This past weekend, I went to a super fun Bat Mitzvah and one of the highlights was a duo that wrote first impressions about the guests. Yes, sounds totally weird, but it was incredible. This duo, The Bumbys, sit and look at you, but cannot talk or listen to you. Then, they type up their thoughts based on their examination of you.
The Bumby’s — noise canceling headphones, cannot talk, and just look at you, and then write on their typewriter.
And just like that….here we are in December! I can NOT believe how this year flew by. Here is what I am loving:
At the MoMA until February 7th — must go and see! Over 300 pieces of work — and each one so intricate and beautiful. As someone who weaves baskets, it made it even more incredible — they are BEYOND beautiful and take so much patience and skill. A must visit.
My favorite day of the year in NYC — and this one did not disappoint — The NYC Marathon. Actually, New York showed off in any way and it was truly a magical day. I did not run — but cheered for 5 hours — and it was absolutely glorious.
My preparation for the marathon started on Saturday by watching Kipchoge’s documentary — he is my absolute favorite runner (and maybe even athlete, close to Nadal) and this documentary is so inspirational and incredible.
Last week, I decided to go to Othership, a sauna and cold plunge experience, and instantly fell in love with it. The first time I went (because yes, I went to two classes in 4 days), I attended a guided class. This class consisted of a 75 minute embarkment through the sauna and ice bath. It was 20 minutes in the sauna, with guided commentary, different lights, music, breathing techniques. Followed by cold plunge in groups, then back to the sauna, and then some tea. It was NOT what I was expecting, and took me a little off guard, but I loved it so much.
The sauna has three different levels — I was on the bottom and that was SO hot. I sweat BUCKETS. So much, that I was able to do the cold plunge. The actual sauna is HUGE and fits 64 people — it was packed. All places were taken. Even though it sounds like it could be a little gross, it wasn’t at all. Everything felt very clean.
Here we are, the second half of October, and here is what I am currently loving.
1. Fall Colors
The park is turning red, orange, yellow, and green. I especially liked it this past week with some drama in the skies.
There is so much to love right now — and this is what I am loving!
1. Picnics in October
This past weekend felt like summer in the city. 80 degrees in October! I absolutely loved every minute. Toosh and I had a picnic and she did homework and I needlepointed. Loved it.
Ojai, California is not only the home of Thacher (my son’s school), but also many, many cool stores, restaurants, and brands. Magic Hour is one of them that I happened to stumble upon last weekend. It is a tea shop — but not any tea shop — a beautiful, insanely gigantic, magical, incredible tea shop. It sells every type of tea that is made with love in Ojai. Their mission is to connect the world through tea ceremony and the simple act of sharing tea. And you can sense this goal the moment you walk in to the space. The space is beaaaaauuutiful, and the tea is even more special. I spent 30 minutes walking around the store, smelling every different type of blend, sampling, asking questions — it is a must visit if in Ojai.
I grew up with parents who drank tea every single night with their dessert before going to bed. It is something so ceremonial and special that I love to partake in. I bought a big bottle of mint and smaller of rooibos.
This past Sunday, I ran the first ever NYC Bakery Run. A half-marathon with 8 bakeries. Yep, the route covered 8 different bakery stops. All were incredible — and it was such a fun and different day! Thank you, Tipster, for putting together such a fun, successful and unique day!
The run was put together by Tipster. Tipster is a website and journal that is in the know of everything cool, hip, and new. This was their first issue in NY (It is based in Copenhagen) and it covered all the best bakeries. So it made sense that their big NYC start was a half marathon with 8 of these bakeries listed. We went to all of the ones listed above minus Apollo Bagel and Win Son Bakery.
Everyday Oil. Of course I found out about this oil from my sister-from-another-mister, my best friend on the west coast. So of course, now, I have to tell you about it. Because it is so good. And your skin needs it. It is certified organic with botanical oils that are incredibly hydrating and nourishing for your body, face, hair, and EVERYWHERE. All the different scents smell amazing, and your skin feels even better than you smell!
The best oil. I leave it in the shower and then just put it everywhere post shower.
THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. If you like to listen to music at home — but you have different music taste than that of your family members or friends, you can blend your music taste and create a playlist that both accounts like. Enter, Spotify Blend. It is simply what you think — a feature that creates a shared, personalized playlist combining the music tastes of you and a friend. Amazing, right? (Apparently, this is an old feature, but I am just now learning about it, and I am so excited that I need to share with you, in case, you, too are old and out of touch).
Thank you, Spotify.
Sorry for my absence last week — back in New York, back to school (for both me and the kids!), back to figuring out the schedule and the flow. And hardest part — back to waking up so early! but now, I AM BAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKKKK. Here is what I am currently loving this month.
1. US Open
Yes, the US Open just ended yesterday, but it is my favorite two weeks in the city. And my favorite night is always with my favorite lady, Mrs. Mason. This night is hands down, so fun, and now I get to enjoy it with Tusia who LOVES Mrs. Mason, and LOVES tennis.
Thanks to TikTok, Tusia and I were very busy last week (for one day) creating some TikTok products. The first was…..
Tik Tok Waffle Tic Tac Toe Board
We went to the art store and bought air drying clay — then molded it into a waffle
Last week, we dropped of my son, Cruz, at his boarding school in Ojai, California. Per his request, he asked to drive down from Oregon. He had never been on a “road trip” before so we crammed 14 hours of driving in two days. One of the highlights of the drive was asking chatGPT to find the best spot for lunch in between Eugene and San Francisco. And sure enough, it found a winner (thank you, AI!) We had a truly enjoyable lunch, right off the 5 (Interstate 5) — Yaks on the 5.
The drive.
Thank you, Ken for driving! I made a basket. 🙂
We made it to California!
