insider-travel-guide/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/new-york-city-insider-travel-guide/

[adambstingus]

New York City: Insider Travel Guide

(CNN)Trying to do the best of New York City in a few days is like announcing you plan to see Africa in a week: it minimizes just how much there is to experience and completely disregards travel times.

Hotels

Luxury

Mandarin Oriental New York

Located atop one of the twin sentries comprising the Time Warner Center, the five-star Mandarin enjoys unobstructed views through its floor-to-ceiling windows of the Hudson River, Central Park, Brooklyn and Portugal (at least, it feels that way).

Its best of New York City position in bustling Columbus Circle centralizes it near perfectly — just north of Midtown — with subways linking to virtually every part of the city.

Unlike in much of the rest of the United States, there’s no shame in walking in New York.

Plenty of attractions are within an easy stroll, including Lincoln Center, Broadway, Hell’s Kitchen and Times Square.

Crosby Street Hotel

With high ceilings and full length windows reflective of SoHo’s history as a factory cum gallery district, Hotelier Firmdale’s only non-London property is an all-new structure built in the neighborhood’s classic style, its 86 guest rooms each receiving their own individual designs.

As charming as the cobblestone street out front, the hotel has an outdoor sculpture garden, all-day afternoon tea service with cakes and sandwiches in the bar and a 100-seat screening room with a Sunday Night Film Club open to all.

The neighborhood’s overall lower profile makes the Crosby’s upper floors all the more recommended.

Mid-range

The Standard, High Line

If aesthetics are a requisite, The Standard, High Line — situated directly above a stretch of old elevated railway now known as High Line Park — is a best of New York City landmark in Manhattan’s most model-intensive neighborhood.

The decor is mod and the vibe is downtown, so go ahead and pack your shiniest shirts for the clubs, bars and bistros of the surrounding Meatpacking District.

Among the property’s greatest draws are its views.

Of models, yes, but also of the Hudson River, downtown and, to a lesser extent, New Jersey.

Ensure you see as much as possible by getting a room ending in 24, which will net you two walls of windows.

The Bowery Hotel

Two hundred years ago, the Bowery was a poor man’s Broadway. By the turn of the last century, it was just poor.

But those familiar just 10 years ago with this erstwhile skid row would hardly recognize it today, and the Bowery Hotel embodies its new, loftier status.

Lying right at the intersection of hip and elegant, the hotel is appointed with luxurious old world refinements and dcor while retaining a vibe that’s lively and modern.

Factory windows offer 360-degrees of the city, while several rooms have their own terraces, complete with outdoor showers.

Budget

The Pod Hotel

The only way you can stay overnight in Manhattan for less than one of the single rooms in this Midtown budgetier is by staying with family in the area.

And if you stay at the Pod’s 51st Street location, in some cases it, too, requires you to share a bathroom with people you may not like.

But rooms at the newer Murray Hill location all feature private bathrooms, along with free Wi-Fi and an emphasis on communal space typified by the Pod 39’s rooftop lounge.

The hotel’s perks are few and the rooms are barely bigger than the beds, but if you want hip and affordable, you won’t likely do better.

Insider tips for more American cities: Chicago | Los Angeles | San Francisco

Dining

Per Se

With its modern decor and swanky address at the tip of Central Park, Per Se strives to turn your dinner into “a journey that returns you to sources of pleasure you may have forgotten,” which would seem pretentious if that wasn’t precisely what it accomplishes with nearly every dish.

Hailed by food critics ever since its doors opened, Per Se is the brainchild of Thomas Keller, the only American chef to have been awarded three Michelin stars for two different restaurants (including Per Se).

Per Se is the East Coast version of his flagship French Laundry in California, having since far surpassed it on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

While the chef’s tasting menu changes daily, there are mainstays, such as Keller’s well-known twist on “oysters and pearls,” which combines succulent oysters, tapioca pearls and caviar.

Keens Steakhouse

Americans tend to value massive portions; fine dining is inevitably about small but perfect items.

Keens earns best of New York City marks by seeking to combine the best of both philosophies.

While up against worthy steakhouse competitors including Peter Luger, Old Homestead and The Strip House, Keens has an edge by serving the city’s top mutton chop.

