Currently Loving June 2023 #1

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HOLY CRAP IT IS JUNE AND I AM IN DISBELIEF AND SO BEHIND IN EVERYTHING WITH LIFE. Including blog posts. Apologies, here I am! It is one thing after another and next week, I have to take my dog to Oregon and the week after, I leave NYC for the summer. Gulp. Lots to do. So without further ado, here is what I am currently loving!

 

1. Emmy Squared Pizza

 

Detroit style pizza — crusty, scrumptious, cheesy, and ever so delicious. Highly recommend.

 

 

2. Van Gogh’s Cypresses at The Met

 

A beautiful and straightforward exhibit that I thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely worth checking out.

3. My Outfit

 

Yes, my outfit. Fringe and weirdness, but I loved it. Thanks for indulging me in posting an awkward selfie.

 

4. Neon Pink Tree at Hudson Yards

 

Love this 25 foot neon pink tree. And you can climb it, which the kids loved. Definitely fun to check out.

 

5. Red Panda

 

Saw this red panda at the Central Park Zoo and it makes me so happy. It is so cuddly and cute.

 

6. Funny Meme

 

WHAT?

 

7. Summer 1976

 

One of the best plays I have seen in a while. Sweet, sad, and the perfect length.

 

8. Spiritual Activator

 

A great book — not something you can read in one sitting, but good to have as the yang to a novel.

 

___

Happy June! Hope you are all doing well and nervous system is calmer than mine.

Anika Yael Natori, aka, The Josie Girl

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Board Night

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Inspired by a Tik-Tok trend, my daughter with her friends planned a “board night.” Basically, a fancy rebranding of a “potluck,’ The girls with their partners created “boards” with different themes — dessert, movie, candy, drinks, savory dip, sweet dip, and sushi. Then, they all came together to assemble the boards and have dinner together. It was a perfect way to celebrate the end of school — truly a great night.

 

Girls getting together and putting their boards together.

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Warhol at The Brant Foundation

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I absolutely love the Brant Foundation in the East Village. Years back, they featured Brant’s collection of Basquiat, and it was so amazing that I went back 3 or 4 times (with my girlfriends, kids, my brother, etc…). The space of the foundation itself is magical and beautiful, and the artwork itself is incredible. So, this past weekend, I went with my son and his brother-from-another-mother (aka his best friend), and we visited the newest exhibition, Andy Warhol. This collection contains over 100 pieces of artwork — all but one personally owned by Peter Brant. The only piece of art not owned by Brant is this huge Mao silkscreen on loan by The Met (and Brant donated it to the Met years ago). This exhibit is open to the public until July 31st and I HIGHLY recommend going. Plus, there are so many fun and different restaurants nearby, that you can make it an extra special outing!

 

You start on the top floor (4th) and then walk down the stairs to the rest of the floors.

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La Bouche Rouge

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One of my absolute favorite gifts ever was this personalized monogrammed lipstick set from La Bouche Rouge. I absolutely love everything about it — the uniqueness, the leather cases, and the lipsticks themselves.

 

The four tubes come separately so you can place them inside the leather cases. So when a lipstick runs out, you can buy a new one and put it inside the leather tube. Refillable, reusable, and beautiful!

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Currently Loving May 2023 #1

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May in NYC started off gray and rainy, but over the weekend, the weather improved and it is GLORIOUS outside. Nothing better than NYC in the sunshine (without humidity) and not overly hot (very rare). I am loving a lot this month, so broke up this one post into two — so stay tuned for later in the week for the second portion of everything I am loving this month!.

 

1. Amber Waves Farm

 

Amber Waves Farm. A friend who is heavily involved in a Hamptons Farm, Amber Farms, had people over to her house for food, cocktails, and a tulip making class with tulips grown locally at the Amber Waves Farm. It was incredibly informative (I learned so much) and also so much fun. And the flowers — holy smokes, so gorgeous.

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Chick Chick

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Over the weekend, we wanted to eat a delicious sandwich (any kind of sandwich, just delicious), so I did some research (thank you google) and came across the BEST FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH in New York City. It was absolutely incredible and warranted this title. So if you are in NYC, crave a fried chicken sandwich, then I *HIGHLY* recommend traveling to the Upper West Side and going to Chick Chick.

 

Chick Chick opened a year ago by chef Jun Park, who wanted to create a restaurant with his two most favorite foods: fried chicken and ramen.

