The Duane Reade Heart

All I ever want for Valentine's Day is a heart shaped box of chocolates from Duane Reade, CVS, or anywhere this box of Russell Stover goodness is sold. Ask me if I ever get one. Nope. I love the high end stuff from Jacques Torres or Marie Belle, but Valentine's Day calls for something not so serious. Or maybe it's sentimental value; it's what my dad used to get my mom every year. Throw in some Veuve Rose and some Buttercup Bake Shop cupcakes (in the great NYC cupcake debate, I say these win the prize) and you have my perfect Valentine's Day!

John Derian

Off the Bowery on East 2nd Street is John Derian. I swear that from now on any time I need any sort of gift I am going there. It is so well curated, and so full of little treasures. He carries his own line of furniture and decoupage, as well as Hugo Guinness art and some pieces by Leanne Shapton, a very clever and witty illustrator who is one of my favorites. Above is the decoupage tray I was most drawn to (of course!) 
After John Derian I walked over to Veniero's, an old school Italian Pastry shop on E. 11th street. They have the best cheesecake in the city, I think. It's been around forever- I don't like to admit how often I went when I briefly lived in the East Village!

I was thrilled to see that Michelle Obama chose Isabel Toledo to design her inauguration ensemble. Isabel Toledo and her husband Ruben are my heroes of the fashion world. Isabel is an incredible designer, and Ruben is the best fashion illustrator of our time. They have a great story. They met as teenagers in NJ and have been collaborating ever since. Actually in High School, she was dating his brother. I learned this little fact and many others when I heard them speak at FIT, which was truly the best lecture I have ever been to. They were as witty and charming as I expected them to be. I even raised my hand and asked Ruben some inane question just to interact with them!

A couple of months ago, I was walking through midtown with Chris, and Isabel and Ruben Toledo walked by us on the sidewalk. I whipped my head around and back to Chris and said "DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT WAS??!" Of course he probably expected me to say it was some actor or some traditional celebrity. But no, I was THAT excited to have a brush with Isabel and Ruben Toledo, who by the way looked impeccable as always.

The Bowery 2

Gemma in the Bowery Hotel is all drippy candles and ambiance...
They have this white pizza with truffle oil which is very good...but really what to get as my friend Audra can attest to is the Burrata with a glass of rose, perfect. 

The Bowery

For my first 'NYC neighborhoods' post I decided to start in the Bowery...that stretch that is sort of Soho/E.Village and 3rd ave but really not. I went to the last day of the Elizabeth Peyton show in the snow on Saturday. I hate to admit it but it was also my first visit to the New Museum!
I was really, really surprised by how small her works are. (That is not a self portrait, sadly I am short! And blond.) I've only seen pics and thought they would be large.  I really like her use of color in the paintings (intense greens against sharp reds and lavender), but I prefer her works on paper to her paintings. 

A couple more Bowery posts to come!

Something new

I'm going to try something new that I'm really excited about. Each week I am going to pick an NYC neighborhood and my illustration (or illustrationS) will be based on that neighborhood. I love exploring the city and although I picked a grrrreeeat time to start (rain, wind, cold etc) it will be a fun project!!

Merry Christmas!

I am planning on getting in front of the fire in a few hours and not moving for a couple of days. I'll drink champagne and eat shrimp and worry about it later. I'm so sad I did not get to do all the Christmas posts I had planned on, the season got away from me, and I had some other projects. But I plan on returning full force in the New Year! 

Ruby Red

I had a GREAT weekend. Had the engagement party at my most faaaavorite restaurant in NYC on 19th street. The dress was a challenge but when I found it- I knew! THEN the shoes were a challenge until I found these...love at first sight! The evening was very red...red shoes...ruby red tuna tartare....and a cranberry cosmo...ALL.DOWN.THE FRONT. OF MY DRESS. And splashed on my shoes! The sheer horror! The dress, amazingly, was salvageable- DvF magical fabric to the rescue again! But my shoes...they will need some resussatation. Still an incredibly magical night.

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by The Goods Design, a wonderful blog by an author with impeccable taste in interiors. The objective is to reveal 6 quirky but boring details about myself, so here it goes!1. The Cadbury Creme Egg is my favorite food on earth. Most people are horrified when I reveal this. My mom used to get me 36 packs for Easter. I swear I'm not fat.


2. I am getting married in about one year and one week. This is not quirky or boring, but what is quirky and boring is that Chris and I chose December because we love, love, love the Holidays.


3. I have read every food book under the sun, Reichl, Steingarten, Bourdain, you name it. It's an addiction.
4. My guilty (or not so guilty pleasure) is watching reruns of the Cosby Show on TV Land before I go to bed (Cosby Sweater above). My boyfriend finds this quirky, boring, and bizarre.
5. I have a boat license. Why anyone would permit me, at age 14, a boat license is beyond me- and why anyone would permit me all these years later to have one is still a mystery.


6. I draw lips, eyes, and noses ALL OVER my notes. I have been doing this since junior high, and it seems to be getting worse.

I am going to tag my two BFFs (I don't know 6 bloggers!!!)
A Design Affair
Capturing the 7

Here are the rules:
* Mention the rules on your blog.
* Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
* Tag six other
* Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they are tagged.

K-town

I called my brother, the adventurous eater, earlier this week and asked him if he wanted to get REAL Chinese in Chinatown. Then suddenly it was freezing here in NY, and we got lazy, and decided to meet in Koreatown- that hopping stretch of 32nd street- instead. Here I am, still recovering after about a million shots of Soju! Evil Soju.  My brother, having lived in Korea, is a huge fan of Korean BBQ. I just love the set up: a million tiny dishes with all kinds of condiments and pickled everything. Of course, the smoke reaks absolute havoc on your clothing, my coat is still airing out! 

BAM

I went to the Brooklyn Academy of Music this past weekend for a performance of Amjad. I have not seen many avant-garde dance pieces in my lifetime but I think this one is probably up there! It was great. The building is impressive- it  has a cool wavy glass awning on the front. It was downpouring afterwards so we ran across the street to Thomas Biesl for some rose and apple-cranberry crumble. 

Top is my little painting of a John Robshaw headboard from Domino, used in designer Fawn Galli's Brooklyn brownstone. I.LOVE.IT. It reminds me of above pages from Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad, by Vibhuti Patel, illustrated by Jacqueline Duheme . I must get this book! The illustrations are stunning!

Pink Rooms

I have been seeing a lot of pink rooms lately. There was a great spread in House Beautiful this month with a few. I would love to paint a room a medium pink, all the trim would be white, and I would throw in a couple of red chairs on a citron striped rug.

There seems to be an electricity in the air today in NYC....after this long, long campaign, I cannot wait to see the outcome.

A sketch of one of my favorite West Village townhouses. I mean really, is there anywhere else you would rather live besides a lavender townhouse in the West Village??