moments & memories

from recent travels to my two favorite cities:

New York City

• witnessing Jill as the last person on our flight to NYC, then witnessing myself as the last person on my flight outta NYC ;-) 

• immediately touching down and finding the most bomb Texas BBQ @ Hill Country BBQ in Chelsea

• Billy Joel's final concert in residency at Madison Square Garden. Axl Rose, Jimmy Fallon, and Billy's little daughters all making appearances

• Jill running through the seats at MSG finding free Billy Joel collector cups for us

• ten dollar bootleg Billy Joel concert tees outside MSG

• walking an insanely steep and long flight of stairs in and outta a dive bar with Jill and discovering my astounding knee pain 

• obsessing over all the toasted savory and sweet bagels w/ fun cream cheese options (rainbow sprinkles! walnuts! veggies!) at Bagel Pub 

• Jill and I drinking and conversing with an adorable pair of awesome dudes at Jake's Saloon in Chelsea 

• a cozy stay at Pod Hotel Williamsburg watching Paris Olympics and not totally vibing with the toilet located inside the shower...it was a Toto toilet so it was slightly acceptable

• the best falafel gyro and mozzarella sticks from a street food vendor in Herald Square

• a hot, sticky, historical stroll through Green-Wood cemetery in BK with Carly & Jill followed by frozen margs at an outdoor bar 

• french onion soup and ginger beer at Sweetwater 

• AC and spot-on horoscopes at Oslo Coffee

• purchasing a vintage Matisse and NYC Subway poster at Artists & Fleas and then 20 minutes later leaving them in a store for 3 hours. came back and they were still there!

• Jill forcing me to see Friends the Musical Parody at Jerry Orbach Theatre despite never seeing an episode. this show has a solid Monica impersonator! 

• meeting the lovely and inspiring Pixarian Deanna Marsigliese at NYPL followed by drinks at the classy Campbell Apartment in Grand Central, then a fun shopping stroll through Koreatown eyeing press-on nail bling

• doing a much-needed load of laundry at my local laundromat off Grand Ave in Williamsburg, while stopping at Femme Fontaine for a spritz and deejay beats with a few femmes

• the tastiest chopped salad at Elder Greene in Greenpoint BK with Tricia. Then getting the flu shortly after...

• happening upon fresh-squeezed tangerine juice made by an adorable husband and wife on a Williamsburg street corner just as my flu was starting 

• swimming in a sudden storm on the TWA Hotel rooftop while geeking out watching A380s land and takeoff at JFK

• next NYC visit: Patzeria Perfect Pizza in Theatre District, Milk Bar for a toasted pink lemonade bar, text Tony Danza for another Manhattan meetup 

Reykjavík

• the ease of taking the FlyBus from KEF (Iceland) to local spots in downtown Reykjavík for thirty bucks. meeting Dori at her cute lil boutique hotel Local 101 and gobbling down her heavenly homemade croissants 

• discovering the beauty and serenity of Vesturbær & old Reykjavík neighborhoods

• coffee table chats, laughs, and snacks with Dori & her sweet & jolly boyfriend Olí

• the beautiful vintage light fixtures inside Dori's apartment

• Freya the Icelandic Magic Softie Kitty, jumping on my shoulders and cuddling with me while I was deliriously ill at Dori's 

• swiss mokkas at Kaffi Brennslan and Kaffihús Vesturbæjar

• hours spent at Vesturbæjarlaug trying to cure my illness inside the geothermal pools and steam room

• veggie burger, fries, and Applesín (Iceland's iconic orange soda) at the cute burger stand outside Vestur pool 

• an hour spent at Verzlanahöllin thrift store, came out with a few gems: a purple vintage ESPRIT button down, Billi Bi - Copenhagen chunky black loafers with gum soles, a 90s denim vest, a dog toy

• the most necessary and comforting minestrone soup served in a kettle with fresh bread n butter at Café Rosenberg 

• the soothing shapes & colors inside Hallgrímskirkja and its grand organ

• a rainy afternoon meeting Dori's friend Andrea at her custom jewelry shop, Andrea Ellen Jewelry on Laugavegur street. we met a couple shopping in the store who sailed from Greenland to Iceland for twenty days straight...according to their experience: no thank you

• the unmanned waterslide in Alftanes and riding it a dozen times

• treating Dori to a memorable meal at Fjallkonan: candy floss boss cocktail and hummus tower!