The chop comes flanked by pieces of lamb bacon.

Keens also has the edge in decor. Its ceiling is stippled with thousands of clay pipes that represent an erstwhile club membership including American icons Theodore Roosevelt, Babe Ruth and General Douglas MacArthur.

Atera

With novelty as a guiding, but not solitary, principle, chef Matthew Lightner is dazzling diners at his tiny new tasting room in Tribeca.

Foraged ingredients and innovative ideas drive a constantly changing 22-course menu that’s designed as much to stir emotions as it is taste buds, which can go unrewarded in any given moment in favor of a gastro-narrative revelation four courses later.

Modernist creations like gin-cured scallops, cedar-oil-drizzled lamb and a baguette colored with squid ink to resemble a razor clam are served on flat rocks, hay and driftwood in the naturist style pioneered in Portland, OR.

The award of two stars by Michelin isn’t doing anything to ease accessibility to an already modest space, so reservations are vital.

Osteria Morini

“New York” magazine recently called Michael White “the city’s hottest Italian chef,” and “Esquire” put his bustling new Osteria Morini on its list of best restaurants in the city.

So why shouldn’t we put it on our best of New York City list?

White has earned praise with his knack for taking home-style fare and providing a gourmet twist, like tortellini with a duck-liver cream sauce.

Of course, man cannot live on food alone, and Osteria Morini’s cocktails are also superb.

The Dutch

Dress code at The Dutch?

“This ain’t no country club, but it’s no ball game either,” states the American bar/restaurant’s website.

“This is New York. Do what you feel, but keep it fresh.”

That casual but earnest logic lies at the heart of Andrew Carmellini’s latest offering in New York.

Inspired by a mix of cafs, country inns and seaside shacks, diners get reinterpretations of American classics like the good old porterhouse steak and fried chicken served with biscuits.

Just remember to look up from your food occasionally, or else you’ll miss the celebrities meandering through the dining room.

Caf Nougatine

Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most celebrated chefs in New York.

If you want to experience his creations at reasonable prices, try the lunch deal at Jean-Georges’ Caf Nougatine in the Trump Building.

The French haute cuisine goes for around $25 every lunch hour at the acclaimed restaurant.

Miss Lily’s Cakes

While the name promises cakes, this hip diner in downtown Manhattan serves remarkable Jamaican dishes.

The most revered item at this best of New York City diner is jerk chicken.

The decor is simple, but you won’t care as you watch leggy servers carry hearty platefuls of curry goat, oxtail stew and, yes, even cakes if you so desire.

Warning to anyone looking for a relaxed island vibe: the atmosphere of Miss Lily’s tends to get clubbier and the music louder as the night goes on.

Joe’s Pizza

For a best of New York City experience, there’s no more quintessential fast food than a slice of pizza.

Joe’s modest storefront unloads exceptional slices to an uninterrupted queue of patrons nearly 20 hours of every day.

Stand in line, point, pay, apply Parmesan and chili flakes from the public shakers, fold, eat and hustle back to work.

Hey, now you’re practically a local.

Best rooftop and sky-high restaurants in the world

Nightlife

Campbell Apartment

Step back in time and behold fully restored glasswork, furnishings and architectural appointments of a cavernous lounge that was once the massive private office of 1920s magnate John W. Campbell.

Now a swanky club, Campbell Apartment evokes images reminiscent of the more elegant side of “The Great Gatsby.”

(For Gatsby-esque smoking ruins, you’ll have to look elsewhere.)

Having a cocktail amid such elegance comes at a price: no jeans or sneakers allowed.

The Breslin Bar & Dining Room

In the lobby of the Ace Hotel, The Breslin is separated into small rooms for eating, drinking and generally feeling good about rubbing shoulders with trendy New Yorkers.

There’s a good chance you won’t even get a table in the bar, which has dark wood, antique pendant light fixtures and the feel of a private British club — but the buzz and people scenery will make up for it.

The Breslin’s lamb burger draws raves from regulars.

The dining room is the place for pork in all its marrow and other modern guises.

The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, 16 W. 29th St. (between Broadway and Fifth Avenue); +1 212 679 1939

GoldBar

Anyone who feels every New York nightclub is the same should hit this NoLita (North of Little Italy) establishment with an interior every bit as eclectic as its playlist, which includes new wave, rap, rock and pop.

