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around the corner

2012-02-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

On the same block in Nolita is an indoor park as well as a musical facade. NYC, you sure are special.

© photos by me.

hot chocolate

2012-02-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

Photo from here.
In case you weren't already jealous that I live in NYC, February is Hot Chocolate month at City Bakery.

recent thrift store treasures

2012-02-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

Recent non-new finds include a butterfly necklace (above), boring yet practical camel sweater (below):

Oscar de la Renta plaid skirt:

and a brass shell to add to my growing small-things-made-of-brass collection:

©Photos by me.

"murder"

2012-02-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

The ICP might be one of my favorite museums in the city - everything I've seen there has been fantastic. Currently they are showing a retrospective of the work of Weegee, a police and crime photographer from the 30's and 40's. It's both gruesome and riveting at the same time.

Photos from here.

skaters

2012-02-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

Played around with the settings on my new camera while watching the ice skaters at Bryant Park.

©Photos by me.

ever-blue

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

It may seem like I've been a knitting fiend recently, but in reality I've been more of a finishing fiend. This project was started way back in March and to be honest I kind of forgot about it. It's the same pattern I've made before, just in a significantly more obnoxious color. It's been awhile since I've posted my paler than pale mug, so here is the shawl in action.

Ravelry: Evergreen

flushing: etc

2012-02-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

After stuffing ourselves silly, we decided to take a stroll around Flushing to see what else was there. In addition to some rather historic homes (above and below)...

...we also happened upon the oldest public high school in New York, Flushing High School (above) as well as the beautiful town hall building (below).

All photos by me.

the flushing food adventure

2012-01-31T07:29:00.000-08:00

Inspired by this article, it became apparent that a trip to Flushing was in the future and it didn't take much to convince Jeff of the same. We started out at the Flushing Mall food court for noodles (below). To be honest, these weren't that exciting, so we hightailed to our next stop.

Along a window on Main St (at 40th) we had a delicious peking duck sandwich for $1 (below).

Further along Main (at 41st) is AA Plaza. The first window sold scallion pancakes ($1 each)...

...while the second sold pork bao (4 for $1.25). I made the mistake of not eating quickly enough, and lost my second bao to Jeff. Doh!

After a little confusion we found the food court of the Golden Mall and watched in awe as "Peter" proceeded to hand pull noodles at Lanzhou Handmade Noodles. He said it would take six months to teach us how to do it. Instead, we decided to enjoy a bowl of beef noodle soup ($5):

All photos by me.

original unoriginal hat

2012-01-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

Overall it has been an exceptionally mild winter in NYC, but I'm from California, so naturally I think its cold. I was a little jealous of Jeff's new hat, so I decided to make myself a new one as well.

Ravelry: Unoriginal Hat (I added the ribbing and pom pom)

reading, watching, listening

2012-01-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

Reading: DV by Diana Vreeland

Watching: Downton Abbey

Listening: Loverboy, Brett Dennen

museum of the moving image

2012-01-25T06:16:00.000-08:00

Image from here.

The Museum of the Moving Image hosted a super fun exhibit on the work on Jim Henson. I especially like the footage of the his early commercial work, like Mr. Linit (below):

More info on the exhibit here.

bronx zoo

2012-01-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

Since Jeff already got his birthday wish, the rest of the birthday celebration was pretty much in the bag. We spent a cold and snowy day at the Bronx Zoo, where we practically had the whole place to ourselves - apparently not many New Yorkers are eager to be outdoors during inclement weather. They really missed out, as it was pretty spectacular to see a polar bear in the snow.

More photos here.
All photos by me.

snow day

2012-01-23T10:44:00.000-08:00

We got our first winter snow this weekend, so Jeff and I went to the park to play.

Photos by me.

b-day

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Image from here.
Tomorrow is Jeff's birthday and I really really want to do something extra special for him. He planned a super fun two day birth-date for me, so the pressure is on! The added complication is that it's cold out, so my options are more limited. Any ideas?

blog breakdown

2012-01-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

Oh, geez.
Illustration by Roz Chast via We Heart NY.

museum of art and design: crafting modernism

2012-01-18T06:55:00.000-08:00

Crafting Modernism at the Museum of Art & Design is now closed, but you can still see all the pieces from the exhibit here. Do what I did and envision everything neatly arranged in your dream home.

