This blog might be done

I don't know why it didn't work, but for some reason, the theme of this blog didn't gel for me. I kept avoiding updating it, and it felt oddly impersonal. I'm going to keep the other blog I started at about the same time as this one: Natalia's 101 Things, which I've actually kept up with and am much more excited about.

Click there if you want to see what I'm up to.

Magnolia Bakery

I'm trying to catch up documenting for my own sake the things I did this summer. It feels a bit like an elementary school essay. But I will not let that ridiculous feeling keep me down.

The thing is, I had a great touristy summer, because whenever friends and family visit, we get to sightsee in a way we usually forget to do. It's hard to remember to see the unique NYC sights when we have laundry, errands, groceries and jobs to do. I dont want to settle in to just living here, or get so caught up in errands that I forget to stop and smell the roses.

Like the time we went to Magnolia Bakery, famous because of its Sex and the City episode shout-out. I'm sure it's famous on its own right, but I know if from SATC. We squeezed it in the middle of an errand filled day, having to buy a shirt for Nate, do some shopping for the upcoming wedding.

We both ordered red velvet cupcakes, which are rapidly becoming my favorites.

Computer Drama

So it happened; my computer caught a virus a few weeks ago and I half-lost everything. I say "half" because a lot of my stuff was backed up on an external drive, but it hadn't been updated for a few months. I got those but most of my new stuff got messed up. Long story short, after a couple of file recovery programs and having to wipe my computer clean, I am starting over from scratch.

All fine and well, my files are a mess and they got unfortunately shuffled around. My pictures and music, specifically, were the most affected by the big virus and consequentially are randomly corrupted. This means that when I find a corrupt file, I have to go search for a clean copy in the recovered folders. This entire process is exhausting and emotionally frustrating. I mean, I know all my pictures are "there", I'm just having a hard time getting to them.

All this is a thinly veiled excuse as to why I have neglected this blog. That and the fact that summer was fabulous, I had a lot of friends visit, I started a full time job, and it seems that life got in the way of my documenting it. Now that the weather is turning to fall, I envision myself having some time to catch up on musing of what summer is like in NYC.

Tavern on the Green

This place is a NYC institution, that I knew mostly due to it being referenced in SATC and other chick lit items featuring the city. I just never thought it accessible to the brethren that I belong to. Silly me, the garden has parties all the time, so long as you want to pay the very reasonable five dollar cover.

We went (we being Nate, Sabrina, Jenn and me, i.e. the gang) a couple of weeks ago to celebrate Peuvian Independence. Though I still struggle to figure out what made this party Peruvian themed beyond the pisco specials. No matter, the weather was beautiful, and we spent the evening watching the sky above us get progressively darker and the chinese lamps floating on the trees look progressively more magical.

Green-Wood Cemetery

Last weekend Nate and I went to the Pre-Cana session in preparation for the catholic wedding. It's been interesting, doing this process in Brooklyn, finding a local church, and a local arch-diocese. The pre-cana session was great, probably because it was an interfetih workshop, because it was open minded, funny and full of get-to-know you activities.

On Saturday, we had an open lunch, where we could leave the building and explore the area. We ended up having lunch at the Green-Wood Cemetery, a national landmark and an item on our list of attractions to check out. Which gave us some nice photo opportunities.

Midsummer's Nigth Swing

It was raining, but still, Nate and I made it to at least a bit of the Lincoln Center's Midsummer's Night Salsa Dura night. The dance floor was closed, which was no issue for us, since you have to pay to go on it anyway.

So instead, we danced for free just beyond the roped off area.

Afternoon beer at The Gate

Summer days at The Gate's patio. Great relaxed Brooklyn vibe. Reminds me of hanging out at the Dog and Duck in Austin.

I love summer, and it seems my camera really loves beer.

Las Ramblas

My friend Laura visited from Austin, and it gave us a chance to take her to one of our favorite tapas places in the Village: Las Ramblas.

I'd always heard that as soon as you move to NY, you discover that you have many friends, because everyone wants to come visit and crash on your couch. I don't know what this implies about me, because I've been here for a year and a half, and Laura is one of the few friends that has stayed at our place. It's been all family up till now.