• shopping for snacks n souvies at Nettó with Dori. a few favorite finds: Nivea Wonderbar facial cleansing soap, Labello strawberry shine lip balm, Rís candy bars (basically KIX cereal in chocolate), Squashies chewy candies, bags of Smash! (basically chocolate covered Bugles)

• dinner n drinks with my Icelandic viking sisters Lóa and Ásgerdur at Snaps Bistro, catching up after a few years gone by...LoaLand loving her NYC souvenir. "Showshashay" to my unicorns! 

• next Iceland visit: housesit for Andrea while she's on holiday, hang with Dori & Olí and possibly convince them to take me to Vestmannaeyjar ;-) 

soundtrack of my travels:

Controversy by Prince

You May Be Right by Billy Joel 
Wish I Never by Kehlani

How Long Do I Have To Wait for You? by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Uptown Girl by Billy Joel

Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter

Lost on You by LP (and thinking it was Gwen Stefani haha)

Lovely Day and Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers 

Dreams by Fleetwood Mac 

All I Want by Toad the Wet Sprocket (such an early 90s classic!)

Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too by New Radicals (haters gonna hate)

Theme from "A Summer Place" by Percy Faith

small steps

 

this week feels like starting over. a twenty year career at Pixar officially in the books. recent travels to my favorite cities (NYC and Reykjavík) complete. 

i've been making a not-so-productive habit of living on my couch, sitting with discomfort and dread about my future. for the first time in my adult life, I have no work, no purpose, no plan. both terrifying and thrilling. 

i spent most of last week sleeping midday, suffering from an array of anxiety dreams about former co-workers in an alternate-universe Pixar. then there was the appearance of a narcissistic friend i ghosted a few years ago. my car ran away with itself and i darted through an abandoned 80s-era McDonald's to try to catch it. 

in a fit of fight-flight-freeze, i decluttered a handful of drawers and cupboards and reorged my life into stylish acrylic bins to feel accomplished. the high from this activity was fleeting, so i started agonizing over switching medical plans and paying a monthly premium now. i ruminated over making a new guy friend and then blowing off plans with him because i was too afraid to lead him on. 

books have been a source of calm and inspiration during this new transition. i've had time to read a few of the many female celebrity tell-alls sitting on my shelf: Emily Ratajkowski's My Body (raw & revealing, literally). Elliot Page's Pageboy: A Memoir (intense read, Elliot doesn't write their story chronologically which engages the reader even more). and my favorite, This Will Only Hurt A Little by Busy Phillips (love her comedic voice and friendships with Hwood elite).

reading Busy's book made me reflect on my own personal relations with celebrities...or what my friend Jill calls "Hwood Adjacent". that will for sure be the title of my tell-all. i've found myself visiting a lot of celebrity homes in this lifetime and collecting silly memories: 

Tony Danza (barber shop n beers, "the brush") / Holland Taylor (Jim, being sixteen, A Bug's Life VW bug, the stained glass window) / Ed Asner (the backyard cat fight, MJ's death, endless Emmy awards peppered throughout the house, the replica Jeannie bottle on his desk) / Vicki Lawrence (the many escapades with her son, G Bucket and their Halloween bucket) / Tommy Smothers (learning how to boil broccoli at the ranch, meeting Tim Conway in the kitchen). i've also walked the beloved dogs of Howard Stern (bulldog Bianca) and Shirley MacLaine (rat terrier Terry). 

