|
|
Some Days in the San Francisco Bay
May 2023
I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and will forever say that San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I was excited to spend a big day there with my old buddy, Yvonne. In high school, we used to ditch school and go shopping in The City, made many memorable trips to the Esprit Outlet, and she taught me the ways of dining à la sushi boat. Needless to say, she was a very important influencer.
+ Yvonne and I took the extra long way to San Francisco, by way of Half Moon Bay, so we could grab an early lunch at our friend Alexis' spot (also an accomplice in the old high school days), Dad's Luncheonette. We ate everything on the menu! We recommend you do the same! From there, we drove north to Montara to check out Alexis' new project, Tide Pool! So cute!
+ We landed in the Outer Sunset where we popped in to Blackbird Bookstore and Cafe for a little 'spro in their backyard garden. We quickly hit General Store and Mollusk, where my friend and I agreed we wished we had the courage to surf, before getting a light snack of poke and ceviche at Hook Fish.
+ Next up, we hit the De Young, my favorite museum. I was blown away by Kehinde Wiley's larger than life exhibit (go see it!) and was pleased to learn about the previously overlooked (not sure how?!) Three Gems skyspace by James Turrell. What a sacred space that is. We walked a bit through the Botanical Gardens and the plants were absolute monsters from all the rain they've had!
+ We bopped around Japantown for a minute, and popped into Kyoto-based Sou Sou where I was happy to purchase a sweet summer dress and am still kicking myself for not also getting a pair of Tabi shoes. One of Sou Sou's founders, Katsuji Wakisaka, was the first Japanese designer to work for Marimekko in the late 1960's and you can really see the influence!
+ The Mission was our final destination of the day. We started at No Shop, which was so so good, grabbed another coffee at Four Barrel, and continued south down Valencia. We breezed through Nooworks, window gazed at Kamperett (they were closed) and did a run through at Afterlife Collective, where I maybe should have gotten this cool vintage quilted jacket. At our final shopping destination, Gravel & Gold, I purchased a Canadian tuxedo- I love my new denim jacket and denim pants! Also, some news, we will be doing a VERY FUN EVENT with Gravel & Gold VERY SOON, so stay glued to us for updates!
+ Yvonne and I rounded out our marathon bluebird day with yet another epic meal- the seasonal pasta tasting menu and wine pairing at Flour + Water was an absolute knock out, and the vibe was gooood.
A Brief Look at an Idyllic Spring Day in Portland
April 2023
There was a day last week, when the sky parted and BLUE and GREEN permeated everything in sight. I took advantage of a day off, and took myself to couple of my favorite places.
+ Any time I can, I visit the Portland Japanese Garden. I became a member a few years ago, and will never NOT be a member. One major perk of being a member, is that you can visit before the gardens open to the public. Another major perk, is that you can visit literally every day, and see something new each time. The cherry blossom showcase is the garden's biggest trick, but to me, the moment before this happens is the magic. The morning I went, the mist was heavy, the paths were quiet, and the cherry blossom buds were near bursting. The saturation of green everywhere, was beyond measure. The covered sitting area in the Natural Garden has a new cedar roof. It smells nice. And, the current installation by the Garden's artist-in-residence, Rui Sasaki, is stunning.
+ Next, I head to Sauvie Island, where beeline to my favorite bird destination, the Viewing Platform at Milepost 7 on Reeder Road. I watched four bald eagles play in the clouds, and found a giant flock of Sandhill Cranes hanging out on someone's lawn just past the viewing platform.
+ My ultimate destination on the island is usually Cistus Nursery. I can spend hours there, admiring plants that I've seen a million times, or discovering ones I've never seen before. Right now, the nursery is abundant. I had the place to myself, learned some things from the helpful staff, and ultimately went home to plant: an alpine tea tree, 3 varieties of camellia (inspired by the Japanese Garden), a big, leggy manzanita, and a mountain bottlebrush.
+ To round out a pretty sweet day, I stop at Milk Glass Mrkt to pick up some provisions. I can't leave without a bag of perfect (usually bitter) greens for dinner, a baked good (I'm partial to their Honey WW Loaf for the BEST toast), a house-made savory bite for lunch, and a bottle of wine (or 3) that I've been encouraged to try (always winners). I cannot wait for warmer weather, when Milk Glass powers up their soft serve ice cream machine for the season!
January 2023
I was so excited to get back to New York City last month after a few years away- it's one of my favorite cities in the world. The kaleidoscope of experiences one could have is vast, and I certainly felt that this trip! Below is a roundup of my favorite things, broken into three geographic areas- Brooklyn, Beacon and Manhattan.
]]>A Long Overdue Visit to New York City!
October 2023
I was so excited to get back to New York City last month after a few years away- it's one of my favorite cities in the world. The kaleidoscope of experiences one could have is vast, and I certainly felt that this trip! Below is a roundup of my favorite things, broken into three geographic areas- Brooklyn, Beacon and Manhattan.
BROOKLYN
I was hosted by my dear friend Helmy in his gorgeous, pre-war flat in Bedford-Stuyvesant. I was amazed by the abundance of mature trees in his historic neighborhood! So special! We took in a lot, and walked everywhere....
