::: nyc

the whirlwind trip to nyc was a smashing success.
just the getaway i so desperately needed.

everything happened at warp speed--
my camera hardly kept up.

i didn't have a chance to document the food.
oh the food!
mushroom ravioli.
and walnut/banana pancakes.
and jerry seinfeld peanut butter bagels.
and the biggest piece of pizza---probably ever.

i didn't get to capture the beauty
of 1,000's of people gathered in central park singing
john lennon tunes by candlelight.

or the hipster vibe of an underground place
where live jazz blazes till 5am while you play ping pong.

i barely captured the buildings in Tribeca.
and the pure holiday delight that is Rockefeller Center.


we were gone nearly as soon as we arrived.
but it was worth every second.

:: question and answer

when the incredibly inspirational denalee of silver strands
posted these questions to me on her blog--
i was more than happy to reply.

it's always such an educational experience
to answer questions about yourself.

you start asking:

what do i love?
what do i think of this. or that.
what is my story.

here's a few snippets of mine.

What is the most interesting trip you have taken?:

when i was 16 i went to NYC for the first time.
it was magical.
the moment i stepped off the subway and up onto the bright, busy streets--
i knew had landed someplace special.
the sounds.
the food.
the noise.
the culture.
new york was addictive.
and there was nothing more interesting than exploring it--brand new.

What is your favorite item of clothing? and why?

i've always been a pretty casual person.
dipping my pinky toe into the trends--
but never at the expense of having to compromise comfort.
i love a little black dress.
an impossibly tall pair of stilettos.
a top with delicate little fixtures.
but most of all i love a comfy shirt
and a pair of worn jeans.
nothing beats the versatility
and safety
of these pieces.

What is the funniest thing you have ever experienced?

if i'm breathing--
i'm drinking coffee and laughing.
every day is the funniest thing i've ever experienced.
if it wasn't.
well.
that wouldn't be much of a life at all.

If you could speak to one animal what would it be? and what would you say?

if i had to choose but one animal on this great planet--
i would choose the flighted bird.
any variation would do.
i would want to know what the world looked like from such a height.
how they knew to take formation.
was it really such a rush to fly.

who has made the biggest impact on your life?

mom and dad are a given.
but when i look beyond my parents--
and really think long and hard about who has helped shape my life...
i would have to say my teachers.
in a world with so many distractions--
they managed to instill in me a desire for knowledge.
they were the "cupid's" of my love affair with education.
they encouraged me to write.
to open my mind.
explore.
be more.
be anything.

What was your favorite childhood tradition?

christmas eve. hands-down.
every year on the 24th of december my family would file into church.
we'd sit through a candle-light service.
sing carols.
then pile---heavy-coated and red-nosed---into the car.
we'd drive to the house of my parents best friends.
we'd order pizza.
start a fire in the fireplace.
read 'the gift of the magi' by the hearth.
bust out the board games.
and open presents.
when my sister and i would start getting tired--
we'd all drive through the quiet streets.
and park near the magnificently decorated city hall.
we'd get out and walk through the snow.
visiting all the magical lights.
wreathed doors.
and manger scenes.
taking pictures along the way.
it was almost as wonderful as opening presents the next morning.



thanks for tagging me, denalee.
it was so much fun!


{all images via weheartit}

::: a plane ticket to anywhere

i've mentioned in several posts that i have recently been inspired by marta's: write club. i've actually been shocked by how much flows from the pen when you have a little nudging and prodding. within no time you're writing something entirely off the topic and original. which i'm pretty sure is the point :)
below i've shared what came to me when i read the prompt:

"you have a plane ticket to anywhere"

i had so many initial thoughts. but i didn't focus on anything particular. i just wrote. here it goes::

a plane ticket to anywhere:

in one hand i hold a plane ticket. in the other- a list of places to go. my eyes want to see the world. my feet want to feel the roads of every nation. my skin wants to absorb the sun from every side of the globe. i often dream of paris. and ireland. and italy. and madrid. i fantasize about hawaiian beaches. and the taj mahal. and big ben. but today, i will board a plane to new york city, because i don't want an adventure. i just want comfort.

in the grand spectrum, i have been very few places in my life. so to say i already know my favorite would be a gross disservice to myself. however, i can say with confidence that i adore new york city. my trip there on august 11, 2001 (exactly one month prior to the 9/11 tragedy) was the first real adventure of my life. you never know what to expect when you're going to a brand new place. and while i was unsure of what i would find there, i was thrilled to have the opportunity to see this famous city. my friends and i stayed with a contact on staten island-- so we had to take the train to the ferry dock, and then, the ferry to the mainland. once the ferry was anchored, we exited the boat and went immediately underground to the subway station. i road with anticipation::: our destination was times square. as i climbed the stairs out of the underground mayhem and into the city, i could feel the energy building. when the sunlight hit my face, i squinted, and then::: the whole city came into view. huge billboards a block long. flashing lights. 1,000's of people. bright yellow taxis. a man with a garbage bag full of knock-off sunglasses. the smell of hotdogs and hot almonds. a thin cloud of sewer steam drifting at my feet. i was snapping pictures as fast as my little disposable camera could wind. it was an instant connection. i fit here.

i returned to new york many times after that. in summer. in winter at christmas time. in the fall. each time discovering a different side of the city that i loved. seeing something i hadn't seen in previous visits. re-acquainting myself with old haunts.
and it is here that i return with my plane ticket. i'll stay three nights, maybe. contact annie at that awesome bed & coffee in the east village. see if she has a room to spare. buy a metro pass. i'll wake up in the morning and escape to the buzzing streets. stopping for a croissant and cup of joe. walking slow. watching. observing. taking pictures. taking it all in. there won't be any agenda. just me and my city and whatever it wants to bring me. a trip to central park, perhaps. there's always an empty bench there, and i always have a book to read. maybe i'll go to the metropolitan museum of art. or the guggenheim. or the immaculate public library. i can sneak into a small theater. catch an indie film. buy lunch from the street vendors. ogle in the window at tiffany's. i could walk the blocks until i find the cathedral i love. the one where i always enter and light a candle. dropping all my loose change into the gold canister that sits by the tiny flames. when dinner rolls around, i can head back to alphabet city. eat at a hole-in-the-wall ethnic restaurant. something middle eastern. or indian. sitting at a small, unsteady table outside. letting the breeze blow the edge of the napkin that's tucked under my plate. i can end the evening wandering till i find a live band. and i can sit and listen till the wee hours- when i return again to my little room at annie's to rest up for the next day.

nyc is no longer about adventure for me. it's about being in a place that both calms and energizes you. it's about taking in new people. new places. new things. and continuing to love the old ones. it's learning to slow down, even when everything around you is so fast paced. it's about feeling alive. and more importantly::: living.