Sugar, Spring, & Snow: Macaron Day 2015

March 20th, 2015 was all about the white stuff. I’m talking SUGAR and SNOW.

Macaron Day was the sweet spot of this trés bizzare first day of spring. If there was ever a day this town required free cookies, yesterday was it.

Fortunately patisseries and bakeries are some of the coziest places you can go. My Macaron Day 2015 Crawl led us to some surprising places, all of which were perfect to be inside of on a gray, snowy day.

The #1 stop on the Macaron Day 2015 Crawl was Bernardaud on 59th and Park Avenue.

Bernardaud is a shop that sells luxury french china. You walk in, your eyes are dazzled, and if you’re a klutz like me, you worry you’re going to break something. If you’re there for Macaron Day, you wonder if you’re in the right place.

Absolutement! MadMac Macarons has a Macaron Day pop-up shop partnership with Bernaudaud. Tables set up in the back were covered with packages of macarons. Florian Bellanger, the chef responsible for Mad Mac, popped in and out, bringing out new trays of flavors:blueberry, almond, apricot, lemon, pistachio, raspberry, chocolate. Fans of the Food Network recognize Chef Bellanger from the show Cupcake Wars, so this Macaron Day stop felt star-studded. It’s really special to meet the person behind the mac!

Mad Mac macarons are on the smaller side, which is great for a day you’re planning to eat half a dozen cookies. Great for any day you want a lovely treat but not a total indulgence. The texture was just what you hope for with macarons, a delicate shell with hint of crunch leading to a subtle chewiness of two cookies sandwiching jam. I chose Lemon flavor which was a sweet, not tart citrus. Delicious.

Next stop, #2 on the Macaron Day 2015 Crawl was less than a block away, Macaron Cafe at Madison and 59th.

This little cafe bursts with color with macarons to match. Their list of flavors is long, around 30 to choose from, and for Macaron Day,you have the whole list to pick from. Easily an overwhelming decision, I just went with the first one that looked interesting: Rose Lychee. My macaron partner in crime, my friend Willa, continued the flower trend, choosing Honey Lavender. We can’t have spring flowers along the streets but we can stuff them in our mouths, damnit!

I’m going to be honest- the Macaron Cafe has been my favorite place for macarons since I discovered it 3 years ago. I won’t go so far to say as to say this Macaron Day changed all that but…I was disappointed. My Rose Lychee macaron was too chewy and more dense than those I remember eating in the past. Maybe it just wasn’t super fresh? Whatever the reason, I will give this shop another try next time I have a macaron hankering in the hopes this was a fluke.

It’s such a cute place! I really hope they haven’t changed the recipe!

#3 on the Macaron Day 2015 Crawl, we arrived at FAO Schwarz. A favorite place to pop into when the weather is bad! Macarons at FAO Schwarz? Really? Oui! Sugar and Plumm, a “posh patisserie”, has a counter amidst the candy section of this iconic toy store.

Candy section of a toy story? Yep, not uncommon these days. Toys and candy, the top joys of children, I guess it makes sense. Anyway. The Sugar and Plumm mini location here is cute and adds a nice local flavor that’s been leaking out of FAO since Toys R Us bought them in 2009.

Macaron Day flavor options at Sugar and Plumm: Raspberry, Salted Caramel, and Passion Fruit. I went with Passion Fruit which was lovely in texture, perfectly tart and very flavorful. Willa went with Salted Caramel. “Purveyors of Yummm” Sugar and Plumm’s adorable sign claims. Willa and I happily confirm this fact.

From FAO Schwarz all we had to do was run across 5th Avenue to arrive at the Macaron Day Mother Ship. Bet you’ve never called the Plaza Hotel that before!

Stops #4-6 of Macaron Day Crawl 2015: the Plaza Hotel Food Court on 59th and 5th.

