Sunday, January 31, 2016

Cheer Up Lunch and Cipriani Dolci

After the doctor's appointment I wanted to do something nice to cheer up my daughter, so I took her to lunch at one of my favorite places in New York. I may be a bit crazy, but I love the Grand Central train station. It's a transportation hub of the grandest scale, a beautiful and impressive space, and also home to many good restaurants, Cipriani Dolci being one of them.


My lunch companion kept sending snapchats... 

I hope she didn't put this on snapchat! 

or this! 

And after lunch...more sale shopping! I literally shopped 'til I dropped. I was so hot that I almost passed out at Topshop.  Had to run out without a coat on to get some fresh air...
But I still managed to purchase a long sought parka from the Topshop sale! 

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Playing Hooky

I had to take my daughter to the City for a specialist doctor's appointment on Friday morning. Since there was no way she was going to make it back to school that day, we decided to take the opportunity to hang out in the City and check out the sales.

yes, that's the Chrysler building from a different angle

I love the Grand Central Terminal, it's just so Grand :-)

And yes, we did do a bit of shopping... 

Ti di diii, di di diiii. 

I've had this H&M coat for ten years, I swear, and I still love it! The scarf I've knitted myself. The Gucci bag has been more or less attached to my arm since I got it last summer... And the Steve Madden boots are the most comfortable ever. 

Monday, January 25, 2016

Pre-Blizzard Dinner Outfit

Hubby and I went to Kyma in Roslyn village on Friday night, before the monster blizzard. We had been there before, and enjoyed it, but this time it was superb. And it also has become very popular. It was packed on a Friday night! Kyma serves Greek food, and lots of seafood. We had a Greek salad as a starter (simple but absolutely delicious), and shared a full red snapper and vegetable pasta (both out of this world!).

It was a cold night so I was dressed to keep myself warm with fur. My fur vest has made many an appearance here before, but I was wearing it for the first time this winter. I still love it!

BTW - notice my new, much shorter hair - I finally got a haircut! 

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Sledding Fun

It was lots of snow fun on the day after the blizzard. The big dig still continues, though...our schools are closed tomorrow, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to get to the office (oh well). 








Saturday, January 23, 2016

State of Emergency

Things to do during snowmageddon: 
  • Eat French toast for brunch
  • Shovel snow
  • Make hot chocolate for kids, but drink green tea by self (heroic act!)
  • Eat Quiche and pasta for lunch
  • Shovel snow
  • Eat Greek salad for dinner
  • Meditate by staring at the fire in the fireplace
  • Play boardgames with kids
  • Make kids binge watch Cosmos
  • Watch Downton Abbey instead yourself
  • Put kids to bed and finally have a glass (or two) of wine






Friday, January 22, 2016

Late to the Party

My daughter and I have very recently started watching Downton Abbey. So far we've seen the first three episodes of season 1 and we are already totally hooked and in love with the show. The sets, the costumes, the acting, the characters, the accent, the dialogue, the time and place... It's all just so delicious. We are a bit late to the party, but better late than never. This will be our guilty little pleasure for months to come. 


Monday, January 18, 2016

Playing Favorites

Some things are just perennial favorites. I just found this pic of me in my white Michael Kors poncho, and wearing the Gucci bag that has almost been attached to me since last summer. I find myself reaching for these over and over again!




Sunday, January 17, 2016

The frog and toad

Yesterday, on our way to Astoria, Queens, we had to stop in Flushing, which is known as the Chinatown of Queens, and since we were there, I took the opportunity to pop into a Chinese market. I burst out laughing when I saw the frogs in the bucket. They were for sale, and I'm sure very delicious if prepared correctly. My daughter made sure to inform me that these were toads, not frogs...oh well...I don't know the difference, so I'll just keep calling them frogs. I did not purchase frogs, just some seafood and Chinese vegetables and fruit. I love going into those markets for the adventure!


Our final destination Astoria is a neighborhood that's changing a lot now that Brooklyn is getting too expensive. In Astoria we dined at a restaurant called Meet the Meat. Another chuckle moment there... But despite the tacky name, this is an awesome steak restaurant. Everything we ate was superb. There's nothing too complicated on the menu, it's very straight forward, but with the quality of the food it does not need to be anything but just exactly that. We had grilled calamari, filet mignon, porterhouse for two, a cheeseburger, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and sautéed mushrooms, and everything was just amazing. 

I wore my winter white Michael Kors poncho, self-knit scarf, NYDJ jeans, Steve Madden boots and  shearling bucket bag. 






Saturday, January 16, 2016

Boston

I went to Boston on Thursday for business and took this photo from a 31st floor conference center. I promised the family that we'd go to Boston in spring or summer and do touristy things! 


Saturday, January 9, 2016

City Saturday

We tried a new place for brunch today at the West Village, Maison Kayser, a French bakery on the corner of Bleecker and Christopher Streets. A good addition to the brunch options close to the Finnish school. The food is quite "French" which I and my daughter liked very much. My husband was not that convinced...he only complimented the coffee which was excellent.

Scrambled eggs with avocado toast

Cocotte of spinach and goat cheese in béchamel sauce

Cocotte of smoked salmon, ricotta, capers & béchamel sauce

The best cup of coffee I've had in a long time... 

It was mild enough to wear my long cardigan instead of a coat. 


I had on old ripped boyfriend jeans with a green bejeweled sweater. 

This little girl is getting so spoiled - we can't help it...she's just too cute not to be spoiled! 

Friday, January 8, 2016

Art Inspiration

I am so happy that my 13 year old is finally interested in art. She has a great class "Studio Art" where they make art but also learn about art history and artists. She has made some cool pieces of art in that class which I should photograph... I can't wait for her knee to heal so that we can start making trips to the amazing art museums of New York City to see all the pieces of art by artists that she is learning about.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of my favorite paintings of Pierre Bonnard, a French post-impressionist painter. It's not hard to see why they should be my favorites... He loved to paint food and gardens!

Dining Room Overlooking the Garden, by Pierre Bonnard

The Dining Room in the Country, by Pierre Bonnard



Saturday, January 2, 2016

FOOTY & Happy New Year

i.e. First Outfit of the Year    hahaha... (I'm amusing myself here, if nobody else!)

Anyway, I went to the mall once during my time off between Christmas and New Year and got myself this long plaid shirt dress from Urban Outfitters, and the gray long cardigan from H&M. I completely fell in love with both, and have been wearing them almost everyday since.

Yesterday I went with the hubby to see the new Star Wars movie and felt like a character straight out of the movie walking out of the movie theater in my long robe, ha!





HAPPY NEW YEAR
My best wishes for a year full of health, happiness, 
friendship, mindfulness, creativity, peace, 
joy and lovely surprises.