Newsstand: Bike NYC

As a newly-minted bicyclist, I enjoyed Frank Bruni's op-ed yesterday about Janette Sadik-Kahn and New York City's increased bike lanes and push toward fewer cars. The city is gradually becoming a much friendlier place to ride on two wheels. Of course, it doesn't always feel that way commuting in the morning along Central Park South...

I like Bruni's quote of Gabe Klein, the Chicago transportation commissioner, who noted that biking was an antidote to many modern ills: “There’s the congestion problem,” he said. “The pollution problem. The obesity problem. The gas problem.”

Biking is really a great way to accomplish so many things at once: get where you want to go, exercise, save money and help the environment. Saturday, J and I rode our bikes up through Harlem to Hamilton Heights, then cut over to the Hudson River up to Washington Heights. On the way back, we cut through Columbia and Morningside Heights. We enjoyed the opportunity to get outside, breathe the fresher air, and explore uptown. I've gone on a couple biking trips in foreign countries over the years, and it's one of the best ways to see a place. You can cover a lot of ground and yet go slow enough to experience your surroundings, even to stop and check out places en route. All of this is to say that I'm thankful we have bikes and excited to continue exploring our city.

Empire State of Mind

This was my view as I walked to the doctor's office early this morning. There's something about sunny New York mornings that puts me in a good mood—that and the prospect of a three-day weekend. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day!

After the Rain, Sun

As if the hurricane/tropical storm sucked all the clouds out of the sky, Monday was sunny perfection. Because the flooding blew out our servers, I had the day off work, so Justin and I went to Central Park. As you can see, we took a nap and read and met Walter the Lagotto (the most amazing breed of dog). After being cooped up inside for two days, we eagerly soaked up the fresh air and soft, sunny warmth. Check out more photos after the jump and enjoy the glorious weather!

Weathering the Storm

Well, Irene petered out into a tropical storm, and though she did lots of damage to cities around NYC, we were mostly spared her wrath. This morning, we woke expecting wind and rain to be lashing our windows. Instead, most of the storm had blown over in the night and by midday, things were looking pretty good in our neighborhood. We ventured out with our fellow Manhattanites to survey the damage, grab a cup of coffee and breathe (relatively) fresh air. I love the smell of after-a-storm. The air is wet. You can smell the leaves and the dirt and not the trash. Even in the middle of the city, there is a damp freshness (I realize that sounds paradoxical.) But as we explored our neighborhood, we saw many traces of safeguards not needed. Better that way than the reverse...

Me, My City & Irene

(Photo by Gandee Vasan, Getty Images)

By now you all know that Hurricane Irene is barreling up the East Coast. There are enough sarcastic Facebook statuses, wannabe-viral tweeting, light-hearted jokes about stocking up on booze and cigarettes and "Welcome, Irene" parties, so I'll spare you. Best case scenario, Irene peters out and becomes nothing more than a rainstorm by the time she reaches New York. Then we'll laugh about how we over-prepared and how we "experienced" an earthquake and a hurricane in the same week. Some cities did get damage from both, so I don't find it that funny. But I'll spare you my treatise, because that's what the op-ed pages are for. They just announced MTA is shutting down the subway tomorrow at noon and all of the lowest areas of all 5 boroughs are being mandatorily evacuated. Things are getting serious, people. The NY Times is updating their information frequently, and here's a list of tips to batten down the hatches.

All that said, we are trying to prepare for the weekend as much as possible. Justin ran to the grocery store, which was a madhouse. I just heard from a coworker that Radio Shack is out of batteries and Duane Reade is out of water.

Local Haunt: Franz James Floral

I've got a little story and a couple shout-outs today. I received an offer this week for a freelance project, at a company I've been wanting to work for more. All of this is exciting, of course, and I went home that night to talk over everything at dinner with Justin. (We tried Cédric—another new Harlem place, and it was wonderful. It's named after UES Le Bilbouquet's general manager Cédric Lecendre, who lives in the neighborhood and was completely charming and helpful during our meal.)

But back to my evening... I walked in the door to see this:

Somehow, Justin had managed to rush home, drop off his stuff, and then run to the florist. He made me feel so celebrated and encouraged. The really sweet coincidence was that in the hunt for flowers, he went to try Franz James Floral Boutique. He was helped by James (whose business partner is Franz), who talked him through the flowers. As Justin was looking at designs, he mentioned that the shapes and designs reminded him of Flowers of the World—the incredible UWS boutique that he's bought my "special occasion flowers" in the past. Turns out, James used to work there as a designer/creative director (I think that was his role!) But he recently left to go out on his own. We're thrilled that they're in the neighborhood now. He's created several bouquets that marked some very special moments in my life, so it gave a special night another layer of meaning. Here are some from over the years...

