Remembering NYC

I L-O-V-E New York City. And my thoughts and prayers are with those affected in NYC and much of the East Coast after Hurricane Sandy reared its ugly head. The recovery will be difficult, but we know America's city will re-build to be better than it ever was. As we all send encouragment towards their re-building efforts, I felt inclined to share some photos of a wonderful trip we took there earlier this year.  

p.s. If you want to assist the hurricane victims, donate to the Red Cross.

-------------------
August 2012: The trip was a no-brainer to join up with my boyfriend when he was there. He, for business. Me, for pleasure.

After landing and meeting up with friends, we all grabbed a late dinner at 'inoteca, a lovely pasta and wine bar on 3rd Ave.

After a run (okay, it was more of a walk) in Central Park, Friday consisted of seeing the “Schiaparelli & Prada” exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. See more on that here.)


...and some shopping in Soho.

Louis Vuitton storefront

Inside C. Wonder.

Louis Vuitton or C. Wonder, anyone? What a darling store and an eclectic set of merchandise: anything from dishes and clothes, to mac & cheese dog treats and pogo sticks. We seriously considered buying the pogo stick. Speaking of clothes, shopping in NYC is like Fashion Week to me because they are always way ahead of Dallas in seasons. I added some terrific pieces to my fall wardrobe, and it was 95 degrees today in Big D. Shocker.

I hadn't forgotten the Blue Ribbon Bakery Kitchen restaurant in the West Village when I ate there several years ago during a previous visit to NYC. Luckily, we went back this time around, and it did not disappoint. They have been serving friend chicken and brussell sprouts long before they were "trendy."

Started by two brothers, Eric & Bruce Bromberg, their approach to food and customer service is unique and unorthodox. Their menu was inspired by the discovery of a 135 year old abandoned brick oven in the basement of a closed bodega. They have since expanded to more than a dozen restaurants and concepts – even one in Las Vegas.

I wanted to do something off the beaten path while we were in the Big Apple, so we decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. We caught the subway at Union Station first. Ba-nanas.

Union Station. No, I do not know this girl posing.

Apple store in Union Station. And that iconic clock.

Awesome pendant lights in Union Station.  Yes please.

Took a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge:

Here we go (lots of construction along the bridge).

It would be hard to find a better views of NYC than this:

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge looking back to NYC.

Freedom Tower on the right.

Empire State Building.

View from the Brooklyn Bridge.

  

Looking at the Brooklyn Bridge and downtown NYC

After browsing through Brooklyn a bit, mainly the DUMBO area (I love that name :), we landed at a beer garden just along the shore. Couldn't have asked for a better afternoon.

In Brooklyn.

Ordering in pizza with some great friends, football, and topping it off with some wine capped our wonderful weekend in the Big Apple. Thanks to our friends, Megan and Chris, for being exceptional tour guides and hosts, as always!

And back to Tejas we go.

Dallas' Central Park

Unless you live under a rock, then you probably know that Dallas opened our version of Central Park over the weekend! Klyde Warren Park is our new central gathering space linking Uptown to Downtown. The 5.2-acre deck park was built over Woodall Rodgers Freeway - quite extraordinary if you ask me. With the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, world-renowned Arts District, AAC, and exemplary restaurants as neighbors, THIS is the place to be in Dallas right now.

The Park will be highly active providing daily, free programming for the public ranging from yoga to book signings to outdoor concerts and films. The $110 million project was funded through a public-private partnershipis privately and is operated and managed by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, according to their website.

"The park is envisioned as a catalyst for the ongoing transformation of downtown Dallas by bringing quality of life, foot traffic to the area and increasing demand for surrounding properties ... Public parks strengthen our communities and benefit our health, environment, quality of life, and economy. These are benefits that Dallas will enjoy for generations to come." Amen.

We went to the grand opening of the Park over the weekend - the Saturday night concert to be exact (we can't wait to check it out during the daylight though!). Despite the chill in the air (we Texans don't take the cold well), many crowded the park to enjoy all the weekend free festivities. From chess tournaments to ping pong, movie screenings to fireworks, the weekend-long event was a spectacular success.

Huge kudos to the event planners: parking wasn't an issue, it didn't feel over-crowded, food and drinks were accessible (very important) and the entertainment (Lucy, Trombone Shorty, Polyphonic Spree) was a hit!

To keep up with their ongoing activities, and support this iconic Dallas landmark, visit the Park's website, Like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter. Here are some photos from the evening ...

Aerin Lauder Strikes Gold Again

Ms. Lauder has been a busy woman!  With the launch of her cosmetic line, and now a home line, the granddaugher of Estee Lauder continues to expand her products.

In her most recent venture, home decor, her fearless elegance again shines through. Rumor has it that tableware, fabric, and a variety of fashion accessories are also coming!

Here are a few of her (gold) products ...
 

Artichoke Salt & Pepper Shakers



Floral Vase



Nesting Sphere Bowls



Gold Crystal Carafe and Glasses



Nesting Floral Bowls

Aerin's products are/will be available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks, and others. 

Photos via Elle Decor

And here are a few photos/eye candy of Aerin's glamorous Manhattan offices too ...