135 prospect park southwest

2012-01-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

135 Prospect Park Southwest was the childhood home of my grandfather before he hightailed it out of Brooklyn for warmer western lands. The pre-war building was built in 1929 and has a fancy lobby and period details.

All photos by me.

brooklyn museum

2012-01-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

It's pretty dumb that I haven't visited the Brooklyn Museum until now (and by "pretty dumb" I really mean "downright idiotic"). My mom and I went to see the final show from the winner of Work of Art (I think we might be the only people that actually watch this show) which was by far the the least interesting thing there. The museum was amazing - from the temporary installation by Situ Studio (below) to the incredible, super famous Dinner Party by Judy Chicago, we were blown away. If you've never seen The Dinner Party in person, it's truly one of the most special pieces I've ever seen.

All photos by me.

travel envy: piemonte

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Jeff is in Italy again without me. The nerve of some people.

Photos by Jeff.

stuff to cook and bake

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Salsa and black bean tortilla soup

Scallion and goat cheese muffins

Zucchini cheddar drop biscuits

Lemon feta dip

Black sticky gingerbread

White bean and roasted mushroom soup

Apple onion tart

get back to work

2012-01-11T06:35:00.000-08:00

With all the internet has to offer these days, sometimes I think I might need this hanging in my office.
Via Miss Moss.

from the flea

2012-01-10T06:40:00.000-08:00

I went to two different flea markets this weekend, but after I saw a vendor yell at someone for taking a photo I was scared to take any of my own. In any event, I scored a pair of Cole-Haan loafers from the Brooklyn Flea and a striped silk shirt from the Chelsea Garage.

gehry

2012-01-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

Winter in NYC has been fairly mild so far, but it still feels cold to me. Jeff requested a new winter hat and I was happy to oblige.

Ralvery keyword: Gehry

ditmas park

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

I had heard that Ditmas Park had some interesting homes, architecturally speaking, so I was curious to check it out. There were a couple, but I guess what was more interesting was the fact that it was a tiny suburb in the middle of Brooklyn.

All photos by me.

maurizio cattelan

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Maurizio Cattelan's show at the Guggenheim is entitled "all" and it's precisely that. All of Cattelan's work (spanning 20+ years) is hung from the center of the roof of the museum. It's an installation that would only be possible in this space and definately one of the most unique retrospectives I've ever seen.

Photos by me.

the artist

2012-01-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

Have you seen The Artist yet? It's so so good.

a walk through the west village

2012-01-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

This is how the West Village looked on the very last day of 2011.

All photos by me.

cheese club: english chedder

2012-01-03T06:58:00.000-08:00

This weeks cheese club featured English cheddars and homemade chutneys. I brought Montgomery and Isle of Mull (both delicious), made roasted pear chutney and more crackers.

bandwagon, wait up!

2012-01-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

Image via here.
I'm now on Pinterest. You can find me by searching my full name or clicking on the link over there ---->
Pinning is fun!

oheka: the pool

2011-12-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

Technically speaking, the pool at Oheka was closed for renovation. However, when a door is left unlocked you better believe I'm not going wait outside. It was all romantically overgrown and dingy in there....beautiful.

Photos by me.
More photos here.

oheka: inside

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Overall, the inside of the castle wasn't as impressive as the outside. There were a lot of interesting period details, but I felt like something was lacking design-wise. The furniture and design details were somewhat dated and just not terribly thoughtful. Our hotel room was great, but of course, I didn't take any photos of that. Here are some of the details I did enjoy.

All photos by me.
More photos here.

oheka: outside

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned previously, the grounds at Oheka were a major highlight of the experience. The formal gardens reminded me of a mini-Versailles.....maybe more like a micro-Versailles.

