Beecher’s Handmade Cheese

Mac and Cheese fans in New York City have another reason to rejoice as a location for Beecher’s Handmade Cheese has opened in the Flatiron district.  Not just a cheese shop, you can walk in to the cafe and get your very own freshly made “World Famous Mac and Cheese” to devour.  The only other store location is still the original in Seattle, WA, so New Yorkers are very lucky. I can say from my personal experience that if you try a sample of this savory pasta dish, you will want to order a whole serving for yourself.   The cafe also offers a variety of sandwiches, soups and other goodies.

While you are enjoying your meal on the main level, you can sit and watch the cheese being made right in the store.  The picture above is a view from the upper dining area.  There is also a more upscale restaurant and wine bar located downstairs.  I have heard that there are happy hour specials offered in the restaurant from 5-7pm and that they will serve you a grilled cheese martini if you know to ask for one.  I cannot wait to check it out!

Here is a close up of all the cheesy goodness that is a serving of Beecher’s World Famous Mac and Cheese.  Yummy!

OK to Go Solo or Better with Friends?

There are definitely some companies that are better for you to bring a few friends along with you to events and then there are some that can be really fun even if you go without knowing anyone.  Of course each event and how fun and social it is will always be determined by the people going on that particular trip.  From my personal experience, I thought I would share what I have discovered over the years with regards to signing up solo vs. with friends. 

Better with Friends

Living Social Adventures (www.livingsocial.com/adventures)

They offer some great trips with events such as wine tasting and pub parties to follow the activity of the day but based on the past two trips I went on, definitely bring your friends with you. 

Zogsports Day Trips (www.Zogsports.org)

I think these have a good chance of being more social and depending on the activity you can certainly meet some fun people during your trip.  But I also have been on day trips where people mainly stayed within the groups of people they came with so just to be safe I recommend coming with friends.

It’s OK to Go Solo

Sometimes, I have had the best time ever on trips I have gone solo to.  I have made many new friends that way.  I have found that there are many people out there who really want to do things but it is sometimes hard to get friends to go with them, coordinate a date that works for everyone or even sign up before the event sells out.  Below are companies that I can say would be great ways to get out and do what you love without having to worry about going it alone.

Meetup (www.meetup.com)

If you are already a member of meetup.com you will notice that there are a lot of people who want to get out there and make new friends while doing activities that they love to do.  This site is excellent for uniting people with common interests and if for some reason there is no group for what you are looking for, then you can start one of your own.

Random Events (www.randomeventsny.com)

This group prides itself on doing fun events of all different types and connecting the people who attend them.  You will get to know people by the end of the event without a doubt.  Very welcoming and inclusive, this group is the perfect way to branch out and find yourself some new experiences and make friends along the way.

MeetMarketAdventures (www.meetmarketadventures.com)

This is a singles company which also makes an extra effort to include everyone and have people interact so that they get to know each other during events.  The whole point is to meet new people, so you are good to go alone to any of the events this company offers.

NY Social Network  (www.newyorksocialnetwork.com)

Similarly, the New York Social Network says it all with its name.  It is a great way to explore the city while expanding your network.

Outdoor Bound (www.outdoorbound.com) and Dynamic Outdoors (www.dynamicoutdoors.com)

I have found that on trips with Outdoor Bound and Dynamic Outdoors, the common activities brings people together.  For example, on my most recent event with Dynamic Outdoors (a Yoga Hike), most everyone had come by themselves and during lunch there was a friendly discussion of how hard it is to round people up to do events and that none of us were willing to sit out because of that.  So all of us were there having a great time in the outdoors together even though we arrived on our own.

Zogsports Sports Leagues (www.zogsports.org) and NY Social Sports Club (www.nycsocialsportsclub.com)

Having finally joined in a few sports leagues with Zog, this is a great way to get to know people.  Signing up single only means you will be matched with a team and will get to know everyone you are playing with.  After each game there is usually a social gathering and there are end of season parties as well.  If you love sports – get out there and play!