the fat radish. (and on my manhattan).

in figuring out what to do this go round (with my mom in town) my mind immediately went to the new leaf cafe. 

(let it be known, my love for the new leaf knows no bounds).

but it was my mother who pointed out that we first fell in love with new leaf two years ago when we went in the spirit of trying something new--expanding our own idea of new york.

so with this in mind, we tabled new leaf (after all, i can pop up to fort tryon whenever my heart desires {and my wallet allows}) and went in search of new restaurants. (recommended restaurants).

both peels and the fat radish were suggested by a co-worker and i must say: she done good. they both pleased and tickled my aesthetic sensibilities and rustic palate.

but more than the wooden tables, and farm-to-table food--more than the downtown-chic-beard-wearing-men or the beet chips and butter biscuits--more than any of that, what i really loved was that both restaurants got me to take in parts of manhattan that are foreign--foreign, to me, i should say. parts that i rarely see, rarely explore. but parts that when i do take the time to wander about fill me with a deep, rumbling satisfaction.

the reason i entitled the series in which i show photos of manhattan, my manhattan, is because manhattan is so many different things--so many different things to so many different people. it wears many masks, changes by street and neighborhood. one could live here their whole life and still not know all of it. 

manhattan is experiential. and it is because of this that so many come in search: in search of the city, in search of themselves. it is this that entices and excites--allows new yorkers to overlook the day-to-day grind that makes city living quite difficult. 

so for all my hawing about how much i dislike the city at times (and i do. dislike it. often.) that's on me. because that dislike can be changed, transformed--by simply changing my attitude, my perspective, or walking a city block. by taking a train to a new and foreign neighborhood and finding a new part of myself in what the city offers up in that small nook.

so here's to the rest of the week. and as many new moments i can unearth in this (mostly) concrete jungle. 

just a reminder.

cool autumnal air is pouring in through the the open windows, battling with the radiator (over which i have no control).

the candles are lit.

and the room is clean.

john legend is playing on the stereo. john legend is best played in the winter months.

the vase is clean, waiting for the flowers i'll pick up on my way home from work.

my parents arrive tonight.

i'm hoping we'll go to dinner at the new leaf cafe which by it's own description serves "seasonal modern American drawing inspiration from local green markets, upstate New York farms and New York City's community gardens" and the proceeds go to support Fort Tryon Park, the surrounding community, the 55 NYC community gardens, and four sponsored city parks. i'm realizing that what we eat, on a daily basis, affects everyone--the choices we make are important. it's not just about what we want in any given moment, it's about what's best for our health as well as the environment (but more about that later).

the whole point of this post was to re-post this:

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Buddha

i began repeating these words to myself yesterday, and each time i did it was like hitting the re-set button. it made me stop, breathe, and send a little love my own way. and because of this...the room is clean and the candles are lit and john legend is playing on the stereo and i can feel love in all its many forms as i sit on the my stool and type this.

happy tuesday. enjoy this day.

image of new leaf via google search.

on friday, before there was any hint of the flu that was about to sweep over me,

i had lunch with my father at the new leaf cafe. and it was perfect.

ps: happy birthday dad. i love you so much. can i blame the day-late wishes on my muddled, hysterical, feverish mind?

a thanksgiving visit. a half-week party.

my parents came to visit last week.

a few things you should know:

1. i've lived in new york for 5 1/2 years now

2. i worked extra shifts over this holiday so that i could ensure a week's vacation at home (in texas) come christmas time

3. in all those 5 1/2 years i don't know that my parents and i have ever had a truly successful visit, here

i cried on the phone to my mother two nights before she came. there is this thing known as guilt, of which, as a catholic, i am well versed in. and usually the visit is an experiment in how guilty i can feel for not having enough time or energy to give to my family.

but the monday before the arrival i cleaned and scrubbed and bought new champagne glasses, and thought, come what may, i'm ready.

it got off to a rocky start when my parents arrived too soon, and i forced them to wait in the car until i had arrived home and arranged some flowers--in my mind the flowers were more important than anything else. but they took a catnap and seemed in good spirits. so i pulled out the new glasses and we toasted family, togetherness, and stolen naps.

from there we walked to the new leaf cafe, which truly set the mood for the entire trip. the restaurant was gorgeous and unlike anything we've ever experienced here in the city (which became the theme for the rest of the week). it felt like we were dining in an over-sized cabin nestled into wooded green. the food was delicious and we left giddy with excitement over our find.

