Something To Think About...

It's weird to think that 4 months ago, I was just arriving in this beautiful city that I now call home.

"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York, for the man or woman that was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulance as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter -- the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out at night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Of these three trembling cities the greatest is the last -- the city of final destination, the city that is a goal."

-E.B. White from his essay Here Is New York

Couldn't have said it better myself...

Happy 50th Birthday To The Guggenheim!

Although this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Guggenheim Museum, what better time to go than now? Kandinsky's exhibit is up until January 13th and is an abstract extravaganza that even non art connoisseurs should not miss. This 20th century lawyer turned artist played with various styles and although I don't know much about expressionistic painting, I can appreciate the intense colors and bold shapes and lines that Kandinsky played with. Plus, the layout of the museum is amazing. The main exhibit wraps around the various layers of the cylindrical interior so that you can bypass them quickly or stop and reflect on a favorite. The admission is $18 but a couple hours spent leisurely enjoying art while listening to your free headset is a nice escape from the craziness of the city that is anything but still life.

Lenny Kravitz Rocks The Fillmore

On the evening of Wednesday, October 14th, I had the pleasure of attending Lenny's third show of five at the Fillmore at Irving Plaza in NYC. Since it was my first time at the venue I wasn't sure what to expect, but the layout was pretty intimate and crowd-friendly. Although it was mostly standing room, there was a lot of open space on the first floor as well as a second floor wrap-around balcony.

The opening act was a fellow and his band named K'Naan. This entertaining and talented singer/rapper is from Somalia and his songs were captivating. He had original lyrics, a decent voice, and got the crowd involved.

Although Lenny and his band were supposed to come on at 9:20, they kept the crowd waiting quite a bit longer. When they finally did come on, however, they put on an amazing show. They played all of my favorites, some of the highlights being "It Ain't Over Til It's Over", "I Belong To You", and "Fly Away". The best song of the entire night was "Are You Gonna Go My Way" which they ended on as the last song in a very generous encore performance. The crowd which varied in age from 20 to 60 was really feeling this song, and everyone was jumping up and down by the end.

Even though Lenny has been around for a good 20 years, his shows are still infused with so much sex, drugs, rock and roll that you could not ask for more. This Parisian dweller who avoids carbs at all costs still looks great for his age and really plays to the crowd. At one point I'm pretty sure he was even crowd surfing. This was easily one of the top three shows I've ever seen, and I can't wait to see what he has for us next. Rumor has it that he will return to Paris shortly to finish working on his funk-rock album "Negrophilia". All I want to know is when he is touring again...

Fashion Night Out With Carson Kressley

I know that New York fashion week seems like forever ago, but I wanted to share my celebrity sighting. I was innocently walking down 59th Street between 3rd and Lexington on the evening of "Fashion Night Out", and I noticed loud music coming from New York and Company. I decided to stop in and see what the commotion was about and ended up seeing no other than Carson Kressley! For those of you who don't know him, Carson was the very animated stylist on one of my old favorite shows "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" and a native Pennsylvanian like myself. He hosted a fashion show on this particular night with some really cute outfits, all from New York and Company. I was surprised to see such good-looking combinations for such reasonable prices. And Carson was just as entertaining as he was on the show. What a pleasant surprise!

Autumn In New York

I think we can all agree that New York is gorgeous in autumn. I'm biased as autumn is my favorite season no matter where I am, but this city showcases it so well. I know not everyone is a fan of chick flicks, but "You've Got Mail" is a classic. It makes you want to move to NYC immediately, because the shots of the city are picture perfect. It also has a scene that takes place in one of my favorites dessert places, Cafe Lalo (http://www.cafelalo.com/index.html)

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies."

-Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail"

New York, I Love You

Three months ago, my dream came true: I finally moved to my beloved NYC. Now that I am a true New Yorker, I find it necessary to share all of my trials and tribulations of daily life in the Big Apple. This blog will serve as an outlet for my reviews of all that New York has to offer - from the restaurants to the concerts to the stores. It's my daily bite of wisdom...An apple a day for those who know what is good for them. Enjoy!

P.S. Since it has been a couple months and I am just starting this blog, I have a bit of catching up to do. I will start by posting some pics that I have taken. To start, here are the store windows from Bloomingdales in Midtown when I first moved here back in July. Some fabulous quotes from some fabulous designers!