Laura is part of the Austin crew, and it's always nice to show those people who have known me for years what life is like in the city. I mean, Laura knew me when I was a broke a$$ undergrad drinking tecates and staying up way too late for my own good. Not much has changed, except that now we go to pretty tapas bars in the Village.

Las Ramblas, in addition to being a lovely intimate yet lively space, has very authentic tasting tapas. And I mean that as the biggest compliment. As Laura is vegetarian, we ended up ordering mostly meat free fare, such as croquetas de queso, asparagus, olives, and the delicious tortilla espanola.

And finally, because of the festive occasion of having guest, we ordered a Porron. I haven't seen porrones anywhere else, but i trust them that it's a drink at least fringe related to Spanish cuisine. Basically, it's more about the decanter you use to pour the drink into your mouth. Nate like to call it a hipster beer bong, and I think the name is quite appropriate.

At previous outings, we had Porron with muscatel wine, but since it was summer we tried the clara beer. In Spain, the claras I've had were beer mixed with lemonade, which sounds weird but is actually incredibly refreshing. Here they mixed beer with lemonade and I believe white wine. It was good but the carbonation made it hard to swallow properly (that's what she said). We ended the night with many a spill on our shirts.

Prospect Park

Summer is finally here, and one of the greatest parts of living in Park Slope, is the proximity to Prospect Park. I like it better than Central Park, in many ways, and not just because it's three blocks from my apartment as opposed to a 30+ min subway ride.

Both have the same style, having been designed by Frederick L. Olmsted, but Prospect Park was designed later, so it's supposed to be the park he was proudest of. The landscape architecture geek in me really digs this. Additionally, Prospect has a more intimate feel from Central, less tourists, more people just sunbathing and having picnics. It feels more like a park for the neighborhood, where people are there to truly use the open space for it's intended purpose.

I had some fun taking pictures, playing with the macros and light settings.

REACH, An Urban Musical Instrument

This interactive musical chimes art installation has been on display since 1996, but apparently, even though for 8 months I used the Herald Square subway stop every day, I was too oblivious to notice it. And now, that I frequent the 6 and am getting better acquainted with the Union Square stop, now that I only come to Herald Square when I'm meeting up with Nate, now I notice this green installation. What is it about human brain that only observes closely the unfamiliar?

It's quite wonderful. To quote the NYC Subway website: "This piece consists of a rack hanging along each platform with sensors along the length. Waving your hand in front of a sensor creates a corresponding sound from the rack-- on the other side of the station. People on the opposite platforms can interact using the instrument."

4th of July Fireworks

This year the fireworks were on the NJ side, so instead of being able to see them from our rooftop (like last year), we were in this crowd.

I'll take the crowd. It's nice to feel a part of the mass, something bigger than yourself, the excitement of chaos. Plus the fireworks always look better up close, with the loud sounds and burning smell. The NY fireworks are supposed to be the largest in the country, and they certainly didn't disappoint. It's hard to capture the magic on camera, specially without tripods and space, but here is the best shot.

Gay Pride Parade 2009

These pictures are very late, but last week was Gay Pride Week in New York City (and I believe also in the rest of the country), which culminated on the Gay Pride Parade, one of the most vibrant, festive parades in the city.

It was my first time going, and we waited for a long time to see Rob and Leonel on the Brazilian float, but alas, the parade is gigantic, lasting several hours, and our feet tired of leaning on the Christopher Park fence. So we left after two hours, before the Brazilian float came by. Though we still managed to dance, enjoy some nostalgic Michael Jackson (RIP), join in chants for equal marriage rights, and have an exciting time outside.

We were standing right across from the Stonewall Inn, which was celebrating the 40th anniversary of the riots. Great location.

A lot of the audience was also in costume.

Many floats had music and costumes. I didn't get god pictures of the Liza and Barbara impersonators, which is a shame.

This lovely pole dancer seemed out of place in the otherwise gay celebration, but she was just too random not to document.

The Belgian Beer Bar

Spent a nice afternoon moment at the Belgian Beer Bar in the Village. Good courtyard, nice Hoegaarden, and fries with flavored mayonnaise.