Did you know the Plaza Hotel has a food court? I’m surprised they even call it that, the term brings to mind malls and Panda Express. It should come as no surprise that the Plaza Hotel has gorgeous “food court”. If you’re ever in this notorious tourist area midday, I’d highly recommend grabbing lunch here. If you could only go one place on Macaron Day, the Plaza was it. Three locations all under one roof celebrating macarons!

#4 Todd English is one of the nicer restaurants of the Plaza Food Court, with full dine-in service. Their Macaron Day feature felt like trick-or-treating; just a plate of macarons out for the taking. We asked some line cooks about the flavor and I’m pretty sure Maté-Mint was the answer. A very interesting mint tea flavor with excellent texture. I keep talking about macaron texture: is so vital to a good macaron, very hard to describe, but oh so easy to taste!

By this point Willa and I were up to our eyes in sugar. We couldn’t stop! There were more macarons to pillage! Yar! Macaron eye patches made Macaron Pirates!

Don’t you just love sugar highs? They make you do funny things! Like squealing when you see a tiny pink piano in the Eloise Shop of the Plaza! Followed by plunking out “Heart and Soul” on the teeny-weeny keys! I couldn’t resist!

MORE MACARONS!

#5 FP Patisserie, again at the Plaza Hotel Food Hall.

The “FP” in FP Patisserie stands for Francois Payard. Chef Payard is the brilliant man who brought Macaron Day to NYC 6 years ago. This shop in the Plaza has a lovely set up, it’s the perfect place to buy a host/hostess gift if you’re ever visiting someone in NYC. The selection of macarons features a mix of classics like pistachio and chocolate with more unique flavors like “Cassis” ( learned that’s “black currant”).

I went with a Raspberry Champagne macaron. Fantastic. The filling was stellar, a thick, flavorful layer that really stood out. Texture was great too. This was my favorite macaron of the day! Francois Payard, you are la crème de la crème!

But wait! There’s more! Without even going out into the snow!

#6 Epicerie Boulud, still at the Plaza Hotel Food Hall.

Epicerie Boulud had a modest macaron selection with some fun flavors like this Peanut Butter one I tried. It was a lovely macaron. Good texture, the peanut flavor was sweet with a hint of saltiness. I’d definitely come here for lunch and maybe a macaron treat for dessert! I’d kinda had enough sugar by this point…my body gravitated toward the salad area of this cafe, thus this picture!

In the thick of lunch hour the food hall was getting a little crazy and so we left the warm Plaza Hotel and ventured out into the snowy streets. Willa and I walked through to snow to 58th and Broadway, toward our macaron.

Final stop on the Macaron Day 2015 Crawl! #7 Francois Payard Bakery!

FBP_MacaronDayNYC — The various faces of “I can’t believe it’s snowing”.

This is Chef Payard’s other establishment in the city. I wanted to end at FPB because J’adore Francois Payard so much! The macarons here were the same as at FP Patisserie so I didn’t feel bad about not eating this macaron and saving it for later. C‘est vrai, bien sûr.

Can you believe this Macaron Crawl? Midtown 59th Street is a macaron mecca. All these places were so close together, all these places fit into my lunch “hour” (a generous hour).

I want to share the macaron love and support City Harvest, Macaron’s Day charity partner, so on my way back to work I stopped back at Bernardaud. I picked up a box of 12 Mad Mac macarons (perfecly packaged for shipping) just for you! Well, for one of you anyway, I wish sharing was easier!

New York Cliché Macaron Day Give-Away!

I’ll send this box off on Monday to someone who leaves a comment on this blog post. I’ll announce the winner at 3PM and get their address ASAP so I can ship the cookies before 5PM. You want them while they’re still fresh! So leave a sweet little comment (about macarons, France, spring, Francois Payard, anything) before 3PM on Monday and odds are pretty good Macaron Day will come to you via USPS!

Sorry international readers, I love you guys, but alas I can’t afford over seas expedited shipping. Lame I know, but I don’t want any cookies to go stale! So entries only for addresses in the USA. Also, while I’m not setting any “requirements” for this give-away, I do very much hope you follow me on social media Twitter/Instagram/Facebook. Merci!