Photos via Architectural Digest

Bungalow Update

Many of you have been asking how "the house" is coming along. Unfortunately, I haven't written any posts about our Home Sweet Home because I'm still depressed about losing my camera that had ALL the Before & After photos on it. It just simply disappeared one day. No joke. 

OK, a little background: Up until this point, we have done mostlyeverything ourselves, but we are getting to the trickier projects that will require us to call  in the experts. More on that later! We have painted just about every room in the house. And the three rooms (all bathrooms) that we haven't painted will be wallpapered. 

The living/dining room was a salmony/peachy color (not lovely), so we painted it and the connecting hallway a custom gray color from Sherwin Williams (a shade in between Lazy Gray and Argos). All the trim throughout the house was already bright white, but the living room is the only room with crown molding. It needed a little TLC, so I painted one coat of matte white paint over it.

With an intricate, unusual - not to mention THE ORIGINAL- crown molding, I wanted to highlight it in some way and draw people's attention up to it, without it taking over the room. So, I settled on adding a subtle glossiness to it. Let me introduce you to:

You need VERY little of this to do the job. Otherwise, it pools and drips, and then you end up with a yellow tint (not good). 

The photos don't do it justice, but you can see the before matte white paint:

In progrees: without the gloss treatment (left) and with it (right):

 With polyeurethane coat:




Overall, it was an easy project, and adds some dimension to the room. Check back to see how the living room decor turns out!

What do you think? What have your experiences been with polyeurethane?

Bon Appetit

There is nothing better than opening a bottle of wine with your girlfriends! I recently had a few girls over to do just that with appetizers, dinner and drinks to catch up with each other, gossip, talk celebrities, and just VEG THE HECK OUT.

via

Here are a few of the dishes we shared...

Even though Fall is in full swing here in the South, you can still find nice, ultra-ripe tomatoes, which make them perfect for the Caprese Salad. This appetizer is a spin on the traditional salad, but still super easy. To make the bite-size portions, cup a cherry tomato and a small ball of mozzarella (Whole Foods sells these in a container) and cup with the basil leaf. secure everything together with a toothpick and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wallah!

The rest of my dinner consisted of (clockwise from top) salmon, delicious salad courtesy of my dear friend, roasted brussel sprounts, and risotto. Recipes here:

Giada's Salmon Baked in Foil

Giada's foil and oven method is fool-proof for almost any fish.

Ina Garten's Roasted Brussel Sprouts

My oven must have been really hot, because I didn't cook these for nearly as long as she said to. You can do this with almost any vegetable, just keep a close eye on them to avoid burning. If you don't have one, you need to get a Barefoot Contessa cookbook- it's a great go-to resource!

Giada's (love her) Risotto

Some people are intimidated by risotto, but it couldn't be more easy.  The catch, it just takes TIME and PATIENCE. I left out the peas and mushrooms, but you can add almost anything to risotto.  Great way to sneak in veggies!

Gold Digger

I'm noticing a lot of gold metal belts lately. And I'm liking what I see. However, there seems to be one requirement to wear them: a tiny waist. What do you think ... fashion forward or fashion flop?

Rachel Pally on Shopbop

Alicia Keys / People.com

Olivia Palermo

People.com

Glamour Tip

 A devious blemish has the power to send us diving for cover. While there are many products available to treat acne, the never-ending options leave our heads spinning, and many contain harsh chemicals which can leave your skin dry. Not to mention the expensive cost.   

However, there is an alternative, and it's probably in your medicine cabinet already: Aspirin to the rescue. Aspirin  reduces redness and swelling, and also contains a cousin to salicylic acid, which is known to treat acne.  Mixed with lemon juice, which contains citric acid (to exfoliate the skin, and vitamin C, a well-known antioxidant), you can create a spot treatment to banish those unexpected blemishes. Just crush two uncoated Aspirin and add lemon juice, a little at a time, to form a thick paste.  Apply to clean skin, let it dry, and then rinse with warm water, and continue with your normal skin regimen.  If you have an aspirin allergy, or when trying any new treatment (especially on your face), test on a small area of skin first. 

Bonus tip: You can even make an aspirin MASK at home by crushing up three or four aspirin and mixing with warm water to create a paste. Spread it on your skin, let it dry, and then wash away.

Image via makeupandbeauty.com
 

Stairways to Heaven

Stairways are fast becoming one of the highlights of homes, playing a big role in aesthetics and design like never before. A staircase serves not only a functional purpose, but provides a powerful design element to your foyer or entryway. Classic to contemporary, simple to ornate- there's a stairway to match every interior design style.Architects are finding unique ways to connect different levels and locations within a home and interior designers are eating it up. Which is your favorite style?

Brass and black (sigh) / Elle Decor

More brass + spiral = L.O.V.E. / Elle Decor

Bright and airy / House of Turquoise

Victoria and Albert Museum in London / House Beautiful



The photos add another layer of texture, Pinterest.



Simple and to the point / House Beautiful

Stunning / Pinterest

Too cute / Pinterest

Nice and neutral / Pinterest

Cozy / Veranda

If you need more stairs, visit stairporn.org.