Xanadu In My Backyard

What a difference a few hours makes! This morning The High Line's rollerskating rink looked small and blah, but this afternoon--transformation! I still wish the Friends With You bouncy mushroom was there, but I'm definitely going to have to break out my skates and take a spin before it goes away at the end of September. Guess I'll have to go buy some Olivia Newton-John-esque leg warmers...

Os Gemeos Over Chelsea

Apparently I haven't walked past P.S. 11 on 21st Street in over a year (kind of shocking!)... After doing a little digging, I discovered that this Os Gemeos mural was unveiled last August. Whoops!

I love the Brazilian duo's Coney Island work (on Stillwell Avenue), so was super-excited to see that they, apparently along with Futura, were commissioned to do this for the school. Love the quilt-of-flags trousers--how perfect for a playground?!

Wandering New York: Cookbooks on Greenwich

Sometimes it pays to stray off the beaten path, and luckily, aimlessly wandering around the city is one of my favorite things to do. One of my discoveries a few years ago was this beautiful pair of buildings on Greenwich Street in lower SoHo--one of which just happens to house Joanne Hendrick's wonderful cookbook store (I picked up a vintage, autographed copy of James Beard's The Fireside Cookbook on that first visit).

I passed by again the other day, and remembered how refreshing these cute little houses are. The cookbook shop's building, at 488 Greenwich, dates to 1823, and was originally near Lispenard's Meadows (famous, to me anyway, for the 1799 "Manhattan Well Murder" of Gulielma Sands). Happily, it's now landmarked, so it will remain preserved as a reminder of that neighborhood's residential past--and its future.

Wallpaper Paste, Anyone?

Spied this beautiful old ad on the side of a TriBeCa building this weekend. I wonder if they were going for the looks like the Statue of Liberty subtext... It's incredibly well preserved--beautiful!

Le Quatorze Juillet!

To all my peeps in France--and to all my French peeps in NYC--Happy Bastille Day!

Underground In The Subway?

I spotted this in the ceiling of my subway station the other day. I wonder...do you think the London Underground is trying to tell us something? (All right, I know it's a stretch, but as a return visit to my first city is on the horizon, the more abstract parts of my brain are becoming a bit obsessed...)

Sign O' The Day

I won't be visiting this Mott Street salon anytime soon...

Sad...

Walked by the former H&H Bagels space on 80th and Broadway for the first time today. Sad. Admittedly, it wasn't the best bagel option (service-wise) in town, but I'm going to miss this place. If Zabar's ever goes away, I may have to banish the Upper West Side forever!

Guess The Building

It's an easy one... The light was so beautiful yesterday evening, I finally noticed how cool the deco decor between the windows is! The things you take for granted in this town...