West Side Market

Listen people, if you visit me, we will eat our way through Cleveland. The West Side Market is super fun (and way more crowded than my photos make it seem). You can sample all kinds of treats, buy great ingredients, and experience a little Cleveland history.

snow!

My mom and I walked around the block after the big storm today. It was so silent! Soooo siiiiilent.

Welcome to Cleveland!

Hello again. It's snowing here, we're expecting up to twenty inches by Tuesday!

Before I even arrived, I'd found a sofa (kind of Frenchy), and I picked up a few things from my grandparents on the way here. I've secured an apartment with a January move-in date. It's big and I'll walk to work when the weather warms up again. There will be tons of things to post about as I work on making the place mine.

In the mean time, I've been doing a little vintage hunting, starting with my parents' basement. I tried on a few of my grandmother's dresses from the 1950s and 1960s. There is a hideous bright floral Adele Simpson (fits, will never wear it), a cute navy 3/4 sleeve number from Lord and Taylor (no other labels, fits), and an amazing black Ceil Chapman cocktail dress (fits, needs a little fixing up before wearing). A few others that don't fit. I also scored this new coat from Craigslist, of all places. I found it almost by accident - I think the listing just said "vintage coat." Well, it turns out that it's a Schiaparelli lamb coat with mink collar, so soft and in great condition! For fifty dollars. Yes, people, believe it. I could hawk this thing in NYC for $500, at least! But I kind of like it...



More about my new job, and life in general, to follow.

My last two weeks in New York were great, and I'm trying to say goodbye without really saying goodbye (I'll be back!)

Here are some of the things I've been able to check off my list over the past couple weeks:

-I had my house call haircut. Jessica used to work in a salon, but now she travels to the homes of lucky girls like me. The best cuts I've ever had.

-I said goodbye to my tailor. There were hugs.

-Latte and a pistachio macaron from Bouchon Bakery.

-A visit to MAD. Not much up right now, but a small show of tableware from the permanent collection.

-Well, if you hadn't known or figured it out, I work(ed) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Until November 10th, anyway. So I'm saying goodbye to all my favorite galleries and co-workers. Making a point of seeing Katrin Sigurdardottir's works.

-Saw Katie at the Frick. Spanish Night there was wildly successful! So beautiful, and I love it even more for being the museum Katie deserves.

-Went to MoMA's Halloween PopRally - see below.

Other favorites I've visited to say goodbye:


-Greenwood Cemetery
-Washington Commons
-Uniqlo
-Central Park
-Le Pain Quotidien (Christina made my latte!)
-Alice's
-Butter Lane
-Cafe Regular du Nord
-Elsa
-Weather Up

I also made sure to:
-Watch college football with Elizabeth and Allison (go Sooners!)
-Get a manicure

Some places I'd been meaning to visit and finally did:
-Eataly
-Annie and Elizabeth had the idea to visit William Greenberg for the famous B&W cookie. I don't know if they were too impressed, but I liked it!
Roebling Tea Room
-I finally saw the Columbia campus, which was quite pretty. And nearby is Saint John the Divine and the Hungarian Pastry Shop!
-Coney Island! Allison and I visited Saturday morning, and happened upon the rally to save Ruby's. And munched at Nathan's.


Let's not get too sappy (as I'm wont to do). See you guys soon!!

PopRally Halloween

From the PopRally at MoMA. I discovered... well, affirmed, that my ideal outfit consists of a tutu and glitter. Next year I'm thinking Shirley Temple? The drink? So that I can wear the cherry again!

TKO Orlogi

My watch gets noticed. Which isn't surprising, as it's big, pink, and rubbery. And awesome. I love that it's styled like a 1980s gold grandpa watch. I found it at some bargain place (of course), but the company, TKO Orlogi, just collaborated with Henri Bendel to make a slap bracelet watch. Ha! I'm interested.

Rosenborg Slot

One of my favorite places in Copenhagen was Rosenborg Slot (or Castle). Guided tours are optional: visitors are welcome to wander inside and out on their own. There isn't much in the way of labels, but it makes for a better experience - and you can learn about a lot of the objects on their website. You can even go through the castle room by room, virtually.

My two favorite rooms were the Mirror Cabinet


and the Glass Cabinet.


The rooms were filled with paintings, cases of objects, and tons of things I've never seen before. Like giant silver lions and objects decorated with amber and skulls. It was a wonderful mix of the beautiful and weird. You can also visit the treasury to see the super impressive crown jewels. The building is rather small, for a castle, but visitors have access to almost every room so it felt quite vast. There was so much to see, I'd love to go back. Don't miss it if you're in town!

Oleana

Tourist shops in Norway were filled with sweaters! Sweaters for tourists. A lot of them were not that great, and I think my dad had to lay aside his dream of finding something authentic on our trip. There was a brand that I thought was pretty neat though - Oleana. I think they probably sell to a lot of tourists too, but I'd actually wear their sweaters (if I could afford one!). The company was started in 1992 to bring the knitting industry back (a little bit) to Norway. They cost so much because the wool and silk garments are designed and made there. If you're interested, check out the video on their site.