Hope your weekend is sweeter than a macaron and that spring gets here soon!

Don’t Miss Macaron Day NYC 2015!

I’m way more excited about Macaron Day than I was about St. Patrick’s Day. That sure says something about my vices.

Bodes well for my liver, looks bad for my teeth.

Macaron Day is tomorrow, March 20th! In celebration of delightful French cookies (which were gluten-free long before it was trendy) and to raise money for City Harvest, bakeries all over the city give away free macarons!

How do I partake in Macaron Day NYC 2015?

Show up at any participating location. Here is the full list of the 30 participating bakeries!
Tell them you’re there for Macaron Day.
They’ll either hand you a free macaron or let you pick your own flavor, depending on the location.
Enjoy every delicious bite of that lovely little morsel.
Buy one or several for later (or a give away to your blog readers! Yep, details tomorrow) because a portion of Macaron Day sales goes to benefit City Harvest.
Share this blog post and tell your friends so they can have a sweet Macaron Day too!

Payard-macaron-day-nyc — 2014 was the 5th annual Macaron Day, tomorrow marks 6 years of Macaron Day NYC!

Macaron Day NYC Advice

Use part of your lunch break to get a sweet macaron pick me up!

Midtown has the biggest concentration of location. If you work in that neighborhood there’s a good chance you can find a location near your office! The Macaron Day NYC website provides a map, complete with little macaron icons to designate locations.

Plan a Macaron Crawl to visit multiple locations!

Some people plan Beer Crawls with their friends. I plan Macaron Crawls. 59th Street has the easiest crawl, with 4 locations easily visited within 5 blocks. Believe me, it’s really fun to go to multiple locations and compare the different macarons. Francois Payard, the patisserie master who brought this event to New York from Paris, encourages it! The West Village has another good crawl option down around Bleecker Street.

Go early if you can!

Try to avoid the lunch rush if at possible. I plan to start my crawl at 11:30AM. Last year I started at 10AM, yep, locations were open and starting their celebrations that early! This year Macarol Parlour in the East Village is celebrating for 24 hours, from 8AM to 8AM. More info on that here! Some locations may run out of free macarons. You don’t want to see this sign!

March 20th is Macaron Day, The 1st Day of Spring AND International Happiness Day!

With snow on the forecast for the first day of spring, I think New Yorkers are really going to need something, anything to brighten the day. Macarons are perfect! My Macaron Days have always been full of delightful surprises. In 2013 I ran into a swarm of Easter bunnies.

Last year I happened on an International Happiness Day celebration in Washington Square.

You might even get lucky enough to meet some of the pastry chefs renown for their sweet creations!

Mad-Mac-Florian-Bellanger — April, Rose, and I with Chef Florian Bellanger who you may recognize from the Food Network

Expect full Macaron Day coverage from New York Cliché tomorrow

Who knows what delights tomorrow holds! Anything can happen when you’re hyped up on sugar! If you some how need more convincing to check out Macaron Day, ~~you’re tres bizarre~~ click for my coverage of Macaron Day 2013 and 2014!

If you part take in this sweet, sweet day, let me know! Maybe we can even meet up! I’ll definitely be connecting on social media. Look for live updates from me tomorrow on my Instagram and Twitter #MacaronDayNYC. Then expect a full blog post, featuring a MACARON GIVE-AWAY for those of you not in NYC, Paris, or Toronto (as far as I know, those are the only participating cities, désolé).

P1030443 — I’m holding up 7 fingers because I ate seven, yes SEVEN, macarons by this last stop on Macaron Day 2013!

March 17, 2015March 17, 2015

Irish Pride VS Drunk Douche-bags at the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

If you’re in Manhattan, chances are an intoxicated person in green has yelled this at you today. Every March 17th the Big Apple turns green with an influx of bridge and tunnel visitors whose one goal is to get so wasted they barf. St. Paddy’s Day in the city has become synonymous with Drunk Douche-Bag Day.

