New York Meets Mexico: Gabriela’s Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar

February 13th, 2012

I have a secret to tell. A secret in which only the readers of this blog will discover. I have a fetish for Mexican cuisine. Did she really just say that? Yes, I did. Is it weird? Maybe. Do I care? Not really. Why? Only because I stumbled across the most amazing restaurant and I fell in love. Gabriela’s, which rests on the corner of 93rd Street and Columbus Avenue, has the perfect blend of modern day Mexican cuisine and is perfect on any day of the week for city goers  in search of a good time and an amazing cultural experience.

Making its debut in the restaurant industry in 1992, Gabriela’s Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar is said to have some of the best Mexican food one can ever find in the city. Greeted by authentic Mexican style doors, one is instantly tossed into an environment that embodies every aspect of Mexican culture from the music, to the décor, even down to the cushions on the chairs and the dish listings in the menu -they are first listed by their Mexican name with an English
translation to follow. And the staff is beyond friendly; as you are waiting to be seated, every server who passes by offers a smile. In the three times I have been there the service has been quick, friendly and consistent. The menu, which was created from family recipes, offers a full variety of Mexican Cuisine- quesadillas of all kinds (chicken, beef, shrimp etc.), guacamole, flautas, ceviche, tacos, salads, burritos and so much more. I ordered what is the best quesadilla I’ve had to date. You name it, they have it. The displays of the dishes are strategically detailed to resemble Mexican culture. Mexican style artwork border many of the plates on which the food is served while other dishes such as Flautas Jalisco, are served on long rectangular plates, with drapings that exude all that is Mexico.

One cannot turn a blind eye to the elaborate Tequila Bar, which is decorated by lights on top of lights on top of lights. In the warmer months, they even have an outdoor drinking area. It’s as close as you get to Mexico if you haven’t already taken that Spring Break trip to Cancun. What’s the one thing that’s more important than a student having a good time? The cost of said fun.  Gabriela’s is generous on your pocket, and isn’t just another place that will make a student feel guilty for spending money they shouldn’t have on service and food that wasn’t even worth it. Appetizers start at $9 with entrees being as low as $12 and did I mention it’s delicious?

New York has a world of opportunity when it comes to food, but Gabriela’s is different. It’s the cuisine, an environment that embodies the spirit of Mexico and the quality of the service which allows two worlds to collide; New York meets Mexico. Visit Gabriela’s website for a full menu listing and other information.

Thinking about paying Gabriela’s a visit? Be sure to make a pit stop at the Campus Clipper website to download a coupon that includes a complimentary 8oz frozen beverage with a Student ID.

Samantha Williams, State University of New York College at Old Westbury, 2012

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Love the Hair without the Holes in your Wallet

February 10th, 2012

Hair is often times one of the first things we notice about a person. It can shape how you feel about yourself and how others see you. Are you a neat and tidy person with clean, dye-free, long locks? Are you a hipster with hair that looks like its stuck to your head due to the massive amounts of creams and sprays you use in the morning just to get to “I just rolled out of bed” look?

No matter what your style, your hair is you and you are your hair. I just went from long hair to short, cropped hair and have realized that maybe I’m a short hair kind of girl. Being in my 20’s now and having had long hair for most of my life, I decided it was time for a change and off to the salon I went. I said one word to the stylist, “short.”

This woman has been doing my hair since I was about 10 years old and for her, my hair and the word “short” have never been uttered in the same breath to her by me. She stared at me blankly and asked, “How short?” And I repeated again in the most serious tone I had ever used when speaking to her, “Short.”

And so, she put my long hair into a neat, low ponytail and chopped off my hair right above my neck. After about a half an hour and some poofing and blow drying and I was shocked by the person I was now looking at in the mirror. I never really noticed my apparently existent bone structure underneath the long hair and bangs I had.

The point is, we all love that feeling after a fresh haircut. That “I feel like I can now take on the world!” feeling. It is a feeling that happens when we take care of ourselves in ways that we tend to forget about sometimes with our busy lives.

It’s little things like buying a bold new shade of lipstick, or a haircut. As much as we sometimes hate to admit it, how we look on the outside really does make a difference with how we feel on the insides. It’s not the most important thing because a sense of humor and intelligence tend to be traits people care more about rather than looks but as a full and happy person, feeling good about yourself can come from something you do just for yourself.

