Touch Footballers at JetMystery

Touch Footballers at JetMystery from Courtney Scott on Vimeo.

Dancing and Steel Drums at JetBlue Terminal

Dancing and Steel Drums at JFK from Courtney Scott on Vimeo.

JetMystery Reveal: Jamaica!!

Jet Mystery: 5AM Arrival to T5

I was one of 150 people who got their butts out of bed at 4am this morning and arrived at JFK's Jet Blue terminal without a clue where they would be spending the next three days.

Jet Mystery: 5AM Arrival to T5 from Courtney Scott on Vimeo.

H2O UPDATE

I was excited to finally get word yesterday from charity:water's Director of Development, Carrie Sanders, about my $10,000 Trazzler campaign! She expressed enthusiasm and gratitude for our efforts to secure the win! She also clarified that, while she realizes I'd like to give back specifically to Cambodia, mycharity: water fundraisers are not able to designate the location of the water projects they are helping to fund.

So, although I would be so gratified to help the people who inspired me to write my entry in Siam Reap, I would be equally as proud to provide wells for those suffering from polluted water in any of the dozens of nations in need. Fresh water is fresh water, and nobody knows that better than the team at charity:water, who guarantee that 100% of your donations will go directly to a water project.

I'll know on or around September 21st whether I'm the Trazzler #NYCGO contest winner, and halfway to my $10k goal. The rest of the year I will be working on creative ways to raise the other $5k through mycharity:water campaign.

Stay tuned, cross fingers, and keep voting...we've still got 3 days before Trazzler polls close!

Trazzler + my charity:water = $10,000 4 H20

Scott Harrison and his team at charity:water do amazing things every day. And now we can easily join the cause with my charity:water. Here's my goal:

$5K OF TRAZZLER CONTEST PRIZE MONEY + $5K OF YOUR DONATIONS AT my charity water = $10,000 = two of the first wells to be built by charity:water in Cambodia.

Visit my campaign page at mycharitywater.org/TRAZZLER to DONATE, TRACK PROGRESS, AND LEARN MORE.

VOTE VOTE VOTE! Click "Add to Wishlist" and follow steps. The first $5k is MUI IMPORTANTE!

VOTE NOW: Water 4 Cambodia

Awaiting final confirmation from my friends at charity:water on exact details of my donation, but let's keep geting the word out there. We've got VOTES to make and money to raise!!

Get Voting!
VOTE for my travel entry in the Trazzler NYCGO writing contest: http://bit.ly/e62r7. It's about the beautiful spirit but murky water in Cambodia. Just click "Add to Wishlist" to vote and follow short instructions.

With Charity:Water it only takes $5k to build a freshwater well in a village and provide 250+ people with clean drinking water.If I win the Grand Prize, I can build a well!

Why Cambodia?
I toyed with dozens of ideas for the Trazzler #NYCGO writing contest but was struck time and again by this photo that I snapped of Than Bon, my tuk-tuk driver from Siam Reap. We became fast friends. He was reliable, funny, and incredibly proud of his tuk-tuk, one of the most well-maintained and polished in all of Siam Reap. On the August day that I took this photo in 2007, the heat was too much for Than. He left his belt and khakis on and dove into the muddy water. It was his ultimate oasis.
Than Bon is part of a community where 63% of the population don't have access to safe drinking water.

I was intrigued when Than suggested that we get out of the city centre and visit some floating villages on the Mekong River. We rode on the back of Than's friends' mopeds, fulling trusting that we'd arrive safely at our destination; and we did. Immediately I was bombarded by children; the most beautiful children. Some wanted money, some wanted me to buy their bananas, all wanted attention. One young Mom passed her child into my arms. I hugged her and held her for an unusually long time. I had to be beckoned to move on and give the child back, as our boat was about to depart.

It was a bustling water world floating atop the Mekong River. More children and teenagers were tending to much of the daily tasks: begging for money, chopping fish heads, operating boats that were bigger than them. Everything was floating: schools, markets, homes, churches. A community whose livelihood depended on one element: water.

