My dream…

… mode of transportation.

That zippy Vespa has been on my mind. Once upon a time, in San Francisco, I really wanted a Vespa. I thought nothing would be cooler than cruising up the hills of North Beach and cutting through the fog in Golden Gate Park than a Beat chick on Italian wheels.

I still love scooters but no longer have the fantasy. And as much as I love vintage autos, the thought of owning a car again does not appeal (unless it was this collection - then I think I could deal). I think my dream mode of transportation would be:

a) A driver-on-call for getting around town at night, when I’m running late for work, and to and from the airport

b) Money to fly first or business class between New York and Paris (and beyond, bien sur)

c) A tricked out bicycle, complete with bell, helmet, safety laws and other bicyclists in the city who would make riding more the norm

Et toi?

My Vegan Mondays

Just a boring (but productive) Monday during which all my belly wanted to do was continue the Thanksgiving rampage of eating, snacking and making repeat visits to the fridge but my snug pants reminded me to rein it in. I’m trying.

Morning
Coffee and cereal with soy milk

Afternoon
Curried cauliflower wrap (with brown rice and chickpeas)
Trail mix

Evening
Lentil soup
Apple

When I Was Young

My friend Ben is awesome. Not only is he always game for something delicious—an almond croissant, say, here in NYC or at Boulangerie Julien in Paris—but he’s just a cool dude. Modest and low-key; fun and funny; a great wedding date and a friend for over two decades. And he’s also the manager of Nada Surf.

Here’s Matthew Caws performing "When I Was Young" at the Musée Carnavalet.

As Bennie said, It's tres beautiful.

I'm just saying...

Christmas is fast approaching.

Santa, you can take your cues from the street of NYC and deliver a Vuitton-canvased Vespa, straight from the streets of Paris!

Pourquoi pas?

My Vegan Tuesdays

Mes amis, I actually had a Vegan Sunday, Vegan Monday and Vegan Tuesday! Sunday was unintentionally so, Monday I stuck to protocol and today, I figured, well, I might as well go for a three-day spree seeing as the next few days at my mom’s is going to be nothing short of gluttonous.

I’ll be bringing Jacques Torres chocolates, and we’ll be making apple pie. We might even kick off some Christmas cookie baking. Turkey, brussels sprouts, cauliflower gratin and many, many other trimmings will be greedily eaten up.

What about you? What are your holiday plans? Be sure to have extra helpings pour moi, and don’t forget to count your blessings!

My dream...

...living arrangement looks something like this:

A big airy loft in Tribeca. It's on a quiet street with a lot of light and even has a little outdoor space.

Two months of the year (say, January and July), I swap with someone in Paris. Ideally, in the 2eme, 9eme, 10eme or 6eme.

What's your dream living arrangement?

Vitrine magic

I always love the vitrines in Paris. Moschino's salt and pepper rainstorm is no exception.


And back here in New York, Christian Louboutin's pompadours of red-heeled magic are no less charming.

French advertising (ahem)

Those Frenchies. They have a way with words. They have a way with style. They can make chocolate and wine and cheese like nobody's business. They're graceful, sophisticated and oh-so-charming. So why is their advertising so atrocious??

I mean, not that there's anything wrong with silly little girls or monkeys picking through someone's mop of hair.

But, seriously? This is 2011?

I might be offended if it weren't so ridiculous.

What gets us through in life

The best friends in the world. On a perfect autumn weekend.

The ballet. Champagne and cocktails. The Dutch—twice.

Karaoke. Shopping. A walk along the High Line. Sleeping in. Spontaneous dance parties. Peeing-our-pants-laughter. Crying on each other’s shoulders—and feeling almost healed by it.

A little MC Hammer and Michael Jackson. A little more wine and bananas foster French toast.

A weekend that couldn’t have been any better.