Not generally a fan of drunk douche-bags, I tend to avoid the holiday. Today however, I found myself in the vicinity of 5th Avenue, the path of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. I put a poncho over my green sweater, important protection against green vomit, and went to check it out.

Hahaha just kidding. I didn’t actually put on a poncho. I’d rather get puked on than look like a tourist at a parade!

I’m happy to report #1: No bodily fluids got near me and #2 the parade was so much more fun than I anticipated!

From the sidelines I saw marching bands and bagpipers, firemen and color guards. Little kids marched by, little old ladies proudly wore the colors of the Irish flag. Everyone in the parade looked like they were having a great time. Not a single participant looked drunk.

Those watching the parade were much the same, wearing displays of green and shamrocks, cheering and waving. It was festive and fun, a joyful celebration of Irish Americans. Irish pride was on display in a genuine way I’d never experience before. This is was Saint Patrick’s Day is all about! As pleasing to the eyes as an Irish accent is to the ears.

Those watching the parade were often just as fun to watch as the parade itself.

These ladies are very obviously tourists, visiting NYC from Ireland! They were adorable and happily agreed to my picture request in exchange for my local advice. They were looking for a Irish pub near the parade and I felt bad I didn’t have a good recommendation for them!

Another fabulous lady at the parade! I didn’t find out her deal, but I adore how she pulled this festive outfit together. The high-end fur vest and LV bag contrasted with the green wig and feather boa. Tory Burch flats paired with cheap holiday socks. The shamrock shades pull it all together. She’s St. Patrick’s Day chic.

This puppeteer was just as charming as his outfit is over the top. He and his puppet delighted all parade participants who passed them. Sober St. Paddy’s family fun folks!

By far the cutest sight at the parade. This little green dinosaur danced down the street, to the beat of his own Irish drummer. Heart melting-ly adorable.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned into a drunk douche-bag later in the day, but when I met this green guy he was just fun and festive.

Same with this dude. He was really sweet and friendly. His devotion to the Irish flag is literally written all over his face.

Now that’s not to say this parade was drunken douche-bag free. Oh no. The contrast of the festive to the fucked-up was stark, apparent at a glance. A whiff.

The day drinkers were easy to spot. They had no interest in watching the parade, appeared to have arrived at it for lack of a better destination. They traveled in large packs, creating a sort of outskirts parade of their own. Characterized by large amounts yelling at each other and beverage cups in hand, instead of rolling my eyes at them I asked for pictures.

Go to a bar. Why are you at this parade? You’re scaring the kids. New Yorkers hate you. Keep your vomit off our streets. Don’t yell drunken shit at me as I try to avoid you. But thanks for being so willing to have your picture taken!

Hope your holiday is festive and vomit free! If you have a defense for the drunks, tell me in a comment! If you’re even less of a fan than I am, feel free to unleash your disgust below! If you’ve ever been to the NYC parade, I’d love to hear what you thought. How are parades elsewhere?

March 11, 2015April 7, 2015

Guest Post: Outrageous NYC Date Ideas

Outrageous New York date ideas that I pretend to hate but would secretly probably love…

Awesome Guest Post by Gwendy Taylor

I’m not much of a romantic person, and really never have been. Don’t get me wrong—I believe in being sweet and finding your own unique way to “be in love”. But I don’t need an expensive dinner (I’m totes fine with cooking at home) or fancy gifts (I mean, if the sentiment is there, I’m all in—regardless of price). However, since I’m not one for absolutes, here are a few NYC date ideas that blow my ideals about mushy-ass romance out of the water.

1. Vodka martini, on the rock

First, let’s be clear—I’m always down for a date when drinks are involved. Alcohol makes every awkward social situation at the very least bearable and at best Academy Award worthy. But a $10,000 to $15,000 dollar cocktail? Bitch, please! A diamond in the bottom of a glass is clearly a choking hazard! I mean really, who would want to find an enormous chunk of bling waiting expectantly for them in the bottom of their martini (silently raises hand…).

