Christmas Wreath Workshop

There is nothing I love more than arranging flowers and being creative — so when I found a workshop on Christmas Wreath making, I knew I needed to sign up for it. It was SOOOOO much fun and I highly suggest doing something fun and creative like this in the Holiday Time. I loved every minute of it. This workshop was put on by Pop-Up Florist, a beautiful floral delivery service in NYC, at their new space, House of Three.

 

I didn’t take pictures of the actual physical space of the class — and I should have because it was gorgeous. Big, spacious, beautiful, welcoming. Then there were tables set up with all the items that we could use to make our wreath. All the different types of ribbons, ornaments, any kind of greens, etc…It was weaving AND creating at the same time.

I decided to go very neutral and make a eucalyptus wreath. Holiday but not very much. I loved the way it ended up.

Arrangements around the room done by Pop-Up Florist.

The table.

I loved the flowers in the individual vases.

My final wreath,

A little more of a close up.

On the door at home!

 

I hope you like it as much as I do! And highly suggest making one for your door!

NYC Marathon 2025

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.

Continue Reading

Banh by Lauren

Last week, the New York Times published “The 25 Essential Pastries to Eat in NYC,” which of course, I studied top to bottom and figured out when I was going to each one of them. So last Friday, after teaching, I decided to head down to ChinaTown for a long overdue massage (my favorite place in NYC is Renew Day Spa) and a stop at Banh by Lauren to get the Bahn Bo.

 

First of all, this bakery / cafe was incredibly gorgeous. Located far east of chinatown, it stood out immediately with its beautiful green hues and sophisticated look. Walking in felt very peaceful — almost like a museum.

Continue Reading

NYC Bakery Run 2025

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.

Continue Reading

Currently Loving September 2025

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.

Continue Reading

Steve’s Key Lime Pie

I have a lot of favorite desserts, but one of my TOP favorite desserts is key lime pie. And now just any key lime pie, but Steve’s Key Lime Pie. Steve’s pies are sold at dozens of stores in Manhattan, but if you want the freshest, then you have to travel to Red Hook in Brooklyn to his store. Yep, 30 minute drive — but oh so worth it. Especially on a beautiful sunny day, nothing beats eating Steve’s Key Lime Pie with the water view.

 

We used to come out to Red Hook every weekend to grocery shop, walk around, and feel like we lived in the burbs. Now, it is a fun adventure to go just to look out at the water and eat pie.

Continue Reading

Two New NYC Restaurants

This past weekend, we wined and dined in some new restaurants — both of them we loved and would return in a minute. Therefore, needed to tell you all, as both are special and must visits.

 

Cafe Louis Vuitton

 

Located on the 4th floor of Louis Vuitton’s NYC flagship, this cafe is a gorgeous location to have a special meal.

 

Tusia did her hair and looked gorgeous for our mother-daughter Good Friday (aka no school) date.

Continue Reading

Jesse Krimes at The Met

If you are in NYC before July 13th, I highly recommend stopping by the Jesse Krimes: Corrections exhibit at the Met. It is the best exhibit I have seen in a long time — and the story behind it is amazing. And even if you don’t have the chance to see the exhibit, I highly recommend learning more about Jesse Krimes (from this post, but also the other articles link, etc…) — he is someone to know of! Long story short, Jesse was put in prison for selling drugs, and during this time, he created art with the items he has access to while in prison.

 

This piece, called “Purgatory” is when Jesse was in solitaire confinement for a year (awaiting trial as he could not afford bail).  He created this with bars of soap and decks of cards — and put the faces of people from the paper using hair gel to create an impression on to the soap.

Continue Reading

Catbird Rings

My 7th grade daughter, Tusia, has been on the search for the perfect rings for quite some time. Problem is, she has tiny little fingers, and we didn’t want to break the bank with a ring. So when I remembered Catbird — a Brooklyn based Jewelry company that I fell in love with two decades ago, I knew it was the perfect place for us to go look at for rings. And it was EVERYTHING and more than we had hoped for. The staff was incredible, all the jewelry beyond perfect, reasonable prices, and exactly what we were looking for.

 

We ended up getting two rings so she could stack them. She wanted them on her pointer finger — and they literally had every size imaginable — so it was perfect.

Continue Reading

Chocolate Croissants x 2

YUMMMMMMM. One of my family’s favorite food items is chocolate croissants — I mean, WHO doesn’t love chocolate croissants??? So when in the Flatiron area of Manhattan last Friday, I fell upon not one, but two, different bakeries, that were so beautiful and scrumptious, that I had to get something at each. First off….

 

Lysee

 

The store looked like a museum. On the ground floor, there was a sit down cafe, and to order take out, you walked up the stairs to where the baked goods were all displayed and where you placed the order. Even the bags are beyond chic and beautiful.

Continue Reading

Luna Luna + Din Tai Fung

At the VERY start of break (yes, I am very behind on all posts and catch ups), we went to one of our favorite dumplings spots, Din Tai Fung, and also to a fun immersive art experience, Luna Luna. I highly suggest going to both — for taste, color, experience!

