Friday, July 9, 2010

A Perfect Day in NYC

A few weeks back Grandpa asked Lil' Man if he wanted to go visit the USS Intrepid.  Being the military enthusiast that he is, he answered with an enthusiastic yes without skipping a beat.  Grandpa then turned to Lil' Miss and asked if she'd like to come along.  "Oh Grandpa" she said.  "I'm sorry, but I visited the USS New Jersey with my school for our class trip and that was enough visiting air craft carriers for me."

Lil' Miss not only looks like me, but she thinks and acts like me too.  She is my carbon copy, improved.  So it is suffice to say that she is a "girly Girl".   Not wanting to miss an opportunity to ride into NYC, I decided to plan a whole Girly Girl Day in the city.

We had a whole six and a half hours to do whatever we liked and I had the day planned.

Lil' Miss and I were dropped off in front of the steps of the MET (The Metropolitan Museum of Art).  We always plan a pilgrimage here every summer.  But this year there were two exhibits in particular I wanted her to see.  She had just been learning about the renowned painter, Pablo Picasso, in school this year.  The Met was featuring an exhibit where their entire collection of his drawings, paintings, sculptures, and ceramics were being displayed in their entirety for the very first time.  We were in awe by the museums extensive collection and by Picasso's vivid imagination.

The second exhibit we visited was most definitely after a budding fashionista's heart. American Woman: Fashioning A National Identity was amazing. It displayed how women's fashion from the 1890's to the 1940's helped shape the way women are seen today.  We were both quickly drawn to the beautiful intricate details of the gowns on display from "The Heiress" era of the 1890's and "The Screen Siren" period of the 1940's.  She made the immediate correlation on her own to the reason why woman dressed the way they did during the fight for civil rights. It was an amazing exhibit.  Afterwards, we spent thirty minutes perusing the books for sale in the gift shop.  Which did she decide to purchase?


A beautiful coffee table book.  A perfect purchase.

We checked the time and realized that it was quickly approaching lunchtime.  We took the bus to 42nd Street and walked up to Eighth Avenue.

We arrived a little early to our lunch date at Dallas BBQ's.  We were meeting up, for the first time, with an online friend of mine, the author of Tres Chic En Ville.  She is just as sweet and amazing to talk to in person as she is online.  It proved to me yet again the great advantages of the Internet.  Via the wonders of blogs and online chats, we are able to forge friendships with fascinating individuals who share our same interests which we may have never been able to meet due to distance.  I am so thankful for the brains behind the Internet and blogs and social networking sites.  I have met some pretty amazing people I am glad to call my friends.

We passed on dessert at Dallas BBQ's because I had a special stop planned for Lil' Miss.  We made a quick stop at a kiosk in the Port Authority before heading into the subway to take  the shuttle train and then the number 5 train uptown express one stop to 59th Street.  I couldn't wait to take her to the last place to visit on my agenda.

During my University years I would spend plenty of evenings in the city with my friends.  If we weren't going out to a club, we were scouring the novelty shops in the Village or Soho, or checking out a comedy club, art gallery, or finding the nearest coffee shop or restaurant.  It was during one of these aimless walks in the city that we discovered a tiny little place with a throng of people just waiting to get in.  My 3 friends and I looked at each other and thought, this unassuming place must be good if people have committed to waiting the 90 minutes to get in. And so we placed our name on the list and waited our turn to get inside.  It quickly became one of our favorite "go to" places for out of this world dessert.

Serendipity 3 is located in a tiny little venue on 60th Street between 2nd & 3rd Avenue.  Decorated with an array of little tchotchkes, hanging Tiffany lamps, and elaborate chandeliers decorated with pearls and flowers, it is every girly girls dream of a sweet shop.  I have been dying to take Lil' Miss here for her first visit, but each time we have planned it either something came up, the wait was too long, or we were with a party that was too large to be accommodated without reservations and in such short notice.  Since this time we were only going for dessert I knew we would not be able to make reservations.  We just have to keep our fingers crossed and pray we would be able to get in.  I felt good about it; Today would be the day.  All our wishing and hoping worked! After waiting 35 minutes, we were led to our table upstairs.  Lil' Miss was about to experience a treat so delightful, there are no words to describe it!



