Animal Skulls, Texas, and Family (plus a secret garden)

A special thank you to the service people and families that give selflessly to our country on this Memorial Day and to those that made the ultimate sacrifice. To find out more about women in the military, click here.

Surprisingly, the objects in the title were all found in a recent outing to Chelsea (with a stop in the Lower East Side) for an "art crawl" of openings. While not every exhibit was worth a recommendation, we found some great work along the way.

Pictures are included below for you to draw your own conclusions about the pieces. I will not attempt to critique - only provide what I enjoyed about the shows.

Timetraces by Esteban Pastorino at Praxis International Art was a big hit with our group. As we walked the gallery, I noticed a distinct donut shop on an image and recognized it as a place I visited in BUDA, TX! My sister and her family currently live in this small town just outside of Austin, TX. I was quite surprised to see it on display in Chelsea.

Timetraces exhibit at Praxis International Art

Timetraces image of Buda, TX!

Shelley next to the marathon piece at Timetraces. Go Shelley!

We found these interesting pieces at BDG by 
Quentin Garel "GUEULE DE BOIS."

For mom... 

Finally, we found a hilarious and poignant collection by Jerry Meyer. It reminded me so much of my father that I couldn't stop laughing... also wine.

Baby brother, Anxious mother, Bitter pill, Not invited

Later that weekend, Slim and I were undertaking the arduous task of (MORE) furniture shopping, and stumbled across a delightful community garden celebrating their 40th anniversary! It is such a lovely space, and worth a stop by (and a donation) to keep it growing.

Small footpaths led guests to intimate seating secluded from the busy streets nearby.

I appreciate the graffiti behind the trees to keep the city feel.

For an extensive list of Chelsea galleries, click here.

QUEENS! I don't mean the band or any royalty...

After quite the hiatus, I felt compelled to update this blog with new findings in our current neighborhood, QUEENS! More specifically Astoria, Queens, New York (yes it is necessary to use all location descriptions).

Non-standard addresses is one of the many reasons Queens has a hard time fitting into the NYC borough scape but reserves it's hyperlocal feel. I recommend Queens-specific maps to traverse the largest borough or a local that can explain the difference between 31st Road, 31st Street, and 31st Avenue. We have farms (labeled as museums - much to the dismay of this country girl's heart), 100+ years old German-style beer halls, and the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.

Slim and I moved to Astoria in 2010, and we have fallen deeper in love with our neighborhood every year since. So much so, that when we recently relocated apartments we only moved one and a half blocks from our original place!

We are in the process of purchasing furniture for our new apartment, and the search led us to a broader area than we typically frequent in Astoria with new favorites.

The first stop was a meal on Ditmars Blvd. - one must have a nice base before any large purchases, of course. After checking a few Yelp reviews, we headed over to Fatty's Cafe and had a great brunch, which included an entree and drink (mimosa, bloody Mary or limeade) for $15 per person. Overall, the meal was good, but the return trip is based on one entree option alone - MOFONGO!

I have been a bit obsessed with finding a legitimate version of this Puerto Rican staple since our trip there last year. The most alluring reason to eat mofongo is if you have a big night planned that you know will include more than a few adult beverages. And it's delicious.

This sweet little man joined us for the meal:

Fatty's Cafe Decor

After brunch, we strolled to Nook n' crannie that had a lovely collection of antiques and mid-century pieces. We found some interesting items but nothing that fit our current needs.

We hit several other shops that we hoped would have something of interest but no luck. On to next weekend - the search continues!

Overall not a great day for shopping, but we had good luck with food and drinks, since we found a little bar to sneak into during the downpour yesterday, Dominies. They serve Astoria's newest brewery, SingleCut Beersmiths, on tap, which my beer-making boyfriend appreciates.

I have a feeling a post with more details on that is in the near future. To finish, a little treasure I found on 31st Street near Ditmars... 

More about the dedication here

Adventures in Wonderland

After a safe return from my hometown(s) in Texas, I found a new spirit of journey for my adopted city. Slim and I have taken to a new adventure every weekend and found sensational surprises along the way.

We returned to McCarren Park for a delicious picnic with friends. We laid in the sun and felt the warmth of spring creeping into the city. We shared stories, champagne, scrumptious snacks and a delivery of free Red Bulls sent us right over the edge.

Last Saturday we found a plethora of complimentary events around the city and made an adventure of our own.

We began at the MTA Transit Museum located in the Grand Central Terminal to view a free display of "WHERE NEW YORK BEGAN: ARCHEOLOGY AT THE SOUTH FERRY TERMINAL." The 'museum' part of the exhibit was smaller the the 'gift shop' portion, but it was a good way to spend part of our afternoon.

