Strategic Communications // Crisis Communications // Digital & Social Strategy // Executive Thought Leadership
Tammy Gordon - social media strategist, consultant and speaker
"It's almost impossible to keep success going because you have to stop at some point, to rest and learn something new. It's essential. People's interest in you goes away so quickly... You have to choice but to step off the boat sometimes."
- from Judd Apatow's book "Sick In The Head"
"If you can't watch this sweet and extremely cool video from AARP's rad new studio right now, it's OK — we have some highlights for you below to tide you over until you can." [Click for full Upworthy post]
“Of all places this video came from the ‘AARP’ YouTube channel. If you’re not familiar with the acronym AARP it stands for ‘American Association of Retired Persons’. So it’s pretty damn remarkable that an organization such as the AARP could track down and produce a story so awesome it transcends generational boundaries. You’d think that all of their content would be geared towards the geriatric folk, but that’s not the case with this video.” [Click for full story.]
"There is magic here... that made [a woman] sit down at the front of a bus and refuse to move, that lead a man to think that maybe the world wasn't flat and that the moon could be walked on by humans. There is magic. Even here. In office cubicles." - "I Wrote This For You"
I was asked today, "How do you stay on top of where the industry is headed?" The answer isn't simple. I wish it was as easy as reading a book or watching a webinar - and done!
I thought about it, and basically, everything from what I read to what I watch to who my friends are and who I follow on social platforms keeps me informed. It's pretty time consuming and some weeks I'm better at keeping up than others. But, here's a round up of what I read fairly regularly (or when the headline grabs my attention). What should I add to my list?
Melody Kramer's Blog (social editor at NPR)
NPR Social Media Sandbox (also written by Melody Kramer)
My Twitter list of people doing interesting things in the video space
My Twitter list of people doing or sharing interesting things in the digital space
New York Times on Social Media
I find that the easiest way for me to make sure that I'm getting all of this, without having to seek it, is to follow all of these sources on Facebook and Twitter. Then, I spot check throughout the day to see if anything is breaking or trending that might change my strategies.
Enjoy the firehose.
I thought taking three weeks off to vacation in Europe while simultaneously trying to launch a new department at work was going to be impossible. But it wasn't.
Here are a few tips if you're taking a social media and email detox - but still have to stay in touch for business reasons:
Now that I'm back, I'm thinking a lot about how I can leverage what I learned to be less addicted. I'm leaving off notifications for the most part. I'm setting specific times to check and respond to email. And I'm hoping to better prioritize any time spent on social media. I'm going to see how long I can prolong the parameters that helped keep things manageable on the road.
I was trying to be healthy at brunch this morning, so I ordered the Uovo Shakshuka (perfect poached eggs baked in a spicy tomato sauce with roasted eggplant) at Ghibellina. Sure, in order to be really healthy I would have had to pass up the amazing bread to dunk in the shakshuka and a flaky biscuit with fig jam... Whatever... I didn't get a brunch cocktail. So, let's call it a win.
If it's not already on your to-brunch-at list, put Ghibellina on there.
** Bonus: pup-friendly patio with water bowls **
Some of the best ideas in the kitchen come together from the random ingredients in your freezer combined with what's nearing it's use-by-date. Tonight, I had some peaches that needed to be used STAT - but I wanted something in between healthy (just eating the peach) and heavy (I had been Googling "Bisquick Cobbler"). Enter a sheet of puff pastry in the freezer and a recent obsession with Mike's Hot Honey... Bam! Spicy Mini Peach Galettes!
Ingredients
- 3 peaches, diced
- 3 tablespoons of Mike's Hot Honey
- 1 teaspoon of ginger (powdered or fresh ground)
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
Directions:
1. Combine peaches, honey, ginger and nutmeg in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees. Line pan with parchment paper. Defrost puff pastry.
3. Cut pastry into 6 equal pieces. Put approximately two spoonfuls of peaches in the center of each pastry (leaving space). Close each pastry up with a pinch at the top. It's ok if peaches peek out - that actually ends up looking awesome!
4. Drizzle remaining juice over the top of each pastry.
5. Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes until tops begin to brown.
6. Remove from oven to cool.
This would be amazing topped with vanilla ice cream, creme fraiche or whipped cream!
