We're all going upstate!
We're all going upstate!
Our Travel Guide to Hudson is now live, plus new cafes, popups, and gallery shows
This week we’re sharing our favorite spots to eat, drink & shop in Hudson, NY, featuring two cool new cafes, highlighting food pop-ups & gallery shows and introducing you to our cool friend: Joel Fagliano of New York Times Games.
Heaps
Park Slope’s newest ice cream shop, Heap’s, has opened just in time to enjoy a scoop (or three) while there’s still a little warmth in the air. Churned at a farmhouse creamery in the Hudson Valley, their classic flavors shine as much as new gems like Mango Sticky Rice and Banana Cream Pudding ice cream. Stop by at 171 7th Ave, Brooklyn.
Dilly Dally
Prospect Heights’ new kid on the block, Dilly Dally, is now open at 626 Vanderbilt Ave. They’re serving up new-school American cuisine (and a perfect serving of bread & butter) in the coziest, whimsical space. Head over now for dinner Wednesdays through Sundays…and brunch soon to come in early October!
As the leaves begin to turn, we always start to think about making our way upstate - something about the landscape (or maybe the apples) draws us North. Hudson is one of the coolest towns along the river - full of great restaurants, independent shops, and accessible by train! We’ve rounded it all up for you along with the BEST place to stay in town.
As a part of The Good Batch’s Playdate Pastry series, we worked with cool friend Chef Anna Gordon to create a delicious cake inspired by both late-summer southern ingredients and quintissential NYC flavors.
The cake, available every weekend this in September, has a rye & ginger base, with peach jam, whipped vanilla & goat cheese frosting, a mint soak, topped with fresh peaches and mint.
Head to The Good Batch at 936 Fulton Street in Clinton Hill BK this and every weekend in September to buy a slice! If you want to secure a taste or throw a party, you can also pre-order a whole cake. While you’re there don’t miss out on The Good Batch’s fantastic ice cream sandwiches, coffee, and scones!
Stop by for a slice today!
Photography, video, and editing by Shea Salisbury • @sheasalz
Meet Joel, a puzzle editor for the New York Times and the creator of the Mini Crossword. We play games that Joel works on just about every time we’re on the subway and have been fans for a while. We caught up with Joel right as the Mini celebrated its 10th birthday to hear all about how he got his start as a puzzle master.
How did your career in creating puzzles for NYTimes Games begin?
I grew up solving crosswords just like everyone else. I liked to do the NYT puzzle on my train commute to school. In 10th grade, I started to get interested in making crosswords and submitted a few to the Times. Will Shortz kindly rejected them (they were quite bad!), but sent along encouraging notes and I stuck with it. When I was a high school senior, I had my first puzzle published in the Times. I went on to intern with Will when I was in college, and eventually became his assistant.
Tell us about what inspired the Mini Crossword!
The year I started as Will’s assistant, I was fresh out of college. The New York Times had just launched its own Crosswords app – it was owned by a third party prior to 2014. They wanted something free, quick, and fun to include in the app since the Times crossword is famously quite hard. We brainstormed what a bite-sized crossword would look like, and Will recommended me to make it. In the beginning, I really didn’t think anyone was paying attention, so it was quite experimental. But I slowly found my audience and developed the tone, and the puzzle grew and grew.
What’s your favorite part about your New York community?
I love the variety of my New York community – it includes college friends, sports-watching buddies, puzzle people, and all manner of others. In many ways, the Mini is like my personal diary, so my New York friends often have a leg-up in solving the Mini after they’ve hung out with me!
How do you decide what to include in each day's Mini Crossword?
I’m always on the lookout for “seed” answers – what we call the answer you build the puzzle around. Anytime a public figure makes news whose name is five letters or less (BILES, WALZ), I do a silent fist pump to myself. Otherwise, I keep a notebook of clue/answer pairings I’m hoping to use, whether that’s a stupid pun or an interesting trivia fact.
Do you have a favorite Mini Crossword you've created?
I’m fond of this puzzle I made for Earth Day in 2022, which used a picture overlay for the black squares of a redwood tree. This sort of graphic illustration weaved into the puzzle feels like the future of crosswords in the digital age.
Follow Along:
www.nytimes.com
@mynytimes
Cool Belgian girl brand, Essentiel Antwerp, just released their newest statement piece: a customizable kimono (you heard that right!), and for all of our "Emily in Paris" fans here, you can catch a glimpse of it in part 2 of the newest season. The piece is adorned with bold leopard spots and polka dots, and you can have your name embroidered in sparkling sequins on the back.
Snag your own starting tomorrow here or at 74 Wooster St. The best part? L'appartement 4f will be at the SoHo store handing out fresh baguettes on the day of the launch. Head over from 11a until supplies last and pre-order your custom piece until the 28th!
P.S. Upgrade to paid to make sure you aren’t missing out on the rest of this newsletter including food & restaurant collabs, gallery shows, design meet-ups, poetry readings, &&& more!