fashion friday | spring daydreaming

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13

It's April, people, A-P-R-I-L! but the temperature is sure taking its dear sweet time to rise to regular spring levels. That doesn't stop me from dreaming of sandal days...sundress days...sunglasses days that I know are right around the corner. (Dear God, please let them be right around the corner!) So while I'm still stuck in a heavy coat and tights, here are my aspirations for the upcoming months. I may already own 1, 9, and 12 and they are burning a hole in my closet! I can't wait to break them out!

What else should I add to my warm weather wish list?

spring snapshots

HAPPY DAY! It has finally finally finally started feeling like spring around here. I fit in a nice long run on Saturday and have been spending more and more time outside without my heaviest jacket. It's been a slow transition, but I can feel gorgeous weather and a happy city are right around the corner. Here are some shots from the last couple weeks.

want it, need it, have to have it | oxfords

one | two | three | four | five | six

During the winter, I wear tall boots just about everyday. It's so boring, but they keep me warm and allow me to get use out of my extensive supply of dresses even during the coldest months. I'm hoping, wishing, praying that those days are soon coming to an end for the year and I can inject some variety into my footwear. Before I can joyously break out my sandals, I'm on the lookout for a closed toed option that's a little more interesting than ballet flats. I want a cute pair of oxfords that will go with pants and skirts/dresses. Here are a few options I've found so far. 

Which do you like best? I think two and five are my favorites. Any other shoe suggestions for between seasons?

weekend recap | snow storm and tv edition

In case you didn't hear, the Northeast got some snow this weekend. NYC was definitely spared more than the rest of New England, but we got quite a dumping on Friday. (I've been wearing my snow boots for days!) Sadly it couldn't be during the week and at least give me hope of a snow day from work. So is life. And apparently someone at the Weather Channel has decided to start giving every breeze that comes across their radar a name, so this bit of weather was called Nemo. Weird, right? Anyway, here are a bunch of photos of the snow and the rest of the things that happened this weekend.

the weather report | more than just cold

After over a week of sub-sub-freezing temperatures, we finally got some snow! I don't know why this makes the cold more bearable. It's just as frigid (if not more) and now wet and slippery, but a dusting of white on the ground gets everyone a little excited and warmed from the inside out. Somehow the cold is justified/vindicated by it. Regardless, I'm glad January is almost over.

hurricane sandy

Thanks for all your texts, thoughts, and well wishes since Hurricane Sandy rolled through earlier this week. We've been inundated with images and news reports of all the damage in New York and New Jersey. I'm almost ashamed to report how well we've fared in my little pocket of Brooklyn. We never lost power and were spared the flood waters (although they were about a block away from my apartment building). A lot of downtown Manhattan is still without power (including my office) and the subways are still shut down,  so I've been on a bit of an extended vacation. I've somehow managed to fit in some runs the past couple days and have surveyed lots of big trees down throughout Brooklyn, especially in Prospect Park. My heart goes out to those who are displaced or without power still or unable to get in or out of the city. Things seem to be getting back to normal a bit today, but I have a feeling the rebuilding will be slow. Stay safe, everyone!

{NASA/NOAA GOES Project via Atlantic Cities}

{Port Authority of NY&NJ twitter via Atlantic Cities}

Flood waters pouring into a PATH station.

{@andjelicaaa's instagram via Atlantic Cities}

Jane's Carousel in DUMBO (I was just there!). I haven't heard any reports on how it fared but hope it survived. 

Whether it was a good idea or not, we took a walk down to see the Gowanus Canal on Monday night. The flood waters here are all the way up to 2nd Avenue and 9th Street. Along the way, we also saw firefighters battling a warehouse fire in Gowanus. I'm in awe of all the city workers during this storm. Thanks for keeping us safe!

Kurt and I went on my rooftop Tuesday night and a good chunk of lower Manhattan is still in darkness. Stay safe over there!

The blog seems pretty trivial while all this mess is happening and so many of my fellow New Yorkers are in pain, so I'm taking a break for the week. I'll be back next week with some updates. In the meantime, consider making a donation to help the support efforts.

spring is here!

I can feel the city humming with the crazy energy of summer already. While I think its still a little premature to break out your white jeans and sandals, I love how people are visibly ready to rip off all their clothes and embrace the warmth :) Add in the sunshine and endless supply of fun events and I'm constantly reminded of how much I love this place. A little bit of studying here and there doesn't sound so bad anymore...especially if I can do it in the park pretty soon!

Jenn and I went to Barnes and Noble in Union Square to see the Pioneer Woman. She was there promoting her new cookbook. 

