It's Been a Long Time Comin'

1. Smak Parlour  2. Campo's Deli  3. & 4. Campo's Cheesesteak w/provolone & fried onions

5. Independence Hall

Another snowy day in the Northeast.  It's a good thing I went into Philly yesterday when it was a "warm and balmy" 40 degrees and partly cloudy.  My goal: eat a distinctly Philadelphian meal and purchase some clothes from a unique Philly establishment.  Today my goal is to pack for New York, which is why I am writing this now (goals cannot be accomplished without a good amount of procrastination.  Case-in-point: changing the fonts on the blog before finishing this post).  I made my way to Smak Parlour, a Old City, Market St. boutique I've been wanting to visit since I  read about it Teen Vogue eons ago.  When I arrived, I was greeted by one of the friendly owners and found a nicely edited selection of pieces from the in-house label as well as brands I had never heard of before.  The pink walls and vintage decor gave the shop a fun vibe.  I picked up a great tank-top by Ya Los Angeles with delicate, asymmetrical lace detailing at the hem.  Of course all that shopping made me hungry so I crossed the street to Campo's and ordered a hearty and delectable cheesesteak.  If you have never had the chance to have the real Philly Cheesesteak experience you can order one from their website have have it shipped to you, even if you live in Alaska!  In case you are a Philadelphian and you're wondering, when I'm in South Philly  my allegiance lies with Gino's.  I've never tried Pat's and I don't know if I ever will.  That's all for today.  Time to get back to packing.  

From One to Many

The Philadelphia Museum of Art West Entrance 

Artwork done with Silkscreen on Polished Stainless Steel

Inserting myself in the composition.
Shirt: Simply Vera Vera Wang, Pants: Zara,
Boots: Nine West Vintage America 

Hello, friends.  Today, in this photo-heavy post, I am doing something I rarely do; I am posting about an experience the same day I had it (a public service, if you will).  Today, finally, I made it to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see the Michelangelo Pistoletto: From One to Many exhibit.  Unfortunately as much as you might like to view this exhibit after I tell you about it, today was the last day to see it.  Hopefully you made your way down to the Museum Circle any regular non-Monday in the past 3 months, viewed it, and are happy to be reading my review.     

As you know, whenever I have a chance, I enjoy looking at art, but find modern art, with the exception of pop-art, (wow this is a long sentence) a bit over rated.  Pistoletto, on the the other hand, made modern art awesome.  Beginning with his shiny, metallic, or lacquered canvases and continuing with ever evolving "mirror images" executed with painted tissue paper, photographs, and silkscreens on polished steel, he studied the relationship between the viewer and the composition.  He also made interesting sculptures, and films/performances with his troupe Lo Zoo that left me thinking: "What??" and shaking my head at the explanations provided.  Nevertheless he made some really great art.  One day, when I am decorating my apartment, it would be nice to install on of his pieces in a prominent spot in my living room.
  

Snood and Coat: J. Crew, Bag: Hype

This outing was fallowed by a great lunch of mushroom and barley soup and half a grilled veggie sandwich with a chocolate almond latte at the Regency Cafe.  Feast your eyes.  Hope you have a happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

New Year, New Look

1. Long Luscious Locks in December 2010 photo credit: Primo

2. Short and Sweet in January 2011

Hey guys!  So now that it's a new year, I figure it's time for a new look (and a new brownie!).  I pulled on my Marc by Marc Jacobs rain boots and braved the elements.  The snow and black ice posed threats to my quests but nothing could keep me from reaching the beauty salon and getting my locks chopped off.  I'm really happy with the way it looks; what do you think?  

Better Together Cookie Brownie

Nearby the salon is a recently opened bake shop, B.T. Baking, a primarily wholesale business that also sells some individual baked goods (I'll follow through with my New Year's resolution tomorrow. . .).  I bought a cookie brownie and an oatmeal raisin cookie for my mom, both humongous and d-i-v-i-n-e.  They are made from scratch with all organic ingredients (thank goodness, now I can tell myself brownies are good for me).  One bite and I knew this was basically the best brownie I'd ever tasted.  I even took home an extra cookie with the buy 2 get 1 free promotion.  Sweet Deal! 

And These Here Are My Desires

1. Carrot Cake at the Springfield Diner, 2&3. Zara Shirt, William Rast for Target Skinny Cargo Pants, Nine West Vintage America Collection Boots 

So another weekend has past and I remain here, eating away.  Yes, it is another food photo but the carrot cake I enjoyed at the newly opened Springfield Diner was so good, I just had to tell you about it!  More importantly, I ate it and was still able to fit into my new William Rast for Target cargo pants.  I was hoping to score a new pair of William Rast skinny jeans when I walked into Target the other day, but as only boot-cuts were available in my size I grabbed this pair olive green awesomeness.  I must say I was looking for a pair of pants like this for a while and they fit perfectly for the price, plus they look great with the suede Peroxy boots I received for Christmas.  I flipped the flaps of the boots up at the suggestion of my mother to complete the look.  All of these items are so versatile.  This white blouse is definitely the best purchase I have ever made.  A classic white shirt is an essential in any woman's closet, but the collar, bib front, mother-of-peal buttons, and boyfriend sizing make me love this one even more.  I have worn it with silk and brocade mini skirts, black wool trousers, and jeans.  I goes well with everything.  It is probably my favorite shirt and these boots are on their way to becoming my favorite shoes.  They are slightly distressed at the toe and heel and I've worn them with lace tank-tops and thermal henleys.  Here's to wear-with-everything pieces!

