Free Energy and Cajun food (worth the wait)

Klane heard about a free concert in Chelsea last night. Free? In NYC?! Yes, please! We'd heard a couple songs by this band before and liked their sound. Even though we had to wait in the cold for over an hour to get in (I hate waiting.) it was fun once we got inside and Free Energy started playing. Their music was upbeat and they gave off this "peace, love, happiness" vibe that made me feel like they were time warped here straight out of the 60's. They were fun to watch. (Click and listen to their song "Something in Common". My fave.)

It was a mistake to wait 45 minutes (I hate waiting.) to see the second band. Super weird electronic music, with a creepy lead singer that made me uncomfortable to watch. We laughed, and left after one song.

After the show, we went to try Delta Grill in Hell's Kitchen. Despite the promised 25 minute-turned 45 minute wait (I. Hate. Waiting. Grrrr.) and my resulting bad attitude going in, we ended up having a great time. The atmosphere was awesome; they had a great live band and we felt like we were in New Orleans.

I've never tried (or even thought of trying) Cajun/Creole food, so it was fun to try something new, and the food was incredible! The fried green tomatoes with black pepper cream sauce were addicting. The barbecue St. Louis ribs fell off the bone, and I am not exaggerating at all when I tell you the baked mac and cheese was the best I've ever had in my whole life. I wanted to take a second order home. Next time we'll be a little more daring and order a crawfish po'boy or andouille sausage jambalaya or fried catfish.

Here are some pictures of the restaurant found on the internet, since it was too dark to take phone pictures last night but I want you to see it:

brand new in brooklyn

Brand New is Klane's all-time favorite band. He's been a fan since their beginning, and saw them way back in 2002 at a tiny club in Lindon when they were first starting out. When Klane and I met for the first time, we were getting together to exchange music. I remember that night he told me Brand New was his favorite band ever, and he even told me he limited the amount of time he spent listening to them so he'd never overplay their music and get tired of it. (I thought he was so cute.) He gave me an assignment to listen to their music and tell him what I thought. I still remember that was one of the things that propelled our first few conversations with each other. I guess I passed the test, because I love their music too. Brand New holds a special place in my heart. :)

The band started here in New York, on Long Island, so Klane was so excited when he heard they were playing a show here. He magically snagged some tickets to the small venue (something to do with being on their email list), and on Saturday night we took the L train out to Brooklyn for the show. It was awesome! We stood on the mezzanine and had a perfect view. Of course the music was great and they even played some new songs from their soon to be released album. We loved it.

Waiting in line... so excited!

our feets

They are awesome!

A little vid of Jesse Lacey playing the intro to "Yeah"

We got rained on walking back to the subway, but it actually felt really nice. Here we are on the train home.

We also loved Bedford Avenue and the quieter atmosphere in Brooklyn and are planning a trip back to wander around the shops out there. Fun!

the perfect end to a perfect day

Today was my favorite day in NYC so far, hands down. It was perfect. First the fantastic job interviews, then Klane got off early and we packed a picnic dinner, walked through Central Park, and went to a free concert. Klane loves Josh Ritter, so we were super excited when we found out he was playing the opening night of Summerstage, the annual free concert series in the park. We ran into friends Carly, Tommy, Riley, Billy, Scott, Pat and Lindsay at the show. The weather was absolutely perfect, the park was beautiful, the music was great, the company was fun. It was definitely a good night to be living in New York. Everyone went to Shake Shack afterward for burgers, shakes and fries. We ordered the Upper West Side: strawberries, bananas and cookies in vanilla custard. Yum! Tommy introduced me to their cheese sauce and I am now addicted. We had such a great night and I am just so happy that we are where we are. We're loving it!

Bethesda Fountain


the line to get into the concert

Eating our sandwiches in line. Oh, he's cute. Even with his mouth full.