Fact: I cannot drink out of a martini glass without spilling. One spill = $1,000 down my dress.

2. Fine Dining

We’ve basically already covered my thoughts on eating expensive meals at restaurants (in case you missed it, I’m pro home-cooked dinner dates). But, let’s be honest—it’s incredibly terrifying to think about going over to a complete stranger’s place for dinner (Hannibal Lecter, anybody??). Enter: my exception to the “let’s not eat out let’s just stay in and drink wine and cook” rule. A good burger holds the key to my heart. A $295.00 Le Burger Extravagant would basically own all of me. Forever. #bae

With that price tag, you eat better eat that burger like you’re in a Carl’s Jr commercial.

3. Save room for dessert

Dessert is usually my favorite part of any meal (including snacks that technically aren’t meals, but open the door for dessert anyway). Virtually nothing gets between me and my chocolate. Or ice cream. Or cake (this world needs more cake). Or…flakes of 24-carat gold? I mean, if you twisted my arm into it, I’m sure I could find a way to vigorously shovel copious amounts of gold covered almonds, Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, and Grand Passion Caviar into my face.

This sundae is basically a golden idol, so praying to it kinda makes sense.

4. A heli good time

I’ll spare everybody the Fifty-too-many Shades of Grey reference here, but suffice to say; very few of us just-making-it-by middle class folks can afford a helicopter in any capacity (unless maybe it’s an R/C copter). If a date wanted to literally sweep me off of my feet and roughly a million miles (math has never been my strong suit, but I think I nailed the calculations here) into the air for a fresh perspective on New York Harbor, I’d oblige. Who knows, it could be the best 20 minutes of the entire date…

Take me on a helicopter ride and you’ll get luckier than this guy.

5. You could probably find me in the club

I ultimately claim responsibility for none of my actions when I go to a club. After a few cocktails, I feel like I can achieve Dancing with the Stars status on every dance move ever, including (but not limited to): twerking, the Carlton, and my own version of the Melbourne Shuffle. That being said, this is why I can’t have nice things—at least when it comes to super exclusive nightclubs. Nobody really needs to pay thousands of dollars to embarrass themselves. But I mean, if my date is comfortable paying for expensive drinks until even he thinks I have moves like Swayze, I’m not mad at it…

If it’s JT and Andy Samberg embarrassing themselves, I’m so in.

Gwendy Taylor is pretty sure she’d be the real MVP if being socially awkward was an enviable trait. She’s a wife and mother who struggles with a shameless addiction to Trivia Crack.

FYI, in case any fellas out there are interested, I’d totally prefer the helicopter ride over all the others…

Wasn’t this an awesome guest post? Thanks so much, Gwendy! If any of you have been on a date anything like any of these you MUST let us know! I want to hear all about it!

If you are interested in writing an awesome guest post for New York Cliché, I’d love that! Email me at newyorkcliche@yahoo.com

March 10, 2015March 11, 2015

My First Boyfriend May Have Been the Most Romantic

In ninth grade I got my first boyfriend. There were a lot of reasons I liked him. We both were teased by our circles of friends for not wearing jeans. Jeans aren’t comfortable! No one else understood. But he and I, we got each other. We both preferred walking through parks over malls. Another boy would have thought I was fucking weird when I announced, “I want to roll down a hill” while walking in Golden Gate Park one afternoon. My 9th grade boyfriend thought I was fucking cute instead.

Look at this picture, multiply the awkwardness by 2309% and decrease the wardrobe expense by 98% and that’s totally me and my 9th grade boyfriend.

Another teenager would have wanted to go skinny dipping, or bungee jumping, break into an abandoned building, drink a six-pack, or do drugs. Me? The rush of rolling down a hill was all I needed. It’s really the safest, out-of-control thing you can do. To connect with grass, feel the rush of speed and adrenaline as my body rolled without my controlling it. The feeling of exhilaration when the hill leveled out and my body came to a stop. Stretching out my limbs on the green grass, looking up at the blue sky, and feeling so very alive.

