Bella Wish

Happy Birthday Denise!

     photo of the illuminating Denise by the illuminating Jess

Today is my bosom friend Denise's birthday.  Oh how I would love to write posts for each of my sweet friends on their birthdays -  if only that were possible - but I was excited to write this post today because I have a somewhat strange, non-traditional and non-material teeny bit of a gift for Denise that I wanted to share.

She doesn't know I am doing this and when she reads this she will be finding out what it is as well.  Which kind of makes it fun, yes?  But before I get into that I wanted to share that I chose this particular photo of her that Jessamyn magnificantly captured because I love her smile.  I always tell her she has a Kate Winslet smile and well, need I say more?  I know I am making her blush right now so I will just continue...

Denise is one of those friends that inspires me to be better.  If you know her, and/or read her blog, you know that I am not the only who thinks so.  She has cultivated an amazing community of friends and thousands of readers who visit her site each day seeking inspiration, truth, spirit and a soft place to land.  She makes the world a better place just by being authentically who she is. She teaches me how to be a better friend in all of my friendships.

She recently wrote a guest post over at Alex's beautiful Gypsy Girl's Guide that moved me and planted a seed.  You can read her beautiful words here.  Her story of that time in her life is about the feeling of oneness she experienced on a trip to visit a Romanian Orphanage.  She had shared with me years ago about her time there but for some reason reading her words and the story of connection in her post stirred something deep within.

For me it brought to the surface thoughts of empathy, compassion for others, the romance of the rain and a similar experience I had of dancing in the street, the power of our stories and the truth that we are all connected.  All of which Denise embodies, lives and shares bravely and openly.

It also brought to the surface deep longing.  I too want to have an experience like she shared helping others and even moreso, wish for my girls to experience this kind of soul work, this kind of oneness, this kind of wonderment and wanderlust and connection that may change the way they view the world simply by being of service.

My Life List is sacred to me and something I am actively pursuing with the time I am given here.  Up until today I had 99 items on this list with the idea that perhaps there may, or may not, be one more added to round it off to 100.  I told myself at the time that I would know if there needed to be one more added.

Reading Denise's words that day had me knowing immediately what #100 on my Life List would be:

#100 Travel with my family to an area in need where we can help as a means to cultivate empathy, understanding and oneness.**

Where will we be going? I have no idea. India? Africa? Romania?  I don't know, I am open to wherever we are guided and will trust it's where we need to be.

When will this happen? I don't know the answer to that either but I do know it won't happen for quite a few years from now when both of my girls are old enough and at a place where they can really take it all in.  Since I have no idea what our lives will look like years from now and have no way of knowing if there will be resistance or anticipation from either one of them, myself or Jimmy regarding a decision I am making for us, I can only trust that it will happen when it's meant to happen. In the meantime I have some years ahead to research and figure out all the how's of it all.  Like the money part for instance.  Perhaps years from now the money part will be a non-issue, yes?  Let me manifest that. ; )

Before Jimmy and I had children we would talk about what we thought that vision might look like for us. We dreamed of exposing our children to cultures outside of their own, to travel as a family and to experience traditions, lifestyles and rituals outside of the United States.  Now that they are finally here with us that vision has remained.  Our wish is for them, and us, to drink in the beauty of the world while also allowing the suffering we will ultimately witness on this journey to perhaps further ignite a spark within to be the change we wish to see.

I know this is a lot of big lofty talk for something that isn't going to even happen for many more years to come.  Honestly, it feels a bit weird to write even. But the simple fact that one of my dearest friends provided me with the last item on my life list is a symbolic gift to me that I wanted to document and to share with her today, the day she was born.

Denise, I hope you see this dream as a gift to you and from you.  I hope when this item is being crossed off my list years from now that we still know each other in this life and Mia and Isabella can share their story while snuggled up to their Soul Auntie Boho.

We de la Rosa's love you, baby.  I love you, baby. You are a queen in all lives. Happy Birthday.  May your day be filled with Kate Winslet smiles and flowers in your dreads.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**When I say this, I want to be very clear that my intention here is to help and it is not something I am just romanticizing. As much as I loved reading Denise's story, I hold no expectation that I will be dancing in the streets in the rain although I must admit that I do expect to be changed on some level having had the experience.

