Oh, all the random things that pass through my eyes in a New York summer such as this.
Have you ever seen a scale model of a building beside its original? I think there was a movie being shot on Prince Street involving this church. You can sort of peep the steeple in the background there...
The very very best Manhattan I've ever had, courtesy of Del Posto.
Even the po-po need summer refreshment.
A church I wandered into while meandering the West Side and teaching myself how to whistle.
Beautiful sunny summer rain, crashing onto New York so suddenly and ending even more so.
The cavernous ceiling walls of a decrepit subway station.
I've been seeing some weird things inside the subway as well.
The most ridiculously hip party I've ever attended, on 4th of July on the Lower East Side.
What could be more hipster than a chick with platinum hair checking her iPhone while drinking cheap beer out of a plastic cup while sitting on a ledge against a graffiti'd sunset skyline?
Sunny pretty Shannie-Annie.
For some reason, I was taken by this subway worker scrawl of "There To Here."
And my favorite.... one reason I've always dreamed of living in New York... the fire escapes. Particularly, lit by a setting sun, their sharp shadows doubling each slat and bar.
Last weekend, Shannon invited me out to Vermont to celebrate her birthday (as well as Morgan's, two days after Shannon's). Morgan's friend has a cabin up there so we set off on Friday afternoon to put ourselves mountainside.
Along the way, I saw a truck that made me think of my Mom.
After a scant six and a half hours, we found ourselves getting nearly-but-not lost on the rainy, foggy roads of Vermont.
We didn't do a whole lot while we were up there, yet the weekend seemed to fly by. There was a lot of Cranium Pop 5.
We had brunch both days in town at Bob and Peg's Front Porch. The town (not really a town, more just like a corner with a couple of businesses and a gas station) was so adorable and American.
While we waited for a table for eight, Shannon and I wandered over to an antique store across the street. It dripped of Americana - wood everywhere, old-fashioned goods, and the most perfect, cutest dog I've ever met.
I spied something that looked like an old-style suitcase. As I opened it up, my heart was filled with delight as I discovered it was actually a record player! With its own speakers inside! The woman who owned the store put on a Rolling Stones record to show me it worked (it's the automatic needle-drop kind omigod!!) and squealed at us, "It's the Rolling STONES, man!" I decided I needed this thing and, as it was only $25, the prospect of lugging it home somehow seemed possible. She even threw in the Stones record for free!
All throughout breakfast I was grinning ear to ear about my purchase. Everything seemed so sunny, and... well... yellow.
I had blueberry French toast. Dang. And it was perfectly cooked, too.
After brunch we dropped back into the antique shop and Shannon got this rad 16mm movie camera for just $15!
The whole weekend reminded me of my Arizona wilderness childhood, from the campfires to the open sky, filled with stars, to the Queen Anne's lace flowers that we found after we went canoeing. I haven't seen these in ten years.
In fact, there were beautiful flowers everywhere.
We went canoeing, which was so awesome - I just wish I'd been able to take photos of it. Alas.
That night brought barbecued hot dogs, burgers, and Velveeta cheese pasta.
And a campfire.
And sparklers!!! Another nostalgic treasure.
And sparklers in the fire - super fun! Probably not safe.
Morgan enchanted us with an illustrious guitar performance.
Next was, of course, s'mores. Gimme some!
The only thing left to do with a campfire is tell ghost stories - which is exactly what Shannon did despite my and Morgan's strong protest. We freaked out and went inside to play cards and marvel at our matching nail polish. What a couple of chicks.
After they got their ghost story-ing in, Shannon and the others joined us inside for some late-night gambling. Have you ever played Left Right Center? It's the most fun game that you'd never think could be fun.
After everyone else had gone to bed, we decided to have an arm-wrestling championship.
Shannon beat Morgan, and I beat Shannon. I have been working out.
In the morning, couples cuddled.
And we went back to Bob and Peg's for more deliciousness. AH maple syrup.
Sadly, it was time to go.
We stopped in Brattleboro to check out the local culture.
Shannon discovered this, and you can imagine my reaction considering my most recent purchase.
After buying about ten records, the cashier informed us of an art gallery in the back of the shop. It was actually pretty damn good.
(okay, some of them were kind of freaky)
There was a write-on wall...
As well as this collection of "realistic hats."
Homage to Frida
But as much as I wished to stay and keep exploring Brattleboro, we had a trek ahead of us so it was off to New York we went.
The moment I got home (after a treacherous lugging of my new record player from Grand Central Station to my apartment), I sat down and tried out my new honey. I was sure something had gotten knocked around or broken in transit. But after a little tinkering and some TLC, my baby began to sing.
I got the Eagles, Ray Charles, Judy Garland, The Honey Drippers, a "baroque Beatles", "More Golden Oldies," "Persuasive Percussion," and of course the Rolling Stones.
A damn good trip if you ask me. I didn't end up taking photos of things I should have, like Shannon and Morgan getting gifts, me and Abby searching the house for ghosts and robbers, or Lauren freaking out during our canoeing excursion, but these will have to do. I love Vermont!
Thank you to Shannon for getting me in on her birthday weekend and to Courtney, a very gracious hostess and the youngest member of the community board.
This (belated) post goes out to the two best girls I know, my two July birthday babes, Shannon and Kerri. I've known them for almost a decade and these two lovelies each have more character, complexity and strength in their pinkie nails than most people I've met in my life. They've both had the will and bravery to change their lives, multiple times, to shape it into what they want. They don't take crap from anyone, yet are compassionate, kind, bright spots in the lives of everyone they know. They cheer me up when I'm down. They're there through thick and thin. Creative, intelligent, funny, and ballsy, these broads bring out the best in me and in each other.
Thousands of miles between us don't mean a thing.
They're my friendship soul mates.
And this is my favorite picture ever taken of them.
Today I had the most wonderful day galavanting around the galleries of Chelsea. I can't believe I've never done this before. Chelsea has 250 galleries within a ten-block radius, all free to wander into and peruse. I didn't take any photos within the galleries, but I got my creative impules warmed up on the way by looking around me with an artist's eye.
As to be expected, there was plenty of crap, but there was plenty of cool, original, inspiring pieces as well. These artists made my heart go boom.
Tian Shi's studies on women that literally extended off the canvas. Hector Marino, whose incredibly simple, bold use of thick color impressed me with its intensity.
Derek Reist, who captured the light of Manhattan in the summer just perfectly.
Nadege Morey, who used dictionary pages to define more than words.
Jenny Wiener, who questioned the old woman who lived in a shoe and Alice in Wonderland with mathematic, geometric precision.
Lee Clarke, whose simple line, color and texture drew me right in. Brooke Holloway, who sounds like a high school prom queen but turned that assumption on its head with her snarky feminist pieces. LOVE her.
Liao Yibai, who had the most astounding sculptures of shining metal depicting things like bending dollar bills with Benjamin Franklin fighting Chairman Mao. Totally original.
It was great to get to see the work of some amazing emerging artists. A fab way to spend a Saturday, a wonderful way to stimulate my own creativity and yet another reason I heart Manhattan.