Earl Grey Ice Cream

For girl night, I wanted to make ice cream. I found an Earl Grey recipe on this amazing blog. I used 2% instead of whole milk, and 6 tea bags. It was super creamy and SO DELICIOUS!

be mine

Monday after work I am going to run over to the Cooper-Hewitt before they close to pick up some of these! The question is, will I ever actually use them? Special occasion band-aid?

epic adventure

Allison, Eszter, and I traveled to the end of the green line, getting off at Woodlawn. The cemetery is impressive, with a wealth of mausoleums, stained glass, and unusual stones.


Next we walked around the perimeter of Van Cortlandt Park to the (surprise) Van Cortlandt House. I like that there is a self-guided option there. It's hard to find architecture this old in the area. We weren't exactly blown away, but it's worth seeing if you're up there.


We finished the day by going south to the Little Red Lighthouse. It was so adorable! And being on the water was nice. We really felt as if we spent a day out of town. Do it!

backlog: Dorsky Museum

Dear Readers (all two of you),
I am behind. So let's catch up! A few weeks ago a few of us visited the Dorsky Museum, on the campus of SUNY New Paltz. Our friend Rebecca took us around the show, Carolee Schneemann: Within and Beyond the Premises, and told us a thing or two. Which was great, because the labels lacked substance. (Like the stories behind these works?) The show was okay, but would have been pointless without Rebecca.


After that, we had fancy popsicles in Beacon, and popped into Dia to see a few good things. Like Serra.

tool bags and mink trim

Yesterday, as I followed a guy up the subway stairs, I almost tripped because I was staring at his bag. Would it be weird to carry one of these around? I love the canvas and leather, and kind of even like the company logo.

Maybe even weirder is that today I thought about using mink pom poms as shoe ornaments? Can you see me, tool bag and fur-trimmed shoes? Hmm...

CEMETERY GATES

Raised by an art historian and a medical historian (penchant for the slightly macabre), I think it makes perfect sense that this video makes me jump up and down and do a little dance inside. It was filmed in what I like to consider my Green-Wood Cemetery. The shirts are ridiculous, but this is lovely.

over in Chelsea

We girls sweated through the Antiques Garage in Chelsea on Sunday. The prices were too high and the wares left a little to be desired. But the people watching was great, and there were a few neat things. The only deal that tempted me was a little glass and ormolu casket, kind of like this one:


But really, I don't need that.

King Tut. Don't judge.

Two unexpected things happened: first, I went to see the Tut exhibition, and second, I was a Very Important Person (who did not pay). I pretty much got what I was expecting. The introduction made me feel like I was in a theme park, and I was pained by much of the label text. But, the objects deserve attention. Maybe not thirty dollars, but some notice for sure. I especially enjoyed the bovine goddess heads (there were two!). I've seen plenty of coffins and canopic jars, but not enough wooden cows. I have a thing for cows, by the way.


And, as a decorative arts nerd, I made note of each chair in the exhibition! This one didn't belong to Tut, but a princess that may have been his great aunt. Love the paws.

Hi Dad!

Dead or Alive

Guess what? It's summer! Evidence comes in the form of heat rather than vacation (unfortunately). Today Katie and I hid in MAD for a little while. The big show right now is called Dead or Alive. I'd like to take home Tim Tate and Marc Petrovic's Apothecarium Moderne. Above is a closeup of the bottle labeled "Ennui." Made me giggle... hope that's not disrespectful. The bottles are filled with found and made elements, covered in etched writing, topped with themed stoppers. I like that they're not made totally of found pieces, that there is obviously some glass-making going on here (if that makes sense). The Ennui bottle stopper has a tiny exclamation mark blown into it.


Also really cool (and weird) is the work of Levi van Veluw. He basically landscapes his own head.

nail gazing

My co-worker is a scholarly authority on nail polish and manicures - both present and past. We are all really into polish and what we call "nail-gazing." I'm guilty of this a lot. And, I like to paint my own nails. A friend of a friend recently created Sol Lewitt inspired nails, which really are little works of art:




Last night I picked through my stash and decided to go for a little Rothko vibe:

Brooklyn Heights

I was able to convince some friends to walk around Brooklyn Heights with me on Saturday. I've decided to be better about exploring my favorite borough, and this was a step in the right direction! A handful of kind souls agreed to present a landmark or building, and others came armed with facts/stories/resources. Here's our route.


In addition to the awesome architecture, it was really nice to walk out to the promenade. It was crazy windy, too! That provided a bit of excitement. Alison B. was definitely the pro; I loved Allison M.'s reading at 70 Willow; Leela completed our tour with stories of 7 Middagh (no longer standing) during our after-tour drinks. Everyone made the day totally fun!

gaudy or delicious?

neat. thanks, Ruthie.

