Malibu Barbie Cafe NYC

May 25, 2023

Calling all Barbie girls! The Malibu Barbie Cafe pop-up just opened in NYC last week and of course, I had to be on the scene to check it out.

So what is this? Located in the Seaport district right next to Pier 17 in NYC, a little Barbie slice of heaven has sprung up just in time for summer. It’s literally what the name entails; a cute little pop-up cafe all Malibu Barbie themed with cute little photo ops to boot for your Instagram dreams.

It starts at $22-30 for kids and $39-$49 for adults, pending date and time slots you choose. Children under 2 do not need a ticket. My recommendation? Go on a weekday and off-peak hours as weekend are expected to be mobbed, especially since Pier 17 is a popular hot spot for weekend traffic. The pop-up will be here til Sept 15, 2023 so you have some time to make your way there, but definitely don’t dawdle because this year is going by faster than we expected. The Barbie movie will be here soon in 8 weeks!

Tickets are for a 90 minute table reservation and include one entrée and side item, but of course, you can purchase additional items off the menu as well to complete your spread. Full disclosure though, I did not get a chance to try the food during my time there attending their press night because I was busy running around taking photos. I did ask other guests how they found the food and the number one recommendation was get the burger! My photographer was snacking on all the passed hors d'oeuvres in between shots, which were small bite sized versions of everything off the menu and he did say it was all delicious. All the bartenders were very friendly and sweet, making sure we were all attended to all night. I noticed all the drinks were really pretty and instagrammable and there was even one drink with straight up glitter swirling around in it.

Other key things to note from their website: 20% gratuity will be added in addition to your food purchase, on site.
Your 90-minute time period begins at the start of the reservation time you booked. It will not be extended for late arrivals, so make sure to arrive early. I would say try and get there 15 minutes early if you can, especially since there’s cute photo ops outside while you wait. Tables will only be held for 15 minutes past your reserved time and will be forfeited if you do not arrive within the 15-minute grace period. There are no refunds or exchanges or rescheduling. They are pretty strict since these are table reservations just like a restaurant and someone will be waiting for the next reservation so you have to be ready and done within your allotted 90 minute time slot. Parties with multiple tables purchased will not be guaranteed to be seated together so if you need a reservation for a big group, they highly suggest you reaching out to them directly for your event.

So. What’s the lowdown on this experience? If you’re a Barbie lover in want of some cute photo ops and all things Barbiecore, then this pop-up is calling your name. The space is smaller than your usual pop-up so I do think the price is a little steep but it does include food which is a nice bonus. But if you’re like me and just there for photos, I do wish there was a less pricey non-food option for those who just want to go for the cute pics. As for the photo ops, there’s a decent amount of cute spots but the Barbie girl in me does wish there was more. Maybe I just want a Barbie pop-up in general dedicated to all things Barbie, similar to the pop-up Mattel held in Soho a few years back pre-pandemic or the World of Barbie tour they have going on in LA right now. The only downside to the Soho popup was that it was so crowded, but that was also because it was free. So I do appreciate that the admission price helps with crowd control so that you don’t have to wait forever in a line just to snap a quick cute IG photo.

So what do you need to know to strategize your experience?

In terms of photo spots outside, there’s the archway in front of the cafe with a pink carpet rolled out to welcome you. There’s a hot pink lifeguard chair around the corner behind the cafe tables and chairs. There’s 2 cute little bikes and tons of balloon arches and columns, although I’m not sure if the balloons were only there for the preview night or if they’ll be around all through the months the event is running for. There was also a pink Barbie Jeep parked out front to help promote the Barbie x Swoon drink, but again, I’m not sure if this is a permanent fixture or just there for the press night. You were allowed to sit in and take photos in the vehicle, which was nice. I believe they were also giving away cans of Barbie x Swoon to try as well.

In terms of photo spots inside, there’s the big direction sign, the little gift shop stand, the giant Barbie boombox, the sand castle/sandbox area, the cute pink swing upstairs, the surfboard, and 2 California Dreaming walls. The staircase leading upstairs I found to be super cute and instagrammable as well but of course you can find hidden gems in little spaces inside the pop-up as well that are built into some of the walls.

