A Taste of Paris in NYC

Ever since I read this blog entry about a lovely Bastille Day picnic in France, I have been obsessed with celebrating France's Independence Day.

Yesterday was Bastille Day and, in New York City, Bastille Day calls for a big celebration complete with closed-off streets, music, French food, and other festivities. Though I would have loved to be in Paris wearing all white and celebrating with a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower, the celebration at 60th street was the next best thing. And I did wear white to commemorate!

I picked up this fun little dress on sale at Zara. 

I am in love with the back of the dress--perfect to beat the summer heat! 

After walking down to the fete in all-consuming heat, we were happy to arrive at a (crowded) land filled with red, white, and blue, and macaroons, eclairs, wine, and music...

It was a lovely New York City summer day--even though I felt like my body was melting into the pavement in a sweaty puddle. Sigh...summer-in-the-city trade-offs.

To counter the heat of yesterday, I tried to head to the Rain Room exhibit at MOMA this morning, but I refuse to wait in an eight hour line in 98 degree weather to see a ten minute exhibit. I may have to just become a MOMA member and then try again on a Tuesday or Wednesday when I heard the wait time hovers around a speedy four hours....

Life Lately

Well, it's been a long time since I've written...

Months, in fact. Since it is summer and I am not quite as busy with work and classes I should have more time to update the old blog.

It was a busy end to the school year. I took my last graduate school class in the first summer session, so the end-of-the-year insanity of meetings, grade submissions, and concluding units coincided with a difficult, but amazing, graduate school class. I can't believe I am done with coursework--and that I am such a nerd that I already miss it.

Since I last wrote, a lot of wonderful things have happened: perhaps my favorite being that it is now okay to openly share that my lovely and dear lifelong friend is pregnant and will have her baby boy some time in the next week or two. We had a baby shower for her in Boston and it was so wonderful to see her gorgeous pregnant self and all of my friends from high school. We are all in such incredibly different places in our lives and yet there is something so amazing about long term friendship where that doesn't matter when you are all together.

I went to an inspiring conference on social justice education-- and presented my own research at a conference at Columbia, which was scary, but exciting.

Spring in New York City reared its head after a long, arduous winter, which resulted in many outings on the ferry, taste testings at Smorgasburg, wandering around Brooklyn Zinefest, cocktails on the Met Rooftop Garden, and a much appreciated increase in al fresco dining around NYC...

Spring also resulted in my engagement in an activity in which I never partake: Cooking! My favorite summer traveling partners and I all got together to use the skills gained from our Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai--not to mention the opportunity to reminisce about all of our travels. Shortly after, my lovely friend J. shared with us that she is pregnant and, what seemed like moments after this exciting news, another one of my favorite people called and asked, "Will you be my bridesmaid this February?!"

Add in an awesome bachelorette party on the beautiful island of Nantucket, my first trip (unbelievably considering the proximity) to the beaches of Long Island, and indeed, it has been an exciting spring!

Perhaps most exciting (perhaps only to me!) M. completed his PhD. and is now "Dr. M." Yay!!! #nowitsmyturn... :)

Life lately has taken on the pace of summer that I adore. While I have had some work related stuff that has kept me busy during the weekdays, weekends have been filled with trips to Rhode Island beaches, beach trips with friends, picking organic berries on M.'s mom's friend's farm, afternoons leisurely sipping wine at a local winery with my mom, lovely meals with friends and family, and even a night spent dancing at Midsummer Night Swing's "silent disco--" which, if you've not been, is such a cool experience! I am looking forward to some awesome upcoming summer trips and can't wait to relish in all of the warm weather joys of summer...

Book updates to follow once I am back into the swing of blogging again!

In the meantime, happy summer!

West Village Wanderings

The West Village is one of my favorite New York City neighborhoods. The past couple of weekends, my friends and I have wound up down in the village and have discovered some great little places for a night out. While there are a million places to go in the village, these are a few of my favorites should you find yourself looking for things to do in that area of the city:

Hudson Clearwater: Last Saturday, one of my favorite people came in from Connecticut and, after some swanky drinks at the top of the Standard Hotel in the famed Boom Boom Room, we headed to this speakeasy style restaurant. It is hard to find, but when you do make it inside you are handsomely rewarded. I would imagine this place is even more incredible in the summer, as part of the adventure to find it takes you through a beautiful twinkly lighted garden. My friend and I had lovely glasses of red wine and basked in the warm atmosphere. The duck and the sea bass were delicious; seasoned to perfection. Yum. I am a big fan and will definitely be back. 