The people of Cambodia are special. They embrace travelers with genuine care, curiosity and generosity. They left a lasting impression on me. They deserve to drink fresh water.
Learn More:
About Charity Water
About how people are already helping. Watch this documentary.
About Trazzler

Me On The Today Show

Aired Saturday, July 4, 2009.

Family Guy Free Samples

Behind the Scenes: Today Show Shoot

I spent the bulk of today running around Manhattan and New Jersey with Today Show producers for a segment on Free Eats! Made a stop at Costco in Clifton, NJ where a whopping eighteen sample stations were awaiting us, then on to the Union Square Farmers Market and Whole Foods and finally to 5 Ninth for some piggies.To see my full Free Eats segment, tune in to the Today Show on NBC this Saturday, the 4th of July. In the meantime, here are some behind the scenes moments from the shoot:

Today Show producers, Tim and Mollie. having some Italian sausages on Ciabatta bread, prepared with love by Maria and Enza, two of Costco's darling samplers.

Spoke Italian with these three adorable samplers in between shots. They couldn't be sweeter!

The Hunt for Food on Wheels

It's official, Twitter has successfully given rise to a new generation of hungry street-walkers who are tracking down their next on-the-go-meal through the web. From waffles to ice cream to Korean BBQ, trucks and tipsters are tweeting exact locations throughout the day, making your chances for a caloric curbside snack radically higher than the pre-Twitter days. Here are some of my favorite meals on wheels in New York:

Cupcake Stop -- @CupcakeStop
Kogi Korean BBQ (heading cross country from L.A. by end of summer)
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream -- @benwvl
Wafles & Dinges -- @waffletruck
Le Gamin -- @legamintruck

For a nationwide list of street vendors who are using twitter, check out Serious Eats! And to see street food come to life every week, tune in to VendrTV an inside look at the nation's vendor culture and cuisine through the eyes of street cart connoisseur, Daniel Delaney.

The Treats Truck from Daniel Delaney on Vimeo.

I couldn't post this piece without a photo collage from my recent girls getaway of my personal favorite (albeit non-tweeting) street trucks; one that evokes the sweet, rainbow-colored nostalgia of childhood...Mr. Softee. A towering vanilla soft-serve doused in rainbow sprinkles....as amazing now as it was 20 years ago!



Related Stories:
When Twitter met Food Trucks [Cnet]
Food Truck Nation [Wall Street Journal]

Hamptons Dispatch #4: Eight Hours of Boating Condensed to Four Minute Video

Locations: Robin's Island, Peconic Bay and Sunset Beach, Shelter Island
Soundtrack: "Lights and Music" -- Cut Copy

A Girls Getaway...Without Going Anywhere: Day 2

There's nothing like waking up with your best girlfriends by your side, bursting out of your sleeping bag and running to the kitchen to whip up some buttery scrambled eggs, syrupy pancakes and bacon. American brekkie at its finest (or fattiest depending on who you ask) and for us it was an essential way to kick off Day 2 of our Manhattan Girls Getaway.

Of course, we ate breakfast in front of the boob tube, something I haven't done ever since I removed my television from my bedroom in a quest to simplify my life. So there I sat, fork in one hand, remote in the other, watching the remnants of the movie we had started the night before but as per usual, I was asleep before the opening credits were finished rolling. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit what movie we chose (with resounding unanimity) to watch...it was none other than The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. The title makes me giggle, reminding me of the first time I visited my one-time lover in Italy, showed up to the airport in black leggings (as pants), and in his broken English and clear disdain for the leggings he questioned, "Are those your travel trousers?"

I assume he was secretly and mildly entertained by my traveling pants, just about as much as I was entertained by the film. Most entertaining was Kostas, Lena's young Greek lover from Santorni. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I'm a glutton for a delicious European love affair, fiction or non.
So after Kostas re-kindled his burning desire for Lena and they ran off into the deep blue Mediterranean together, it was time to get back to reality and figure out what our itinerary would be for Day 2. As an avid and sometimes menacing bike rider, I convinced the girls to take South Street/Battery Park bike tour with me as guide. They agreed, and a short subway trip later we were at Bike and Roll Rentals, located along the water near the Liberty Island Ferry. For a modest $12/hour we scored some awesome beach cruisers with super comfy seats and locks. Some scenic shots along the NYC Greenway en route to South Street Seaport:
South Street Seaport was even busier than usually because a certain Prince, President, and sandcastle contest got in the way...