All in all, I absolutely LOVE the color palette of the Malibu Barbie theme in this space. I went in to this experience with several outfit changes to maximize my experience and photo opportunities and I do not regret it. It was a lot of fun. Even the bathroom upstairs is absolutely adorable to visit when I was changing in between outfits. From the mirrors to the pink hand dryer, it was simply like stepping into Barbie world. I love it. I wish the World of Barbie Tour was coming to NYC, but until then, this little slice of Malibu Barbie heaven will do, especially being here in time for the upcoming movie. Don't forget to dress super cute and bring your best Barbie outfit(s). It's half the fun!

Thank you to Morgan and Bucketlisters for having me and the opportunity to experience this.

Wonderland Dreams

October 11, 2022

It's been a minute since I've been to a pop-up since the age of the panini 2 years ago. I’ve slowed down on a lot of things, especially pop-ups, as my patience for waiting in lines has waned as I get older.

Last week I was invited to attend a preview of Wonderland Dreams, a new Alice in Wonderland inspired pop-up, before opening though and trust me when I tell you this one is absolutely worth the sticker price. I've been to a lot of overpriced ones where it's $50 for 6 dinky rooms and you're in and out under an hour. This is NOT one of them. I was literally down here for hours because there was so much to see and do, that we didn't even get to do it all because we were so overwhelmed. It's absolutely next level with how many different rooms, props, backdrops and stuff you can interact with and play with. There's so much space so you never feel like you're on top of each other and each room is very well done and unique, you'll have no idea which to do first! It's a literal wonderland of your Instagram dreams of endless possibilities. Everything, and I mean absolutely everything is painted from the ceiling to the walls to the floors to everything on the tables, chairs, mirrors, doors, props, toy houses and little bikes/cars, various hats and coats you can wear, EVERYTHING. Nothing is left untouched, it feels like you’re walking through an enchanted painting. You can paint the roses red, become a living painting, have a tea party and toast to your very merry UNbirthday, shrink to fit into little houses, appear larger than life in optical illusions, wander through a rose garden, get lost through time and space, climb through secret doorways and more.

Wonderland Dreams officially opened this past weekend and runs through April 2023 if you're interested in immersing yourself in checking out this work of living art. I highly recommend setting aside a few hours of your day to check it all out and take your time because it is a lot to see and play around down there. The entrance hosts a wine bar and cafe, which was not yet ready when I visited so I can’t report back on that but I’m told the entrance where it’s located is open and free to the public to check out without need of a ticket reservation. The lounge area was still being painted last week when I went but it looked incredibly beautiful. If you’re on the fence whether or not you want to spend your money on this, you’re always welcome to check out the lobby/wine bar area and decide for yourself if it’s worth the curiousity to purchase a ticket downstairs. The lobby itself is absolutely stunning and also covered in art.
Tickets are $36 for weekdays and $46 weekends. I highly recommend weekdays for less crowds and better photos as well as cheaper admission, but even if you can't make it til the weekend, you'll be more than fine with how much space and how many rooms are down this rabbit hole! Every room is so well done, if one is busy, all you need to do is wander to the next and you’ll find an even better spot to explore. And also! What I love about this popup is that it’s not restricted to a one way path. You can go back and forth and visit whatever room you want as many times you like. I hated that about other popups because it felt so restricting and rushed having to make sure you got the shot before getting to the next room.

Tickets can be reserved on their website here if you’re interested in wandering down this colorful explosion of a rabbit hole soon. I can tell this is going to be a big hit for families and Instagrammers so definitely go soon before it gets really big! It’s the perfect spot for a cute date night or a hang with friends being silly and having fun. If you go, I hope you have a blast!

Photos by: @rongejon & @iamdannydarko

RBC Brooklyn Half

May 23, 2022

This Saturday May 21 was my 3rd NYRR race and my first time running the RBC Brooklyn Half.

Man, all I have to say is that shit was REALLY HARD. Those Prospect Park hills are no joke. We got lucky with the morning starting with a thick layer of fog so no sun, but the humidity was INTENSE. You were drenched within minutes. The sun staved off for a few hours before we finally got onto Ocean Parkway.

