May December: August 2009

Bruges - Nighttime

Bruges by night...

Pretty patio:

Still canals:

Sunset:

Twilight:

(I take a lot of pictures, but that last shot is one of my all-time favorites.)

I'll post my daytime snaps from this lovely little city tomorrow.

Tory Burch and Best Buddies

We spent this past weekend out in Wainscott. Tory Burch had a cocktail/shopping party at her East Hampton store to benefit the charity Best Buddies.

Tory's stores are colorful, funky, and just plain fun. Here's a peek around the East Hampton boutique...

Here I am with Tory:

She's just as sweet and stylish in person as she looks in her photos.

And here I am with the host of the party, my buddy Tatiana Platt of FameGame.com:

How great does Tatiana look in that Tory dress? She *just* had a baby.

The evening was a success for me:

I couldn't resist shopping for a good cause and bought this cute tunic:

Tory Burch.
Best Buddies.

Monty Monday (on Tuesday) - Paws for Style - Part II

Animal Fair's Paws for Style - Part II... The main event of this benefit was a fashion show where celebrities walked down the runway with their dogs.

We were so excited to see the big show!:

The boys found their seats:

And the fun began...

Monty was fascinated by the action up on the runway. He especially liked the evening's emcee:

But he also enjoyed the dance troupe's energetic performance:

Sara Gore, Marc Bouwer, and their dogs took to the runway:

Amanda Dolan and Richie Rich strutted their stuff:

Monty *loved* it!:

Paul Teutel and his big dog:

Kelli from NYC Prep:

Karina Smirnoff from Dancing with the Stars:

Someone really enjoyed this show:

The final parade down the catwalk by all the participants:

An exhausted little Monty after a big, fun night out on the town:

For more information on the organization, please visit Animal Fair's website.

The College Hotel - Amsterdam

We stayed at The College Hotel in Amsterdam. This former schoolhouse is now a modern, minimalist hotel.

The building has high ceilings, cool lighting, and exposed brick walls. It's right across the street from the tram line, and it's just a few blocks away from the city's major museums. The property is run in part by students from a local hospitality school, so the room prices are quite reasonable compared to other luxury hotels in town. Apart from the service being so-so at times -- many of the students seemed very inexperienced, but they were all super nice -- it was a delightful stay.

Here are some snaps of The College Hotel...

Reminds me of my elementary on the outside:

Dramatic lighting of the lobby on the inside:

My comfortable, chic room:

Huge windows = lots of great light:

I loved the chocolate brown marble in the bathroom:

One of many cozy sitting areas on the hotel's ground floor:

The perfect spot to enjoy my afternoon tea:

The College Hotel.

Amsterdam

I began my tour of the Netherlands and Belgium in Amsterdam:

I loved, loved, loved this city! There's plenty to do/see in town but it doesn't feel overwhelming, the canals and narrow little streets are quaint and charming, and the people are friendly and open - it's a dynamic, unique place to visit.

As a cyclist, I was thrilled to see these everywhere:

And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere:

There are bike paths, bike racks, bike rentals, etc. etc. etc. I hope Manhattan follows suit one day soon.

We went to tons of museums... I highly recommend the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Rijksmuseum: