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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

7th Avenue Gay Pride Parade

It's one of the strange things about living in Brooklyn, when you go grocery shopping one Saturday evening, and find that your street is closed off to cars because the Brooklyn Gay Pride Parade will be going right through it. So we bought our groceries, went back home, and sat at the window sill in the currently unoccupied next door apartment, which has views out to 7th Avenue. Then we watched the Parade go literally by our building's front door, full of dance music and people cheering.

This must be one of those, only in NYC moments.

DUMBO

Someday, when I have teenage children and I worry about being "uncool," I will remember last Friday night. We went to an event called the Brooklyn Invitational, in an unmarked space/warehouse in Dumbo, pretty close to under the bridge. The type that if you didn't know it was there, you might miss the door. Inside was a temporary gallery space, including an artist finger painting a piece. And on one of the ends, they set up a makeshift stage space, where we saw the excellent Kittens Ablaze (pictured above) and Motel Motel (which got a dance party going), among other less memorable bands. They also served 2$ PBRs and we hung out with a nice motley crowd. I think my brother had a good time, specially chatting with the Kittens Ablaze, who had been at South by Southwest this year. It felt very different, and like we were watching a couple of good bands before they made it big. Good times.

The above picture of us was taken by Seth Betchtold of http://marbleimaging.com

MOMA

It's been a busy last few days. I got a contract job position at a local architecture firm where I am actually architecting and doing project management. I hope the project expands longer, but we'll see. I am, as always, cautiously optimistic.

But the new job location (in the heart of the Upper East Side, shout out Gossip Girl) gave me the perfect excuse to stop by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) on its free Friday nights. We usually don't make it because it's kinda out of the way and by the time it's Friday evening we are just in the mood to relax and go out... and yeah, I have no real excuse. Shame on me.

But we went last Friday, and though it was teeming with tourists, it was a good time. The picture above is the main lobby, where a couple of young artists were engaging in some type of performance art. It didn't seem museum sponsored; I think it was just an art student seizing the moment and interacting with people's sense of comfort and personal space. Lizy would be proud, this type of stuff is totally up her creative alley.

We spent most of our time in the 4th Floor, with exhibits of modern furniture and commercial industrial design. And we also caught a Landscape Architecture exhibition, which was vaguely disappointing, as it didn't include enough contemporary designers, like OMA, West 8 or Field Operations. But the highlight for me, was seeing the model of this park project in Barcelona.

I can't remember for the life of me who did it. I though it was Mirelles, but I seem to be unable to find the actual firm responsible. The awesome part is that Ignacio and I saw this park in Barcelona about three years ago, and I recognized the model.

I should also state that our finding the real park was no accident. Iggy and I went deliberately a new district concentrated with cutting edge new construction. It's not like I innocently stumble into architecture worthy of museums. I plan for serendipity.

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This ad scares the living daylights out of me. Not just this one, but the entire Take 5 campaign with the big-headed little person raving about how all we need is "a little bit of luck."

No way dude. The luck that I need is not see his creepy smug face first thing in the morning when I get on the subway.

I don't even play the lottery, but if I did, this dude is making sure I buy the other ticket, whatever that may be.

Prospect Park Memorial Day Picnic

I remember one Saturday afternoon last summer, when Nate and I were being lazy in Prospect Park, I had this feeling of social isolation. We were still new in town, and our social life was still lacking. I was looking wistfully at crowds of people our age having big picnics, and wondering how long it would be until I knew enough people to have a picnic of our own.

What a difference a year makes. This Memorial Day, Beth invited us to join her at a picnic in Prospect Park. Of course, since she lives on the other end of the park, we took the subway to meet up with her. We could have walked, but the subway was much faster. The Park is huge, after all.

It was a good turnout, about twelve people total. I had met about half the people in previous social occasions, so we felt right at home.
I find it curious when you get a group of young professionals in their mid to late 20's having a picnic; we are all just practical these days. We had vegan pasta salad, hummus, italian sausage, homemade brownies, cucumber dip, cheese and crackers, wine and beer. Also, besides the food, everyone brought blankets, plates, napkins, trash bags, and games. If this had been 7 years ago, we would have ended up with a couple of cheap six packs, and maybe some chips and salsa, but we would have definitely been laying on the grass with no cups.

Jesse brought a watermelon, which looked hilarious when he was carrying it in his messenger bag. He hacked slices with a machete, in which looked like the best way to release pent up stress.
We played Cranium, the Express Edition. I'd only played the old Cranium before, and this version was as fun as the old one, with some added fun activities such as team spelling, marionette charades, and a faster pace. It's about time we met fellow dorks who carry board games with them.
Here is Beth, our fearless organizer, without whom the afternoon would have been impossible Everyone wants these fun events to happen, it just takes a strong willed person to be decisive and pick the time and place. It's a field of dreams situation - "if you plan it, they will come". I often wish I could plan more social activities, but I end up stressing too much over silly logistics. I'll overcome it someday, probably when I have to plan my kids' birthday parties, and they depend on me.We also took a walk for a bit to the nearby pond. Next time, we should rent paddle boats; it looked like a nice activity. And I chatted with a kid as he fed ducks, but just for a bit, he was very methodical in his bread throwing technique, and I didn't want to throw off his concentration.

Austin Visit

They say that one of the great things about living in New York is leaving New York. I don't really get it, why would you want to leave? This is great!

But that's also because I'm relatively new to the area and I haven't had the chance to feel claustrophobic yet. And, also, I keep going on little out of town trips, visiting family mostly, so it's always great to leave and come back, but for reasons totally independent of the city.