While I'm usually fairly food focused here, I wanted to share a round up of great spots to grab a drink that we discovered.
1. If you're craving an Old Fashioned or Manhattan, visit Irish Heather in Gastown where they make simple, craft cocktails without a lot of frou-frou ingredients or garnish.
Bourbon Drinks at Irish Heather
2. After a long morning walk through Stanley Park, we emerged in the West End and decided to pop into Three Brits Public House to watch a soccer match. I ordered up this gin n' tonic, which had grapefruit bitters and rosemary. (I've now added both to my home bar.) In addition to great drinks and plenty of TVs to watch sports, on a gorgeous day, the windows open up to a wonderful waterfront view and breeze.
Gin & Tonic at Three Brits
3. After a dinner at Pidgin, we asked our server where to go to get away from the tourism and he steered us to Diamond. It's a great spot for post-dinner cocktails by candlelight, nestled in a second floor perch overlooking Gastown's late night antics.
4. We also made repeat visits to Bambudda in Gastown where the street-side barstools and amusing bartenders guaranteed a great start to an evening of exploring restaurants.
5. Ok, and rounding out the list would be one that I already wrote about, but Rodney's has the most dangerous bartenders in town. Check out that pour.
Sauvigon Blanc at Rodney's
If you're looking for a way to spice up your salads, I've got two new products (that I love!!!) that took this salad to the next level: Mike's Hot Honey and Mrs. Belem's 5 Pepper
Start by laying down a bed of greens. Tonight I used sugar snap peas and pea shoots, but kale, spinach or arugula would also work. You want some greens with some bite or bitterness to them to counter topping them with whatever fruit is in season. For the Mid-Atlantic this week, that was peaches and blueberries.
Next, I squeezed the juice of a quarter of a lime on top, followed by a drizzle of
, a sprinkle of
spice mix and a drizzle of olive oil.
The combination of sweet and spice balances perfectly - and is super healthy and using all whole ingredients.
All vegetables and fruits were purchased at Washington, DC's
, which is year round on Sunday mornings.
NOTE: Mrs. Belem's is owned by a friend of mine and the first bottle was gratis. That said, after this one's over, I'm opening up my wallet.
Look, there are a lot of reasons we went to Rodney's Oyster House multiple times on our Vancouver weekend. Some of them were the great selection of local oysters (Kusshis, Kumamotos), the made-in-front-of-you-by-order chowders, the eye candy bartenders, and well, the heavy pour (see below) of wine.
Sauvignon Blanc & steamers at Rodney's
Either way, put sitting at their bar (especially on a rainy day) on your must-do list for Vancouver. You won't regret it.
Rodney's Oyster House is located in Yaletown at 1228 Hamilton Street. There's another one in nearby Gastown, which is located at 52 Powell Street. I can, however, only verify the eye candy and heavy pours at the Yaletown location.
MORE on where to eat in Vancouver: Go Fish & Granville Market
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I took a recent social media sabbatical in Vancouver. While it was great to get offline, these gorgeous food photos have been burning a hole in my laptop and I wanted to share.
On this particular day, we woke up to a misty-rainy kind of day. And like any kind of cram-every-experience-in-type, we decided it was the perfect day to do the Grouse Grind. The concierge at the Westin looked at us like we were nuts, but we rented a car and were on our way. I'm not sure I would have agreed to this plan if I'd realized how intense it would be. The climb up Grouse Mountain is 2,800 feet, which means I climbed 2,830 stairs to get to the top.
But I did it. And, celebrated with this gorgeous view afterwards by having lunch at Go Fish. The skyline view and creek-side patio is worth finding this little fish shack nook, but the real rewards were the fish & chips and fish tacos.
Fish & Chips at Go Fish
It's right by the dock where fisherman were selling spot prawns right off of their boats. (Spot prawns would prove to be a tough find this trip since a lot of restaurants eschewed their absurdly high price this year. Of course, we paid the absurdly high price when we found them at Le Crocodile. Incidentally, that's the one meal I don't have photos of... it felt too nice to whip out my phone and start snapping shots.)
Fish Tacos at Go Fish
With full bellies, we crossed the bridge to explore Granville Market. It's an adorable, walkable island full of food vendors, restaurants and shops. A must-do on any trip to Vancouver.