But with our bikes we whizzed by the chaos and fled to a more sane spot...the brand new South Street Seaport Farmer's Market, setup in front of the fish vendor stalls. It's a delightful addition to the SSS neighborhood. See for yourself:



Making a quick stop to show the girls Stone Street's (I'm a sucker for cobblestones), we raced each other back over to the Hudson and directly to my favorite Battery Park Italian cafe, Inateso, for THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE IN MANHATTAN. I talked it up the whole way over, but the girls vowed that I was right. Look how content we are:
Next up...the park, Sunday brunch, and the secret garden.

A Girls Getaway...Without Going Anywhere: Day 1

Planning the ultimate girls getaway doesn't necessarily mean expensive spa vacations in exotic destinations or rock star escapades in Vegas. A fun, memorable "getaway" is as simple as clearing your weekend schedule (well, maybe that's not so simple in N.Y.C.) and spending a couple of quality days and sleepover-style nights with the chicks you adore most.

My latest girls getaway was right in my own Manhattan backyard with two of my best girl friends, Sarah and Jen. It was such a success that I had to share what I think is the perfect recipe for a fun, laid-back and inexpensive but ever-so-girly weekend.

Friday Night Femme Feast:
Men, listen up. Women can survive on a diet of cheese, chocolate, more cheese, wine and cupcakes. So don't waste your time fumbling around with elaborate recipes, unless you're the next Boulud. Just get friendly with your neighborhood Whole Foods cheese man and you'll be sure to please. Our kick-off girls dinner revolved around the above essential "food groups."

Our cheese platter was complemented with sweet fig marmalade (which could be substituted with Quince Paste from Whole Foods), Carrs crackers and Sarah's ceramic cheese labels. They are a fun idea for entertaining large groups or inspiring girlishness. Not sure which cheese to buy at Whole Foods? These are some of my favorites: Midnight Moon, Truffle Tremor, Montenbro, Manchego, Pecorino Ginepno, and of course, some aged Pa Pa-Pa-Parmiggano.

For chocolate, my favorite place to buy (or try free chocolate samples) is Pure Dark on Bleecker. I often purchase things based on the emotion I feel when I'm in a shop. Pure Dark's low lighting and earthy colors conjure up the same sexiness you feel with every divinely bitter bite of dark chocolate. That's reason enough to buy a few slabs and leave it out at your girly feast for repeated visits throughout the night.

Wine is obviously left up to personal taste but should be purchased in abundance for any girls getaway. Since women tend to appreciate themes (why do you think we're so good at bridal showers?) here are a few extra-feminine bottles to be paired with long intense chats about (ex)boyfriends, dating, and sex....in no particular order.

Little Black Dress - Pinot Grigio
Four Sisters Chardonnay or Shiraz
2007 Ménage à Trois Rosé


After you're nicely buzzed and divulging details that you never thought you'd share, it might be a good idea to eat something more substantial. I whipped up one of my classic risotto (sans peas due to Jen's childhood hatred for them) and Sarah re-invented her Nana's roasted chicken recipe with impressive ease! Although we were all admittedly stuffed from over-doing it on the cheese, we were so pleased to be enjoying an inexpensive home-cooked meal, and even more excited to be eating it in our pajamas.
Tomorrow, get the lowdown on the rest of our Manhattan Girls Getaway: biking around downtown Manhattan, shopping the local farmers market and discount stores, lounging at the park, eating New York's best ice cream, and discovering the village's best kept secret [garden].

How to Spice up your Cube

We all know that cubicles are a sad excuse for a work space, yet due to space constraints in New York City, many of us are doomed to this grey paneled existence.