I believe physically helping children in some way simply by seeing them and being with them is an experience that Isabella, Mia, Jimmy and myself would all benefit from as a family and as individuals. It is my wish to make a tiny difference in the life of a child. I would prefer a group situation and perhaps working with a secular organization rather then a religious focused mission trip with a focus on being with children.

If you are reading this and know of a group that organizes short-term trips, or have had an exerience yourself you wish to share, please contact me. I would love to talk with you more.

Living Large

from the casual to the divine (left~right) Sam's Anchor Cafe ~ Michael Mina ~ San Franciso ~ canon digital rebel xt

To say that I ate well in both Capitola and San Francisco would be an understatement. The word 'well' would not even begin to describe it. To say I was indulgent, gluttonous, hedonistic even, reminiscent of Meryl Streep's character in the film Defending Your Life where she plays Julia, a woman whose heaven is one which consists of eating whatever she wants, never gaining an ounce and feeling great, would be closer to the way I ate last week. Except for the part about feeling great and not gaining an ounce. But I definitely had the eating whatever I wanted thing down.

Actually it all started about three weeks ago, and if we are being technical about ten years ago, but I digress. About three weeks ago, my dad, his wife (Tracy) and my half-sister (Kaitlyn) started their vacation. Jimmy and I met them in Newport Beach and spent way too much time at this place devouring obscene amounts of triple chocolate espresso cookies.

I often joke that I married my father as both he and Jimmy are amazing, creative cooks, accomplished drummers and are both way too into things like science and astronomy. So watching them cook together one night in Newport  Beach was too fun. They marinated all different types of seafood and veggies in olive oil, sea salt and tons of herbs and grilled it all to perfection. Jimmy assembled a deconstructed bruschetta of tomato, garlic, olive oil, sea salt and basil over toasted baguette as an appetizer that was enjoyed with this yummy wine.

I book-ended their trip by meeting up with my family again in Capitola before heading to San Francisco where we enjoyed a delicious in every way meal at Bella Roma with Tracy's incredible aunt and uncle. She is an artist and he is part of the development team of the first completely self-sustaining city. It's truly amazing, but more about them, and that, in a separate post. This one is all about the food.

My week in San Francisco was spent with my gorgeous friend, and colleague, Suzanne. She grew up in the bay area so I was excited to dine at all new places in the city with her. Since we met last summer we are on the phone with each other every other day it seems. I was instantly smitten. She is one of those people that makes you feel good when you are around her so it was always fun and pure pleasure when we would meet up after work each day. Here is a list of each place we ate ~ and imbibed ~ at. I won't write about each restaurant, at least not on this blog, or we will be here for three weeks but please explore the links and let me know your experience if you have been to any of the following:

E&O Trading Company ~ gorgeous atmosphere, so yummy salads and the peachy canyon wine rocked too
Beetlenut ~ yummy mai tai's
Papalote ~ Soy-Rizo burrito... mmm mmm good
Sam's Anchor Cafe ~ we spent about 4.5 hours here, I can't wait to go back
Gold Dust Lounge ~Yeah, we did. It was right next door to our  hotel. We had the red velvet couch in the back all to ourselves and we had a BLAST, dirty martini's in hand
Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store ~ if I lived in North Beach this would be where you would find me
Some really yummy gelato place in North Beach whose name escapes me
Michael Mina ~ a magical fine dining experience
Emporio Rulli ~ easily one of the best latte's I have ever experienced
Dragonwell ~ they serve homemade chocolate fortune cookies here, need I say more?
Frozen yogurt at the liquor shop in Cow Hollow on the corner of Fillmore and Union
Cafe Gratitude in the Mission ~ I ordered I am bountiful and I am worthy. All I have to say is, I am a believer.

I do have to talk about our experience at Michael Mina because it started out as one thing and turned into something else. In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out we chose to eat here after seeing Giada talk about it on her show. I am not a fan of the Food Network as I once was, more on that in another post, but she did such a good job on the Austin episode, according to Jimmy, that we thought we would take her recommendation for this place in the city.

