AJ Feuerman

Publicist | Social Media Strategist | Brunch Fanatic

LA Quarantine Life Delivery Hacks

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Not quite the regular “Friday Favorites” here today; instead I’m offering up some Quarantine Life Delivery Hacks to my local peeps. One of the more fun aspects of sheltering in place is all the fun little side hustles local entrepreneurs have started up to remain productive and make our lives a little easier. I’ve amassed a nice list of some to share and I hope if I’ve missed one you love, you’ll share it in the comments!

Special thanks to friends who sent me a lot of great recommendations. I kept this list to Quarantine time start-ups that deliver, mostly individuals, not established restaurants or businesses that deliver via a third-party app. All of these link to the businesses’ instagrams and I encourage you to follow them to stay current on their offerings and make sure you know their delivery guidelines, boundaries and recommendations. 

BOOZE

Natty Pours: Natty is a bartender creating and delivering craft cocktails to you at home! Her Insta is super fun and her cocktail names are a treat. A group of girlfriends and I have taken to placing large group orders with Natty via one designee who then delivers to all of us.

Stir Crazy Cocktails: More craft cocktails! They come in charming mason jars and baggies with a note. I love this one a lot. She has a new menu each week!

Fancy Free Liquor: Imagine you were planning to open a new business this year… OOF. But these guys have made it work with a delivery service that is crushing it. So much so, they are currently shut down for delivery but keep an eye out. They not only deliver liquor, they also offer cocktail kits, mixers, select market items and more. I love their vibe.

Lost Cove Tiki: Aloha tiki lovers! This is calling your name. They offer tropical cocktails, wings and Hawaiian BBQ, and even adorable tiki mugs & glassware.

Rocks Paper Salt: I am dying to try this one. I know a lot of my friends have. It’s detailed craft cocktail kits delivered to your doorstep. Also a women-owned business. Isn’t it nice to see so many women dominating this space? I love it!

Bespoke Bar LA: A customizable specialty cocktail service that delivers locally – and they actually ship nationwide! Their deliveries arrive in super cute crates and I’m excited to try it soon.

Authentic Cocktails: A little farm-to-table with your craft cocktail deliver. Don’t be surprised if your delivery shows up with a cute little succulent plant. They also have a cute gifting option!!!

Quarantine Life Delivery Hacks

Left: Natty Pours’ “But First Let’s Take and Elfie!” / Right: Stir Crazy Cocktails ready to go out for deliveries!

GOOD EATS

Cuterie Girls: I can’t get enough cheese – and I know I am not alone because today alone I saw two friends post about this one.

WCPLA: Just a note that Wine and Cheese Please asks for deposit and charges for delivery but if you love charcuterie, it’s totally worth it. (You can also just pick it up and skip the delivery charge — they’re in East Los Angeles.)

Go Go Gyoza: This Los Angeles dumpling company uses the highest-quality ingredients from local and regional purveyors and “every dumpling is pinched with love.” I have yet to try it but I’ve heard it’s completely delicious.

Stone Soup Project: I just loved this when I tried it! They deliver homemade soups you can freeze or just refrigerate to eat up right away. Tons of choices! Very easy to heat up and very easy to love — for every quart you buy, one is donated to a person who needs a meal.

Rosie’s Bagels: I just found out about this and I MUST HAVE IT. They deliver each Saturday — homemade California Bungalow Bagels inspired by Montreal & NYC style recipes. They look amazing.

Kuma Beer: Do not be deceived. Not beer, also bagels. They are sourdough based bagels and OMG, they have a bacon and cheese bagel! (I assume they use a beer sourdough starter, hence the name.)

[OMG]arlic: This is so unique and I love that someone thought of it. It’s handcrafted garlic chili oil that’ll make you say “OMG!”

Quarantine Life Delivery Hacks

All the carbs!!! Left: So many dumplings from Go Go Gyoza! / Right: Kuma Beer’s plump Sesame Seed Bagels.

BAKED GOODS

Sunday in June: Small batch, handcrafted, Filipinx flavors delivered in the OC and LA. The pies look HEAVENLY.

