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.
This past weekend, I ran my 24th marathon (my 10th Chicago Marathon). It was a great day and despite it being hard (all marathons are hard), I enjoyed the process, the journey, and the race itself. One of my favorite parts of the race were all the Nike signs posted along the course. They were HUGE, and EVERYWHERE and really, really helped. Here are a few of my favorite. They are creative, cute, and different! Enjoy!
I don’t remember this one — and not my favorite sign — but still a good one.
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 weekend, I traveled to Ojai, California, to visit my one-and-only-son, Cruzzie at school. It was a fun filled three days (will report more later) and I loved every minute of it (even though the red eye back was intolerable). I stayed at Hotel El Roblar, a brand new hotel in the area that opened up less than 3 months ago. Although it is newly opened, the building has been in existent since 1919. Now, it has been restored by Eric Goode (owner of the Turtle Conservancy and Bowery Hotel, etc…), Ramin Shamshiri, Warner Ebbink and Jeremy McBride. It is a 5- room hotel with two different restaurants, a pool, some giant tortoises, and a hipster vibe. I loved my time there and I cannot wait to return.
Picture of the outside — Spanish architecture. I love this picture (taken from their website)
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.
OK, call me a basic PSL lover (I actually don’t love pumpkin spice lattes, but I LOOOOOVE anything pumpkin), but when I went to Trader Joe’s recently, I was so excited by all the Fall goodies. So of course, need to share with you my haul (and yes, I am like my 13 year old daughter who loves to share hauls). And I am so happy (so happy that I have been back twice in one week to get more of some of these items).
So good so delicious. Can’t stop eating these.
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.
Apparently all I do is eat, but when in Los Angeles last week, every activity was planned around where we would eat. My (extremely cute) 90 year old uncle is so adventureous and doesn’t just sit at home — quite the contrary, he is out and about all the time, in touch with the best restaurants and exhibitions, etc….So he suggested going to the ONLY MEXICAN RESTAURANT with a MICHELIN STAR (Holbox) which was right next to the California Science Center — and we jumped on both. We LOVE science museums (interactive, fun, interesting) and we love Mexican food — so win win win!
First of all, this cliche view never gets old. But I loved it on this particular night because you could see a sliver of the moon — nothing makes me happier than pretty skies.
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.
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…
Sorry for the delay in posts — we are in Paris and have been nonstop with activities, museums, steps, and eating! The best! Anyways, I am now no longer jet lagged, no longer every second packed, and so I am baaaaaack. One highlight of the past week was a trip to Giverny, where Monet lived and painted. In all the years I have spent coming to Paris, I have never ever been to Giverny before. And it did not disappoint! Not only that, it exceeded expectations, and I highly suggest that everyone make a trip to Giverny if you have not yet been.
Every morning on our way out the door, we took our photos and did OOTD (outfits of the day) where we told each other our outfits.
I am always on the search for the perfect little notebook to carry on — especially with summer travels approaching, I love having a notebook to quickly write down some thoughts / plans / to do lists / bucket lists, etc…so I have been on a long search for the perfect little notebook. Of course, Muji to the rescue! Not only are they the just-right size, but the price is unbeatable! 2 DOLLARS and 90 CENTS per journal. LESS THAN 3 dollars. Talk about a steal!
Black or tan. Or both
Nothing beats a scoop of ice cream on a hot day. Actually, even on a cool day, a scoop of GOOD ice cream makes everything better. Last week, I was introduced to Caffe Panna, an ice cream shop located on 19th and Irving, started by Hallie Meyer (the daughter of Danny Meyer, famous and fabulous restauranteur). I was super excited to try this ice cream, and it EXCEEDED my expectations. It was so so so delicious, and I want to go back and try multiple different flavors. And yes, I am lactose intolerant, and ice cream hurts my stomach, but this ice cream was worth it, trust me.
How cute is the store front? It Is just a window where you order and receive the ice cream.
The best new card game, Kombio! If you don’t have it, get it now! Speed, memory, strategy!
Looks like a deck of cards — so easy to transport and keep in your purse for wherever you go (and need to play a game at the drop of a hat!)