We walked from the Grand Central Terminal to the Main Branch of the New York Public Library to view a free exhibit of Voltaire's Candide. The exhibit is kept in a temperature- controlled room just off to the left of the main entrance. Through the lightly colored wooden door, was a room the size of our slight space on the Upper East Side with added vaulted ceilings. The exhibit brings together the history of the piece to the modern interpretations in an abrupt but informative way.

After our premeditated historical excursions through Mid-Town, it was time for an undesigned trip into history. Various subway lines throughout the five boroughs have been closed or sealed off when new tracks made their way into the city. Most portals are no longer accessible to passengers.

I heard mention of a City Hall terminal no longer in use on our 6 train at the last stop on the south side of Manhattan. Tales were such of grand ceilings, chandeliers and pianos (?) in the turn-around for the southbound trains driving to the northbound tracks.

The catch: Once the last stop is made at the Brooklyn Bridge, the conductor announces the last stop for the train and asks everyone to please leave the train. The announcement was made and it was decision time. Do we chance it? Yes.

We were on the car with two older ladies that sat down once the train let off all other passengers. We assumed they were in on the adventure. The train doors shut, and we thought we were clear. Then another announcement from the conductor for everyone to clear the train. The doors opened and Slim was ready to bail. The old ladies ditched us.

We were sitting very still and our eyes opened wide trying not to make a sound so the conductor wouldn't notice us. The doors closed, and we began our slow creep into the darkness. Success!

Once we started, we were on the lookout for the marvels that lay ahead. The opulence of the past. We spotted the "City Hall' stop underground and clapped and cheered for our victory. It was dark, so we did not see much in the way of shiny chandeliers or intricate murals. We felt victorious, none the less.

The train stopped.

Slim and I began to get nervous. Our eyes widened and we sat in silence. I had not thought this plan all the way through. What if they parked the train in a holding station for the rest of the day. There was nothing outside our windows but black walls.

Crisis plan in the making: We would run through the cars until we got to the conductor's booth and call for help. If no one answered, we would climb into the tracks until we got back to the last stop and crawl out. We still weren't moving.

Then the train started towards the uptown track. We were so relieved! What an adventure! I highly recommend this to anyone, anytime. While we didn't see all the magnificence of the forgotten stop, we were excited to know we were in a place others haven't seen in a long time. A hidden gem.

(I tried to upload photos but no luck. I am not happy with blogspot uploading photos option, btw.)

Texas Bound!

I leave for Texas this Wednesday! It's my first return trip home since I moved to New York (seven months, if you're wondering), and I'll hit all the old haunts while I'm there.

The return trip home starts in San Antonio, then on to Italy, Denton, Waco and Austin. I leave out of San Antonio on March 20 to return to New York. I plan on hitting the Nx35 Flaming Lips show and stop by a few SXSW venues while in Austin.

I need a recharge of Texas in my heart!

I also finished my first week back at the Clinton Foundation, and it is absolutely the perfect place for me. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund is doing a lot of great work, and I can see the direct impact it's having on people's lives. Please remember the earthquake victims and try to help as much as you can.

Snow Day

The moon is currently waxing gibbous. I'm not sure what that scientifically means, but I believe the current definition is "a lot of snow." The snow began last night as a mix of heavy slush, which turned the streets into puddles of brown slop. Now the sidewalks, roads and trees are brilliantly white.

Slim was called out of work for the weather, so we've stayed warm indoors. We are watching the snow and sharing a bottle of French red wine. Yum!

I'm having trouble uploading photos, but I'll update as soon as possible.

A Series of Tubes

A multitude of marvelous moments happened recently, and the Internet is the latest in fortunate events. Slim began his first day at work yesterday, and he loves it. He's working as a financial analyst for a risk management firm a block off Wall Street. This is a great step up for him and opens a lot of doors to him in the future.

So far, he's settling in nicely and wakes up before his alarm goes off to get ready for work. That's a great feeling. He's wanted so much to be given the opportunity to prove he can do the work it takes to be great in this competitive market, and he's ready to work.

After a lot of debate about my current employment, I decided the best decision for my career was to quit my part-time job and begin the search for the perfect job that fosters my goals. I have a lot to get done, and I realize if I don't start now, I will continue to push it behind other obligations.

Today is busy, and I plan on making the most of it. Also, I'll get back to showing you more of the city in the next post. I will be in Texas in mid-March, and I can't wait to see everyone!

Workin' in a Coal Mine...

Just kidding!

I began a new job the day after my internship, and I have been so busy ever since. I am working at Soho House, and it's good so far.

Slim is still interviewing, but we feel great about 2010 being way better than 2009 (because it almost couldn't get worse).

Thank you to everyone for your holiday cards and good wishes. It was nice to have a piece of home sent this way. We both miss our families terribly, but we were fortunate to have my dad visit over the holidays. I think we wore him out. By the last day, he said he wasn't walking quickly anywhere.