Employees Only: Continuing with our speakeasy kind of night, my friend and I headed to Employees Only for a drink and some conversation. This place was adorable. Despite being ridiculously narrow, it was an awesome place to have a drink and catch up. We scored seats at the bar and chatted while we took in all of the prime people watching opportunities. 

Las Ramblas: Last night, I met up with a couple of friends for our monthly girls night out. We wandered into this cute, litte, Spanish restaurant that I adored, which was ironically named after the only street that I detested while traveling in Barcelona. The pomegranate sangria was so yummy, especially in conjunction with the awesome company, and after ordering almost the entire menu of tapas, we were in love with the food too. 

163: While waiting for a table at teeny tiny Las Ramblas, my friends and I wandered the picturesque neighborhood and stumbled into the cutest shop. We were pretty excited because everything in the store was 50% off. I scored a cute necklace for next-to-nothing! I would definitely recommend this store if you are in the area. 

Images Via

Marie's Crisis: Saving the best for last...This place is so. much. fun. Seriously. There is a pianist who plays only show tunes and the entire audience sings along. Technically a gay bar, it is the most diverse crowd I have ever seen convened in one tiny underground bar. My friends and I had a blast and I am already planning my next visit! 

I am hoping that this long, cold winter is finally coming to a close. It was so nice to see so many people out wandering the streets last night and to feel like spring might finally be on the way...

Have a happy rest of the weekend!

Valentine's Day Weekend Eats

I've never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day. In many ways, I would say that M. is far more romantic than I am. He has been aware of this since we first began dating though and he would commemorate anniversaries that I would, quite frankly, not remember. It was a busy week. I had my first debate for my law class and felt completely out of my element, I listened to about a million off key adolescent singers audition for the school talent show, I had a bunch of applications due for *fingers crossed* opportunities I hope come my way, work was crazy, as usual, and I am helping to plan a really cool event (more on that another time) for an organization that I am in, and, as we all know, planning takes time! My point is, it was another busy week, but M. found a way to get me to slow down for a bit on Valentine's Day.

Since we go out to eat quite a bit, he decided to eschew the traditional Valentine's night out and make dinner. I came home to a lovely glass of red waiting for me on the table, candles lit, and a delicious home cooked meal. I sheepishly passed him my card and a Snicker's bar--hey, he LIKES Snicker's bars! It was really cute and completely thoughtful. 

The rest of the weekend continued to adhere to my winter theme of eating entirely too much. We had dinner at Jones Wood Foundry on Friday- a favorite neighborhood joint and my Valentine's Day treat to M. On Saturday we headed down to the East Village to The Mermaid Inn on recommendation from a favorite local blogger, and it was delicious. Seriously just the warmest, most inviting place I have been in a long time. I will definitely be back. On Sunday, I hopped on the earliest train to Old Saybrook, CT where I met my mom and sisters and went to see family. We ended the day with drinks and dinner at The Oyster Club, a farm (and sea) to table restaurant that was excellent--and not just because they had a favorite Virginia Woolf quote prominently placed in the lobby. Yum. While it was cozy in the winter, it has an awesome elevated deck behind it that will be relaxing and delightful come warmer weather. 

I spent all day yesterday up at school, since I had the day off, doing work and helping a professor plan for a film screening we are having at Columbia in March. The film looks incredibly moving--it's about breast cancer through the lens of the loss of hair during chemotherapy. Since hair is so inextricably linked to sexuality, beauty, and identity, losing it is often one of the most difficult parts of battling cancer. The director beautifully and powerfully documents this process by following the people who gain strength and community at their hair salon, which offers free haircuts for those who have to make that ultimate, and difficult sacrifice of shaving off their hair. Mondays at Racine is up for an Oscar and I hope that it wins. 

After a quick stop at the local bookstore, M. and I met for a leisurely dinner at a neighborhood favorite, Beyoglu, where we chatted about our days and dreamed of summer. See? I wasn't kidding when I said that I ate a ridiculous amount this weekend!!

And well, since this is also supposed to be a book blog, here are a few of my latest reads...

