As luck would have it… we managed to catch a carnival this weekend, the entire family in tow – yippee!!!
We got to the preamble of the 2015 Naples Strawberry Festival just in time (FYI the carnival is all weekend this weekend, and the actual music/festivities will follow next weekend)! The weather was a bit overcast, but still dry and we got to enjoy a number of rides before the downpour. Best of all, it was Nuke baby’s first ever carnival. I think he didn’t quite know what to do with himself!! Rest assured, however, he did work it out quite quickly… and… shockingly, once he realized what was going on he was ALL ABOUT the car rides. Sigh, boys will be boys.
If you happen to be in the neighborhood (e.g., Gulf-coast Southwest Florida), do make sure to check out the carnival and the Strawberry festival to ensue! I loved the pretty rides and atmosphere (I mean – who doesn’t love a carnival??). It’s $25 p.p. all rides included: which we should have gotten for the little man, as he chewed through those individual tickets in no time!
Happy weekend and hope it’s a great one for you and your loved ones!!
Me and my magical unicorn! What more could a girl wish for.
This mamma’s been one crazybusy bird and not following her own guidelines (which is to be timely with her featured posts). In fact, I was just remarking to my fellow blogger colleague Tineey, at Tuesday's Tabelog event, of how my writing simply cannot keep up with my life right now. #bloggerproblems.
At any rate – even though I’m happily settled in sunny Florida yet again, last Thursday I was in the frosty tundra that is New York City, toasting the dual celebration of the last night of New York Fashion Week (via the Art Hearts Fashion runway show presented by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation) and the kick-off of Chinese New Year via tasting at Annisa.
These are some of my favorite photos from the runway (all taken by yours truly with my trusty Canon Powershot SX40 HS). The entire line-up of the night was incredible, but I thought that Michael Costello absolutely KILLED it with his grand finale.
Many thanks to my girl New York a la Keiko (blogterview here) for hooking me up with seats at the Fashion show!!!!! Lucky girl, I am.
A sampler of last night's tasting by Chef Chen of Tuome #delights
Last night, I had the pleasure of attending my fourth Tabelog US event in the East Village (I can still remember my first ever Tabelog event at SakaMai!), at a lovely new restaurant called Tuome. As many of you might be aware, I tend to write quite a number of restaurant reviews all over the world (see my global dining features here). However, my home – first and foremost – is here in the one and only NYC. Hence, unsurprisingly, the vast majority of my food reviews just happen to be concentrated in Manhattan (though rest assured my Florida ones are steadily growing!). Suffice to say, I couldn’t have asked for a better community of food bloggers to share these spectacular gastronomical experiences with.
Through Tabelog, I’ve met some fascinating personalities and forged some incredible friendships over time – even coming together in the shape of a blogger sleep-overs hosted by the likes of Citizen M!!! Sometimes, when you’re a busy working mum like myself, you relish these delicious opportunities of distraction that manages to inject these vibrant pops of color into your life (and via the most unexpected sources might I add!).
Random sentimental musings aside, the Tabelog event was truly fantastic! The chef of Tuome (bright young star Thomas Chen, who is of Cantonese descent himself and infuses much of his home-based roots into his delectable fusion cuisine) is both humble and super sweet (and such a cutie!). Oh yeah, and did I mention that he’s worked at quite a few well-regarded establishments in the past… you may have heard of them – Eleven Madison Park anyone?
Needless to say, the plates Chef Cheng whipped up just for us foodies was bar none –including avant-garde concoctions such as oxtail spring rolls with bone marrow and cumin, beet quinoa with five spice yogurt and pumpkin seed, crispy deviled egg with chili, and Berkshire port with ginger, scallions, sambal, and lime. I bet your mouth is watering now as we speak. Seriously, how could it not be? We need to get the man’s recipes…. pronto.
Dessert was finished off with fluffy beignets, made into an ice cream sandwich, with red bean and kaffir lime (OMG).
Last but not least, chef Chen’s delicious cocktails also warrant mention. My favorite one was the East Village Blossom, made with brut rose, hibiscus, and blood orange. Although the Fire in the Sky (with sake, thai chili, and yuzu) ranked a very, very close second! Take a look and judge for yourselves…. And yes, please do head over to Tuome when you can!
For more info, see here for a recent New York Times review of both Tuome and Chef Chen’s work. Tuome is located in the East Village on 536 East 5th street (between Avenue A and Avenue B).