On the Wall: The United Plates

Okay, I promise this is the last round of state-themed prints I will post for awhile. But John Holcomb's set is hilarious, delicious and disgusting all at once. The logic of some of his food choices is funny, like the reasons for picking General Tso's chicken in Missouri: Despite the border war that will forever exist between a Jayhawk fan like myself and our arch-nemesis across the state line, I gave a nod to Missouri by making it one of my absolute favorite foods.
And any Texan would agree that BBQ ribs and cornbread is a solid choice. Enjoy!

Monday Newsstand

(Photo courtesy of AntyDiluvian)

Here are some of the articles that piqued my interest or amused me today:

• Great profile of J. Crew's creative director Jenna Lyons in New York Mag
• Virginia Heffernan on whether Facebook birthday greetings are a touch of "humanness" or fake "social capital"
• Warren Buffet's op-ed on why the super-rich don't need any tax favors
• GOOD's story about an interactive tool to compare "affordable" housing in NYC neighborhoods
• A beautiful, brief history of menu design, and what it shows about our economy and culture, from Brain Pickings

4 Years, 3 Apartments Later...

... also 1 marriage, 1 graduation, 1 bedbug infestation, zero pets, zero muggings, countless books, too many jobs and lots of love, prayers and dreams.

Today is the 4-year anniversary of my move to New York City. My roommate and I packed everything into a Budget Truck named Betsy and drove from Texas to Missouri, from Missouri to New York. We arrived on a Saturday morning at 6 am, after having spent the night at Howard Johnson in Hoboken. I started grad school on Sunday and things haven't slowed down much since. Lots of ups and downs, highs and lows, and every cliché I could throw at you, but in all seriousness, moving here has changed my life for good.

Baseball Inspiration

My husband is a lifelong Yankees fan, and though my loyalty still belongs to the Royals, I am learning to root for the boys in pinstripes.

Things I like about the Yankees:

1. They win. A lot. Which is fun, I'll admit.
2. The team has such incredible history.
3. The stadium is a quick train away.
4. We can get cheap seats and make it a fun date.
5. They wear pinstripes.
6. Justin loves them.

Things I do not like about the Yankees:

1. Their massive payroll.
2. They steal players from the Royals, who have a teeny payroll.
3. The food is expensive (albeit delicious.)
4. My extended family despises them.

Hudson Anniversary Weekend

This weekend was our first anniversary. To celebrate, Justin and I wanted a relaxing getaway and a chance to be in nature for a while. Lots of time to talk, to rest, to just be together and not feel the pressure to be doing all the time. We're going to Italy as our "big trip" so we wanted a simple, quiet weekend together.

We drove up from New York Friday night, slightly paranoid about driving on the spare tire and starving, since neither of us had eaten dinner. The Wendy’s in Kingston tasted like gourmet goodness at 9 pm. But we were welcomed into the Renwick Clifton by Eric, one of our hosts. He showed us around the house and made us feel immediately comfortable. Then, we walked into our room and I saw the most beautiful, lush bouquet of lilies and roses. Justin had managed to track down a local florist. They made the whole room smell heavenly!

Wedding: Dan and Sara's Penthouse Party

This Monday was our friends Dan and Sara's wedding. The ceremony started a little before sundown at at penthouse space on Union Square. The windowed area had amazing views (see below) and didn't require a lot of ornamentation. It also allowed the bridal party to take some pretty cool shots on the roof, surrounded by urban fixtures like the water tank and skyline views.

The centerpieces were glass vases with votives floating in the midst of lush flowers. Every table was named after an NYC neighborhood—we sat in Tribeca! My two favorite design elements and personal touches were the cakes—they had cupcakes for everybody but there were two small cakes, one for each of them. Sara's was white with black scrollwork, similar to her old bedding and the color scheme of the wedding. Dan's was a drum—he's an incredible musician. All in all, they did an amazing job of creating an elegant wedding on a small budget. One huge factor was booking the venue for a Monday night = so much less expensive. Since their families would be taking a day off work regardless, and the rest of the guests were from NYC, it was still convenient. It was a great way for them to have the entire weekend with family and friends leading up to the event and also go easy on their budget.

We danced until late into the evening, as you can see from the last image. :)

Our Engagement Photos

All photos by Eric Ryan Anderson

Roosevelt Island

This morning, J and I went to Roosevelt Island to check out the Riverwalk Court apartments. 

They were, in a word, glorious. Or sunny. Floor-to-ceiling windows, facing either Manhattan or Queens, and right by the river. This is the view from my favorite, looking towards Queens. The summer sunlight just flooded the place, and it's still fresh-paint white and untarnished. We're not in a place to buy or even rent (and we're not engaged or anything!) but it's fun to come get ideas and dream a little.

We've been obsessed with Roosevelt Island for awhile now. The island is a secret gem between the Upper East Side and Queens, with amazing views and lots of green space. The rents are relatively inexpensive, and residents get to be right up close to the water. Even Riverside Drive apartments don't get that close because of Riverside Park and the West Side Highway. There aren't a lot of amenities on the island—one dry cleaners, two grocery stores, etc. But there are several parks, a community garden, jogging paths all the way around, and two hospitals.