Pique-Nique LA: Handmade treats celebrating cali’s produce palette made in Eagle Rock. So you’ll see a lot of pies, fruit pastries and cookies, but also preserves that looks gorgeous.

Love Dreams Pie: Homemade fresh pies, cakes, and treats actually catered to your dietary needs. For orders you just have to call 48 hours in advance.

Maddy’s Mookies: Maddy + cookies = Mookies! And guys, I have a full on food-crush on Maddy. They. Are. DELICIOUS. A month back, my friend and I split a cookie PIE. Just us two. Because why not. She delivers in LA & OC (she also ships!), and 10% of the net proceeds go to the Equal Justice Initiative.

NoHo Pie Guy: From his home, NoHo Pie Guy is making pies and other treats — including cocoa bombs, which seem to be quite the trend this season. I’m told they’re worth taking a drive for.

Quarantine Life Delivery Hacks

Left: Sunday in June’s chocolate pie made with Philippine coffee beans / Right: Maddy’s Mookies are always packaged beautifully! 

Amanda Bakes LA: Amanda’s baked goods are amazing and she’ll even do some gluten free treats for ya if you need. In addition to delivery, curbside pickup in available in WeHo. If you’re lucky, you’ll also get to meet her delivery helper, Lucy. (Pictured below.)

Better with Butta: His homemade scones are IT. Omigod. Chris Tucker (no, not that Chris Tucker) makes baked goods with vegan options and contributes some of his proceeds to great causes.

Sugar Farm Bakery: Cornflakes and cheesecakes, matcha, mochi and brownies – OH MY!

Batter Days Desserts: Based in Carson and Filipinx owned, a myriad of baked goods. New menus posted regularly.

Brown Baked: Transforming traditional Filipino dessert flavors into cookies and more. Who wants to try Ube cheesecake?! I do.

Beat Blend n’ Bake: Filipino Desserts with twist! Like ube cheesecake bars, pumpkin spice flan and pudo pandan. (Don’t worry, I gotchu if you don’t know — Puto is a steamed cake make in various fashions; Pandan is a particular flavor from a plant.)

Honey and the Hive: A bakery serving up delicious goodies inspired by old batter-splattered recipes cards with innovative and sometimes unexpected flavor profiles.

Andy: Yes, just Andy. Andy is very talented actor who occasionally bakes and delivers. Highly recommend stalking his Instagram profile to find out when he does. He brought me a pie early on in Quarantine and it was wonderful.

Left: Amanda’s Peppermint Bark Brownies and her adorable helper / Center: Pudo Pandan / Right: Brown Baked’s Ube cheesecakes. 

Enjoy!

Quarantine Has Made Me Greedy

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My first day of “Quarantine Life” was Friday, March 13 and so it struck me as rather “full circle” when November 13 also fell on a Friday. And that is eight months of this life wherein I have not been able to go to a bar with my friends, enjoy a leisurely Sunday Brunch, stroll through a bookstore, work on my laptop in my favorite coffee shop, order a breakfast-for-lunch at my favorite diner counter, travel to see friends and family. The list goes on.

I feel a bit like a whiny baby when I have these thoughts. Could you imagine doing this in the 80s? In the 70s? We are lucky this has happened to us with the comforts and conveniences we have. What if there were not internet, no Facetime, no Netflix? So there is that. Yes, we are lucky.

Presumedly we have all made sacrifices. (And frankly, if you have not — if you are one of THOSE people, click here.) And it seems now that I better understand gratitude. At minimum, I certainly appreciate small freedoms I took for granted previously. And I miss them.

At night, when I am dreading the following day, which will undoubtedly feel much like the day before, and the day before that, my mind wanders. Sometimes to trivialities wherein I find myself mindlessly adding things to my Amazon or Nordstrom wishlists. And sometimes my thoughts are broader and I think about all of the places around the world I want to go. There are so many more than I realized and it often becomes overwhelming. Where will I go first? Iceland? Helsinki? Back to Puerto Vallarta? Just up to Seattle or over to Austin? I would love to go on a cruise.