This afternoon, hubs and I took a break from our conspicuous consumption spree in downtown Beacon and went art-scoping at the Dia: Beacon on the Hudson.
This expansive modern museum, which occupies the 300,000 square feet that occupied the former Nabisco box printing factory, is truly quite an impressive sight to behold. The entire space and facility runs on natural lighting, which makes today’s beautiful sunshine all the more fortuitous! We opted to leave our heavy winter coats in the bag, so that we can meander around the exhibits unencumbered and fully able to appreciate all of the installations (many of which could not be easily accommodated by smaller spaces, or “more conventional institutions”).
Below are some photos I took as we wandered and drifted through the long and airy hallways of Dia. Each gallery is devoted to a single artist, with a particular focus and space orchestration in mind. In addition to its current exhibits, Dias also boasts a permanent collection by the talents of Robert Irwin, Bruce Nauman, Andy Warhol, and Dan Flavin. Hope you enjoy!
FYI – Dia: Beacon is just 80 minutes from midtown Manhattan by car or train (from Grand Central Terminal). It’s a short walk from the Beacon Metro-North train station, so you really have no excuse not to come by. PLUS – they have an AMAZING book collection in the gift store (including some fabulous reads for the littles, just saying).
Hubs and I decided to go for a mini weekend escape from the city to Beacon, a quaint little Hudson Valley town just an hour and a half north of Manhattan – home to the famous Dia: Beacon Contemporary Art Museum (which we plan to check out tomorrow).
I’ve been meaning to come and see Beacon for some times now, ever since my girlfriend Dream Sequins had put it on the map for me. Apart from being an artist mecca (hello relocated Brooklyn Hipsters), it’s also home to amazing, delicious food (farm-fresh and locally sourced of course), artisanal wine and home-brewed beer, and – the best part – amazing shopping!! In fact, I would venture to say that we both gave our Amex a pretty hearty work-out today just cruising up and down Beacon’s Main Street.
Apart from being both charming and picturesque (with Mount Beacon on one side and the Hudson River at the other as backdrop), downtown Beacon also offers up some fantastic boutiques, with many talented local artists and hand-made/ one-of-a-kind goodies that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. It’s like one big Etsy explosion, met with a Brooklyn twist, with the sensibilities of Hudson Valley artists. All relentlessly cute, and (still) reasonably affordable . I also like the fact that everything is pretty much congregated on one street, right there at your fingertips, and curated with an aesthetic that’s both fun and edgy, completely my vibe!!!
Take a look and come check it out yourself. It’s a fast and easy trip out of the city, great for either a romantic, couples retreat or a girls-weekend!
Last night, hubs and I caught up with some good friends over delicious grubs at Annisa on 13 Barrow Street in the West Village. Being that we've been traveling so much lately and spending so much of our downtime in Florida, it was a nice treat to put some social affairs in New York on the calendar.
Plus, it was the kick-off of Chinese New Year! The year of the sheep!!!
In celebration of Lunar New Year (technically honoring the start of 2015 according to the Lunar calendar), Anita Lo, chef and owner of Annisa, had prepared a special 6-course tasting meal that infused some of her signature dishes (foie gras soup dumplings anyone?) with a new twist to tradition new year celebration dishes (think lucky eggs, longevity noodles, and the like). Of course, it being the year of the sheep -- she also incorporated, as one of the mains, a slow-cooked lamb that was off the charts yummy.
I must say, it was one of the more delicious meals I've had to date, as I was one happy, stuffed puppy after it was all over. Of course, the fantastic company we had only served to enhance the entire experience.
Now... if only it weren't so cold outside!!! But i suppose that's what the lunar calendar is all about -- to mark the coldest time of the year so as to give the farmers a break from cultivating those fields. They were spot on about that! Indoors it is. BRRRRR.
To all my readers who celebrate Lunar New Year -- xin nian kuai le, gong xi fa cai!!!!
We took advantage of yesterday’s President’s Day so that mommy and Nuke baby can get some extra quality snuggles time together in the sun. Besides finally being able to lounge around in my sundress (okay, I suppose I really shouldn't complain, given how bad the weather is in NY), we also soaked in the pretty rays in downtown Naples by the Pier. There was ice cream, there was play, there was shopping (a new discovery at Giggle Moon!!), plus vibrant bursts of colors. I mean... really, what more can a girl ask for?
It’s been a long time since I’ve done an outfit post – largely due to a lack of time. However, more recently, a reader had reached out to me with some questions re: accessories (specifically related to the Timi & Leslie Bag posts I’ve done a while back), and it totally inspired me to get back on my game.
