Category Archives: New York

Winter Weekend Getaway

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Growing up in Maine I looked forward to winter. I couldn’t wait for the pond to freeze to skating, the first snow that was enough to go skiing, and days inside baking and drinking hot chocolate. While my enthusiasm for winter has faded a little, mostly because it just seems to drag on a few months too long, I’m not a winter hater. However, every year I feel like I have to come up with new strategies to make the winter enjoyable, and go a little faster. When M. suggested a group getaway with some research and advice from friends we found the perfect solution: a weekend rental chalet in Woodstock, New York complete with a hot tub. Sold.

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Walking up the snowy Overlook trail

After a month exchanging a flurry of emails a group of 14 of us had planned a menu and a spate of activities. The best part of going out of town in the winter is that you don’t have to do anything. And we didn’t. The Woodstock chalet was an invitation to step out of our daily routine immerse ourselves in the secret world of the weekend. A curated selection of bad movies opened the weekend, followed by board  and classic NES games, cooking, hot tub soaking, and a walk up a mountain that some took all the way and others just enough to soak in the snow, quiet, and wind in the trees.

Chalet

Chalet Interior

It’s been a little hard to come back, because the weekend seems to be its own world with its own rhythms. But I think a tradition has been started and I’m already looking forward to next winter! There’s more pictures on Flickr.

Stew, Bloody Mary, Banana Grams!

Chalet Life: Homemade stew, bloody mary, Banana Grams

Winter Footwear

Trial run of Vivienne Westwood Anglomania for Melissa spakly galoshes

 

Finding France (and Remembering Summer) in West Chelsea

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As I write this I am listening to the winter wind howl through the trees of Sunset Park and summer seems very distant. How sad that I have been meaning to write this entry since then! But to follow-up on my entry about my favorite block of the Flatiron District, I wanted to write about one of my favorite walking routes through West Chelsea. Since I am an irrepressible Francophile, the places that caught my eye focus on France, but there’s so much to be had in this district. And the best part is, so much of it is eye-catching you don’t have to buy it to enjoy it!

Wild Grasses on the Highline in August

The Highline Park is a far west, obvious place to start. Inspired partially by the Promenade Plantee in Paris, this revamped elevated rail line has been celebrated since it’s open a few years ago. It’s a wonderful place to go in any season and I love the combination of art, architecture and native plants.  I love running my hand through the grasses and smelling a meadow in Maine instead of New York City. I particularly loved Valerie Hegarty’s painting on display. The interplay between human creation and nature’s will speaks volumes about city life and American art history.

Valerie Hegarty's painting, city, and wild grasses- a perfect juxtaposition.

If you exit the Highline on 20th street you will soon pass the Episcopal Church’s General Theological Seminary, which looks like you have just stepped into the English countryside (okay, I am also a bit of an Anglophile). You will also walk along a historic block of row houses which were partially conceptualized by Clement C. Moore, who is more often known for writing the Night Before Christmas (I have a family connection to this beloved American poem too, because apparently he composed it while visiting my ancestors at Constable Hall in Upstate New York) .

General Theological Seminary is a sanctuary in the city.

Historic West Chelsea.

On the corner of 9th avenue and 20th street is La Cafetiere, a boutique full of French kitchen and homeware goods including glass and earthen ware, table linens, and decor items. The shop is attractively laid out, the staff friendly and the experience so transporting that I bought my mother a linen chicken that was one sale without twice about how ridiculous I would look in the airport check in.

An inviting, open door to La Cafetiere

If you didn’t find exactly the French decor item or linen you were looking for at La Cafeteire my other favorite shop to drop into and browse is Les Toiles du Soleil, located at 19th street between 7th and 8th avenues (closer to 8th) which specializes in Catalan fabrics from the south of France. They sell fabric by the yard as well as items that are sewn in-house.  I got a pair of Espadrilles here on sale at the end of the summer which have been loath to leave my feet since. I also got fabric to make cushion covers for my living room chairs, a beautifully colored iPad case for my mother, and a chic apron for my father. The owners are two of the nicest French people you will ever meet and if you speak French they will engage you in the kind of friendly banter that is usually only encountered in an un-snobby, out-of-the-way Parisian boutique.

