(My Personal) Best of 2022
- evanbillups
- Dec 27, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 8, 2023
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope you had a great holiday with people you love and ate lots of good food :) I am looking forward to the 2023 and all the new adventures it will bring. As I was informally reflecting on the past year as I do, I was inspired by a recent New York Times morning briefing by Melissa Kirch where she wrote down some of her random "bests" from the year. It seemed like a nice way to celebrate some of my favorite things from this last year. So here are (in no particular order) some of my "bests" of 2022:
BEST MEAL - Stephanie Inn at Cannon Beach
In line with this blog, we'll start off with the food. This was a hard one because obviously I ate so many delicious things during 2022. But if we're looking at overall best meal, that would have to go to the tasting menu at the Stephanie Inn at Cannon Beach. My mom and I ate there this summer for her birthday, and it was absolutely delicious. Every single course delivered in terms of taste and presentation. It was just really good, unpretentious food in reasonable serving sizes (unlike the fine dining in the movie The Menu which my mom and I saw yesterday 😂)!
The highlights were definitely the Dungeness crab salad (you can't beat Oregon Dungeness crab!) and the seared scallops on risotto - Oregon seafood is just so good.
BEST SHOW - Golden Shield at Manhattan Theatre Club
New York is full of good theater and as a Columbia School of the Arts student, I'm lucky to get to see a lot of shows for free. There were so many great shows that I saw this year, but Golden Shield by Anchuli Felicia King, which ran at the Manhattan Theatre Club from May to June this past year sticks out in my memory.
Obviously, I loved seeing a story from an Asian playwright that focused on primarily Asian characters. But more than that, the story was so interesting and complicated. I found myself riveted the entire 2 hours 30 minutes. There were some great performances, including Cindy Cheung, Michael C. Liu, and Fang Du (who I later found out was a Columbia MFA alum!). The show also had an amazing set - one of the most creative and aesthetic sets I've ever seen.
Overall, it's one of those shows that I find myself thinking about again from time to time.
BEST NYC DISCOVERY - Untermyer Gardens
The best part of living in New York City is discovering new parts of it and new activities. This one is kind of cheating because Untermyer Gardens Conservancy is technically located in Yonkers, but it was such a great discovery I had to include it. I went here during the summer with some friends and wow - what a hidden gem! This garden is free (a luxury) and open to the public to wander. With its expansive grounds, beautiful structures, and curated views it is truly the perfect little escape from the city. There are gorgeous views of the Hudson River and it truly feels as though you're away from the city.
From my apartment on the Upper West, I just take the 1 train to the end of the line (242nd street) and then take a bus which drops you off right outside the garden. It takes a little over an hour, but it's so worth it (and if you're willing to splurge or you're with friends, it's less than half an hour by taxi). I'm already looking forward to coming back here again in the spring (and we were already scouting it out for my friend Carina's future wedding 😜)!
Sorry for so many pictures - that's how beautiful this place is!
BEST ACTING ADVICE:
"Deal with what's presented to you in the moment" - Peter Jay Fernandez
All of my teachers at Columbia are so full of wisdom. I remember last year sitting in Ron Van Lieu's class and basically writing down every single thing he said because it was all gold. I could've picked advice from any one of my incredible teachers, but I went with something my acting teacher Peter Jay says probably three times a class: "Deal with what's presented to you in the moment". It sounds simple (and it is!), but I feel like it really hit me this semester.
I'd heard over and over again that you have to stay present with your acting partner and really listen to them/take in what they are saying and doing. However, it's easy to know this at one level and find yourself drifting off or thinking about yourself when you're actually in the scene. But as soon as you let go of your own thoughts, (whether they are about the scene or entirely different), come back to the present moment, and really look at what your partner is presenting you, suddenly your job is so much easier; it's all right there in front of you. If you've done your homework, you'll know what to do and how to respond and you don't even need to think about it.