Photos by me.
More here.

a visit to the castle

2011-12-27T07:03:00.000-08:00

How was your Christmas? Jeff and I got a Groupon for a hotel in Long Island and decided to take a little Christmas getaway. The aforementioned hotel was Oheka Castle, the second largest private residence ever built in America. We had a great time (and I have a lot more photos to come) but overall, the hotel felt like a real missed opportunity. We loved our room, the gardens and the history of the property, but the service, design, and food & beverage program left a lot to be desired. Either way, we had a lovely (albeit too short) getaway. More photos and posts to come!

Photos by me.

merry christmas!

2011-12-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

Love, Williamsburg.
Photo by me.

good with milk

2011-12-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

My overworked husband asked me to make granola to give as gifts for his coworkers. Having a lot of free time this week (Christmas can be a lonely time for a Jew), I was happy to oblige. Here is another shot of the label in case it's hard to read in the above photo.

holiday lights

2011-12-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

I love the way NYC decorates for the holidays.

Photos by me.

japan society

2011-12-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

image from here.
I went to the Japan Society to see their textile exhibit right before it closed. The exhibit was really interesting, but my favorite part of the visit was the building itself. Designed by Junzo Yoshimura in 1971, the building celebrated its 40th anniversary on 47th Street this year.

image from here.

windows at bergdorf goodman

2011-12-20T07:26:00.000-08:00

Incredible.

Photos by me.

irish hunger memorial

2011-12-19T07:21:00.000-08:00

Every time I visit Lower Manhattan, I discover something new. This trip led to me the Irish Hunger Memorial, a multi-level structure commemorating the Great Potato Famine and drawing attention to current famine struggles.

Photos by me.

tis the season

2011-12-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

New York apartments are notoriously small and mine is no exception. There might be room for two bikes and our booze collection, but sadly, there isn't room for a Christmas tree. No matter! A little tape and a couple holiday cards, and voila! My very own space saving Christmas tree. You'll notice I've only received three holiday cards this year - I guess that's what happens when you move twice in two years. If you send me a card, I'll add it to my tree!

could you not do that please?

2011-12-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

I'm somewhat selling out my own gender by posting this, but it's pretty hilarious. Take a gander!
Via Milk.

the brooklyn christmas tree

2011-12-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

Your eyes do not deceive you - this is indeed a christmas tree made from PBR cans, metro cards and tennis shoes.

Photos by me.

chill in the air

2011-12-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

I left New York for ten days and all the leaves disappeared.
Photo by me.

two bouquets

2011-12-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

My sister got married this weekend.

Her and my bouquets. Photos by me.

malibu creek state park

2011-12-08T08:45:00.001-08:00

Took a walk through Malibu Creek State Park to Century Lake. After family and friends, easy hiking access is one of the things I miss most about California.

Photos by me.

crafting, baking, etc.

2011-12-07T08:54:00.001-08:00

My baby sister is getting married this weekend and we are in the midst of some major project-ing.

From top: Makeshift version of this, granola baking and favors.

"brooklynized"

2011-12-06T08:12:00.001-08:00

No idea what "brooklynized" means, but the bagels were pretty tasty.

fyi

2011-12-05T09:40:00.001-08:00

I'm in Los Angeles this week.
Map from here via here.

reading, watching, listening

2011-12-02T10:35:00.001-08:00

Reading: A Visit from the Goon Squad

Watching: Bored to Death

Listening: Smile, The Beach Boys

bracelets

2011-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Tracey made me a couple bracelets.
Thanks TC!!

red hat

2011-12-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

Baby Audrey in her red hat. Adorbs!
Thanks CYO for the photo.

crackers

2011-12-01T07:46:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned before, I made my own crackers to go with some dips I had made for Thanksgiving. They were such a big hit that I made more a few days later and devoured them almost immediately. Seriously, they are the easiest thing to make (the hardest part is cleaning the food processor) and people are super impressed (maybe less so when they learn how easy they are!). The recipe is from my favorite cookbook, How to Cook Everything:

Blend 1 cup flour, dash of salt and 2 tablespoons of softened butter in a food processor. Add enough water to make a dough (about a 1/2 cup)*. Roll out on a cookie sheet and score lightly. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes (or until browned slightly). Cool and break apart.