It’s funny because I’m not a “wanderlust” person. I have several friends whom have traveled the world and I love to see their photos and hear stories, but for me, I have always been quite happy to vacation domestically. I love New York and will go over and over. I don’t usually crave new and unfamiliar surroundings. Yet in this current life, I think of it often. I make lots of lists. I listen to travel podcasts and watch videos. I watch a lot of house tours from Architectural Digest and follow a bunch of Instagram accounts I’d not heard of months ago.

I often think about things I would like to do with my friends. (I should clarify here that I think of my family as well but my Shelter-in-place “pod” includes some of them, so I do see family members.) The last big activity pre-Quarantine was a visit to a wine bar and bookstore with girlfriends and it was a lovely day. I would like to do that again. I want to get a group together and drink at a bar for no reason. I would love to go with a couple friends to a spa and get massages followed by relaxing in a hot tub, whispering gossip between us. It would be nice to go shopping together or lay by someone’s pool. I would like to take a client to my club, go sit in their lounge and enjoy my favorite sandwich. I have many friends who live out of town – the list of who I want to go visit is long.

But let’s be honest, the things I miss the most are hugs and high fives. I miss leaving a place and casually hugging everyone on the way out. I miss entering a room and excitedly hugging a friend I haven’t seen in a while hello. When someone tells a funny joke, I want to laugh and throw up my hand for a high five without a care. I want to cuddle with someone. So while I feel like this Quarantine Life has made me greedy for many things, what it’s made me want the most is a huge, monstrous, loving group hug.

Don’t @ me. Hugs are AMAZING. GroupHug_Quarantine

Friday Favorites in Quarantine Life

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When this whole Quarantine Life began, I had a profound sensitivity to any statement akin to “2020 is the worst year ever.” My father passed away in 2019, and it is impossible to imagine anything being worse than that, so every time I’d hear a jab at 2020, I wanted to shout “IT IS NOT THE WORST THING EVER, I SWEAR.” But at this later point, while I’m not at all willing to concede anything is worse than my 2019, I have developed a better sense of humor about it. I mean, this really, really is a SHIT year. The Pandemic, the election, the unbelievable stress and agony of it all. No one could plan for this. Murder hornets? Dino-gators? Whatever. You’re not gonna scare me with mutated insects and amphibians now, 2020. Kiss off. And BTW, a warning, if you need: Lots of politics in this post. #SorryNotSorry. Quarantine Life WHAT I READ AND WATCHED

  • It’s time for everyone to get on the same page about Melania. I thought this piece was poignant. She does not deserve anyone’s pity or sympathy.
  • Found this through a friend and it’s a very cool website – check out Political Playlist which is bi-partisan and aggregates info/news for you taking the next generation of political leaders into consideration, which is SUPER important with our aged political system.
  • I, along with the rest of social media, fell in love with Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit.” I then went down a long, long rabbit hole of relevant content and loved this New York Times piece. Did you know they have a chess columnist?!
  • Another smart journalist, this time for Variety, broke down Trump’s breakdown. A very good read.
  • And P.S., I cannot wait for Trump to lose all his protections. His Twitter account will be on watch.
  • We all know about Four Seasons Total Landscaping by now, yes? I’ll be hanging onto that gem for a long, long time, kids.

Quarantine Life: The Four Seasons

EARLIER THIS MONTH

  • I bought this fleece-lined hoodie from Aerie and it is my new favorite thing. I got black because that was easy but now I want it in EVERY color. But how many hoodies is too many? I own a lot….
  • One of my favorite people in the upcoming administration is our new Second Gentleman.

  • Another successful beach day in the books. We really love it. It’s a perfect Quarantine Life activity. Except when Neville got a little too much feels for freedom and made me chase him way down the beach. Then I did not enjoy. My dog is adorable and smart AF but he can be a little devil.