Aprons and Esparilles at Les Toiles du Soleil

Fabric by the yard and handmade items at Les Toiles du Soleil.

To end this wander maybe you are in want of some caffeine? The best place in the neighborhood to go for that is Cafe Grumpy, which is not Parisian, not Londoner, but New York. And wonderful with a menu of artisanal, single origin coffee to select from, individually made drinks, organic milk, and sweet staff members (and hello, they have a Park Slope location since 2009! Well, maybe I don’t have to mourn leaving Chelsea after all!).

One of the talented baristas at Cafe Grumpy.

A perfectly made iced Americano. Summer in a glass.

A Block of the Flatiron on a Snowy Day

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While I love the Flatiron building for its iconic New Yorkness I’ve never though much about the neighborhood. Working near there for a year now I’ve been meaning to write about my discovery of the square block of West 18th and 19th streets between 5th and 6th avenues. The places on the avenues I could do without, but once you step off of them there’s a wealth of interesting and surprising places to behold. I’ve been meaning to write about this little block for quite sometime, but now that I’ll be leaving my job in Chelsea next week to go back to working in Brooklyn I decided to take a walk on a snowy lunch and enjoy these places one more time.

City Bakery Pretzel Croissants: Worth the Price.

Nearly every Friday morning (and other mornings too) around 11 my stomach starts to rumble and often I give in to the temptation to reward myself with a crispy, yet chewy, salty and delicately buttery Pretzel Croissant from City Bakery. Home to unique, delicious, heavy on the butter and also on the wallet backed goods, City Bakery is famous, but somehow I had never really paid attention to it until I started working in the area. They are known for their hot chocolate, but I will warn you: it’s a meal in itself. Choose wisely: pretzel croissant OR hot chocolate. And I just got word today they have started to make chocolate croissants again after four years of not. It looks like I might be leaving the neighborhood just in time!

Paper Presentation is located just a few steps closer to 6th avenue from City Bakery. It runs the length of the block between 18th and 19th streets, so it’s also great to wander through and avoid elbowing through the crowds on 5th or 6th avenues. All kinds of great things: stickers, paper plates, cards, envelopes, handmade folders and portfolios, supplies for crafting and scrapbooking… I could look in here all day.

Note card dispaly at Paper Presentation

Seals at Paper Presentation

If you’ve crossed through Paper Presentation to West 19th street you can easily find my two favorite stores, almost facing each other. On the south side of the street is a store on the second floor with big, wide windows: Idlewild Books. I was delighted to discover this cozy, welcoming bookstore devoted to travel books, foreign books in translation, and books in French, Spanish and Italian. They also offer language classes and will order you any books they don’t carry (and possibly offer you a discount on it!). I would go here and browse the shelves when I was feeling particularly homesick for Paris. Granted, you might pay a bit of a mark up for a Livre de Poche, but that price is worth it for a little bit of escapism.

Idlewild Books, where I buy more books in French than I can ever possibly read.

Speaking of escapism of another kind, on the north side of West 19th street is Bottlerocket Wine and Spirit. They have an excellent selection of wines organized by region, cooking taste, price and other themes. The staff will never look down their nose at you. The best part is that even if you choose the lowliest $9 bottle of red wine they cheerfully print out tasting notes for you. I feel like I enjoy everything I buy there more because it’s just such a pleasant experience!

Even Bottlerocket Wine and Spirit's facade is inviting

There’s many other delights tucked into these streets, most notably the Japanese answer to Ikea, Muji, and the chidren’s book emporium Books of Wonder and the Cupcake Cafe, but I will leave you to discover them. However, if Paper Presentation didn’t provide what you were looking for there is also A.I. Friedman for office supplies, framing, art supplies, and office furniture.

