Celebrating Holi : Color Festival in NYC BHAGRA HOLI HAI 2016

                                  My First Holi

  Before I begin my blog, I want to apologize for not blogging for almost a month. But, Esmeralda and I have became busy and haven't seen each other. So sorry, but I have great news in this blog. Last week on Saturday it wasn't the usual coffee adventure, but it was a place were its colorful,fun,energetic, and it involved a lot of people. I went to NYC Bhangra Holi Hai. I had a blast with both my friends Fay and Vannet. Unfortunately, Esmeralda couldn't come because she had some family business to get done with. The event was amazing every minute was upbeat and energetic. The crowd was packed but no one was pushy or being mean as you know how some events can get a little overhead but this was different.

 We were all having a blast and enjoying the atmosphere. As soon as I walked in the park, my friend Fay threw some colors on me. Then, I threw some colors on her and we went further down in the park. It was near the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. They had Indian food including samosas which a fried snack and ice cream and many other foods. As you walked in you can hear the beat of the dhol which is an Indian drum, it is different than an American drum. There were people in the middle who were dancing to the beat of the dhol. There was only one person who was playing the dhol and it was still upbeat and loud. Everyone was dancing to the beat of the dhol. I love the sound on the dhol it gives you so much energy and makes you dance like no one is around you. Fay and I were trying to get in the middle of the crowd but it was a fail because there were so many people surrounding the people in the middle.

  One thing that I loved was that random people would throw colors at each other and no one got mad each other. I got almost ever color on myself. I threw some colors on random people and said Happy Holi. Fay and I got tired of dancing and decided to get away from the crowd for a while and walked down the park to find some benches so we can sit down. After the guy who was playing the dhol stopped and everyone walked towards the stage because some dance performances and a Dj was going to play some music. The DJ blasted the most famous song that everybody had heard once in their life and that song was called "Mundian Toh Bach Ke Rahe" by Punjabi MC. That made the crowd wild and everyone did some bhangra. Everyone who loves bhangra loves this song and must show off their bhangra skills with this song. We danced and threw some more colors at each other. Then, Fay decided to get some food because she was starting to feel hungry. She got herself some brown rice and palak panner which is spinach with cottage cheese in it. After having some yummy food because Indian food is her favorite she had to leave because she had to complete a lot of assignments. So, we said our farewells and I waited for my other friend Vannet because she was running late. While I was waiting for her I was watching the performances. There was a group of girl dancers and they were amazing. as well as the other performers. They were on FLEEK(LOLS). 

  Finally Vannet arrived and I was walking towards her in the crowd. While I was walking to meet her, people threw colors at me and shouted HAPPY HOLI!. It was so packed that I was struggling to find Vannet after walking back and forth through the crowd I finally found her near the Food tent. I remember while I was walking to meet her a guy threw some pink on me I had all the colors except pink and I became happy. So I told the guy "Finally someone threw pink on me and that's the only color I needed" and his reply was "Obviously it is Holi everyone needs pink". Vannet brought her twin brothers with her as well. They were having a  lot fun they loved throwing colors at people but they didn;t want to get colors on themselves but someone was slick and got colors on them. It was an all age event and it was safe to bring kids but keep them close since it was packed kids can get easily lost. But, the kids enjoyed it mostly kids threw colors at me and other people and that brought smiles on them and to the people they threw it on. 

  Then we decided to leave, unfortunately we didn't stay the whole time because the twins got tired and I was exhausted as well.  As we were walking towards the train station people looked at us and thought we were crazy and were wondering where we were coming from. As we were waiting for our train to arrived everyone was like OMG and thought we were weird. One lady said to her guy friend "OMG they have paint on themselves", Vannet and I laughed at that statement. We said our goodbyes and decided to end our adventure and rest at home. People questioned me when I was walking home of where I went and I told them there was a color event going on in the city. It was my first Holi and I enjoyed it and decided that I will go every year. I recommend all New Yorkers to come to this event. It is an annual event and happens every year. 

