May December

London - Leftovers

2012-01-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

Last but not least, here are my London leftovers...

One of the best evenings I had in London was at the mysterious movie event, Secret Cinema:You buy a ticket for Secret Cinema and then you wait... You know which day you're scheduled to go, but you don't know anything else. What time the event starts, where you're supposed to meet the group, what costume you have to wear, and even which movie you're seeing is all kept secret.

I got an email the day before my movie telling me to turn up outside the Barbican tube stop at 18:30 wearing a 19940s-esque green or khaki colored military costume carrying a bouquet of flowers(!). I just went with it -- I felt odd riding the tube in full costume during rush hour, but whatever -- and what followed was an amazingly elaborate evening of immersive theatre and film.

Secret Cinema had taken over a massive 3 story warehouse and had completely decorated it like the set of 'our' movie. There were dozens of actors playing out scenes from the movie in each of the rooms, and Secret Cinema's on-site restaurants and bars served food that went with our movie's theme (all Austrian food & drink). Here's a peek inside the warehouse:After about 1.5 hours of seeing snippets of the film acted out and figuring out were were meant to be in Vienna, I finally worked out that the film was 'The Third Man'. Eventually we all sat down to watch the picture together. It was a blast. Tickets sell out weeks in advance, so if you're interested be sure to book early.

The South Bank is getting super spiffy these days, and wandering around after a visit to Borough Market is an entertaining way to spend an afternoon. I always go see the skateboarders and BMX riders under the Queen Elizabeth Hall:The graffiti and their tricks are way cool. There are also a tons of vintage booksellers to browse under Waterloo Bridge, and lots of cafes and restaurants to grab a bite at (I like noodle bar chain Wagamama).

There are a number of outdoor ice skating spots in London, but I think Somerset House's rink is the most glamorous:At night, the Somerset House rink has DJs spinning making it one giant party on ice. We went on disco night and skated to 70s classics. Here I am gliding around to 'Kung Fu Fighting':If the ice is too slippery for you, take a stroll in one of London's parks. I think they've got the best outdoor spaces of any major city in the world.

I particularly love the rose garden in Regent's Park, but alas, the roses weren't in bloom in January, so instead I visited Holland Park (wild woodland and manicured gardens all in one tiny plot) and The Green Park:Its wide, wooded meadows are gorgeous even in wintertime.

After my Librarian cocktail at The Lanesborough I got a chance to see the hotel's new 'Lanesborough Suite'. Being a blogger has its perks sometimes, and checking out the 4000 sq feet of Alberto Pinto decorated gorgeousness was very fun:The Lanesborough Suite has four bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, two living rooms, and one dining room with this hand-painted wallpaper:It's huge. And beautiful. And it's got a view of Hyde Park. And a butler. And this bed:If I win lotto, I'm moving in.

And before heading off to Heathrow after my super fun week, I snapped this perfect sunset view from Hungerford Bridge:I think London is the bee's knees -- I hope you've enjoyed my past week of posts on this fab city!

Monty Monday - Snow Day

2012-01-23T00:01:00.000-05:00

We got about 6 inches of snow in Connecticut over the weekend.

Monty went to the back door and jumped up on it like he does when he wants to run and play outside.

Despite the foul weather, I let him out on our back patio:Ooh, that's one unhappy puppy.

Monty doesn't like anything cold or wet, so he balanced on 3 legs the entire time he was outside to minimize his contact with the snow:He looked like a little flamingo.

Here I think he was asking the weather gods when the white stuff would melt so he could run around the garden again:...and then he raced back inside and hid in his Chilly Dog Bed.

London - Shopping

2012-01-20T21:31:00.001-05:00

So, shopping...

I'm lucky to have so many international stores/brands in NYC, so I wanted to steer clear of all of them when I was shopping in London. The list below has stores that are unique to/based in London.

Dover Street Market:This is a concept shop a la Colette. It's five floors of fashion, shoes, jewelry, and apparently, Indian Headdresses(?). If you're looking for what's hip, look no further.

Another fashion forward shop I liked was Darkroom. They've got a little of everything from plush throw blankets to hand-stitched leather iPhone cases.

For bags and small leather goods I love Ally Capellino's clean, crisp designs:I bought a rucksack by her that's actually cute and doesn't look like part of a military uniform.

The best (and perhaps the best-looking) bookshop in town is definitely Daunt Books. I spent a good two hours one afternoon perusing their sizable travel collection and admiring the building's Edwardian architecture (image via):
For a well-curated selection of mid-century contemporary furniture, lighting, and accessories, visit twentytwentyone. Interior design enthusiasts will be inspired and delighted by their stock.

London does arcades - small, covered shopping streets - better than anyone else in the world. Check out that mahogany trim on the windows and the red carpet on the floor: Burlington Arcade houses Berk's super-soft cashmere collection and The Armoury of St James in Piccadilly Arcade sells hand-painted antique toy soldiers. There's truly something for everyone in these attractive arcades.

For department stores, Selfridges is my high-end chain of choice. They sell a number of brands that are available in the US, but they've also got unique features inside their stores like a food hall and champagne bar.

Speaking of food, Borough Market is the place to be Thursday-Saturday:It's a bustling outdoor market selling cheese, fruit, veggies, gourmet specialties, and tons of takeaways. Go early in the day - the market gets super crowded. And if you're into Spanish cuisine, get the spicy chorizo bun from Brindisa as a snack.

Paul A Young makes handmade gourmet chocolates that rival anything the French are cooking up across the Channel. I had a dark sea-salted rocher (made with 64% Madagascan dark chocolate) that was heavenly.

And for an effervescent B vitamin kick, stock up on Berocca from Boots Pharmacy:Since I've last been to London they've added two new flavors - Mixed Berries & Boost with Guarana. My mornings are brighter already.

Happy shopping in Londontown!

London - Art and Music

2012-01-19T19:33:00.008-05:00

I went on an art and music binge during my eight days in London. I could have stayed there for a month going to concert after concert and gallery after gallery (...but I would have missed my dog too much). Here are my music and art highlights.

For museums -- if you've done the major/popular ones like The British Museum and The V&A, I'd recommend these two...

Banqueting House:This architectural masterpiece was designed by Inigo Jones and built in 1621. I'm way into Palladianism, and if you like classical architecture his double-cube room is a must see.

Peter Paul Rubens' exquisite paintings are installed in the hall's ceiling. They're *huge* and jaw-droppingly beautiful:And there's a handy mirror available for viewing the canvases so that you don't have to crane your neck (very handy for those of us who recently had spinal surgery!).

Sir John Soane's Museum is housed in the former residence of the late, great Neoclassical architect. He combined three townhouses to make this huge, complicated home that visitors are now welcome to wander through.

Soane was known for experimenting with light. He built atriums in his townhouse, put in skylights on various floors, used colored glass, and even placed concave mirrors in his ceilings. It all sounds strange, but it creates some glorious interiors.

His breakfast room (image via):
If you're not so into the old stuff, The Tate Modern always has something intriguing rotating through its special exhibitions. The museum's galleries are set in the old Bankside Power Station, a soaring, massive industrial space that's perfect for viewing contemporary art.

I caught the tail end of their Gerhard Richter show. Here's one of his squeegee paintings:In 2012 the Tate Modern has got special exhibitions by Damien Hirst and Edvard Munch planned, so check it out if you're going to London in 2012.

For galleries, I highly recommend popping into the futuristic looking White Cube:They represent contemporary artists like Sam Taylor-Wood and Gary Hume; there's always something different and cool to gawk at/ponder at White Cube.

London has a vibrant street art scene, so you don't even have to go to a museum or gallery to get your art fix. I spotted this fabulous Banksy piece in Mayfair:Shop Till You Drop!

If you're into sculpture, The Royal Academy has this painted steel piece designed by Vladimir Tatlin. It's a model of Tatlin's Tower and it looks especially cool in Burlington House's old school courtyard:I loved the corresponding exhibition, Building the Revolution: Soviet Art and Architecture, so much that I bought the book -- in Russian(!).

For music lovers the Royal Opera House can't be beat. The hall is all majestic with its heavy velvet and shaded sconces:I almost got thrown out for snapping that iPhone pic, so I don't recommend taking photos inside the hall - just go to hear/see the opera.

During the intervals you can grab a glass of champagne in this marvelous converted flower market, now a bar/restaurant:
Even if you're not wild about classical music, I'd strongly urge you to see a concert at my all-time favorite chamber music venue, Wigmore Hall:The acoustics are nearly perfect, it's an intimate/cozy size, and it attracts world-famous soloists for recitals. I saw the excellent Razumovsky Ensemble, but there's always an excellent concert to choose from.

So, that's my art and music report for London. Shopping is up next...

London - Drinks

2012-01-17T23:18:00.006-05:00

Here are my favorite drinks - both with and without alcohol - in London...

I adore a good Flat White - an espresso drink that's similar to a latte, but tastes sweeter and has less milk/more microfoam - alas, they're all but impossible to find in NYC. Lucky for me they were all over London.

The best Flat White I had all trip was from Monmouth Coffee in Borough Market:It's a rustic space with fast service and strong, short coffees. I highly recommend you work this cafe into your visit.

Awww M onmouth Coffee Flat White, I heart you too:
The second best Flat White I had was from Salt in Covent Garden. This is a touristy area, but independent this shop is a welcome break from all the chains in the neighborhood.

I told the friendly barista I was on a mission to find the finest Flat White in town and he said he'd knock my socks off. Salt's Flat White - avec swan(!):Color me impressed by that serious latte art. I've seen a heart, and sometimes an ellipsis, but never a swan made out of milk. It tasted awesome too.

Honorable mention goes to The Espresso Room in Bloomsbury.

It was chilly and a bit damp in London, so when nighttime rolled around I was in the mood for a martini.

My favorite martinis were from Dukes Bar.

Dukes Hotel has a small, discreet cocktail bar off its lobby where Alessandro, their charming Italian bartender, makes some of the best martinis in the world. Alessandro has a small wooden trolley that he wheels out after you order, and as he prepares your martini tableside he tells you the story behind the drink, his inspiration for the recipe, or a fun tidbit about its ingredients. It's an old-school style of service I happen to love, and his drinks are KILLER.

I couldn't pick my favorite of Alessandro's martinis, so here are the two that tied for first place --

1. Ian Fleming's Classic Vesper:No.3 gin, Potocki vodka, Angostura bitters, and Dukes amber vermouth -- I felt like James Bond, just for a second when I drank it.

2. Dukes Gin Martini:Plymouth gin, Dukes extra dry vermouth, lemon oil -- classic and flawless.

My second favorite martini was at the Lanesborough's Library Bar. This bar is a *must-see*. I sunk into one of the Library Bar's plush velvet sofas set amongst the volumes of leather-bound classics in front of a roaring fireplace. It's a quintessentially English and perfectly cozy space.

I had their signature drink, The Librarian:Cognac, Visciolata Cherry Wine, Antica Formula Vermouth, and Drops of Peychaud Bitter.

Seriously strong stuff, but also seriously delicious... and served in a cut crystal glass with linen cocktail napkins. The ceremony, service, and ambiance made me feel like ordering a shelf full of Librarians. (Don't worry, I stopped at one.)

Honorable mention goes to Nightjar's English Mule cocktail.

So whether you're into coffees or martinis, I hope you'll find this list helpful on your next trip to London.

Cheers!

Monty Monday - New Bed

2012-01-16T21:38:00.003-05:00

Skinny little Monty loves a nice, warm fire in the wintertime.

He often cozies up in front of the fireplace in our dining room during meals. This usually happens without incident, but last week he went a little nuts with the fireside snuggling...

**Dramatic Reenactment**

Monty gradually moved his bed closer and closer to our fireplace while Chappy and I chatted away and enjoyed our dinner:He got all nice and toasty:But unfortunately so did his donut bed:That's one broiled dog bed -- thankfully only the toile was wounded.

So, I got our little man a new, luxurious bed/pet sofa that's nice and big and impossible for him to move:He absolutely adores it:...and it's staying safely in that corner of the dining room where it won't get charred.

The Mount

2012-01-04T00:01:00.001-05:00

Last year I visited The Mount, Edith Wharton's glorious estate in Lenox, Massachusetts:This grand home and its gardens are a must see for classical architecture buffs and American literature buffs alike.

Here's a peek at my pics from my visit to this newly re-opened estate:
Edith Wharton was an uber talented writer, producing classics like Ethan Frome and The Age of Innocence, but she also excelled at architecture and design. She came up with the majority of the plans and details for The Mount:
There are many Italian influences inside the home, especially in the main floor's Gallery:The floors are terrazzo and marble, and the sculptures were collected during Wharton's travels in Europe.

A shot of the peachy colored dining room:Those plaster garlands of fruits and birds are exquisite.

Edith Wharton's Tiffany Blue Boudoir:The floral still-life paintings came from Milan and were set into the paneling.

Classical ornament intricately carved into the house's doorknobs:
The Mount's grounds are *gorgeous*.

Edith Wharton was passionate about gardening, and even told her friends that she was a better landscape gardener than novelist(!).

A shot out over the house's terrace to the Lime Walk, a gravel path lined with Linden trees:Strolling down the Lime Walk:The French-style flower garden, complete with Wharton's original dolphin fountain in the center:If you visit The Mount, be sure it's on a nice day so you can wander around the 150 well-tended acres.

Edith Wharton Restoration, a non-profit group, is constantly working to renovate other out buildings on The Mount's property. Next up they'll be restoring the Stables:The Mount's grounds are open year-round, and its interiors are open from early May to late October. If you're in the Berkshires, I highly recommend a visit to this architectural gem.

The Mount - Edith Wharton's Estate and Gardens.

Remote Light Switch by Tobias Wong

2012-01-03T00:01:00.001-05:00

Friends gave us Tobias Wong's 'Remote Light Switch' as a housewarming gift a few years back.

It's an old school, flip style light switch enclosed in a Lucite box:With its little remote component, it wirelessly operates anything you'd like up to 100 feet away -- kind of like a sleek version of The Clapper:I love any way I can incorporate art and design into my day-to-day life, and have been happily using this modern conceptual art piece with our traditional Christmas tree lights.

Instead of fumbling with plugs and extension cords, I plugged our Christmas trees lights into the remote component of Wong's switch:The Lucite box sits atop our dining room table:And when we're feeling festive we flip the switch, and ta-da -- lovely lights!:Tobias Wong's fun and functional art piece helps us add some cheer to our Christmas tree:

Frequent Flyer - 2011 edition

2011-12-30T00:34:00.002-05:00

Other than my two lovely hometowns -- New York, NY and New Canaan, CT -- here's my 2011 in cities:

-Paris, FRANCE*
-Punta De Mita, MEXICO
-Southampton, BERMUDA
-San Francisco, CA
-London, ENGLAND
-New Milton, ENGLAND
-Reykjavik, ICELAND
-Höfn, ICELAND
-Akureyri, ICELAND
-Nantucket, MA
-Wainscott, NY
-Chicago, IL
-Cape Elizabeth, ME
-Las Vegas, NV

One or more nights were spent at each location. Cities marked with * were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.