Pantone color storage boxes at A.I. Friedman

A collection of stylish desk lamps

Finally, though it takes you a little off the block, for that perfect accessory you are looking for, cross 6th avenue, walk down to 17th street and pop into Pippin Vintage Jewelry. They also have a tiny house behind their store full of vintage home goods. You will feel like you’ve stepped into a fairytale cottage in the middle of Chelsea.

Pippin Vintage is tempting and very reasonably priced!

And what to wear for a walk around the block in the snow? A girl detective outfit, legwarmers and high heel boots, of course.

Snowy day girl detective

A Short Walk Through Gowanus

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Gowanus, Brooklyn, is a really special neighborhood. It’s been described succinctly as a “working class bridge between Carroll Gardens and Park Slope,” and is infamous for it’s putrid canal (which is slowly getting cleaned up and has been designated a Superfund site). It’s even been memorialized in a painting by Randy Dudly, which is on view at the Brooklyn Museum (and is one of my favorites). The neighborhood is becoming less industrialized, though a few local industries still hang on, and more filled up with artists needing studio and musicians needing practice spaces. In the last few years the very popular club the Bell House has opened up on 7th street, as well as a sprinkling of restaurants along 3rd avenue. Band practice takes me to Gowanus on a weekly basis and I’ve decided to share some of my favorite sites along 9th street. To follow on this short walk just get off at the Smith and 9th subway stop (at 88 feet high the tallest in the system) and walk east on 9th street.

Gowanus Cement Truck

Polkadot Cement Mixer

The first thing I always notice when I get off the subway or ride my bike by are these polkadot covered cement trucks. I love the whimsy they bring to heavy industry! Aileen told me she remembered seeing them around NYC as a kid. Does anyone know the story?

Late Afternoon Icon

Gowanus Icon

After crossing the canal (unless you had to wait because the draw bridge was up) make sure you look up to see the famous Kentile Floors sign. Along this route you’ll encounter Find Home Furnishings for things unique and old and dear, and also Lowes, for daily home goods that are not so special.

Brooklyn Hot Dogs

Brooklyn Hot Dogs

Further along you’ll pass this other great, and less celebrated, example of Gowanus signage. I don’t know what this place is. It has never been open in all the years I’ve been walking by and why is there awkward, extra space at the end?

Bar Tano Atmosphere

Bar Tano, my favorite recent addition to the neighborhood

Don’t let the signs distract you too much though, because all good walks along 9th street include a pause at Bar Tano, a bar and eatery with an Italian slant. With cocktails like the basil infused “Gowanus” and tequila concoction “Flats Fixed” (inspired by a tire shop across the street) Bar Tano brings the feel of a European cafe to gritty 3rd avenue. Their pizza and bruschetta is also becoming a bit of an obsession for me.

Bar Tano Bar

The inviting bar at Bar Tano

I admit I was really surprised the first time I walked by and saw that such a sleek looking join had opened up on 9th street, but a few years on I feel it’s integrated into the landscape and I’m glad it’s there. Newer newcomers (and honorable mentions) include pie mavens Four and Twenty Blackbirds and Lowlands Bar. While these might speak to the upcoming (but not yet taken hold) complete yuppification of Gowanus, I’ll admit it’s nice to see good establishments operated by nice people opening up in South Brooklyn.

Fall in Manhattan’s Squares

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Usually I try to get out of town in the fall to see the leaves changing and the seasons passing. While I did take a brief detour to Maine earlier this fall I sadly have been prevented from taking any serious trip to upstate New York or Long Island due to academic obligations. I even had to miss the annual spooky caravan that Andi organizes!

However, some solace has come through my farm share, which keeps my regularly updated on what produce is in season that week, and the goings-on in the two squares I walk through between work and school. I was treated to some autumnal delights at the epically huge Union Square Greenmarket and at Madison Square Park (which I think is an unsung hero of a beautiful, well funded, well-used park!).

