The Obsession:
Cute pencils:  a great low-cost shopping treat [aka Who knew there were this many types of pencils???]

The Basics:
A tiny shop on the LES with every color pencil you can imagine from all over the world + super cool accessories.

What's the Deal?
Amateur pencil collector [apparently that's a thing] Caroline Weaver opened up this shop in 2014.  The shop itself is beautiful- and perfect for instagraming but it's also educational.  The staff has so much knowledge about the different pencil's stories, where they came from, why they're unique, etc.  There's also tons of cool accessories we didn't know we needed like pencil tip caps so you can toss them in your bag.  It's defiantly worth a stop.

You can stop by CW Pencils Enterprise by taking the B, D to Grand St.

CW Pencils
100a Forsyth Street
917.734.8117

Sour Beer, Foodie Books, NYC Tacos + Queens Eats.
Click on the title for more info.

April Sours   /  Sat Apr 30, 1pm
​Head to Jimmy's No. 43 in the East Village to partake in this yearly spring Sour Beer party.

Taco Knockout  /  Sun May 1, 1pm
Taste your way through NYC's best versions of the Mexican taco including some very inventive takes.

Food Book Fair  /  May 1-2, various times
The "Coachella of writing about eating" [according to their website].  Enjoy panels, a pop-up book store, cooking demos, film screenings + more.

Queens Taste  /  May 3, 6pm
Taste your way around the world without ever leaving Queens at this celebration of the borough's food diversity.  Come hungry.

The Obsession:
A super Scandinavian shop serving up bright colored candies with funky names.

The Basics:
High quality candy that's good for you [ok, well, as good for you as candy can get anyhow...]

What's the Deal?
What's amazing about NYC is the plethora of micro-communities you discover over time.  While the Swedes were one of the largest 10 groups immigrating at the turn of the century, there's not an obvious 'Swedish section' of town.  You'll find them at Sockerbit though, choosing from candy that you won't find elsewhere in the city.  Delivered fresh [as opposed to stale], the candy is free of transfats + GMO's, only using natural coloring.  Flavors + textures can be exotic like the salty/sweet black licorice, or the chocolate dipped gummy bears.   We're personally fans of the sours like the Fizzy Roll, Watermelon Skulls + Sour Peach Lips.

Bonus- want some more delicious Swedish-ness in your life?  Hop on our Beyond Broadway Tour on a M-Th to grab nosh on some hand-made bites in a very hidden Swedish community.

You can stop by Sockerbit by taking the 1 train to Christopher St.

Sockerbit
89 Christopher Street
212.206.8170

Spices, Bacon, Whiskey + the Queens Night Market
Click on the title for more info.

The Magic of Spices  /  Thu Apr 21, 6:30pm
Learn about the history + significance of spices as well as how to purchase + properly store your own.


Beer + Bacon Classic  /  Apr 22-23, various times
Citi Field will be again hosting this tasting event where you can sip + dish on over 150 vendors.


Whiskey Wars Factory Tour  /  Sat Apr 23, 4:30pm
This special tour at Kings County Distillery will focus on the whiskey scandals in the 19th century.


Queens Night Market Opening Night  /  Sat Apr 23, 6pm
Over 50 new + returning food vendors will be representing the diversity of Queens at Flushing Meadows Park.