Throwback Thursday "Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 1966"

Since we just had the lighting of the 2017 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree yesterday, I thought a vintage photo of the tree would be nice for today's feature. This shot is from 1966, only 51 years ago, but looks very different. In honor of Canada’s upcoming 100th anniversary (1967), the Petawawa Forest Preserve  provided the annual holiday celebration with a massive 64-foot white spruce, shipped across land 550 miles over the Thousand Island Bridge and into New York state. Once installed in front of the RCA Building, the tree was adorned with “five miles of of wire, 1,200 illuminated plastic balls in red, green, blue and yellow, and 4,000 clear 7-watt lamps.”

This is such a lovely holiday tradition, which I am sure will still be here in another 50 years for those to enjoy. It is worth seeing this tree at least once, fighting through the crowds, for a glimpse of history.

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The Hendrick I. Lott House Tree Lighting December 8, 2017

The Hendrick I. Lott House is one of fourteen remaining Dutch Colonial farmhouses in Kings County. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a New York City Landmark. The house remains structurally sound and virtually unchanged from the time Hendrick Lott constructed it in 1800, incorporating a section of the 1720 homestead built by his grandfather, Johannes Lott.

When the Lott family emigrated from Holland in 1652, they began to acquire land in the Town of Flatlands. By 1720 Johannes Lott, a prosperous farmer and member of the New York Colonial Assembly, expanded the family holdings from Kings Highway south to Jamaica Bay and “Lott’s Landing.” On this property, Johannes built his homestead just east of the present house. Johannes died in 1775, leaving the farm to Johannes Jr., who occupied the property until 1792.

The farm then passed to Hendrick I. Lott, who constructed a new house near the old homestead in 1800, using the old building to form the present east wing. He balanced this 1720 wing with a west wing, creating a symmetrical composition. Although Hendrick added Federal-style dormer windows, the gambrel roof with graceful spring eaves is typical of the Dutch Colonial architectural style. The interior features eighteen rooms organized by a center hall plan.

By 1825 the farm on which the Lotts raised potatoes, cabbage, wheat, and vegetables had grown to 200 acres and included barns, outbuildings, and a separate stone kitchen. The foundation of the stone kitchen, located between the homestead and the present East 36th Street, was among the areas excavated in 1998 by the Brooklyn College Archaeological Research Center.

For two centuries Lott descendants lived in the homestead and farmed the land. The last farmer, John Bennett Lott, died in 1923. The majority of the land was sold, leaving only three quarters of an acre surrounding the house. The last Lott descendant to reside here, Ella Suydam, a great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Johannes Lott, lived in the house until she died in 1989. On June 18, 2002, the City of New York purchased the Lott House and property.

The restoration of the Lott House is a joint effort of the City of New York/Parks & Recreation, Historic House Trust of New York City, Hendrick I. Lott House Preservation Association (HILHPA), and Marine Park Civic Association. The Historic House Trust works with HILHPA to secure private support, manage the site, and develop public programs.

The home is currently closed for restorations, and the Tree Lighting ceremony is one of the few annual occasions where the property hosts the public.

Celebrate the holidays with the annual tree lighting at the historic Dutch farmhouse, the Hendrick L. Lott House on Friday, December 8, 2017, in Marine Park, Brooklyn.

Hosted by Senator Marty Golden and Friends of the Lott House, the festivities will feature holiday music, cookies and cocoa and in true Dutch fashion, a visit from Sinterklaas.

Activities start a 6 pm. The Lott House is located at 1940 East 36th Street between Fillmore Ave. & Ave S. in Brooklyn.

After the lighting of the tree attendants can gather for cookies and cocoa while they enjoy holiday music and a visit from Sinterklaas, the Dutch version of Santa Claus, modeled after the legendary figure of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children.

 Visit The Hendrick I. Lott House Facebook Page  to keep updated on events and restoration process

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Cayuga Lake Wine Trail

I had the pleasure of doing a wine tour last month in Cayuga Lake, Seneca County New York. I have always wanted to do one of these, so I was pretty excited! 

The Finger Lakes is a very popular destination for wine tours, with many trails to explore! 

Lucas Vineyards was the first stop, and my favorite. 