Remember when I saw her last year? Well, now I actually own her book and Jenn grabbed a bunch for friends, so we stuck around to get them personally signed.

That was no small feat with about 300 fans in the audience! After a cute little thirty minute presentation by Ree (which included a musical devotion to her basset hound) we waited around a couple hours to have our books signed. If you ever go to a book signing, be sure to sit in the front! Thanks for sticking with us, P-Dub!

I probably don't even need to mention our recent gorgeous weather again but it's been glorious. It sure makes my walk to work in the morning more enjoyable.

You know what else makes life more fun? When temporary coworkers bring their cute little dogs to the office! Basel here is a mini dachshund and wiggled around our office one day last week. While he was adorable and I find dachshunds one of the few small dogs I like, he was a little frail. I've decided I need a pup that can rough house a tad more :)

In other work news, we took a client to see a project that our office did years ago and had a particular stair detail we wanted to highlight. Of course we poked around the rest of the townhouse! I loved this kids room which was kind of space age-y. The light fixture was awesome and there was a real Saarinen table and tulip chairs (not the Ikea version I would be more than happy to own). Plus, those walls?! Incredible wallpaper! I was blown away. (I have a feeling it might be from Black Crow Studios but I can't be sure.) My only complaint? Who doesn't make their kids make the bed in the morning?! The house was pretty immaculate, so I guess they need to leave something for the maid to do...

And my final work comment: we took an entire masonry wall down at our Upper West Side townhouse! Gone! It was crumbling beforehand and had a lousy foundation, so our contractor and structural engineer decided that taking it down and rebuilding the foundation was the most cost effective route. We once thought all that steel shoring was a little overkill but now its seems teeny to hold up the other walls! All in the name of progress :)

Jenn and I attended a happy hour event at the Lillian August showroom hosted by Tilton Fenwick and the newly launched New York Cottages and Gardens magazine. Lots of prosecco. Lots of fun!

I was #1 in our March Madness for a brief second!! During my reign at the top, poor Kurt was down at the bottom. The tables have definitely turned by now, but I am going to bask in my period of greatness a little longer :)

Friday night, we observed the birthdays of Will and Pilar. Sadly, I only got some photos at the new Park Slope Beauty Bar (and their glitter walls!) at the end of the night. Before that, we hit Pacifico, Boat Bar, and Camp. Talk about marathon! Happy (late) birthdays, guys!

Other than my 5k a couple weeks ago, I took my inaugural outdoor run of the year this weekend. This photo of Prospect Park looks pretty bleak but it was actually fairly sunny and the park was crawling with kids, animals, and soccer games. Yay for spring!

I usually like the post my weekly recaps on Mondays but figured I would make an exception this week because I took my first Architecture Registration Exam today!!!! I had been studying for the Construction Documents portion for a while and decided enough was enough and finally scheduled the test. I think/hope it went pretty well. Hopefully I can let you know in a couple weeks (although I might be too embarrassed to share if I fail!). After my morning exam I took the day off work and enjoyed a nice leisurely Monday in Brooklyn. I treated myself to a nice sidewalk lunch (and brownie) at Tazza in Brooklyn Heights before heading home to do my taxes :) Let's hear it for refunds!

After all those employed people got off work, this guy took me out for a drink and pizza at Bar Tano.

Yum! Thanks, Kurt! Hopefully one down and six more to go!

This is pretty out of order but, speaking of pizza, a couple weeks ago Kurt was preparing intensely for his LARE exams (I'm not the only studious one around here!) and I offered to make him dinner so he didn't have to worry about food for a couple evenings. I tried my version of Mellow Mushroom's Kosmic Karma pizza and made a fun animated GIF about it! Ingredients: premade pizza crust, pizza sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, shredded mozzarella cheese, Roma tomatoes, pesto, feta cheese, and fresh spinach. Bake and voila! If you are interested in making an animated GIF (first of all center your photos better than mine...this one makes me dizzy...sorry!) I highly suggest the tutorial on Say Yes to Hoboken. She makes it so simple.

Have a great week!

a few things...