 This is the end of my blog. Follow me for more of my adventures in NYC and checking out new coffee places. I am a photographer Follow my Facebook Page and Instagram for more updates

Peace :D <3

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Haven't Had A Cup of Coffee In A While: Brooklyn Roasting Company

   

                    Brooklyn Roasting Company

On Sunday we decided to continue our coffee adventure, I apologize that my friend Esmeralda and I haven't been to a coffeeshop but we both got busy  We decided to go to near DUMBO which stands for (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). The coffeeshop Esmeralda, Sami(he is our other friend lol) and I went to was the Brooklyn Roasting Company. There are two sides in Brooklyn Roasting Company on one side is a blender bar were they specialize in smoothies and the other side is coffee and snacks. When we first entered we by accidentally went inside the blender bar side, we realized later on when the barista said "If you guys want coffee its on the other side".  So we started to walk down in the cafe to walk toward the coffee side, and I noticed there were coffee bags on the floor, it looked like we were in a coffee factory but we weren't. When we entered the coffee side we noticed how packed the place was and you couldn't hear what the other person was trying to say and you couldn't also find a place to sit, that's how good their coffee is. The baristas and the people who took our order were very friendly and nice.
   
    I ordered a small cup of chai latte, I've heard about it before but never tried it because I always thought it was same as the chai (tea) I drink at home. So, I decided to try it as my former viewers know that every time I go to a new coffeeshop I like to try something new or I drink the coffeeshop specials. I drank the chai latte and I loved it, since I'm Pakistani our homemade chai (tea) is different. Our chai is sweet meanwhile, the chai latte I had, had cinnamon in it. But I loved the new taste. By adding the cinnamon it added more flavors to the drink. Sami, my other friend ordered a peppermint tea, he added milk in his. He didn't like the taste of his peppermint tea he thought it was too candyish. I asked him what did he put in his tea, he then told me that he put milk and syrup in it. I told Sami it was the milk that probably made it taste bad . Usually peppermint tea tastes good, but it may not be good for others. Everyone taste varies. Esmeralda ordered a cup of cortado. It was a warm drink and it made her felt that she on top of a puffy cloud. So she loved her drink.

  Then after we were done drinking our coffee we took some photos and started to walk. Then we decided we were hungry and we were looking for some restaurants in the area but we didn't like anything. So we decided to go to Shake Shack near Atlantic Ave & Barclays Center, usually that Shake Shack is never packed. While we were in Shake Shack it started to snow and it was freezing. We had to eat outside because there was no seats left inside. Since it was freezing we deciding to go back inside to get it packed. When we went inside some people were done and we decided to stay in Shake Shack. Sami and I ordered a Shroom Burger and Esmeralda ordered a chicken burger. I loved the shroom burger and my strawberry milkshake it was amazing. When we were done eating we decided to go to Target because Esmeralda had to buy a batman or superman shirt because the new Superman and Batman movie is coming out Friday. But, unfortunately luck wasn't on her side. Then we decided to end our coffee adventure and go on our way home.






















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Brooklyn Roasting Company Location:25 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Peace :) <3

Warming Ourselves Up with Coffee In The Cold, Looking at Books in Barnes&Nobles and Having Some Delicious Turkish Food

