Where? Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
When? Summer of 2015.
Why? Umm, it goes beyond 90 degrees.
Who? Me, bud. I GOTTA GO.
Mom Says
Illustration by Andrew Hamm
Illustration by Andrew Hamm
The Ink Pad
The Ink Pad is definitely one of my favourite stores in this city. Other than the fact that they make custom stamps, I exclusively go here for any of my mailing needs that don't include postage. What do I mean?
Well, if we're friends, then at some point in your existence you'll likely get a letter or card from me with this sealed across an envelope.
I would apologize for it if it weren't such a beautiful way to seal an envelope. The store sells wax sealer stamps, the wax itself and dozens of other letter accoutrements.
They offer classes as well, but I like to get in and out of this store as fast as I can in fear of falling too deep into the stamp world.
“There is a quiet resilience that children are full of.”
NYC Afternoon Idea
When people come to this city, they usually demand that I tell them the best thing they can experience here. This is an impossible request since, well, we're all individuals who enjoy a variety of things. There are hundreds of great things you can do in this city. If you're looking to have a nice, semi-relaxing afternoon out? Listen up, baby.
- Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (start from the Manhattan side and walk over it to Brooklyn). It's free, it's pretty and bridges are beautiful. This is probably the prettiest one there is in this town.
2. Walk from the bridge to Juliana's (and not Grimaldi's) to eat some very fine pizza.
3. Skip dessert at Juliana's and walk to Brooklyn Bridge Park and get an ice cream at The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. (Or if you're a fan of the frozen custards at Shake Shack, that's on the way between Juliana's and the park.)
4. Take your ice cream and walk along the shore of the park. Does this sound boring? Look, I said it's supposed to be a semi-relaxing afternoon and that's exactly what this is.
5. At the end of this long walk, you can walk up Joralemon Street and get on a subway that'll take you anywhere.
That's it! That's the afternoon! It happened!
Boots on Stones
I read about this "dollar store craft" on Pinterest and I'm sorry, but this is a great idea. I guess it would only really come in useful during the winter months since every pair of shoes you wear will be wet in some way almost 100% of the time. I feel like this is the classiest way to present your dirty boots.
So smart, damnit. SO SMART. Just think about those clean floors! Fuck.
Without Walls
I can't tell you how grateful I am to my friend Marla for turning me on to this clothing brand. So far, these (below) are the only pieces I've bought from them but that's only because I'm trying to have some kind of a budget in place for my adult life.
Are these not gorgeous? I assume that they're mostly used as workout clothes, but man - I'd wear these out. They're lovely as hell. Some pieces are out-of-this-world expensive, but if you look hard enough (or peruse their sale section) you can find some crazy nice things that are humanly priced. I'm definitely going to have to add this to my list of good places to get gym clothes.
Oh! And before I forget, one thing that stands out about their stuff? They're so equal with having great women stuff as well as great men stuff. Both genders get equal space in a store! And I feel like that's pretty rare. In most stores, men usually get a shelf or two of decent items which is pathetic when compared with the sea of shawls, dresses and rompers that women are flooded with, typically speaking.
Most of their stuff is available on their site and on Urban Outfitters as well. You can find the retail posts of Without Walls in California, New York, Oregon and Washington. Exact locations can be found here.
Floating Library in NYC
From September 6th to October 3rd, a Floating Library is coming to the Lilac Museum Steamship, located at Tribeca’s Pier 25 on the Hudson River. According to the press release, the library will be a “mobile device-free salon for reading, writing, research, debate and fearless dreaming created by artist Beatrice Glow.” Two years ago she also transformed the Lilac into an Aquarium from Austronesia.
The ship was built in 1933 and the last steam-propelled lighthouse tender known to exist in America. Even though it’s officially on the National Register of Historic Places, there will be lots of programming and space differentiation on the boat for Floating Library. The main deck will be an outdoor reading lounge, with a curated collection of books and manifestos from underrepresented writers and poets. The collection will go to a high school in need after the Floating Library ends.
There will be art installations, including “paper rope swings” (?) and works by sound artists, along with performances, discussions, and workshops around issues like sustainability, community engagement and the maker culture. Does this not sound cool as hell?
Here’s a map of how the boat will be transformed.
“Remember to flip your mattress every six months.”
Asparagus & Cauliflower Soup
I've made it quite clear how much I love Chef John and I just tried this soup recipe of his recently that is insanely good and crazy easy to make. You can find the full recipe over here. (I omitted the flower garnish because, well, we don't care for garnish in our household. Also, I feel like you have to make a certain amount of money to be classified as a person who garnishes.)