If you’ve known me — or followed me — for a while, it’s probably no surprise that I’m starting this newsletter. I’ve wanted to start some kind of Substack for a few years now, but have always felt overwhelmed by the prospect of it. What would I write about? How often would it come out? Would anyone actually subscribe? How could I make my newsletter stand out when everyone and their mother has a Substack these days? Instead of continuing to harp on these what-ifs, I’m finally deciding to just go for it by creating an MVP (minimal viable product): a monthly newsletter of my favorite (and least favorite) things from the month prior.
Each month, Lindsay’s List will delve into some of my favorite things, including but not limited to:
Restaurants/cafes/bars
Recipes
Music/concerts
Activities
Travels
I’ll also touch upon some of my least favorite things — or flops — of the month and provide alternatives so that my subscribers can know what may not be worth their time, money or energy. The goal will be to keep the newsletter short, sweet and to the point — but bear with me because as you probably already know, I love to yap.Moving forward, I’m aiming to send these out the first Sunday of each month with all my recommendations from the month before.
So here goes nothing: the first edition of Lindsay’s List for May 2024!!!
The Favorites:
Mango Matcha at Kijitora East
Location: 309 Graham Ave in Williamsburg
Transportation: Graham Ave L or B43 Bus
Cost: $8.50 (inclusive of $.75 upcharge for oat milk)
Since moving to Brooklyn in October, Kijitora East has been my go-to coffeeshop, and I’m convinced it’s the best cafe in all of NYC. While you can’t go wrong with any of their beverage options, the iced mango matcha with oat milk was the best thing I drank in May (and I drink a lot of fun beverages). The matcha is creamy thanks to the oat milk and the fresh mango puree provides a well-balanced sweetness, which pairs perfectly with the slightly bitter and earthy flavors of the matcha. This will be my go-to drink as we continue into the summer months and prime mango season.
Multicolor Manicures at Tina Green Nail Salon
Location: 362 Graham Ave in Williamsburg
Transportation: Graham Ave L or B43 Bus
Cost: $38.11 (not including tip for a gel manicure)
This monthly favorite isn’t NYC-specific, but I wanted to share my favorite nail salon because this is where I was inspired to try out my first multicolor manicure — and they don’t charge extra for multiple colors! But obviously, this manicure could be done at any nail salon. After seeing OPI’s Summer 2024 Collection and not being able to decide which color I wanted to get, I decided to celebrate Pride a little early and get a rainbow of colors as my manicure. If rainbow nails are a little too out there for your liking, you could try different shades of the same color or just go with five random colors of your choosing. For me, this was a fun way to spruce up a manicure without spending an arm and a leg on nail designs.
Rockaway Beach
Location: Queens
Transportation: Subway Shuttle, Q22 Bus or Ferry
Cost: $2.90 (I took the subway to get there)
This favorite is giving “it’s my first summer as an NYC resident,” but I honestly don’t care!!! I haven’t been able to shut up about how much I love Rockaway Beach since I went over Memorial Day Weekend. It’s hard to believe that you can not only get to the beach within an hour (give or take), but you can also get there on public transportation that costs much less than a coffee these days. If you’re leaving from Brooklyn, I’d recommend taking the subway so that you can avoid the crowded ferry and take in the beautiful views as you approach the beach. Did I mention it only costs $2.90 to get there?! If you’re looking for me on any given weekend this summer, I’ll probably be at Rockaway Beach soaking up the sun, eating a chicken tender sandwich (with extra pickles) at Rippers or drinking a $10 piña colada (a non-happy-hour frozen drink for that much in NYC is basically free) at Connolly’s Bar.