 

Orange pumpkins, yellow tree in Union Square

Selling fall leaves for $8 a bunch would surly give old time Mainers another reason to think the city life is ridiculous

Bold fall colors at the Greenmarket

I just about fell in love when I saw that huge pile of radishes! Meanwhile, in Madison Square Park…

Jim Campbell's "Scattered Light" creates a flutter of light at twilight

...and a very determined squirrel finds a goldmine in a pumpkin placed high in a dead tree

The squirrel caused quite a stir and was much photographed. It’s moments like these that remind me why I love New York.

My Favorite Nothing

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The Rubin Museum is doing an interesting social media project where they are inviting visitors to submit videos about, well, nothing for a chance to win tickets to their upcoming series of talks about nothing. The lineup looks great, as you can see on the Rubin’s site here. You can also find the full instructions for how to participate in the nothing project there too.

Basically, visitors are being challenged to “show us nothing” via a 3 minute video. I decided to get the ball rolling and while my video is a little longer I thought the reason for that might (might) be clever. Let me know.
http://www.youtube.com/v/xpBBV4Zh8fk?hl=en&fs=1

Nightlife Denizens

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Paul with hotdog unicorn headgear and me with Slurpee hat

So if you know me even a little bit you know that i don’t go out much. I like to have a good time, sure, but partying until dawn is not my usual m.o. unless, of course, the party is CHERYL. CHERYL started two years ago by a group of stylish people who mostly worked in museums. Its tagline is “the dance party that will ruin your life” and every month features a different theme and a video that can only be described as a piece of art to go along with it. The party has gained momentum and attention and moved to progressively bigger venues. I love the fact that while dressing up is encouraged it’s not required and that it attracts a mixed crowd of, well, pretty much everyone who likes weird (but not that weird) arty and really honestly fun and unpretentious parties. This time around the theme was 7-11 and the Village Voice showed up to take pictures. Thanks to my handily constructed Slurpee hat apparently I was quite photogenic. Who knew I would be a nightlife icon for a fleeting second? Check out the rest of the Voice’s photos here. I also put photos on my flickr stream.

Casual Evening Boating Attire

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It’s a well known joke in my family that I don’t like boats. It’s not my fault, it’s just that when I am in a boat larger than a canoe that has a motor I tend to get really sea sick really quickly. Blame it on a childhood spent on them. However, I may have made my peace with boats after a wonderful evening spent aboard the ship Clipper City this past weekend. Our friends Frank and Sandy got married on the boat (by the ship captain, which is something that they can do as a captain!) and invited us to celebrate with them. It was magical to float about New York Harbor as the sun sunk behind Ellis Island and send golden rays glancing off the giant shipping dock cranes in Red Hook. The invitation called for “Casual Evening Boating Attire” and I think I was successful. There are more photos on flickr.

Rendez-Vous with the Real French Navy

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Sometimes living in New York is just surreal. My friend who works for the French consulate invited me to a cocktail reception aboard the helicopter carrier Jeanne D’Arc, a French Navy training ship that was doing its last worldwide tour of duty before being retired.

I wore a pinstriped blazer, black heels (despite being warned in an email not to, because one had to climb many ladders to get to the deck where the reception was, but I knew these would be French people, which meant the women would all be in heels), and carried a handbag I bought at Monoprix for 20 euro, figuring I’d look the part in my own American way. And yes, I hummed the Camera Obscura song all day.

My grandfathers served in the American navy and I had to laugh at myself, me who hates war, living it up aboard a ship (albeit, not an American one). It was pretty great to climb down ladders and through hatches, to drink a coke and avoid that weird, electric blue, menthalated syrup drink that the French love as the sun cast evening rays over Manhattan.

Even if the event was way too crowded and there was no where near enough food or drinks, I wouldn’t trade being served hors d’oeuvres by a French sailor for anything. And I still need to procure one of those stripey shirts that they wear…