I was reminded of my dread for the cube yesterday, when I entered a Park Avenue cosmetics corporation with dark narrow hallways and a sea of squares. It's not that I'm bashing cubes for their shape. In fact, I delight in lots of cube-shaped stuff, like the challenge of a Rubik's Cube, the creaminess of cubed extra-aged Gouda, or the refreshing taste of a margarita on the rocks.

But spending the majority of your day inside a tiny space with four walls, fake lighting and stale air is outrageous. It's so unpleasant that people are now resorting to bizarre behavior to combat the mental and physical effects. Take two of the marketing girls I met yesterday. They are cube neighbors and their computers face each other, but of course, the wall is in the way. So, they took a packing knife to the wall and removed a big chunk of it so that they could chat and compare notes without the nearby finance cube village getting annoyed.

And almost every cube in yesterday's office had a yoga ball instead of a desk chair. I guess those who had good annual review earned an even fancier desk prop...the yoga ball chair. Feast your eyes:

While I'm a big yoga advocate, I still don't think this chair does anything to brighten the bleak atmosphere created by cubes. My vote? Replace office chairs with the first-ever adult jumping ball! This corporate guy looks a lot happier than most office folk....why?

He's riding around on a 29'' spherical caricature of Elton John with a french chef's mustache. How could that not make you smile?

Imagine bouncing down to Starbucks for your 4pm latte on this ride! Functional, fun, and in my expert opinion, quite ergonomically sound.
Thank you, Elton, for making office life a bit more sane (and for writing Your Song, my graduation song from high school.)Check out some of the Winners of Wired's Saddest Cubicle Contest:

Hamptons Dispatch #3: How To Do Sunset Beach

Step 1: Know When to Go
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. Get there pre-lunch to secure prime outdoor seating. Stay for the sunset (as the name indicates). Today's sunset is at 8:17pm!

Step 2: Get There

Beg, borrow or steal a boat from your most nautical neighbor and hold on tight...tailbone fractures are a bitch.

....or....take the Shelter Island Ferries from either Greenport on the North Fork or North Haven on the South Fork). The ferry is less a boat than a big rusty barge, but it gets the job done. Beginning June 1st there's a new party-friendly schedule that departs every 10-15 minutes from 5:40am until 1:45am, giving you ample time to get boozed and bronzed. R0und trip rate is $15 per vehicle including passengers.

View Larger Map

Step 2a: Stay Dry
If arriving by boat, there's no dock or jetty to tie to so prepare to strip down and wade thigh-deep to shore. If you are an expert at balancing stuff on your head, you'll be golden. If not, invest in a dry bag (like the one here in red). It will avoid you having to start one of those annoying "I lost all my numbers, help me retrieve them" Facebook groups. Spontaneous spraying of champagne may ruin your stuff anyway, but at least you'll look "cool" while the damage is done.

Step 3: Drink, Eat, and Drink More
While Sunset Beach boasts a full (and slightly pricey) lunch and dinner menu, it's the to-die-for mojitos, especially the raspberry one, and the super snackable bar food that are the big winners. A couple of orders of their thinly-sliced, perfectly seasoned frites and some crispy calamari should do the trick. New this season is the signature, Sunset Beach Rosé; a little dose of St. Tropez-Hamptons fusion from long-time locals and friends André Balazs and Christian Wölffer. I approve.

Step 4: Rent a Euro
If you aren't European or aren't comfortable in Euro-heavy settings perhaps you're better off spending the afternoon browsing neon prints at Lily Pulitzer. But if you've already made landfall on Shelter Island, then there's no turning back. Try scouring the beach for a still-out-from-last-night Parisian wearing cowboy boots and a white ripped t-shirt with permanent marker on it. On Sunday she was extremely eager to ditch the beach and hit the bottle (again). If you're feeling generous you could throw her a few bucks or give her a lift back to her mainland share house in exchange for some euro-companionship.
Step 5: Avoid Getting Stuck
Don't miss your ride outta' there. If your ferry or boat leaves without you there is usually NO VACANCY at the SB inn, which books up months in advance and judging from the way our French cow-girl fared, sleeping on the beach is not a good look. Plus, those bastard no-see-ems are always looking for fresh blood. Ouch!