What she does not state in the episode is that the menu is a three-course prix fixe menu. If you saw the show and want to dine here just know that you are paying $98 a head just by walking in the door. There are no ala carte items. If you want that lobster pot pie she eats on that episode, it's an additional $38 on top of that. The Kobe beef? An additional $130.

We were not aware of this and admittedly had a bit of sticker shock at first. Okay, more than a bit. We started to wonder, out loud: Do we stay? Do we go? Is it tacky to leave? Yes, we are that klassy. Looking around the restaurant, there was obvious money everywhere, but we decided to stay and just enjoy the experience and throw caution to the wind. $28 for a glass of wine? Sure, why the hell not.

But I will say this, it was worth every penny. Not just for the food and service ~ which were both top shelf ~ but the entire experience.

A gentleman, and I say this because he was indeed a gentle man, was seated next to us and was dining alone. Being the truly classy and sophisticated person that I am {wink}, I was taking non-flash photos of everything I, and Suzanne, were eating. Hey, I asked first. Anyway, upon noticing this he joked with me and asked if I wanted to take a photo of his first course and I told him I would if he really wanted me to. In a thick, french accent, he said he would love to have the photo as a memory.

Here is where the service part of this restaurant comes in. As I returned to my seat after shooting his photo for him I noticed my napkin was gone. As I sat a brand new napkin was immediately placed in my lap by an attentive waiter. Suzanne said they took it away the moment I rose up from the chair. I was impressed. We were clearly playing with the big dogs now and not on the porch with the pups.

We started talking to the gentleman next to us. Something about him reminded me of Robin Williams, if Robin Williams were french, soft spoken and blonde. He mentioned he was here specifically for the Kobe beef as recommended by his friend, um, Michael Mina.

We noticed that he had about five wine glasses in front of him and spoke at length with the sommelier about wine pairings with each course. You could tell he was someone who was very into food and wine and celebrated it so it made me laugh when he told me that he could see that I was just as passionate about food. I laughed because this style of eating is not the norm for me. He was clearly enjoying a typical Wednesday night meal and Suzanne and I were treating it as a definite experience, knowing next week it was back to Trader Joe's for us.

We started to all talk about food, and the wines he was drinking and the next thing we knew we were all sharing our food, tasting and talking about each course. What worked, (hamachi + strawberries = yum) what didn't (apparently the pork was overcooked, but I didn't try it so I can't comment), making food porn faces, etc. He was incredibly knowledgeable and I felt I was learning a lot in his presence.

As we talked, it turned out he used to own a restaurant in Santa Barbara. I mentioned that my husband and I frequent Santa Barbara's wine country when we can which led to the question, "Oh, you know Frank Ostini then? To which I replied, "Well, not personally like you do, but I know of him, and I sort-of know his nephew and have enjoyed many, many, ahem, many bottles of his wine."

This led to him instructing the server to come over and bring Suzanne and I each two glasses, one for red and one for white to help taste the wines he was drinking. At this point, I was truly in culinary heaven. Turns out he is a french wine producer. He gave me his card with his email address to send him the photo I took of his dinner and graciously said as he departed that whenever Jimmy and I were in France to let him know. I think we need to book a trip. Soon.