I loved exploring more of the good old US of A this year. I hadn't been to Chicago or San Fran in decades; I thoroughly enjoyed the sights, culture, and food in both places. Nantucket was picture perfect; Vegas was wild and crazy. They were all very American experiences.

...And any year that I get to make multiple trips to Paris is an excellent one.

I feel so lucky and happy that I have this opportunity to see the world now. I can't wait to get back out on the road again in 2012. As Robert Louis Stevenson said, “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.”

Post-Game Party Report - December(ish) Edition

2011-12-28T22:22:00.007-05:00

It's been like a million years -- or about six weeks -- since I did a post-game party recap, so here are some social highlights since my last report...

The Young New Yorkers for the Philharmonic had their annual winter benefit with cocktails at Armani Ristorante - its interior is so sleek and spaceship-esque:And dinner was held at Doubles in the Sherry Netherland - with Mark Gilbertson, Chappy, and the champagne flute I'm unsuccessfully trying to hide out of the frame:Those photos were taken by Linsley Lindekens for the NY Phil.

Two musicians, Michelle Kim & Joo Oh, played Bériot's Duo Concertante during dinner. World class musical performance, friends, and a kickin' new Kate Spade frock for the party -- what could be better than that?

A snap of me with my fellow Phil-loving girlfriends Barbara Regna and Valerie Lettan ended up in the Sunday Styles section of the NY Times:Photo by Bill Cunningham.

I especially love parties where doggies are invited...

The ASPCA had their Young Friends benefit, Paw Prints, at the IAC building downtown. ASPCA staff members bring dogs that are adoptable to mix and mingle with the crowd during cocktails. Here I am with a sweet little Chihuahua. Awwww:
As a proud member of the New York Committee of the American Humane Association, I happily attended their event where Sadie, a search and rescue dog demonstrated her considerable skills in finding explosives(!). Sadie is talented and adorable:Photo by Ann Watt.

And last but not least, I went to the The Horticultural Society of New York's Annual Fall Luncheon which was held in a glorious wood-paneled dining room of the Metropolitan Club. Here I am with my buddy Alison Minton:Photo by Ann Watt.

The Hort's mission is "to sustain the vital connection between people and plants". As a veteran of my high school's Horticulture Club (yeah, I was a plant geek) and an amateur gardener up in CT, I'm proud to be associated with this organization.

I'm forever going to museums, so I won't bore you with a laundry list of things I've done/seen, but I would highly recommend these two exhibits...

Maurizio Cattelan at the Guggenheim:Just wow. Just go see it.

And Carsten Höller at the New Museum:I went down that 3 story slide. Twice.

I'm looking forward to lots more fun in '12...

Morris Family Christmas Card - 2011

2011-12-26T23:42:00.002-05:00

Here's our 2011 festive and fun holiday card:Click to enlarge.

Inside greeting:The illustration was done by talented local artist Patricia Van Essche, and the perfect printing was done by the boys at Rivertown Digital.

(And just to be 100% transparent since I've been asked about it numerous times in past years... we hired PVE and we hired the printing company -- no discounts, no freebies. I give them both credit/links/praise here because I'm very pleased with all of their hard work.)

Our card was one of many featured on an excellent NY Social Diary post last week. If you like peeking at family cards, have a look at the NYSD entry.

Happy Christmas friends!

Mrs. John L. Strong

2011-12-13T21:36:00.006-05:00

There's fantastic news in the world of high-end stationery...

Mrs. John L. Strong is back!:I was thrilled to learn that this old school stationery company - founded in 1929 after the stock market crash - has just re-opened at 699 Madison Avenue.

I recently popped into their jewelbox of a boutique to check out their colorful printed cards, scores of notepads, and much more:Downstairs they've got packaged sets of stationery, and upstairs they've got a ton of festive holiday gifts that are part of their 'Ready to Write' line:I was especially fond of these Monty-esque traditional calling cards:(...if Monty could use a pen he'd totally be filling in those cards and handing them out to all the pretty Bichons at the dog park.)

I was extra keen on browsing all the custom cards, invitations, and announcements that Mrs. John L. Strong does:I'm thinking it's time I got some new 'calling cards' with my email and blog address on them -- perhaps with a honeybee or a beehive motif. I still haven't made a decision, but will keep you posted.

Since it's mid-December, this 2012 Calendar Set was a perfect pick for the season:It's a sweet little set with a brass easel and monthly calendar sheets.

Each month has a hand engraved design on it. Here are a few of my favorites:Doesn't my desk, avec small calendar, look well-dressed and ready for the new year now?:For more information on Mrs. John L. Strong products, please visit their UES boutique or see their website.

Monty - On Facebook

2011-12-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

I'm not the only one in our household who likes to spend time on Facebook...

Everyone's favorite greyhound now has his very own profile on the site:Currently Monty's got 231 friends, but I suspect he's way more popular than that.

So, if you're on Facebook and you'd like a cuddly canine as your buddy, show him some love and friend him:Here's the tech-savvy pup hanging out in his home office. He can't wait to connect with everyone:Monty Morris on Facebook.

Wrist Wars - MCM edition

2011-12-07T00:00:00.007-05:00

I loved Refinery29's blog post '200+ Bracelets: Who Has The Best-Dressed Wrists In NYC?'.

Their pics of fashion insider's fabulous wrists inspired my to share my densely decorated arms.

My wrists:Another shot:And the explanation behind them based on Refinery29's interview questions...

Where is each bracelet from? (from the hand upward)

Left arm:

-Cartier Panthere watch, gift for my college graduation
-Land-Ho Bracelet by Thom Dolan, purchased at Saturdays NYC
-BRACED-LETS x2, in purple and clear - free, given away at ACS's DreamBall
-Evil Eye bracelet, gift from my sister-in-law

Right Arm:

-Miansai fishing hook on red cord, purchased online
-Cartier Love bracelet, birthday gift fastened on lovingly by Chappy via screwdriver
-Uno de 50 leather and silver bracelet, purchased while traveling in Tarragona
-Estonian leather bracelet with pewter thread and horn button, gift from an Estonian friendAny great stories behind the arm candy?

My Cartier Love bracelet often sets off airport metal detectors. I have to tell the TSA that it's simply a 'permanently installed bracelet' causing the beeping -- I'm always assuring them that I'm not carrying a concealed weapon.

Have any tricks or tips for layering bracelets?

I love to mix materials (string, metal, leather) and colors (red, purple, white). The variety is fun, but I make sure everything is neat and tidy - no dangling strings or frayed edges.

Tell me what you think of bracelet look - love it/hate it/or have you got any other must have arm candy...?

Park Avenue Tree Lighting

2011-11-30T23:13:00.003-05:00

I'm a proud supporter of The Fund for Park Avenue, a non-profit that plants, lights, and maintains the trees and flowers on the Park Avenue malls.

If you've never been to NYC, the malls sit between the uptown and downtown running streets of Park Avenue. They've got trees, flowers, public art, and various other pretty things on them:Photo via NYC.gov website.

The Fund for Park Avenue also manages the annual Park Avenue Tree Lighting, a tradition that began in 1945 as a memorial to the men and women who lost their lives in World War II. All the evergreens in the malls are decorated with lights for the holiday season. These lit trees serve as a memorial to all who have lost their lives defending our country. It's such a lovely tradition.

Crews have been hard at work on Park Avenue gearing up for this year's lighting:The 2011 Tree Lighting ceremony will take place this Sunday. The always fun event attracts thousands (last year there were about 5000 people there!) and features festive live music and carols. It's at 6.30PM outside the Brick Church on 91st and Park -- I got married there so I'm especially partial to this block of the Upper East Side.

If you can't make it to Sunday's ceremony, you can enjoy the sparkling trees all lit up from 4PM to 1AM for the month of December.

In support of The Fund, local cookie shop Eleni's is donating $1 to the cause for every tree-shaped cookie they sell through December 12th. I bought three:...and I ate all of them.

If you're interested in this delicious way to do something good for the community, visit Eleni's and grab a frosted tree.

I'll be there at Sunday night's lighting, and I hope many of you will too.

For more information on The Fund for Park Avenue, please visit their website.

The 2011 Holiday House

2011-11-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

The Holiday House is a stylish, swanky designer showhouse in a *gigantic* limestone mansion at 2 East 63rd Street. I recently had the opportunity to tour this showpiece of a showhouse -- I highly recommend you do too.

Showhouses are particularly fun because they give interior designers free rein over 'their' space. Be it a hallway, staircase, or parlour room, the designer gets to do whatever they please with their area. It's always fun to see such talented, creative people in action, and this year's impressive Upper East Side townhouse is quite the canvas for them to work with. Plus, it's for a great cause -- the showhouse benefits the NYC Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Here are a few highlights of the holiday themed rooms....

Halloween -- Suzanne Eason Interiors (photo by Phillip Ennis Photography):Inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe's poem, The Raven, this room is a "cautionary tale of Halloween" in an atmospheric, sensorial and classically modern sitting room. The sleek fireplace quiets the many clever details; feathers and chains drawing you into a space for an intimate gathering. A palette of smoky hues, aubergine and grey skies, the space quietly compliments the essence of Halloween.

Chinese New Year -- Inson Dubois Wood (photo by Nick Johnson):The Chinese New Year is a reflection of society's most valuable assets: happiness, health and longevity. The New Year marks a time when differences are reconciled to make room for the new, invite good luck, and wish peace and happiness to others. Along this theme, the room reflects a new transitional style, embracing pre-war elegance with contemporary, clean-lined furniture. The generous use of red wards off bad luck and is emblematic of vitality, joy, virtue, truth, prosperity, and sincerity.

Christmas -- Bradley Theirgartner Inc. (photo by Phillip Ennis Photography):A warm climate Christmas is the theme for the Grand Entry Foyer. Taking cues from the exquisite marble floor, black accents, fine art, notable antiques, and citrus hues, the room is embellished with magnolia branches and warm weather fruit for a holiday imbued hospitality. The smell of the season will permeate the air and the soft carols playing from piano will get all who enter into the holiday spirit!

This is just a peek -- there are a dozen more glorious rooms to discover at the showhouse.

The 2011 Holiday House is open until December 11. For more information, hours, directions, etc. visit their website.

Gone Fishin'

2011-11-27T11:15:00.002-05:00

Hotel views:I'm betting you'll be able to guess this one.

Girl Scout Council of Greater NY's 'Women of Distinction' Breakfast

2011-11-23T01:41:00.006-05:00

I'm a proud member of the Girl Scout Council of Greater NY's Leadership Advisory Board. Last month the Council held their 19th annual Women of Distinction Breakfast and raised more than $200,000 for Girl Scout programs in one very successful morning!

Here are two of New York City's most adorable Girl Scouts at the Waldorf-Astoria before the event:
Over 500 guests attended the breakfast honoring six successful, influential women:The honorees were Sharon Bush, Lauren Bush Lauren, Beth McCabe, Ranjini Pillay, Ann Shoket, and Catherine Morrison.

Journalist Deborah Norville (right) emceed -- and by the by, Deborah still fits into her childhood Girl Scout sash(!). She's pictured here with board members Patricia Stensrud and Mary Phipps:
I loved this quote from Patricia Stensrud's opening remarks: "Our Women of Distinction honorees exemplify outstanding achievement and leadership. They represent powerful role models for our girls demonstrating that if they can dream it, they can do it!"

And here's yours truly with Catherine Morrison, the 2011 Future Women of
Distinction:
Catherine is an eloquent, poised young woman. She spoke to the crowd about a project she did involving community health/nutrition and told me about her interest in the sciences. I was super impressed and inspired.

And in case you're interested, here's a little bit about the Girl Scouts of Greater New York...

The Girl Scouts of Greater New York provides New York City’s largest girls-only leadership development program reaching more than 25,000 girls ages 5 to 17. Girl Scout programs reach girls in virtually every zip code of New York City’s five boroughs and every socioeconomic sector. Girl Scouts enjoy programs that include career exploration, financial literacy, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), camping and environmental programs, and the nation’s largest business training program for girls, the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Today’s Girl Scouts are prepared to lead today as well as tomorrow, fulfilling our mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

Visit www.girlscoutsnyc.org to learn more.

Monty Monday - with Cosmo

2011-11-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

Monty spent a little time this weekend with my brother and sister-in-law's cat, Cosmo.

Monty chased Cosmo around the house, tried to give Cosmo one of his stuffed toys, and tried (unsuccessfully) to play fetch with Cosmo. Cosmo got tired of all the ruckus and hopped up on the kitchen countertop.

Monty popped right up on the kitchen chair next to him and seemed to be saying, 'Cosmo!!! Why won't you play with meeeeeee?":
Then Cosmo shot Monty a bit of a dirty look - click to enlarge that evil eye:Meow indeed.

But after some encouraging words and attention from us, they actually gave each other a little sniff/kiss:Awwwww!

Then Cosmo and Monty shared a meal of half a slice of bologna together:Yummy.

By now they were getting along swimmingly, so we decided to make Monty all cat-like by encouraging him to lounge on the counter next to Cosmo:Those boys make one cute pair of animal cousins, don't they?

Paul Fussell's Milk Punch

2011-11-20T00:01:00.001-05:00

Here's my holiday cocktail favorite, Milk Punch from 'Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis' by Kingsley Amis.

The text and recipe below are from Everyday Drinking. I hope you'll find Kingsley Amis's writing as amusing as I do...

Paul Fussell's Milk Punch

1 part brandy
1 part bourbon whiskey
4 parts fresh milk
Nutmeg
Frozen milk cubesThe previous evening (this is the hardest part) put milk instead of water into enough ice-trays in your refrigerator. One the day, mix the fresh milk and the spirits thoroughly together --In an electric blender, the deviser of the recipe says, and by all means do that if there is one lying about and not wanted by someone else and clean and with no bits missing and in working order. For me, stirring in a jug will do just as well. Pour into biggish glasses, drop in milk cubes, dust with nutmeg and serve.

This punch is to be drunk immediately on rising, in lieu of eating breakfast. It is an excellent heartener and sustainer at the outset of a hard day: not only before an air trip or an interview, but when you have in prospect one of those grueling nominal festivities like Christmas morning, the wedding of an old friend of your wife's, or taking the family over to Gran's for Sunday dinner.Note. Do not, of course, use an expensive bourbon or a brandy that is anything more than just French. And taste each bottle of milk before pouring it in. there is a risk that sour milk punch would not be as good.Cheers! Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis.

