Friday Faves 10/18: Hot Apple Cider, Spy, Romulus and Remus, Grilled Cheese

Best Activity

A quick New York road trip: Last week, Tiff was working in NYC on Thursday and Friday. She took the train down and I followed her on Friday in my car. On Friday afternoon, I met my buddy Dean at Bethpage State Park for a round of golf at their Red Course. We stood on the first tee, bracing against an insanely strong wind, and I was having my doubts if we were going to have any fun. I was wrong, it was a blast. The wind howled most of the day, but the golf course was perfect for a windy day. Not too long (we didn’t play the tips…) and all the greens allowed for low punch shots because of yawning openings at the green.

We spent the night in Hoboken with Dean and his wife, Lindsay. Hoboken is a great city and combined with a sunny day, a delicious Cuban brunch, and a trip into Manhattan on Saturday night, it was a fun weekend (minus the extremely annoying Yankee fans screaming after each pitch).

Best Listen

The Road Taken: This is a new podcast from The Ringer featuring CT and Baio of Vampire Weekend. It’s really interesting. They have three episodes so far, and each one features a different artist. Right now they have Patrick Carney of the Black Keys, Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons, and Laura Marling.

All Mirrors by Angel Olsen: Olsen is really great. Her sound is different, but also falls into the tangential world of pop. I have been listening to this album all the way through, no real skippable tunes on this one.

Phoebe Bridgers: You know when you’re listening to an album on Spotify and it wanders into the “radio” setting once the album is done? This is how I stumbled upon Bridgers. Her song “Smoke Signals” caught my attention a couple times this week when it came on due to the Spotify algorithm. Then a friend of mine tweeted about her. I decided to give her album Stranger in the Alps a listen, and I really enjoyed it. “Motion Sickness” is my favorite, which puts me in the majority. As I tend to do when I find new music, I asked my brother if he had heard of her, he said he had and then suggested her album Better Oblivion Community Center with Connor Oberst (of Bright Eyes fame).

I’d say both Bridgers and Olsen both fit into the fall/winter vibe. Slow, methodic, early sunset music.

Best Watch

Spy: It’s hard to believe that Sacha Baron Cohen is capable of playing a serious spy in the 1960s, but he pulls it off. The show has a great balance between those crazy spy scenes where a character is breaking into an office for confidential papers and real-life relationships. The tightrope that Cohen’s character, a spy in real life, had to walk is incredible.

Best Read

The Greek and Roman References in Succession: A Holy Cross professor wrote about the Greek and Roman references in HBO’s Succession. When we finished the season finale this week, we started looking a bit further into the Romulus and Remus story. There’s a whole lot of connections highlighted in this piece.

A Course Called Ireland: I wrote about this book last week here, but then added it to my book club section this week. Here’s the link to read more…

Best Eat

Grilled Cheese with Apple and Apple Butter: This was a perfect chilly evening dinner this week. It was super simple and we paired it with a tomato soup that Tiff made over the weekend. I look forward to being skilled enough to not smoke out the kitchen while trying to make grilled cheese in a skillet.

Best Drink

Warm Cider: Our furnace has been broken for the last three weeks, leaving our condo a tad chilly at night. Nothing a few blankets, hoodies, and thick socks can’t solve. Warm cider (bourbon optional) with a touch of cinnamon is another great solution to the cold night. I fired up my first cup last night, and, along with my first pumpkin spice latte (bae-sic) earlier this week, I rang in the fall season. It’s here.