Just finished reading: Beautiful Creatures by Garcia and Stohl. With all of the advertisements peddling a book I had never even heard of, I quickly downloaded this book to check it out, but I was disappointed. The writing was cheesy, the plot fragmented in places because of weak use of flashback, and, overall, it was not a favorite. My students, however, will probably love it, so if you are connected to the adolescent set, definitely check it out!

Another YA book that I just finished was Sever, the third and final book of The Chemical Garden trilogy. My students are going to love this book! While it did not have the romance that propels Hunger Games, it was well-written and brought the series to a satisfying end. 

Currently reading: Home by Toni Morrison. I once took a class entirely devoted to the writing of Toni Morrison and I am of the opinion that she is one of the most incredible contemporary writers out there. Love her. I am hoping that Home is as good as I anticipate it will be...  

Happy reading and stay warm!

Pro-Procrastinator

I have a paper due for my International Human Rights Law class, so I am procrastinating. It's what I do. Sigh.

I haven't written in awhile, since I have been busy with classes and work and trying to have some fun along the way.

To catch you up...I have pretty much just been eating a lot. It's January and it's cold here, and since it's so cold, all of my recent meetups with M. and with friends have been to restaurants to eat and drink in effort to stave off the misery of single digit temperatures. My favorite recent venture was to DBGB, where we met friends last Tuesday, and that I completely recommend should you find yourself in the East Village of Manhattan. M. and I also headed to the museums last weekend where we saw an awesome exhibit on WWII in NYC.

In an exhausting attempt at furthering my own karmic evolution, I also chaperoned the senior trip a couple of weekends ago. 55 seventeen-year-olds out in the middle of nowhere. Yup. Like I said... exhausting.  After three full days of horseback riding, snow tubing, manhunt playing, rock climbing, archery, lifeguarding, and a nightly dance chaperoning experience that made me fearful of days I ever have teenagers I am responsible for fulltime, I was in awe of all of the parents I know. The students were in confined quarters for the weekend and by hour number three, they were on each other's nerves, resulting in an added need for therapy services. We also had to tape their doors closed each night so that they would not sneak out, which did not prevent them from sneaking out the last night and leaving a note that was taped to our door using the same tape we used to seal them into their rooms. Pretty sure I will not be signing up to chaperone trips anytime soon.

This weekend was the winter storm Nemo, which was pretty, but that left much of the east coast buried. M. and I were all too happy to head out this morning and get brunch, since we were going a bit stir crazy after being cooped up yesterday.

I'll tell you one thing...this weather has inspired me to look for tickets to somewhere warm. I am sensing a trip in the near future. Miami? Curacao? Aruba? My pasty skin needs some sun...

Stay warm everyone!

Winter Break

Well, even though it was back to work after the New Year, for me, this has continued to feel like something of a break. Graduate school classes do not resume until the end of January and so I am loving the amount of free time that I feel like I have all of a sudden. My weekends are my own and my weeks are not consumed by the graduate school paper writing/reading and the work related task tango. It is a much needed break!

I have been taking this time to enjoy my amazing city and have done some really great things over the past couple of weeks. I think that my favorite outing was last Saturday when M and I went to Ann Hamilton's "Event of a Thread." I had to laugh because sometimes there are moments that reflect those only-in-New York City kind of experiences and I felt like this was one of them. It seemed like everyone from friends to people I follow on Instagram headed to this art exhibit last weekend. We waited in a two hour line to get in--it was so long that it looped around an entire city block. As we marked our movement forward by acknowledging when we rounded another corner, we laughed at the garbage cans on each corner filled to the brim with empty Starbucks cups--coffees consumed in effort to keep warm as people waited. Again, only New Yorkers on line for an art exhibit could generate that much post-consumer coffee cup waste.

The exhibit was well worth the wait. First of all, the building the exhibit was housed in was beautiful and a stunning visual feast in and of itself, but beyond that, the interactive display was both fun and thought-provoking. Bathed in alternating squares of light and darkness, the exhibit was filled with giant swings that were rigged to pulleys. As people pumped their legs back and forth to swing on the giant swings, the pulleys moved a giant white curtain that hung in the middle of the huge room. This was in addition to various other theatrical elements; carrier pigeons, people dressed in military gear, and an opera singer who made her appearance at the close of the night.

All of the cool commentary on war and the loss of of innocence aside, this exhibit was just so much fun. I realize that the art purists out there would probably disagree, but I think that there is nothing better than interactive art exhibits!