But let’s face it, looking feeling good about how you look can be a bit pricey. There are ways to avoid costs at the salon like washing your own hair before your appointment or requesting to not get your hair blow dried.

Another way to save is to print out the coupon below and heading to Kropps and Bobbers on Ludlow Street. Be sure to bring your student I.D. and the coupon to receive 15% off any salon service so you can get that “I can take on the world!” feeling.

Janet, College of Saint Elizabeth, 2012

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My solution to shelving problems

February 10th, 2012

I love going to stores and viewing the house-ware departments, slowly drooling over the kitchen supplies and storage items I do not need but wish I could place in my imaginary apartment. I only recently got an old desk moved into my already cramped room and needed some sort of shelving system under it to store books and whatnot. Problem was, the specific dimensions I needed and particulars I wanted the shelving to have was almost impossible to find. 28″ high and 14″ wide, shelving so no drawers, something I could stack or take apart. And finally, preferably plastic since wood was hard to maneuver.

I went to Target, Staples, Kmart, Costco, even 99 cents stores. I had no ride to Ikea and after weeks of searching last night I finally gave in to the pile of books scattered on the floor that consisted of sketchbooks, school books, folders, library books, and memo pads. I found cardboard boxes and stacked them accordingly. Tetris at its finest.

So there was my solution: DIY poor man’s shelving. But it does the job.The books are stacked on the desk and below and everything is organized. So you never HAVE to spend money on storage items, even though they do help. For temporary cases it never hurts to be creative. Even people who buy actual items from Ikea have found ways to manipulate them to serve their purposes.

For other DIY furniture needs, or even just regular dorm (or dorm sized) items, CampusClipper is here to help with a coupon for Ace Hardware. Keep saving my DIY friends.

 

Sophia, Rochester Institute of Technology

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The Other Boroughs

February 10th, 2012

The first New York I knew wasn’t a cramped café or an avenue with expensive stores.  It was a street where all the houses were too close to each other.  It was a street where the neighbors sat on their porch, front yard barbeques blazing.  It was where kids played ball and where drivers honked just trying to get through.  It was a few blocks away from a grocery store with familiar provisions from our home country.  It was a street where everyone knew each other by their nick names.

I moved to New York with my family at the beginning of high school.  My family settled in Queens because we had relatives there.  It was a comfort for me to know that I had a few cousins nearby and it was a comfort to my mother to have a grocery store nearby where she could get most of the provisions that were native to our country; cassavas, eddoes, bitter melon and jackfruit.

The move to New York seemed at first impossible to imagine.  I didn’t quite know what to expect, but for me, it was an easier transition to live in Queens first.  This fast paced city could be overwhelming for anyone who isn’t used to  city life.  I came to know the city on my own terms.  I did the forty minute commute into the city for college and for work.  I didn’t mind it at all.  I still don’t mind it.  After a few intervals of living elsewhere, I moved back to Queens.  I enjoy the city but I also enjoy living just outside of the city, close enough to commute.

I have the best of both worlds and wouldn’t have it any other way.  I live in a quaint and quiet neighborhood.  I can see the city from the rooftop of my building in the midst of clouds and tall trees.  Sometimes I reach my hand out and feel just how close I am to one of the greatest cities in the world.

So for those of you who are still getting adjusted to the city or find it overwhelming, there are other boroughs just adjacent to the city that could be convenient and enjoyable.  New York City is amazing and there is so much life, culture, entertainment and memorable things to do, but the boroughs of the city could be rewarding in other ways.

While you are still exploring the city, check out the Campus Clipper for coupons for some great places to eat.

Rona, Columbia University, School of General Studies.

Rona, Columbia University, School of General Studies

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A smokey success

February 10th, 2012

My history in the kitchen is a blurred series of chaos and smoke.  I’m the one that was responsible for burning the brownies, overcooking the chicken and apologizing  a million times for ruining dinner.  But I was never discouraged.  I kept on burning, setting off smoke alarms and apologizing until I began to get it right.  My grandmother, aunts and mother are all great cooks.  I assumed that the talent would be an innate trait and I couldn’t quite grasp why I was so off.  I was clumsy in the kitchen for a long time, unlike the women in my family, who made cooking seem so effortless.  Even my brother got it right way before I did.  That annoyed me a bit.  So it took me a bit longer.  For me, it was a matter of practice, trials and errors and patience. The key, I figured out, was to cook things I like to eat.