And finally to Yaks on the 5 — a burger place! The line was manageable and we were able to eat outside, so win win all around.
Cruzzie and his burger.
Ken had a pastrami sandwich.
All of it so delicious.
Toosh and the burger, too.
I had a salad with wings and ribs on it (picture didn’t turn out) and they were the best ribs I have. ever. ever. ever. eaten. So highly suggest Yaks on the 5 if you happen to be in that neck of the woods, and also suggest chatGPT for recommending such a great spot!
So basically, my August loves are the same as July’s loves. I mean, same same different. Same type of thing, but different at same time. But in the spirit of sharing (over sharing sometimes, too!), here are my loves for August.
1. Fresh Peaches
The problem is trying to figure out what to do with all the peaches. We had a bake off and had three different types of desserts with peaches — so delicious.
Last summer, my mom got me interested in making baskets — it was a great creative outlet that was different than needlepointing (which I do all the time). I took a 9 month sabbatical from making baskets (I.e. the school year), but this summer, once again, I have found myself interested in making baskets. I LOVE IT. It is so fun, different, challenging, and you get a pretty basket at the end. The best place to get all the kits / equipment / videos is Flax and Twine — this online store is amazing and beautiful, and I love everything they sell. In the past two weeks, I have made two different baskets.
It is WAY more complicated than you think it is. And takes a lot of patience.
Ok, so going with my theory of always doing something cultural and eating something delicious, we had a great day at Gjusta Bakery and visiting the Getty Villa (different than the Getty Center!) in Los Angeles. These are not next to each other, but it was a quick drive from the bakery to the villa. And we wanted to do both (and recommend both, too!)
GJUSTA BAKERY
Gjusta is the sister restaurant of Gjelina (which is forever my favorite restaurant in LA, and also has the best cookbook and best sticky toffee pudding you will ever eat). It is located in Venice and everything in it is just beautiful and delicious.
It has been a minute since I posted — not because I didn’t want to or because I didn’t try, but because I was having issues with the website and uploading images. All that to say, sorry! And I am back! And with so much content! In the past two weeks I have spent time in San Francisco area, Oregon, Los Angeles, and back to Oregon — and I have found some incredible things to share! So stay tuned and report back to the blog! In the meantime, I wanted to first share with you an incredibly tasty donut shop in San Francisco. So good that if you are anywhere in the area, you will want to go to George’s. They don’t just sell donuts, but also cocktails, champagne, and meals too. But we went for the donuts.
So cute — love George’s donuts and merriment.
Halfway through summer denial, but here we are. Mid July. And here is what I am loving right now!
1. Breaking 4
Everywhere you go in Eugene, there is some type of homage / support for runners. This is for Faith Kipyogen who is trying to break a 4 minute mile….
In Oregon, there are always some fun neighborhood signs that make me smile (living in NYC, we dont really ever see signs in windows, etc…). So yesterday on my run, I took some pictures of the signs I most enjoyed.
Not pretty, but a simple and good message that I enjoyed seeing.
I might as well make this a baking blog now because that is all I have been wanting to post about recently! HA! I am the worst cook, but I love baking and experimenting in the kitchen. Recently, we made mango sorbet AND mango ice cream in a bake off — and hands down, the winner was the mango sorbet. So if you feel like making something SUPER easy, delicious, and refreshing, make this!
First, you peel the mangos (make sure they are good ones — it makes all the difference). Then, you blend them with water, a little sugar, some lime juice, and THAT IS IT!
Last month when I was in Paris, we had the privilege of bringing a good friend of Tusia’s with us. It was so much fun to explore Paris together and to share with her all our beloved spots. As a thank you, the friend’s mom bought us each Mary Janes from Flabelus — a European brand of shoes that is SUUUUUUPER popular with a million colors, styles, and a great price point. It was so much fun shopping the three of us to each pick out a shoe. As the mom told us, she wanted us to each pick out the shoe that best represented our personality. It was great fun to pick out the shoe all together — and a great souvenir of the trip. Thank you, Alice!
The shop is beautiful — so many colors, so many styles, loved them all.
OK, designer dupe for the win! I love love The Row red flip flops, but when I checked the price, I immediately knew that there was no way in h-e-double-l-l that I would ever purchase them. So when I came across an Amazon identical copy of the flip flop, I knew I needed to get it. And I am so happy that I did. This flip flop is everything and more. Surpasses my expectations and love of the flip flop that I was expecting. Ever since they arrived, it is the only shoe that I can put on. So yes, summer is halfway over (omg, don’t make me start sobbing), but you need this flip flop dupe now. Promise you.
Inspiration. minus the price tag (who in the right mind would buy this).
I have been in the South of France the past two weeks and have been loving the slow and simple life. Here is what I have been really loving.
1. Exploring by Boat
So much fun to explore the Calanques (the mediterranean version of a fjord) by boat. Highly recommend!
This summer, if you happen to be in Paris, I highly suggest viewing the following museums and exhibitions:
I have been at least half a dozen times, but it never gets old. The clothing is beyond beautiful and it screams beauty.
For the past several months, I have heard all about ‘La Bonne Brosse‘ — a new (3 years old) hairbrush that is uber expensive, and uber worth it. With a daughter in tow in Paris, and her being obsessed with beauty products and her hair — we were blown away to see a new addition to my in-law’s Parisian apartment’s neighborhood. So, of course, we drank the kool-aid by stepping in to the store, learning all about it, and leaving with a new brush.
Beautiful brushes — but you can’t just pick up any brush. You have to get your hair analyzed (or you need to know what your hair and scalp like) and then they choose the brush for you. There are 7 different types of brushes — for thick, thin, straight, curly, baby, etc…