Location: 261 Driggs Ave in Greenpoint
Transportation: Nassau Ave G, Bedford Ave L or B43/B48 Busses
Cost: $100.74 (cost will vary per show and I bought my tickets resale, so the price was higher)
After getting a targeted ad on Spotify that reminded me Passion Pit was coming to Brooklyn, I bought a ticket to my first show at Warsaw a week before the concert. I had never been to Warsaw and knew virtually nothing about the venue other than the fact that it used to be a Polish community center. Warsaw has a capacity of ~1,000 people, which means the shows aren’t too overwhelming and there’s a vibe of intimacy that remains intact no matter where you end up standing. Face value tickets remain pretty affordable (multiple upcoming shows have tickets under $40), the crowd is fun and it’s easy to get to. But the best part of the venue is definitely the pierogis, which are served to you by a very Polish woman and come in two varieties: potato and cheese or mushroom and sauerkraut (3 pieces for $6; cash only). I truly couldn’t imagine a better way to spend a night than watching live music while chowing down on pierogis. Also, I highly suggest catching a Passion Pit concert if you want to honor your best 2014 Tumblr-era self.
Ube Gelato at Brown Butter Creamery
Location: 375 Tompkins Ave
Transportation: Kingston-Throop Aves C or B26/B43/B52 Buses
Cost: $7 (for two scoops in a waffle cone)
Eating more ice cream/gelato is arguably one of the best parts about summer, and I couldn’t be more excited that I live so close to this shop. The flavors at Brown Butter rotate on a daily basis, but they always post the flavor lineup on their Instagram stories. I liked all the flavors I tried at this spot, but the ube one was most memorable —not just because of its vibrant purple color. The gelato was velvety and rich with a strong ube flavor that’s nutty and vanilla-y. I’d highly recommend pairing the ube gelato with a waffle cone, which helped bring out the vanilla notes in the gelato –just don’t drop your whole cone on the ground like I did! If it’s not too hot out, you should opt to eat your ice cream in Herbert Von King Park just a few blocks away.
This Denim Maxi Skirt from GAP Factory
Cost: $31.49 (currently priced at $48.99)
I’ve been looking for the perfect denim maxi skirt for more than a year now and I finally found it. This one from GAP Factory has the perfect amount of stretch, a fun slit down the middle and it won’t break the bank. Since I got it a little less than three weeks ago, I’ve worn it at least half a dozen times and gotten a ton of compliments about how cute it is. It’s also extremely comfortable and breathable for the summer months thanks to the slit. Some of my favorite ways to style it so far have been with an oversized graphic tee or my granny square crochet top.
The Flops:
The crookie: After seeing one too many TikToks about the crookie (a hybrid between a cookie and a croissant), I tried one from the Upper West Side location of Janie’s Life Changing Baked Goods. While the crookie wasn’t bad, it definitely didn’t change my life — especially not at $7.50 for one — and I found the croissant flavor to be severely lacking. If you’re really eager to try this viral sensation yourself, opt for the one at ALF Bakery on the lower-level of Chelsea Market, which is $8 but significantly more delicious.
$9 aloe vera gel: My girlfriend Claire got a gnarly sunburn at Rockaway Beach and we were struggling to find aloe vera gel in our neighborhood. We almost ordered a bottle of $9 aloe vera gel from GoPuff, which would have been closer to $20 after delivery fee and tip. But luckily for Claire, I had the genius idea (her words, not mine) of buying an aloe vera leaf from our grocery store for a third of the price ($2.69), and she was able to extract the gel from the leaf herself for some much-needed relief.
Ordering Chipotle online: I’d seen all the buzz about Chipotle employees majorly skimping on online orders, but I didn’t truly *get it* until it happened to me </3. My friends offered to pick up Chipotle for me for a recent game night and I stupidly decided to order for pick up instead of letting them order for me in person. I learned my lesson when my bowl was about half the size of the bowls they ordered in person with the most measly scoops of rice, protein and beans. As a long-time Chipotle stan, this was truly devastating* to experience!!!
*It was not devastating enough to stop me from ordering Chipotle online immediately after I started craving it while writing this
That’s all for now, folks! Thanks for reading and I’ll be back next month with my favorites and flops for June.
Xoxo, Linds
P.S. Thank you to my wonderful and supportive girlfriend for copyediting this newsletter <3
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