Peter Jay is full of these little nuggets and is overall a hoot to have as a teacher (after 1.5 years we all know how to imitate his little mannerisms and sayings). Fun fact, Peter Jay is also 1. currently understudying Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson on Broadway (nbd) and 2. an amazing harmonica player which he might show you at some point if he's in a good mood and likes you 😁
BEST CONCERT - Breland
Not that I go to that many concerts, but the Breland concert I went to was so much fun it deserves a mention. A late 2022 discovery, Breland came into my life (and my friend Heidi's) while we were visiting our friends Carina and Walter in D.C. Walter introduced us to Breland (formerly known as "Bread") and his hit single "My Truck". We were charmed by his sweet demeanor, his musical combination of country and pop, and just the fact that he was a Black artist making it in the country music genre.
We looked him up and saw that he was coming to New York City for a small concert on a random Monday in mid November and that tickets were only $20. Heidi and I looked at each other, sort of shrugged our shoulders, and said why not? That decision turned out to be a fantastic one, giving us one of the best Monday nights of our year.
The venue (the Mercury Lounge) was intimate, allowing us to get absurdly close to the stage and really feel like we were hanging out with Breland. Because he is a relatively new artist, we basically knew every song, making it a super hype and fun concert to attend. Breland even came off the stage and danced with us which was a great experience.
It was so fun attending a concert at a small venue with an artist just on the brink of getting big (next time he plays in NYC it's going to be at Madison Square Garden opening for Shania Twain!). Heidi and I have been inspired to try and attend more small concerts like this because they are inexpensive, a definite good time, and it's fun to support an up and coming artist.
To try and convey how intimate this concert was, this video briefly shows Breland going back to the stage after dancing with us on the floor 😂
BEST PERSONAL CARE MOVE (TIE) - the Batiste Strengthening Hair Mask & Wearing Sunscreen Every Day
I have a very low-key and borderline non-existent self-care routine. Like before this year it was pretty much just showering? And putting on face moisturizer? And yeah that's it. But as my classmate Revon says, "Our faces are our careers - it's all about prevention" so it was time to step it up.
I started doing what I knew I should've been doing all along which is wearing sunscreen every day. I actually think of Revon when I put it on every morning, because he is so adamant about its importance; I've literally seen him putting on sunscreen between classes. And his skin is amazing so there's definitely something to it. I've started using the Supergoop Unseen SPF 40 which is nice because it doesn't feel heavy on my skin (which I cannot stand). Now I feel confident that my youthful skin is being protected and retained for the decades to come!
My other holy grail product is the Batiste strengthening hair mask. I first discovered it in the locker room at Barry's Bootcamp (a workout so good it almost made this Best Of list except that it's too damn expensive). I remember using it after class (because one must use all of the great products they have in the Barry's locker room) and it smelled so good. Based on scent alone, I ordered some for myself and now I am obsessed. Not only does it leave your hair smelling good, but my hair has also never looked silkier and shinier. Even though my hair is the longest it's been in a while, it looks so healthy and strong! The ends are not raggedy like they usually get when my hair grows out. I'm not an influencer so I don't have any promo code for you but just trust me and GO BUY IT.
And finally, to leave things on a ~wild~ note...
BEST THING I OVERHEARD WHILE WALKING DOWN THE STREET IN NYC:
Heard walking near Times Square with my friend Michael from his apartment to the subway. A guy (maybe late 20s/early 30s) said this to a woman (similar age) he was holding hands with:
“Wait so you’re saying you had sex before your first kiss?”
You hear some crazy things walking around New York City, but this one was definitely one of the craziest. It was also overheard at the perfect moment, precisely when there was a slight lull in my conversation with Michael so both of us heard it with absolute clarity. We didn't hear any more of their conversation as we were simply passing each other in the street, but both of us - after a slight beat - burst out laughing. We were left with so many questions, and were also aghast at how casually and loudly this comment was made. We estimated that perhaps these people were on a third? fourth? date and were beginning to uncover some of the weird stuff.
It also made me think of this iconic clip from the TLC show Unexpected 😂
(you better click on that ^ it's wild)
So those are my personal Best of 2022's! Hope you enjoyed this random assortment of my opinions. Have a happy new year and here's to more bests in 2023!
- Evan
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