As the tragedy in Haiti continues, I am seeking volunteer opportunities through the Foundation and the UN. Hopefully, I'll be helping soon. There's not enough I can do.

Please visit the following site to contribute anything you can to the people in Haiti:

http://clintonbushhaitifund.org/

Too Much to Tell

I apologize for the delay in updates, but Slim and I have cut down on all non-essential item (such as internet) until we find gainful employment. My internship ends Friday, so I am beginning the perilous journey of job-hunting.

Slim is having luck meeting head-hunters and has gone on a handful of interviews. Unfortunately, none have panned out, but he's receiving excellent feed-back on his resume and interview skills. The market's tougher than tough right now, so it's a waiting game.

The internship provides a lot of great resources for networking and opportunities to meet accomplished people in many fields, so I'm leaning on those introductions to help out in the long-run.

On a limited budget, we're experiencing the frugal side of the city. It's pretty entertaining. I believe we have rented every possible video from the New York Public Library on 96th Street or are at least well on our way.

On a recent walk, we stumbled onto a magnificent promenade on the East Side of town. A quick six-block walk east led us to the Carl Schurz Park. It is much less crowded than the well frequented Central Park and almost as close to our apartment.

The park includes a community garden, fenced-in big and small dog parks, a great view of the river and a nice track for biking/running/walking.

It feels like a much more "New York" place to be, if you're looking for the real deal. A lot of kids, people playing sports and little old men feeding the birds. It might be my new, favorite place.

The park is such a great find. I hope we can brave the cold to head back out, though. It's a nice, crisp 27 degrees today, with 13 mile-per-hour winds from the river that makes it feel like the skin is peeling off your face. It kind of hurts.

My "Da" hopefully arrives next week for a nice visit, and he night even guest blog about the experience! I hope to keep everyone informed on a more frequent basis, maybe it can be my New Year's resolution. Happy Holidays!

A Banner Week

It has been a busy week in New York since my last post, and I am living in the middle of it!

To lead off, the Yankees won the World Series! It was a fantastically charged evening. Cheers from fans that enjoyed it a little too much were echoing down the street until 2 a.m. Every open door down the street was blaring the game and fans were rooting for their favorite player.

I missed the parade but everyone was talking about it. From the bar under our apartment in the seventh inning:

Last Sunday was a fantastic time to be out in the city. The New York City marathon was two blocks from our front door. We walked to the blocked off street to find thousands of fans lining 1st Avenue cheering the runners on and music blaring in the streets.

Some runners marked their running gear with their names and the supporters cheered everyone on by name! There was more energy in the air then I'd ever felt here before. If you're not going to run it, watching is the second best thing (maybe the first best because you don't have to run 26.2 miles).

We had a friend running in the race, so I made signs and waited to cheer her on at mile 24 at 90th street on her way through Central Park. We waited for about 20 minutes, and I lost my voice yelling for every runner that went by.

Every street was full of supporters screaming for the runners, from Red Hook to Williamsburg, the Bronx, Harlem and along Central Park. Each area was stationed with music and cheering crowds.

GO SHELLEY!
Halloween kicked off the week of festivities. The parade rained us out, so we headed to a house party in Brooklyn. House parties are a little harder to pull off in the city, by the way.

Our evening portraits before we left for the fun, Slim as the evil Jack-O-Lantern or something:

Swamp Thing!!!
Nobody got this, by the way. I got: Mother Earth, a bush/shrub, Spring, a lady in a burka that fell into the a pile of leaves/a homeless bag-lady.

It's been a busy week, but surprisingly fantastic. I love the energy in the city.

Movin' on Up!

We finally moved in to our new apartment and are slowly furnishing the space. Moving large furniture items in a highly populated area using public transportation is impossible! We have to coordinate our plans for furniture around weather, money and human strength.

If we don't rent a U-haul to move the items ($20-$40) or have them delivered ($20-$30 delivery fee), then we take the subway/cab/ferry or walk. Moving large or heavy items in these over-crowded areas can cause quite a ruckus. Slim and I do not want to risk driving in the city either, so the U-haul's out.

We found chairs for the room, but how do we get them home?! We haven't figured that out yet, so we have two barstools. Hopefully, there will be more to come.

We found fantastic resale shops in our neighborhood (http://www.housingworks.org/social-enterprise/thrift-shops/), so we're keeping an eye on them to get the ungettable get.

To our future guests, ask Rachel about the manual labor you'll be treated to when staying at Chez Grace & Slim.

A Sigh of Relief

Slim signed the lease for a studio apartment on the Upper East Side (Yorkville, technically) last week. We payed the deposit and are scheduled to move in on the Oct. 15. This seems legitimate, but New York has fooled me before.

We stopped by to view the apartment Saturday, and it is a typical New York apartment: small. the good news is the neighborhood is fantastic and the location is great. It is a quick, three block walk to Central Park!

