mid-week music moment...

So I'm in the middle of creating my mid-summer playlist to share with you guys, but I couldn't resist posting this song for the MWMM. It's a great mid-week (and mid-day) pick up, for one of those days that feels so oppressively hot and sticky, you think it might never end.

Bag Raiders, "Shooting Stars"

Let's all just admit that this video is super weird and a little scary, but the song is pretty amazing.

mid-week music moment...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - "Simple Girl"

It's the kind of song and video you wish were about you, and staring you. It's so sweet and sunny. At least at first. Upon a second listen, I realized I sort of think that maybe Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is a bit of an idiot. I don't know a single simple girl, and I'm pretty sure they don't exist. The more I think about it, calling this girl simple is kind of an insult, right? She's probably quite complicated and interesting, but doesn't think that Mr. Earnhardt Jr. Jr. deserves to know all that, or meet her family.

I've officially read too far into this. Anyway, it's a pretty song and a pretty video. Summer-y and all that.

mid-week music moment...

I arrived back from our weekend at the shore late Monday night, feeling exhausted, salty, and longing to rewind and do it all again. Between all our ipods/phones/pads we had a great soundtrack going all weekend. Upon returning home after not checking my email (or Twitter or Facebook for that matter) for more than 72 hours, I saw that my friend Megan had emailed me a link to this song and video. Though we weren't on a lake or playing pink guitars on the beach, I feel like this song definitely captures the vibe of the whole vacation.

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - "When We Swam"

mid-week music moment...

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

tgif...

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

mid-week music moment...

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

mid-week music moment...

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

mid-week music moment...

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

mid-week music moment...

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

mid-week music moment...

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

tgif...

Sara Bareilles - "Gonna Get Over You"

I just thought this song and video were so appropriate for a drizzly Friday. It also makes me really excited to bust out my Schott NYC leather jacket...

Enjoy and have a great weekend everyone!

{crush this} new miles fisher...

New Romance - Miles Fisher from Miles Fisher on Vimeo.

Sometimes I have a really hard time deciding if I crush harder on Ryan Gosling or Miles Fisher. That's right - sometimes I spend extended periods of time thinking about which insanely attractive and musically gifted actor I would rather take as my lover - like it's an actual problem in my life.  Since I haven't seen Crazy Stupid Love yet ( I know, I need to. Can I borrow $13.50, please?) it's currently Mr. Fisher. I mean, what's not to like here? The video is a ridiculous spoof on Saved By The Bell with that same kind of twistedly comical and gory humor like This Must Be The Place, a la American Psycho.

Additionally, the song is sweet and fun, though I'll admit I couldn't really listen to the lyrics until I stopped watching the video. The fun kicker is that everyone in the video is also in Final Destination 5, hence all the dying. So now the question is, do I want to see Miles Fisher die, or watch Ryan Gosling get it on with another woman? #Whitegirlproblems?

*This post has been brought to you by Duncan, who shared it with Tully, who shared it with me. I'd be nothing without my music-loving friends, I tell ya.

Download both of my fav MF songs here.

tgif / mid-week music moment...

Hello, everyone! I hope you're all feeling jovial and ready to take on the weekend after this delightfully short week! I jaunted off to Connecticut for a short overnight trip on Wednesday, which is why I didn't post a MWMM. So, to make up for it, I have a fantastic song in the form of a fantastic video, from my favorite radio station back home in Seattle, KEXP.

Please let Fitz and the Tantrums' "Rich Girls" carry you into one of the blissfully early weekends of summer, long before you start to lament how soon it'll be over...



I would love to see them live.

{delayed} mid-week music moment...

This is Mount Moriah, "Lament." It's another one of those videos that looks like the band was said to their friends, "Hey you guys, help us make this video. Mostly we'll just hang out and shake tambourines." I absolutely love this woman's voice, and enjoy the general rhythm of the song. Hope you guys do, too.

mid-week music moment...

Chet Faker, "No Diggity" (Blackstreet Cover)

Ok, so let's all be honest and realize that nothing will ever measure up to the original Blackstreet version of this song. It makes it onto just about every party playlist I make in iTunes; it's a true classic and guaranteed to get people dancing and reminiscing about 8th grade dances.

I can appreciate this version though, it's a little more raspy and sultry, and rather fits the moody, grey days we are having in New York right now.

What do you think?

Additionally, in case you forgot, watch the Blackstreet video below. Note that the "cool factor" for the moment is a bunch of girls dancing in front of four stretch limos and wearing white overalls with black tee shirts. They were simpler times indeed.

summer shoe must: Soludos

My friend Parker told me to check out this brand the other day, and I'm already convinced I need a pair of these sweet little Soludos espadrilles come summer. Now, before this season I had never really considered a flat espadrille. But now that I'm living in a metropolitan area that isn't always supportive of ultra casual footwear, they feel like an obvious  choice. They're a great substitute for sandals and at a price of about $28, they're perfect for even the most limited of budgets. If you're in NYC today, I'm sorry to do this to you, but look at this video:


A Perfect Summer Day - Soludos from SOLUDOS on Vimeo.

Wasn't that a magical little thing? Now just try not to look out your window at the cloud-encased high rises and also don't look at the 5-day forecast that shows nothing but rain all week.

au revoir, Boston...

Well, here I am again, wedged into a window seat on the Bolt Bus, cruising through some rather nondescript wooded lands en route back to The City. I had an excellent time in Boston. I ate way too much delicious food, took in two games at Fenway Park, got some quality cousin time and even got to catch up with a long-lost friend from studying abroad all those years ago.

The clouds are gathering along the hiway, but I'm keeping things happy and coastal with an excellent playlist featuring The Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, Dragonette, Miles Fisher (duh) and of course, Vampire Weekend. So I'll leave you with my favorite of all favorites, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa. I love this video & hope it brightens your Monday.



More on my advenures in Bean Town once I get home and sort through my photos. However, I can tell you right now that my outfits were less than exciting and certainly not up to par with my fantasy post from last week. Apologies, as always, with a promise to turn it out once I'm back in NYC.

tgif...

Thanks to Megan for introducing me to this song.

Way to go me for finding the video, which I think is pretty much the perfect TGIF / let's just dance / spring is here video.

SebastiAn - "Embody"

Enjoy & have a great weekend!

it's sunday. i don't need a reason.

God bless my friend Casey, she always knows how to make me smile. She left this video on my Facebook yesterday so I thought I might share it with you all, too. I know I've heard this song before, but I had definitely never seen this gem. Be sure to watch out for the ridiculous fur coats and early edition harem pants...



"Ra Ra Rasputin, Russia's greatest love machine."

Hope you're all having a fabulous Sunday. I'm finally getting a haircut and maybe even going to the gym. Could be a really exciting day.

tgif...

So, if you're a longtime and/or compulsive reader of this blog (Do you exist? I love you!), you will note that I have already posted this song as a MWMM. Until yesterday, I had never seen the music video. While taking a petite rest from cropping photos at my internship yesterday, I had the sudden urge to listen to Camera Obscura's "French Navy," and figured I might as well investigate if there was an accompanying vid. Clearly, there is, and boy did it do a mid-afternoon number on me.

I've been fortunate enough to visit Paris something like five times in my young life, and a few of those times have been, well, wildly romantic. Obviously I won't get into that, but this video definitely transported me to some very happy memories for a few minutes.

Even if you haven't been to Paris/Barcelona/Rome, if you discount the not-super-aesthetically-pleasing shots of the actual band, this is a lovely escape/escapade.

Avez-vous un weekend tres fantastique.