{photo by Erik Martig}

• I am back from Utah and had an incredibly fun time. We saw some old friends, made a few new ones, and had several dance parties. You better believe I have recaps on the way.
• Fall arrived in NYC during my absence. Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to cooler temps and earthy colors this year. Don't get me wrong, I love summer and all its beach time, sun dresses, sandals, and dining al fresco. However, I am tired of always being sweaty (tmi?) and am looking forward to a little wardrobe diversity (I swear I haven't worn jeans all summer). I would like to sleep with my windows mostly closed for some peace and quiet, not feel guilty for spending time indoors, and enjoy some college football. While we were traveling, I caught a gust of cold air in Chicago and almost lost all resolve to enjoy the season, but as long as autumn is unnaturally looooong and winter is far out of sight, I might be able to survive until my shorts are put into regular rotation once more.
• When I arrived home late Monday night from the airport, I could tell Aubie was feeling under the weather. I've never taken him to the vet, so I had no idea how he would react. We picked a nearby clinic with good reviews and went after work last night. Aubie didn't like nosy dogs near his cage but was pretty unfazed by other cats. Once we got into an individual room, he enjoyed exploring and getting some extra love from the vet tech and the vet. But once they started trying to do an exam, he went into full bobcat mode. I've never heard such sounds come from my sweetheart moderately friendly cat. Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with those claws he was flailing around though. Ultimately, the vet gave up, said "wow, he's strong" and sent me home with a few options. Let's hope Aubie will be more agreeable when I try to play doctor with him!
• My 3 year NYC anniversary has come and gone. I usually like to make a big deal about it and reflect back but was super busy and missed both the day I arrived (September 6th, also the birthday of a fab pair of twins I know) and the day I started my job (September 15th, also the day Lehman Brothers went under). Regardless, there you have it: 3 years, 4 apartments, and 1 cat later and I think I'm doing alright. In some respects I can't believe it's been that long and in others it feels short. Let's see where I end up at year 4 :) That celebration will not be missed!
• Tonight, Kurt and I have our clase de español última (last Spanish class). I've had a love/hate relationship with this class. Every Wednesday beforehand, I would absolutely dread going. I never managed to fit any studying in during the previous week and was always stressed that I didn't know anything. Other fun things always seemed to pop up on Wednesdays and I felt weighed down by the obligation of going to school. Then the 2 hour class would always fly by and I would be sad to leave our fun teacher and classmates I had started to enjoy. The jury is still out on how much Spanish I have actually learned but I think a good groundwork is laid. Taking more classes might be out of my budget, but I hope Kurt and I can stick with it on our own.
• I'm instituting a 1 drink max rule for the next month. I wavered blogging about it in fear I will actually have to stick with it, but I am hoping the internet gives me some sort of accountability. I also contemplated giving up alcohol completely but then decided I would never make it through a week, let alone a month (mama likes her glass of wine with dinner too much). That's not the point anyway. It's more about moderation. I feel like I have been overindulging lately and need to get a better balance. While I can't guarantee that "1 drink" won't devolve from 1 drink per night to 1 drink per bar or 1 drink per hour, I will try to stay on the straight and narrow. Save some money. Save some calories. Save some brain/liver cells :) Wish me luck!!

we skirted the apocalypse [again]

Luckily, we were spared much trouble in NYC from dear, sweet Irene. Unfortunately, she gave our New England cousins up north a bit more grief. I hope everyone stays safe as they wade through the mess left behind. In the meantime, here is how the whole (underwhelming) weekend went down in Brooklyn.

Saturday seemed pretty ominous, so as I was rushing around doing laundry and cleaning my apartment (who does housework with an impending hurricane? Me, apparently.) Kurt came to retrieve Aubie on the bike trailer. You can take the boy out of Ohio...

Aubie was not too pleased to go for a ride. He thoroughly enjoyed the weekend in a new atmosphere though. He was (almost) a perfect gentleman at 731 without much clawing/biting and didn't break anything. (He is always knocking things over at my apartment!) He may have even kept a pesky mouse at bay over the weekend and won over the Martig Brothers :) However, Aubie did not win over neighbor Jenn's cat Princess Chunk. They hissed and growled at each other but I think deep down they will be friends one day.

The storm came through without much incident.  I slept through most of it (hence no action shots). Kurt got up early Sunday morning when the worst of it was coming through and was pretty disappointed with his first hurricane. We really only got lots of rain and some wind.

We went up on the roof as the backside of the storm was coming through (smart, right?). There was only wind and some crazy cloud action but no rain. The air was incredibly crisp. I guess Irene was good for clearing the air at least.

A few LSU friends (including a new 731 addition) came over to show us how to really enjoy a hurricane. They were pretty disappointed by Irene's performance but showed us how to yell at the sky, drink beer all day, play board games to pass the time (even though we never lost power), and made us the most delicious gumbo. I think we'll keep these kids around!

One of Aubie's thrills from his weekend journey was exploring the backyard of 731. I kept a close eye like the over-protective momma I am so he wouldn't escape (or scrape his knees or something). 

He was very cautious as he tip toed around very delicately.