Giveaway - Two Tucker Blair Belts

2011-11-16T23:18:00.003-05:00

I love Tucker Blair's natty needlepoint belts. They've got belts with everything from nautical flags to skulls and crossbones on them. I've got half a dozen of their colorful, cheeky designs in my closet and I'm still eyeing more.

Just in time for the holidays, I'm giving away two of my Tucker Blair favorites...

A Santa's Taxi belt: A festive, hand-stitched Ho ho ho:
And a Beirut belt:You know you've always wanted to wear red Solo cups around your waist:
Want to win these 2 sweet Tucker Blairs? Here's how:

1. Leave a comment below telling me your favorite seasonal/holiday drink. Mulled wine, Egg nog, Hot Toddy, or is it martinis all year round for you?

2. Leave your name - it doesn't have to be your full name, you can leave a nickname, but just put something identifiable.

3. Enter before 11.59PM EST on Friday 18 November.

On Saturday morning I'll randomly select a winner and will write a post letting you know who won. Then we'll work out the belt sizing and shipping. I'll also reveal my favorite holiday cocktail (...it's a good, but super obscure one!) so check back in on the blog Saturday the 19th.

The Santa's Taxi and Beirut belt giveaway awaits your holiday drink choices. Sound off..

California Wine Country cooking class

2011-11-09T00:27:00.004-05:00

I've scaled back my 'serious' cooking since my spinal surgery in July, but last week I decided it was time to dive back in to give proper cooking a go at ICE's California Wine Country class. Much to my surprise I made some DELICIOUS dishes that required no heavy lifting and minimal chopping.

Here are my two favorite recipes - one savory and one sweet - from the day...

Pea Ravioli with Carrots and Cipollini Onions in Parmesan Broth
recipe serves 4-5

Asian dumpling wrappers

Pea Ravioli Filling:
1 lb frozen peas
4 tablespoons softened butter
pinch curry powder
pinch ground cumin
2 1/2 oz warm heavy cream

1. Blanch peas in salted boiling water for 4-5mins. Shock in ice water. Drain.
2. Blend peas, butter, curry powder, and cumin in food processor until very smooth.
3. Add heavy cream and blend very briefly to incorporate. Season mixture with salt and pepper.
4. Make ravioli, placing 1 tablespoon filling in each dumpling wrapper. Wet the edges with water and fold over, pressing to seal.

I took the class with a fellow OCD-ish friend. We worked together on this recipe, and here are our very neat and tidy ravioli ready to go:Sometimes it pays to be slightly compulsive!

Carrots & Cipollini Onions:
1/4 lb baby carrots
1/4 lb cipollini onions
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup chicken stock

In a medium saute pan, melt butter and sugar together. Add garlic, then add carrots and onions and saute until caramelized. Add chicken broth and reduce until syrupy.

Broth:
4 cups good quality chicken stock
1 3 inch+ rind from a wedge of Parmesan
1 bay leaf

Bring stock, rind, and bay leaf to a simmer in a medium saucepan and reserve.

To serve:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Add the ravioli gradually, stirring to separate them, and cook for 2-3 minutes until done.
2. Lift ravioli with a slotted spoon, drain well, and transfer to a bowl with broth.
3. Bring reserved broth to a simmer. Season with salt, then divide broth, carrots, and onions among 4-5 bowls, discarding cheese rind and bay leaf.

And here's the final product all assembled -- Enjoy!:This was soooooooooooooooo good. It was like a soup dumpling dish with a salty sweet broth. The just soft enough onions and the yummy spices inside the pea ravioli gave it nice complexity. I'd absolutely serve this at a dinner party.

Chardonnay Poached Pears with Creme Anglaise
recipe serves 4-5

4 cups Chardonnay
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 large strips of lemon zest
1 cup of sugar
4 Anjou pears, peeled, halved, and cored

1. Combine Chardonnay, vanilla, cinnamon, star anise, lemon zest, and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10 mins.
2. Add pears to the liquid. Simmer pears for 15-20 mins, or until they are tender when poked with a knife.
3. Remove pears. Increase heat and simmer liquid until it's reduced/thickened to a syrup.

Cinnamon Creme Anglaise

1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon
3 egg yolks
4 tablespoons sugar

In a heavy saucepan, bring cream and cinnamon just to a boil and then remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until they are pale yellow. Slowly pour hot cream into the eggs while whisking constantly. Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler and stir over simmering water until the mixture is thickened. Cool over a water bath.

Our Cinnamon Creme Anglaise - the color was a bit darker than a traditional Creme Anglaise:
And our Poached Pear with the Creme Anglaise:Yum - yum - yum!!! Run out and make this recipe now while pears are still in season.

And if you're interested in taking a cooking class or two at ICE's recreational division, visit their website.

Halloween - Futuristic Fantasy Party

2011-11-08T00:01:00.001-05:00

Monty wasn't the only one who dressed up for Halloween last week. Chappy and I went to a costume party with a 'Futuristic Fantasy' theme.

Who says dressing up is just for kids (or for greyhounds)?:We were a NASA astronaut and a Star Trek Enterprise crew member, respectively.

Our friend decorated their apartment all sleek and shiny for the Futuristic Fantasy theme. You can see a peek of their bed covered in silver wrap here:The decor and lighting looked like a hip boutique hotel in Berlin with splashes of the Jetsons thrown in.

We had an out of this world fun time in our space age costumes:Tell me what you dressed up as...

Monty Monday - Halloween

2011-11-07T00:01:00.001-05:00

For Halloween this year Monty dressed up as a racehorse.

Avec mini jockey:
Monty is only 14lbs, but he looked like a majestic thoroughbred with his little rider:(...that is if thoroughbreds sat down.)

Look at him mid-stride -- you'd put your money on that blazing fast horse/small dog at the racetrack, wouldn't you?:
Alas, after 5 minutes of wearing the jockey, posing for photos, and being a good sport, there was this from Mr. Monty:The inevitable shaking off of the Halloween costume.

Don't worry buddy, we promise we won't dress you up again until '12 -- even though you did look awfully cute as a racehorse.

103rd Street Community Garden

2011-10-20T19:04:00.001-04:00

Last month the New York Restoration Project opened a new community garden on E. 103rd Street. NYRP restores and creates parks all over New York City, and we were happy to support their work with this East Harlem space.

This was the empty land before NYRP:During their renovations:And after. Click to enlarge - Wow!:Our family foundation donated a tree for this garden in memory of a dear friend of ours that died -- we thought this was a lovely way to honor his memory and to add something positive to our city.

Our dogwood tree was looking pretty that afternoon, and I'm sure it'll look glorious when it flowers next spring:
Bette Midler, the founder of NYRP, was on hand to cut the ceremonial garland:
The neighborhood children particularly enjoyed this grassy hill - there were lots of cartwheels and somersaults going on:
And what opening is complete without some balloons? Chappy was feeling/looking very festive!:
The popular new playground space, part of the 103rd Street garden:And speaking of playground space...

You're never too old and/or big for the slide:For more information on the New York Restoration Project, please visit their website.
For more information on the E. 103rd Street Community Garden, click here or go visit in person -- and please say hello to our dogwood tree!

Organic Avenue - LOVE* Deep Cleanse

2011-10-19T21:58:00.004-04:00

Desserts like the one I posted yesterday are terrific, but it's also nice to swing the pendulum the other way towards the uber healthy sometimes... Enter Organic Avenue, an NYC-based health and wellness company that makes some of the yummiest juices in town.

I was feeling a bit blah after my long weekend of indulgence in Chicago and I thought a 3-day juice cleanse would be the perfect pick-me-up.

Here's the pretty rainbow of day 1 of Organic Avenue's LOVE* deep juice cleanse:I ordered online from O.A., but there was some sort of shipping mix up the day I was meant to begin my cleanse. Nothing arrived -- big boo! But in the spirit of good customer service, O.A. gave me a full refund and offered me a complimentary cleanse. I happily accepted, and now I'm hooked on their juices.

My cleanse started off with a shot of chlorophyll elixir and ended with a green vegetable juice. You can see the other juice varieties I drank throughout the day here if you click to enlarge:It's a lot of juice, and I honestly wasn't hungry at all. I missed my morning - and mid-morning, and afternoon - espressos a lot, but apart from that life was good on this juice cleanse.

Some of the juices taste fruity, some taste vegetal, and others are a bit spicy. They're all pretty good, but this was my least favorite of the juices -- it has some type of beets in it and it just wasn't my cup of tea:But no matter, O.A. will replace individual juices based on your taste preferences, so I'm all set to be beet-less next time I order with them.

And this was my favorite -- the carrot juice:I've had dozens of different carrot juices before, but this is the best by a mile. It's creamy, sweet, and tastes soooooo fresh. I've been back to O.A.'s UES boutique a handful of times just to purchase that carrot juice as an afternoon snack. It's better than a cupcake (really).

Despite the rocky start with O.A.'s shipping, I'm totally sold on their product. I'll definitely be doing another 3-day cleanse in the near future, and I'll definitely try to find a way to regularlt incorporate their juices into my normal diet.

For more information on O.A.'s LOVE* deep cleanse, visit their website. I'm off to find a way to re-route my day past their Lexington Avenue shop for some more carrot juice...

Chocolate Raspberry Clafoutis

2011-10-18T22:37:00.003-04:00

This simple, extra delicious dessert recipe is from Gourmet magazine. It looks elegant and requires minimal prep work, so I think it's perfect for a dinner party. If you're a chocolate lover, give this one a go...

Somewhere between custard and cake lies the clafoutis, a simple French country dessert traditionally made with cherries. In this dark chocolate and raspberry version, your blender does most of the work.

Ingredients:

* 18 ounces fresh raspberries
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
* 1 cup whole milk
* 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
* 3 large eggs
* 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3 to ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

My clafoutis pre-baking:Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9'' pie dish.

IMPORTANT: Toss berries with granulated sugar and let stand 15-20 minutes. Make sure the berries are nice and soft.

Blend milk, butter, eggs, brown sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt in a blender until smooth, about 15-20 seconds. Scatter berries (with juices) evenly in baking dish, then pour batter over top.

Bake until slightly puffed and firm to the touch, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chopped chocolate. Cool to warm, about 20 minutes.

Out of the oven:And a close-up:I served ours with a little scoop of fresh vanilla whipped cream. Enjoy!

Monty Monday - In Maine

2011-10-17T00:01:00.000-04:00

Monty is enjoying a quick visit to Maine this week...

He's been having tons of fun sprinting on the beach:
Posing with seasonal decorations:
And relaxing in front of a cozy fire:This doggie loves his time Down East!

Monty Monday - Jaunty Jacket

2011-10-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

Monty was chilly during a recent car ride up to our country house, so I took off and tossed him my jacket.

He scratched at it, fluffed it, dove into it, circled around a few times...

And he came up like this:Note the collar is even half popped there too.

Given the panache with which he wears that quilted jacket, I think he's got a future as a J. McLaughlin model - don't you?:(By the by, these are totally unstaged photos -- the dog just has some naturally cool style.)

Post-Game Party Report

2011-10-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

Last Monday night was the America Theatre Wing's Annual Gala at The Plaza. The glamorous, black tie event honored Sir Howard Stringer, the Chairman & CEO of Sony, and he brought out some big time stars... Jennifer Hudson, Kelli O'Hara, and Elaine Page all sang. Amazingly well. Mayor Bloomberg and Angela Lansbury spoke, and I spotted Samuel L. Jackson in the crowd. Snazzy.

A portion of the evening was set aside a special tribute to our late, dear friend (and Monty favorite), Doug Leeds. Doug was a former president of The Wing, and was a loyal supporter of their efforts for decades.

Erin Mackey sang "DeLovely" as a duet with Colin Donnell (pictured here) during dinner and dedicated it to Doug:Doug would have loved it.

Chappy and I are proud members of the 'Quest 400', a list of notable New Yorkers complied by Quest magazine each year. Quest held a party for the release of its 400 list issue at Doubles, the speakeasy/private club in the Sherry-Netherland.

Many of the '400' were there to mingle, and we were all smiles at the party:Photo by Patrick McMullan via NYSD.

It's opera season again, and I was beyond excited to be back at the Met to see my girl crush, Anna Netrebko, in the title role of Anna Bolena:I got a seat upgrade this year which is big news. Many subscription tickets are held for years and years, or are even passed down through generations. The super good seats are hard to get, but if you hang around long enough you'll eventually get bumped up to a nicer seat, a better box, etc. I'm now sitting pretty in a side Grand Tier box.

It's totally illegal to take a pic inside the house, but you get the idea with this sneaky shot - nice sight and sound lines for Mel!:More music - lots and lots and lots more music - to come next week...

Walnut Plum Tart/Crumble (Walnut Plum Trumble?)

2011-10-04T23:15:00.005-04:00

I'm not much of a baker, but I am always up for trying something new. So, last weekend I volunteered to bring a dessert to a dinner party.

I needed a dessert that was fairly easy to make, and I wanted something seasonal for fall. So, I came up with this plum tart/crumble recipe. It's not really a proper tart since it doesn't have a separate crust and bottom, but it's not really a crumble either because the fruit is baked along with the rest of the 'pie'. But whatever it is, it tastes nutty, fruity, and really delicious.

Mel's Walnut Plum Tart

Ingredients:1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1.5 sticks of butter, unsalted. sliced and kept cold.
1 egg yolk
about 8 Damson plums. pitted and sliced lengthwise into sixths.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine cinnamon and white sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mix over plum slices and toss to coat thoroughly.

Combine flour, brown sugar, salt, and walnuts in a large bowl. Add egg yolk, then bit by bit, add sliced butter. Mix by hand until all ingredients combine and have a dry, crumbly texture.

Cover the bottom of a 9.5 inch tart pan generously with the crumble mixture. Use wax paper to press and firm the mixture evenly into the sides and base of the pan, then add more crumb mixture and press and shape the mixture again with wax paper. Make sure top surface of crumble mixture is level.

Place plum slices, skin side down, on top of the crumble mixture in a neat, decorative pattern. (I placed mine in a circle, but it's chef's choice here.) Use as many of the plum slices as possible to top the crumble mixture to give the tart an extra fruity flavor.

Once plums are arranged, sprinkle a bit of the remaining crumble mixture over the top of the plums. Here's mine ready for the oven:Bake the tart for 40 minutes. It should be beginning to brown at the edges. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool, while still in the tart pan, for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Yum!:For a little extra kick I...
A. chopped up and sprinkled some of Martha Stewart's candied walnuts over top of the tart to add a sweet crunch, and...
B. offered a spoonful of Schlag, a dollop of crème fraîche, or a scoop of vanilla gelato to serve with a slice depending on the varied ethnic traditions we all had going around our table that night. Each of the accompaniments worked, so serve your Plum Walnut Plum Tart -- even if it's just plain by it self, or with some good old-fashioned Vanilla ice cream -- however it suits you and yours.