I want to roll in the dust

I love this. I want to be you, architecturalist.

no idea what's going on

So, I have no clue what's going on at my own place of employment sometimes. But I can't wait to get a free minute to see THIS.

New Thing

Something else I've decided to work on.

what's the blog version of a retweet?

cause that's what this is. such a good blog.

September 1st, a very important day

Even though it appears to be available (if overpriced) at Anthropologie, a new book about Vera Neumann will be available at Barnes and Noble on September 1st. This also happens to be my birthday. HMMMMM.

I might have written about interior designers and their use of miniature rooms from the early 20th c. here before. It's one of those interests that I would pursue if left jobless and living with my parents OR jobless due to independent wealth. I don't think either is happening soon... but who knows. So, I thought it was cool to see this article and slideshow in the Times about some contemporary versions of tiny modernist rooms. Neat!

The past weekend flew by. And was mostly filled with gardens and eating, two of my favorite things. If you haven't been to Longwood, go. I miss getting in free in grad school...

a project for less than $1 (kind of)

Okay, so if you're starting from scratch, this will cost you more than a dollar. But if, like me, you happen to have paper, ink, brayer, and linoleum cutter, all you need is a little scrap of linoleum. Which is crazy inexpensive. Even if starting from scratch, you might be able to get everything for under $15. And then you'll have them always! Kind of. Anyhoo, I just cut into the linoleum like a line drawing (much like the line drawings sometimes found in costume history texts). And now I have this cute glove.

memories

just thinking about aesthetics today

fiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!

Well, well. I survived the release of Liberty of London for Target at my local store this morning. I was not going to go because everyone else wussed out, but then I had a dream that I went in the afternoon and everything was gone. And I woke up and the wallets I liked were already sold out online.

So, I got a coffee and scone, and walked over to Target, arriving about ten minutes before the 8am opening. There were only about 30 people over the course of the first hour, but boy were the goods decimated. The only stuff out when we arrived was women's apparel. I picked up a dress (the last in a size small). The sizes run large, and the fabric was disappointing. I probably would have purchased more if they were made of cotton. But this dress is pretty cute.


There was a group of three women grabbing everything in sight, filling multiple shopping carts. Boxes of accessories and all the home goods were brought out and people (mostly these three women) snatched things up before they hit the shelves. Most items didn't really have a chance to get on a shelf. At all. I was able to snag two wallets (the things I most wanted!).


I also got a neat storage box that I'm going to use for craft supplies. It looks better in person. I'm glad I went because there was really no way to tell what the quality of things would be. I thought there would be more cotton dresses. The pillows were kind of nice, but not good enough to fight for. The bedding quality was acceptable, but they only have poly-filled duvets and no sheets. I did like the quilts, but I really would have been sold on sheets. I probably would have lost an eye trying to get them though. I had really wanted some of the serving ware, and thought it was all ceramic, but most of it was actually plastic. And the two-tiered serving tray I liked was rickety. So there you have it. With my four items totaling about $60, I was one of the more modest shoppers.

here is my handle, here is my spout

Boy do I love decorative arts within decorative arts. This amazing wallpaper is for sale at Anthropologie. I think it would look great in my fantasy brownstone - in the small room where my gardening supplies are kept.

James Crowley?

I came across a few drawings by James Crowley in the MFA Boston. I'd be curious to learn a little more about him. There are 5 portraits in the MFA's collection, and they are marked differently. Some are marked James W. Crowley, others J. M. Crowley. Same guy? Looks like it... Anyway, the chicks are wearing super cool clothes. I love huge 1830s sleeves (women's costume) and they all have amazing, and giant, collars.

Boardwalk Empire on my street

One of the main reasons I chose to live in Park Slope is because it's so damn good looking. Well, I guess a scout for HBO's Boardwalk Empire, which comes out this fall, agrees. Last time I saw them filming across the street I thought it was some lame, low-budget show... but Alison and I were escorted through the "set" to our apartment last night and found out it's actually kind of a big deal. Like with Steve Buscemi. On 6th between President and Carroll (my block) one side of the street is taken up by St. Francis Xavier. BE is using the rectory, and last night I saw some guys running out of it toward their old timey cars. Neat.

Club Monaco is a TEASE

Okay. All who know me know that my dream outfit contains a big black tutu. Two friends recently mentioned seeing this in the Club Monaco windows.

So I drag one of them across town to check it out. But, oh ho ho. It's just a bunch of tulle! Stuffed under the trench! Last year a friend mentioned seeing a blue skirt with a tulle petticoat sort of thing going on there. But once again, the tulle was just for display (the flat flat skirt was real). However, CM may redeem themselves, as something in this vein is supposed to be released in April. Sigh. Eventually I'll just start throwing some tulle at my sewing machine and make my dream outfit come true.