i've managed to start and stick to a new hobby thanks to my close Long Beach friend, G Bucket. i've been consistently putting on a bathing suit (despite my ghost-white legs and Birkenstock tan) and submerging myself into the bay down the street. G and i don't even worry about the temperature of the bay. without hesitation, we power through our entrance into the water, our bodies adapting to the cold almost immediately. sea water is very comforting, like a healing blanket. dense saltwater carries the body so effortlessly...like floating on a gentle cloud through calming, tepid water.

small steps right now for Kelly B. small, gentle steps that will eventually lead to the next big thing that brings back her childlike wonder and creativity, purpose, joy, and most importantly, humor.

currently listening to: Sailing by Christopher Cross 

eggman

The lights at Pixar are a bit dimmer as we mourn the loss of one of our greats... 

Ralph Eggleston

Ralph sat next to me in the early Incredibles 2 prod pod at Pixar where I had just started my new role as Script Supervisor. I had interacted with Ralph for years prior on various Publishing projects, so it was nice to have a familiar face welcoming me to Production. He knew how valuable and intense the Script Supe role was at the studio and always made sure I felt valued and secure. 

We were both early birds. Every morning Ralph would swing by my office and talk about his obsession with silent film icon Fatty Arbuckle (my paternal great grandmother’s first cousin...I think he almost fainted when I told him we were related). He was enamored with Fatty’s career and downfall from Hollywood. Ralph let me borrow his tattered paperback copy of The Day the Laughter Stopped. It started to disintegrate while I was reading it so I repaired the pages using a role of tape and swiftly returned it to his bookshelf. 

Ralph would always arrive to i2 art reviews in a frenzy, spinning into the room with newsprint flying everywhere. Brad Bird said he "molted artwork” wherever he walked. :D

In an act of kismet, I displayed Ralph's WALL•E crew artwork in my parent’s hallway this weekend.

Thank you for the colorful conversations, smiles, and laughs over the years Ralph. Hope you get to meet Fatty. All the love. 

Kelly B 

A message from Ralph to a group of elementary school students, that applies to every artist (and human): 

hi blog, it's me, kelly b

favorite item of clothing: a very colorful, very patterned vintage Lord & Taylor duster jacket with big gold buttons. purchased at the late Arbor Vitae Vintage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 

one thing you never leave home without: my American Express card. jk. sunglasses. my eyes are very blue and abnormally large, which is the worst combo for enduring sunlight. 

share something unique about yourself: i'm a visually & directionally gifted human: a walking MapQuest in every city. 

your last trip overseas: Iceland in the middle of winter right before the pandemic. lots of mishaps that lead to some sweet synchronistic surprises: hitchhiking alone in the snowy countryside in the pitch black, getting locked out of my friend's condo during an arctic freeze and befriending her non-English speaking neighbor who treated me to hot tea and wool socks, becoming besties with a local who was actually a friend of a friend's friend in the States. 

go-to alcoholic drink: aperol spritz but right now I'm favoring framboise lambic beer from Belgium (it comes in a wine bottle). 

current obsession: Hacks on HBOMax, the cast of Hacks, fans of Hacks, filming locations of Hacks (my city of Long Beach!), and any Hacks related content on social media. LMK if you wanna chat Hacks...

two words friends would use to describe you: I get a lot of "cute & funny"

five things you love:

1. Korean beauty products: SKINFOOD's Tomato Lip Tint is so smooth and luscious
2. organizing my life into acrylic bins 
3. mailing cards to friends with Mrs. Grossmans stickers tucked inside, followed by a stickerface of myself to sign things off 

4. miniature versions of things 
5. R.L. Stine "Fear Street" novels (and their cover art) from the early 90s. The Secret Bedroom is a favorite. I had the pleasure of meeting R.L. Stine at Book Expo America in DC years ago, he is the nicest man

biggest anxiety: as I start to age, driving. especially in the dark with my big blind alien eyes, lol. i'm very phobic of left turns in LA (lots of yielding, green arrows barely exist). 