Pastry at Granville Market
There's more to come... a lot more... but that's a solid day right there. Hike, eat, enjoy.
Go Fish is located at 1505 West First Avenue in Vancouver, British Columbia. As you head down to the docks, there are a few parking spots to the right for Go Fish. You can also take a water taxi, boat, bike or public transportation to Go Fish & Granville Market.
And, while we rented a car for Grouse (and I'm glad, because it was exhausting), there are also buses that go straight there from downtown.
MORE on where to eat in Vancouver: Rodney's in Yaletown
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| Multi-Grain Bread |
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| Muffaletta |
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| Ham & Cheese Sandwich |
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| Housemade Fig Newtons |
I've been following
ever since I
read about him in the first issue of Lucky Peach
. So, when I heard he was opening
in New York's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, I knew I had to go. (I mean, odds are I'm not making it to his flagship in Japan anytime soon.)
What I didn't realize was that it was nestled into
- an adorable incubator of food concepts on 11th Avenue between 44th and 45th. Upon entering, I went all wide-eyed and wanted to try everything. After all, there are
eight different artisanal food purveyors
and it's really hard to decide where to focus.
But, I was on a mission, so I sidled up to Ivan Ramen's and ordered the Spicy Red Chile Ramen... mostly because it sounded like a dare. It was hearty, spicy, delicious... and certainly cleared the sinuses. It came with minced pork and smashed egg, so I thought adding pork belly and egg might be too much. Next time, I'd go big and layer those on too. The richness would balance out the heat.
Spicy Red Ramen at Ivan Ramen's Slurp Shop
After that, I wandered around plotting my course for the next visit to Gotham West Market. I think
or
will be the next target. (I'd add
, which is fantastic, but I've already been there on the West Coast.) I did get sucked into the
food market and shop where I took home a bottle of
and this amazing macaron chocolate hazelnut
.
Jeni's Ice Cream Sandwich from Brooklyn Kitchen
Thank God I'm not local. I'd be scouting condos to live above this gluttonous paradise.
I flew into Los Angeles earlier this week for work, and before I slogged down to Anaheim, I met a friend for lunch at
Huckleberry Cafe in Santa Monica.
I'd always heard it was great and it exceeded my expectations. The menu for lunch is simple sandwiches and salads that are almost fully locally sourced. I was trying to be healthy, so I pounced on the Kale Caesar Salad. It was. Great mix of greens and Parmesan - and I loved that the dressing came on the side. (I hate a too-wet-salad!)
Strawberry Tart at Huckleberry Cafe
Even though lunch was satisfying, we couldn't resist a return trip for dessert. I mean look at this summer strawberry tart! I was also drooling over the merengue lemon blueberry parfait, the strawberry donut and the ricotta peach salad.
I'll be back for
too.
Huckleberry Cafe is located at 1014 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica, CA. Follow them on Twitter at
and
.
I took the
back to DC this morning and was filled with a longing to leap off and escape to the
for the day. Since that wasn't possible, I shifted my city lunch meeting to
so that I could at least sit in the sunshine by the river.
It was so relaxing and the food so fantastic, it made me feel like I was on vacation... Even if I had to be back in the office by 2pm.
Panzanella salad topped with prosciutto at Osteria Morini
There's a $25 two course lunch pairing, so I enjoyed the decadent panzanella salad followed by a pipette with zucchini ribbons and seasonal vegetables.
Pipette pasta with seasonal vegetables at Osteria Morini
I think I may have even picked up a tan.
Osteria Morini is located at 301 Water Street SE on the Anacostia River in the trendy
section of Southeast Washington, DC.
PS.
is opening right around the corner. I'm envisioning enjoying cup of her PB&J or Dark & Stormy ice cream while lazing by this adorable wading pool.
The Yards Park wading pool and waterfall on the Anacostia River
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| Hangover Cure at Mintwood |
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| The Manhattan at Husk |
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| Carolina Rice on the Vegetable Plate at Husk |
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| Meat + 3 and Pie at Arnold's |
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| The Chocolate Chili Pie at Arnold's |
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| Love me some Willie Nelson |
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| Pasta topped with Egg at Rolf & Daughters |
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| Honky Tonk at Robert's Western World |
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| Front to Back: Chocolate Glazed with Sprinkles Donuts, Lemon Donuts, and Donut Holes |