*Before rolling out, add whatever flavor you want. I made six kinds (plain, Herbs de Provence, sea salt, Maldon and black pepper, olive oil, caraway seeds) but anything works. I'm excited to try more flavors!

prospect park

2011-11-30T07:00:00.001-08:00

Why have I not been to Prospect Park or the botanical garden since the summer? It's so nice there.

All photos by me.

new york historical society

2011-11-29T08:51:00.001-08:00

The New York Historical Society is the city's oldest museum. It just underwent a three year renovation making it the city's newest museum as well. My favorite section was the Center for Study of American Culture with over 40,000 objects from American life (images above and below).

All photos by me.

foods this weekend

2011-11-28T08:08:00.001-08:00

Cooked: two pumpkin pies (above), crackers, edamame, red pepper and spiced carrots dips.

Enjoyed: cheese picnic in the park (above), classic nyc dinner, and dim sum.

What do you eat?

yum

2011-11-23T06:47:00.001-08:00

Another day, another donut.
Dulce de leche donut from Dough via Smorgasburg.

the train show!

2011-11-22T07:33:00.001-08:00

One of the main attractions at the New York Botanical Garden was its annual Holiday Train show, featuring replicas of major New York city and state landmarks made out of nuts, bark, leaves and other plant material (and a whole lot of hot glue). Fun!

new york botanical garden

2011-11-21T09:39:00.001-08:00

My goal to visit all five boroughs was completed this weekend with a trip to the lovely New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. It's fun to have seasons - look at all those leaves!

All photos by me.

experience

2011-11-16T08:45:00.001-08:00

Can't wait to see this exhibit.

fall

2011-11-15T13:27:00.001-08:00

Just reveling in my first east coast fall.

All images by me taken at Storm King Art Center.

storm king art center

2011-11-14T07:13:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned before, there is a lot to see and do in New York City, but there is also a lot to see and do outside of New York City. About an hour and a half drive from NYC (or 2 hours if you get lost) is Storm King Art Center, a 500 acre sculpture park. Well worth the drive (which was all fall loveliness) the park was one of the most unique settings for art I've seen. Storm King is open the next few weekends and then will close for the season. I'm looking forward to going back in the spring.

More photos here.
All photos by me.

season-ing

2011-11-11T07:37:00.001-08:00

Kind of a random post, but I seasonalized my closet this week and I couldn't be more pleased with the decision. Look! You can see the floor! I can actually get things out! This whole "living with seasons" thing has turned into a real learning process.

mother and daughter

2011-11-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

I started out making a hat for a 12-month-old but somehow messed up the sizing so much that it ended up fitting me. Instead, I made a new smaller version for the actual baby and am going to give the larger one to her mum so they can be twinsy-bops.

daphne guinness at fit

2011-11-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

Daphne Guinness is a socialite and heiress with a seriously out of control closet. Out of control enough that she has an exhibit dedicated to her style currently at FIT. After reading this New Yorker article, I was curious enough to check it out. It was pretty inspiring - she has some really amazing pieces.

This white McQueen dress was my favorite:

hats

2011-11-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

Took a trip uptown to see the Hats exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center. It was so incredible that I kinda felt I needed to go hat shopping immediately. This is cute for winter, no?

nyc marathon

2011-11-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

The NYC marathon route was only a few blocks from our house and it was crazy! Besides the thousands of runners, it was so cool to see how many people came out to support them. I also appreciated that Williamsburg hosted both a rock band and a non-marching marching band.

boobs

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Those crazy kids over at Egg Press just came out with this good luck card in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. They even came up with a list of suggested recipients (number 6 is my favorite):

Top ten occasions to send a Good Luck with Your Boobs card
1. breast cancer
2. suspicious breast lump
3. birth of a child / nursing mom
4. breast augmentation
5. breast reduction
6. pre-puberty
7. birthday / aging
8. wearing a strapless gown
9. running a marathon
10. European beach vacation

mustaches

2011-11-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

I'm so pleased to see that the timeless tradition of drawing mustaches on people is alive and well in New York City.