This lovely man truly gave Suzanne and I a unique,  magical and unforgettable fine dining experience in San Francisco. We are very happy we decided to stay.

~~~

The downside to all of this is that I came home and realized I no longer fit into most of my clothes. This is not just because of my indulgent week in San Francisco. I have been indulging for way too long now. Too many fun and fancy dinners with fabulous friends, too many bottles of wine, not enough exercising and cleansing.

There is a lot of "stuff" I have been hanging on to. This includes pregnancy weight, pregnancy grief, fear, etc. I am ready to let go and truly heal and cleanse both my body and my emotions. This is a scary thing for me and I will write about why in a different post. But it is also why when Monika and Carey announced their "Spring into Life" series last month, I couldn't sign up fast enough. My first class was this past Saturday and it solidified my connection to the earth, my own holistic approach to food and what I already know to be true for me. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.   

This post was all about the glorious food experiences that are to be celebrated in the world. It makes me realize that dining and restaurants are not just about the food, menu, atmosphere, but also the company and the people we meet on our journeys. Food is a wonderful thing that connects all of us and is meant to be celebrated together.

Bon Apetit'

It's like Paris by the ocean on a perfect April day...

a small slice of my time in San Francisco ~ canon digital rebel xt ~ (click for larger view)

I arrived home late Friday night from my week in Capitola and San Francisco. There will be many posts forthcoming about my time spent in each place. I am still very tired; it was a whirlwind week, rich with experience and perfect weather.

As wonderful a time as I had, I missed Jimmy deeply. I wish he could have been with me to experience all that I saw and did over the week. This weekend we have been spending lots of time together snuggling,  catching up and sharing stories as I ease back into my daily life here in Los Angeles.

I will be posting soon as there are many stories to share, and I will once I can put a sentence together. In the meantime the photos above give a small glimpse of my time there. I promised the gorgeous Susannah that I would take plenty of photos in the city as she has yet to visit. I made the diptych below in her honor. I am working to get the rest of my photos up on Flicker soon. Oh, and I just have to say that even though I have a lot to learn, I. LOVE. MY. CAMERA. I already fear however, for the addiction forming as I already long for bigger lenses and various filters in which to accessorize it.

I've been bitten by the shutterbug.

Macy's window display, Union Square ~ canon digital rebel xt ~ (click for larger view)

~~~~~~~~~~

I've got a friend in San Francisco
When the whole world
Lets me down
I can always find some comfort
In this breezy little town
On a hill by the bay
Where the sea meets the sky
All my blues melt away
On a San Francisco High

Through a misty
Morning sunrise
Distant Bridges are surreal
And the sights of Sausalito
Have a mystical appeal
That's why I long to be
Up where heaven is nigh
Livin' easy and free
On a San Francisco High

There's no other city
That can take
my breath away
It's like Paris by the ocean
On a perfect April day
Tourists sign with envy
As they stroll through
Union Square
And even proud
New Yorkers say
There's magic in the air.

The streets are filled
With music
And alive with style and light
There's a sweet nirvana
Stirring on a jazzy
North Beach night
Love to walk aimless miles
Watchin' strangers go by
Everyone wearin' smiles
On a San Francisco High

~Sony Holland

I have no idea who the artist is who performs this song, nor have I heard it, but I understand why songwriters, poets and authors write many love letters to this spectacular city. I really enjoyed the sentiment of her words... there's a sweet nirvana stirring on a jazzy North Beach night. Indeed.

brewing

iced tea, taken by jimmy ~ canon digital rebel xt

I was out playing with my new toy yesterday afternoon and met Jimmy for lunch. He started messing around with it and shot this photo of my iced tea just for fun. When I came home last night and downloaded my images, I could not stop staring at this one picture. I don't know why, but something about it makes me want an iced tea right now. Oh, Sweet Jane, but how I love my new camera...
and my sweet baby for taking this photo.

This photo is quite appropriate as there are some good things brewing around these parts and I am excited about it all. In the meantime, I leave for a quick weekend getaway in Capitola tomorrow morning to play with my family, then head north on Sunday to my soul-mate city of San Francisco for all of next week.

I won't be posting anything while gone but will have lots to share when I return.

If you celebrate Easter, I wish you happy egg hunting and loads of chocolate bunnies. Just try and steer clear of the peeps. Frightening little creatures those, peeps.

Travel Soup

Today marks a horrific day in our nation's history. My goal for a moment is to take the focus off all the crime and outrage that happened on that fateful day and talk about the beauty that is still in the world. I was thinking this morning about how one of  the messages five years ago was to keep traveling and it occurred to me that indeed the majority of the traveling that Jimmy and I have done through the years has happened in September. I am sure that is just coincidence, however.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my work involves promoting education. However, I find some of the greatest education I have ever received is through travel. Seeing the world, soaking in the history of other cultures, partaking in the customs of others, appreciating opposite lifestyles and indulging in different and wonderful foods is, for me, the best education money can buy. Once bit by the travel bug, that thirst for knowledge becomes a life-long addiction.