How eclectic? For one, the entire space is swathed in gold.

For another, it includes a wall studded with gilded human skulls. (That’s right, skulls.)

Be advised that while you’ll likely want to capture an evening here for posterity — it’s pricy enough that it’s less a night out than an investment — photography is not permitted.

McSorley’s Old Ale House

As at Campbell Apartment, you feel like you’re stepping back in time. McSorley’s, however, is the sort of place that would welcome those traveling steerage as warmly as those in first class.

Rough-hewn wood floors, workmanlike bartenders and assorted memorabilia said to have been in the building since 1910 make you feel like you’re in a simpler age.

There are only two options for sale here: dark beer and light beer, the latter being called “light” not for its caloric value, but because it’s not the former.

Since beers here must be ordered in pairs, try one of each.

ReVision Lounge

ReVision’s theme is reclamation, with a front room furnished in bar stools made of recycled snow skis and a countertop of shredded, outdated U.S. currency glazed to a smooth finish.

But it’s the best of New York City back room you’ll remember.

Filled with couches fashioned from old coffins, porcelain bath tubs and the back ends of 1970s American luxury cars, it’s got a DJ table formed by the front end of an old Cadillac.

If you get in early in the evening you might be able to dodge the often unbearable late crowds.

Just be sure not to show up wearing real fur. (Seriously.)

World’s best cities for nightlife (and yeah, NYC is on the list)

Shopping/Attractions

Bergdorf Goodman department store

All high-fashion roads lead to this city institution, where the merchandise, layout and presentation are first-class, the staff is renowned for obsessive courteousness and historic New York department store shopping is still a dignified experience.

Bergdorf’s offers some impressive sales, though half off a US$1,000 sweater is still 500 bucks

BG’s four on-site restaurants are surprisingly good, a find for anyone who normally wouldn’t dream of eating in a store.

Century 21

For expensive stuff cheap and cheap stuff even cheaper, there’s no more beloved and simultaneously bemoaned retailer in New York City than Century 21.

Shoppers ascend C21’s five floors, slipping through the hordes searching for deeply discounted designer fashions, mainstream basics and mall-brand overstock, as well as items including luggage, watches and handbags.

If you’re willing to brave masses of consumers, C21 probably has a version of whatever clothing item you desire at every level of the economic spectrum, whether it’s a $1,200 coat for $400 or a $25 pack of socks for $10.

B&H Photo Video

B&H does a healthy amount of Internet business, making it known to many planet-wide, but the brick-and-mortar version is a hive of retail wonderment that really must be observed offline.

Thousands of daily customers seek counsel and competitive prices from hundreds of employees on photo and video cameras, computers, audio and lighting equipment, TVs, portable media devices and all of their associated accessories.

It’s worth it alone to buy something just to watch it travel via the store’s overhead rail delivery system.

National September 11 Memorial & Museum

Finally opened on September 12, 2011, after years of legal and architectural haggling, the 9/11 Memorial replaces the footprints of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers with reflecting pools fed by gargantuan ground-level waterfalls.

While the scale is massive, the aesthetic is in many ways quite personal, making the experience imposing yet touching all at once.

As long as construction continues around the site, visits require advance reservations; go to the official site to secure your visit time.

Top of The Rock observation deck

Like Meg Ryan and King Kong, you may be filled with a yen to rush to the top of the Empire State Building.

Unfortunately, this is an impulse shared by a zillion or so other tourists.

Instead, check out the observation deck at Rockefeller Center, which offers 360-degree views that are nearly as stunning and can be seen after a fraction of the wait.

Central Park

The expanse of green in the middle of Manhattan is your chance to do everything from seeing Shakespeare in the Park (there’s also a Marionette Theater at the Swedish Cottage if your little ones aren’t ready for Titus Andronicus) to challenging old Italian men to a game of bocce on the green near Sheep’s Meadow.

In the summer, Conservatory Water is filled with model boats. For even bigger kids, rental rowboats are available.

In winter, you can ice-skate at either Wollman or Lasker Rink.

Seasonal attractions

Visitors might experience completely different New Yorks depending on the time of year.