Lucas Vineyards was the first winery on Cayuga Lake, founded in 1980, as was integral in the creation of the Cayuga lake Wine trail. They grow 11 grape varieties on 32 acres in Interlaken, NY and produce 25 wines. Commitment from three generations of the Lucas family is the passion behind the distinguished and fun wines of Lucas Vineyards.  Lucas celebrates their nautical ties to the New York City harbor, where the dream of a vineyard life in the Finger Lakes began. Pioneered and anchored by Ruth Lucas, Lucas Vineyards is devoted to grape growing, winemaking, and family.

The gift shop was done very nicely, I love the decor of their wine bottles. If I purchase one that is really fun, I like to keep it to put flowers on my table. 

The views were pretty spectacular! 

I purchased their champagne mustard which was really very tasty. I now wish I had bought 2 jars! 

These were my choices for the wines, Butterfly (love the bottle) and Nautie Miss Behavin' 

I loved the look of this very large wine bottle! 

The many ribbons Lucas Vineyards has won, pretty impressive! 

The gift shop had some really fun items for sale. 

The area is really lovely, so much greenery! 

Next stop was Hosmer Winery which I wasn't too impressed with, but look at that large pumpkin! 

This is where they grow the grapes for the wine, right on the side of the store. 

I did like this bottle design, but I didn't purchase anything here. 

This is Knapp Vineyard which we also enjoyed a fabulous lunch here at their restaurant. 

This seems to be the best restaurant on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail 

The servings were very large, we had a chicken salad wrap which featured roasted red pepper, dill, baby greens, provolone cheese, cucumber and tomato. It was served with their Cayuga Caviar, a marinated black bean, corn and vegetable relish. 

This server in the restaurant was having way too much fun! 

These were some fun signs in their gift shop 

I wasn't thrilled with the wines here, but I did purchase one. The staff could have been a bit more pleasant as well, I was disappointed considering the restaurant was so good. 

These coasters were pretty darn fun! 

The views from every winery are just breathtaking. 

I finally got to see my first peacock in person and I was over the moon! They are the most beautiful animals and I had to take quite a few shots! 

This came out so well I had one made for my desk at my office. Too darn adorable! 

Goose Watch Winery was probably my lease favorite, but had some of the best views. The staff was not too pleasant, they were a bit unhappy our group was a bit early for the wine tour. The only bathroom they had for their customers was pretty dismal, and the whole experience made me not want to stop back again.

Incredible views 

Our last stop was Americana Vineyards and from what I read online it said buy the fudge, not the wine. To be honest, by this time I was a bit done with the wine. I did purchase some fudge which was very good, but just sat in their cafe (nothing special) until we were ready to leave. The decorations were quite nice. 

A little piece of chocolate cake from Americana Vineyards 

I was really glad I did this trip, hoping to check out the Seneca Lake Wine Trail next year. I hear the wineries located in that area are a bit more upscale. The Finger Lakes is a gorgeous area, and they have events all year round. It is for sure a place you want to visit at least once. Many folks do bus parties here for birthdays or bachelorette parties, we saw quite a few throughout the day.

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2017 NYC Foodie Gift Guide

This is not a sponsored post 

I thought it would be a fun idea to do some gift guides this year. We are going to have one for foodies and a regular gift guide for 2017 and I hope they give you some ideas for your holiday shopping. I really love giving gifts, I like to really surprise people with unique items. I really feel with the internet, there is no reason for a boring gift. It shouldn't exist! Here are some items for the foodie friend or family member that will make them very happy Christmas morning. 

Our friends at L.A. Burdick have the most amazing chocolates, including these mice! For the chocolate lover, they will be thrilled to receive any gift from this shop. They ship from their website, along with some chocolate penguins and snowmen! A very unique gift! 

Eataly is the Italian dream for the foodie lover. Even if you cannot get there in person, they offer gift baskets online. Another fun idea is to purchase one of the cooking classes for someone as a surprise. The big thing lately is not purchasing "things" but "memories" and that would be something very memorable. 

