Sweet Blog O'Mine

Category: Fun

  • Pacific Time

    I returned to NYC from LA on Thursday night but still feel somewhat like I'm running on Pacific time — I slept until 11 both days this weekend (which doesn't happen that often).  It could be that I'm just recovering from the trip generally, as it was jam-packed.

    I drove straight from the airport to visit my cousin and his family in Culver City, and spent a chunk of the day catching up with them and meeting their baby Kai for the first time (he's adorable, for the record).  We had a snack at Ugo Cafe, then I drove to my hotel in West Hollywood, the Farmer's Daughter (which I loved, BTW.  Thanks, Sarah!), quickly showered and changed, then @ThirstyinLA picked me up to head to Jonathan Gold's Cocktail Speakeasy fundraiser for Zocalo at Union Station. At the event, I was able to taste food from a wide variety of restaurants and bars — an efficient culinary tour of LA!  We went for a nightcap at Varnish, but I was fading fast, thanks to the jetlag.

    Sunday I slept late, then headed to Venice for a day with my friend Arielle.  We probably walked more that day than most Los Angelinos walk in a week — after lunch at the Venice Beach Wines, we wandered over to the beach to admire the skaters, take in the activity on the boardwalk, and relax in the sand.  We walked back to her house via the Venice Canals, then rested up at her lovely, bright apartment watching Garden State before a sushi dinner at Kiriko.

    Monday I visited the Original Farmer's Market and started the day with a donut and coffee from Bob's and a walk through the market and the Grove.  After a bit of work in the courtyard of my hotel, Marco picked me up for a delicious lunch at Pizzeria Mozza.  Highlights included the bruschette with white beans alla Toscana with extra virgin olive oil & saba, the pizza with squash blossoms, tomato & burrata, and of course, Marco's wonderful company.  I spent my afternoon hiking of some of my lunch with a hike up and around Runyon Canyon, where I caught my first view of the Hollywood sign, but no celebs walking their dogs (which I was told I might see).  After returning home for a bit more work, I met Zac for dinner at BLD, where we took advantage of Dine LA week.  Speaking of dogs, Zac's story of his recent dog adoption definitely helped to convince me that I want a dog too.  Soonish.

    Tuesday I got up early to catch up with Chris over breakfast; I was happy that we were able to catch up and that he was able to squeeze me in before heading off to shoot for Law & Order LA (ah, actors!).  Then back to my hotel for some work before meeting yet another Chris (hee) for lunch at Umami Burger, my first of two meaty meals for the day (hatch burger!).  He and my friend Jimmy had both suggested visiting Griffith Observatory, so I took a detour there after lunch to wander around a bit before heading downtown to my new hotel.  Once downtown, I went to visit Allan at Caña, where Jono joined me for a quick drink.  Afterwards, I picked up some work friends and headed to Animal for an amazing dinner, heavy on the pig parts (although the fried rabbit legs might have been my favorite).

    Wednesday was a work day, beginning at 7:30 a.m. (eek!) with a meeting, followed by the APBCo Academy.  I've got to admit, I'm very lucky to have not only a job that I like that makes a difference in the world, but I've got an amazing pack of colleagues across the country, and it's always inspiring and fun to see them.  Plus, we had lunch from the Border Grill Truck — yum!  After a long but productive day, I took a nap before heading to Rivera to meet @LushAngeles for some excellent pre-dinner cocktails (V.E.P. Chartreuse Swizzle, anyone?).  The last stop of the night was Drago Centro for dinner with @tallnoe.

    I headed back to NYC Thursday morning and had a relaxing recovery weekend from my jam-packed trip.  Thank you, L.A., for a fun-filled first visit.  I'm not moving out there anytime soon, but I had a great time, and, as your Governor says, I'll be back.  Thanks to all who were a part of it — it was wonderful to see you and I'm sorry it took me so long to get out there!  Pictures from the trip are here.

  • Weekend Wrapup

    Little Red Lighthouse

    Bike ride with Lauren to the Cloisters and back, with a stop at the Little Red Lighthouse.

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    shot_1285540910056

    Scott & Deb's wedding (congratulations!) with scenic views from Steiner Studios.

  • You are What You Wear?

    Last night, I went to the one year anniversary party for the Summit Bar after lobster rolls at Ed's Lobster Bar with the Lovely Miss Katie (I love their little chocolate lobsters that they give out with the check!).  I had, as I often do, come straight from work, but on this particular day, I was dressed in a particularly lawyer-y outfit, beyond my regular "business casual": full on skirt suit, peep-toe heels, a chunky red necklace and my red glasses.  I got soooo many compliments and comments from the cocktail crowd, who usually doesn't see me in what I refer to as "my lawyer costume."  I'm starting to think that I should buy more suits and funky shoes/acessories to keep the compliments coming.  Either that or wear my glasses more often . . .

  • Flora and Fauna

    Star
    Orange
    Bunny

    Last weekend I took a trip with Mom & Stephen to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (after a lovely brunch at James).  It was a gorgeous day, and quite relaxing to wander through what feels, at times, like wilderness, despite being right in the heart of Brooklyn.  It was the first time I ever saw a rabbit in New York City that wasn't on a plate in some form . . .

    This weekend was filled with a quiet night on Friday, a run Saturday, which was a perfect way to reflect on the anniversary of 9/11, errands, and a bi-borough night out with friends galore and stops at Death & Company, Dram, and Fatty Cue.