Here are some seasonal suggestions.

Winter

Madison Square Garden

Hopes are high again at the Garden as the resurgent New York Knicks NBA franchise has emerged from one of the bleaker stretches in its proud history to contention for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

If you prefer your athletes with fewer teeth, the Garden is also home to the New York Rangers, one of six original members of the National Hockey League.

Citi Pond at Bryant Park

Ice-skating at Rockefeller Center may be the most iconic activity available for any winter visit to New York City.

Unfortunately, every other visitor willing to lace on skates knows this, as well.

If lines prove too horrific, consider heading south to the seasonal Citi Pond at Bryant Park.

The park also fills up in winter with holiday shops to amuse those who choose to stay off the ice.

Admission free, skate rentals US$14.

Spring

Hudson River Park

New York’s west side waterfront has undergone wholesale improvements over the last decade, including the installation of an eight-kilometer bike and walking path, tennis and basketball courts, soccer fields, batting cages, playgrounds, skate park, trapeze school, open lawns and free kayaking at Piers 96, 40 and 72nd Street.

Yes, that’s right, trapeze school.

Good burgers and beers can be found at the Frying Pan, a wartime barge turned bar and grill at 26th Street.

Yankee Stadium

From April through September, the Bronx comes alive for the most successful sports franchise in North America, which supplies New York with a good chunk of its swagger — it’s easier to call yourself “the greatest city in the world” when you’ve won 27 World Series, not to mention those two by the Mets.

Take the B, D or 4 subway trains to 161st Street for a game, including time to stroll the team’s new billion-dollar stadium.

Beware purchasing tickets from street scalpers: counterfeiters here are among the best in the world.

Summer

Brooklyn Bridge

Ironically, one of the best ways to appreciate Manhattan is to leave it.

Get off the F train at York Street in Brooklyn and enjoy the two-and-a-half kilometer walk back to the city via its most historic gateway, enjoying a remarkable view of Manhattan that will make you feel like you’re living a particularly charming moment from a Woody Allen film.

Before making the journey, spend some time in Brooklyn.

Check out Brooklyn’s bridge-side DUMBO neighborhood, which offers a waterfront view and features warehouses converted into an array of residences and businesses.

If you enjoy waiting in line for food that you eat with your hands, check out Grimaldi’s, one of New York’s best-rated brick oven pizzas.

Fall

The Cloisters

If you’re looking for a museum missed by most tourists (and a surprising number of New Yorkers), make time for the Cloisters, located in Fort Tryon Park.

A reassembled French building houses the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s medieval Europe collection, but for many visitors the best part of the visit occurs when you step outside and see gardens patterned faithfully after medieval designs for landscaping and architecture.

You’ll be going far further north than most visitors, but when you witness an attraction unlike anything else in New York you’ll know it’s worth the journey.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/12/12/new-york-city-insider-travel-guide/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/168462310782

[allofbeercom]

New York City: Insider Travel Guide

(CNN)Trying to do the best of New York City in a few days is like announcing you plan to see Africa in a week: it minimizes just how much there is to experience and completely disregards travel times.

Hotels

Luxury

Mandarin Oriental New York

Located atop one of the twin sentries comprising the Time Warner Center, the five-star Mandarin enjoys unobstructed views through its floor-to-ceiling windows of the Hudson River, Central Park, Brooklyn and Portugal (at least, it feels that way).

Its best of New York City position in bustling Columbus Circle centralizes it near perfectly — just north of Midtown — with subways linking to virtually every part of the city.

Unlike in much of the rest of the United States, there’s no shame in walking in New York.

Plenty of attractions are within an easy stroll, including Lincoln Center, Broadway, Hell’s Kitchen and Times Square.

Crosby Street Hotel

With high ceilings and full length windows reflective of SoHo’s history as a factory cum gallery district, Hotelier Firmdale’s only non-London property is an all-new structure built in the neighborhood’s classic style, its 86 guest rooms each receiving their own individual designs.

As charming as the cobblestone street out front, the hotel has an outdoor sculpture garden, all-day afternoon tea service with cakes and sandwiches in the bar and a 100-seat screening room with a Sunday Night Film Club open to all.

The neighborhood’s overall lower profile makes the Crosby’s upper floors all the more recommended.

