Einat Naveh is a blogger based in New York City. Her mission is to find things (mostly food) that make her smile. Check out her blog, Be Happy NYC.
Why did you decide to start blogging?
I decided to begin blogging after I returned from my honeymoon July 2009 and realized I had so much extra free time in the evenings now that I had finished planning our wedding. I had also found myself in a place with nothing to "look forward to" on the horizon. I started my blog with the premise of finding what it is that makes me smile on a daily basis. Looking for the extraordinary out of the ordinary.
Your focus is often on food- both cooking and dining out. What is on your 'must eat' list for NYC?
It really depends on the cuisine and the occasion. A few of my favorites:
An ideal place for a 'fancy' brunch buffet is Brasserie 8 1/2
For fresh pasta, I like Po in the West Village or I Coppi in the East Village
The best pizza ever is Keste, and yes it IS worth the wait
The lobster roll at Pearl Oyster Bar is fantastic
If you're looking for a steak dinner, Striphouse beats Peter Luger in my book
What else makes you happy? Any recommendations for readers?
I obviously really enjoy trying new foods and indulging in old favorites. I also love to cook for friends and loved ones. Lately, I have gotten pure happiness from riding my new bike and from going back to doing yoga. I would tell anyone to keep trying different things and stick to what puts them in a "childlike" state of mind. There is nothing better than calming down the to-do list in your head with sautéing onions or biking up the west side highway.
How have you been promoting your blog? What kinds of social media tools do you use?
I have a Facebook page that links to my Twitter account. I make sure every blog post I write I also share on Facebook. About 60% of my "fans" are my own friends. I played with Facebook ads in the beginning just to see how it worked and was pretty impressed with the results. I would highly recommend to any business to use the facebook ads as they are so targeted and I was seeing great conversion rates from clicks to fans (now "likes").
Your parents recently started an e-commerce jewelry site, which you've been helping them market. How does marketing a web store differ from the blog, and what have you been doing differently?
I am so proud of my parents! They took their idea and made it a reality. Inspired by the book Eat, Pray, Love my parents went off on their own Bali adventure and curated an assortment of unique silver jewelry pieces that they now sell on Muse Bazaar. I wrote about them on my blog and they are starting to use Google Adwords. They are also thinking of starting a blog of their own on the site. The key to any site's success is obviously traffic. I helped them create a Facebook page and hope to get them using the Facebook ads soon!