Last week I went back to Texas for my mother's 50th birthday. She had a full week of celebrations: dinner in Houston, a small get together at the house, and a weekend in Port Aransas with the family. All in all, she was happy, and it gave me another chance to visit Texas and stop by Austin to see my friends.

I miss Austin so much sometimes. Such a chill, fun, place. But mostly, I miss the sense of community I had established there. Years of school, work, socializing, shopping, living... you get to know people and places. I always had a sense of where I was, I'd been to many bars and restaurants, and at parties I would invariably run into people I'd met before. In a way it makes it sound like a been-there done-that type of vibe, but I relished in the familiarity, the quotidian nature, and the way it never felt like a stifling routine. I want to try and devote a few blog entries to Austin places, just because they mean so much to me, and because I find myself making parallels between the Austin of last year and the NYC of today.

In contrast, my life in NYC feels like a constant adventure, always going somewhere for the first time, often feeling like I am in a new part of town I don't know well. In a way it's invigorating, I am really living. On the other hand, I get nostalgic for the familiar. Paradox of life, I guess.

For now I'll embrace the new.

"Think Coffee" and the city

Last Thursday was one of those days where a lot of little things went just a little bit wrong, but collectively it felt like the world was out the get me. Okay, maybe not out to "get me", but the universedefinetly game me the metaphorical equivalent of a toddler constantly poking you: it's not painful, and it's not tragic, but it gets frustrating really fast.

I was supposed to meet up with Nate after work so we could see "Make if Work: Engineering Possibilities" at the Center for Architecture. The exhibit run was ending, and Nate, as an architect/structural engineer, was very interested in seeing it before they took it down. So the plan was that I'd get to the city at around 6:30 and we'd meet up somewhere (tbd), go to the Center, maybe grab some food afterward, then I'd go on to my volleyball game later in the evening. Sounded good.

The problems started when due to some circumstances, I ended up going to Times Square at 4:30. I was done with my meeting by 5, which gave me a full hour and half to just wander around the city. Usually this would be great - having time to explore the urban fabric and photograph it. But here is little wrong thing #1, my right foot has been hurting lately. I'm not sure why, but it feels better when I let it rest. So the walking for an hour and half was out of the question.

I decided to hang out at Virgin Records, since they usually have fun books and music to sample, and I can sit on the carpeted areas. But, little wrong thing #2, the Virgin Records in Times Square has apparently closed down. The hell? Are they pulling a Circuit City? That was totally unexpected.

No problem, I could just call Nate and figure out what part of town we were meeting at, so I could start heading out there. Except, little wrong thing #3, Nate's phone was off. I called his office as well, and he was still at the construction site. So essentially, I am somewhere in Manhattan, with a lame foot, waiting to meet my boyfriend in hopefully over an hour but not knowing where.

I hate not knowing what's going on.

I decided to walk to the Central Library, since I could sit there and read some books, maybe even get on the internet (yes, I am crafty). Which brings us to little wrong thing #4, the Central Library was closing. Seriously? It was 5:30, and they were not letting people in. What's the point of having a library if it's not going to be available for citizens to use? I know, I know, libraries serve other functions, such as research, book storage and borrowing/lending, but for all those services to take place, the buildings needs to be... uh, I don't know.... open.

I decided to go to the only other library branch I knew in the city, over in Soho. And of course, little wrong thing #5, this branch closes at 5 pm on Thursdays. Only on Thursdays, they are open till 10 all other days. At this point I am in Soho, it's 6 pm, I'm trying to call Nate and his phone is still off. I wasn't even sure we were going to the exhibit anymore, and I was getting worried that he didn't have a charger and we would have no way of coordinating where to meet.

And this is when my phone started to run out of batteries. Little wrong thing #6. Mind you, it's only been a hour since my silly saga started, and this last blow was the straw that broke the camel's back. I wanted to go home, my foot hurt and I was tired, but I had a volleyball game at 9, and it wouldn't make sense to go back to Brooklyn, only to turn back around 20 minutes after getting home. Missing the game was out of the question.

At about 6:30 Nate called. He had gotten stuck at the job site without a charger, but was currently ready to go and meet. And since my phone was on it's last juice, we agreed that I'd wait for him at Think Coffee. Sitting. Inside. Unwinding.

Good thing I was already in the NYU area, so I only had to walk three more blocks in my increasingly pained foot. Think Coffee was full, as expected, but I found a spot at the bar. I ordered a glass of white wine and began to feel less sorry for myself. I allowed myself to be engulfed by the warm and relaxed vibe. It felt like a haven where I could finally put down my heavy bags and just breathe.

I enjoy Think Coffee, and I wish I came here more often. But it's simply too far to lug around the lap top, specially wehre there are so many nice coffee shops in my neighborhood. This is definetly a laptop/reading/staying-for-hours type of place. The layout is huge, with plush couches and smaller cafe tables. It's a pretty great place to work, not just because it's ideally set up to encourage studying, but also because everyone else is in production mode. I had nothing to study for, but I felt peer pressured into reading my magazine.

I had no idea they had a bar, and maybe I should reconsider my approach and meet up with Nate for happy hour sometime in the future. After all, it's a quiet place, with good music, and it doesn't scream expensive bar. I feel very silly for all my dumb hardships walking around the city, when I could have been hanging out in Think Coffee from the beginning.

In the end, the night ended up working out. Nate found me sitting at bar, we saw the exhibit, and I went to the game, even joining my teammates for burgers and beers at Brother Jimmy's afterwards.

Think Coffee
248 Mercer St. New York, NY 10012

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