SOHO Spottings

Sorry, my beloved readers, that I have been M.I.A. from the blog scene for 16 days.  That's what tax season will do to a girl.  A few Sundays ago, I sprung free from work and romped around in Soho with roommate-Matt.  We had mini photo shoots at graffitied walls, pretended we were in the market for Chanel and Burberry garb, and laughed.. a lot :) Throughout our meanderings, I spotted a few cool nooks and crannies I'd like to re-visit. Enjoy!

First stop:  Aroma Espresso Bar. Matt and I stopped in for a shot of energy and warmth.  I enjoyed a frothy cappuccino, and particularly liked the complimentary chocolate served along with it :)  

My orderings.

Spotted: swanky Matt posing with the cool decor of the shop. 

Stop 2: Abandoned pool. Just looked cool. 

Vin et Fleurs.  The charm of this restaurant grabbed me; I had to stop for a photo.  With a name meaning "wine and flowers," what more could a girl want? Adding this one to my list of restaurants to visit. Who's with me?

Quaint and cozy.

Smallest car wash ever! I didn't even know NYC had car washes aside from the ugly ones on the West side used by taxi cabs.  This one was charming and cute (yes, car washes can be charming and cute when they are tiny)!

                                          

Lani Kai.  This "new American with a Polynesian flare" cocktail lounge and restaurant makes me think of Hawaii.  I've never been to a place strictly for cocktails, but I think this might be the place to do it.  Pacific Swizzle, Teeny Weeny Hot Bikini and Bermuda Triangle -- Count me in for drinks with names like these! When the weather gets a bit warmer, I will be there with a hibiscus in my hair :)

Kittichai = fancy Thai. Matt had heard of this restaurant before, though I hadn't.  When we walked by, the landscaping covering the windows intrigued me. I imagined sitting inside with dim candle lighting enjoying Thai food surrounded by bamboo plants. Can anyone say "date night?"

I feel re-inspired to re-discover new New York now that the cold weather is breaking. Though I've been in hibernation, I am ready to rediscover this City and its endless treasures during my last few months here.   When did you last take the time to rediscover your city or town? What treasures did you uncover?

April Fools

I know, I know. It's not April 1st. I'm not talking about that kind of April Fools. I'm talking about the people who spend March and the 1st half of April working hard all in the name of government revenue-generation.  I'm talking about tax accountants.  Every year tax season comes around and I wonder why I'm doing this to myself again. Yes, my friends, I am an April Fool!

This March marks my 5th tax season at a big accounting firm in Manhattan. In honor of this grand time of year, I wanted to take you on a walk down memory lane of tax seasons that have come before via snippets from journals past.  Things have definitely improved (I no longer take pictures with tax returns, or see the likes of my office past 10PM), but it still STINKS!  I have finally learned that I despise working more than 40.1 hours per week.  Alas, I digress.  Please read on so you too can get a glimmer of busy season for yourself :) 

March 15, 2008 - "This week went by kind of fast which is good I guess. Only four more weeks of busyness. Each week is like a new round in a boxing match and I only have about 5 minutes to rest up for each one... but a good thing about this season is that I really appreciate every minute of freedom."

My first busy season, March 2008. 

March 9, 2009 - "It's been a while since I've written because it's busy season. And it's going fine. Nothing unbearable. We've only done 3 weekends, but they've been relatively chill. I've had a few dreams about work stuff. I  haven't been to the gym in 2 weeks but I'm not being too hard on myself about it. I'm mostly enjoying the days. I love the people I work with and the new staff. We laugh a lot and "ice skate" in the office at night :) My signature moves is the sit-spin."

Tax returns I worked long and hard at preparing my first tax season. 

March 28, 2009 - "It's 2AM and I just got home from work. I've worked the last 20 days straight without a day off. This week I stayed 'til about 1AM every night.  I'm glad it's almost over!"

Yes, I took picture of the returns! I thought they looked cool against the building shapes.

February 24, 2010 - [A poem I wrote before work]...

Morning rainy makes me tired; need my coffee to get wired.
Once I leave here can't turn back; I just want to hit the sack!
Quiet's good, I need some more; That is what this morning's for.
City noises just outside, but in here's where I reside.
Safe and warm I'll stay inside.

Ok, fine, it's time to go; off to work, let's start this show.
Hit the sidewalk, shiny wet; It's still raining, wanna bet?
Time to go, alright I'm set!

March 7, 2011 - "Just got home from work and I feel like I'm physically carrying a little work stress that I need to let go of."




March 15, 2011 - "I feel like I want to stop everything and run away. Go somewhere sunny and not have an accounting job."

Did you ever want to run away and do something else?

