{shoe crush} cap toe flats...

I was lucky enough to have my parents finally come visit me out here this past weekend. It was a trip almost two years coming - and I can't express how excited I was to show them around my New York and see them for the first time since Christmas.

We had a great weekend - a perfect balance of their uptown, upscale Manhattan of past visits, and my downtown day-to-day life. All the things we did piece together like a pretty great guide to wining and dining with a dash of culture and shopping from Soho to the Upper East Side:


{We dined.}

• Gotham Grill: White table clothes, amazing seafood and a very 90s New York vibe, like Gramercy Tavern and totally delicious (the seafood salad is unreal)
• The Modern: minimalist, fancy and contemporary - just like the museum (amazing duck confit)
• db Bistro Moderne: fancy and delicious
  
• The Standard Grill: great spot for an early breakfast al fresco
  
• Public: trendy, brunch-y, delicious lentil salad and great drinks
• La Piscine: on the roof of Hotel Americano; lots of delicious fried seafood with a side of DJ
  
• Brasserie Julienne: cute little french joint on 2nd Ave in the 80s, live jazz with your moules frites
  
• Morandi: loud, busy and seriously great Italian fare on Waverly and 7th Ave
  

{We drank.}

• La Piscine: Before dinner every night we had cocktails on the roof with an amazing view of the city
  
• Kingswood: After dinner at db, I brought my parents to meet up with friends and see one of my favorite West Village bars
  
• Public: a dirty martini for Mom, a bourbon iced tea for me and the Bloody Maria for Dad
  

{We saw.}

• The MoMA:the Cindy Sherman exhibit was cool and creepy, but the permanent exhibits are always refreshing and unmissable
  
• The East River Ferry: A fun and unique way to get between Manhattan and Brooklyn - especially on a warm day; we took it to and from 34th street to the flea market 
• Brooklyn Flea (Williamsburg): people watching, antique-ing and artisianal everything - of course
  
• The Met: My favorite museum in Manhattan, and the Steins Collection and Shiaparelli and Prada exhibit were crowded but truly wonderful (unfortunately the Cloud City exhibit on the roof was closed for weather)

{We shopped.}

• Uniqlo @ 53rd & 5th: picked up 4 shirts for my dad, but the crazy atmosphere and sheer amount of clothes is a little too much
  
• Treasure & Bond: cool, well-curated jewelry, gifts and apparel on lower West Broadway in Soho
  
• MoMA Design Store: so many unique and useful knick-knacks, and perfectly sized art prints for $10

{Oscars 2011} from runway to Hathaway...

Well, the Oscars happened. The show was hosted by Anne Hathaway, with a few squinty-eyed guest appearances and half-witty asides by James Franco. Hathaway was styled by Rachel Zoe in eight looks from the red carpet to the Vanity Fair after party. I loved the glamour of her wardrobe and hair changes that seemed to happen in a flash. The Valentino she wore on the red carpet and the red Versace she wore to the VF party were my two favorite looks from her, as well as overall. The Tom Ford number was a bold choice (miss-step?) due to the effect of the seams and lining, and I really hated the up-do that accompanied the Vivian Westwood gown, but other than that, kudos to Zoe. (*The custom Brian Atwood pumps were on another level, and I'm hoping to find a close-up of those for us to drool over asap.)

{color craving} i say we put mustard on it...

As I declared in a post last week, Tully and I are mad for mustard. Ok not mad really, especially since that sounds so incredibly cheesy, but we're definitely into it these days. Tully recently purchased a super-soft crew-neck sweater from J. Crew in the most perfect shade of mustard, and a similar piece has been on my to-buy list ever since. This deep, rich shade of yellow is a perfect pop of color in a winter ensemble, and will also transition nicely into your spring wardrobe, mixed with florals and navy-and-white stripes. (*Note that the title of this post comes from a ridiculous Saturday Night Live skit we're obsessed with, called "Meeting." Look for the gigantic turkey sub.)