Enjoy!

Tortoise Snap Case for iPhone 4

2011-09-28T00:00:00.006-04:00

Tortoise shell has always been a classic, chic choice for stylish accessories.

I've got tortoise shell eyeglasses, tortoise shell hair clamps, and now I've got a tortoise snap case for my iPhone 4.

Love it!:
My iPhone's profile:The case has a painted tortoise shell pattern on a transparent hardshell. It's lightweight, but solid, and it snaps on snugly to protect the back, sides, and corners of your iPhone. (For the front/screen, I recommend the clear and strong Ghost Armor skin.)

The Tortoise Snap Case is available in Brown, and it looks mighty fine on both black and white iPhones:It retails for $34.95 at goincase.com.

Post-Game Party Report - double issue

2011-09-27T00:01:00.002-04:00

A super late, super loaded post-game party report from the past 2 weeks...

The best thing I've seen in months was Arvo Pärt and Snøhetta’s “Stillspotting NYC”, a sound and space installation presented in partnership with the Guggenheim. The exhibit paired specially selected spaces throughout New York City (chosen by architectural design firm Snøhetta) with certain works of classical music (written by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt).

You checked in down in Battery Park, got a map and an iTouch, and you were off to the first stop:All in all there were two spaces/installations on Governor's Island and three in lower Manhattan.

My two favorites of the exhibition were this space in the lobby of the Woolworth Building:And this construction site on the 47th floor of 7 World Trade Center:Music was piped in as you listened, sat, strolled, lounged, talked, watched others come and go, etc in these 'stillspots'. I absolutely loved it. If/when the Guggenheim does another one of these, please go!

I saw the Andrea Bocelli (and friends) concert in Central Park:I'm thrilled that tens of thousands of people turned up to hear the Philharmonic play -- we were this far back and we were smack in the middle of the crowd -- but this show was too pop-y for me. Celine Dion, Chris Botti, and Tony Bennett all sang with Bocelli during the 3 hour long David Foster produced spectacular. It's always lovely seeing a concert in my city's beautiful park, and I had great fun hanging out with my friends, but I think I'm better off getting my opera/music fix down at Lincoln Center.

Chappy and I saw two Off-Broadway plays: Temporal Powers and Freud's Last Session. Here we are looking all serious in reading our programs mode before the performance:T.P. is an excellent revival that deals with money, honesty, and other intriguing moral issues, and F.L.S. is a contemporary one-act where a meeting between two great, but different thinkers is imagined. I enjoyed both, and they're both still running here and here.

I went to MoMA's PS1, a giant former schoolhouse that's been converted to a satellite gallery space. It's worth taking the short ride over the river out to Long Island City because PS1 always has something compelling going on, like their current 9/11 exhibition.

They've also got this cool courtyard space designed by Interboro Partners out back:
We went to the American Cancer Society's 27th annual DreamBall at Cipriani in midtown:Lots of big names like Kelly Ripa, Giada De Laurentiis, and Linda Wells were there, and the event raised over 2.1 million dollars(!) for cancer research that night. Crazy good, right?

Art, music, theater, and parties... It's been a successful, fun couple of weeks!

Monty Monday - Saluting the Hero Dogs

2011-09-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month the American Humane Association held their annual benefit at the National Arts Club in NYC.

The AHA honored the brave Hero Dogs of 9/11:Whoopi Goldberg spoke, and Rin Tin Tin, a 12th-generation descendant of the original Rin Tin Tin, made an appearance.

Chappy and I were proud committee members, but Monty also wanted in on this great cause...

So, Monty made this adorable ad for the event's program:Way to go Hero Dogs, and if you'd like more information about the American Humane Association, please visit their website.

Chicago Weekend - Part II

2011-09-23T23:45:00.006-04:00

So, more Chicago...

I took CAF's architecture boat cruise, which is a must-do if you're a tourist. This lazy 90 minute float down the Chicago River gives you a prime view of all the glorious downtown buildings:A docent tells you some highlights and history, and you get a little fresh air out on the boat's open deck. I especially loved the Crain Communications building (on the left) with its classical style and Corinthian columns:I did a little shopping.

N. Michigan has big names like Ralph Lauren, Saks, and Barneys, but I've got all that in NYC, and I wanted something different. I went west to Wicker Park to Labrabbit, a hip, independent boutique:Labrabbit sells vintage frames and small, hard-to-find contemporary glasses.

There were lots of colorful 80s-esque pairs in stock on my visit but I settled on a pair of DRIFT sunglasses, handmade in Chicago with acetate lenses and walnut wood arms. They're dope!:I also went to Lincoln Park to the scores of little boutiques in the Armitage-Halsted area. I particularly enjoyed browsing the bags at 1154 LILL Studio and the shoes at Lori's. I also ate a strange sounding, but totally delicious 'steamed sandwich' at CBA.

I saw some excellent shows. I went to a play at the Steppenwolf Theater called Clybourne Park.

The set:The play won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for drama, and I thought it was a home run. It's pretty intense content dealing with racism, stereotypes, and urban gentrification, but it was handled thoughtfully and acted flawlessly. I highly recommend it.

Doing a complete 180, the following night I went to a comedy show called 'South Side of Heaven' at The Second City. This was a Saturday Night Live-esque performance of bits, improvs, and musical numbers that were so darn funny the lady next to me literally spit her drink out across the room. It's fast-paced, R-rated fun, and I'd definitely go back next time I'm in town.

I saw a Cubs game. I went to Wrigley Field on a gray, rainy day, but my seats were so good it didn't matter what the weather was like:Wrigley is gorgeous -- the ivy, the low fences, and the old-fashioned scoreboard are all so charming. The Cubs lost and I had to buy a garbage bag inspired disposable parka to stay dry, but it was so worth it.

I had a terrific stay at the Park Hyatt, a gigantic, but super friendly property.

My room was large and modern, and it had this cool hatch thingie you could open up between the bathroom and the bedroom. You could sit in the tub and enjoy the view of Lake Michigan; I dug it:And anywhere that serves me breakfast on a silver tray gets big points - yay for a luxurious treat!:When I wasn't indulging in room service or deep dish pizza I was loving the food elsewhere. I ate at Girl & the Goat, Gibsons, and Gilt Bar. The ham dishes at G & t G were my favorite, but they were all nice meals. Chicago does food right.

And I found an uber compelling reason for me to make a return visit -- this gorgeous outdoor theater, the Pritzker Pavilion:Classical music concerts al fresco and Frank Gehry design? Oh Chicago, I'm so coming back for that!

I know I've got a lot of Chicago area readers... so guys, how'd I'd do? I think I hit all the highlights of food, shopping, and culture between this post and the last, but I'd love to hear your feedback.

Chicago Weekend - Part I

2011-09-21T23:06:00.005-04:00

I've just returned from a long, delightful weekend in Chicago.

I'd never been to the windy city before(!), but all that gorgeous architecture, delicious food, and Midwestern hospitality made me want to book a return trip ASAP.

I did some touristy stuff - like see the views from the super high buildings downtown. The view from the observation deck of the John Hancock building:And the view from the Willis Tower Skydeck, the artist formerly known as the Sears Tower:Fun fact I learned on the elevator ride up - the Willis Tower is 313 Oprahs tall.

I ate deep dish pizza at Giordano's, or as they call it, 'stuffed pizza':It was ridiculously cheesy and rich (that is a small -- how do people actually eat an entire pie this size???), but it was so gooey and delicious.

I gawked at Anish Kapoor's shiny and spectacular sculpture, Cloud Gate:My photograph doesn't do this beauty justice. It's reflective, curvy, and so much fun to walk around, through, underneath, etc.

I fought the crowds to be all Ferris Bueller. Seurat's 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte' was the busiest piece in the Art Institute:If you go to the Art Institute, make sure you go downstairs to see the Thorne Miniature Rooms -- 68 jewel-box sized rooms decorated with period furnishings and completely accurate architecture. They're the size of a large shoebox, and they're completely mind-blowing. I live in a Georgian, so I was partial to this one:...but there are also traditional Japanese miniature rooms, Jacobean rooms, Shaker style rooms -- all itty-bitty and really cool.

Back outside, I went Mies van der Rohe hunting. Mies is my favorite architect, and his buildings are dotted all over downtown. I bought this little booklet in the Museum of Contemporary Art's well-stocked bookshop and trotted all over craning my neck at the steel and glass structures:Crown Hall was my favorite.

I took a long, leisurely walk along the Lakefront Trail:This picturesque path runs right along the shore of Lake Michigan, and I strolled amongst the cyclists and runners. Even though it was a little gray, the view is still pretty sweet:Alas, I did not see Oprah out jogging.

More Chicago, including shows and shopping, tomorrow...

Homemade Cherry-Infused Goodies

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

It's the end of fresh fruit season here in CT (*sob*). I decided to take the last of this year's Bing cherries to make some yummy cocktail-related goodies...

First things first, I got some mason jars and pitted a whole bunch of cherries:
As a side note, I don't go for kitchen gadgets like garlic presses or panini spatulas, but this thing is definitely worth the drawer space:It's a cherry pitter from Williams-Sonoma and it makes the pitting process painless. I highly recommend it.

I chose to make homemade maraschino cherries and some cherry-infused liquor with my fresh fruit:I use maraschino cherries as a garnish in everything from Whiskey Sours to Pina Coladas. The maraschino cherries available in most stores are packed with preservatives and all kinds of artificial dyes. Making your own maraschinos is super easy, and they taste sooooo much better.

For maraschino cherries:
1. Add pitted cherries to mason jar
2. Fill jar up/cover cherries completely with Luxardo or other high quality maraschino liqueur
3. Seal jars tightly and wait about 3-4 months

My mason jars all ready to go into hibernation:
I also wanted to try a couple of cherry-infused liquors, and chose to make one vodka and one bourbon infusion.

For cherry-infused liquor:
1. Add pitted cherries to mason jar
2. Add alcohol
3. Seal tightly and wait about 3-5 days
4. Pour cherry & spirit mixture through a fine strainer to remove all fruit
5. Pour alcohol back in mason jar or enjoy right away

My homemade cherry-infused bourbon (left) and vodka (right), all strained and ready to go:The vodka wasn't my favorite flavor on its own, but I'll happily use it as a mixer. I'm thinking I'll make Cherry Screwdrivers. The extra fruity flavor will be a fun kick to the orange juice.

The bourbon was a home run. The post-infusion flavor was sweet, but not sugary, and the fruit adds a little smoothness to the strong spirit. I'll drink this bourbon on its own with ice. I'll also use it to make Old Fashioneds - but only after my homemade maraschino cherries are ready in December...

Cheers!

Mel's Creamed Spinach

2011-09-13T00:37:00.002-04:00

I grilled a giant, juicy Ribeye steak for dinner this past weekend. I wanted something steakhouse-ish to accompany the yummy main, and decided my extra flavorful creamed spinach recipe was the perfect way to go...

Creamed Spinach

Ingredients

* 2 pounds spinach, cleaned, stems trimmed
* 2.5 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 large onion, minced
* 5 garlic cloves, minced
* 4 ounces regular cream cheese, cut into small pieces
* 1/2 cup 2% milk
* kosher salt and ground pepper
* pinch nutmeg
recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
Directions

1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Once boiling, add spinach in batches and cook for 1-2 mins total. Drain spinach into a colander. Squeeze and press spinach repeatedly to remove as much water and liquid as possible. (You'll have to do a lot of squeezing and pressing, but it's worth it.) Remove spinach from colander and chop loosely. Save coarsely chopped, cooked spinach for later.

2. Heat a 6-quart saute pan over medium heat and add/melt butter. Add minced onions and garlic, stir mixture and then season with salt and pepper. Continue stirring and adding salt and pepper if necessary for about 5 mins as the onion softens.

3. Still on medium heat, pour milk in 6-quart saute pan. Add sections of cream cheese one by one. Stir constantly until cream cheese has melted and combined with other ingredients completely. Add the cooked spinach in small batches, stirring until all ingredients are combined. Simmer covered over low heat until mixture thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir again and then season with salt and pepper. Add a finishing pinch of nutmeg.Enjoy this quick, easy, downright delicious side dish!

MCM in Matchbook Magazine

2011-09-06T00:09:00.001-04:00

A special thanks to Matchbook Magazine for including me in their September issue.

Their question: What fashion piece are you most excited to purchase this fall?

My answer:The J.McLaughlin School Boy Striped Skirt, in mustard/grey (retails for $185):I'm loving the yellow and the graphic stripes - super cute!

To read other lifestyle bloggers must-haves, check out Matchbook.

And tell me what you're first fall purchase will be...

Pain in the Neck Blog

2011-09-04T17:42:00.005-04:00

Before my recent spinal surgery I searched online for information on posterior cervical microdiscectomy. I didn't find a lot of helpful patient-written content, so I decided to blog about my experience here:

Melissa C Morris - Pain in the Neck
In the past few months I've received lots of emails - everything from fellow herniated disc sufferers asking what helped/didn't help me to other New Yorkers wondering if I'd recommend my neurosurgeon, physical therapist, etc. All that info can be found on the new blog, so if you're interested in 'pain in the neck' posts, check it out here.

New Haven Museums - Day Trip

2011-08-30T00:01:00.001-04:00

Last week I took a day trip to New Haven to explore two small but significant art museums - the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art.

The Yale University Art Gallery is housed in a 1953 building by modernist architect Louis Kahn. It's open, loft-like, and filled with everything from paintings to furniture to artifacts, like these works seen here in the African art section:
There are old classics, like General George Washington at Trenton by John Trumball:
And there are modern masterpieces like this Untitled painting from 1954 by Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollack's Number 13A: Arabesque:
There's also a sunny, quiet sculpture garden out back. It was the perfect place to stop, sit, and relax for a bit:A fun fact - the museum's exhibits are curated by students. I thought they did a flawless job.

Admission is free. For more information, visit the Yale University Art Gallery website.

Just across the street is another Louis Kahn building, this one from 1977, that houses the Yale Center for British Art. The building is magnificent -- it's got thick concrete walls, tan oak trim, and a glass ceiling that lets just the right amount of soft light in:According to the little information pamphlet I picked up at the front desk, the museum has the largest collection of British art outside the UK. Impressive.

There are scores of portraits in this museum including some of Lucian Freud's controversial, surrealist portraits to Thomas Gainsborough's pretty, traditional ones:Admission is also free. For more information, please visit the Yale Center for British Art website.

Each of these museums took me a leisurely hour or so to see. Combine the museum visits with a long lunch at the upscale Union League Cafe or a quick scone and coffee at Atticus Bookstore & Cafe and you've got a lovely day trip to New Haven.

