blind date...don't hate

You can interpret "don't hate" however you will. I have some things to say about a recent, "vision impaired" date. Wasn't totally blind.

1. He lives in a retirement community. You can call it Active Adult all day long, I don't care. And as much as the Realtor in me says this is practical when you are single because the homes are smaller, no yards; the rest of me says, "Seriously"?

2. He has a Facebook account but uses a fake first and last name for it and hasn't informed any of his friends. I can't imagine how this works for him. 

3. One of his first few questions to me was, "What do you think of Joel Osteen?" 

4. Mandals, or Man-sandals in case you don't know the lingo. 

5. Jean shorts. 

"Don't hate me for posting something so rude", or "I didn't hate the date", Which is it? 

something on the market...emily giffin's home

I'm not one to stay up late blogging, but I've spent the past hour pouring over these photos of Emily Giffin's home for sale here in Brookhaven. It's just what I'd imagine her home would be. There is so much to comment on and if you'd like larger photos, you'll have to look at the slide show on the Realtor's website here. I absolutely love so many of her choices for furnishings, fabrics and finishes. The boy's names over their beds and their huge stripes....love! The hardscape path through the backyard to the guest house...love! Modern and classic, combined like warm brownies and ice cream. Yum!

the big apple

Well, I'd venture to say we took a bite. I'm pretty much the kind of traveler that likes to wander, linger and take in the atmosphere, and New York City is just the place! I was reminded of my first trip there for my birthday almost five years ago now, and thought of these two dear friends as we filed through the streets for three days. This trip was a total surprise gift!

Upon arriving to The W Downtown we entered a world of Zoolander meets Sex And The City meets Beetle Juice. In the lobby, I was waiting for someone to serve me a cocktail of pure oxygen. The beat didn't stop at 2:30 am and even our closet was back lit with bright red fluorescent lights as if a dancer would pop out at any moment. The oddest thing in the room was a silver looking cylinder about 4" long that sat on a stand bedside and beckoned us "WISH". 

Right.

I had several noble goals for the weekend, one: to find a wooden bangle, two: to find a purse. Ellen hoped to hit up several notable bakeries--we all liked the idea of tasty cupcakes, and I think Jenn just wanted to have fun celebrating her birthday. I guess you'd call these things privileged goals, sort of the opposite of privileged problems? (Things women complain about that aren't really problems to 99.9% of the world).
Thanks Billy! Yellow cake with chocolate frosting and colored sprinkles- I gave it a 6. 

LOVED Chelsea Market...lots to photograph!

I'm pretty sure that's me saying, "you should take a picture of THAT...", since my camera stopped reading it's memory card. Thanks to Jenn and Ellen for the pictures.

Sunday morning landed us on the Upper East Side where we hit up Tim Keller's church (yes we went to church while in NYC for the weekend) and took a very fortuitous walk to Central Park on Sunday afternoon which landed us right in the middle of a Puerto Rican parade! My favorite attraction was a group of drumming women with face paint and an angry beat. They were hilarious, but didn't really fit the look of the rest of the crowd simply enjoying the music and national pride. They looked more like angry housewives blowing off steam!

"Memphis" won the Tony Award in 2010 for Best Musical. Pretty good show!

I did learn one lesson, always double check when people give you suggestions for going out in this city. I'm proud to say that my dear friend Meredith came through for us on a classy little street of bars among Brownstones in Soho where we eventually found a spot called "Highland", a gin & tonic and some well, older men. Before that, our options were more Jersey Shore. I don't know which is worse?

On of my favorite spots was Bryant Park. It was a mild and breezy afternoon, perfect atmosphere with people out and about lounging & playing, an outdoor cafe under a canopy of bright green trees and tasty cocktails to top it off!

More cupcakes after lunch...

Newspaper on a wooden dowel...very Chinese!

The NYC Public Library was another fun stop. Gorgeous building with rich history. New York's most lovable  public sculptures sit out front. Patience and Fortitude were commissioned for $13,000 and made from pink Tennessee marble. The lion's names have changed over the years but most recently were named in 1930 by the mayor of NY, LaGuardia, who felt those were the qualities needed for New York's citizens to survive the depression. I think they're also the qualities I need in this long season of career transition!

Rockefeller Center had a more comedic feel to it than my last visit. It's possibly the fact that Tina Fey buying a box of hot dogs for the whole crew is the image that came to mind when we first arrived there. Sadly, the Dean and Deluca that once sat opposite NBC is gone, but you can still watch Kathi Lee's face getting painted before she goes on air. Jenn, that was just for you. :)

Not bad for a Blackberry photo of Central Park from the top of The Rock. A photographer friend from high school even commented.  Zach Rolen Photography, check him out. 

By day three, we had accidentally gone to Brooklyn a few times thanks to conflicting iPhone directions, so made it our last stop for real. On the way, we hit up ESPRIT....Hello 1985. We look like a commercial about to shoot. To all of our surprise, it was a hit. We left with three red bags and I even found my wooden bangle. Ah...the spirit of a group dedicated to the cause of shopping.

A few final photos....

Until next time-- love you, New York City!