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Currently Loving April 2023

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I feel like we just got back from Spring Break, and now it is almost May. How does that happen? Literally time flies after the last school break and wooooooshhhh almost summer. Here is what I am currently loving this month.

 

1. Poems in Central Park

 

I love walking and strolling around Central Park on a beautiful weekend day and seeing so many different sights, people, performers, sounds. There is SOOOO much to look at. You don’t need to go to a Broadway show!!! Last weekend, I especially liked this woman who was writing poems for people. “Custom Poems on Demand.”

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Sarah Sze: Timelapse

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Thanks to a college friend (the head curator of Storm King), I was invited on a private tour of the new exhibit at the Guggenheim: Sarah Sze Timelapse. It was a wonderful hour spent listening to the head curator of the exhibit, Kyung An, and learning SO much (apparently I am the last one to know about Sarah Sze!!!!) It is an interesting exhibit but made incredibly worthwhile with the descriptions and explanations of each work and the thought process behind it.

 

It starts at the bottom of the rotunda and then restarts on the 6th floor (there is another exhibit in between — but Sarah Sze is the main feature).

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School Assembly on Holocaust

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For the first time in my uncle’s life, he recounted his Holocaust stories publicly this past week. Every year for the past 24 years at my daughter’s school, there is an Upper School assembly for Holocaust Survivors to share their stories. After a discussion with a faculty member of the school on my father’s family’s history, a call was placed in early March, inviting my uncle to speak to the school. Even with such short notice, Dr. Wlodek Proskurowski (my uncle), at the age of 87, decided it was time for him to speak so flew from Los Angeles (where he lives) to NYC. And what a memorable event, it was!

 

My uncle is in incredible health – and at the age of 87 is very physically and mentally active. He hikes every week with the Sierra Club, and is very involved with the Plato Club of LA.

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City Pickle

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Last year during the Spring/Summer/Fall seasons, Wollman Rink turned into a rollerskating rink from its original ice skating. This year, during the warm months, Wollman Rink has become a Pickleball Haven! 14 courts of pickleballs on real pickleball surface for open play or full court reservations. So of course we had to go play (and we will be back!)

 

It is the same inside, but with lockers, rentals, and better option food (Roberta Pizza!)

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Ivan Ramen

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Due to the many holidays last week (Passover and Good Friday), we had two days off from school. That meant, a lot of exploring in the city to occupy us. One adventure that the kids ALWAYS like is finding a new ramen restaurant. So after some research, we headed down to the East Village, to Ivan Ramen. There are many locations in Tokyo, but this one is the only one in NYC (and has been here since 2013). It was delicious, fast, easy, inexpensive, and fun to try. We will definitely go back again.

 

We sat outside in our own little courtyard which was perfect because it was Spring-ish, and nice to be in the fresh air.

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Currently Loving Spring Break 23 Edition

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OOPS. My kids had spring break for two weeks, and apparently I decided to not ever be on my computer, and not do the blog. Apologies! I brought the computer with me on all the travels, but WOOPS, didn’t write. So here I am. Back in NYC,  kids back to school, and now back to the blog! Here is what I loved over Spring Break and am currently loving!

 

1. Hello Beautiful

 

Best book I have read in a long time. Loved every minute and hated the fact that I read it so fast because then it meant it was over. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

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The Wearable Sleeping Bag

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I know that it is almost Spring, but it has been freezing in NYC. So cold that I have been wearing my “wearable sleeping bag” and let me tell you — IT IS AMAZING AND WARM AND THE BEST. This wearable sleeping bag is from Selk’Bag and comes in every size for the whole family!

 

It is exactly what it sounds like — a sleeping bag that you wear. It is warm, comfortable, and absolutely perfect for outdoor hikes, sport watching, walking the dog, sitting by the fire – you name it.

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Currently Loving March 2023

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And just like that….Spring Break is right around the corner. Here is what I am loving this month.

 

1. Notorious BIG Statue

 

Located near the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn, this new statue of BIG is set up on a hill and is fun, colorful, and different. As a huge fan of BIG, I love it. VERY MUCH.

 

2. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

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Flaco the Owl

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As many people have, I too, have become totally enthralled and obsessed with the story of Flaco the Owl. For those of you who do not know Flaco, Flaco is an owl that escaped a month ago from Central Park Zoo. After eluding many different rescue attempts, Flaco now lives in Central Park freely and most likely will continue to live a free life away from the zoo. Flaco escaped the zoo on February 2nd, once its enclosure was vandalized. Flaco has lived in captivity at the zoo since 2010, and everyone has been worried if Flaco would be able to survive alone in the wild. But sure enough, Flaco is not only surviving, but thriving in the city. There was an incredible story in the NYTimes  “Everyone Loves Flaco the Escaped Owl. But Why, Exactly?” and I highly suggest reading it — maybe you, too, will become interested in finding and spotting Flaco!