Mid-range

The Standard, High Line

If aesthetics are a requisite, The Standard, High Line — situated directly above a stretch of old elevated railway now known as High Line Park — is a best of New York City landmark in Manhattan’s most model-intensive neighborhood.

The decor is mod and the vibe is downtown, so go ahead and pack your shiniest shirts for the clubs, bars and bistros of the surrounding Meatpacking District.

Among the property’s greatest draws are its views.

Of models, yes, but also of the Hudson River, downtown and, to a lesser extent, New Jersey.

Ensure you see as much as possible by getting a room ending in 24, which will net you two walls of windows.

The Bowery Hotel

Two hundred years ago, the Bowery was a poor man’s Broadway. By the turn of the last century, it was just poor.

But those familiar just 10 years ago with this erstwhile skid row would hardly recognize it today, and the Bowery Hotel embodies its new, loftier status.

Lying right at the intersection of hip and elegant, the hotel is appointed with luxurious old world refinements and dcor while retaining a vibe that’s lively and modern.

Factory windows offer 360-degrees of the city, while several rooms have their own terraces, complete with outdoor showers.

Budget

The Pod Hotel

The only way you can stay overnight in Manhattan for less than one of the single rooms in this Midtown budgetier is by staying with family in the area.

And if you stay at the Pod’s 51st Street location, in some cases it, too, requires you to share a bathroom with people you may not like.

But rooms at the newer Murray Hill location all feature private bathrooms, along with free Wi-Fi and an emphasis on communal space typified by the Pod 39’s rooftop lounge.

The hotel’s perks are few and the rooms are barely bigger than the beds, but if you want hip and affordable, you won’t likely do better.

Insider tips for more American cities: Chicago | Los Angeles | San Francisco

Dining

Per Se

With its modern decor and swanky address at the tip of Central Park, Per Se strives to turn your dinner into “a journey that returns you to sources of pleasure you may have forgotten,” which would seem pretentious if that wasn’t precisely what it accomplishes with nearly every dish.

Hailed by food critics ever since its doors opened, Per Se is the brainchild of Thomas Keller, the only American chef to have been awarded three Michelin stars for two different restaurants (including Per Se).

Per Se is the East Coast version of his flagship French Laundry in California, having since far surpassed it on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

While the chef’s tasting menu changes daily, there are mainstays, such as Keller’s well-known twist on “oysters and pearls,” which combines succulent oysters, tapioca pearls and caviar.

Keens Steakhouse

Americans tend to value massive portions; fine dining is inevitably about small but perfect items.

Keens earns best of New York City marks by seeking to combine the best of both philosophies.

While up against worthy steakhouse competitors including Peter Luger, Old Homestead and The Strip House, Keens has an edge by serving the city’s top mutton chop.

The chop comes flanked by pieces of lamb bacon.

Keens also has the edge in decor. Its ceiling is stippled with thousands of clay pipes that represent an erstwhile club membership including American icons Theodore Roosevelt, Babe Ruth and General Douglas MacArthur.

Atera

With novelty as a guiding, but not solitary, principle, chef Matthew Lightner is dazzling diners at his tiny new tasting room in Tribeca.

Foraged ingredients and innovative ideas drive a constantly changing 22-course menu that’s designed as much to stir emotions as it is taste buds, which can go unrewarded in any given moment in favor of a gastro-narrative revelation four courses later.

Modernist creations like gin-cured scallops, cedar-oil-drizzled lamb and a baguette colored with squid ink to resemble a razor clam are served on flat rocks, hay and driftwood in the naturist style pioneered in Portland, OR.

The award of two stars by Michelin isn’t doing anything to ease accessibility to an already modest space, so reservations are vital.

Osteria Morini

“New York” magazine recently called Michael White “the city’s hottest Italian chef,” and “Esquire” put his bustling new Osteria Morini on its list of best restaurants in the city.

So why shouldn’t we put it on our best of New York City list?

White has earned praise with his knack for taking home-style fare and providing a gourmet twist, like tortellini with a duck-liver cream sauce.

Of course, man cannot live on food alone, and Osteria Morini’s cocktails are also superb.

The Dutch

Dress code at The Dutch?

