Best Last Weekend

My final few days as a New York resident have been perfect. A crazy blur of people and places, but wonderful nonetheless.

On Friday The BFF returned from her holiday break in Austin to start her second semester of grad school. We ended up at The Standard Biergarten (hooray for being able to translate the German signs!), followed by Bar Pitti for the best Italian ever, and ending things at a party at 49 Grove, the same bar we went out one of the first nights out in New York. Everything continues to come full circle, which makes this change seem more palatable.

Saturday morning was spent celebrating the belated birthday of Ole Miss Mollie with a perfectly girly brunch at Bergdorf Goodman's top-floor restaurant overlooking Central Park followed by drinks at the Plaza. Might as well end things on a high note, right?

Following a costume change or two, The BFF and I arrived later that night at Mollie's to set up my going away party at her great loft. Y'all, the elevator door opens into their apartment, that's a big deal!!! I am so mad at myself for not making an effort to take more pictures (or charge my camera). Oh well.

The BFF and me. I will miss this gurrrrrl.

Ithaca pals. Can't wait to see y'all in April!

Thanks Molls (and roommies) for being such wonderful hosts!!

The party was perfect. My favorite people. Cheese. Vodka and orange soda. Jello shots. False eyelashes that landed me tons of compliments and only a few second fear of partial blindness. Some tears toward the end, mostly of happiness, but that's to be expected right?

Sunday was spent catching up with Ashley at a final Dos Caminos brunch (it used to be the only place I'd ever go! Free marg!), and then dinner with The BFF, her BF, and his roommate BK (the one who visited me in Berlin) at Traif, a small plates restaurant in Brooklyn that impressed us all.

I am so full - from calories and love - and want to thank everyone who was a part of this weekend. It really was perfect.

What I'll Miss: Madison Square Park

My love of Madison Square Park is no secret. I think it is the perfect spot in New York. A little haven of green surrounded by postcard-worthy buildings. Depending on which spot you're standing, you'll have a full view of the Empire State Building, the gold-roof New York Life Building, the Met Life Tower, and my beloved Flatiron building.

And I can't forget the art. The first time I walked through the park, silver aluminum trees were sprouting from the ground. Since then there have been phantom shadow light displays, tree houses, and a giant head sculpture. (Here's a great montage of some of the old stuff if you're interested. Some of it is pretty crazy.) Recently it was this little guy these people:

Plus the park has lots of activities going on at different times during the year. (Once I saw a FRENCH BULLDOG HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY THERE. BEST DAY EVER.) Plus there are concerts, US Open tennis-promoting viewing parties, and the Big Apple BBQ Festival! (Ash, I will miss this and you most of all!!)

One of my favorite corners is documented below, including some fun, educational real estate facts! (Because we all secretly love architecture, I know.)

The squatty one to the left was supposed to be almost three times as tall, but then The Great Depression hit and they ran out of money. And the tall, skinny building One Madison has had plenty of its own money woes and resulting issues.

I'll miss walking through here on my walk home, but luckily no matter where I'm living I'll be able to enjoy the view at home thanks to this great print:

Gifted by the wonderful aforementioned Ashley.
Mounted on an old cabinet I found on the street courtesy of moi.

Hopefully if you're in the city you'll swing by and enjoy it for me! Especially in the spring. The flowers. Oh the flowers, I forgot to talk about the flowers! 

(Sigh, pre-mature nostalgia is a bitch...)

Staycation Art Day Is The Best Day

Well, I finally did something worthy of being written about! I had the greatest staycation afternoon imaginable. My friend Dana, who awesomely doesn't work on Wednesdays, suggested we go paint pottery in Williamsburg at Baked in Brooklyn since we both love arts and crafts. 

(Sidebar: Whenever I used to leave work during the day (rarely) and I'd see all the people just wandering around I would always ask myself, "Who are all these people out and about all day? What do they do?" Then it dawned on me recently that now that I've become that person. And in case you were curious what that person does, now you know the answer.)