A midst the smell of burnt steak that was to be my father’s dinner, I realized that I wasn’t cooking things I like to eat.  And that smokey revelation was the beginning of my cooking success story.  So I began with the simple delights that make me happy- lentils, stews, pasta and soup.  With that, I began to finally get it right.  Now I’m good at cooking the things I like, and sharing it with the people I love.  And I’m slowly venturing towards bigger tasks like, lasagna and creamed spinach, and I’m having some success.

I love to cook.  And it’s always fun when I find a coupon for great supermarkets like Wholefoods.

Rona, Columbia University School of General Studies

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Making Copies

February 10th, 2012

“Mak-ing cop-ies. College kid at the copy machine making cop-ies, but doesn’t have the mon-ey.”

If you’re familiar with SNL from the 90’s then you know I’m quoting Rob Scneider’s “Copy Guy.”

There’s no telling how many copies I’ve had to make for classes throughout my college career, and I don’t even want to guess how much it’s cost me. Printing off single sheets is pretty cheap, but the bill starts to add up when you have to make 30 copies of your 10-page short story for the entire class.

You have to be smart and a little stingy when it comes to making copies, or else you’ll have to start dipping into your daily bagel fund. You need to find a place with NYC student discounts! Not everyone has a copy machine in their apartment so, like me, you wait til the last second to make copies of an assignment and you’re forced to email a PDF to the place down the street and be at the mercy of their prices.

 

Spare yourself. Stop dipping into your bagel/coffee reserve, and go to Campus Clipper for their copy coupons.

What about résumés? You have to have copies of your résumé on hand for when you go to an interview or meet with a potential network contact. Your résumé is a representation of you on paper, so you want it to look good and feel good quality in order to impress anyone who looks at it. This week I had to print off a few copies of my résumé for a job interview and I truly wish I had some NYC student discounts to take the edge off the price. It’s worth the investment to get good copies made, but I’ve learned my lesson– use a coupon!

Making numerous copies on résumé grade paper adds up much quicker than regular printing paper, so cutting coupons before you make your copies will go a long way.

Paul, Auburn University 2012

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Not So Starving Artists

February 8th, 2012

Image courtesy of http://www.777images.net

School is starting again and as if that was enough excitement to look forward to there comes the additional surprise of the fees for school supplies. Though it is not in my curriculum I enjoy drawing and divulging in the pleasure of creating little creatures and girls in my sketchbooks with the occasional addition of color. Living with two art students as well as having art as a personal interest, I understand that the majority of the non-existent art student budget goes to art supplies. It is exspensive. I remember when I would anxiously wait for Prismacolor markers to go on sale and then cry tears of joy when I could buy five of them and not dish out more than ten bucks. A lot of people do not understand just how much art supplies take from a student’s wallet. I remember when my sister was in art school and would complain about how her teacher required her to buy expensive paper for her printmaking class and would accept nothing else. My mother would look at her bank account and ask me why she spent so much money on partying and friends and I would say,” No mom. That money went to art supplies.”

It is a sad but funny truth at the same time. For all art students understand this routine. Even with having art as a personal hobby, and I am not even one to go for the highest quality brands, a strathmore sketchbook I bought was twenty dollars. Does not seem a lot? Imagine being an art student when you need a new sketchbook per semester. That money adds up and that is not even going into specific types of sketchbook paper and sizes.

People always joke how art students are poor. Well here is the reason why. It is the same reason why my sisters and I always tried to find ways to save on art supplies. We would share prismacolor pencils and markers. We would find a use for everything, even finished up sketch pads and tiny scraps of paper. The backs of old sketchpads could be used for backing when watercoloring other pieces. Tiny bits of cloth used in one project could be added to another for embellishment. If something broke or lost its backing: duct tape it until it is fixed again. The money put into these supplies cannot be put to waste.

Always find ways to save money and make the most of what you did use your money on. Every little bit helps. CampusClipper is also here to help with coupons for art supplies stores even when the school starting sales are over. One of my favorite stores to go to for art supplies is Utrecht Art Supplies, mostly for its location since it is so close 14th street, a place I love to hang out and shop. Below is a coupon that helps lessen the art supplies blow to your wallet. Good luck for the new school semester and I wish you the best in following your dreams.