I thought I would share some of our past September journeys:

Although far from exotic, our first major trip together as a couple was to Disneyworld in Florida in September of 1998. We were joined by our friends Kevin, Nick, Jeff, Lincoln and Mike for a week in the happiest place on Earth.

Epcot Center: Kevin, me, Jimmy, Jeff, Lincoln

In September 2002 we said "Good on ya" to our friend Dawn in Australia where we spent 10 days exploring Sydney, Cairns (went diving in the Great Barrier Reef), Port Douglas and Hunter Valley.

Jimmy and I feeding wallabies

In September 2005 Jimmy and I spent 3 glorious weeks visiting friends in Europe. We started in London:

London Eye

Then headed to lovely Paris:

Jimmy on the Champs Elysees

Took a train to Amsterdam:

Red Shutters, Amsterdam

Flew over to Germany for Oktoberfest:

Jimmy, Marcel and the first of many beers

Recovered from Oktoberfest in beautiful Bavaria:

Jimmy

Hopped on another train to Zurich:

Jimmy, Hal, Mandi and I at Mere' Catherine in Zurich

And finally jetted back over to London:

Nick, Freddie, Jimmy and I in front of Nick & Freddie's Kensington flat

It has been exactly a year that we were in Europe and I miss it, and our friends, terribly. In September 2008, my wish is to be taking pictures in Italy.

New York Part Deux: Electric Bugaloo

I have about seven posts that I am working on simultaneously which is causing my ADD to go into overdrive, but I did want to finish and post the rest of the NY trip. Consider intermission over and I return you now to...

Day Three:

As we awoke Saturday morning, songs of Shug Avery still dancing in our heads, we realized that it was raining outside. Rain-fearing Californians that we are, we decided to make this Museum Day. But first things first...

I had a list of New York specific culinary delights that I was wanting to experience on this trip and a pastrami sandwich at a deli was one of them. With a hunger in our bellies (and cute hats on our heads) we walked to 7th street to dine at Carnegie Deli. Although there was a line, we were seated pretty quickly -- New Yorkers don't mess around. I sat next to a wall lined with photos of everyone from Tyra Banks to Judge Wopner thanking them for the tasty grub.

We feasted on some pickles and Jimmy and I split a damn fine pastrami sandwich. We had room to sample some authentic New York cheesecake as well. It's a good thing we were going to be walking this off.

After lunch we made our way to MOMA. Turns out everyone else thought it a great day for Museum Day as well. Our original plan was to visit the Met and Whitney as well, but time got away from us at MOMA and we were ready to head to our next museum... at closing time. Oh well, next trip. MOMA is a fantastic museum by the way. I didn't realize how many important pieces they housed there -- including 'Starry Night' which we were missing from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam which we visited in September of last year.

Seeing as Museum Day was now over (and we were near 5th Avenue) we decided shopping and cocktails were in order. Are you sensing a pattern here? The whole 'no job=no income' thing put a damper on my NY shopping fantasy, but Jimmy found a nice wallet at Kenneth Cole and Eileen found a great deal on a few pairs of shoes on this trip.

We then found our way to Havana Central for some mojitos (the blackberry mojitos are delish!) and appetizers. A salsa band showed up to play and we decided to stick around for a while. People soon got up to dance and we stayed entertained for quite some time.

Forty-five mojitos later, we decided to see if we could brave the top of the Empire State Building.... in the rain. Yeah, I know. We were going to walk but it was FAH-REEZING so we quickly jumped in a cab to 31st street. The observation deck was closed as visibility was zero, not to mention FAH-REEZING, so we quickly abandoned that hair-brained idea and ended up here.

Walking below street level to enter this champagne bar added to the speakeasy vibe. Once inside there are private alcoves lit with candles and navy blue velvet couches. It is a tiny place and when asked if we had a reservation we sheepishly admitted we hadn't. Why would we think we needed reservations anywhere on a Saturday night in Manhattan? DUH! The surprise was they gave us a velvet couch right in the middle of the bar. We were happy and promptly ordered champagne cocktails.

We only stayed for one cocktail however because champagne on top of mojito's would spell disaster. When we ascended the stairs from Flute back onto the FAH-REEZING streets of Midtown it was snowing! Us Californians don't get to see snow too often and we promptly started running around like fools thinking this was the coolest thing ever. There was something very romantic about it and it was just all so very.... well, New York!