Quarantine Life: Dog Beach VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

  • The giddiness apparent in this video of Kamala Harris calling Joe Biden is so endearing.
  • For all my fellow Hamil-stans, they original Broadway case made this really cool video pre-election, that I am still enjoying:

  • Sean Connery and Alex Trebec’s passings were so sad, of course, but it send me down a video spiral of SNL Jeopardy parodies. God, these were funny.

 

Why I am Voting Yes on Prop 22

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As this election season nears its peak I’m looking down the ballot with friends. We all know who we are voting for in the oval office (sidebar: has a debate ever changed your mind?), we are pretty solid on the local elections, but the state propositions can be overwhelming. Some of my friends have gone through the ballot and published voting guides like this one, and other friends have blog posts about one proposition or another. And since so many of us are freelancers I’m seeing a lot of chatter about Prop 22. Lindsay wrote a compelling argument for a “Yes on Prop 22,” and it helped me make sense of things.

First and foremost, as a freelancer myself, these app-based workers have my empathy.

Yes on Prop 22

As I have come to understand it, the state legislature wrote a law called “AB5,” or, Assembly Bill 5. I hate this bill. A lot of my peers and colleagues hate this bill. It made it nearly impossible to have freelance workers here in the state of California. Yet so many of us were affected by this crazy bill that one by one industries were exempted from it, but of course, no one in government loves or gets tech so there was no exemption for app based drivers.

This left the apps with only one way out: GET IT ON THE BALLOR. App based drivers like their freelance status. They enjoy the freedom to work with multiple companies in a single day, whichever day they choose. As you can imagine, I have a lot in common with app drivers in wanting –  no, needing – to control my schedule.

It’s interesting that even though I’m not now, and never have been an app-based driver I feel a kinship to them and I wonder if it’s because of Covid-19, or because of our shared freelance status. I can say, with earnest, that were it not for the delivery people with Instacart and Postmates, this sheltering-at-home order would have driven me absolutely bonkers. Thank goodness for those people.

So here I am. I will be championing a YES on Prop 22.

Let’s talk about it on Twitter or Instagram with #YesOnProp22.

 

Friday Favorites – Except Not On Friday

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Quarantine. Day… I don’t know anymore. But it’s almost OCTOBER. How did we get here? We’ve spent more than half of 2020 in Quarantine and I don’t know that anyone is enjoying it. It has obviously been some time since I’ve felt like writing anything here but I am just a bit twitchy today, so here we are. I have still been keeping bookmarks for you but don’t worry, I am not about to load “Friday Favorites” with pages and pages of content; just the good stuff for you, my friends, even though it’s not Friday today at all. Friday Favorites - Except Not On Friday WHAT I READ AND WATCHED

  • I read this every Fall and it never ever ceases to make me hysterical with laughter.
  • Every other Friday or so, I join with some friends at Hollywood Picture News and make some streaming recommendations. I love it because not only do I get to share my own recommendations, but I inevitably end up with five more things to watch via my friends’ suggestions.
  • Would you… cook something in the DISHWASHER? I read this with my jaw hanging open.
  • Are you aware of the “Buy Nothing” project? Here’s a great article on it. I just love my local group.
  • Whenever I see one of these “listicles,” my mind is blown.

Friday Favorites - Except Not On Friday

BLOGGERS & SMALL BUSINESSES

  • The Curvy Fahionista has launched a plus shopping directory – genius.
  • If you’re local, I recommend Lady & Larder for a little indulgence and Natty Pours for a little indulgence to wash it down.
  • I love Henry Masks if you are still looking for a more comfortable fit.
  • Emily McDowell makes the cutest greeting cards and I’m going to buy some up to send out to friends!
  • I’ve become an even bigger Etsy fan lately!
    • One of my favorite ways to decorate my home seasonally is with a cute wreath on my door. I got one from Chloe’s Craft Closet for Halloween.
    • The Painted Mouse is on a break right now but keep an eye out — her Disney crafts are so cute. Follow her Instagram, too.
    • I remain a fan of Lizz’s creativity at PewPewLasercaft.
    • This is SO cute. Frame a floor plan from your favorite TV show set. (I was thinking about ordering one from “The Golden Girls” and then two dear friends sent me one!)

