Bye Philly!

My summer in Philly has come to an end. I got back to LA a few days ago. But I realize I didn't share 90% of my Philly experience because there was just so much going on between working and playing. Now that things are finally relaxed (aka I am sitting in my apartment just watching X-Files on Netflix) I can post everything, starting with a picture I took from the parking lot of my office building. One day toward the end of the summer, I walked out side to get my bike and was blown away by the brilliant pink clouds. We certainly don't get clouds like this in LA!

Sampan: Asian Fusion in Washington Square West

Hello hello! Finally, an update from Philly! I had a great, relaxing weekend. On Friday I went to dinner with some coworkers at a restaurant called El-Rey, where the zucchini blossom quesadilla is delicious. It's the perfect mix of unhealthy with a little bit of healthy snuck in. Then on Saturday my parents came to visit. We wandered around old graveyards, watched an ice cream eating contest at Reading Terminal, sipped ice teas in my local coffee shop, people watched in Washington Square, and then had a lovely dinner at Sampan.

I will (eventually) post about the graveyards, market, and park, but right now I have to share some of our favorite dishes from dinner. It is small plate style, and we had (in photo order): the crab and scallion tacos, the suckling pig satay, the edamame dumplings, the pork bao buns, the mushroom dumplings, the tuna rice crackers, the Korean BBQ satay, the beef tataki, and the shrimp dumplings. We also got the pork and shrimp crepe, which is not pictured because I took a horrible picture of it. Everything was very good, but a few things were stand outs. First, the edamame dumplings are the best thing there: inventive, well-executed, and just delicious. We ended up getting 3 orders. In addition, the beef tataki and tuna rice crackers (like an Asian-style spicy tuna bruschetta) were also phenomenal. The service was also great. The atmosphere was trendy, but not too loud. So it was easy to have a conversation while enjoying the food.

Brooches as Necklaces - Part II

So sorry for the long absence! There were a few weeks there where life was completely non-stop. I imagine posting will still be spotty until I get back to LA since I am trying to play catch up in life, but for now, check out the brooch as necklace look (previously seen here) that I'm thinking should be a new trend!

As seen on the Glamourai.

Philly/Atlanta Photos

I'm back! Girl's reunion in Atlanta was pretty fantastic. I got back on Sunday, but I haven't had any time to upload photos because last night I went to the Florence + the Machine concert! Florence Welch in concert is so much more impressive than on her CD (which I already love), so that was also pretty fantastic too. Anyway here is some stuff I swear I'm going to get around to telling you about soon!

Eataly

Just so I didn't mislead you with my last post into thinking that Eataly was all wine and cheese and bread, here is a glimpse of all the other wonders it offers.

PS: The pistachio gelato is the best flavor.

PPS: Isn't my friend's face funny? She is blown away by the $30/lb mini mushrooms!

Weekend in New York

So far the summer has been really fun but really busy! The result is that I have so many pictures of what I've been doing this summer that I haven't shared yet. I would promise to try and rectify that situation this week, but I'm leaving on Thursday for a reunion in Atlanta with all my college girlfriends. So I'll try to post what I can, but expect a backlog of pictures to trickle in slowly.

These photos are from my trip to NY with my best friend this past weekend. This is our 2nd day there. As you can see it started with a cheese and wine breakfast (only on vacation right?). Those were our leftovers from Eataly, and we didn't want them to go to waste! There are also a few shots of Stuyvesant Square, which was across the street from our hotel. After breakfast, we went to the High Line (we lucked out -- the 2nd phase opened days before we came), and we finished the day at the Brooklyn Flea where I got the most amazing thing ever! Scroll down to see.

I found an officer's coat from WWI! There was a vendor that had maybe a dozen or more uniform pieces from WWI and WWII. After thinking for a long time about whether it was worth the price, I went for it, and I'm really glad I did. The coat is so well made and sturdy. (I mean it's lasted almost 100 years.) It will be perfect in cool weather. Although it seems kind of weird to think about wearing something that could be in a museum, I feel like it is somewhat similar to wearing a very valuable vintage piece. I just know I have to take excellent care of it and respect its history.

Funny Chart

Do you every browse I Love Charts? Sometimes its serious, but sometimes it really makes me laugh!

PS: Be prepared to waste a lot of time if you click on that link. Don't say I didn't warn you!