Champagne led to hunger which led to another item on my culinary list of things to eat -- hot dogs. A food item that I normally don't touch, it seemed a must while in the city. A trip to Gray's Papaya was in order -- a NY institution which sells healthy fruit beverages.... and hot dogs. Hmmmm.
Anyway, after mojitos and champagne they rocked the house at 50 cents a dog. Cross that one off the list.

Jimmy and Darwin wanted another 50 cent hot dog but there was a White Castle next door -- home of the mini square hamburger. I have always wanted to try one of their burgers and it wasn't even on my list. Bonus! Or so I thought -- we should have known we were in trouble when the server was MICROWAVING OUR ORDER. You must be stoned to like these things as I found it to be the most vile thing I have ever put in my mouth. And, well, I must admit there have been some pretty vile things in my mouth. Blech!!! Down with White Castle. Yucky - pooey!!! PHOOEY!

Day Four:

We didn't wake up with stomach aches or extreme bouts of nausea so that was good. We did wake up to patches of snow on the ground however, and that was very cool. Well, except for the fact that it was 15 degrees outside. Since today was our last day in the city, we needed to cram a lot in. First stop Greenwich Village. LOVED IT! I had been here on my first, technically second, trip to NY. That time there were crowds of people walking the streets in summery clothes enjoying cocktails on the sidewalk and hanging out in Washington Park. However, on this day in 15 degree weather it was the four of us. Just us. Walking the streets of the Village. By ourselves. Ghost town. And a cold one at that. After we couldn't feel our legs anymore, we ducked into Monte's where I was giddy upon realizing that Barry Manilow had dined here. He can't smile without me and the feeling is mutual.

After a yummy lunch, we headed over to Magnolia Bakery. Yes, tourist that I am I couldn't wait to "mack on some cupcakes" after seeing the SNL skit. Unfortunately we weren't the only ones. After walking eleven blocks of deserted streets in the village we came upon a line of people waiting in 15 degree weather. For cupcakes. We had come this far so we waited and the line went really fast as we chatted with the other peeps as to why they were also standing out here like dumbasses in the freezing weather. Some people swear by the cupcakes here and others say they are overrated. I am not one who normally eats cupcakes (like ever) so I am no cupcake connoisseur, but what I will say is that they were good and I am happy I did it (crossed it off the food list) and I don't need to do it again.

From there we walked through the Village and part of SOHO, jumped on the subway and exited at Ground Zero. They have started construction and it looks much different then it did my last visit.

Across the street Century 21 was open and I had to check it out. I don't know if it was my current lack of money or what but I was somewhat disappointed. It would have taken days to sift through all the crap there and frankly I don't have the patience for that type of shopping anymore.

We walked a through the financial district (ghost town) and hopped into Macy's and then it was back to the Empire State Building for the second go round. This time half of the observation deck was open. We went up 87 floors to view Manhattan at night. It was breathtaking (literally as it was SO cold) and there was a full moon. Seeing this Jimmy and I looked at each other and started singing, "When you get caught between the moon and New York Ci-ty." I know it's crazy, but it's true.

Since this was our last night in the city we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. Jimmy had spotted a french restaurant the day before that he wanted to try but we had some trouble finding it this evening. I think it had something to do with having scarves wrapped around our faces.

Since it was 15 degrees (have I mentioned that yet?) we ducked into the Monkey Bar to warm up and get directions. We ordered a cocktail and stayed there long enough to hear Moby's entire "Play" cd. A cd which now reminds me of New York. Darwin was in search of a great mojito and finally found it here.