We looked for a hill that day in Golden Gate Park, but we weren’t in the right part of the park for hills. We both had to be home for dinner. I didn’t get my wish, it didn’t really bother me, I didn’t give it much of a second thought.

Next time we met up it was near his house. He had a plan and he wouldn’t tell me. What teenage girl doesn’t like surprises from her cute boyfriend? He led me to a park near his house. Walking in parks was kind of our thing. When I say “walking in parks” I actually mean that. That’s not code for “Making out in parks”. I never made out with my 9th grade boyfriend. He and I would kiss but in an incredibly G rated kind of way. I was a really innocent 14-year-old.

This is better. His hoodie and the pants are 100% accurate minus the muscle tone. Her vaguely punk rock outfit is cuter than any of my attempts, but in the ball park.

He lead me to the park, down a path, and stopped at a fork in the road.

“Here we are,” he said. There was a pond in front of us, a grassy hill on the left, another path lined with trees on the right. I didn’t get it. I stared at him blankly.

“You said you wanted to roll down a hill. Here’s a hill.”

He’d listened. He’d remembered what I’d said. Much better than I had. He’d granted my wish.

Other 14-year-old girls had boyfriends who brought them roses or teddy bears. My ninth grade boyfriend brought me to a random hill in the middle of a park. He’d done it just to make me happy. It was kinda the most romantic thing ever.

In the 15 years since, boys have bought me flowers and jewelry, they’ve brought me chicken soup when I was sick, they’ve cooked me dinner. I’ve watched the sun set over lakes, held hands across the Brooklyn bridge, been kissed in the middle of Grand Central, flown to the Colorado mountains. None of it has been quite as sweet as rolling down that grassy hill, laughing out of control with my first boyfriend ever.

Teens in 2001 who didn’t like jeans or malls, hadn’t seen a single episode of Dawson’s Creek, and were happy rolling down a grassy hill. We were fucking weird together. I think I’ve been searching for another boy to roll down hills with and be fucking weird together with ever since.

Can you spot the fucking weirdo in this crowd? [credit: Matt Harvey]

March 9, 2015March 9, 2015

Winter 2015, We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together

Guys! Guys!! I have some really exciting news! It’s a big, big day!

Y’all ready for this?

I just walked outside, and I didn’t want to die! My nose hairs didn’t freeze! I didn’t wince when the air touched me exposed skin! My hands didntn’t clenched into tiny fists in an attempt to conserve heat! Can you believe it?

Wait. It gets better.

I wasn’t wearing a puffy coat. I know. I was wearing my cute red wool coat and, wait for it, I DIDN’T EVEN BUTTON IT.

Guys, I’m not even wearing long underwear! That’s how serious this is! I’m not even wearing pants! I’m wearing a dress and only one pair of tights! I can hardly believe it! I dreamed of this day for MONTHS!

It’s a big BIG day! SPRING IS IN THE AIR. FINALLY.

Now that we’re finally here, finally there isn’t a single day with snow showing on the 10 day forecast, I can look back on the snow with more than the gut feeling: I HATE IT! I HATE IT! I HATE IT! Sounds similar to the experience of child birth. Perhaps better to compare to the end of high school. You look at the picture sideshow at the prom and forget how depressed you were for most of it. You dream of what lies ahead in this new chapter of life when you’re not shackled by the one pair of snow boots you own and strangled by perfunctory scarves!

Good bye, winter. It was nice knowing you (at least in December). Hopefully I’ll be excited the next time it snows. Once my chapped lips become supple again and the cracks on my dry hands heal, maybe I’ll even remember you fondly. I mean, you sure look good in pictures.

Every relationship I ever ended, I broke the news on a walk. Walks are good for good byes I guess. Last weekend, I went for a walk in winter, to say good bye. Winter, I think you’re great but, YOU’RE TOO FUCKING COLD.

My Break Up Walk With Winter, Central Park

The San Remo, the most iconic building on the west side of the park. Look at those joggers in the snow. Crazy people.