                                           Coffee at Coco Bar                          

 On Sunday my friend, Esmeralda and I decided to go to  a cafe in Park Slope which was recommended by a friend. The cafe we decided to go for our next coffee adventure was Cocoa Bar. It's a small coffee shop filled with many treats and goodies and warms up a person on a cold wintry day. Since it was cold on Sunday and Esmeralda and I was shivering while walking to this place. We finally reached our destination. There are seating's in the front, back and if it's a warm weather there is outdoor seatings. They only don't serve coffee but they also have chocolates, cake slices, cupcakes and for some people who like to drink or lets say party hard they serve wine(I'm not sure if they only serve it on the night). There chocolates look nice as well, it's not your typical Hershey chocolate bar, they have the chocolate pieces with different flavors. The seating arrangements are okay but they could be better. I believe the front seatings is the best if it is not packed that is a good place to sit. I wasn't a fond of the back seating's arrangement.
   Esmeralda ordered a hot chocolate and a huge marshmallow with it and she ordered a muffin. As you know every time I go to a new coffee shop I like to try a new drink. So, I decided to order one of the specialties drink it was called white coconut passion and an almond croissant. Esmeralda loved her hot chocolate with her big marshmallow, it made her drink more delicious and amazing. For my drink the white coconut passion, it kind of felt weird at first because I never had a coconut coffee flavored. It smelled too coconutty and stingy. But, when I took the first sip it was actually pretty amazing it was sweet. Also, I loved my almond croissant.

 

Barnes&Nobles

  We realized the place was getting packed so we quickly finished up our drinks and decided to go to Barnes&Nobles because it was a couple of blocks away from Cocoa Bar. We were just looking around and seeing the cool stuff and the new books that Barnes&Nobles had. I loved how they had a Hagrid doll and also they had new stuff for the Harry Potters fans. Then we checked out more books and decided to head out and get some food.

Istanbul Park Restaurant 

 We decided to go to a Turkish restaurant called Istanbul Park, it was a cute Turkish place with amazing paints and there were not a lot of people in that place. They had amazing Turkish music on. Esmeralda ordered a chicken gyro and I ordered a lamb shish kebab. I loved it but I wish they gave more rice and less of the salad because I am not a salad person. After we were done eating we grabbed some peppermints because they have this thing where there are peppermints before leaving the place. We decided to eat our coffee adventure and go home to rest on that chilly day.
















Here are the address for the places we have went

Cocoa Bar Address: 228 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Barnes&Nobles: 267 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 1121

Istanbul Park: 293 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215


I am a photographer and a blogger I blog about different coffee shops in NYC.

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Peace :) <3

My first Mocha at Cream Coffee & Tea and Finally Winning at Pool

    Having a Mocha at Cream Coffee & Tea

 On Sunday my friend Esmeralda and I decided to continue our coffee adventure in NYC. We decided to go to Bayridge because Esmeralda wanted to show me her favorite place. Also, we haven't went to a lot of coffee places in Brooklyn. The coffee shop we went to was called Cream Coffee & Tea Shop. It is a small coffee shop with a maximum seating of 10 people. The baristas were very welcoming and they bring your order to you since there is not that much space to wait you can sit. The menu is on top and easy to see, the baristas are very patience while you are deciding what to order. I ordered a small white chocolate mocha because I never had a mocha before. Like they say always try something new, get out of your comfort zone. I was tempted to order one of my favorite drinks; a nutella latte because nutella is my favorite thing n the world. But I was like na, maybe next time' let me see how the mocha is. Esmeralda ordered a small mocha latte and a corn pear muffin. She loved her muffin, the fact that every bite she took she tasted the pear savoring in her mouth. I loved my white chocolate mocha it was sweet for me, and since it was cold that day, my drink warmed me up. They also have donuts and macroons. There macroons were really cute.

Playing Pool

 After we talked and finished our coffee, we left the place and decided to play pool. The pool place is called Billards and it was a couple of blocks away from the place. We set up our table and decided to play, usually I'm bad at pool but not that day. I took the first shot and everything spread. I took the second shot, I got one and then another. I was feeling excited couldn't believe it, but then the excitement vanished because Esmeralda started to show her pool charms. But, this game was different because I was a point away from her. Then, it was her last ball and a 8 ball for me. I tried two times it didn't go in. The second time I was this close to make the shot but it didn't go in. But, the third shot I got it. I was happy. I finally won a game, I felt like a pro. Then we played another game and I lost. Since it was starting to snow a lot we decided to end our coffee adventure.