thursday morning found the three of us around the television watching the parade (my absolute favorite thing to do as a child) before we set off for aunt mary beth and uncle steven's home where we would join with three of my cousins: sean, ryan, mike--and sean's fiancee sarah--and of course my brother, connor, who drove down from his new home in boston. thanksgiving day was filled with laughter, copious amounts of delicious food, and the tail-end of the movie Rudy (only one of the greatest films, and no doubt the greatest soundtrack ever), not to mention a rousing round of celebrity (a game much like charades that's now become a family tradition).

i worked all day on friday, as i had on wednesday, but my nuclear family came into the restaurant for drinks, before i sent them on their way.

after working a half-day on saturday, i joined mom and dad in the west village where we were going to see the a production of thorton wilder's our town. it was there, next to the theatre, wait for me, that my parents stumbled across the restaurant one if by land. let me first say, the it is located in aaron burr's old carriage house. you know that i love history, yes? and aaron burr was one of the names i contributed to our game of celebrity (mentioned above). the restaurant was perfection. to be fair, we stayed only at the bar, but the lit christmas tree in the corner, coupled with the live piano music, the vintage couches, and the sense of history...well, i was in heaven.

one if by land was followed by a remarkable our town, a rousing round of gelato, and walk through the west village.

this visit was divine. it felt like we all showed up for the party, you know?

and now i'm counting down the days until i get to go home. 19, to be exact.

what about you all, how was the holiday?

WHERE TO EAT IN NYC//

vinegar hill house// vinegar hill, brooklyn// official site

peels// bowery, manhattan// official site

alta// west village, manhattan// official site

new leaf cafe// fort tryon park, manhattan// official site

prime meats// carroll gardens, brooklyn// official site

frankie's 457// carroll gardens, brooklyn// official site

barbuto// west village, manhattan// official site

buttermilk channel// carroll gardens, brooklyn// official site

one if by land// west village, manhattan// official site

buvette// west village, manhattan// official site

momofuku milk bar// various locations// official site

cafe gitane// Nolita// nymag profile

lucali// carroll gardens// nymag profile (also, it's byob {which is awesome})

my christmas gift to my brother (and to myself...just a little bit).

just two days before this last christmas my family collected in new york where we spent our first night at the new leaf cafe (arguably, my favorite place in all of the city). there we talked and drank and ate and somewhere in the conversation i mentioned this indie band from seattle i had taken a liking to and my brother said something along the lines of oh yeah, i've heard them. i really like them. 


that night when i got home inspiration struck. i looked up tour dates, found a concert in boston (where my brother now lives, and where i had yet to visit him) and booked us two tickets.

(there are times when procrastination pays).

on christmas morning i passed him the gift, which he unraveled to the tune of: who are these people?


me: but we just talked about them two days ago. you said you liked them.


him: oh. did i?


such is life. the good news is that the thought was not lost and in two months time i'd take a trip up north for a little quality time.

on this saturday night we hopped in cab to the paradise rock club and stood in line where we were met by the smell of herbal such-and-suchs and a group of people far grungier than ourselves.

i could have cared less. the whole thing was bliss. and my brother having boned up on his the head and the heart knowledge since december was well prepared.

there's nothing like live music is there? the communion between artist and audience. the feel of the drums in the body. the dimensions and layering that few recordings can really illuminate.

they were so good.

they were so, so good.

in this age of over-processed music where artists can rarely match what we hear on their cds--they were brilliant.

when they finished their set my brother turned to me and said: yeah, that was a good christmas gift. 


(my brother wouldn't let me take a full video of the band, but in this age of instant media, i pulled one off of youtube from the very night we were there. and since it's connor's favorite song...)



ps: when we were leaving i totally recognized two members of the band just outside the door and in a moment of rare (really rare) social prowess i turned to them and told them just how brilliant we thought they were. and since we were a little star-struck (and crushing on just about every member of the band) just getting to talk to them for a moment was surreal. it was only later that we kicked ourselves for missing out on the photo opportunity. oh well, next time.

if you can get yourselves to a head and the heart concert do it. by all means. run to one.

and my favorite song? rivers and roads. heaven. absolute heaven.

a nyc {for tryon} picnic.

oh how i love fort tryon park!

{home of the beloved new leaf cafe}

oh how words fail to extol its many virtues!

it is my favorite place in all of new york. the air is cool and fresh {reminiscent of my grandparent's home in briarcliff}.

and the flowers are in bloom now. the smell! oh, the smell! so if you're in the city get on the nearest A train and get off at 190th. take the elevator up and find yourself in the sweetest little subway station that catapults you into forest. yes, that's right. i said catapult. and forest.

so when deciding where to celebrate cinco de mayo, it was a no-brainer. we gathered blankets, chips and guacamole, hummus, bread and goat cheese.

insta-picnic!

happy fifth, indeed!