“This ain’t no country club, but it’s no ball game either,” states the American bar/restaurant’s website.

“This is New York. Do what you feel, but keep it fresh.”

That casual but earnest logic lies at the heart of Andrew Carmellini’s latest offering in New York.

Inspired by a mix of cafs, country inns and seaside shacks, diners get reinterpretations of American classics like the good old porterhouse steak and fried chicken served with biscuits.

Just remember to look up from your food occasionally, or else you’ll miss the celebrities meandering through the dining room.

Caf Nougatine

Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most celebrated chefs in New York.

If you want to experience his creations at reasonable prices, try the lunch deal at Jean-Georges’ Caf Nougatine in the Trump Building.

The French haute cuisine goes for around $25 every lunch hour at the acclaimed restaurant.

Miss Lily’s Cakes

While the name promises cakes, this hip diner in downtown Manhattan serves remarkable Jamaican dishes.

The most revered item at this best of New York City diner is jerk chicken.

The decor is simple, but you won’t care as you watch leggy servers carry hearty platefuls of curry goat, oxtail stew and, yes, even cakes if you so desire.

Warning to anyone looking for a relaxed island vibe: the atmosphere of Miss Lily’s tends to get clubbier and the music louder as the night goes on.

Joe’s Pizza

For a best of New York City experience, there’s no more quintessential fast food than a slice of pizza.

Joe’s modest storefront unloads exceptional slices to an uninterrupted queue of patrons nearly 20 hours of every day.

Stand in line, point, pay, apply Parmesan and chili flakes from the public shakers, fold, eat and hustle back to work.

Hey, now you’re practically a local.

Best rooftop and sky-high restaurants in the world

Nightlife

Campbell Apartment

Step back in time and behold fully restored glasswork, furnishings and architectural appointments of a cavernous lounge that was once the massive private office of 1920s magnate John W. Campbell.

Now a swanky club, Campbell Apartment evokes images reminiscent of the more elegant side of “The Great Gatsby.”

(For Gatsby-esque smoking ruins, you’ll have to look elsewhere.)

Having a cocktail amid such elegance comes at a price: no jeans or sneakers allowed.

The Breslin Bar & Dining Room

In the lobby of the Ace Hotel, The Breslin is separated into small rooms for eating, drinking and generally feeling good about rubbing shoulders with trendy New Yorkers.

There’s a good chance you won’t even get a table in the bar, which has dark wood, antique pendant light fixtures and the feel of a private British club — but the buzz and people scenery will make up for it.

The Breslin’s lamb burger draws raves from regulars.

The dining room is the place for pork in all its marrow and other modern guises.

The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, 16 W. 29th St. (between Broadway and Fifth Avenue); +1 212 679 1939

GoldBar

Anyone who feels every New York nightclub is the same should hit this NoLita (North of Little Italy) establishment with an interior every bit as eclectic as its playlist, which includes new wave, rap, rock and pop.

How eclectic? For one, the entire space is swathed in gold.

For another, it includes a wall studded with gilded human skulls. (That’s right, skulls.)

Be advised that while you’ll likely want to capture an evening here for posterity — it’s pricy enough that it’s less a night out than an investment — photography is not permitted.

McSorley’s Old Ale House

As at Campbell Apartment, you feel like you’re stepping back in time. McSorley’s, however, is the sort of place that would welcome those traveling steerage as warmly as those in first class.

Rough-hewn wood floors, workmanlike bartenders and assorted memorabilia said to have been in the building since 1910 make you feel like you’re in a simpler age.

There are only two options for sale here: dark beer and light beer, the latter being called “light” not for its caloric value, but because it’s not the former.

Since beers here must be ordered in pairs, try one of each.

ReVision Lounge

ReVision’s theme is reclamation, with a front room furnished in bar stools made of recycled snow skis and a countertop of shredded, outdated U.S. currency glazed to a smooth finish.

But it’s the best of New York City back room you’ll remember.

Filled with couches fashioned from old coffins, porcelain bath tubs and the back ends of 1970s American luxury cars, it’s got a DJ table formed by the front end of an old Cadillac.

If you get in early in the evening you might be able to dodge the often unbearable late crowds.

Just be sure not to show up wearing real fur. (Seriously.)

