New York is SO hot right now. It’s hot and muggy and it’s actually summer now – full force. The best way to stay cool in this heat? Flowy lightweight dresses.
Sure, dresses are what I wear pretty much year round but the summer is my favorite because it’s the easiest to figure out. I just throw one on, sandals and off we go. Zero need for layering.
Another great thing about the summer…sunflowers! Look at these beauties blooming right in front of our house!
If you know me at all, you know I love food. I think the only person who may love food more than me is my husband, Spencer. So, I luckily can count on him to find the most amazing restaurants in NYC for us to try. Last night we willed ourselves to make the trek to Midtown West and try his new obsession. Before dinner we took a stroll through lovely Washington Mews at the NYU campus. I really enjoy walking through this tiny street because it feels like nothing else in NYC. It’s quiet, it’s never busy and it’s absurdly charming!
Dinner was at a surf & turf pop up with a simple pre-fix menu at $65 per person – The Club Car. Located inside the McKittrick Hotel you can find this gem of a restaurant that opened on June’s 1st by Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, who were co-executive chefs of Balthazar and Minetta Tavern.
Prior to dinner we stopped at Gallow Green on the roof of the McKittrick. I love this place in the summer as it’s filled with beautiful greenery and delicious drinks.
After a couple of drinks (WhistlePig on the rocks!) we headed down to the Club Car where we were greeted by a lovely bell boy who showed us to the hostess.
The decor rings true to The Club Car name – there are actual club cars you can sit in and enjoy dinner!
Of course these are reserved for larger parties, so we sat in the main dining room which was also beautiful. Once seated we were able to order off the menu below:
To start, we had the option of a chilled cauliflower soup topped with lobster and pine nuts or a mixed greens salad with fava beans. We got one of each and both were great but the soup was far more interesting. They also served delicious cast iron dinner rolls – very Balthazar! – and a super fresh crudité platter. I liked this touch because before a super heavy meal it’s nice to have some fresh veggies.
Second course consisted of a Grilled Boneless Ribeye which you can top with one of the following:
Scallops
Soft Shell Crab
Lobster (+ $10)
Razor Clams
Oxtail & Bone Marrow
We went for the Soft Shell Crab and Scallops. I thought both were amazing but the Soft Shell Crab definitely stole the show. It was buttery and lemony and just absurdly delicious. Still thinking of it today!
Dessert was a Lemon Chiffon Cake or Chocolate Caramel Tart. Again, we got one of each and can safely say both were equally delicious. I mean, what dessert isn’t, right?
I would highly recommend a visit to this place before it closes at end of summer!
One of my favorite places in the city is The High Line so I feel pretty lucky to work in a building that opens right into it. When I’m having a stressful workday or just need a little air it’s perfect to walk out and enjoy some time in our version of nature. Yesterday particularly was a long day so when my friend Shenika of http://herownskin.com came by to invite me out I jumped out of my desk!
Yes, I know it’s Tuesday but Monday’s are everyone’s least favorite day of the week, right? I generally can’t wake up because my sleep schedule has been torn apart from the weekend, I was too lazy to cook on Sunday so I don’t have lunch to eat and everyone around me is wishing it was Friday…
The one thing that will get me through a lousy Monday is feeling good about how I look. So, I try to make my Monday outfit the best possible with the knowledge that my efforts will slowly decline throughout the week.
It’s finally summer in NYC and nothing makes me happier than crisp white clothes like this Zara eyelet tank dress. We were invited to our friend Marrisa’s for a rooftop BBQ where her husband, Alex, made the most amazing meal!
We walked through South Park Slope on our way there and picked up coffee at DUB Pies. It always shocks me how nice a simple white dress can be in the summer! If you buy this dress make sure to size down! It runs big.
Wedding season…it always creeps up on me! No matter how far in advance I know about it I’m always left wondering “what should I wear?!?”. This one particularly came out of nowhere because just a few weeks earlier we were in Chile celebrating our own wedding anniversary. Next thing you know, I had a week to figure out what to wear!
I resorted to an old favorite – Lulu*s. I actually have been shopping at Lulu*s for over 10 years now! I went to school in Chico, California, where Lulu*s started as a brick and mortar. So, it only seemed fitting that I would buy from them given I was going to a wedding not too far from Chico. I was able to find a dress, shoes and jewelry!
I had heard about Glass Beach through Spencer multiple times. I mean this is a beach that is covered in sea glass!!! We realized that it was located in Fort Bragg – only 1.5 hours away from Ukiah, where we were going to for a wedding. We got in our car at around 10 am and were in Fort Bragg by no later than 11:30. The beach was the former site of a garbage dump that closed in 1943 so you will find beautiful shards of worn down glass bottles and china all over. We were also lucky enough to spot some seals (sadly not pictured!).
TBH, every time I come to San Francisco I try to hate it a little. Partly because I know I’m secretly in love with this city but logistically could never live here. Don’t get me wrong, New York will always be #1 in my heart. However, when I experience days in San Francisco like today I wish oh so badly I had chosen a different industry.