Photos by me.

a monster eating monster!

2011-11-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

It's a monster eating monster! Kelly sent me photos of her adorable son Elliott sporting his monster hat. So cute! The monster is almost as big as he is!

Thanks for the photos KB!

halloween fail

2011-11-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

I was really looking forward to my first New York Halloween - we had a party to go to, I had a costume that I actually liked, things were happening. But the party turned out to be a different night than we thought and there was that freak snowstorm. Then last night rolled around and I just wasn't feeling it - no where to go, allergies ablaze and no motivation. So, here is the costume I would have worn had the pieces fallen into place: Rose Garden, complete with tissue paper flowers (above) and a bird bath hat (below).

scenes from a weekend

2011-10-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

Donuts | Park | Hot chocolate | Snow | Friends

decade

2011-10-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a friends idea, I commissioned my favorite artist to draw a portrait of Jeff and I for our ten year anniversary of being together.

a hat for sam

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

How cute is baby Sam in his mouse hat?! I'm kvelling.
Thanks to Sara for the pic!

shutterbug time

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Photo by me on Instagram.
Once I got over the loss of my old camera, I was pretty excited to get a new one. After some research, I headed over to the insanity known as 'B & H Photo on a Sunday' with a pretty clear idea of what I wanted. However, after a long discussion with my new friend Heshi (along with a viewing of photos of his grandchildren) I left with a Panasonic Lumix, which was better for what I wanted and a hundred bucks cheaper. Who knew?

grant's tomb

2011-10-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

Photo from here.
Jeff requested a visit to Grant's Tomb (above) this weekend which I happily obliged (an adventure? always!).

Photo from here.
While uptown, we visited the beautiful Riverside Church across the street (above)...

Photo from here.
...and took a self-guided walking tour of Columbia from my limited memory. Sadly, 10+ years fails in remembering any specific architectural significance, but does succeed in noting where the largest slice of pizza can be found (it's here).

argentina: treasures & souveniers

2011-10-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

We returned from Argentina with four bottles of Patagonian wine, hot chocolate from Bariloche and these two small leather paintings (above) from the San Telmo antique market. Jeff decided we should name them Eva and Juan.

argentina: day seven and eight

2011-10-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Photo from here.
After our early flight from Neuquén, we arrived back in Buenos Aires and headed straight to San Telmo, a historic neighborhood full of antique shops and trendy boutiques. From the little I saw of Buenos Aires, this was by far my favorite neighborhood. There were so many beautiful passages, indoor markets and colonial buildings to gawk at.

Photo from here.

After lunch, we headed to my other favorite place in Buenos Aires - the Recoleta Cemetery. Recoleta is where Argentina's richest and most established patrons are buried and it's truly a beautiful place (seriously, I probably took two hundred photos, alas).

Photo from here.

We also visited El Ateneo (above), a bookstore housed in a former theater - incredible. For dinner, we went a great parilla out in Belgrano, Buenos Aires' Chinatown, which was culturally fascinating - doesn't matter where you go in the world, Chinatown is Chinatown.

Photo from here.

We returned to San Telmo for our last day. I could have easily spent all day wandering around the antique stalls. I bought two small paintings that I'll photograph once I'm able to again. We had a great lunch at Aldo's (below), saw a bit of the Bolivian parade, walked around Palermo and then it was time to head to the airport.

Photo from here.

Argentina - I'll see you again!

argentina: day five & six

2011-10-20T13:11:00.001-07:00

Photo from here.
It warmed up a bit toward the end of our time in Bariloche, which made for a nice hike around Lago Gutiérrez. I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up my book, taking advantage of the hotels' hot tub and going for a walk on the beach. We re-visited our favorite parilla for a dinner of lomo (filet), chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), cerdo (pork) and of course, french fries.