World’s best cities for nightlife (and yeah, NYC is on the list)

Shopping/Attractions

Bergdorf Goodman department store

All high-fashion roads lead to this city institution, where the merchandise, layout and presentation are first-class, the staff is renowned for obsessive courteousness and historic New York department store shopping is still a dignified experience.

Bergdorf’s offers some impressive sales, though half off a US$1,000 sweater is still 500 bucks

BG’s four on-site restaurants are surprisingly good, a find for anyone who normally wouldn’t dream of eating in a store.

Century 21

For expensive stuff cheap and cheap stuff even cheaper, there’s no more beloved and simultaneously bemoaned retailer in New York City than Century 21.

Shoppers ascend C21’s five floors, slipping through the hordes searching for deeply discounted designer fashions, mainstream basics and mall-brand overstock, as well as items including luggage, watches and handbags.

If you’re willing to brave masses of consumers, C21 probably has a version of whatever clothing item you desire at every level of the economic spectrum, whether it’s a $1,200 coat for $400 or a $25 pack of socks for $10.

B&H Photo Video

B&H does a healthy amount of Internet business, making it known to many planet-wide, but the brick-and-mortar version is a hive of retail wonderment that really must be observed offline.

Thousands of daily customers seek counsel and competitive prices from hundreds of employees on photo and video cameras, computers, audio and lighting equipment, TVs, portable media devices and all of their associated accessories.

It’s worth it alone to buy something just to watch it travel via the store’s overhead rail delivery system.

National September 11 Memorial & Museum

Finally opened on September 12, 2011, after years of legal and architectural haggling, the 9/11 Memorial replaces the footprints of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers with reflecting pools fed by gargantuan ground-level waterfalls.

While the scale is massive, the aesthetic is in many ways quite personal, making the experience imposing yet touching all at once.

As long as construction continues around the site, visits require advance reservations; go to the official site to secure your visit time.

Top of The Rock observation deck

Like Meg Ryan and King Kong, you may be filled with a yen to rush to the top of the Empire State Building.

Unfortunately, this is an impulse shared by a zillion or so other tourists.

Instead, check out the observation deck at Rockefeller Center, which offers 360-degree views that are nearly as stunning and can be seen after a fraction of the wait.

Central Park

The expanse of green in the middle of Manhattan is your chance to do everything from seeing Shakespeare in the Park (there’s also a Marionette Theater at the Swedish Cottage if your little ones aren’t ready for Titus Andronicus) to challenging old Italian men to a game of bocce on the green near Sheep’s Meadow.

In the summer, Conservatory Water is filled with model boats. For even bigger kids, rental rowboats are available.

In winter, you can ice-skate at either Wollman or Lasker Rink.

Seasonal attractions

Visitors might experience completely different New Yorks depending on the time of year.

Here are some seasonal suggestions.

Winter

Madison Square Garden

Hopes are high again at the Garden as the resurgent New York Knicks NBA franchise has emerged from one of the bleaker stretches in its proud history to contention for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

If you prefer your athletes with fewer teeth, the Garden is also home to the New York Rangers, one of six original members of the National Hockey League.

Citi Pond at Bryant Park

Ice-skating at Rockefeller Center may be the most iconic activity available for any winter visit to New York City.

Unfortunately, every other visitor willing to lace on skates knows this, as well.

If lines prove too horrific, consider heading south to the seasonal Citi Pond at Bryant Park.

The park also fills up in winter with holiday shops to amuse those who choose to stay off the ice.

Admission free, skate rentals US$14.

Spring

Hudson River Park

New York’s west side waterfront has undergone wholesale improvements over the last decade, including the installation of an eight-kilometer bike and walking path, tennis and basketball courts, soccer fields, batting cages, playgrounds, skate park, trapeze school, open lawns and free kayaking at Piers 96, 40 and 72nd Street.

Yes, that’s right, trapeze school.

Good burgers and beers can be found at the Frying Pan, a wartime barge turned bar and grill at 26th Street.

Yankee Stadium

From April through September, the Bronx comes alive for the most successful sports franchise in North America, which supplies New York with a good chunk of its swagger — it’s easier to call yourself “the greatest city in the world” when you’ve won 27 World Series, not to mention those two by the Mets.