We braved the cold again and finally made it to LCB (La Côte Basque) Brasserie Rachou and are we glad we did. The New York Times may have only given it two stars but I give it four. Being in the restaurant itself transports you to an upscale Paris Brasserie, and we found the service to be most attentive, but then you taste the food. Oh, the food! Darwin ordered a Lobster Bisque as a starter that kicked the ass of the lobster bisque we enjoyed at Tavern on the Green. Jimmy was back in Paris as he cried tears of joy over his fois gras. When our entree's came, they were served under silver domes unveiled to reveal the winning prize. My prize was a honey glazed duck with a Grand Marnier cherry sauce that as I ate it, I can only describe the feeling as falling in love. I had only consumed a half glass of wine on this evening yet I was dizzy and drunk with feelings of love over this perfectly crispy, appropriately fatty duck that was served with a chestnut puree on the side. Jimmy fell equally in love with his roast lamb, Darwin had an amazing salmon and Eileen favored the short ribs. All can only be described as divine. Indeed, this is why people live in Paris.

Drunk on love, we headed back to the hotel for a nightcap and bid adieu to our time shared in New York. We shall return.

 

New York State of Mind

So I realize my follow-up promises on this blog are non-existent. For shame! First I stated that I would post a photo-a-day here. Then I waxed poetic how following my NY post I would dedicate the next few posts to the time spent there. Obviously that all went to hell. My only excuse regarding the absense of a daily photo is that I realized it obscured the content of the post for my liking. Sure it looked good on paper but was sorely lacking in execution. And truth be told, my "customizing this site" skills seem to be on their own New York vacation when it comes to to adding a separate photo page somewhere on here. I clearly need to spend some quality time on the TypePad help page.

ANYway... many people have been asking about our time in New York so here is my book report version of our time spent there. Ready? OK!

These are our fab friends Darwin and Eileen who are responsible for planning the whole shindig...

Hi Doods! We miss you!

Day One:

We landed at JFK just after sunset (Jet Blue--WOOHOO!) where we were chauffeured to the Radisson on Lexington and 48th Street. Located on the East Side, we were thisclose to the high-end shops along Fifth Avenue, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center and within easy walking distance to Times Square, MOMA and Central Park. After checking in we met at the Lex Lounge, located in the lobby of our hotel. High on the expectations of our first night in New York we were in fine spirits (literally) and definitely ready to raise a glass (or ten) to a wonderful following four days in the Big Apple. We decided that the best way to see the town this evening was to allow ourselves one cocktail at each place so we could see more of the city at night. Around the corner we stumbled upon Snafu a hip little neighborhood bar. From there it was onto Grand Central Station for a bit of touristy photos, a glass of wine and a couple oysters. Yum!

Little Italy was our destination for dinner. The restaurant recommended to us was closed -- it was after 10:00 pm by the time we made it to dinner. But we stumbled our way across the street and found Angelo's which was FANTASTIC! If you find yourself in Little Italy, give this place a try. Since it was late, we were immediately escorted to a great table. The service was wonderful, the food was simply incredible and there was even live music.

We were feeling no pain after dinner. Filled with pasta and drenched in wine, we walked down Mulberry Street practically singing. As we turned the corner Jimmy noticed an unsuspecting door. Uninhibited at this point, he opened it and discovered that we had entered Odea. Super sexy with exposed brick walls, candle lit, private couches divided by semi-transparent fabrics and gilded mirrors -- let's just say the one cocktail rule was off and we stayed here until closing time.

Day Two:

Needless to say we got a late start on Friday and decided to venture to Chinatown for Dim Sum. For the life of me I can't remember the name of the restaurant we went to, but it was a recommendation and did not disappoint. We were served plate after plate of delicious Chinese appetizers. YUMMY!

After a bit of walking and shopping around Chinatown we headed over to Fifth Avenue. Bergdorf's and Prada and Ferragamo and Gucci and Harry Winston. We browsed through Tiffany where Darwin bought Eileen a BEAUTIFUL Paloma Picasso necklace. Leaving the high end fashion scene of Fifth Avenue we made our way over to Central Park.

Jimmy and I fell in love with Central Park. The juxtaposition of nature against a backdrop of skyscrapers makes me happy. We walked and walked and walked and then ran through Central Park to make our reservations at Tavern on the Green. This restaurant is stunning. The Crystal Room, where we were seated, was a bit too Shabby Chic for Jimmy's taste, but to me, it just screamed New York and all I could do was imagine all the important events that have been hosted at this exquisite restaurant. To me it did not disappoint, it was everything I imagined it would be and gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous surrounded by glass walls that looked out onto the fairytale garden dressed up in lights.