EARLIER THIS MONTH

  • Two of my good friends launched newsletters and courses to teach you about social media, marketing and personal branding. Check out LTM Digital and Chris Lam. Now is a great time to get educated.
  • I was on a podcast! To discuss LITERATURE! Who saw that coming?!
  • A friend and I took our pups to the dog beach and it was a joy! I can’t wait to go again.

Friday Favorites - Except Not On Friday

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

  • The Sweet Life of Steve is a cute, new web series my friend Jason at Icon vs. Icon tipped me off to.
  • Did you catch Ryan Reynolds’ commercials for Mint Mobile? Very enjoyable.
  • My “comfort food” on YouTube is showtunes. So here are a couple remarkable, beautiful projects that have come together during Quarantine.

FRIDAY FAVORITES – Quarantine Life

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Quarantine Life, Day 3,976,210. Well, truthfully, for me, it’s day 70. 70 DAYS! 10 WEEKS! My goodness. I have not touched another human being in that time. No hugs, high fives, handshakes…. I have not been to a movie theater nor eaten at a restaurant… It is so strange how this new normal has become our reality and, frankly, even more strange to me that so many people are still resistant to any precautions when the alternative to it is basically being deathly ill. But if any side effect of this Quarantine brought me comfort, it’s that deleting some misguided Facebook “friends” was suddenly easy.

Not a ton to share this day but onward….

Quarantine Life WHAT I READ

  • Twitter is a gift and sometimes you just wanna read silly stuff like this and laugh.
  • So here in California, universities will no longer require the SAT or ACT. I had exceptional grades and curriculars but I’ve never been great at standardized test so I’m sorta happy for all the current and future students.

BLOGGERS & SMALL BUSINESSES

EARLIER THIS WEEK

Quarantine Life

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

  • The many casts of Hairspray put this together and it is an absolute JOY.

  • President Obama gave a commencement speech and nailed it.

FRIDAY FAVORITES – Quarantine Life

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These Friday Favorites coming at you from the Quarantine Life, day 617. Okay, it’s like day 67 but doesn’t it feel like that? 67 days might as well be 617… I’ve started to crack here and there, kiddos. I’ve become a chef, a skilled dishwasher, a puzzle savant, an expert napper….  We all have our struggles right now and your struggle is no easier or harder than mine so remember we are all permitted a lot of latitude in this situation. It is okay not to be okay. Quarantine Life WHAT I READ

Quarantine Life

BLOGGERS & SMALL BUSINESSES EARLIER THIS WEEK THINGS TO DO – EVEN IN ISOLATION
  • Every week, We Like LA posts a great list of things to do around town, and that practice has not stopped in Quarantine. This week’s list is pretty stellar.
  • Fever Up has been hosting a lot of fun, creative online events. Check it out! This week I’m taking a tiki cocktail class and playing Drag Queen Bingo.
  • Tech Radar has a pretty extensive list of things to do – mostly online – as well.
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT
  • Stars from several incarnations of the musical Hairspray joined forces to sing “You Can’t Stop the Beat” together and it’s a pretty joyous video and I’ve watched it a whole bunch today.
  • Did you know? You need this mash up of Lizzo and The Aristocats?. Trust me.
  • I guess this is a little self-serving but I did a thing! I participated in a panel discussing how the entertainment biz is adapting to the Pandemic:

FRIDAY FAVORITES – Quarantine Life

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When I wrote my last Friday Favorites “Quarantine Life,” I did not think I would be drafting another one, many weeks later. My Quarantine Life began on Friday, March 13, so today marks seven weeks of this lifestyle and also means that as it would happen, my birthday, which is a week from today, will mark two months sheltering at home. How annoying. But, as my mom keeps telling me, “this too shall pass” and as the commercials on TV all tell us, “we’re alone together,” “we’ll get through this,” and so on. Just imagine what this would be like if we did not have all this wonderful technology at our fingertips…. So there’s that.