Great Escapes

Tonight I found myself daydreaming about one of these tropical water bungalows.  It must be the extra long work hours of busy tax season (it's getting to me -- I cried at work today!), the dark cold of winter (though I did enjoy today's 68 degree respite), or thinking ahead to my Florida visit in April.  Either way, my body is in New York, but my mind is in the Maldives.

I invite you all to take a mental vacation with me.  Sweet dreams :)  

We Look DOWN

"Some people read, or pushed buttons on their smart phones, but most just stared without expression at the floor or the garish overhead posters for Dr. Zizmor’s cosmetic dermatology." -Melissa Febos, as quoted in her article about publicly crying in New York.  Oh how true this is - whether it's when walking, taking public transportation, riding elevators, or talking with friends, New Yorkers look down.  Maybe it's because there are so many people around them at all times that it would be overwhelming to even attempt to connect.  Maybe it's a defense mechanism or a way of appearing cold and tough and disinterested in the surrounding chaos.  Either way, it's a phenomena that never ceases to intrigue (though I am certainly guilty of it too at times).  

Here are some images of Manhattanites avoiding human contact, multi-tasking and engaging in social networking.  Enjoy!


We look down on the bus (look carefully: you will see at least 5 people staring at screens).



     


We look down -- and we look good doing it.






We look down (but sometimes we take breaks to look up so we don't bump into things).

We look down, even when surrounded by beautiful things.

We look down (even when we're supposed to be watching our children... yes, that's both parents. Actually, it doesn't even look like there's a child in that stroller. Maybe the parentals left it at home because they were staring at their phones).

We look down, even when there's a fire in our apartment building (hi Jill!)

We look down even when our friends would rather we talk to them.

THE LAST WORD (OR PICTURE):

And finally, even New York babies look down.

City Scapes

Today is a beautiful day in the neighborhood (only made better by the sweet jam of "love come down" by Evelyn Champagne).  In honor of this glorious afternoon in the City, here are some of my favorite photos of Manhattan taken over of the years... Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Columbus Circle - Photo Credit: Matt Ellis 

View from Trump Tower 

Columbus Circle 

Riverside Park

43rd Street Pier, West Side

Queensboro Bridge from a rooftop

On the Highline, looking west

On the Highline, looking Northeast

Fashion FORWARD --> Retro Fit

This billboard is probably one of Manhattan Mini Storage's finest (although I'm also very fond of "Stop tweeting weird sh*t and clean your room!" and "If you don't like gay marriage, don't get gay married.").  Boyfriend Matt spotted this signage during our outing to the  Chelsea Market & Amy's Bread after I had told him I wanted to do a fashion post about how New Yorker's dress. 

Anyway, I was originally planning on doing one big post about NY fashion, the cool and the crazy, but due to some reviews on the lengthiness of prior posts (I won't mention any names :), I opted to do a series because there is seriously too much fashion to capture in just 1 entry.  Yes, we New Yorkers like fashion. I can guarantee if you come to NY you'll see some of the best-dressed people (men and women, alike) and some of the most outlandish (keep you eyes peeled for a post on neon yellow pants!!). 

To kick things off, I'm starting with myself :) I'm by no means a fashion guru, but since moving to New York, I've definitely become more in tune to my inner fashionista.  Just this weekend I made a new dress purchase at Coup De Couer (strangely they don't have a website, so the link is to their Yelp reviews).  It's a tiny women's clothing shop dangerously close to my apartment, which makes stopping in for a "look around" a little too easy.  

I set my eyes on this DVF look-alike (only $76 instead of a DVF pretty penny of at least 300 bones!).  It has an orange and navy blue retro print, with flared long sleeves. Adding some sass, this little number sports slits along the upper arm portion of the sleeve (hard to tell in this pic) and a bare back (2 photos down).  Figuring out what to wear on the bottom half was a little tricky, but I ended up opting for black tights and round patent platform heels.  I think it would have worked best with a bare legs and a nude platform heel -- unfortunately it was a tad too nippy out, so I went with warmth :) 

Stay tuned for more in this Fashion Forward series (don't worry, they won't all be amateur self-portraits of me :))

Nite!xxoo

Deep Thoughts

It's been a while since I've posted as I'm in the throws of busy tax season. But tonight I'm feeling a little deep and thoughtful, so you have my mood to thank for these nuggets....

Let your hook always be cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish. - unknown

The road is smooth; why do you throw rocks before you? -unknown

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. -unknown

When you accept what is, every moment is the best. - Eckhart Tolle

The compulsion is to live almost exclusively through memory and anticipation -- this creates an endless preoccupation with past and future... - Eckhart Tolle

This moment keeps moving, we were never meant to hold on. -Jack Johnson