The east side Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir three blocks from our front door.

My sister arrives this week, and Slim heads back to Texas on Monday. We spent the weekend visiting events with Open House New York and walking around our new neighborhood. More pictures to come once we're in to stay.

We took a gondola ride to Roosevelt Island and participated in a free, guided tour if the south part of the island. It is a fantastic part of New York, and the gondola ride is beautiful.

The hospital at the southern part of the island:

The view from the promenade walking to the South Point Park.

The views from the gondola ride to Roosevelt Island.

Update

A quick update for family and friends: Chris has looked at about 10 apartments and we're waiting to hear back from two in Brooklyn. He has appointments to see four more today. We hope these work out, because we've moved three times this week.

Thank you for the generosity of all the good thoughts and especially to the people that have put a roof over our head when ours caved in.

When it rain, it pours

We came home last night to find a waterfall pouring from our ceiling all over the furniture and cabinets in the apartment. The leaks grew progressively worse as the night went on and spread through the apartment, threatening to cave in the ceiling and draining from light fixtures. Water was coming in faster than we could put empty pots underneath. The water began to pool on the floor and leak into our downstairs neighbors' apartments.

I headed upstairs to see the damage to the roof and found exposed electrical wires hanging from the ceiling and leading outside, propping the door open. I came back downstairs where Chris and I lay over the covers all night, watching new leaks spring open.

We packed our belongings and headed to Travis'. On our way out, moving vans were outside as other residents fled from the torrential downpours inside their home.

We are taking refuge here for the night.

I will update everyone as soon as we figure out our plans. Right now, we're trying to get by one hour at a time.

Brooklyn Brewery

What a Saturday! Chris (who asked to be referred to from now on as "Slim") and I walked to a few thrift/resale shops and then to the Brooklyn Brewery to sample some boss brews.

Slim enjoyed the Sorachi Ace, in which we correctly identified some Japanese notes, and the EIPA. I decided on the Oktoberfest and Blast, a West coast IPA.

The Oktoberfest and Sorachi Ace.

The brewery is open Saturdays and Sundays for visitors and offers a brief tour of the facility every hour. Slim was in beer heaven.

The tour was not too beer-geeky. It's a very scientific process filled with fermentation, barley and hops (oh my)!

We Found the Ocean and a J-O-B!

I finally started my internship, and I bought a new, fancy suit to look the part. Everything's great so far. I'm ready to work, work, WORK!

We took a detour from work-clothes shopping to find the sailboats. These were absolutely magnificent with a lot of history. A beautiful view. Chris is way over shopping for work outfits for me, by the way.

The Peking.

Good Times with More Food and Shopping

A great find in Fort Greene as we strolled from lunch. Tons of great items to purchase at reasonable rates on a beautiful day outdoors.

By now, I'm sure everyone can tell where my heart lies in this city. I love food. I love good food. Everytime I eat an exceptional meal, I think of my dear friend in Texas making fantastic fare.

I found some pretty great pizza in New York, if you can believe it. A short train ride down to Clinton Hill led us to a local eatery that uses wood-burning ovens to create a crispy crust for their thoughtful ingredients. Graziellas is all you could want in a pizzeria: a fiery chef, great food and friendly service.

My choice: gorgonzola, spinach, carmelized onions and mozzarella.

Veggie pizza loaded with olives, basil, spinach, mozzarella and mushrooms.

A Night on the Town

For dinner last night, a friend's mother came to town and took us to a fanastic Italian restaurant in Williamsburg, Il Passatore Trattoria. The spot is an unassuming, dimly-lit brick building that serves traditional Italian cuisine. Entering the small candle-lit space, a young man asked if we had reservations. We did not realize they were needed, but it wasn't a problem. After a switch of tables, we had a great spot by the window with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine for the slight inconvenience.

The food was fantastic and the service friendly (with pretty nice eye candy).

Bruschetta al pomodoro:

Insalata Mista: mixed greens with strawberries, toasted almonds, pecorino and grapes with sherry dressing.

Since I can never turn down truffle anything, my entree was the Tortelli di Zucca con olio tartufato, which was butternut squash filled tortelli pasta with butter sauce and truffle oil. I ate it all before I could grab a picture.

After entrees, I felt like I returned to the shores of Sorrento when the waiter brought us complimentary shots of limoncello. I followed it with an agreeable affogato al caffe'.

Exploring Williamsburg

After lunch with another Denton transplant at Sweetwater Grill and Bar, I spent the afternoon traveling between Berry Street and Graham Avenue. Here are some of the interesting items of the day:

Graffiti on Driggs Avenue

Boat ties in Second Stop Cafe bathroom. These will come in handy on our sailing expedition in a few years.

Somewhere in Williamsburg. Yikes.