A must read

The rest as they say,
is history. Crepes is coming with me to Hollywood.
She will compose
the music for my movie.
Our last day in Paris
we led the Dog Day Parade.
I read the poem I had written for this occasion:
In chic Paree
the chicest day
is when the dogs stroll down
the Champes Elysées.
Great danes romancing,
pink poodles prancing.
It’s swank
it’s grand
it’s pooch couture.
They saunter with style
about half a mile and end up at Maxims,
that most marvelous spot
for champagne and caviar
and a little whatnot.
A toast to life
A toast to love
Salut! Olé!
We’re off to L.A.!

My friend Sarah sent me the cutest card with this poem. Smitten as I was, I had to find out just who was Crepes, who was talking about Crepes, and who was prancing around Paree and going to Maxims! Turns out, it's Max. Max Stravinsky, the canine hero of Maira Kalman's adorable picture book, Ooh-La-La Max In Love (I like the title of my book, but dang, that's a good one!).

Has anyone read this? I think it's a must for all of our bookshelves...

My Vegan Mondays

I did my Vegan Monday today but rather than bore you with the soy milk, roasted broccoli and couscous salad details, I will wax poetic about my meal at Blue Hill at Stone Barns yesterday.

I’ve wanted to go to Stone Barns forever. Different friends have been over the years and I knew it was a special place and experience. The whole premise of Dan Barber’s restaurant is that they grow and raise all the food that’s served there right on the farm—ye olde farm-to-table principle.

From turkeys and lambs…


…to herbs and veggies…


There’s also a market and casual café to score delicious goods, as well as a children’s camp and educational center.

And after all the years of yearning and hype, what can I say? The place did not disappoint.

It was a glorious autumn day, with pretty foliage brightening up the rolling hills and pastures.


I was with two of my best friends in the whole world. We drank wine in the middle of the afternoon. I was a happy girl.

The meal started with a flurry of playful amuses bouche.

Including beet burgers with shots of “V-9”…


… salisfy encrusted with sesame seeds…

… yukon potatoes with crispy sage, and a wee radish that you dragged through a decadent salted butter.


The first course was a lovely beet salad with mache, arugula, radish and greek yogurt….

…followed by a pistou soup holding a crusted egg.

The girls were treated to pork, while I got chicken.


And can we talk about how insanely delicious the bread and butter was??

(Yes, we must because it was some of the best bread of my life...)

Au finale, dessert: a perfect apple tart with ginger ice cream. My favorite course of the meal.

Though my birthday cake did steal the show and make my day.


If all food was grown and produced as it is at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, I wouldn't have to do Vegan Mondays.

Banner birthday weekend

Friends.


Family.


Entertainment.

Gorgeous weather.


And a feast.






It was an amazing birthday weekend that went from Bathtub Gin to Blue Hills at Stone Barns; from Balthazar to Minetta Tavern; Priscilla Queen of the Desert to Soho strolling.

Every weekend should be so beautiful.

Snapshots around New York

I’ve been working so much lately that I feel time and life are just whizzing by and I’m doing nothing interesting. But then when I think back on the past few weeks, I realize there are so many great things and moments that would only happen in New York.

Like the “psycho opera” Stop the Virgens at Saint Ann’s Warehouse. Add Karen O to my Chrissie Hynde and Debbie Harry rocker-chick girl crushes. She's just amazing and her voice makes my stomach flutter. And waiting to go in, we checked out this awesome structural sculpture with pulsating LED lights and electronic music.

And the perfect finale to the evening, we had a most fabulous dinner at Jack the Horse Tavern. Heaven.

(Speaking of sculptures, isn’t there something amazingly noble and artistic about this can collection?)

Then there was the freak snowstorm last Saturday. While the big, wet flakes downtown didn’t really accumulate, by the time I went uptown in the evening, there were piles of snow and puddles of slush. Still, there's something sort of fun in the chaos and messiness of storms in New York.

(Keihls! I’ll only have to be reminded of Christmas for the next 50 days!)

Whether it’s full or just a wee sliver, it’s always so romantic to look up at the NYC skyline and see the moon. Especially when there's some iconic building below it...


Paris, je t’aime. New York, I adore you, too.