Cocktail Cheers - Mercy Madras

2011-08-25T00:01:00.001-04:00

A few months ago I went to a launch party for super beverage Mercy...

Mercy is a gently effervescent, naturally flavored drink that contains a blend of amino acids, antioxidants, and vitamins. It's meant to restore your body's nutrients and eliminate alcohol toxins so that hangover symptoms don't have a chance to set in.

Basically it's a hangover cure that's also a cocktail mixer. Score!

Here's a Mercy cocktail made especially for MCM readers...

Mercy Madras

Created by Master Alchemist Alexander Ott for Melissa Morris on behalf of MERCY

2 parts vodka
3 parts cranberry
2 parts pineapple
4 parts Mercy
1 lemonPour vodka, cranberry, and pineapple into a cocktail shaker with ice.

Shake ingredients (excluding Mercy).

Pour mixture into an ice-filled highball.

Top off glass with Mercy and garnish with a lemon wheel.

I enjoyed my pretty pink Mercy Madras poolside:Cheers!

For more information on mixologist Alex Ott, check out this recent feature on him in the NYT.
For more information on where to buy and drink Mercy, visit their website.

Vanilla Roasted Peaches with Raspberry Kirsch Sauce

2011-08-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

I brought a bunch fresh fruit home to CT from Sissy's Farm Stand in Wainscott after my Hamptons weekend. I had ripe peaches and fresh raspberries and decided to combine the two to make a simple, summery dessert. Enjoy this sweet treat before the end of peach season...

Vanilla Roasted Peaches

1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and scraped
4 firm but ripe peaches, cut in half w/pits removed -- I remove the skin from two of the peaches and keep the skin on the remaining two. I think the difference in texture provides a nice contrast.
recipe adapted from Martha Stewart1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small glass baking dish, combine the melted butter, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla bean/seeds.

2. Place peaches in dish and turn a few times to coat thoroughly with butter/sugar mixture. Place peaches cut side down in the baking dish in a single layer.

Here are mine ready to go in the oven:3. Roast until peaches are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes total. While cooking, baste peaches with pan liquids every five minutes.

4. Serve peaches - warm or at room temperature - with a spoonful (or two) or Raspberry Kirsch Sauce, recipe below.

My peaches, post-roasting. Yum!:
Raspberry Kirsch Sauce

1 cup fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons kirsch
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
recipe adapted from epicurious.com1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Puree.

2. Run pureed mixture through a strainer to remove all seeds. Spoon over ice cream, Vanilla Roasted Peaches, or the dessert of your choice.

Raspberry Kirsch sauce - in the most perfect shade of pink:

Monty Monday - Wainscott Weekend

2011-08-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

The three of us headed out east this past weekend for a delightful Hamptons getaway.

We took the Bridgeport-Port Jeff ferry there, and Monty had fun exploring the ship's top deck, meeting/greeting fellow dog passengers, and flapping his ears in the breeze:
Chappy looks so cute here, but Monty was totally fed up with the wind blowing in his face by this point. Note the dirty look for the blustery conditions:We arrived and went straight to Wainscott Beach where the weather was calm and perfect.

The beaches in the Hamptons allow dogs after 6PM, and I was thrilled I could take my buddy with me on my daily exercise session. He loved it:
The boys enjoyed some late day sunshine together:
And Monty spent a lot of time sitting, staring, and contemplating the sea:
The next day little Monty preferred to lounge poolside... Check him out all perched up on the chair at the end of the pool:
He was king of the back garden for the day:Monty also ate lots of fresh blueberries from the farm stand and spent hours (unsuccessfully) chasing geese in the corn field next door.

After all of that Hamptons fun, he needed a nice, long nap in Chappy's lap on the way home:It was a super successful Wainscott weekend.

Rope Bracelets by Miansai

2011-08-18T23:15:00.001-04:00

I'm all about string bracelets in the summertime.

I used to make, swap, and wear friendship bracelets when I was younger, and now I've found a suitably grown up alternative for my wrist -- Miansai's rope bracelets.

These colorful cords come in a handful of designs. I bought the Beacon and the Hook.

Here are my two hook bracelets, in red cord and purple cord:They're completely adjustable, so they'll fit everyone from the teeny tiny wrists like mine to giant man wrists.

I prefer silver for summer, but you can get the hook in silver or gold. Whatever color you choose, each fishing hook is hand caste:
The Beacon bracelet is a little thicker and is a double strand of string:I bought the red rope and the blue rope. These also have a hand caste silver closure:They're sized (XS, S, M & L) and run a bit big - even the extra small is a little large on me, but I stack them to make the size work.

Miansai also does a take on the classic Nantucket fisherman's bracelet. I've got my eye on their natural with silver hardware and blue cord:I wear two leather bracelets all the time, and I like to mix in a little color with Miansai's rope bracelets depending on what I'm wearing.

Here's a shot of my wrist today -- I've paired the purple hook with the blue beacon:To browse and buy these rope bracelets, visit Miansai's website.

NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course

2011-08-17T23:20:00.001-04:00

I'm out of the gun firing business for now, but earlier this year I took - and thoroughly enjoyed - an NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course.

A friend of mine from the Junior League is big into guns and gun safety. She organized a group outing to the local shooting range (...and you thought us Leaguers were all cashmere twinsets and lemon squares).

There are two parts to the NRA's full day course - classroom time and range time.

Simon Oram of Oram Security Consultants was our instructor for the day, and he lead the group through a classroom session first. We learned the right way to handle a pistol, all about the gun's ammunition, how to clean/store a gun, and so on. It was an all you ever wanted to know about safely and properly using a pistol lecture.

Then we went off to the shooting range, Wooster Mountain in Danbury, CT. This was my first time ever to a gun range and I was a little intimidated when we set up shop next to this group of young men and their GIANT weapons:My pistol looked like a water gun next to that serious firepower.

Here I am with Simon the instructor going over the proper grip and stance:And in case you were wondering, yes, I was the only one at the range wearing a pastel colored Vineyard Vines skirt.

Before shooting, you have to figure out which is your dominant eye. Once you've got that set you can get your aim lined up. I'm left eyed and almost ambidextrous, so I started out aiming with my left eye and shooting with my left hand:But I kept shooting high and missing the bulls-eye of the target, and that was pretty hard to do -- as you can see, we began our shooting very close to the targets:So, I switched to shooting with my right hand but kept on aiming with my left eye. That worked much, much better.

Simon talked to me about controlling and timing my breathing so that I could coordinate it with when I pulled the trigger:It was a little strange to spend so much time concentrating on my breath outside of yoga class, but I went with it.

The gun I used was a SIG SAUER. It's big and burly, and it had quite a kick after firing it. I think if I got more into pistol shooting I'd probably get something a bit smaller.

After about a half hour of instructor Simon's help with my aim, stance, grip, and breathing I was golden -- and shooting bulls-eye after bulls-eye.

My NRA-loving, bestselling author buddy Jen Lancaster captioned this final photo best...

"Here's what I think of people who don't RSVP!":

The Vintage House by Mark Alan Hewitt and Gordon Bock

2011-08-16T22:31:00.004-04:00

I've been happily reading a ton as I rest and recover from spinal surgery.

A highlight of my recent bookfest was W.W. Norton's 'The Vintage House: A Guide to Successful Renovations and Additions':The book is a how to for historic preservation-minded homeowners that are renovating and/or adding on to their old homes.

We have an older home and did extensive work on it... oh, how I wish I'd read The Vintage House before we began renovations on our Georgian Colonial. This book covers everything from how to find space within an existing footprint to how to add new windows without destroying historic character -- two issues we grappled with during our renovation.

There are chapters on conservation, making new spaces in old places, and additions that stay in tune. They're all packed with before and after floorplans, drawings from well-known architects, and scores of color photos.

Here are a few snaps from the book....

This is a post-renovation shot of an updated front hallway in an Arts and Crafts home:The hall has been opened up from side to side and front to back. The flow is better now, but the Art and Crafts bones and character still remain.

Here's Architect Allan Greenberg's addition to an eighteenth century house in Guilford, CT - most of the new space is below the box dormer on the second floor:This was one of the first compatible classical renovations done by a modernist architect. Looks lovely, doesn't it?

This small bump out in a Victorian house gives a dining area lots of new light and space:The original kitchen of this Victorian was designed so that domestic staff could access the space separately. Now the expanded space creates a 'great room' that works well for the modern homeowners, sans staff.

So, if you're thinking about renovating an older home, or even if you're just an architecture buff like me, this useful book will teach you all you need to know about how to properly care for your vintage house.

The Vintage House: A Guide to Successful Renovations and Additions

Iceland - Part III

2011-08-11T23:13:00.006-04:00

Here's my third and final post on my July Iceland adventure...

After a night in Hofn, we got back on the ring road and headed north. The green, lush terrain of the south slowly gave way to this spooky lunar landscape:It was rocky, brown, and barren for miles and miles. I am glad we didn't a flat tire here because we were literally in the middle of nowhere.

The land got even harsher when we came to the Namaskard sulphur pits:It smells like rotting eggs (gross!), and you have to watch your step since there are giant, bubbling pits all over (eeek!), but this extraordinary sight was well worth the stench and the danger.

Some of the pits simmered slowly, and others shot steam out hard. This one sounded like an angry tea kettle:
Next we drove to Lake Mývatn, a picturesque lake surrounded by active volcanoes:The soil surrounding the lake is super rich in nutrients so wildlife thrives there. We spotted ducks and swans galore.

Husavik, the picture perfect fishing village in the north, was a great spot to grab some food and fuel:
All over Iceland there are funny looking horses by the side of the road. They've got short legs, thick muscular middles, and long flowy manes. They look a bit like 'My Little Pony' toys:This handsome guy was extra friendly and intrigued by my camera:The Icelandic horses have evolved over time to become shorter and squatter so that they can protect themselves from all the wind and cold weather.

5'10'' me has not yet evolved to tolerate the Icelandic gale force winds:We spent a night in Akureyri, and had some surprisingly good espresso at Bláa Kannan cafe - the big blue building on the right:
Heading off of the Ring Road, we decided to explore the Westfjords, an isolated, sparsely populated corner in the northwest part of the country.

It was windswept and rugged:Our last stop was Snaefellsnes, filled with national parks and excellent hiking, and then it was back to Reykjavik for an early morning flight out.

I loved my week-long holiday in the land of volcanoes, glaciers, and the midnight sun, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading about it.

For previous Iceland entries, see Part I and Part II.

My Book About Me

2011-08-10T00:01:00.001-04:00

Did you have one of these when you were a kid?:Dr Suess's 'My Book About Me' is an oldie but goodie. The book is a series of questions -- where do you live? what do you want to be when you grow up? and so on -- that you write or draw an answer to. It's interactive fun for young kids, and I recently found my old copy.

The MCM edition of 'My Book About Me', circa 1985ish:Mine is a little worse for wear on the outside 25+ years later, but the inside is still perfect - and remarkably, it's still quite accurate...

I had a passion for pink and pastels way back when:My spelling of 'turquoise' was a little off there, but even at 31, I'm still keen on aquamarine. And my favorite color is - and always will be - pink.

On the fastidiousness scale, I selected the 'I am very neat' option at 5 years old:If there were a 'I am so neat I am borderline OCD and count hand washing and closet organizing as great sources of joy in my life' option, I would so check that off right now.

As for academic subjects, I liked music the best and thought math was the worst:I support these solid choices. And I still love an oboe and loathe a fraction.

I'm especially fond of Russian classical music (and not just because of Gergiev), and one of my earliest memories was listening to a recording of Peter and the Wolf with my father. Each character had a different instrument or melody, the narrator would read the story, the orchestra would play, and my father would teach me all about the different instruments.

I liked that recording so much that I selected Peter and the Wolf as my favorite book - even though it was more of an audiobook than a book book:Prokofiev still floats my boat big time, although now I think I'd take Dance of the Knights or Piano Concerto No 3 over Peter and the Wolf.

Apparently I had quite the discerning palate as a 5 year old because in the favorite/not favorite foods section I selected 'Lonedn Broil' (close enough to London Broil) as the 'least favorite, I can't stand it' food:I've since learned how to spell London, but I've not grown out of my anti-flank steak status.

I got a kick out of re-reading this book 25 years on. It's too bad there wasn't a section on 'do you like a repeating motif of small critters on your pants, wastebaskets, and needlepoint loafers' to identify the future preps out there.

ACK

2011-08-09T00:01:00.001-04:00

We spent a few relaxing days visiting Nantucket at the end of last month. That island is a little slice of heaven -- I love everything from the preppy clothes on parade in town to the big breezes on Sconset beach.

I packed light for this trip focusing on the essentials -- my striped red bikini, my monogrammed Jacks, my safety orange Mills duffel, and my extra large bottle of Vicodin:(Thanks to my successful surgery I no longer need any of that Vicodin, but I still consider the other items essentials.)

We went straight for the water after we arrived and took the super-duper-death-defyingly-steep steps to the sand:
I did a little yoga:Alas, no more urdhva dhanurasana for a long, long time for this yogi that now looks like the Tin Man.

And in case you were wondering "which way to the beach?", mr. muscles, aka Chappy, was there to point you in the right direction:
On our walk Chappy and I saw/chatted with a very pretty Natalie Portman. She was strolling with her new baby and asked us if the animals bobbing in the shallow water in front of us were seals. They were indeed seals, and N.P. looked great in person. I was too shy to ask her to pose for a pic with me, but snapped this one as she was walking away:
Later on I admired the giant, shingle style oceanfront homes on Sconset's Bluff Walk: If you've never done the Bluff Walk, go next you're on ACK. The expansive ocean views on one side are just as impressive as the well-manicured estates on the other side.

And check out this sweet personalized tote we got as a welcome gift:It was filled with goodies like fleece vests (perfect for those chilly New England summer evenings) and personalized tumblers (perfect for portable sunset cocktails).

Monty Monday (with a special appearance by Chappy) - Collars for Everyone

2011-08-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

I'm out of the hospital, happily resting/recovering at home in Connecticut after my spinal surgery last week. My little buddy Monty has been snuggling up close despite my wearing one of those bulky soft cervical collars.

In a show of solidarity last night, Monty donned a cervical collar too:Wouldn't you hire the two of us as models for your orthopedic supplies catalogue?

And just because we never miss an opportunity to get the whole family in on the fun...

Here I am with Chappy, also in the soft collar -- I think the two of us look like a pair of 80s whiplash victims:

Pain in the Neck

2011-07-27T20:05:00.005-04:00

I've been struggling with this stubborn herniated disc in my neck for about 14 months now.