After dinner we were treated to a horse and buggy ride around Central Park. Romantic, albeit freezing, it was definitely my Sex-and-the-City-last-episode-of-Season-Four-when-Big-and Carrie-have-their-paint-the-town-red-on-their-last-evening moment. We then jumped in a cab to Broadway where we held tickets to The Color Purple. This was the highlight of my trip -- a dream of mine being to see a hit play on Broadway. It was so good, I couldn't stop crying. I loved it that much, I want to see it again. The songs were great, the cast was spot on and the performances were breathtaking. Such a powerful story and message. Jimmy said it best when he said he forgot he was in New York and had been living during that time with Celie and all the characters. If my NY experience ended right there I could have come home a happy girl, but we still had so many things to do and see! We walked all along Times Square, eyes darting from building to building -- spectacular to spectacular. A spectacle indeed!

All that walking made us hungry, so we stopped at Ruby Foos (New York's answer to another tourist fave PF Changs) for some late night appetizers and nightcap before calling it a night. A truly fantastic night at that!

Day Three:

As we awo... you know, I think two days is enough for you to read in one post. You probably have better things to do than read this -- if you even made it this far -- and, well, I have to go to bed. I am sleepy! Don't forget to explore the links if you haven't already and I will pick up Day Three and Four tomorrow for you.

Deal? Deal.

 

 

Winter blooming

I am what you would call a late bloomer. I wasn't one of those fortunate ones who grew up knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my live. Furthermore, I wasn't one of those who graduated college right after high school, backpacked through Europe before getting married or having kids all while still in my twenties.

And while I will say that my twenties were quite educational and, uh, experimental, I often feel that life didn't really start for me until I turned thirty. I didn't marry, graduate college or even think about having children until well into my fourth decade of life. And although I still am trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, the answer to that question becomes less blurred with each passing day.

An old friend of mine used to say, "Life gets better the better we get at it." I believe I have gotten much better at life, but it has taken me a while to understand what life really means to me.

All this to say it is the same story with my history of travel. Sure, I have visted a somewhat generous handful of our own United States, even lived in Alaska for a while, but I didn't travel overseas for the first time until 2002. That was a wonderful trip to visit friends in Australia and the travel bug bit hard. Jimmy and I successfully continue to do our damndest to travel someplace new each year. I firmly believe that traveling helps me become better at life.

Because I am not yet a world traveler, I tend to treat cities as celebrities. Albeit, ones with talent and sans eating disorders. I often fantasize about traveling to the places that I see in pictures and all over television and movies. When I do finally find myself experiencing a city I once could only imagine traveling to, it becomes a dream come true. I liken the experience to what it must feel like for someone finally coming face to face with their favorite celebrity, writer, artist, chef, what-have-you. I become giddy, speechless, excited and starstruck. I want an autograph even.

New York is one of these cities for me. New York is my George Clooney. I was lucky enough to take a nibble out of the big apple for the first time last August and now in January for the past four days was able to devour that mo-fo with Jimmy, Darwin and Eileen.

It was everything I imagined it would be and more. The four of us truly had a blast exploring the city. We were the crazy ones running all over the place in 15 degree weather in the sleet and slow. Being as it was technically my third time in NY, but really my first time experiencing the city, I admittedly took advantage of some very touristy experiences. I had to. I loved it. The hightlight for me definitely was seeing 'The Color Purple" on Broadway. A dream come true and one I will remember forever.

Oh, and the food! Did I mention the food?!!! Oysters and Little Italy and Dim Sum and Tavern on the Green and Pastrami Sandwiches and Gray's Papaya and Magnolia Cupcakes and THE best French meal I ever had the pleasure of experiencing, even moreso then the French meals I ate in Paris. Ay Carumba!

I will be dedicating the next few posts to our time in New York. I would start now, but Jimmy and I just awoke from a blissful four hour nap; I hardly slept in NY. I am feeling very groggy and foggy at the moment and need to collect my thoughts. Plus the Golden Globes are starting and I need to see what the peeps are wearing.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures from our time in Manhattan. Cheers.