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Red Bank’s 7th Annual International Beer, Wine & Food Festival

Hey, everyone! This past weekend we visited the 7th annual International Beer, Wine & Food Festival in Red Bank, New Jersey. It was honestly a great time, cheap to get in (only $5!), and located right here in Monmouth County.

It was a warm day, so I steadily stuck to some cold Sauvignon Blanc, but the wine selection was pretty vast. There were reds, whites, rosés, etc. Admittedly I’m not much of a beer drinker, but the beer selection was vast, too. And, the beer was cold! I don’t know about anyone else, but there are few things worse than warm beer on a hot day.

Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruits.

The food at the festival was awesome! There were many food trucks to choose from, all offering different selections. There was a crab cake truck, taco truck, and even an ice cream sandwich truck. There were also various lemonade stands, a fresh donut stand, and homemade rum cakes. Honestly there were too many vendors to name them all.

My favorite were the sausage and pepper sandwiches. Everything was fresh, the aroma was heavenly, and the colors of the peppers were beautiful. Danny was a fan of the pork skewers, accompanied by fresh flat breads and homemade Japanese BBQ sauce. OMG.

Apart from the drinks and eats, my favorite part of the festival was the presence of local businesses from New Jersey all specializing and featuring different products and services. Many of the food vendors were local, but so were the jewelry makers and small shop owners. NJ Wedding Pros even had a booth, and were so helpful and interested in the guests.

My favorite of all the local vendors was a traveling boutique called “Mana.” The shop, itself, was such a clever concept. The boutique was entirely in a renovated van and sold everything from artisan soaps and clothing, to quirky mugs and gifts.

The owner, too, was absolutely helpful and kind! I would definitely recommend checking Mana out!

If you’re interested in checking out Red Bank’s festival next year, I would highly recommend it. The festival was also very family friendly and featured a few rides, two stages with live music, a petting zoo, and even a magician for the kids.

As always, email me with any questions or event recommendations at antoinette@yoururbansuburban.com!

April 25, 2018April 25, 2018

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Movie Review: “A Quiet Place”

*spoilers included

Hey, everyone! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted, but I have some great events coming up to write about so stay tuned!

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I’m truly a horror geek. Here I am meeting John Carpenter and reading Agatha Christie. I try to see all new horror movies in theaters, and I frequent conventions. As part of my obsession, Friday the 13th is like a holiday to me, and what better way to celebrate than go see a new movie?

Movie review — Is a movie a movie without popcorn?

We decided to see A Quiet Place. It is getting awesome reviews, and holds a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Well, no offense to Rotten Tomatoes, but I thought the film was OK. The main mode of fear were jump scares. The entire film was silent and therefore every single sound, no matter how faint, became a jump scare and terrified everyone.

It was definitely suspenseful, but I don’t think the film had a well-developed plot line. What were the creatures? Aliens? And if water is too loud for them to hear through, why not live on a boat?

The ending, too, was kind of disappointing. These creatures have decimated the Earth with their high-powered hearing skills, and no one thought to try high frequency sounds to keep them away? Also, Emily Blunt was the first person to think of shooting them while their skulls were detached?

Overall, because of the great reviews I urge everyone to go see the movie. I’m a firm believer in that if a film is deemed great, even if one doesn’t think so, it should be watched for cultural appreciation. (This is exactly how I feel about Harold and Maude.) The acting was great, and it was suspenseful. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in what was going on throughout the screening. However, I just wish more plot questions were answered.

April 14, 2018April 14, 2018

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Agatha Christie, Where Have You Been My Whole Life?

In my quest to begin reading regularly again I decided to pick a good old fashioned crowd pleaser. For those of you who do not know, I am a horror fanatic. I love horror films, gothic literature, horror conventions, etc. Here is a pic of me meeting John Carpenter last weekend:

John Carpenter .png — John Carpenter and I. Also, he told me I smelled good. Thank you, Chanel.

I think my obsession with horror stems from, mainly, two places. First, my family is pretty interested in the genre, and I’m not even just talking about my parents. My grandmother might be the biggest fan I’ve met. Secondly, as a woman, I am proud of the genre and enjoy appreciating the fact that it’s historically dominated by females. And, no, not in this way:

cwmdbe5kxroibeblaaoadb0ablwdabddfrembwurwwxdqvvsr0oabgaaw0vqq0nxvv0dhq0wbvktdaaffk4tsevtrv1ahhuv — Laurie Strode, Nancy Thompson, and Sidney Prescott.

I mean in this way:

I decided to read a novel by Agatha Christie. I must admit, I’ve not read much of the gothic genre. I’ve read the average amount of Shelley, Coleridge, and Brontë, but otherwise my horror interest has been dedicated to film. (Also, I understand Christie is technically mystery, but it fits the theme.)