Snowed In

On this cold, snowy day, nothing is nicer that curling up in bed with some hot cocoa and a good book (in this case it's Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino hot chocolate and The Help). Furthermore, soup and a sandwich is the perfect comfort food meal for a day like today.  A couple weeks ago I had just that at my favorite cafe, The Regency.  The ham and brie sandwich with a hot bowl of tomato soup hit the spot.  Feast your eyes. 
 And before I forget, Emmanuelle Alt has been named the new editor-in-chief of French Vogue. Congrats to her!!  It will be interesting to see how the magazine evolves under her leadership.    

A Taste of Italy

1. The Met Life Tower at Night, 2. Dessert Case at Eataly, 3. Loaves of Bread at Eataly,

4. & 5. Cappuccino at Eataly    

 On a quiet pre-New Year's Eve night, I find my self sitting inside and finishing up a post I began to write this morning.  I find this to be a perfect time to stress the importance of eating well in the new year (everything in moderation of course).  If you are in the mood for a hot shot of expresso, or an exquisite bowl of pasta and have managed to dig yourself out of the New York City snow, then you should make your way to Eataly on 5th Ave. in the Flat Iron district.  It is hard to believe that my friends and I had coffee and gelato there at the first snowfall of the season.  All I can say is that if you appreciate your taste buds and want to give them a late Christmas gift, you need to go to Eataly.  Plus they have the best cappuccino I've ever had.  Just make sure you go on a weeknight or you'll be shivering outside in the cold for a while. 

Eat Me, Drink Me

1 & 2.  The Regency Cafe Almond Iced Latte and Almond Cupcake with Cherry Frosting

3 & 4. El Rinconcito Veggie Burrito and Horchata 

Because I enjoy procrastinating, reminding myself how I need to stop eating incredibly delicious and fattening foods so I can fit into my new pants,  reminiscing, and because my Mac is finally free of technical difficulties (trying saying all of that in on breath) I am posting these photos of this week's culinary conquests.  Tuesday a friend and I visited my favorite cafe, the Regency, and I had the most delicious cupcake. The icing on these cupcakes is always so good and I often have to convince my self not to buy one of these since they are so big.  But, since I won't be back for a while I let myself get one.  And of course, the Regency makes the best lattes I've ever tasted and this one was no exception.  The next day one of my friends took me to her favorite Mexican restaurant, El Rinconcito, where we both had veggie burritos.  They were huge (just like my stomach).   For those of you who might not have been to sure about drink what was in the photo, I would never wash down my burrito with milk!  The horchata that I did have was very refreshing.  Well, I best be going back to work.  I hope I didn't make you too hungry! 

Dairy of a Foodie

As many of you know I love to eat, especially healthy, well balanced meals (and ice cream, and cupcakes like the blueberry lemon one I eat today, and muffins but disregard that).  One of my favorite breakfasts is greek yogurt parfaits with fruit and honey. The low cal, low fat peanut butter banana yogurt recipe from Fitness Magazine is especially delicious.  I used Chobani 0% vanilla greek yogurt, Smuckers peanut butter, and Kretschmer wheat germ.  I also made parfaits using that yogurt, blueberries, sugar-free canned peaches, and crushed Vanilla Almond Shredded Wheat.  For lunch last Friday I enjoyed a tasty Marinated Portabella wrap with roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and baby spinach and a side of greens from the Regency Cafe.        

Conquestadora

photos 1-3: me; photo 4: my mom

I guess you might have been wondering where I was for the past week.  To answer your question I was in Florida soaking up the sun and having some fun!  Since my dad is a fan of the great American road trip my family and I left our house at 2:00am and drove down to Orlando, making a stop in historic and eclectic St. Augustine along the way.  Although I was dressed in my travel garb of (gasp) running shorts, an old T-shirt, and Rainbow flip-flops, there were many people in the Spanish Quarter dressed in everything from flirty dresses and heels for a nice dinner, to causal and common Abercrombie tops and shorts, to obscene T-shirts and punk attire.  And there was a great variety of places to shop and dine.  We went to Pizza Time and feasted on large slices of very good Brooklyn style pizza, but if you want a table grab it quickly because the place fills up fast!   In addition to the usual gift shops, I stepped into a vintage shop and found a really cute, really short black velvet halter dress and a floral blazer (very trendy right now) for only $30!  My mom remembered when she had one like it.  Of course I didn't buy anything there but I should have.  Anyway, the bottom photo is of a really cute little expresso and ice-cream shop.  I can't tell you if it's any good but I do know that the gelato at the Cafe del Hidalgo is delicious.  The combination of pistachio and toblerone is especially rich and tasty but the fruit flavors are also great (just a hint: gelato is a lot more enjoyable in a cup not a cone). The cafe even has a summer special of 5 flavors for around $5.  Of course, the fort was really cool and I took a lot of photos of it so expect to see more of them over the summer.  I hope you had a fun and patriotic 4th of July.  While you were scarfing down hot dogs, hamburgers, and my favorite, corn on the cob and watching fireworks, I was intermittently sleeping and failing at iPod solitaire while I headed back north.