in 2022, you're most excited for: scripting on a new feature project, practicing and honing my voice acting, studying more comedy, paper illustrating again, and purging the family attic. 

four months in brooklyn

cortados
oversized denim
barber shop windows
late night blasting car music
4th of July and My Fair Lady on Broadway at Lincoln Center with Keith & Steve
Parsons School of Design Summer Intensive – Mixed Media Illustration
Joe Coffee before class
the slow Parsons elevator to the 7th floor

learning to needle felt 
my 6 floor walk-up on Driggs
bedroom view of the Empire State Building and all its pretty colors at night 
the Dominican man greeting me at the Driggs door everyday: "are you OK today?"
the Chinese laundromat man who taught me the proper amount of laundry soap to use (after I spilled half my bottle on him)
Metropolitan Ave.
subway announcements

hellish humidity
the very few mild and dry days
$3 slices of Joe's Pizza
cutie Parsons Professor Colin
spending loads of money at Blick Art Materials and Paper Presentation
Hal's sparkling water

hiking NYC in Nikes
freestanding ATM machines (that actually work)
fresh cut $3 street mango in the little baggies
impossible-to-find fresh cut coconut chunks at Brooklyn Harvest Market
Metro-North Railroad
"Brooklyn" pride attire
Sarabeth's and Cooper Hewitt with Bianca
Cherry Merlin's from Mister Softee
pop-up stores
Berry St.
never feeling lonely
Monk Vintage in Greenpoint with Tricia and my black Halston leather backpack find
visiting Kat & Regan at Nickelodeon in Times Square
the stools at Black Brick Coffee that are the perfect height for my stature
the bold, colorful vintage earrings at the junk shop near the Bedford L stop
people giving each other compliments on the subway
the most stunning, beautiful people on the subway

Buffalo Exchange in Williamsburg and the $25 vintage leather Coach purse
Doc Martens w/ankle socks
the last summer of Henri Bendel
Grand Central Station with Mom & Sam
laughing uncontrollably with Mom & Sam
bodegas aka corner mini marts
the 80s opening titles at Williamsburg Cinemas

watching Incredibles 2 twelve times in the theatre
lightening storms
Roebling St.
stoops
the L train
the impending L train shutdown of 2019 (that never happened)
walking all of Central Park with Yett
the view of the JMZ from my kitchen window
broken foot and Walk NYC Podiatry
reading my daily horoscope at Oslo Coffee Roasters
repeatedly going to every Artists & Fleas location
the Polish community of Greenpoint
never feeling scared
S 2nd FDNY station
laptop jungle at Toby's Estate Coffee Roasters (now Partner's Coffee)
The Rachael Ray Show and all its fashionable glory

the sweetness that was Clinton Kelly 

displaying my denim butt on The Rachael Ray Show

italian dinner with Talika after our TV appearance
abundance of brick buildings 
sweating in the endless humidity
Mini Mall on Bedford Ave. 
Vök performing at The Knitting Factory in Williamsburg
meeting new friends on the streets of Williamsburg
meeting Kathleen on the street in front of Black Brick Coffee
Nitehawk Cinema
the hipster juice bar on Havemeyer posing as a laundromat
the 99 cent store on Havemeyer
people reading and writing on the subway
Showee coming to visit! 