My fiancé recommended I start with her classic, And Then There Were None. I started the novel at about 11:45 p.m. and was finished by 3:30 p.m. the next day. I absolutely devoured the novel, and could not wait to turn the pages. What I loved about her writing was that it was genuinely interesting. She truly captured the essence of suspense, and I felt the nervousness of the characters with them. Was I, too, on Soldier Island? I don’t know if I trust that Vera Claythorne, and Blore seems too odd for words.

The novel was great, and I cannot wait to read the next. I also love the fact that it was written by a woman. Yet again, here is another female author writing brilliantly in the gothic genre. Even cooler than that, she is the second best-selling author of all time, second to only Shakespeare.

This post was more of a book review than anything else. I just had to share with all of you how excited I was after reading.

March 15, 2018March 15, 2018

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Reflections on International Women’s Day: Spending Time With Mama

International Women’s Day seems strange to me. I mean, as a group of people who make up a decent portion of the population, I have issue with celebrating our magnificence on only one day.

Women are pretty amazing. We are strong, enduring everything from sexual harassment to negative stereotypes about our driving skills. Every year more and more women are attending universities and receiving advanced degrees. We are politicians, artists, advocates of great causes, and scholars. Oh! And we do this really cool thing where we create beautiful life in our wombs. In light of that last point, I decided to dedicate my celebration and appreciation of International Woman’s Day to a truly inspiring and perfect woman: Mama Mary.

As many of you know, I’m a cradle Catholic. It’s hard to see the world from a Catholic perspective and not witness the glory of femininity in its entirety. One person throughout all of history was conceived without sin, and that was a woman. One person perfectly followed God’s will for their life, and that was a woman. One person brought the Son of God into this world to save us from sin and death, and that was a woman.

So many people were celebrating International Woman’s Day in light of famous women who broke glass ceilings in their fields. Those women are important, too. Thank God for women such as Jane Goodall, Maya Angelou, St. Joan of Arc, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Audrey Hepburn. And thank God for the “ordinary” women in our lives, such as our mothers, sisters, and aunts.

But Mary’s significance for the betterment of all humanity should be recognized as truly remarkable, and never be forgotten.

March 12, 2018March 12, 2018

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Does the Muse Dwell in Suburbia?

“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.” – William Wordsworth

What do we imagine when we think of poets or poetry? I think immediately our minds wander to images of coffee shops in the city. You know, the ones filled with people dressed in black who snap their fingers after someone performs an interpretive dance? The other popular image that comes to mind looks like a scene from Dead Poets Society where rich youngsters learn about the human experience through the works of Keats or Browning.

I have to ask, though: Is this real? This is what the movies tell us. This is what our stereotypes look like. Well, I don’t buy it. Poetry is not reserved for Manhattanites or preppy academics. Poetry is for everyone, and the muse dwells wherever life thrives.

This “wherever” also includes suburbia. Lucky for those in New Jersey, there is in fact a thriving poetry scene. I had the pleasure of talking with a local poet about his experiences in New Jersey, and I think he emphasized a point that Wordsworth brings up in his Preface to Lyrical Ballads. Essentially, any powerful emotion that is later contemplated is great inspiration for art, and there is no limit on where those emotions stem from. Sadly, as many from New Jersey know, the state is currently plagued by a terrible heroin epidemic. There are also so many areas still being rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy.

“I know that I grew up in a single mother household, and I knew poverty and adversity and loss as more than just far-off concepts, but real life challenges,” said Damian Rucci. “I know a lot of poets who are growing up in this world and there is dark inspiration everywhere, but there is also beauty. New Jersey gets slagged by a lot of people who haven’t been here and seen the vastness of the Pine Barrens, or the crisp crimson of the setting sun on the Bayshore, or the white sands of the beaches along the shore. There is a lot of beauty in this state still, too.”

Rucci is a local poet from Keyport, New Jersey. He founded the “Poetry in the Port” gatherings, and manages the new “Street Poet Review.” He will soon be publishing a collection of poems called, Poor Poems for Poor Souls. If you’re interested, check him out on Facebook.

Suburbia is not just rows of cookie-cutter houses and housewives. There is life in suburbia — real, powerful, painful, beautiful life — and people are writing about it.

So, now what? If you’re interested in poetry or the arts in New Jersey there are tons of opportunities for you to check out. I wrote about “Poetry in the Port” and a few other spots to check out a few months ago, here. Also, the “Street Poet Review” will be hosting a launch party on March 22 at Espresso Joes in Keyport.

Check out these great poets and art from New Jersey. If you have any questions or could recommend an event, as always please contact me at antoinette@yoururbansuburban.com!

March 1, 2018

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