This is the same lake in I went boating on (remember?)! It’s completely frozen over!

It is so frozen idiots decide it’s a good idea to walk on it. The proof is in the foot prints!

That ladder in back of me? That’s if you’re dumb enough to walk on the lake, fall in, and need some one to fish you out. Also I PRAY I don’t wear this stupid puffy coat again this year!

Rose petals in the snow by the lake. I wonder is someone got married here? What big, romantic gesture did I miss?

Iconic Central Park Winter. That poor horse must be so cold.

Snow blanketed Sheep Meadow. Expect a picnic next time I’m ’round these parts.

Every winter I am so thankful NYC taxis are yellow. The automotive burst of color is often the only thing that gets me through the gray.

This is a baseball field. You’d never guess it. See the snow man in the middle of it? Some one hopped the “Closed for the Season” fence to build that!

Bah-bye winter, 2015. We are never, ever, getting back together. Seriously. Lose my number. If you’re back knocking on my door next week, I’m gonna be hella pissed. Let’s just remember the good times and go our separate ways!

Are you as excited as I am to kiss winter good bye?

March 5, 2015March 5, 2015

The Deal with Transit Wireless and the #SubwaySelfie Contest

You may have noticed the NYC subway system isn’t the dead zone it used to be. Sometimes in the middle of your commute and your phone rings. “Hey! I’m on the train so I might lose signal at any moment, plus I feel rude, but quick! What’s up?” Sometimes, when you need it to most, your “Still on the train! Running late!” email actually sends.

83 subway stations are currently connected with FREE WiFi and 4G. The plan is to get all 279 stations connected by 2017.

“This is what the MTA is spending their money on?” New Yorkers cry. “Trains are delayed all the time and they care more about whether or not I can check Facebook while I’m wait!? Madness! Outrage!”

Calm down NYC. This is not a project of the MTA. This is completely privately funded. New York City residents and riders aren’t paying a penny for it. We have Transit Wireless to thank. They’re on the mission to wirelessly connect the New York subway system. Since their October launch they’ve been trying to spread the word.

Which leads me to the #subwayselfie contest.

I saw a sign for this contest while waiting for the subway. So of course I took a selfie to enter.

The Subway Selfie.

My train still hadn’t come. So I took another.

The Waiting-for-the-Train Subway Selfie.

Then I got inspired and just took #subwayselfies my whole commute home, wifi or no.

The Light-at-the-end-of-the-Tunnel Subway Selfie.

The What-Is-This-Antique? Subway Selfie.

The How-Can-I-Mix-Up-the-Background-Oh!-A-Subway-Map Subway Selfie.

The I-Hate-Winter Subway Selfie.

The Wait-I’ve-Been-Taking-All-These-Selfies-Sans-Make-Up-GAME-CHANGER selfie.

The Kissy-Face-Cliché Subway Selfie.

The It’s-A-New-Perspective-Because-I’m-On-an-Escalator Subway Selfie.

The I’m-Really-Excited-to-Get-Off-the-Subway! Subway Selfie.

Okay, guys. It’s your turn. I just provided you with a TON of inspiration.

Now through March 25th, take a selfie at any of the WiFi enabled stations, post it on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram with the hashtag #subwayselfie and you’re entered to win a $100 Metrocard. Vote for it on their page here (Mine is there! The most boring one I took, I know, but you can vote for it!) and you have a much better chance of winning. They pick a winner for the $100 Metrocard every week. At the end of March they’ll announce a grand prize winner and that person will get an iPad Mini. Not bad just for taking a selfie and using free WiFi, right?

I’m pretty excited about this. A NYC subway platform is a perfect place to read New York Cliché blog posts. Free Wi-Fi will enable this!

Are you glad subway stations are becoming WiFi connected? What are your feelings about selfies? If you hate them, you have to let me know. (Also, sorry!) If my silly subway selfies made you smile, I hope you’ll let me know too!