How (Not) to Paint...

My father, Bob Martin (more appropriately known as Auntie Carrie’s nephew) is an excellent painter. I’ve grown up watching him paint and over the years, I have made attempts to approach my own paintings in a similar way. Long story short, it never happened. He’s trained. I am not. He is patient. I’m far from [...]

10 Simple Tips for a

Auntie Carrie’s Speak Easy asked our dear friend, Savvy Brown, aka the Queen of being Green, Frugal and still Stylish, for tips on our next BBQ, done the green way. Here is her very informative response: I’ve had several requests as to how folks can green up their BBQ without breaking the bank. Well, here’s [...]

Why I Love NYC: PS1 & Hank Willis Thomas

Without a doubt, New York has some of the greatest museums on the planet. Tourists so frequently attend the obvious ones, that they miss out on some incredible gems off the main path. Two of the strongest museums are The Studio Museum of Harlem and PS1 (once a public school turned Contemporary museum) located in [...]

Signature Cocktail:

Auntie Carrie’s Speak Easy is a firm believer in the signature cocktail for any event. If you watch pretty much any show on the Food Network (our personal addiction) you’ll notice that each chef makes a special drink to go with their recipe du jour. Here are two recent Signature Cocktails that we co-created with friends [...]

What Are We Celebrating Again? It's Barbershop Quartet Fish Fry!

I always have a reason to celebrate. If you’ve read my How to Throw a Party post, you’ll notice what a fan I am of a party themes and in turn, drinks, invites, costumes, food selection to support the theme. I think it makes the event more fun. Silly? Very. But more likely to get [...]

Blog Spotlight:

As I’m sure you are aware, I am obsessed with the Speak Easy. Even chewing on following my own tips on How to Throw a SpeakEasy Party for my upcoming birthday (full disclosure: I’m also considering a “Soul Train” theme. Good job Kevin!) And dare I say, if I got married? Might even be the [...]

Why I Love NYC: Racked & Pure Yoga

New York City continues to give me so much joy. A few weeks ago, I was visiting a friend on the Upper East Side and saw this beautiful door front for a yoga studio called

Why I Love NYC: Irish Eyes A-Smiling at Carnegie Hall

Auntie’s Brother-in-law (aka my Grandfather), I am told, was a great admirer of Irish music and culture. He would have certainly enjoyed my recent night on the town. There is a misconception that New York City is an expensive city to live in. Certainly, the asking price for most cultural events is steep. However, I’ve [...]

Why I Love NYC: Visiting the African Burial Memorial

Auntie and I made a trip downtown today to attend the opening of the African Burial Memorial at 290 Broadway near Wall Street. I think it’s fair to say that I have enjoyed an excellent education (both from various schools and personal studies). However, after attending the wonderfully curated and informative memorial, I feel as [...]

First, let’s get this out of the way: I want one. I want an Oscar. So any witty banter about the value of the event, recognition of the injustice of the Oscar sweep & the network’s only hope for higher ratings or jibes about “next there will be 20 films up for Best Picture” are [...]