Jazz Band in Washington Square Park

The things that make me love living in New York. We stopped at Washington Square Park to sit for a bit, just take a break from walking and errands, and end up seeing a jazz band playing outside. Great combination: park, sun, jazz music, and rested feet.

Sheep's Meadow in Central Park

I've been working for a few weeks now on the Upper East Side, which is pretty long commute from Brooklyn, but is also a great opportunity to explore a side of the city I used to know little about. This week, to celebrate the fact that it's getting warmer, Nate and I decided to meet at Central Park after work. We chose the Sheep's Meadow, because it was the best midpoint between our respective offices. And, it's a great place to just lay out and people watch.

This Dude was sitting pretty close to us, wearing a teeny tiny speedo. It wasn't that warm, and most people were in fact fully clothed, but to each his own, I guess.

We stayed out laying on blanket doing crossword puzzles until dusk. And as much as I miss the ocean sunsets of my Peruvian childhood, I have to say that the sun setting on the Manhattan skyline is a very satisfactory alternative.

Rainbow Over NYC

I meant to post this a week a go. But after an obnoxiously wet month of June, last Saturday we saw the most wonderful thing: a full rainbow over the Brooklyn sky. I hear you could see it over all of NYC, but in Park Slope, because of the lower rise buildings, we could appreciate it in all it's glory. I can't remember the last time I saw such a complete rainbow, the full arc, and all the colors individually delineated

And in time for Gay Pride Week!

Maelstrom at the MET Roof Garden

The sun has finally come out, which gave us the opportunity to go see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the seasonal sculpture in the roof garden. This year the chosen piece is Maelstrom, by American artist Roxy Paine.

I liked last year's Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons better, mostly because the Balloon Dog transfixed me in a bizarre way where I could not tear my eyes away.
This piece, though more spatially ambitious, was not as successful for my taste. Maybe it was that we'd been walking for a couple of hours, or that to roof garden was crowded with too many people excited by the sudden burst of summer weather; whatever it was, the tree was not as photogenic or engaging as it would seem on paper. It did occupy the whole space though, and I have to appreciate it when artists allow visitors to touch and interact with their art. Too bad you couldn't climb the metal branches.

Remembering Michael Jackson - Union Square

There are times when I am in awe of New York City. Like the impromptu memorial/crazy dance-sing-along that formed in Union Square this evening on the wake of Michael Jackson's untimely and surprising death. I guess people were just yearning to have something to do, a way of remembering the King of Pop.

We caught it by accident, being there only because I'd had a volleyball game in the East Village. earlier in the evening. But it seemed right, all night we'd been aware that bars were playing MJ music and that people seemed to lack other conversation topics, so it's fitting that a crowd would gather to sing along to some of his hits. We sang with them to Billie Jean, as a very energetic dancer got in the middle of the circle and danced Michael style, crotch grabbing and all. We cheered, we laughed. Though I am sure this is among many similar street gatherings around the country tonight, I'm glad we got to at least witness this one.

Coney Island Confusion

I knew mexican food was hard to find in the NYC area, but seriously?

Times Square is car-free

Times Square is now Pedestrian-only along Broadway Avenue. I'd heard about it, I'd read about it (this is a great article on the urban planning and transportation rerouting involved in the process: New York Magazine), but I hadn't seen it with my very own eyes yet.

It's incredible, Times Square is once again new and filled with possibility. It's reborn as a pedestrian haven, where one can lounge on the public chairs, and admire the crazy lights without fear of being trampled by taxis.

What I like about it is that it's not just a nod to tourism, by making it easier for visitors to see one of NY's most famous landmarks. As an urban intervention, it's a wonderful step in the "right" direction of a more landscape-unrbanist city. I'm excited about the end game being a linear park on Broadway dissecting the city, it's better for quality of life, adds an element of green to the urbanscape, and I also believe it will help congestion by forcing people to spread their choices rather than bottle necking on Broadway.

I'm excited about it, and can't wait to see this project continue. Janetter Sadik-Khan, transportation commissioner, are you hiring? I'm an urban designer wanting to do more transit alternatives and city-wide pedestrian initiatives. Seriously, a Jane Jacobs sensibility meeting Robert Moses scale? This rocks!