Last Weekend...

Pem and I were back in New York and we had a blast. The two days flew by with...

...birthdays at the Blue Ribbon...

 ...bubbly above the High Line...

 ...and lots of bicycles thanks to NYC's brilliant Summer Streets initiative!

 Some other shots from the weekend...

It's Summer in the City

Some pictures from last weekend in New York, a fun-filled two days with family, friends and good food...

 

 (above, me and my friend Patri who took us for a delicious brunch at Mimi's Hummus. Now visions of steamy, spicy shakshuka fill my dreams. I can't wait to try this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.)

Empire State of Mind

Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful weekend. We are having a busy one. Yesterday we saw a play based on the movie Steel Magnolias at the Keegan Theatre. I've never seen the movie so I had no idea what to expect. Some of the memorable quotes, delivered deadpan by the character Ouiser:

"I'm not crazy. I've just been in a bad mood for forty years"

"You are too twisted for color TV"

"I do not go to plays because I can take a nap for free at home. I don't see movies because they're full of trash and naked people. And I do not read books because if they're any good, they're gonna make 'em into a miniseries."

Fantastic. Will have to check out the original movie now. Speaking of movies, we went to see Life in a Day with my friend Pete at West End Cinema, an independent art house cinema in Georgetown. It's truly incredible we can do projects of that scale these days. No naked people, though.

As promised, below are a few photos from our previous weekend around Manhattan...

 

 

Brooklyn Charm: Part 2

Our Adventures in Brooklyn (cont'd)...

Pem and I returned to Brooklyn on Sunday as I was determined to visit the Brooklyn Museum. The museum's Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art is displaying The Dinner Party, an installation by Judy Chicago which centers around a banquet setting honoring prominent women from history and mythology. There was also a fascinating exhibit on the Hindu god Vishnu. Best of all, our visit turned out to be free! Paying entry to museums is a big deal for us Washingtonians...

We also saw art outside of the museum...

All in all, we had a great time bopping around Brooklyn. It's a big borough though so there is plenty left to explore next time. Thanks for having us Brooklyn, we'll be back!

p.s. - pictures from the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge to come soon...

Brooklyn Charm: Part 1

Many thanks to those of you who sent your recommendations for my first ever visit to Brooklyn. We had a wonderful weekend in New York - a good portion of which was spent in Brooklyn. Though I always love observing the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, Brooklyn's pace feels more like my tempo.

On Saturday, we kicked the day off in Williamsburg with an incredible sunrise-colored beet and carrot juice, freshly made from Lokal. I have vowed to return and try their vegetarian pinto bean-mushroom burger. We then made our way down towards the Grand Army Plaza.

We took a little walk around Prospect Park. We saw plenty of kite flying, some serious barbeques and even a gladiator battle.

After so much excitement, we were hungry. Luckily the Wafels & Dinges Truck was just around the corner and we stuffed ourselves with Belgian wafel goodness. If you think Nutella is good, you must try Spekuloos. Spekuloos is a spread made out of cookies. Enough said.

On our way to the subway, we stopped by the Wolf & the Deer for drinks. They serve up the most refreshing cucumber mint cocktail and their menus are bound into old books with content sure to enliven conversation.

We returned to Manhattan for dinner. I'm not sure how the wolf theme came about, but we enjoyed the rustic intimacy and fresh flavors of Edi and the Wolf. Recommended to us by Pem's sister, this Austrian restaurant has a surprising number of vegetarian options. After a nightcap at a place called Mama's Bar, we called it a night. It was a day full of exploration punctuated by delicious food and wonderful company - it's a tough life, I know.

With visions of the Brooklyn Bridge and wafels in our heads, we planned to return to Brooklyn the next day.

To be continued...