BeautyBug's Blog: 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!