Twenty Thirteen

Happy New Year! I loved ringing in the new year with people I love over great food, sparkly champagne, and donning sequins and newly shiny manicures and pedicures. New Year's night also brought a lovely addition of unexpected guests, which embodies a perfect sentiment for the new year where I always hope for surprises and nights composed of friends old and new. It has been a great year and I am grateful for all of the fun, beauty, joy, and love that 2012 brought. Here's hoping that 2013 is even better.

Here are some lovely memories from 2012:

Travel: 2012 brought me to Spain with one of my favorite people where I also got to meet up with friends I met in Cambodia. One of my absolute favorite days in Spain was in Seville where my friend and I wandered the beautiful, windy cobblestone streets, had a delicious lunch outdoors in the warm sunshine, strolled into the oldest tavern in Spain for a drink, window shopped tiny, adorably curated shops, and enjoyed conversation (and the occasionally lost moment) in the Spanish sun.

2012 also brought what has, so far, been M and I's most amazing trip. Ireland was absolutely gorgeous; from exploring the sights and tastes of Dublin, to some of the most amazing hikes I have ever done in the beautiful Irish countryside... it was an amazing memory and one I feel blessed to have had with M.

Oh... and let's not forgot an incredibly romantic whirlwind day in Paris...

Heading to San Francisco to study on a National Endowment for the Humanities grant was an incredible experience. Beyond studying, exploring wine country, meeting new friends, and spending the weekend with my friend who flew up to meet me made for a fabulous way to end my 2012 school year. 

The Year of the City: I was talking to a girl the other night who has recently moved here from Australia and she was saying how overwhelming it has been to move here. I shared with her that I felt exactly the same when I first arrived, but that people always say that it takes 6 months to adjust and then you are sold on NYC for life. I couldn't agree more and it is hard not to look back at this year and not be grateful for all of the wonderful adventures, perfect days, and incredible opportunities that this city has offered. The city's presence weaves in and out of so many of my favorite memories from this year and for that I am grateful for living here. 

Breakfasts with M: I say this each and every year and, once again, I am so grateful for those moments that I have with M almost every morning. Whether it is a long leisurely weekend breakfast or a ten minute check in before the day begins, I am so happy for those special moments that sustain me in so many ways.

Teaching: Yes, it is hard. Yes, it has its moments when I am tired, frustrated, and drained, but it also has rare and powerful moments of thanks, gratitude, appreciation, learning, and self discovery and so, for that, I am thankful.

Learning: 2012 brought me closer to the completion of my degree, but more importantly, graduate school has become such an integral part of my identity. My university community and the friends I have made there are something that I am so incredibly thankful for. Beyond this, I am so thankful that 2012 and this milieu is a time in which I have the opportunity to live my life very much as I choose. I sat with my Nana on Christmas day and I was talking to her about an email I had recently received from a professor about an exciting academic opportunity that I have in April. My Nana, who chose to be a homemaker, was wonderful at her job. She raised five children and has always been a source of inspiration to me for many reasons. It was funny to sit with her and talk on Christmas about how different it was for her growing up than it has been for me. She talked about my great aunt, who also loved to learn and be in school, and how hard it was for her in the late forties and early fifties to do all of the things that she wanted to do. She told me about my great aunt's experience working her way up to become a dean at a prestigious university and then how, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had to hide the fact that she was getting chemotherapy in order to keep her job. As she spoke about all of my aunt's adventures (climbing Khathmandu, traveling all over the world, etc.) I think back to how we always viewed her as "crazy aunt P." when we were little--probably, in part, because she was not the "typical" woman of her era. Either way, as I listened to my Nana and thought about how much I personally admire both of them and their chosen paths, I think about how incredibly lucky I am to live in a time when both paths (or neither!) are perfectly acceptable. 

And, of course, the most important thing: In 2012 I am so grateful for the love in my life--M, family, friends, dogs! I feel so incredibly grateful, inexpressibly even, for all of the amazing and supportive people in my life. Gratitude. Gratitude. Gratitude. 

And, what would the new year be without some "resolutions?! I hope to keep more of 2012 coming and then, of course, I have my goal list that I always keep private but that I hope will continue to get little checks marking off progress and completion on this wonderful journey through life.

Happy New Year!