We drove from SF to Ukiah for a wedding weekend but on the way up we took advantage of the sunny weather to visit the the Marin Headlands. Located just outside the city it’s the best place to get stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city.
Refugio Paine Grande (Pehoe) to Glaciar Grey Distance: 26 km round trip Time: 8.5 hours
Next to Day I, Day IV was my favorite day of the W-Trek. I’m not sure if I enjoyed it more because I knew it was our last “real” day of trekking or because it was just so genuinely fun. It was super hard but it was also just so rewarding.
We started right at sunrise (8:23 am) which was breathtaking. I grew up in Southern California which has the most amazing sunrises and sunsets but this was otherworldly.
The above picture seriously was taken and posted with zero filter. Look at those colors!
The one thing we really missed out on is seeing a puma. We saw puma tracks, poop, we even smelled their urine…yet we never saw one. Maybe it was for the best…
This marker shows you just how much we climbed. This picture was taken at Laguna Los Patos (Duck Lagoon) and we weren’t even half way there.
Walking towards Glacier Grey.
Getting closer…
We made it just in time for lunch – with a view of course.
After we were done with lunch Mauricio snuck away. At first I didn’t know what he was doing but then I quickly realized he was trying to grab a piece of glacier ice that was floating close to shore.
Success!
We each took turns holding it…
Feeling so cool.Okay, this is super coldI’m freezing!!!
Little did I know that Amber had been carrying some Woodford Reserver Bourboun in her pack the whole time. She busted some out and we poured it over 1,000 year old ice. The Nalgene was passed around a few times…
As if the first close up we had wasn’t enough we climbed another small hill and got THIS view…Spencer and I did our best Captain Zissou.
The fam.
Glaciar GreyRefugio Grey (we didn’t stay here as they close for the winter but it looked awesome).
Great way to keep your energy up while trekking – jerky! We declared these when we got into the country and it was no problem to bring them in. We brought different kinds of jerky but these Epic bars were amazing!
Finally made it back!
Sadly our last dinner in Patagonia…
Day four was amazing and a great way to end the hike.
Los Cuernos to Campamento Italiano to Valle Frances to Refugio Paine Grande (Pehoe) Distance: 18 km Time: 7 hours
Okay so day three was actually interesting because we saw a lot of different things. We trekked from Los Cuernos into Campamento Italiano where we dropped some of our things (hung them up so no animals could get to them). From Campamento Italiano we headed into Valle Frances (French Valley) and then back to Campamento Italiano to pick up our things. From there we headed to Refugio Paine Grande aka Refugio Pehoe.
Per usual, we started the morning with delicious eggs, bread and coffee at Los Cuernos.
We started the hike covered up because it was raining from the moment we woke up. Light rain but rain nonetheless. The start of the hike was right along the beach of the lake which was gorgeous.
Maurizio walking us through what was ahead.
What was cool about this day is all the different terrain we covered. We hiked in rain, hail, and snow. We went through bridges, planks, rocky areas and even a vertical wooden bridge (think a ladder with a slight incline).
Made it to Campamento Italiano to drop our things for a few hours and keep going.
Taking a breather before getting to the best view point.You can see how far we climbed if you look at Lago Nordenskjöld in the background.Made it!
We made it to the furthest view point we could get to (weather wasn’t ideal to keep going). To the left you can see the Hanging Francés Glacier.
To the right you can see (from left to right) Cerro Espada, Cerro Hoja, Cerro Mascara, with Cuerno Norte partially visible on the far right.
Another one of Hanging Francés GlacierHongos!Headed back to grab our things.
This bag made us super happy every day. It was always full of snacks, fruit, chocolate and a delicious sandwich.
Spencer and I both LOVE hot sauce. We put it on almost everything. That said, before the hike we knew we had to pack some sort of spicy something. We headed to the grocery store and picked up some of this Aji Pebre which is very popular in Chile. Pebre is made of coriander, chopped onion, olive oil, garlic and ground or pureed spicy aji peppers. Needless to say it really made our sandwiches. Even our guide Maurizio was excited we brought it.
Upkeep of planks is done by Patagonia. Sometimes it rains a lot and its impossible to cross without getting soaked so these planks are helpful.
Still have a ways to go!
This part of the W Trek made me super sad. Back in 2011 an insanely irresponsible hiker who claims he tried to burn some toilet paper and it flew away from his hands started a fire in the park . The fire affected 40,000 acres of the park and you can see its devastating effects.
It’s important when visiting parks like this to LNT (leave not trace). You should be able to visit these areas but also respect the fact that they should be left untouched so generations to come can also enjoy…
Taking a break to enjoy the view.
Approaching Refugio Paine Grande
General prices if you’re booking on your own.
This Refugio was my second favorite (after Los Cuernos) because it really felt like a Lodge. It had a nice hang out area where we played dominoes and of course Maurizio schooled us.
Best part – because we were hiking in the off season we had the whole place to ourselves! Besides the people working the Refugio there were only ones there the first night.
This may have been my favorite dinner because it reminded me of my moms Carne con Chile. Mmm…
