goodbye summer…hello fall

it’s only just october and yet summer feels like so long ago.  and, although i am beyond happy

about the arrival of fall, it was a pretty great summer…

it all started on a lake…

a most delicious meal (per se) and birthday celebration…

inaugural visit to governors island…

warm afternoons at the pool/beach (brooklyn bridge park)…

tons of tomatoes…

picnic on the island…

kayaking in the east river…

jazz party…

tennis and martinis, a new tradition i hope…

a much needed visit home…

goodbye summer…hello fall

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these all happened today…

…so did these

• happy hour
• bike ride
• book signing, talk and tasting
• free photobooth under the manhattan bridge
• mushroom slice
• secret glow worm habitat finally found!
• baby paloma was born (clearly the winner)

kayaking on the east river

dream come true

as long as i’ve lived in new york something has bothered me. it wasn’t until about a month ago that i became acutely aware of the fact that i’ve always wanted to get in the east river. of course i’ve fantasized about swimming over to manhattan plenty of times, or even just jumping in on a hot day, but something has always stopped me.

in california i never think twice about sticking my foot in the ocean, so the constant resistance i feel here is so unsettling. my perception of the east river has always been this: cold, dirty and dangerous. and though one can make a case for all three, i can now testify that i have been wrong – at least about the cold and dangerous part. when i began to think seriously about this, and all the frustrations i’ve had, i decided i would absolutely be getting in the water as soon as possible. kayaking in red hook (on a insanely beautiful evening) seemed to be the perfect introduction. all i can say is that i wish i’d done it earlier.

hooray for friends

when it rains it pours and this week is no different.

yesterday i said goodbye to sasha as she headed back home to california. we had such a fun weekend celebrating her birthday with her amazing friends and family and exploring new york. one afternoon she made a comment about how our friendship was so easy and i couldn’t agree more – these are the best kind of friendships. i’m so thankful we met each other last year in california. now if i could just convince her to move to brooklyn…

the only thing to soften the blow of a friend leaving town is another one flying in the next day (and a quite night of cooking and relaxing). today jamie (my best friend and brand new auntie) is flying across the country. she is here on very important business – meeting her new nephew. i am thrilled to see them all, take long walks in central park and celebrate mother’s day with some of my favorite ladies in the world.

ramps and the merit(s) of twitter

Sometimes I find myself trying to convince non-twitter users (to no avail) why they should be tweeting and what they are missing out on. However, I think last night proves my point pretty well. A restaurant in my neighborhood mentioned on twitter that, after a bountiful day of foraging ramps, they were giving them away. Being that I was nearby, I stopped by and picked up a bunch. Thank you Julian.

Eggs with ramps, asparagus and mushrooms, sautéed greens and toast.