Not quite a jungle cat  but I hope he enjoyed the bit of green. He doesn't get much at home with me.

Now we are back at my apartment safe and sound and back to our normal routine. The trains were up and running early Monday morning, so I was back at work too :(

Aubie's been spending lots of time gazing out our third floor window (dreaming of the 731 Jungle, I'm sure), sleeping copious amounts, and working on blending into my hardwood floors. Life as a cat sure is tough. Let's hope we don't have to relocate for any more natural disasters anytime soon! Although I have heard that a couple of brothers wouldn't mind us returning every once and while for a visit. Well, Aubie at least. I'm not sure if I'm invited :)

bring it, irene

{via the weather channel}

Not sure if you've heard (how could you miss it?!) but the East Coast is getting pummeled by Hurricane Irene this weekend. NYC has practically entered into emergency mode and everyone is freaking out. With an earthquake earlier in the week, the first hurricane to hit the city in many years, and the accompanying media hysteria, it's been an interesting few days. Even though I am convinced everyone is overreacting, Aubie and I have "evacuted" our apartment near the Gowanus Canal because it is near an area likely to flood. We've escaped to safety at Kurt's apartment farther up the hill.

At least I'm getting in some good blogging time since the rain and wind (and imminent danger, right Mom?) is keeping us indoors. Expects lots of posts in the next couple days! Everyone stay safe!

chicago: day three

Last batch of Chicago pictures, I promise. Sunday was our last full day in town and we set off on another all day, epic ride around the city.

We rode down a street near Justin and Brett's apartment and someone had put bubbles in the fountain! So funny!

Then it was onto brunch at Julius Meinl.

They take their coffee very seriously. Served on a silver platter with all the add ins...and a yummy cookie!

I opted for ham and brie crepes. Yum! 

After brunch we did some some riding around and came across Ork Posters. Unfortunately, they weren't open but they have really awesome prints. Kurt has Brooklyn and NYC in his apartment. I'm jealous! (When searching for those links, I discovered they now offer a four color screen print of Brooklyn. I must have it!)

Then we hit the beach! I had been waiting for this all weekend. I think Chicago makes up for its despair-inducing winters by having miles and miles of beautiful and accessible beaches in the summer.

The water was awesome and warm. I have no concept of the Great Lakes, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Pleasantly surprised!

But then Kurt got bored, so we left the beach for more bike riding.

We rode all the way to Logan Square and Wicker Park which reminded us a lot of Williamsburg here in Brooklyn (i.e. containing a high hipster population).

They even have a Brooklyn Industries! 

We stopped for tacos and cheap pitchers of beer at Big Star in Wicker Park.

I could get used to this place. The tacos were awesome and the indoor/outdoor vibe was great. I would probably be singing a different tune come February with subzero temperatures though.

Speaking of hipsters...some PBR love :)

Our next destination was the top of the Hancock Center but the skies began looking pretty ominous as we made our way downtown.

We rode our little hearts out (and almost got blown over by some crazy wind!) until making it to shelter under the Trump Tower where we discussed our plan of action. The rain was holding off, so we thought we might be able to hop back on our bikes and ride to the Hancock Tower. Not so much. We got halfway there and the skies opened up. We hurriedly locked the bikes and took shelter in the Gap. This wasn't just a light sprinkle. It was pouring. Kurt valiantly grabbed us a cab and we rode the measly 3 blocks or so to the tower.

We opted for the bar at the top of the building instead of the observation deck. Too bad this was our view when we reached the 96th floor! This rain was really throwing a wrench in our plans.

Eventually the clouds began to clear and we gradually were able to grab and awesome table by the window. We did the math and a bottle of wine at the bar was a much better deal than paying for tickets to the observation deck. More fun too!

We even got a rainbow!

The sky eventually cleared as we sipped our wine and revealed the awesome skyline.

We might have gotten a little sun that day :)

There was a swanky restaurant on the level below the bar which looked eastward over the lake.

North

After leaving the Hancock Tower and picking up our bikes, we attempted to do a little more exploring around downtown. Of course we got stuck in another rain shower. We took shelter under a big office building and chatted with an old cigar smoking guy from Texas. 

Once the rain cleared, we checked out Kurt's new favorite building up close.

We decided all these high rise residential towers share this park space. Kurt also decided that Chicago needs help in the landscape architecture department. Don't worry. He's on it.

We stopped by the Crown Fountain again at night before loading our tired selves and bikes on the train to go to bed (after a late night slice of pizza, of course).

I had such a blast in Chicago. Thanks again to our fabulous hosts for showing us a great time!