I have tried almost everything to fix it -- including, but not limited to:

-non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds
-multiple Medrol dose packs
-muscle relaxants
-wearing a soft cervical collar
-various types of massage
-two epidural steroid injections
-three different physical therapists
-two acupuncturists
-a Chinese medicine/herb doctor
-a Chiropractor
-two Orthopedists
-two Physiatrists

Unfortunately, none of that worked.

So yesterday I bit the bullet and had surgery.

I found a terrific neurosurgeon, Dr. Robert Snow at Cornell, and he preformed a posterior microdiscectomy. (Here's a non-graphic, animated youtube illustration/video of the procedure if you're interested.)

I'm feeling OK today. I have a lot of pain from the surgery, but am optimistic that this operation will fix all of my neck-related issues.

A thumbs up in the hospital yesterday after surgery:I'll be taking a little time off from the blog to rest and recover, but will be back as soon as I don't look/feel like Frankenstein.

À bientôt...

Monty Monday - Bandana Styles

2011-07-25T00:01:00.003-04:00

We're just back from a few glorious days on Nantucket.

Monty couldn't come with, but Chappy's family gave us a little gift to bring back home -- a custom embroidered bandana for dogs with cheery summertime design:Last night I decided Monty should try it on.

He looked mighty handsome with the bandana tied traditionally:But what fun is that? I experimented with some alternative bandana tying methods...

Like a 'do-rag':Or a Babushka-style headscarf:I tried to make the bandana into a headband, but it ended up looking more like Monty had a toothache:But this one is my personal favorite -- the bank robber style bandana:Somehow I don't think it would be a successful disguise if Monty ever decided to become a stick up man.

After testing half a dozen tying techniques, I took the bandana off. Monty promptly came up with his own new use for the accessory -- a blanket!:

Post-Game Party Report

2011-07-21T00:01:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I headed out to Yankee Stadium to see Paul McCartney in concert. I'm not the biggest Beatles fan, but Paul won me over during this concert - he was energetic, enthusiastic, and totally rocked!:Yankee Stadium was filled with 40,000 screaming fans who sang along to hits like 'Maybe I'm Amazed; 'Let It Be', 'Blackbird', and 'Hey Jude':Paul was chatty with the crowd and cracked a few jokes like, 'Who is this Derek Jeter guy? I heard he has more hits than me!"

We had a lot of fun that night, and Chappy ended up in Cindy Adams for his concert appearance.

I saw the Mariinsky Ballet, visiting from St. Petersburg, perform Anna Karenina. The Mariinsky's shows were held in the Metropolitan Opera House, and I got a sweet side box seat:The story was tragic and intense, but the dancing was exquisite. I'm not a ballet connoisseur, but the Mariinsky's dancers looked flawless to me. Their orchestra and ballet come to NYC about once a year -- if you haven't seen them before, please go (...you know I'll be there every single night when Gergiev and the orchestra come to Carnegie Hall in the fall).

Out on Lincoln Center's newly revamped plaza, they were showing a giant video art reel that night:I was happy to get a little art movie fix and a little dancing fountain show during the ballet's interval.

Caramoor, a preforming arts venue in Northern Westchester, held an afternoon recital called 'Mahler's Vienna'. Here's mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and baritone Kelly Markgraf singing 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn':I love Caramoor's Venetian Theater - apart from the pretty Italianate architecture, it's also an outdoor venue. It doesn't get much better for me than listening to Mahler al fresco.

I took a stroll around Caramoor's property and thought their sunken garden was especially lovely: I hope to go back later in the season for some picnicking and an evening show.

Mel's Spicy Cucumber Salad

2011-07-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

Last week I got pounds and pounds of cucumbers in my farm share -- there were some regular green slicing cucumbers and some fancy heirloom Boothby Blonde cucumbers. I decided to combine them to make a refreshing, cold salad with an added crunch of nuts.

I love spicy food, and the jalapeno and red pepper give this recipe quite a kick. If you're not into the heat, just tone down those two ingredients. The Boothby cucs were a little firmer than the standard slicing ones, and the difference in texture gave this salad a nice, added contrast. I've adapted the recipe from Cooking Light to make it my own. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
* 4 cups of peeled, thinly sliced cucumbers, halved lengthwise.
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/2 cup rice vinegar
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1/4 teaspoon minced jalapeno pepper - seeds/ribs removed
* 3 tablespoons minced red onion
* 3 tablespoon chopped dry-roasted peanuts

* Place the cucumber slices in a colander and sprinkle them with salt. Mix well and let drain for 30 minutes.

* Rinse cucumber slices well. Drain and then place cucumber slices on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 5 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Rinse and pat dry.

The slices should look like this after being salted, rinsed, and patted dry:* Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until the mixture is reduced to 1/3 cup (about 12-15 minutes). Remove mixture from heat and allow it to cool. Stir in jalapeno and red onion.

* Combine cucumbers and vinegar reduction in a medium bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with peanuts. Voila!:

Iceland - Part II

2011-07-19T00:11:00.009-04:00

We set out from Reykjavik with no real plans other than a desire to drive around Iceland's entire ring road on an ambitious 832 mile road trip. We had a map, some snacks, and a radio and figured the rest of the details would fall into place...

We drove southeast and quickly came across Eyjafjallajokull, the active and stubborn volcano that disrupted air traffic in Europe for weeks last year. It looked pretty innocuous here:But check out the exact same vista a year ago - note the same farm buildings in the foreground: There didn't seem to be any obvious lasting effects from the volcano's past eruption; the land surrounding it looked healthy and fertile.

Miles and miles of fields were covered in Arctic Lupine, a beautiful purple flower that shimmered when the breeze blew:
And there was a whole lot of bright green in this part of the country - in the grassy fields and half-way up the mini mountains:The ring road is the main artery throughout Iceland, but occasionally there are small, unpaved roads that branched off of the ring road. We decided to follow a few to see what we'd find. Sometimes we found a gas station (helpful!), sometimes a little village with shopping (fun!), and sometimes we'd accidentally end up in someone's front yard, complete with their very own waterfall:I'm all for peace, quiet, and country living, but that little house on the far left is a bit too remote even for me.

Back on the ring road we'd heard Vatnajökull glacier in the east was the biggest and best in the country, so we chugged along until we found this enormous mass of ice that covers 8% of Iceland - it was HUGE and kind of hard to miss.

We were there in June so some of the glacier's ice was melted, but it was still one spectacular sight:The sun was low and the light was absolutely perfect for watching the giant chunks of ice slowly float by that night. It was so serene and beautiful - one of my favorite moments of the trip:
We drove onward and upward, heading north until we spotted this impressive looking volcanic beach:We hiked (or more accurately I scrambled/slipped) down to explore the hard black rocks and fine black sand that made up the beach's surface.

It reminded me a bit of the black sand beaches in Maui, but these felt much more prehistoric and wild:After skipping stones into the freezing Atlantic we drove to Höfn for the night. We recharged our batteries and then went off to explore the north and west...

Monty Monday - Wallpaper

2011-07-18T00:01:00.001-04:00

I recently snapped this adorable pic of Monty with my iPhone:
It's so cute and sweet that I've made it my wallpaper:That's my little guy's favorite spot in the apartment - right in front of a sunny window with a plush toy. And this wallpaper is the perfect reminder of my pup when I'm on the go throughout the day.

I'm betting I'm not the only one out there who has a cute doggie pic as their mobile phone wallpaper...

Iceland - Part I

2011-07-14T00:11:00.010-04:00

I had no idea what to expect when I went to Iceland earlier this month -- I knew about their volcano disrupting a lot of flights to/from Europe last year, but that was about it. My friend and I decided it'd be fun to drive around the entire country (circling their ring road) to really explore this land of volcanoes, glaciers, hot springs, and rocky shorelines. We had a blast doing it.

We started in Reykjavik, the country's capital. It's a small, manageable city that feels more like a town. There's one main shopping street called Laugavegur with quirky boutiques, avant-garde art galleries, and restaurants that serve a lot - and i mean A LOT - of smoked fish:In one of the clothing/accessories boutiques I found this hat. It made me look like a poodle:
The Blue Lagoon is about 45 mins drive from Reykjavik. This geothermal spa is one of the country's most popular attractions, and after bobbing around in its silky, soft waters for a few hours I can see why - it's awesome!:The 'lake' is out in the middle of a lava field and the water was about 100 degrees - very comfortable, like a giant jacuzzi:Because of Iceland's natural resources, the blue lagoon's water has lots of silica and sulfur in it naturally. They had buckets of silica mud that you could slather all over yourself to exfoliate. I covered myself in the white goo and my skin felt terrific afterward.

There's an 'Exclusive Lounge' at the lagoon's spa. For a few extra euros you get your own luxe-y changing room and private shower, refreshments like fresh fruit, chocolate, and espresso, and access to this cozy fireside sitting area:We spent 3+ hours at the lagoon and thought the Exclusive Lounge was well worth the splurge. If your budget allows it, I'd highly recommend going for it.

If the Blue Lagoon is 'touristy must-see #1' in Iceland, then the Golden Circle is 'touristy must-see #2'. This ring of natural attractions is worth braving the tour bus crowds to experience. All the Golden Circle stops are very, very beautiful.

First up in the Golden Circle was Strokkur, a geyser that erupts about every 10 mins and shoots about 80 feet in the air.

Pow!:
Next was Pingvellir National Park, a gorgeous space that's great for hiking and camping - or great for just getting your photo taken in front of it if you're not so into camping:A shot of the scenic valley and river in Pingvellir:
Gullfoss, a wide, massive, powerful waterfall, was my favorite of the Golden Circle attractions. It's so spectacular it left me speechless. Click to enlarge:
We climbed down, up, and around the rocks until we were right next to the edge of the falls. Here I am enjoying the rushing water's sound (soooo loud!) and a little bit of waterfall spray:If you only have time to see one thing on the Golden Circle tour, make it Gullfoss.

After two fun days and nights in and around Reykjavik, we picked up our rental car, the white marshmallow:I used Hertz to book the car, and they were so helpful - they told us not to get a teeny tiny car because of the high winds and torrential rains that often occur in Iceland. I trusted their recommendation and am glad I did. We encountered some serious blustery winds and crazy intense rainstorms, but the marshmallow kept us safe and trucking along - even on the edges of cliffs or on gravel roads.

So with no hotel reservations and no plans at all, we hopped in the white marshmallow car, got on the ring road, and headed southeast...

Mel's Cauliflower Purée

2011-07-13T00:01:00.001-04:00

I recently made this simple but delicious cauliflower purée to serve with turkey burgers. Plain cauliflower can be bland, so I wanted to make it flavorful and a little creamy (but not too rich). This recipe did the trick and I'll definitely be adding it to my side dish repertoire.

Ingredients:
* 1 lb cauliflower florets, coarsely chopped (about 5 cups)
* 5 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
* 3/4 cup chicken stock
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 4 tablespoons heavy cream
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preparation:

Chop cauliflower and garlic cloves coarsely.

Combine the cauliflower, garlic, chicken stock, and salt. Bring stock just to a boil uncovered. Cover, then simmer until cauliflower is soft/tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Transfer ingredients to food processor. Add butter and cream and then purée the mixture until it's smooth.

Season with salt and pepper and enjoy this delicious side dish!

Paris Recap

2011-07-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

I've been fortunate enough to travel to Paris frequently these past few years. Having done all the requisite tourist stuff - like seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa - I now get to explore beyond the standard guidebook attractions when I visit. Here's a recap of what went on last week...

Museums -

I saw the Zaha Hadid exhibit at l'Institut du Monde Arabe:Zaha Hadid is a modern Iraqi architect. Her designs are cutting edge, and this exhibition was filled with lots of twisted skins and curvy shapes.

The Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion, a futuristic white pod, houses the show in the courtyard in front of Institut du Monde Arabe:
I went to Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, aka The Hunting Museum. Here's a snap of the crowded trophy room:The museum's collection of taxidermy, antique rifles, and sporting paintings is housed in an old mansion in the Marais. If you're into antlers, this is the place for you.

I saw 'L'Art de L'Automobile' - Ralph Lauren's car collection at Les Arts Décoratifs:All I can say about these cars is WOW! Pictured above are two of RL's Alfa Romeos - a 1931 8C 2300 Monza and a 1938 8C 2900 Mille Miglia. The exhibit runs through 28 August; if you're in Paris this summer, go see it.

Shopping -

July is 'SOLDES' season, so we took advantage of the summer sales and went shopping...

I stayed in the Marais this trip and had fun exploring all the little boutiques and side streets in this busy neighborhood. Here are a few of my favorite Marais shops.

l'Eclaireur is a concept store with a well-curated selection of high end labels and hip design. Their interior currently features an installation by artist Arne Quinze:A few others --

For jewelry I especially liked the boutiques Milogis and Laurent Guillot. Their stuff is creative, different, and fun to browse.

Discount shop La Piscine is the Parisian version of Century 21. It requires a lot of patience to comb through their stock, but there are great designer deals to be found there.

For home/interior design, Collection (The) offers hand-painted wallpaper, funky light fixtures, and cool toys. The clean lines of their custom shelving were a particular favorite of mine.

Dining -

I ate very, very well on this trip.

I had some sinfully good cheese at Au Sauvignon, a tiny, lively bistro in the 7ème. Here's our plate of Saint Marcellin 'Barthelemy', a runny soft cheese made from raw cow's milk, and Camembert au Calvados:We had a long, lazy lunch one afternoon at Le Café Marly:The arcaded terrace has a million dollar view out over the glass pyramid of the Louvre, and the traditional French fare, like frisee aux lardons et oeuf poche, is first-rate.

A few other restaurants that I'd recommend --

I love Lebanese food and have always had great luck with the Lebanese restaurants in Paris. One night I ate at Al Dar on rue Frédéric Sauton and would definitely go back. Their grilled halloumi cheese was salty and spectacular.

Noura, a long-time favorite of mine, has recently taken over the restaurant space on the roof of Institut du Monde Arabe. It's a perfect spot to stop in the afternoon for a bite of hoummos and moutabbel with some mint tea. And this is the jaw-droppingly pretty view from their outdoor cafe:We also checked out the scene at L'Avenue and Hôtel Costes -- both venues still pack in a good looking, hard partying, late night loving crowd.

Galleries -

I love the cheeky tile designs of street artist Invader, so his "1000" exhibit at Galerie Le Feuvre was a highlight of the trip for me. I bought this map which details every single one of Invader's pieces in Paris:Next time I'm in town I'll go Invader hunting, but I stumbled on this cute one near to our hotel:Back in the Marais I enjoyed Galerie Martine et Thibault de la Chatre exhibiting 'Chun Clear' by Catherine Bret-Brownstone and Galerie Dominique Fiat's Babel : New Works by Anita Dube.