+ Coffee and pastries at Saraghina
+ Ice Cream from Lady Moo Moo
+ Consignment shopping at Consignment Brooklyn and ALL the Beacon's Closets
+ Definitely dinner at Frankie's 457. We think we saw Rosalia there, in a fabulous head to toe pink outfit, complete with cape. But we aren't 100% sure.
+ The current Virgil Abloh show at Brooklyn Art Museum was outstanding, historic, and alive. Also check out the prolific Nellie Mae Rowe exhibit and don't miss Judy Chicago's epic "Dinner Party"!
BEACON
Have you ever taken the train north to Beacon, NY? If you haven't, put it on your bucket list. If you have a free day, the train ride itself is worth the trip.
+ Get train snacks from Katagiri, the oldest Japanese grocery store in the USA! It's really close to Grand Central
+ Take in Beacon's Main Street. It's almost a mile long! Refuel at Little King (get the scone), check out the cool plant dyed houseline at Colorant, and be sure to make it all the way down Main to Kaight Shop. I got this Atelier Delphine dress in lime there, and a new black uniform top by Rita Row. Walk all the way to Kill Fish Creek to check out their cool waterfalls.
+ The crown jewel and reason for this trip, is to spend time at Dia Beacon. This is the best museum. It houses large scale work by contemporary artists. It's for wandering and a great place for contemplation. Take your time. It's our cathedral.
MANHATTAN
I spent my last couple of days in Manhattan, where I met up with one of my favorite travel buddies, Scarlet Chamberlin. We stayed at the new Nine Orchard hotel in the East Village, which I highly recommend. And, there is SO MUCH SHOPPING within walking distance. Here are some highlights of our couple of days:
+ Definitely go to Corner Bar for a meal. We had our breakfasts there and it was really great! Also down the street is Cervo's, where we had a delicious and very lively dinner (and bumped into one of our fave consignors!).
+ I got this great piece from newcomers, Maiden Lane. We met one of the owners and tried on everything.
+ Do not miss the iconic Grand Central Oyster Bar. We had lunch there at the bar- oysters and lobster roll. Perfectly old school dining.
+ We always love a stop in at No. 6. I'm still lusting after these Agatha Pants and this Anntian dress. It was also great to go to a FEIT store, I am very into these gardening clogs! (We have a couple pairs of FEIT in store right now!)
+ Bode was a really fun time. We stumbled into here late, and were totally jiving with the team. I learned about their Senior Cord line- they even take special orders and you can get your dog's face painted on a jacket! So cool!
+ I cannot go to New York without a visit to the Met. I love zipping through the galleries, with masterworks whizzing endlessly by. The Kimono Style exhibit was really beautiful and interesting (didn't know about women samurai!). There's a new Julie Mehretu piece in their permanent collection which I really love and of course, it's best to see in person.
And that's my New York, for now.
It already seems like forever ago when I quietly snuck away to a faraway place...
Stars aligned this spring when I was able to travel with my husband, a best friend and her little family of four to Barcelona, Spain. None of us had ever been to Spain before, and Barcelona felt like home as soon as we arrived, spring rain and all. We spent ten days exploring the city mostly by foot, with light crowds in all the hot tourist spots. I was mostly off Instagram and email for the length of my trip, which was really a pleasure. It made bumbling around the city feel like the good old days, when you just FOUND things.
I did manage to get a few recommendations for shopping before the trip, and one of them came from my contact at the Valencia based company, The Nude Label, where we get our underwear for the shop. The day we set out to find their recommended shop, Colmado, proved to be our most serendipitous shopping adventure. It was a true vein of gold kind of day, where one small win led to another.
We started our day with a perfect Nomad cappuccino from our favorite neighborhood newspaper and magazine kiosk, Odd Kiosk. Then, we began our walk. Colmado is in the Gothic Quarter close to the popular Picasso Museum, but down a tiny, empty, winding cobblestoned street that cars could not fit through. After thinking we were lost, we finally found Colmado at an intersection, with a little boutique on each of its four corners. It turned out that all the shop owners were hanging out at one of the shops, Ivori, so we went there first. Ivori carried only Spanish brands, including their own line of linen items, and records! While I lusted after a beautiful pair of leather sandals by Naguisa, I opted for a more weather appropriate cardigan from Rita Row. When we finally made it to Colmado, I was happy to chat with the shop owner and pick up The Nude Label bodysuit and socks to try out, as well as a perfect white button up shirt with a pointed collar from the shop's line.
After a pleasant visit, we wandered further down the street to a wine bar that the shop owner recommended called L'Anima del Vi (sadly, it was closed), but then popped into the shop across the street, which took our breath away. Après Ski had the most beautiful, handmade, vintage textile chore coats and bucket hats, all of which were unique, and wonderful. Their whimsical gold plated silver jewelry were in shapes reminiscent of ancient museum pieces, and hand made by artisans in a traditional way in Turkey. I was delighted to be gifted a charming necklace from Après Ski for my birthday.
We left the Gothic Quarter that day feeling high on discovering beautiful things, and meeting cool locals, and definitely stopped at an outdoor cafe for a gin tonic and tapas on our walk home.
Once I returned home, I ordered a tiny collection of jewelry from Après Ski to share with you. And, I added a small selection of The Nude Label bodysuits (they are so good), a few bathing suit combos, men's undies, and their summer appropriate socks to our most recent underwear order! They have all landed in the shop, so we will celebrate.
]]>