    Today started with challah, french toast followed by an afternoon trip to visit law school friends for a back to school party.  It's always so nice to see their kids, but walking into a small apartment filled with well over a dozen kids was quite overwhelming, to put it mildly (there may have been palpitations involved).  It got much more enjoyable as the crowd thinned out and I could chat with their girls (and them) in a calmer atmosphere.  The rainy evening has made me tired, so I'm headed to bed early tonight, hoping to get a jump start on the week.

  • Back to Life . . . Back to Reality

    Lighthouse

    What a relaxing week — cooking, runs, yoga, laughs, naps, and sand between my toes.  Thanks to Em & Jenn for keeping me company and to John for the hospitality.  I returned to NYC late Friday night to ease the transition, and had a fantastic Saturday at the Greenmarket, followed by some lounging in my backyard (a.k.a. Washington Square Park) and a visit to the Rhum Rhum Room with @daisy17, @cocktailspirit, later joined by Jordana & Daniel.  After that, a trip to Brooklyn for a cocktail soiree hosted by @paystyle and Vanessa with @selenawrites also in attendance.  Finished out the night back at the Rhum Rhum Room.

    Sunday was a dim sum bachelorette brunch for Deb L. at Jing Fong followed by a nap, and capped off with a trip to Town Hall to see Rachel Maddow & Ira Glass with @cocktailspirit.  After Mad Men, it was off to bed for a good night's sleep for the week ahead.

    When's the next vacation?  Ah yes, mid-October for a long weekend in L.A.  Watch out, West Coast!

  • Relaxation Therapy

    Beach

    I haven't been getting nearly enough down time lately, so when I received a last minute invitation to head out to West Hampton this weekend, I jumped on it.  I took a stupidly early train on Saturday which afforded me a full beach day — and the weather couldn't have been more gorgeous.  Just what the doctor ordered — sand, surf, friends, laughter, and dinner on the grill (which was ever-so-tasty).  Looking forward to my full week of relaxation — up to the cabin in Maine for a long weekend followed by several days on Fire Island — at the end of the month, but have quite a bit to do before then . . .

     

  • Weekend Wrapup

    Kentucky Royale

    Kentucky Royale from Char No. 4

    Cookoff
    Kara (founder of the Great Hot Dog Cookoff), Erik (one of the competitors), and me (just eating)

    Housewarming surprise for Lauren at Dram on Friday night; Saturday morning run, Great Hot Dog Cookoff, @KRey's & Eugene's bday at Dutch Kills, dinner at Jackson Diner; Sunday brunch at Char No. 4 oozing into light dinner at Five Leaves, topped off with Mad Men.  Great weekend, but the last over-indulgent one for a while — time to crack down again on the food intake and get back to my exercise routine!  I've tentatively agreed to do a 10-mile run in December . . . (eek)

  • Back in One Piece

    Jambalaya

    Rabbit and sausage jambalaya and Creole fried chicken from Coop's Place

    Ramos

    a perfect Ramos gin fizz at the Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel

    Absinthe house

    the typical end of every night – congregating outside the Old Absinthe House

    On Sunday I returned from Tales of the Cocktail, an annual cocktail conference in New Orleans.  I'll do my best to give a recap shortly, but for now, pictures are worth a thousand words.

  • Balance

    Sunday, NYC Triathlon; today, heading to NOLA for Tales of the Cocktail. Gotta have some balance in life folks!!  Drink, food, music, fun, friends, and HEAT all await me.

  • Swim, Bike, Run, Nap, Celebrate!

    I'm happy to report that I successfully finished another NYC Triathlon in my goal of under 3 1/2 hours at 3:29:41!  I was thrilled (but not at all surprised) that I cut down the time on my swim — I actually got into a really good groove — but apparently I was futzing around during my transitions and didn't push quite hard enough on the bike!  I'm pretty pleased with the run as well, especially given the heat.  All in all, though, it was a great race.  Here are my times for comparison.

    2010: Swim 20:54 T1 11:39 Bike 1:42:43 T2 6:26 Run 1:08:01

    2009:
    Swim 24:30 T1 10:17 Bike 1:40:57 T2 4:01 Run 1:07:22

    2008: Swim 24:30 T1 10:55 Bike 1:36:47 T2 4:00 Run 1:08:40

    My highlights from the race:

    Seeing Tiffany, with whom I crossed the finish line last year, at the swim start; noticing, for the first time, the distance markers along the way on the swim course; seeing my Mom and Stephen along the course; biking through the tollbooth and enjoying the view over the Hudson River Bridge; playing cat & mouse on the bike course with a fellow Team in Training team member, who, at age 24, was mostly trying to catch me; dancing around to "Can't Touch This," which was playing over the loudspeaker during my second transition (this might account for the long transition time); having April run with me for a portion of the run; hearing people shout out your name (or some variation of it) along the way (I highly recommend putting your name on your shirt); hearing/seeing Rachel from Bespoke Chocolates cheer me on as I was rounding one of the final curves towards the finish; and digging deep and sprinting those last few yards to the sound of a cheering crowd.

    Least favorite?  Having to ride my bike home afterward with a backpack full of tri gear.

    Thanks to you all, I raised over $3,800 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society!!!  It is a privilege to be a part of raising money for such a good cause, and I can't thank you enough.  I also want to thank everyone for their words of support and congratulations along the way and after the race, and it was a pleasure celebrating with so many of you last night (especially @jasonwomack & @jodiwomack from Ojai).

    I also wanted to send an extra special congrats to Meg, who also trained with TNT and completed her first NYC Tri, Noelle, who did a tri out on the West Coast yesterday, and Chris B., who completed his first tri yesterday in California.  It was fun to have a little training network going on.

    I hope I can count on your support for the tri again next year!