Paris was great fun this go round -- Je compte les jours till my next my next visit!

Monty Monday - Cooling Off

2011-07-11T00:01:00.002-04:00

When we're in CT, Chappy and Monty play a lengthy, rigorous game of tennis ball fetch each afternoon.

It gets quite warm out there, but Monty has come up with a clever way to beat the heat. It involves this shallow little stream on the edge of our property:Monty leaps, chases, and runs all over our yard after the tennis ball until he begins to get a bit too warm.

Then he wanders over to the little stream to cool his heels, literally:That heel-cooling usually works, but as the game goes on and he gets overheated he sometimes needs to take drastic measures.

Check out our prone puppy belly-flopping right into the stream:Very refreshing!

A little blurry, but you can see him hanging out, happily being a Swamp Thing:
The partial plunge leaves him half soaked and dipped up to his belly and legs:It's just enough to cool him off but not enough to slow him - and his tennis game - down.

The French Pharmacy - MCM Edition

2011-07-06T22:29:00.001-04:00

French pharmacies are well-stocked with terrific, high-quality beauty and health products. I always leave room in my suitcase for a ton of them. Inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow's blog post on what to buy at a French pharmacy, here's my take on a shopping list for your next trip to the pharmacie...

Klorane conditioner with mango butter:This conditioner is rich and smooth without being heavy. It smells subtly fruity (not artificial and not too sweet), rinses clean, and leaves hair silky and soft.

Klorane dry shampoo with oat milk:This spray is great for freshening up hair that's a little greasy or flat between washes. The key is to spray it on your roots and then let it sit without touching/fussing it for 2-3 mins. After waiting, brush thoroughly and voila - you've got more body and less shine. I find this product especially good for extending a blow dry.

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse:This is a dry oil spray that I use instead of a body cream. It goes on smooth (but not greasy) and leaves my skin glossy and moisturized. It's sold as a 'multi use' product, and my friends use it to de-frizz their hair in summer and to hydrate their face in winter.

Avène Haute Protection Compact Teinté:This is a combination of a tinted compact and a board spectrum sunscreen. I use the honey color. It provides light coverage - like a thin foundation - and a mineral sunscreen with SPF 50. The compact includes a mirror which comes in handy as you're reapplying the sunscreen throughout the day.

Fluocaril anis flavored toothpaste:If you like liquorice, then this is the toothpaste for you. Fluocaril has a nice, creamy texture, and the hint of anis in this variety gives it an appealing taste.

Canderel slim packs:Canderel is a sweetener that I occasionally use in my espresso. The grocery stores sell bulky red packs of it, but the pharmacy carries these 80 tablet slim packs. The slim pack is the perfect size to slip in your handbag.

Fervex:This is a cold medication that combines a decongestant with acetaminophen and vitamin C. I was sick as a dog when I visited Paris this past winter and Fervex was the only thing that got me out of bed. The medicine comes in individual packets of powder that you dissolve in water - it's similar to Thera Flu but tastes and works much better.

The wonderful world of web sales now make some of these products available outside of France, but buyer beware - they're often marked up double or triple their usual price. If you can wait to buy them in France, you should. And if you're looking for a specific shop recommendation in Paris, there's a giant pharmacie on Rue Bonaparte that has some of the lowest prices in town.

Happy French pharmacy shopping mes amis!

Gone Fishin'

2011-07-05T16:05:00.003-04:00

Hotel views:La ville est facile, but can you guess the neighborhood/street?

Gone Fishin'

2011-07-02T12:01:00.000-04:00

Hotel views:I'll give you hint - this picture was taken at midnight.

Post-Game Party Report

2011-07-01T03:18:00.007-04:00

Last week I took a private tour of The Museum of the City of New York's new exhibition 'The American Style'. Architect and exhibit designer Peter Pennoyer lead us through the gallery space while he described all things Colonial Revival in NYC. From buildings to furniture, teapots to wallpaper, this exhibit is a complete glimpse at an often overlooked style.

A snap from the exhibit - a faux Duncan Phyfe sofa, Federal period style, with a cheeky modern wallcovering behind it:Look closely and you'll see the profile of Alfred Hitchcock and Nefertiti on that wallcovering.

'The American Style' runs through October 30th at MCNY. Check out the exhibit and then wander across the street to Conservatory Garden, my favorite spot in Central Park.

The Young New Yorkers for the Philharmonic had their annual summer benefit. Cocktails were at Calvin Klein's loft-like Madison Avenue boutique and dinner was at The Racquet Club. Here I am during cocktails:With Tatiana Perkin, Mark Gilbertson, and my handsome date that evening, David Robbins. Photo by DPC via NYSD.

During dinner Carter Brey and David Grossman played a mini concert for us - Rossini's 'Duetto for Cello and Double Bass'. It was a playful piece and a really fun party. That was my last Philharmonic concert/event for the year - *sob* - I'm already looking forward to their next season in September.

I saw Marsha Linehan, a world-renowned psychologist and researcher, give an amazing talk where she revealed her personal battle with mental illness:The talk was held at The Institute of Living in Hartford, CT. Marsha began her talk by dropping a bombshell -- when she was 17, she was a patient in a locked ward in that very institute. She was out of control, suicidal, cut and burned herself, and was subjected to many treatments ranging from ECT to anti-psychotic meds. After 2.5 years of chaotic inpatient treatment, Marsha was released and began to find her way. She used her religious faith and a belief that giving balances out suffering to turn her life in a new, healthy direction.

Eventually she became Dr. Linehan and began to focus on treating patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (a disorder she acknowledges she had). The previous treatments for BPD focused on change - change the behavior, change the reaction, etc - but because patients with BPD have extreme sensitivity to rejection and invalidation these treatments were not effective. Marsha centered her treatment around the construct of validation. From this place of acceptance and validation a new, wildly successful kind of therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, was born.

Here's a quote from Marsha's talk that I particularly enjoyed -- "Each of us are as we are. Each of us needs to find the environment that we fit into. If you're a tulip find a tulip garden; don't try to make yourself a rose."

Marsha's powerful revelation recently made the front page of The New York Times; it's quite an article if you're interested in reading more.

The Social Climber's Handbook by Molly Jong-Fast

2011-06-30T05:35:00.003-04:00

My friend and fellow Upper East Sider Molly Jong-Fast has written a new book, The Social Climber's Handbook.

I loved it and think you guys will too.

Here we are together at one of her book launch soirees:(Note the stylin' pink highlights in Molly's hair - very punk meets prep.)

And here's my well worn copy of TSCH. It's beaten up from getting caught in a Delta lie flat seat, but it's still perfect on the inside:The Social Climber's Handbook is fiction, but if you've spent any time in and around New York you'll recognize an awful lot of the characters and settings.

There's the rich but overextended UES banker, the socially and financially ambitious wife always after the next 'it' thing, the WASPy writer trying to step out from the shadow of his old money family, the young, dumb-like-a-fox blogger babe, and so on...

There's talk of visiting shrinks that cost $500/hour, coddled children attending exclusive private schools, the cliquishness of certain charities that sound an awful lot like college sororities, and palatial apartments that cost 7 figures to decorate - the characters live in a wacky world of wealth and MJ-F gives us a peek inside.

TSCH is set in '08, and the economy is just on the brink of collapse. The financial markets are teetering, and people can sense that disaster - both personal and global - is right around the corner.

Woven into this story of privilege is a dark twist -- one of the main characters has a penchant for murder. This person doesn't want anything or anyone stand in the way of their happiness and their fabulous lifestyle, so if a problem needs to 'be taken care of', they've got just the solution...

This is all well and good, but the best part of this novel was that I laughed out loud. Many times. Molly is one funny cat - she's sharp, saucy, and frequently makes me almost spit a drink out across the table because she's said something that's so clever and on point. Add her quick wit and playful barbs to this dark satire and you've got one fun read.

The Social Climber's Handbook is available here. I recommend grabbing a copy before you head off on your July 4th long weekend holiday.

I recently sat down for a little chat with Molly at Island, a local Carnegie Hill haunt that serves Cobb salads, lobster rolls, and strong Bloody Marys.

In light of the recent rash of 'men with power and money behaving badly' stories (Weiner, Schwarzenegger, etc) I asked Molly what she thought the female equivalent of this behavior was. In her book the wealthy protagonist turns to violence/murder, but in the real world what do these type of women turn to if they want to misbehave? Molly's answer: spending and decorating -- hundreds of thousands of dollars in artwork, home renovations, draperies, carpets, antiques, gowns, jewelry, etc. Shopping and spending are the powerful, privileged woman's vices. I think she's on to something, and I'm curious to know if you guys agree. Sound off in the comments...

The Social Climber's Handbook by Molly Jong-Fast.

Chewton Glen

2011-06-28T18:40:00.001-04:00

After our lovely stay in London last month, Chappy and I drove south (and got used to that whole car on the wrong side of the road thing) to Hampshire. We passed rolling hills and dense forest until we arrived to Chewton Glen:
Once a grand, old manor house, it's now a glorious Relais & Chateaux country retreat.

The grounds were impeccable... there were croquet lawns, well groomed plants and flowers, a pool inside a sunken garden, and best of all - tree swings!

Yay!:(Those tree swings were only meant for children, but I think as a very, very playful adult I qualify.)

There was lots of other resort-related fun to be had at Chewton Glen...

Chappy hit the courts - doesn't he look just like Federer? Well, even if he didn't look exactly like Federer I was still his enthusiastic cheerleader from the sidelines:Chewton Glen's property is right by the sea. For me it was well worth the 20 minute stroll down the trail to arrive at this doubly gorgeous view of husband + sea:The trail to the water was lined with authentic split log benches for resting, relaxing, and enjoying the view.

I thought the benches were better used for doing Urdhva Dhanurasana on top of them:After all that backbending it was time for a spa visit.

I got a facial at Linda Meredith's clinic (she does Gwyneth in London!) - phenomenally good. And Chappy hung out in the hydrotherapy baths - a giant room with plunge pools, hot tubs, jets and showers all over.

Happy Chappy splashing in the hydrotherapy bath:
And chilling in the outdoor hottub:We also spent a fair amount of time just resting, reading, and hanging out in our toile and grey room. Isn't it pretty?:

I took many an afternoon nap curled up on that velvet sofa:The giant bathroom - comes in handy when the couple traveling together are a combined 12+ ft tall:
Our room's balcony - the perfect spot to take in a little late day sun before heading off to cocktails:The hotel's restaurant extends out into their solarium. It's a bright, airy space and was a perfect spot for our celebratory dinner. Chappy enjoyed the atmosphere:And I enjoyed the Whiksey Sour:We both enjoyed one another's company, and the restaurant gave us a special treat for dessert for our special occasion - chocolaty fabulous, totally festive: I was so excited to be at Chewton Glen celebrating 5 years of marriage to my best guy that I felt the need to take a trip down their slide yelling, 'YIPPIE!!!':Chewton Glen.

Monty Monday - Tasti D-Lite

2011-06-27T05:00:00.000-04:00

One recent sweltering New York afternoon Monty and I split a small vanilla Tasti D-Lite.

I ate the first half and he waited patiently knowing he was in for a special treat:AHHHHHHH - ICE CREAM!!!!!!!:Someone got a little overzealous in the middle of their ice cream eating and knocked the container clear off the step. Oops:Here he is down one step, but remaining persistent in his quest for softserve:Good to the last drop!:

Post-Game Party Report

2011-06-26T15:30:00.006-04:00

I'm a little behind posting this post-game party report because I've been a bit cranky/tired with this herniated disc in my neck. It's annoying, but life goes on -- and I continue to go out and have fun.

I went to the re-opening of de Grisogono's Madison Avenue boutique. Their store was badly damaged in a fire last year, but now it's gleaming, new, and filled with drool-worthy jewels - it was excellent browsing. Here I am with my friends Denise DeLuca and Amy Hoadley at de Grisogono:
We went to the Doubles Summer Dance (...and dance we did!). Doubles is in the basement of the Sherry-Netherland hotel and is all red, graphic patterns, and stripes. It's a private club so I don't think you're supposed to take photos, but Chappy looked so dapper here on the staircase that I couldn't resist:
I visited the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum. It seemed like it was me and a bunch of schoolchildren and tourists, but I'm not sure why more NYers aren't visiting - I thought it was very cool. They've got the giant aircraft carrier to wander around in, military planes on the deck to gawk at, and the Concorde:There's also a Cold War era submarine called The Growler that you can tour through. This is a shot of their tight living quarters on board. You have to squeeze through those little portholes so skip the sub if you're claustrophobic:

I saw the 'Bye Bye Kitty!!!' exhibit at the Japan Society. It was modern, provocative, and excellent. Here's a snap of Makoto Aida's giant work, 'Ash Color Mountains':
And I got my Philharmonic fix twice - once for a Young NYers for the Philharmonic event and a second time with Bookish NYC for Shostakovitch and Schoenberg. (Also, thank goodness my seats are on the left side of the hall since my head isn't keen on turning right these days):More post-game to follow shortly...

Public Art in Midtown

2011-06-21T00:29:00.004-04:00

I spent yesterday afternoon in midtown - lots of hustle, bustle, and business suits going on there. I joined their fast pace and popped from appointment to appointment, but I couldn't help slowing down to take a look at these fantastic public art pieces in the neighborhood...

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei used the Pulitzer Fountain (right by Central Park in front of The Plaza Hotel) for his installation: 'Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads':I was particularly interested in the 800 pound bronze 'sheep' sculpture since 'sheep' is my Chinese zodiac year -- there is a handy flyer next to the artwork where you can look up your sign. They say sheep are said to be quiet (umm, this one not so much), calm (I'm workin' on it in yoga), and that they like to focus their energy on enjoying cultural/artistic things (bingo!).

Monty, appropriately enough, was born during the year of the dog (center):His Chinese zodiac reads: He is a listener, always available to lend an ear or a shoulder to a friend in need. This is spot-on, and I'm glad they didn't mention anything about talking, singing, or yodeling because Monty hasn't learned those skills yet.

My next stop took me a further east to the Villard Mansion, now part of The New York Palace Hotel on Madison/50th.

French artist Julien Marinetti has commandeered the mansion's courtyard for his monumental 'Doggy John' sculpture:A close-up of the 1500 lbs of brass, lacquer, and cuteness of this extra large French Bulldog:Doggy John's view - keeping an eye on St. Patrick's Cathedral:
Finally I strolled up Park Avenue and happened upon the biggest teddy bear I've ever seen...

Urs Fischer's 23-foot-tall, 35,000 lb bronze artwork 'Untitled (Lamp/Bear)' sits, well more like slumps, in the plaza in front of the Seagram Building.