I've done this distance so many times before but this particular day felt really hard. I couldn’t pinpoint whether it was just an off day for me, or the temperatures really affecting me more than I could consciously feel or whatever, but I definitely felt it during the race, after when I went to work, and the next morning when I woke up. All day today I felt like I got ran over. It’s insane. Some days are good run days and some days you're just not feeling it. Usually I can get myself in the zone and focus but this race was the first time in a while I just couldn’t click into it. I started out ok but somewhere along the line after mile 3, when we entered the park and the course started to go physically uphill, I personally went downhill and downhill fast, lol. It may be because I started out faster than my usual running pace and I got too tired too fast trying to keep up with my friends. At Disney, I’m able to run my own race but in a race with a bunch of friends, it may be harder if you’re not all the same pace. One runner will have it harder because they’re having to slow down to keep up with you and for a faster runner, it hurts to slow down and have to spend more time than expected to finish since you’re on your feet longer/more. For the other runner, they’ll have it harder because they’re trying really hard to keep up with their friends and thus exhausting themselves quicker as they try to catch their breath and maintain pace.

I thought maybe after we exited the park and we reached Ocean Parkway, where it gradually goes downhill and then is a much flatter course, I could make up for it. But at a certain point though, I couldn’t continue on anymore due to this same midfoot pain that I keep developing lately on my left foot every time I do a long distance run. It happened to me in January during the WDW races during both the half and the full and always around mile 11. I don’t know what it is but it's been my weakness at all the past races I've done. Maybe my body is telling me this is it, this is all I can handle, bitch, please stop. 😅 My friend Kevin was running with me the whole time and it was around this point I told him I couldn’t keep running and we slowed down and walked for a mile til we got to the next water station, refueled and then tried our best to run the last 2 miles to the finish line, albeit slower. I said this a lot during the full marathon back in January, but during this race, I really thought about quitting a few times. I kept going because Kevin was right next to me still going. One part of me was like what’s wrong with you? You’ve done this before, you can finish this! You can’t quit. And then the other part of me was like girl this is ridiculously hard, we are TIRED, we want to wave the white flag. It was a mind game back and forth trying to convince myself to keep going while the other self wanted to stop. This is why they say this is really more mental than anything. You really have to train your mind to be strong for this.

Above all though, remember to listen to your body! I didn’t stop but at that mile 11 when I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to speak up and tell Kevin I couldn’t keep running. I had to slow down and walk for a bit. It sucks because you’ll see everyone around you still trudging along and some are still going full speed, but you have to remember, everyone is different and it's more important to run safe than anything and slow down when needed. When I got to work later, my coworker told me she read one of the runners collapsed near the finish line, was rushed to the hospital and unfortunately didn't make it. 16 others were also taken to the hospital, 5 with serious injuries. Please remember it's ok to slow down! And it IS ok to stop if it's too much. There will always be other races, tomorrow is another day and your well-being are more important than any race. I thought about pushing through and keeping up the pace but I knew it wouldn't be worth the injury in the end and I'm glad we slowed down because my body is still feeling it even today. Usually I’m not this badly beat so I can tell this took a toll on me.

This race was very challenging and to be quite honest, the whole time I thought about how the NYC Marathon may not be for me. One borough was hard for me, I can't imagine traversing all 5, especially since NYC is very, very hilly. These race courses also don’t inspire me the same way running through Disney does. I didn’t care for the views on this course and I realized I might not really care for the NYC marathon views. I can do this on a regular NYC outing I do with my friends and family for good views and better photos. I might just strictly enjoy Disney running. There’s something about running to the castle that gets me every time. I’ve done it 4 times now and I still never tire of it. But the Brooklyn half felt like a one and one for me. Also the full marathon distance feels like a one and done for me, honestly. I don’t have the drive in me to do 26.2 miles a second time. I feel like personally for me, once may be enough. Le sigh. But I’m already currently 3 races in, already signed up for 4 more, with just 2 more needed on top of that to qualify. I already paid for the yearly membership at NYRR for these races. I guess I’ll finish out the qualifiers and then decide next year when the NYC marathon opens up if I want to do this. At least I’ll have the option. I’ll keep the door open for now, but to those of you who aspire to those 26.2 concrete jungle miles, seriously I applaud you all. This takes A LOT.