These days, as far as I’m concerned – the most important arsenal on your side are killer accessories. In this particular case, they pretty much elevate my entire look to a new level (above and beyond “frump mom”). We could sit here all day and wax lyrical about the psychosis behind the art of accessorizing, and how they belie the true nature, character, and taste of the wearer, but that’s for another time.
My “on-the-go” look here was something I threw together within 5 minutes of leaving the house (I always feel terribly rushed when it comes to outings with the munchkin, it’s like this crazy drill to ensure that you have everything you need, whilst racing frantically against the clock). I threw on a very simple black on black on black ensemble (guess I brought a little bit of New York with me to Florida). Black is a fantastic color for moms, by the way – you can never really tell whether there are any stains, unless you look too closely, that is.
In this specific case, my olive green leather bomber by Coach, plus my leopard tote (also Coach!) and DVF scarf completely saved the day. It’s a crazy mix of print on print, and surprisingly (even to myself) worked like a charm!! Okay, so I might have been the most over-dressed mommy on the playground, but that’s just fine by me.
P.S. As far as must-haves go – I highly recommend a versatile, soft, and art-print inspired scarf for this season. It’s a piece of accessory that every woman should add to her spring wardrobe!
Last V-day, we were in New Zealand, and this year – Gulfcoast Florida! Alas, hubs had to work, so he stayed behind in wintry NYC, and it was me and the Nuke doing Valentine’s day mommy and baby style!!
These days, our little man is super duper active, so it’s important for us to find plenty of things for him to do during the day. Case in point – we kicked off the day with music and fitness classes at My Gym Naples on 13020 Livingston Road, then it was off to the Can you Dig It Playground at the North Collier Regional Park, followed by story-time at Barnes and Nobles at Coconut Point, finished with some alternative in-door playtime with Castles and Dragons (whew!!).
As exhausting as it was, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. It felt amazing to be able to spend some quality time with Nuke baby, after nearly a week of travel in Boston and being away from him (P.S. GOOD NEWS!!! It seems like our munchkin has *finally* consolidated his two naps into one! Fingers crossed that this new routine will stick). Needless to say, I’m very much looking forward to the rest of this long weekend here in Sunny Florida.
Hope you and your loved ones had a very happy Valentine’s Day as well!!! Xoxo.
The first smooch of many more to come for the day!! #mylittlevalentine
Making some serious progress here! He's now willing to hold mummy's hand and walk with me to places like a big boy #allgrownup (p.s. I know I shouldn't complain, but this has been the coldest I've ever experienced in Florida!). Had to whip out my olive Coach leather jacket and my trusty DVF scarf. Full outfit post here.
Facetime smooching with dad, is this not the sweetest?
Between you and me, I’m actually quite amazed that I managed to make it out of snowy Boston last night (it was really looking quite bleak at the airport). Nevertheless, we took off and landed in the land of palm trees, sunshine, and no-frills.
Speaking of frills, I am a bit disappointed that I won’t be able to attend the festivities of New York Fashion Week (which officially kicked off yesterday). For one thing, I would have loved to go to the Naomi Campbell-hosted event tomorrow “Fashion for Relief,” in support of the fight against Ebola. My fellow blogger buddy, Keiko, of New York à la Keiko, even offered me tickets to the Monique Lhuillier show tonight (swoon swoon), which I heard was absolutely breathtaking, but alas – you can’t be everywhere all at the same time.
Thank goodness for live streaming and updates, which allow me to get in oodles of weekend mommy-time with my munchkin, while still keeping abreast of the latest fashion news from #MBFW.
I’ve always liked BCBGMAXAZRIA, and I find their Fall 2015 collection to be absolutely divine! It’s stylish, eclectic, glamorous and luxe, with just the right touch of exoticism thrown into the mix. I heart the entire thing, and I never thought that leather, silk, fringe and wool meshed so well! The color palette very much suits my own wardrobe aesthetic (lots of greys, beige, weights, with a splash of attention-seeking maroon), and the entire look is very gamine-chic, and so completely what I would rock on the streets of downtown Manhattan.
Based in Manhattan's Lower East Side, Rock Shic is an excerpt taken from my personal lookbook of real people around the world. It is a combination of aesthetics, fashion, lifestyle, and travel. I also offer personalized Lookbook Consulting and Styling upon request. Please contact me at rockshic (at) gmail (dot) com. Services include: Wardrobe Analysis, Closet Organization, and Personal Shopping.