Little Owl & Buvette with Showee

Showee's cool hotel room in Union Square and The Rachael Ray Show waking me up out of bed 

the Williamsburg Bridge
the June bug I found in my shower
Pietro Nolita with Meg
Marcy St. station
my roommate is right: "CA never changes"
laughs and stories in the apt with roomie Tiffanie
the extremely rainy day shopping in Westport CT with Mom

the most amazing Anthropologie "mansion" in Westport CT
mediterranean brunch with Mary Beech in Park Slope
the stuffed gorillas in the vacant lot on Bedford
so. much. trash. on. the. streets
the cockroach I followed in Flatiron 
homemade dinner & movie night with Tricia in Clinton Hill
chicken caesar at Patsy's
McCarren Park
the late night in the RV with Susan and Ted
road trip upstate with Ted Hand to Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
feeling fancy and free at Domino Park
walking the High Line with Lisa Fletcher 

Chelsea Market
potato croquettes at Cafe Colette
finding Tony Danza on Staten Island
Tony Danza: Standards & Stories
the G train
genuine, friendly waiters
the wooden escalators at Macy's Herald Square
Dylan's Candy Bar in the Upper East Side
cocktails at Hotel Delmano (never went but was told to go lol)
soft Italian cookies from Brooklyn Bakery
the free ferry to Staten Island
Shake Shack
the best deviled eggs at Jacob's Pickles with Aubrey
never feeling bored
the Orthodox Jewish community of Williamsburg
Shabbat siren on Fridays evenings
frozen peanut butter hot chocolate and chocolate cake pops at Martha's Country Bakery
Butler baking class with Ceci
visiting Carol & Jerry in Ridgefield CT
the most adorable dogs everywhere
always feeling inspired
Arbor Vitae Vintage and Pablo the store kitty
the last summer of Lord & Taylor
Tony Danza's "the brush": when NYers walk right in front of you and you both sway to the side to avoid hitting each other

Montreal:

11-hour Amtrak through the Adirondacks with Mom en route to Montreal

the creepy hotel room in Montreal we wanted to escape but couldn't 

Saint-Catherine Street - all the shops 

underground mall for the brutal winters 

Mile End neighborhood 

St-Viateur Bagel, love the sesame Montreal bagels! 

Butterblume cafe

Bodybag by Jude and Bernard streets

St. Henri neighborhood, walking campus of McGill University 

the ice cold showers in the Montreal hotel room 

Cocoa70 chocolate restaurant 

crepe with green apples, white cheddar, vanilla ice cream, walnuts, bacon

Westmount park and library 

old swiss Alpenhaus restaurant on Rue Saint-Marc playing Anne Murray, dripping water into buckets 

l'intervalle shoes & handbags 

Romado's rotisserie chicken 

A&Ws everywhere, much better than in the States 

lots of poulet (chicken) and poutine 

Schitt's Creek playing in the Montreal hotel room

visiting Pema in Saint-Sauveur

Cafe Starbucks and the rose lattes 

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

lots of metal spiral staircases to homes and businesses 

odd river currents 

depanneurs aka convenience stores of Quebec 

searching for peri-peri Portuguese spice 

sitting on the train tracks being questioned by USA customs authority

the insane motion-sickness-nausea-dry-heaving back in Brooklyn from the 11-hour train ride back to NYC

Update: June 2021 visit - 2 weeks in Brooklyn:

back to Driggs

daily horoscopes and Flat Whites at Oslo Coffee Roasters 

finding out Arbor Vitae Vintage was shut down due to Covid, no more shop kitty in window :( 

rainy day brunch on Cafe Colette patio

wanting to hit on the med student studying outside Partners Coffee

watching Minari at Williamsburg Cinema 

the retro Williamsburg Cinema intro: "please turn off your pager"

the old man gardening in Tribeca park

huge digital Luca ads at Herald Square & Times Square

finding discounted Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade mugs for me & Kris 