 

This past weekend, we went searching for Flaco — almost the whole day Sunday.

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Natori Kids Photo Shoot

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Natori is coming out with a kids line this Spring which is super exciting. There are many different dresses and each of them are so cute, fresh, and fun. In preparation for the line to drop, there was a photo shoot last week and the model was none other than Tusia (my 10 year old daughter).

 

Waiting for our turn to go to the shoot and get primped.

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Habitat for Humanity

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Since September 2022, once a month, I drive up to Newburgh , New York (upstate NY) to work on a Habitat for Humanity house. I became involved through a friend, as her mother and the mother’s church group started going in honor of her brother who passed away who once worked with Habitat for Humanity. It is an all day affair full of hard labor, but I absolutely love my time doing the work. It is incredibly rewarding and eye opening to all the work it takes to build a house.

 

My friend’s brother was named Johnny, and so many of the houses we build in honor of the brother are called ‘Johnny’s House’ based on the donations from the family in honor of Johnny.

This particular house, I have worked on and seen it through so many stages.

One day, I spent the entire time stapling some type of plastic (yes, obviously I have not learned any of the terminology) to the wall.

The town of Newburgh is fascinating because it is extremely poor with a lot of gang violence. But the town itself is beautiful set in a gorgeous setting on the Hudson River.

I am bad with all knives, and somehow managed to not cut myself here (not sure what I was doing).

In action. 99.9 percent of the volunteers are older, retired people. If you have any interest in volunteering, get involved and do so! It is so rewarding.

The church group — but you can volunteer on your own. I am not involved in the church but come when they do, because it is more fun to drive up with my friend, Katama, then to go solo.

One time, we built stairs!!!!

Me, Katama, and our hard hats.

Carrying rubble to a dump truck — workout of the day!

Stair building.

Completed stairs, and me being brave and walking up them.

FINITO.

Me and my work bags.

The cement truck — we had to transport the cement to the backyard — HARD workout.

The patio.

Us volunteers getting the cement to pour in the backyard.

Even more scary — me on this power chainsaw.

Not not scary.

Spackling all morning long….

You get so dirty and dusty — but it doesn’t matter. All worth it.

The rundown neighborhood.

 

If at all interested in volunteering, let me know, as I would love to go more often. It is extremely rewarding and you see your hard work in a finished product. Doing good FEELS good. I hope you have a great week!

Anika Yael Natori, aka, The Josie Girl

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Mad in Brooklyn – Hat Making Class

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On Wednesday this past week, a friend organized a hat making class in Brooklyn through Mad in Brooklyn.  It was a full day of hat making, crafting, and learning all about hat making. It was an incredible experience and I loved every minute of making my hat. To top it off (get it)., I love the hat that I made. So it was a win win day and experience.

 

To make the experience even better there were tacos, tortilla chips, AND margaritas. That alone, made it fun.

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Charred Salt and Vinegar Cabbage

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The cookbook I use the most so far in 2023 has been “Smitten Kitchen” and the two recipes I cook on a weekly basis are the broccoli rabe with burrata and the charred salt and vinegar cabbage. I COULD EAT BUCKETS OF CABBAGE because this recipe is to die for. This is absolutely amazing and I highly suggest making it (even if it sounds weird) — I promise you will love it.

 

Ingredients:

 

 

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Motif Cleanser

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I love celebrating creative and smart friends and any ideas or products that they come up with. Motif Cleanser falls into that category. Started by my beautiful friend, Devanshi, this cleanser is ONE OF A KIND and I cannot rave enough about it.

 

Devanshi happens to be one of the most beautiful (and kind) people I have ever met. I had the privilege of attending her wedding in India 5 years ago — and it was one of the most memorable and incredible experiences of my life. Look at how beautiful Devanshi is — super model worthy.

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Currently Loving Early February 2023

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Here we are, already a week plus a couple in the second month of the year. How does time fly by so quickly? Before you know it, it will be spring break and then school is over and then POOF summer. Here is what I am currently loving this month.

 

1. NY Times article: Future Cringe

 

One of my favorite articles in 2023 — a must read if you haven’t seen it already!

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