An Official Brooklynite (Brooklyner? Brooklynarean?)

You may have noticed that posting has been a bit sparse lately. I'd like to blame it on the fact that I came back from Paris, went apartment hunting in New York, flew back to LA, packed up my life and my cat, spent a week back at my parents' house, and then spent 2 weekends in a row moving stuff into my new apartment in Brooklyn. It sounds like a good excuse when I phrase it that way, but the truth is that I've had a lot of downtime over this period. And I could have been posting more. I just didn't feel up to it. The transition from west coast to east, student to lawyer, and dating to single left me feeling unmoored. Even though I have wanted to live in New York for years and years, I found it hard to get excited about starting over again. It wasn't that I felt particularly sad or depressed. It more felt like there was this huge mountain in front of me, and I wasn't making any progress climbing it. Usually on J Street, I try to post happy/fun things. And I guess since I didn't feel very happy/fun, even though I have been doing some cool things with friends and family, I just didn't know what to post.

But this weekend and today especially felt like a break in my bleh mood. I've been talking to friends and browsing the internet for things to do this fall, and the thought of all these possibilities made me truly excited to be in New York. Did you know there's only 2 more weekends of the free ferry to Governor's Island? And there's an art installation at the High Line until December of hidden Lilliputs? And the Brooklyn Book Festival is this weekend? And that Sleepy Hallow is a real place and its in New York and has awesome Halloween festivities?!?!

Plus, with the help of many great people (Mom, Dad, Erin, Brittany, Jamie), my apartment actually resembles a home after only a week. I'm still broke with no furniture, but now that I can see the layout, I've got all these great ideas about what to buy to maximize storage in my apartment. (This couch which folds into a bed and has storage under neath and this bed frame with 12 drawers are top on my list to buy once I finally start work.)

So I guess generally what I'm saying is that I'm feeling more positive about life. I am a long way from reaching the top of this mountain that I still see in front of me, but I kind of feel like I was able to look down and realize that I'd come a lot farther than I thought. Hopefully this will result in more blog posting as I regain my motivation and confidence.

PS: This amazing sidewalk fence can be found on the west side of Clinton street just south of Veranda Pl.

Trend Post: Chevron Stripes at Peter Som

Images from Style.com.

Do you follow the various fashion weeks? I love them, but they are a lot to keep up with! I've recently started saving my favorite looks from each season in well labeled folders so I can go back over time and see how both my tastes and individual designers have developed. One thing I am definitely saving from this year are all the Peter Som looks with chevron stripes. The individual pieces are very preppy, but I love the way they are styled! These looks are just the right amount of prim and proper without being too conservative for me.

Trend Post: Blue-Green for Fall

Image sources clockwise from top left: Brooklyn Blonde, Stockholm Streetstyle, Thomas Fleming Kelly tumblr, Fashion Hippie Loves, Stockholm Streetstyle.

Sometimes all those oranges and reds and browns seem too obvious, you know? Blues and greens seem like a nice, gentle segue out of summer dressing.

Paris: The Sainte-Chapelle and Saint-Pierre

Paris is a wealth of gorgeous churches, and the following 2 were probably my favorites. First, the Sainte-Chapelle:

The Sainte-Chapelle is right around the corner from the Notre Dame. And I guess, as a result of its proximity to the world's most famous church, the line to get in is significantly shorter, but the wow factor is absolutely no less. Sainte-Chapelle is overrun with stained glass. And if all the gorgeous colored light filtering into the cathedral was not enough, Sainte-Chapelle has also maintained its original painting. The whole effect is wonderful. You may even like it more than its famous neighbor! Next up is the Saint-Pierre de Montmarte:

If the Sainte-Chapelle is a little too flashy for you, look no further than the Saint-Pierre. It is also right around the corner from a much more famous neighbor, the Sacre-Coeur, and so it too is overlooked by many tourists. In fact, there's no line here despite the fact that the Saint-Pierre is one of the oldest churches in all of Paris. It's been around since the 12th Century, and it is supposedly the site where the Jesuits were founded. Personally, I loved this quiet, small respite tucked away behind a tree shaded courtyard. It was a welcomed break from overwhelming tourist trap surrounding the Sacre-Coeur. Plus, I never get tired of statutes of Saint Denis holding his own head!

Paris: Père Lachaise Cemetery

Père Lachaise Cemetery is the most famous cemetery inside Paris city limits. It does have some famous residents (Oscar Wilde*, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf), but I think those grave sites are some of the less interesting ones (except for Oscar Wilde's). If I make it back, I would spend my time taking in all of those monuments and head stones and mausoleums that aren't included in the guide book. I'm endlessly fascinated by the different ways we choose to remember and recognize the dead.

* Funny trivia: Oscar Wilde died in poverty while staying at a run-down hotel, and apparently some of his lasts words were "Either this wallpaper goes, or I do!"

PS: If you like the cemetery, you have to check out the post on it over at Making Magique. Her photographs really do it justice.

Paris: Faire du Lèche-Vitrine

Faire du lèche-vitrine means to window shop in French. Well, technically it means to lick windows, but we're just translating the spirit here. Anyway since I had to get a new apartment when I came back from Paris, most of my money was reserved, and I did a lot of faire du lèche-vitrine as a result. We passed a phenomenal little card-stationary-knick knack store (remember my love of knick knack stores?) on the Rue du Bac called Magna Carta. This shop carried a line of watches, of which you see one example above. There were literally dozens of different options designed to appeal to just about any hobby or career you could imagine, but I would have loved to get this one in particular for my chef-father. Next time, Dad!

Paris: Pantheon & Crypt

Despite its impressive size, its elaborate decoration, being the resting place for some very famous Frenchies (Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie Curie, Alexandre Dumas), and containing Foucault's pendulum which demonstrated the rotation of the Earth, the Pantheon was virtually deserted compared to Paris's other famous sites. That was fine by us, though. After the insanity of the Louvre, Notre Dame, even Shakespeare & Co. (that bookstore is packed!), a cool, quiet, beautiful place with a lot of benches is a welcomed change of pace.