Sophia, Rochester Institute of Technology

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Eating on a Budget

February 8th, 2012

There are thousands of delicious restaurants all across New York City. If I had it my way, I would eat at a different restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, so that I could taste all of the rich, diverse cuisine in the city. Unfortunately, not everywhere offers NYC student discounts.

But, I’m on a college student budget. I have college loans. Money is tight, so a lot of times, I have to eat at home.

However, eating at home isn’t a bad thing, in fact I like preparing my food and getting creative in the kitchen. I usually feel healthier eating in too, because I’m aware of the sodium and calories in everything I eat, and I can be more selective with my meals. Everyone has their “go-to” food at home– their “home base” or “comfort food.” My go-to item is the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

 

It’s got everything you need– protein, fruit (sweet jelly), carbohydrates. Plus, if you toast the bread you get a little crunch in your bite.

The Campus Clipper has the perfect NYC student discount for a delicious PB&J sandwich from Whole Foods Market. So, if you want to eat healthy, cheap, and feel comforted, then go get some bread, peanut butter, and fruit spread! I think I’ll have one for lunch.

 

Paul, Auburn University 2012

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For music junkies on a tight budget

February 4th, 2012

For a music junkie, the NYC music scene is an extremely potent form of opium. From record shops to restaurants that feature live music, concerts at MSG to hidden gem musicians performing in the subways for spare change, being in the city that never stops the music is the ultimate destination.

It may seem that in order to get the full music experience in the city would cost a fortune but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. For those living on the cumbersome college budget like myself, half the fun is the adventure that comes with finding cheap musical entertainment. The other half of the fun is the part where you discover your new favorite artist at a show in Brooklyn that you only paid 20 bucks to see, not including the 5 bucks for the subway trip there.

But even the subway systems provide cheap entertainment and good stuff too. Struggling musicians constantly perform on subway platforms as people wait for their trains. I once gave a couple dollars to one musician and he played “Hey Jude” for me, totally giving The Beatles a run for their money.

Those who prefer hard cover CDs and vinyls (yes, people still sell those) in this digital age, don’t have to search very far to run into a record shop in NYC. For true music lovers, having a hardcopy version of an album is like having a piece of their favorite artists. MP3 downloads and an MP3 player makes any subway ride and doing homework a lot less tedious.

But to have a small piece of your favorite artist in the form of a CD or a vinyl record (if you’re lucky enough), which often times include some clever artwork and lyrics, makes the music more personal to you as the individual listener in a world where digital makes everything, literally everything, less personal.

Depending on what you’re looking for, artists ranging from The Beatles to the Spice Girls and maybe even some Scandinavian folk pop can be found in vinyl and CD format any good, hole-in-the-wall NYC record shop. The Scandinavian folk pop might require a bit of research and phone calls but you get my point.

Tons of treasures can be found in these mini musical sanctuaries where rummaging through the stacks and shelves can result in finding some pretty cool keepsakes.
If you’re looking for CD’s, vinyls and more music memorabilia, stop by Village Music World on Bleecker Street and print the coupon below to save $2 when you purchase a CD!

 

Janet Reyes, College of Saint Elizabeth, 2012

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Get Your Textbooks For Less

February 3rd, 2012
It’s a new year and for college students, it’s a new semester. By now, you’ve probably bought all of your books for your classes and hopefully you did not have to pay an arm and a leg for them.One of the things I’m enjoying about being a graduate student in creative writing is that there are no textbooks for my classes, just novels which are cheaper. However, as an undergrad, I remember paying upwards of $400. I also experienced ordering books all together on Amazon only to have them arrive in three separate shipments spread out over a month.

There is no reason for any student to pay that much or endure that much hassle, which is why renting your books is a much better option.

At Shakespeare & Co., you can save up to 80% by renting your textbooks. You can order online and have them delivered within the next two days. At the end of the semester, you can return them in person or through the mail.

Another drawback to buying textbooks is that you’re often stuck with them after the class is over. Ever had to deal with clunky, heavy textbooks when you’re moving? If you haven’t, you don’t want to.

Shakespeare & Co. also buys used textbooks. You can check their website to see what books they buy and how much they will pay you for them.  This is a great way to get some fast cash.

With their four locations, including one in Brooklyn, Shakespeare & Co. is a thrifty and convenient way to rent and sell textbooks.

Audrey, the New School
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