the most beautiful and serene day at Madison Square Park 

Strand Books, buying and reading Shirley's hwood memoir in Union Square Park

squirrels and RATS at Union Square Park 

melting cherry merlins 

The Monkey Cup in Harlem with Karen from Parsons 

walking through Columbia University campus in Harlem 

1927 Cafe Bar Popularr in Harlem and meeting a new friend 

navigating the subway like a boss

riding the rails to L Train Vintage 

Bollicini sparkling wine with Tricia in Greenpoint 

Tricia's cute new Greenpoint apt with the suuuuper long hallway foyer

drinking rosé out on Tricia's fire escape and watching River Wild in her apt 

meeting and staying with Charlie & Michelle in Stamford CT

the humidity and magical steak dinner in Charlie & Michelle's backyard

Michelle driving me down Pea Pond Rd to Martha's property

Martha's LOUD animals 

the most delicious hot pastrami sandwich with Michelle in Stamford

Pound Ridge nursery 

Citizens of Chelsea froze & yogurt parfait 

The friendly old lady twins on the street corner in Chelsea 

Peanut Butter Pie @ Billy's Bakery 

little stray bird in Jackson Square Park, helped a cute couple rescue it, high fives all around

admiring Japanese magazines inside Kinokuniya 

perfect night in Bryant Park eating truffle fries, meeting nice Google guy and his wife with rambunctious toddler 

friendly Williamsburg mom with doggie wagon outside Joe's Pizza 

Bubby's frozen lemonade in Tribeca 

meeting Frankie the barkeep at Lucky 13, heavy metal dive bar in Gowanus BK

laying in the grass & humidity at Prospect Park, admiring the nanny share

dad on bike with kid wagon 

the most perfect lunch at Ki Sushi on Flatbush in BK: shrimp tempura sushi & garlic pine nut broccoli 

tee shirt seen in BK: "Hold on, let me overthink this"

buying more ISLYNYC acrylic earrings and finding a vintage Shirley pic at Artists & Fleas 

reading a book on a chaise lounge at Domino Park 

4-person stroller in McCarren Park

suffering the last couple steps at Driggs 

watching A Quiet Place 2 at Nitehawk Cinema

lots of sparkly vintage tops on L Train Vintage adventure

finding the white vintage iridescent shell vase for the condo and carrying it on the plane home 

green and white popovers at Sarabeth's with Marcy 

cake pops at Martha's Country Bakery 

mini rose necklace at Verameat for Showee

the great cockroach escape from Driggs to Viceroy 

next visit: New Canaan / Mamaroneck / Pound Ridge CT / Bronx Zoo / Bar Pitti 

sabbatical so far

fav neighborhood: hands down Williamsburg, Brooklyn (currently living on Driggs Ave. & S. 2nd St.) Favoring Brooklyn over Manhattan, it's chill with a bit more grit & grunge...very 80s / 90s music video vibe with a European feel. Killer sunsets and views of the city alongside the East River (Domino Park is my jam!)

subway line: the L

"Ladies and Gentleman, the next (pause) L train is now arriving on the (pause) Manhattan bound track." Did you know the subway announcements are voiced by real people?

most frequented subway stops: 14th St./Union Square, Bedford Ave., Spring St., Grand Central, Metropolitan Ave., Marcy St.

spent most $$$ on: food (really expensive here!), drinks, shoes, Mister Softee soft serve ice cream, art supplies

Parsons School of Design: Illustration: Beyond the Page (aka Mixed Media Illustration)…awesome summer intensive program in a great part of NYC (Union Square near NYU), adorable professor who brought out the best in executing ideas, got us utilizing a sketchbook and thinking smarter & quicker, kicked me into creative gear which I needed! 

future Parsons wish-list course: Fashion: Visual Presentation 

EVERYONE wears headphones 24/7…. 

current playlist: 

Camila Cabello: Havana

White Town: Your Woman

Sia: Flames
Drake: Passionfruit

St. Lucia: Elevate

Foreigner: Waiting for a Girl Like You

Jamiroquai: Virtual Insanity

The Cure: Lovesong
PM Dawn: Set Adrift on Memory Bliss 

Wham!: Careless Whisper
Electric Light Orchestra: Evil Woman
Neon Indian: Polish Girl

Bruno Mars: That’s What I Like 

Stevie Wonder: Part-Time Lover and Higher Ground

album currently revisiting: Madonna: Bedtime Stories (1994)…easily one of her best albums 

fav eats:
in Brooklyn:

