Type Away Cait

photo credit: Cait Malilay It's been a while since my last post, a long 8 month hiatus to be exact. Cait's Plate is back.  This time we're revisiting Conwell Coffee Hall, a large cafe situated in the financial district, just steps away from the New York Stock Exchange.  Last time I visited, I had the avocado toast, and for my returning audiences, you'll recall that I said next time, I'll try their French toast. Here's my take.  I'm next in line when I hear the artsy-looking cashier inquire to the customer in front of me, "Are you performing tonight in our show? I don't believe we've met. I'm [Jane Doe]." I look up form my menu and that's when it hit me. I'm reminded that this cafe serves as an advertisement for their immersive theatrical production, "Life and Trust." Gullible goers, such as tourists, would be enraptured by the atmosphere, and believe that there is some kind of glamorous -with a touch of tragic- history...

photo credit: Cait Malilay Pasta de Pasta, located at 192 1st Ave., is a new restaurant that opened in East Village last June. If you're a pasta lover and you're looking for a reasonably priced dish, then this is the place for you. You can get a fresh in-house pasta for as low as $9.90. I heard about this place on Instagram and I knew I just had to try it for myself. Customers are given the option of their sauce and any additional toppings. If you've seen other posts, what probably caught your attention is that it's only $9.90, but that only goes for the simple Fettuccine Alfredo. It is, however, made in a parmesan wheel cheese.  If you get Fettucine pasta noodles with any other sauce, it will be extra. The restaurant is very inviting and there is a window where you can witness the magic that goes into making it.   photo credit: Cait Malilay I'll be honest, the first time that I went there, the pasta was hot, but the noodles were a little sticky. My second visit was...

pc: Instagram / @cait_malilay_reads Will I ever, again in my life, fall in love with another book as much as "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara?  Shortlisted for the 2015 Booker Prize, this whopping 816-page-long novel tells the story of four friends who meet in college, develop their own identities and face life's obstacles and milestones that come with adulthood. Readers will meet  Willem, the charming actor;                    Malcolm, the creative architect; JB, the cocky struggling artist and                    Jude, the mysterious lawyer with a dark past. ***TRIGGER WARNING:** This book contains descriptions of rape, addiction, physical and emotional abuse, self-harm and suicide.  This novel that's loved by many celebrities, such as Dua Lipa, Chris Pine and Dakota Johnson , is about friendship, the effects of trauma, love in all its forms and, of course, life it...

Local 2110 of United Auto Workers held a rally at 195 Broadway at 12:30 p.m. on Friday as part of their strike for higher wages, a more diverse workplace and better union security for HarperCollins Publishers employees.  The union represents over 250 employees in the editorial, sales, publicity, design, legal and marketing departments. The rally was co-hosted by R.F. Kuang , Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of “Babel: An Arcane History,” and Molly McGhee, the author of the upcoming novel, “Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind.” “We are asking for other ways to make compensation better for people of color, and make it a more secure place for people of color to work,” said Carly Katz, an audio coordinator at HarperCollins Publishers, in an interview with “Conversations With Cait.” Lee and Low Books found in a 2019 baseline survey that the publishing industry overall is 76% white and 74% are cis women. Katz, who has been with the company for five years, makes about $5...

HarperCollins Publishers employees are striking for wage increases, a better commitment to diversifying the staff and union security. In this episode, we have Carly Katz, an audio coordinator at HarperCollins Publishers, to tell us more. In October, over 95% of unionized employees voted to strike, according to a press release.  The union, Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers, represents over 250 employees in the editorial, sales, publicity, design, legal and marketing departments.  HarperCollins is the only unionized Big Five publishing house. The majority of workers are women and the average salary is $55,000 with a starting salary of $45,000.  You don't need to do the math to understand that that's clearly not enough to survive in New York City!  Negotiations began in December of last year, yet unionized employees have been working without a contract since April.  A rally is going to be held this Friday, Dec. 16 at 12:30 p.m. led by R.F. Kuang , Sunday Times ...

Cait's Travel Diaries is a new travel vlog series on my YouTube channel ! Filled with laughs, good food, and new sites to see, life is surely an adventure. In this very first episode of Cait's Travel Diaries, we travel to the famous Jersey Shore and The Big Apple, specifically to the Queens and Manhattan boroughs where I highlight some of the best food stops in Flushing and Chelsea Market. Be sure to subscribe if you haven't already for updates on future episodes. You can also follow me on my new travel/bookstagram account @cait_malilay_reads . 

What I look forward to the most when I visit New York City is the food. Here are eight food stops that I highly recommend if you visit the city. 1.) The Coop Restaurant and Bar photo credit: Type Away Cait Whoever said Buffalo has the best wings clearly hasn't tried The Coop. Located in Flushing, Queens this Korean restaurant uses the most organic source of ingredients. Their chickens are raised from a nearby local farm in a free range environment, restricted from hormones that promote abnormal growth, and don't contain antibiotics, according to their website . They have a range of Korean dishes, a wide variety of wines and spirits and they have two types of wings: soy garlic for those who don't favor the spice, and, of course, spicy. Fan of both? Why not order half and half? I ordered the soy garlic and it was so crispy, succulent, and full of flavor. These are hands down, the best , so the next time you head to the city, take the 7 train all the way up to Flushing and sto...

photo credit: Yu and Me Books / Instagram The owner of Yu and Me Books, the first New York City-based bookstore owned by a female Asian-American , said that the censorship of books  in Texas school libraries by Republican lawmakers is “ridiculous and terrible.” Lucy Yu, who just opened up her bookstore a month ago, sells many books that highlight stories of immigration. “This has always been a dream of mine, and I wanted to see stories on the wall reflect immigrant experiences similar to mine,” she said in an email. “A large reason why I wanted to create my space is to make sure these voices are heard.” Yu is just one of many who are concerned how this censorship will impact the younger generation. A group of librarians who call themselves the #FReadom fighters launched the grassroots initative,  #FReadom , to raise awareness of the state's actions and bring school librarians together. “Not having easy access to marginalized voices can really skew a younger person's perspectiv...

photo credit: Type Away Cait Ok, call me cliché, but New York City has got to be one of the best cities in the world. Am I just another one of those literary English/Journalism majors that has a romanticized view of NYC? Perhaps, but I'm proud to be one. NYC is the heart of journalism in the United States, and some of the best writers stepped on these streets.  I love everything about the city:  the bookstores,     the dreadful, yet pleasing sound of the screeching subway,           the food,  the street art,                the strange smells,  the obnoxious honking of impatient drivers that act like the sound of their horn is the magic word to make the red light turn green,                      how each borough and each neighborhood has its own subculture,  the unpredictability of what subway passengers you'll be sitting by...