The following day we packed up and travelled back to Neuquén only to discover that our flight to Buenos Aires had been cancelled, so we spent the night at an airport hotel and woke up at 4:30am to catch the first flight out.

argentina: day four

2011-10-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Photo from here.
Bariloche is located on the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi, a huge lake that is part of the national park system. A popular activity among children and adults is to take a boat ride (above) and try to get a seagull to snatch a cracker out of your hand while the boat is moving. Party pooper that I am, I opted for just the boat ride.

Photo from here.
The boat had two destinations, the first being Los Arrayanes National Park. This forest consisted of rare myrtle trees (above), some of which were over 600 years old.

Photo from here.
The second stop was Isla Victoria, the largest island on the lake (above). We only had a hour to explore, which was kind of a bummer, but that's what happens when you only half understand the language.

Photo from here.

Needing a drink after spending two hours on a boat with Argentinian teenagers, we stopped by the stunning Hotel Llao Llao (above).

For dinner, we decided to forgo the parilla and instead ate at Cassis, an exceptional restaurant on the Lago Gutiérrez where we enjoyed Patagonia specialities like local trout and lamb (above).

argentina: day three

2011-10-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

Photo from here.
Our first full day in Bariloche was spent exploring the area from above. We took the Teleferico Cerro Otto (above) up to a viewing center, restaurant, and really random art gallery. Since it was still very much spring in the southern hemisphere. it was pretty cold up there. Hot chocolate helped.

Photo from here.
After our trip up the mountain, we ventured into town. Bariloche is known for two things: skiing and chocolate. My favorite chocolate shop was Mamuschka (above) based solely on their ridiculously adorable decor.

Photo from here.
For dinner, we visited El Boliche de Alberto, a parilla (grill) just south of town (above) and yes, that is the normal amount of french fries they give you. For more about the meats we enjoyed, please click here.

argentina: day two

2011-10-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

Photo from here.
Most of the second day in Argentina was spent travelling. We had planned on spending a few days in the Bariloche area, but due to a volcanic eruption in Chile back in June, the local airport was closed. Undeterred, we flew to the next closest airport in Neuquén then drove five hours to San Carlos de Bariloche. Apparently there were a lot of dinosaur remains found in the area, hence our roadside friend, above. Other than that, the drive was fairly uninteresting with the exception of some surprisingly tasty caprese flavored chips we bought along the way. We arrived at our hotel mid-afternoon to this view:

Photo from here.
Not too shabby, eh?!

argentina: day one

2011-10-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

Photo from here.
We arrived in Buenos Aires mid-morning after a 12 hour flight. Keep in mind there is no time change, so thats how far it is from NYC. We ate lunch (octopus, jamon, papas braves and Malbec), walked down Florida street to the Plaza de Mayo and explored Puerto Madero by crossing over Santiago Calatrava's Puente de la Mujer ("Bridge of the Woman"), above. In Puerto Madero, we checked out the very trendy Faena Hotel (I'm a sucker for Philippe Stark) and ate dulce de leche gelato. Dinner at La Brigada was the beginning of my weeklong red meat stupor.

argentina

2011-10-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

We got back yesterday from an eight day trip to Argentina with Jeff's parents - we spent three days in Buenos Aries and five in Bariloche (a mountainous lake region in Patagonia). The trip was great - lots of sightseeing, steak eating, Malbec drinking and pretty stuff-seeing. I'll do my best to recount my highlights in future posts.

There was one bummer thing that happened which is why none of these future posts will be accompanied by any of my own photos. My camera was stolen, as in literally picked out of my purse while I was wearing it, in the last hour of our last day in Buenos Aires. Jeff suggested I blog about the experience, so here I am, getting it all out, and then we can go back to regular programming. To end the vacation on this note was pretty upsetting, not just because I lost all the photos from the trip, but because I know better. I live in freaking New York City! I never once felt unsafe in Argentina and the neighborhood where this happened was a nice, high-end area - like Soho or Union Square.

More than anything, this has been a major blow to my ego. Formally, I had felt pretty smug about my street smarts and I've always been someone who has paid attention to their surroundings. I mean, part of my job is to catch errors and notice details....I hate that this happened in another city, because I immediately went to a bad place assuming I was targeted because I was a foreigner, but that's not fair. It could have easily happened in NYC or Los Angeles or San Francisco. And I'm fortunate it was my camera that was the most accessible item and not my wallet or passport.