Cafe Colette
Martha's Country Bakery
Joe’s Pizza

Cafe Mogador
Rabbithole
Simple
Caracas Arepa Bar
FourFiveSix
Miriam
in Manhattan:
Sarabeth’s 

The Little Owl
Buvette
Jacob's Pickles
Tortaria
La Newyorkina 
Taboonette
The Campbell Bar 
Mister Softee

fav coffee:
Oslo Coffee Roasters
Black Brick Coffee
Partners Coffee 
Joe Coffee
Butler.

fav stores:
artists & fleas weekend arts / crafts / vintage market in Chelsea, Soho, Williamsburg
MeMe Antenna kitsch and vintage store in Williamsburg
Spoonbill & Sugartown Books in Williamsburg
Besfren Beauty beauty store & cafe in Koreatown
Ricky's beauty supply store
C.O. Bigelow Chemists pharmacy
Beacon's Closet in Greenpoint
Buffalo Exchange in Williamsburg

highlights of sabbatical:
• completely getting out of my comfort zone
• daily discoveries of new places and visual nuggets of fun in my neighborhood
• surviving intense humidity with gusto
• LOTS OF WALKING & STAIRS
• learning a ton about NY culture (it's vastly different than the Bay!)
• an unforgettable return trip to Iceland traveling with my Icelandic viking sisters

Iceland stops: 

South & Snaefellsness: Kopavogur, Borgarnes, Stykkisholmur, Gardabaer, Reykjavik, Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Laugarvatn, Thingvellir

West Fjords: Flokaludur, Raudisandur, Flateyri, Bildudalur, Latrabjarg, Isafjordur

Iceland memories:
Queen Tara the Afghan dog in Kopavogur
Coocoo's Nest brunch
sunny rooftop drinks with the girls
the beauty of Tingvellir
Woman at War and the 80's movie posters at Bio Paradis
pasta carbonara at Jamie's Italian in Rey with Loa & friends 
Cocoa Puff drinks and scream-singing at Pablo Discobar
the mean old lady at Fontana
swimming in the Arctic Ocean

Flatey pizza with Loa 
the tomato farm

Aktu Taktu, the only fast food drive thru in Rey 
learning to say "showshashay!"
the old bookstore in Flateyri
our friend the gong

Snaps bistro

the beauty of Emiliana Torrini 
eating "E.T." candy
needing Immodium in Isafjordur
shopping at Bonus for Polish goods
seeing Puffins at the Latrabjarg cliffs 

next visit: ROK in Rey, MAT BAR, Grillmarket, Messinn, Jómfrúin, Austur-Indíafjelagid, Omnom Chocolate Factory, Hlemmur Mathöll Food Hall, The Viking Village - Fjörukráin in Hafnarfjordur

surprises re: NYC: 

• much more progressive and civilized than the Bay Area (more efficient, less complaining, safer)
• personal style is amplified and cool (edgier fashions, metallics & color!) 

• the need to wash your feet and sweep your apartment constantly

• navigating the subway is SO EASY & SAFE
• ACCESSABILITY
• there are gorgeous people of all walks on the subway. Great people-watching venue.
• LOTS of cash-only places!
• Mexican food is still king in CA
• not totally loving the bagels here...Sonoma Homegrown Bagels is still world-class. 
• the fresh cut street mango is everything
• Corgis are everywhere 

• heaps of trash and unique smells abound

typical brooklyn: walked into what I thought was a fully-functional laundromat (given the outdoor signage). was a bit mortified when I traipsed in with my Tide and a huge bag of dirty clothes only to learn that it was actually a hipster juice bar. 

looking forward to: exploring more Brooklyn neighborhoods, Smorgasburg (@ Prospect Park), catching up with more friends in the city, taking the train to Connecticut and Montreal with Mom.