 

Luna Luna

 

Lots of color — and super cool to learn about everything. (It was VERY cold and we stayed in our coats the entire time)

Continue Reading

Eva Masaki Sunglasses

There is nothing more awkward than me taking a selfie, but here it is! Me and a selfie wearing sunglasses. I recently discovered Eva Masaki sunglasses and I love (that said, my daughter hates them on me and is not a fan). They are a statement, but sometimes, it is fun to change things up and have a different look, and these are definitely different than my normal sunglasses I wear.

 

Awkward photo. Cute glasses.

Continue Reading

Marathon Signs

One of my favorite days of the year in NYC is Marathon Day. There is an electric feel everywhere you go — so many people with smiles, cheering people on for accomplishing something they dreamed of doing, an inexplainable excitement. Truly a magical day in the city. The second best thing to RUNNING the marathon, is cheering all the runners on. Since this year, I ran the Chicago Marathon and have been dealing with a nagging injury (I can barely run right now, which is devastating, but resting it is the best thing for it), I opted out of running the NYC marathon, and instead cheered everyone on. And what a glorious day it was! With Tusia and two of her friends, we decided to make signs to go cheer everyone on at mile 25.  Making signs was a great activity in itself!

 

The first problem was trying to find poster board. We didn’t think about making signs until. the day of, and on Sunday morning, no store nearby had poster boards. So I had to get creative with how to make a poster board — in this case, I had a big gift bag, that I cut into parts, put white paper on the side, and taped it all together. You do what you gotta do!

Continue Reading

Storm King 2024

What a treat! A last minute trip to Storm King — 500-acre outdoor museum located in theHudson Valley — where I have visited with the family several times before but this time, I went with some friends, and had a personal guided trip which meant GOLF CARTS, not excessive walking, so much interesting information. Highly recommend making the trek to visit Storm King — especially in the Fall foliage and glorious colors — and if you can get a tour, even better. I feel like I attended a class and learned so much.

 

The leaves, the colors, the sunshine, the art!

Continue Reading

Brooklyn Museum

I have been dying to go to the Brooklyn Museum’s newest exhibition (Alicia Keys and Swiss Beatz Private Art Collection) since it opened three weeks ago. So this past Saturday, in a crazy rainy downpour, I ventured to Park Slope to see it. It took one hour by the  subway, got absolutely sopping wet, had issues with my tickets, lost my umbrella, and STILL found it worth it.

 

OY was it rainy!!! You had to check in your umbrellas — meaning, you couldn’t bring them in to the museum. Unfortunately, the check in for the coat check was SO ABSURD that I left my umbrella in a corner (a risk) and lost it (dumb me). Which meant, that my trek home on the subway was even more wet, long, and smelly than it was coming to the museum. OY!

Continue Reading

House of Joy – Dim Sum

After our excursion downtown to Mercer Labs, we went to Chinatown for dim sum lunch. Through a friend I met on vacation (an Australian Chinese woman), we went to House of Joy. This was truly a cultural experience — very authentic — and I loved every minute of it.

 

Girls outside the restaurant. I love Chinatown, it has such character, flair, and high energy.

Continue Reading

Mercer Labs

It was arctic temperatures in NYC this past weekend (and week!), which meant, finding fun indoor activities to get us out of the house. So with a little research, I found Mercer Labs, a new light and technology museum in TriBeCa. I had high hopes of this museum as the reviews were great — and it was even better than I expected. Mercer Labs is a 15 room immersive and interactive experience. Each room was SO cool and we absolutely loved every part of it. We stayed for a full hour, but could have easily been there a lot longer.

 

Everything about the museum was terrific — not just the exhibits, but the staff, the cleanliness, all of it.

Continue Reading

Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts

I had lots of different ideas for my son’s 14th birthday party, but due to last minute planning and bad weather, we ended up with an organized scavenger hunt in Grand Central. Although thrown together last minute — it was a hit and I highly recommend for adults and kids alike. It was a private event, created by Watson Adventures, and it was sooooo much fun. The questions were quite difficult and we ran all around Grand Central trying to figure out each clue.

 

We met with our guide at a meeting spot, downloaded the information we needed on our phones, and took off. Since there were only 6 boys (and myself), we were one team, but I created prizes for everyone. It was highly competitive, everyone was very engaged, and we all had so much fun.

Continue Reading

Long Island City

This past weekend, we were in the city with no plans on Saturday night. Although I love nothing more than a night in, we decided to go on a field trip to Long Island City, where I had not been in years. And HOLY COW — it is SOOOOOOOOOOO different and a city in itself (hence the name). It was super easy to get to in the car (just over the 59th street bridge) and fun to explore a new part of our backyard. I can’t wait to go back there and eat at different restaurants, see the sights, and experience a different part of our eclectic city.

 

Trip over the bridge with the iconic sign “Silver Cup”

Continue Reading

Chick Chick

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.

Continue Reading

Sarah Sze: Timelapse

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).

Continue Reading

City Pickle

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!)

Continue Reading