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Address to Cream Coffee & Tea Shop: 7210 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209


Address for Hall of Fame Billards: 505 Ovington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209


Stay tuned for more of my adventures
Peace :D <3

Having Tea at the Chai Project and A Cup of Coffee At La Colombe

                             T2 Chai Project

  On Sunday my friend Esmeralda and I decided to go to Soho, Manhattan to have our coffee. Before going to La Colombe we saw this awesome tea shop they had beautiful tea cups and kettles. The shop was called T2 Chai Project. It was really cozy in there and I loved their tea bags boxes. The shop is all based about Indian tea, which means chai. Since, India is a large nation it is filled with various cultures and traditions. There were different types of tea. They don'y only serve Indian tea, but tea from Australia, for example Earl Grey. You can try some of the tea because they offer samples. They have a small orange cup that you drink with. The flavors I tried was Kashmiri King, Mumbai Maple, Raving Raja and Go Go Goa. My favorite one was the Kashmiri King and the Go Goa Goa because they had a sweet taste to it. Mumbai Maple and Raving Raja were okay they weren't great for me because it was sort of strong for me, but my friend Esmeralda loved all of them. I couldn't get over that store because it was so creative and beautiful, and I loved the name.

LA Colombe

After that we went our way to La Colombe and decided to get back to our American drink: coffee. When we went to La Colombe it was packed, it was hard to find a place to sit down. But I knew why there was so much rush because there service and coffee is amazing. They make the coffee right in front of you and you have to stand at a separate place to pick up your coffee. They give you the spoon and the small plate while you are waiting for your coffee to be made. There are two types of china's one is plain white and the other one is with blue printings on it. I got the white plain one. There foam design looked great; very neat. I ordered a small cappuccino and Esmeralda ordered a small ice latte; hers wasn't as fancy but she loved it. I enjoyed my cup of cappuccino, I just wished the place wasn't packed. But, a packed place is a good sign that means it serves good coffee. They have two locations on Soho one is on Lafayette St and one on Houston St. Then we decided to end our coffee adventure and go back home.

  

Address for T2 Chai Project: 67 Prince St SOHO, New York 10013

Address for La Colombe: 270 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012

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Peace :D <3

Having a Waffle for Breakfast at Cafe Bene

             Waffles AT Cafe Bene

  This week I decided to go to Cafe Bene to have some waffles for breakfast and meeting an old friend. Cafe Bene is based in Seoul, Korea and decided to become international in New York City on February 1st, 2012. The location I went to in Bensonhurst was new, it opened a couple of months ago. But there are other locations in NYC like Times Square, Mott Street, Hudson Street, etc. I love the architecture of the place. The tables and chairs were made out of wood. It felt like I was sitting in a wooden cabin It is definitely a good place to take photos of your food. Its not only a good place to take photos but it has books which I love. I love when a cafe has books to read because while I'm sipping my coffee I like to read, which makes me more relaxed. I ordered a waffle with a gelato on top with a small cafe latte and my friend ordered a banana waffle which had whip cream and chocolate syrup on top. I loved my waffle with gelato, the gelato flavor I chose was cookies & cream because I am a cookies& cream fanatic. I enjoyed every bite of it. I know my friend enjoyed it as well because his plate was empty, which is a good sign that he loved it. The cafe latte was good as well, I'm not picky about my coffee. They don't only offer waffles, but honey bread, yogurt parfaits (which are huge BTW), cake slices, macrons, smoothies and bubble tea. I have a sweet tooth so I enjoyed seeing all those goodies. I think Caffe Bene is a mixture of a pastry shop and a coffee shop which is good because people need a bite when they have there cup of joe. So next time if you're in Manhattan or Brooklyn I suggest you go to this awesome place. Stay updated for my new coffee adventures.

Peace :) <3

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