Desert for Breakfast

A quick visit from my best friend, who asked me to be her maid of honor.  Tears.  Happy ones.

Location: Bouchon Bakery Cafe at Time Warner Building

Is This Paris or New York?

Have you ever walked around the Upper West Side on a Sunday afternoon? After reaching 60th street, you feel like you've reached another city. Everything is so much cleaner, organized and people seem saner.  Looking up makes me think I am actually in Paris.  

The UWS is an alternate universe.

Eat.Here.Now: Gottino

Lovely narrow restaurant with a great selection of wine and the cutest backyard.  

Gottino

52 Greenwich Ave  New York, NY 10011

(212) 633-2590 

Un Soir en Blanc at Bryant Park

Exhibit #527 for Why I Love New York City: Diner en Blanc

Truly magical event that I hope to participate in next year.  Definitely a headache to prep for (if you are a newbie, like I was this year), but definitely worth the experience.  

So, what do you REALLY need to bring with you to Diner en Blanc? I break it down, below:

1. Seating Arrangements.  What will give you the most hassle is the darn table and chairs.  You can rent from somewhere in Bumble F*ck, Brooklyn but, ideally, bring your own.  And in a trolley.  Renting will cost you just as much as buying it, so not worth it. And then you have to return it.  Just get your own. Want to outsmart everyone even more? buy this or this.

2. One Sexy Outfit.  I wore an oversized sweater over my dress (brrrr) so probably not the best example.  But it is definitely fun to dress up and do some people watching. So, get creative.  

3. Food and Wine.  I made the HUGE mistake of buying the Event Brite picnic basket.  It was overpriced.  Just bring your own stuff.  A nice assortment of cheeses, bread, fruit, a pasta salad and some type of protein will do.  The bigger the spread, the better; but you can get something fairly reasonable for $50.  You must buy the wine there but, if you bring outside wine, most likely, no one will notice. Just know that there are repercussion (like, it's illegal?).

4. Your Own Setup. You must bring a white tablecloth, cloth napkins, utensils, plates, corkscrew, and wine glasses. I saw very fun center pieces: real candles, gorgeous flowers, and even Christmas lights.  

You can put it all in the basket they ask you to bring.  Naw, seriously, you don't need a basket.  A white/beige bag will do. Also, bring trash bags.

5. Lastly, A Good Sense of Humor.  I'm not going to lie. This event was stressful.  I was carrying so much stuff, it took forever to be able to set up at Bryant Park, and the line to get the alcohol was astronomical (even more of a reason to jug a wine bottle). But, overall, the event was fun and carefree.  People are dancing, cheering and just enjoying being alive.  So, let go and enjoy the fact that you are FINALLY allowed to legally drink outdoors. At least for one night.  We'll take it.

Au Revoir!  Until 2014.

Sake Bombs

Weekend was spent celebrating birthdays and farewells with some of the most important people in my life.  Success.

Ashiya: A frat party mixed with day old fish.  

Bathtub Gin

kiss kiss for Amanda

#FNO Shenanigans

Met up with good friends, got pretty tipsy and headed out around the Meatpacking staring at pretty outfits, listening to good music and overall enjoying the city coming to life for the love of fashion.  Hoping to make this an annual tradition.

 $6 happy hour drinks at Coppelia.  WHAT?!? Give me 4, thank you.

 Oh sweet empanadas, how I missed thee.

 Maybelline tent smack in the middle of Meatpacking.

 Moschino

 Puma.  We thought there were free drinks.  We were wrong.

 The chauffeur was not having it.

 Bond No. 9

 Very much so.

Urbanspace market below The Standard.

Lunch Break in a New York Minute

After countless hours of staring at a spreadsheet I forced myself to get out of the corporate chair to breath some fresh air. I'm so glad I did because, on top of restoring my sanity, the day was gorgeous.  Sunny, dry and breezy.  Got myself some bubble tea, sushi and sat in the stairs of the New York Public Library contemplating the day.

Fit in the City: Free Classes on the Hudson

Your prayers for maintaining that firm butt this summer have been answered.  Since June, Lole/FitiST has been sponsoring free fitness classes on Hudson River Park as part of Summer of Fitness.  The classes occur every Monday or Tuesday at 6:30pm and are hosted by on-demand instructors from the top Manhattan studios.  The class I attended two weeks ago, courtesy of FlyBarre, was led by the gorgeous Kara.  Her arms were envy worthy.  This Monday, Yoga is in session and I am definitely going (hopefully the whiplash pain will be gone).  What better "studio" than one that is outdoors, by the water and gives you free coconut water? Life just got a little happier.

One last thing: You need to RSVP so be sure to do that!  rsvphrp@fitist.com

Now don't tell me you saw this pictures and didn't get excited to go?!?

Bowery Night Blur

Blurry art taken at 3m in the morning. 

  

  

Fyah Fyah

Yesterday was one of those hectic days that although tiring, it was completely reviving.  I had a meeting in VT so I traveled all day and then literally got home, changed, and ran to the Music Hall of Williamsburg to see Selah Sue.  She was opening for the fabulous Emile Sande (do check her out, she is a force ).  The crowd was small so I was able to get up close and listen to this beautiful girl in a very personal way.  It was just her and her guitar and wow, what an amazing, unique voice.

For the ones who don't know her, you are missing it.  Hailing from Belgium, Selah sounds like a more spunky Erykah Badoo.  She somehow developed an island vibe to her.  Most of the songs have a touch of reggae to it.  Completely refreshing.  The best part of all is that my friend and I got to meet her outside by pure coincidence.  She caught our attention because she was sitting on the sidewalk squeezing a rubber duckie.  We did a double take to say the least.  How random is that? Nevertheless, she was the sweetest!  Really wish her lots of success on this side of the world.  She is on (insert cheesy reference to her song now) Fyah. 

 

 

Check out Ragamuffin to get a sense of her vibe.  

A Good Weekend

Happy Friday/Good Friday /Passover!  Today was an absolutely beautiful day in NYC and I was lucky enough to spend it taking in fresh air in Central Park.  Mama is in town, and when mama is town I become a tourist.  I hadn't been in Central Park since last summer so it was a nice treat.  Saturday and Sunday are supposed to be sunny and in the 60s so be sure to leave the PJ's and Mad Men marathon behind.  Enjoy the weekend.