Quarantine Life

WHAT I READ

OTHER BLOGGERS & INFLUENCERS

EARLIER THIS WEEK

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

  • Loving this UK “Times Like These” music video from numerous pop stars, including he song’s originators, The Foo Fighters:

  • If you are not watching John Krasinski’s “Some Good News,” what are you even doing with you Quaratine Life?
  • This Stephen Sondheim special was absolutely wonderful. The showing of this gorgeous “who’s who” of Broadway-and-then-some compilation was delayed by some frustrating technical difficulties at first, but once it got off the ground, we went into 30+ musical homages to the Maestro. Watch it if only to see Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald bequeath us “The Ladies Who Lunch” dressed in bathrobes whilst shipping cocktails.

FRIDAY FAVORITES – Quarantine Life

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The days of this “Quarantine Life” are blending right into one another for me and it’s not doing a whole lot for my morale. So I am doing this looong “Not on Friday” version of Friday Favorites because what day is it, anyway? Does it matter? Hopefully this list of links and videos occupies you a bit; keeps you entertained. I have added a special Quarantine Life section as well, entitled “Take Advantage of This Time” because for many, this is a lot of downtime and I think it’s important to be productive, lest we let our brains turn to mush. Disclosure: Alcohol is medicinal right now so my brain may be mush already. *shrug*

Quarantine Life

WHAT I READ

Quarantine Life OTHER BLOGGERS & INFLUENCERS

EARLIER THIS WEEK

  • I made a Quarantine themed playlist on Spotify. BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING BUT TIME RIGHT NOW, GUYS.
  • I’ve read a couple of Batman comics and am going to start working my way through this list, too, which my friend Ryan shared.
  • Well, my puzzle-addiction has resurfaced. There is a 1000-piecer in progress on my dining room table right now. But I really wanna try this puzzle….

Quarantine Life

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS TIME

  • First of all, The Sacramento Bee has assembled a STELLAR list of things to virtually-do right now, including Ivy League courses you can participate in for free online.
  • Try a Netflix Party!!!
  • Have you ever used Lynda? Lynda is not a person, it is a website jam-packed with online courses covering a ton of topics, now owned by LInkedIn. Sign up for 30 days, free, and learn some new stuff!
  • Some fun, new groups have popped up on Facebook to make Quarantine Life more interesting. Check out this Karaoke group, for example, or this meal prep group.
  • I am a little nutty so I made myself an Excel spreadsheet of movies, documentaries and TV shows I want to catch up on or watch anew during this time. So far, I’ve enjoyed “Hunters” on Amazon, “Tiger King” (of course) and “Love is Blind” on Netflix, among many others. In making the list, though, I get to check something off when I’ve completed it, making my streaming feel more productive than lethargic! Are you watching anything you would recommend I add to the spreadsheet? And if it helps, /Film has created an ongoing list of new movies being released to streaming platforms.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT A silver lining, if you will, is all the creativity we are seeing from content creators right now. Some of my favorites:

  • Living room concerts are IT, y’all. I’ve gotten to see some of my favorite artists perform in the most intimate of settings! Consequence of Sound is keeping a list of these updated. (You will also get a pop-up for their daily digest, “Quarantine and Chill” to sign up for!)
  • John Krasinki’s “SGN” (Some Good News) broadcast.
  • International treasure, Sir Patrick Stewart, is reading Shakespeare DAILY for us. Go. Enjoy. Bask in its warmth and creativity.
  • If you are a Broadway lover, you MUST check out the “Stars in he House” series happening on the Actors Fund YouTube channel, twice daily.
  • James Corden is having a great time messing with my emotions, like when he had Andrea Boceli on to serenade us with “‘Con te partirò” or the cast (past and current) of Dear Evan Hansen on to sing this song that ALWAYS KILLS ME! (And if you love this song, Hugh Jackman also sang it on Twitter for us.)
  • The Backstreet Boys collaborated on “I Want it That Way” from their individual homes for the iHeart Radio special that aired Sunday night:

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