From the right:From the left:From afar:That lamp on Teddy's head actually lights up too. I love this piece - it's bright, playful, and fun - but the $6.8 million(!) it sold for at auction last month is a bit out of my price range.

Do you dig these pieces - yes/no/sorta? And tell me some of your public art faves in and around NYC...

Preppy Pick - Wimberly Bee Cuff

2011-06-07T23:05:00.004-04:00

I am powerless to resist -

a.) a small critter motif, and
b.) a Napoleonic bee.

...so when my girl Summer is a Verb forwarded me Wimberly Inc.'s site and I found a bracelet that combined both a.) and b.) with plenty of style, I knew I had to have it.

Check it -- Wimberly's Cream Bee Cuff Bracelet:*Squeeeeeee* *Love it!*

The cuff is enamel, and that enameling comes in tons of color choices - I chose cream to keep it neutral - and both the bee and the inside lining are gold. The metal has a little bit of give, so if you've got tiny wrists like me you can squeeze it and shape the cuff to make it tighter.

Here it is on my wrist, a fun and relevant (since Melissa means Honeybee) addition to my normally bare forearm:
I occasionally wear a watch on my left wrist, so I thought about adding this cuff to my right wrist instead:But I fear it's looking too busy over there between the sailor's bracelet, the Lapland bracelet, and the Turkish evil eye bracelet. (None of those other 3 bracelets ever come off until they're cut off - usually at the end of summer.)

What say you-- do you agree that the bee is better on the left wrist where it can buzz on its own?

And for those of you not seduced by bees, Wimberly's site has a ton of other cute critters in bright colors to browse through. I've got my eye on a few pieces...

1. Coral Dragonfly Cuff Bracelet:
2. Pink Bangle Charm Bracelet, with little Turtles:
3. Chocolate Brown Horseshoe EXTRA WIDE Cuff Bracelet:
4. Black Enamel Octopus Belt Buckle:Dig my choices? Got some other favorites of your own?

Have a browse around Wimberly's site and let me know what critters and colors you fancy.

Wimberly Inc.

Monty Monday - Pool Float

2011-06-06T00:01:00.004-04:00

There was a heat wave in the Northeast last week. It was humid and hot, and there was no better place to cool off than in our CT pool. I dove in, grabbed a raft, and floated around enjoying the cool water.

Monty was intrigued by this -- and also very warm from the 90 degree day. He walked the perimeter of the pool sniffing, panting, and investigating. He stuck his snout in the water and then glared straight at me.

So, I did what I thought was right in this situation... I gave the little man a pool raft of his very own:And Monty took to the open seas of our CT pool like a duck to water.

The pool's pumps gradually pushed him to the other side of the deep end. He looked a little apprehensive over there, but was still plenty happy to chill:
Soon he relaxed and got the hang of it -- here he is soaking up the sun and enjoying the lovely landscaping of the garden:He even figured out a way to let a little water into the raft so that he could dip down into it when needed to cool off his belly:Eventually he got bored and lonely being all by himself. So Monty waited till the moment was just right and the rafts were just close enough, and BAM - Monty leapt/splashed/crashed over onto my pool float.

He snuggled down by my feet and made himself right at home:M & m lounging on pool rafts together = an absolutely perfect way to spend a balmy afternoon.

Post-Game Party Report

2011-06-04T23:30:00.004-04:00

Alas, I'm not so big on parties and action in the blog this week because this was my view mid-week:Look familiar? That's because it's the good old recovery room at HSS. I had my 2nd epidural steroid injection in my cervical spine for this SUPER ANNOYING herniated disc pain last week.

I looked showercap chic, and I accessorized the whole ensemble by having my bedding and icepacks drape around my face like a scarf just so:There was lots of taking medicine, relaxing, and recovering afterward -- hopefully that means more pain-free days of parties, music, and art next week....

London - Part II

2011-05-31T21:17:00.007-04:00

Our London tour continued with a stop in my favorite of the city's parks, Regent's Park.

Regent's Park is a peaceful and pretty space, and it was perfect to relax in on a sunny day:There are grassy fields, an open air theatre, and fountains to make your husband stand in front of for a photo op:While there, I decided to put a twist on my usual 'hugging statues in Europe' photo series by planking atop a statue instead...

Planking on a cherub statue in Queen Mary's Rose Garden:(Apologies to my physical therapist who will probably be seriously unimpressed with this photo - I promise I did not fall or hurt my neck during the filming of this bloggy stunt. And besides, it's a cool picture!)

We got some sweet treats from Ottolenghi, a mouth-wateringly good takeaway shop. Don't you want to try one of everything here???:I chose a pistachio elderflower meringue that was the size of my head.

We strolled over to Kensington Gardens and had a little picnic. Yum:That night we went to Royal Albert Hall, the historic concert hall best known for hosting Proms and other classical music events.

But we were there for a rockin' evening of Eric Clapton. The crowd went wild during 'Cocaine':Clapton killed it. He was bluesy ('Old Love'), jazzy ('Layla'), rocky ('Crossroads'), and just plain good.

Italian Renaissance architecture and Classic Rock fans made for one happy combo:
We also did a bit of browsing at the most luxurious of department stores, Harrods:
And then I dragged Chappy to The Wallace Collection, a small museum housed in an eighteenth century mansion on Manchester Square.

It's filled with Old Masters, suits of armor, and a ton of fine French Furniture:The Wallace reminds me a bit of the Frick - they're both very intimate spaces with impressive collections. I felt like I was wandering around a very, very wealthy friend's house. Chappy looked right at home in the dining room, no?:
We also saw the Cabinet War Rooms, a series of rooms in an underground bunker where Churchill and his men plotted their strategy during WWII. It's worth a visit if you're a history buff.

Chappy did his best impersonation of the Robert Clive statue out in front of the museum:
We fed the waterfowl in St. James's Park and ended up here:
I wonder if Queen Elizabeth ever pulls into the drive after a long trip and says, 'be it ever so humble...'

London - Part I

2011-05-30T22:10:00.009-04:00

Last week Chappy and I went to England to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

It'd been about 5 years since I'd been there, and about 10 years since he'd been, so we were loooooong overdue for this UK visit. It was a delightful holiday.

Here's London - Part I...

We started off a bit behind the 8 ball when we showed up at the wrong terminal at JFK.

Oops.

It was almost our flight's departure time and we were clear across the airport so we had to take one of those motorized carts to get to our gate. Embarrassing, but effective:We made it on board - thank you Delta go-kart - and had a relaxing, restful flight - thank you Delta flatbeds:We landed at Heathrow and drove straight to Windsor Castl e, which is looking particularly spiffy these days.

Here are the Queen's Apartments: Quite a lovely lawn, but I did not spy any of her famous Corgis on the premises.

The famous Round Tower:and The Long Walk in Windsor Great Park. Way, way too long to stroll with jetlag, but pretty to admire from afar:
We grabbed yummy pub grub for lunch at The Two Brewers before heading into Londontown:
A required photo op in town -- Parliament, the Thames, and one tired blogger:
A snap of the Palace of Westminster's Clock Tower:(That one is for my late father who always reminded us that 'Big Ben' is the name of the bell and not the name of the tower.)

Next it was on to Evensong, a late afternoon choral service at Westminster Abbey. It's preformed about 5 times a week, and it's definitely worth a listen if you're in town:
The male choir of Westminster Abbey sang psalms and songs (beautifully!) for about 45 minutes as the sun set:
We took advantage of British Summer Time's late day light and rode the London Eye before dinner:The Eye is super touristy, but the view from 443+ ft up in the sky is killer.

Fellow holidaymakers snapping pics and seeing the sights:
All smiles with my big guy in the little pod:We ended our evening with dinner at Wiltons restaurant, a clubby, old school (like 1700s old school) English establishment with *the best* Wild Smoked Salmon and Sole Meuniere in town.

I don't usually do food pics, but their Raspberry Rhubarb Tart and Cambridge Cream were too pretty not to photograph:More London tomorrow...

Monty Monday - On Holiday

2011-05-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

Chappy and I are across the pond on holiday this week. It's lovely here, but we miss Monty!

I took this photo of me with M. right before I left. I now look at it daily to remind me of just how cute, snuggly, and sweet my little man is:I keep telling that photo, 'Don't worry little M., we'll be home so soon!"

Gone Fishin'

2011-05-21T18:42:00.002-04:00

Hotel Views:The city's pretty easy to guess, but can you tell the neighborhood/street?

Post-Game Party Report

2011-05-20T17:00:00.002-04:00

Vogue writer Billy Norwich and Town & Country writer Gillian Hearst Simonds hosted an art opening for painter Garrett Chingery. The event was held at the not-quite-fully-open, but already hip Sanctuary Hotel in midtown. The space was filled with hundreds of beautiful people and 30+ works by Chingery.

The crowd:This jockey was my favorite of Garrett Chingery's paintings:
The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering held a health education seminar at Rockefeller Research Laboratories. A panel of super smart dermatologists gave presentations on 'Everything You Wanted to Know About Skin Cancer, But Were Afraid to Ask':I particularly enjoyed Dr. Steven Q. Wang's lecture on 'Demistifying Sunscreen'. He talked about the biologic effects of UVA & UVB, the current state of UVA and antioxidant protection, and skin damage via oxidative stress:I'm glad I have a science degree because that was one technical talk.

David Patrick Columbia and Jeff Hirsch - aka the NY Social Diary boys - hosted a book signing party for Carol Joynt and her new book Innocent Spouse. The party was held at The Palm Court. It was the same place we went for afternoon tea, but it has a decidedly different look in the evening:For 'Real Housewives' fans, Alex and Simon are above on the right. They were both very, very nice, and I was pleasantly surprised by how tall (like 6'3''ish) Simon is in person.

About 200 people attended, and I'd say it was a big success because Carol Joynt sold out of books halfway through the party.

Ann Watt from NYSD snapped this pic of yours truly with Mark Gilbertson and Margo Langenburg at the event:
I went to the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club annual Purses & Pursenalities Luncheon at Cipriani 42nd Street. The big ballroom was all decked out for Spring:Dozens and dozens of designer handbags are donated by high-end companies, and then they're all auctioned off during cocktail hour at a giant silent auction.

If you love handbags, this party was the place to be:
David Patrick Columbia interviewed Jamee Gregory on anything and everything relating to entertaining/being a hostess yesterday at the Carlisle Collection in midtown:A small group of ladies listened to Jamee and DPC talk about the 'dos' (do make sure you introduce all your guests to one another) and the 'don'ts' (don't let your cocktail 'hour' drag on for 1.5 or 2) of entertaining at home.

Jamee's book 'New York Parties, Private Views' gives an insider's peek at some of the best parties in town (...and I am pictured in it attending a rocking party downtown at Tatiana and Campion Platt's downtown loft!).

Here I am with Kathleen Giordano and Naz Tesit at the Carlisle Collection book talk event:Photo by Ann Watt via NYSD.

And finally, I headed down to Madison Square Park to see the recently installed, uber cool sculpture 'Echo': The piece is by Jaume Plensa, and at 44 feet tall it's quite the sight. 'Echo' is on display until 15 August; definitely check it out.

5 Years(!)

2011-05-18T23:47:00.006-04:00

Last week we celebrated our 5th (wow - time flies!) wedding anniversary. We spent the day having fun together on the Upper East Side.

Our first stop was The Plaza for afternoon tea at The Palm Court. The Palm Court is one of those classic, grand New York rooms:Chappy's parents had their first date there - also an afternoon tea - back in 1940, so we thought it was the perfect spot to celebrate our anniversary.

Just as cute as the day I married him:A little less blonde than the day he married me:
Chappy doesn't drink tea, so he got a pink lemonade instead:
And I went for the Earl Grey ...and the scones with clotted cream, and the petits fours:
My perfect view through the three-tier curate stands:
Smiles for 5 happy years of marriage - and for feeling like Eloise for the afternoon:After eating all the scrumptious treats we headed over to the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse in Jock Whitney's old townhouse on E. 63rd Street.

Chappy liked Matthew Patrick Smyth's soft, chic dining room:I loved Greener by Design's zen patio. I wanted to do yoga on this floating platform, but thought that might get complicated in heels and a dress:I have a thing for animal heads, antlers, and any/all hunting lodge-esque decor choices. I was happy to see this theme dotted around the four story townhouse.

Like with this sparkly ram head in the hallway:Or with this giant giraffe in Harry Heissmann's kid's hideaway:The showhouse benefits the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and is open until May 26. Go check it out if you're into design.

Next we headed over to FAO Schwarz to play.

Chappy learned some sort of new hacky-sack game (...he even removed his blazer so I knew it was serious business), and I clowned around with puppet Muppets. I can do the voice of 'Animal' quite well:Even though we're an old married couple it was a lot of fun to act like kids.

Monty Monday - with Doug

2011-05-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

Other than Chappy, Doug was Monty's favorite man in the whole wide world.

Here are some snaps of Monty with Doug...

Eating cookies:
Eating a piece of pie:
Eating Doug's cheek:
Nibbling on Doug's ear:
Smiles:
Laughs:
and lots of love:As you can see, little M and big D had quite a friendship.

Doug died last week after a long, fierce battle with cancer. He was a kind, sweet man who always had a twinkle in his eye (...and a plastic fly to put in your drink). Doug was a big fan and supporter of this blog, so I wanted to post a little something here in his memory.

Doug, with his bow ties and Belgian shoes and his warm, easy smile, was a joy to have had in our lives. Monty will miss his strong throwing arm, his numerous gifts (like the furry squirrel toy which remains a favorite to this day), and the afternoons spent reading the newspaper while curled up together on the sofa in Wainscott.

Douglas B. Leeds 1948-2011.

Hotel Vitale

2011-05-13T15:13:00.008-04:00

I chose Hotel Vitale as my home base for my 3 night/4 day stay in San Francisco.The location by the Embarcadero meant easy access to shopping/local markets in the Ferry Building, and public transport options galore with the BART, the bus, etc just a block away.

I checked in and noticed the entire property smelled floral/delicious. And here's why:There are fresh lavender springs everywhere -- these just-cut springs sat in a vase on top of my room plaque.

Inside room 418:A nice, calming color palette with lots of soft textures - I curled up on that chaise to take a power nap after my flight and was so happy and cozy.

Another shot of the blues and greys:The drum shades on those bedside sconces gave off a soft light that was perfect for reading -- I want those shades in my house!

The bathroom - cream/beige :Lavender in a glass slab on the wall:The views from the hotel were wow-worthy.

This was my room view at sunrise (...I had jetlag so I was up super early):
And this was the view of the Ferry Building and the bay from the hotel's small, but-worth-a-visit roof deck:
And back to the Vitale's theme of lavender... My breakfast - homemade granola and organic yogurt with lavender infused honey. Yum:I loved this hotel and will definitely be back. Hotel Vitale.