Take the B, D or 4 subway trains to 161st Street for a game, including time to stroll the team’s new billion-dollar stadium.

Beware purchasing tickets from street scalpers: counterfeiters here are among the best in the world.

Summer

Brooklyn Bridge

Ironically, one of the best ways to appreciate Manhattan is to leave it.

Get off the F train at York Street in Brooklyn and enjoy the two-and-a-half kilometer walk back to the city via its most historic gateway, enjoying a remarkable view of Manhattan that will make you feel like you’re living a particularly charming moment from a Woody Allen film.

Before making the journey, spend some time in Brooklyn.

Check out Brooklyn’s bridge-side DUMBO neighborhood, which offers a waterfront view and features warehouses converted into an array of residences and businesses.

If you enjoy waiting in line for food that you eat with your hands, check out Grimaldi’s, one of New York’s best-rated brick oven pizzas.

Fall

The Cloisters

If you’re looking for a museum missed by most tourists (and a surprising number of New Yorkers), make time for the Cloisters, located in Fort Tryon Park.

A reassembled French building houses the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s medieval Europe collection, but for many visitors the best part of the visit occurs when you step outside and see gardens patterned faithfully after medieval designs for landscaping and architecture.

You’ll be going far further north than most visitors, but when you witness an attraction unlike anything else in New York you’ll know it’s worth the journey.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/12/12/new-york-city-insider-travel-guide/

[shienamaepaano-blog]

El Nido Palawan (Landscape)

El Nido Palawan is located at the northernmost tip of mainland Palawan. El Nido is one of the best island and beach destinations in the world. This town is one of the few places in the Philippines that can be traveled easily and cheaply by solo travelers. The most common way to get to El Nido, Palawan is by taking a plane from Manila to Puerto Princesa and then taking a van from Puerto Princesa to El Nido. It’s a home to gorgeous islands, white-sand beaches, and lagoons. It should be on your bucket list of places to go in the country because the sea views here rival the best of Asia. El Nido is one of the top destinations in the Philippines that I wanted to visit, Because El Nido was quite remote from most of the inhabited islands in the Philippines, its pristine beauty was hidden to the world until 1979 when a sea accident happened in Bacuit Bay.  As the story goes, a tuna line disabled a dive boat’s propeller in the middle of the night forcing it to drop anchor in an inlet. The following morning, the divers woke up to an amazing scenery of sky scraping dark cliffs, thick green forest, white sand beach, sparkling water and, rising above it, a series of magnificently sculpted jade islands. 

El Nido Palwan interests me because based on what i know about this place is everyone is smiling and friendly. From the locals, tour guides, tricycle drivers, tourists and even the kids playing on the seashore, people are speaking the language of joy. Maybe this is because El Nido is laid-back, peaceful and gorgeous. You can easily approach locals to help you find affordable tours and eatery. One of the finest things I noticed is that the locals are proud and love their town. When you talk to them, they will always bring up praises on their island, which is really beautiful, and tell stories and legends about where the names of the islands and caves are derived from. You will never get bored in El Nido, Palawan for there are lots of islands waiting to be explored and activities to be experienced. Whether you are the typical romantic beach bum or the adventure junkie, El Nido always has something to bring out the naturist in you.

Here are some of the things to do in El Nido Palawan. Island hopping around Bacuit Bay islands and see amazing underwater and over water views of El Nido. Take a sunset stroll along Corong-Corong and Marimegmeg Beaches. Get away from the crowded main beach of El Nido and enjoy peaceful late afternoon views. These sandy shores can be reached on a quick tricycle ride from the town proper.  Hike to the top of Taraw Peak and enjoy breathtaking views overlooking El Nido. The most popular place to stay in El Nido town proper area is you can find many hotels along the beachfront and nearby streets that cater to budget-conscious and mid-range travelers. This area is perfect if you want to stay within easy walking distance to a wide variety of restaurants, bars, shopping, and tourist offices.If you want to enjoy El Nido’s best, stay at many island resorts in Bacuit Bay. Not only do they offer amazing private beach views, they are also a short boat ride away from the island hopping highlights in town. Stay at peaceful resorts along beaches near the town proper if you want to stay away from the crowds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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