Anyway, the pottery place is super cute and run by an equally adorable owner and her dog Leon (also my grandfather's name, nice!). I would highly recommend checking it out because not only is it a good time, there are a lot of fun choices of things to paint - like the kind of stuff you could actually use on a regular basis. (As recently justified to myself.) I also think it would be fun to take a friend for her birthday or organize a girls' night out. (Of course I come up with these ideas as I have one foot off the island!) 

But seriously, you should go if you are the kind of person who really loved elementary school Art class, which was obviously awesome.

Here are some pictures from today. Which really was a great day.

This is reaching the upper limit of number of consecutive instructions I want to follow at this point in my "off-season".

I'll take one of each!

After much indecision, I went with the elephant ring holder and the votive candle holder. Quasi-practical, right?

Here's Dana's beautiful mug and the pattern that inspired it. (I was really impressed with Dana's steady hand and attention to detail until I remembered "Oh yeah, she's an eye doctor, she's used to precision and focusing on things.")

Here's my elephant. I figured he would look cute with my blue Babar The Elephant print from Paris and the blue elephant LillyBerlin lamp. (Plus I currently do not have tabs on any of my favorite rings, whoops.)

My citrus votive, my inspiration, and my pallet. Fingers crossed it turns out pretty. (And is ready before I leave!)

If I got to go back, this is what I would paint next. I love the idea of having a sponge holder like that! (Because it's really what I need at this point in the game.)

What I'll Miss Most: Grand Central

[During my last week in New York, I figured it might be fun to reminisce about some of my favorite memories I've made and places I've been in this concrete jungle where dreams are made of. Plus it's way more interesting than anything I'm up to in real life, aka packing/cleaning/nothing.]


For the better part of two years, almost every weekday my routine has led me through the most beautiful building in New York. Sure, there are lots of impressive structures all around the city, real life art installations taking up a block wide and stretching a mile high, but for me, the most stunning architectural feat is hidden inside. (Pretty much the only time the phrase "really beautiful on the inside" can be said without being offensive.)

See what I mean, nestled below the Chrysler? 

Anyway, the place I'm talking about is Grand Central Terminal. Maybe you already read it in the headline and this is no surprise. Maybe you read it and then immediately forgot it. Like when someone introduces herself to you and you forget her name (or, more correctly never learned it) because you're too busy trying to make sure you have an answer ready for when she asks you yours. Because you're a conceited idiot.

Just me? Where was I?

Grand Central, seriously stunning. And the weirdest part is, it's a train station. frustrated commuters, homeless people, mouses scurrying around the subway tracks. But none of that matters.

The cream marble, floor to ceiling. The Tiffany's gold lamps and big-bulb chandeliers. And above it all, a turquoise sky lit up by Astrology figures.

Technically this was the day Occupy Wall Street was there (coupled with new Apple store madness)
so it's slightly less charming.  But still, even though this does not do it justice, it's beautiful.

Sometimes it's easy to forget the little things when you see them every day. Once something is a habit I find it's harder to carve out the individual memories.

But that never happened with me and that space in the city. Although the rest of the commute - the sardine-squeezed subway, the cattle herd mentality - monotonously faded away into the background, every time I walked into that grand room - I mean that's it's name! - I made sure to appreciate it.

Because it really is stunning. And I will miss it.

Tourist tip: This is a really good place to go when it's raining and you're looking for a non-museum activity in Manhattan (there's shopping, food, etc.)

For The Sake of Posterity

Today has been by far the laziest day since I was officially stripped of my Productive Member of Society status last Wednesday. And at first I felt so guilty about it, but then I realized it's a rainy January Monday and, sort of like designer purses for next to nothing, you just have to embrace them when the opportunity comes ago!

(I know, hate me, I deserve it.)

Anyway, the most productive things I've done all are cook two meals, re-read The Great Gatsby (as gifted to me recently by my awesome friend David when we met up for Dim Sum last week), and set up two new Craigslist ads for my TV and my love seat (dealing with people on that website is the bane of my existence).

Remember when I made that New Year's resolution to do something worthy of being written about every day?

Ehhh. We knew that could never last.