So, here's to you, thief, for teaching me a valuable, ego-blowing lesson. I hope you enjoy my fifty-seven photos of the Los Arrayanes myrtle trees, my one hundred and six images of the Recoleta cemetery, and god knows how many pictures of steak.

-s

Casa Rosada photo from here.

southern exposure

2011-10-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Hi friends - I'm taking this week off to visit the land of steak, leather, tango and empanadas. Where am I? Guess you'll have to wait until next week to find out. Until then - have a good one!

in progress

2011-10-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

Some projects I'm working on....

apple picking

2011-10-06T07:20:00.000-07:00

After ingesting a fair amount of cheese on the farm, we headed over to Terhune Orchards to pick apples and have cider donuts (delicious!).

Photos by me.

cheese club: to the farm

2011-10-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

Cheese club took another field trip; this time we toured Cherry Grove Farm, near Princeton, New Jersey. We walked around the farm, visited the goats....

...enjoyed a couple of the farm's cheeses, including the Herdsman and Buttermilk Brie...

and tried cheese curds for the first time!

All photos by me.

from the flea: what i bought

2011-10-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Purchases from the flea included a slightly grandpa sweater knit with rainbow yarn (above) and enameled heart necklace (below).

from the flea: what i saw

2011-10-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking I might need to investigate other NYC flea markets...the Brooklyn flea always leaves me a bit underwhelmed. Any suggestions?

breakfast for lounging

2011-09-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Pancake pillows! Love.

tomato jam

2011-09-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Made some tomato jam...came out sweeter than I expected, but it was still pretty good with toast and eggs. I'm going to try it again with a little less sugar next time.
Image from here.

love you forever

2011-09-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Love you forever at the Dumbo Arts Festival (shot by me).

red hook

2011-09-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Rode my bike to Red Hook and ate a lobster roll, Maine style.

All photos by me.

morgan library

2011-09-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Originally I had planned to go to the Morgan Library to see this exhibit. After wandering around the rest of the exhibitions, I was set to leave when I saw a small sign leading to the original library and figured I might as well get my $15 worth and see everything. Man - what an incredible space! Complete with coffered ceilings, secret staircases and a Gutenberg Bible, Pierpont Morgan's monument to his rare book collection is a space worth visiting.

now i'm annoying even myself

2011-09-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

I'm still on the hunt for new bedding which came to a head this last weekend when a sweet friend was visiting and commented "oh, you still have that bedding" in a nice way, of course, but c'mon, this is getting ridiculous. I was all set to get this or this, but for reasons unknown to me, my husband vetoed both. ANYWAY, some new contenders, above and below.

Above and below.

Anything? I'm leaning toward a grey/yellow/cream palate so I don't have to buy new sheets.

at the ballet

2011-09-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it can be overwhelming with all there is to do and see in New York, but the fact that you can hop on a subway and see a world famous ballet performance is pretty special in my book.
Image from here.

staten island ferry

2011-09-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

Took a sunset cruise on the Staten Island Ferry to get some killer Italian food.

All photos by me.

greenwood

2011-09-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Greenwood Cemetery was founded in 1838 and was a huge tourist attraction in the 1860's (this was before the creation of public parks, so it was one of the few landscaped green spaces New Yorkers could visit. Apparently, there were carriage rides and other attractions). Today, you can visit the rolling hills and get a free glimpse at some pretty amazing architectural monuments. Some may find it creepy, but I thought it was fascinating.

All photos by me.

interweb randomness

2011-09-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

A curtain made from pasta! So clever.

Caramel crumble apple pie - I have no words.

A beautifully illustrated book about farms - love it!

union church

2011-09-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

We stopped by Union Church on our way to Stone Barns. Unfortunately, we got there about ten minutes before they closed, but their volunteer gave us such an incredible tour that it seemed well worth the brief visit. I wasn't allowed to take photos inside, but the church hosts some breathtaking stained glass windows from Chagall and Matisse.

Photos by me.