NYC Weekend March 2010

Photos from my quick trip to NYC this past weekend.

Stoop sitting outside of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

How joyous is this scene? You have to go to a Fuerza Bruta performance. I don't want to say much about it because I think it's better that way, but rest assured, it is a spectacle. Also, you may get wet. And that's all I will say.

My friend Amy suggested the show and I said why not, as long as I don't get pulled onstage to dance. Sure enough, a dancer grabbed me by the elbow and tried to drag me on stage. My feet were rooted to the floor, an expression of absolute terror on my face. "No, please, anything but that."

Amy went onstage instead, and she was terrific! A star is born!

My diet over the weekend was not particularly healthy. I give you: pieces of pizza that dwarf Jumbo Slice. (Cell phone denotes a sense of scale).

How can you not be happy while eating a cupcake from a place called "sugar Sweet sunshine."

Little Details in Philadelphia

Shots from a weekend trip to Philly, which Joe was nice enough to arrange...

"Hello Kitty."

Wearing the gigantic scarf

College ices at Franklin Fountain, an old-timey ice cream shoppe (that's shop with an extra "P" and an additional "E").

Joe made fun of me because often when I take pictures, I don't stop. I just keep walking, snapping away, often barely looking in the viewfinder. Well, turns out there was an artist who employs my particular style of photography with an exhibit in the Philadelphia Museum of Art - Mark Cohen. I am not alone! Although his style is probably more artistic rather than laziness-based, as mine is.

Alessi exhibit at Philadelphia Museum of Art

Why is this one not a classic? Naked Baby River was the name, I think...

Luchador masks at Distrito. I would pick a hot pink restaurant.

NYE 2010

First things first: check out this bottle of wine my friend bought. Another llama-branded item I must buy.

My friend Kate told everyone she like giraffes, and sure enough, she got giraffe-related gifts for every birthday and Christmas ad nauseum. I'm hoping something similar will happen for me if I keep talking about llamas regularly.

Now to the real business - first blog post of 2011! Settle in for a little photodiary of my trip to NYC for NYE.

Still a lot of snow on the ground when we arrive. This dog surveyed the scene. "Finally!" he thought.

Joe snapped this oh-so-"Nighthawks" Hipstamatic shot. I've never looked so mysterious!

Decoration outside a house in Williamsburg. Sounds like a plan.

We went to Pies 'n' Thighs, where they serve fried chicken and pies, of course. Joe kept calling it Legs 'n' Thighs. "That's a strip club," Debie said.

And yes, pictured above is a gluttonous helping of butter on that biscuit.

More butter. Yum...

Fried chicken in one hand, chicken biscuit in the other.

All food prepared by short-order hipster cooks.

At dim sum, where we ate an incredible array of food for a mere $15. A waiter graciously brought me a fork, perhaps after they saw me wrestling with chopsticks and the ensuing dumpling droppage.

Did a little shopping in Soho, but the crowds made me realize that I almost prefer online shopping. These are toddler-size combat boots at the new All Saints store. I found a Rachel Zoe-style furry gray vest on a sale rack. I held it up. "Please, no," Joe said. He was a trooper to put up with the cape, but every man has his breaking point.

He lucked out because the gray fur vest was still $800 - even on sale.

Speaking of online shopping, I bought this Rachel Roy dress on super sale back in November, but when it arrived, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to put it on. It looked straightforward enough on the website, but in real life there were all sorts of fabric flaps and what looked like extra-arm holes. After 25 minutes of puzzling, I finally figured it out. There should've been an Ikea-style directions booklet.

Tada! Rocking the Snookie poof. 2010 was the year of Snookie, wasn't it?

To celebrate New Year's Eve, we went to a "Secret Loft Party" that our friend, the fabulous Lani Love, dj'ed at. Secret loft party = the apogee of cool for 2010. Lani wrote about the party here!

Ringing in the New Year.... Beyonce style... Notice the fancy gold finger nail ring.

Holly Jolly Llama

Hope those who celebrated had a very merry Christmas! As for my Christmas at home - I could regale you with charming stories about our 15-year-old dog almost pooping in the house. But no. No, not today.

Photo Credit: Debie

Here's the dog wearing his denim doggie diaper. Oh, Hunter. The cruelties of age. You are still hanging in there, though! Doing great! Except for the sleep pooping.

Christmas is llama season for Banana Republic advertising, and as a llama/alpaca fan, that makes me happy.

Snapped a picture of a Banana Republic store window. This particular llama looks a tad bit evil. That eye...

I feel like I should like this scarf, just because it has llamas on it.

My Photoshopskillz... So what if the llama looks giant compared to the girls in my Peru vacation clique.

US Open 2010

Went to the US Open over Labor Day, best seats ever in Arthur Ashe Stadium - Row T! May not seem great, but a few years ago my seats were in Row HH or some nonsense, and I've been slowly trying to work my way out of the nosebleeds ever since.

I think it's fun wherever you sit though. Such a great atmosphere.

During the changeovers, cameras pan through the crowd and zoom in on people dancing, etc. Saw something quite unique - the camera zoomed in on this couple. The guy started to go in for a kiss, but even I could see from across the stadium that the girl wasn't having it. He was undeterred, even grabbing her chin and turning her face toward his. But no! Only ended up with a side of the cheek plant. Total rejection on the Jumbotron. 23,000 tennis fans yelling, "Ohhhhhhhhh."