For the coffee lover, Irving Farm Roasters has coffee subscriptions  which would make me very happy! With the popularity of iced coffee (I drink it all year) an Iced Pour Over Bundle is a very fun item for the java addict! Irving Farm Coffee Roasters was founded in 1996 when David Elwell and Steve Leven opened a much-needed neighborhood café in Gramercy Park. Fast-forward twenty years, and now Irving Farm is one of New York's most beloved hometown roasters with seven cafés, a bustling wholesale business, the only SCAA-certified Training & Education Loft in NYC, a brand new Roastery & Tasting Room, and a green coffee buying program led by Dan Streetman that focuses on direct relationships with farmers, sustainable practices, and a philosophy of quality over quantity.

The beer lovers have the amazing Brooklyn Brewery which has cool merchandise on their website for sale. You can also purchase a tour of the brewery as a gift, one memorable experience! The brewery was open in 1988 and has become one of the best breweries in the country. 

Another great coffee item, my personal favorite, New York Gourmet Coffee, which has every flavor of coffee available in Decaf. It is so hard to find lots of flavored coffee in Decaf, and these folks do it right! They do have non-flavored coffee and flavored regular coffee available. Josh, the owner, is the nicest guy and I am always happy to recommend his coffee to everyone! 

Our friends at Fat Witch Bakery ship most of their items from their website. Their brownies are like fudge, what a great gift for your friends and family! Gift boxes and gift tins (which are great keepsakes) are available,  logo mugs are fun and you can even send a Fat Witch cookbook! 

Fishs Eddy is a most excellent and fun shop! Whimsical designs, vintage pattern kitchenware at very affordable prices. Very unique gift ideas, great for the hard to buy person, and will give them a good laugh as well! I prefer purchasing online so I don't have to carry the items all through the city. 

Jacques Torres is known as Mr. Chocolate for a reason! His chocolates make a fantastic holiday gift. The hot chocolate and wicked hot chocolate are most memorable drinking by the fireplace on a winter night. The chocolate chip cookies are to die for as well as the mudslide for the chocolate lovers. My favorites are the chocolate covered cornflakes and cheerios. They make such a unique gift for folks young and old! 

Baked by Melissa is just a really fun, fun gift for anyone! They make fantastic mini cupcakes, muffins and french macarons! They offer shipping on their website, and whomever receives these will be very happy, and will probably not want to share! My faves are the cupcakes and macarons, but the muffins are tasty too! 

Being the foodie that I am, I do have quite a cookbook collection. Bonnie Slotnick Cookbook shop has been in the city for a long time and features vintage and out of print cookbooks for purchase. If you need to buy for someone who already has many cookbooks, this could be a great experience to find something they do not have. I have a few vintage ones that my Mom had, and they are so fantastic inside, very different from what we know today. A true gem of a shop, located at 

28 East Second St.

New York, NY 10003

212-989-8962

bonnieslotnickbooks

@earthlink.net email inquiries

For those wine lovers, how cool would it be to make your own wine at home? Brooklyn Brew Shop features beer making kits as well. These kits start at $40 and go up to $70 which is a pretty nice price range for gift giving! 

Afternoon Tea is a wonderful experience especially in New York City. You can give your family or friend a gift card to take them to Afternoon Tea! This falls into the "experiences" part of a gift, which I feel are so much better than "things" because it is a memory they will have forever! I cherish the monthly teas my Mom and I attended as they bring back such happy memories. You can check out my top 10 Afternoon Teas in the city to make your choice. The Plaza and The Peninsula are my two absolute top faves! 

Momofuku Milk Bar birthday cake truffles are one heck of an experience. These make a fabulous gift, and you can have them shipped from the Goldbely website. The assorted cookie tin is a good pick as well, and for the chocolate lover they have chocolate malt cake balls. Goldbely has many items from New York City available for shipping to make a food lover so happy on Christmas Day! 

Last, but not least, the wonderful food tours that New York City has to offer makes one heck of a great gift experience. I remember all these tours I have taken with such fond memories and a really great time in the city. Here are some of my favorites that offer gift certificates or you can make your own within a card and take your friend/family member on a food tour of a lifetime: 

A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours

Like a Local Tours

Ahoy New York Food Tours

Sex and the City Tour with Magnolia Bakery Cupcake

Cloud 9 Living New York Food Tours

I hope I have given you some ideas you may not have thought about for the upcoming holiday season. If you have any questions about shopping in the city for your favorite foodie or gourmet, feel free to send me an email. I will gladly help out any way I can. 

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