At the end of the day, Lil' Man told me he had a great day with grandpa, and I had yet another day to explore the city that runs deep in my veins with the most important young lady in my life.  I truly enjoy showing her the wonders NYC has to offer along with the precious time spent bonding.  It truly was a perfect day!

photos: Flicker, Met.org, google

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

If Money Were No Object

I happened upon photos of Chanel Couture Fall 2010 collection when visiting one of my favorite blogs yesterday, The Simply Luxurious Life, and was quite literally drooling.

If money were no object, I would most definitely be ordering these 5 exquisite pieces for my fall wardrobe.
You can see the whole collection here.

Wednesday Words of Wisdom





Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Heat Wave!

Photo: weheartit

The Tri-state area is being hit with record breaking temperatures this week.  I am not a huge fan of extreme weather conditions.

Yesterday, I donned a light, cool sundress from Old Navy and went with Lil' Miss to select a present for her best friend.  I quite literally melted the short 30 or so steps to the car!  The car was like a sauna. Fortunate for us, the spotty air conditioning had been checked and repaired prior to the spike in temperature.

The heat was so taxing that upon our return, I promptly laid down and settled in for an unplanned two hour nap.  Now I believe whole-heartedly how quickly heat exhaustion can set in.  Thank goodness for central air conditioning.  I am actually glad major cities have set up cooling centers for those who do not have it.  It is scary what a rise in temperatures can do to the body.

Hope everyone is staying cool while the heat index is on the rise.  Remember to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of H2O. Have a great week!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy Birthday, America!

Two hundred and thirty four years ago today America claimed their independence from Britain.  That very day, democracy was born.  It was due to those brave colonists who banded together and stood up against the injustices they were suffering who made America forever known as "the land of the free, the home of the brave".

So as we head out to BBQ's or the beach, swimming or the park, we should all take a moment to give a silent thank you to all the men and women who put their lives on the line in order to maintain the very freedom our forefathers fought to gain.  Because, in reality, Freedom isn't really free.

Happy 4th of July!  Have a happy and safe one.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Nothing Says Summer.....

photo: weheartit

Nothing says summer more than a delicious ice cream cone.

We have several local ice cream shops in our area.  My favorite is a place called Sundaes.  They make all their ice cream on the premises.  My favorite?  Key Lime Pie!  It is like literally like eating a frozen slice of Key Lime Pie, graham cracker crust and all.

But when I want to bring home a pint from the market, I am a bit of an ice cream snob.  And it can be nothing but the best.  Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey or Cherry Garcia.  Mr. Man always tries to get me to select one of the ice cream brands that are on sale, rather than paying regular price for just a pint of the gourmet stuff.  But no such luck. Once you try it, you just can't go back to plain vanilla.

What is your favorite ice cream?

Friday, July 2, 2010

Favorite Finds

I just love when I stumble upon new things....

During my day trip in NYC, I just had to pay a visit to my all time favorite cupcake bakery, Crumbs.  Typically, their Red Velvet cupcake screams my name each time I go there.  But this time, a newbie boldly told me "CJ, trust me, you want to give me a try.  You will definitely be blown away when you sink your teeth into me."  I am not shy to trying something new and decided to respond...."Let's see what you got!"

Tiramisu cupcake was....OUT...OF....THIS.....WORLD!!!!

My mouth waters just thinking of how incredibly delicious this cupcake was.  I actually raved about it so much to Mr. Man, he can't wait to try one.  Hopefully, he will bring one home for me too so I can experience the tasty goodness all over again.

Everyone knows I am a MAC girl.  But that doesn't mean I do not take a peek into other shops like SEPHORA.  The closest Sephora to me is the itty bitty one located in JC Penney.  No fun, since they do not offer everything a stand alone shop has to offer.  The little people who accompanied me in my recharge trip to NYC all groaned when we turned a corner on our way to lunch and saw the Sephora store beckoning me on 67th and Third.  I compromised, I told them "I will take you to lunch first, then if you let me take a peek in this "candy store", I will take you for cupcakes!"  They quickly agreed, unbeknown st to them that I was going to take them to Crumbs regardless.

Luckily I did take a peek.  I found the above headband.  You can match it to your hair color and looks so natural, as though you took the time to actually braid a piece of hair and create this hairstyle.  A wonderful summer accessory whether you are wearing it to the beach or out to dinner.  And for the tune of $10, it is extremely affordable.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Photos: Crumbs, Sephora