Sunday, August 26, 2018

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 DesignIllustration: 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 courseFashion: 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:

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. 

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