running it out.

This weekend can't come soon enough! We are headed to NYC tomorrow to celebrate my father-in-law's 70th birthday. He is running the marathon on Sunday. Amazing, right?

We can't wait to be back east for crisp fall weather and to be surrounded by sarcastic, no bullshit new yorkers...hope you have an equally awesome weekend - and here a quick links in case you are interested....

• Tartine Manufactory is now open for ice cream - we can't wait to go taste it out!

• Audrey Gelman is at it again and I can't decide what I think of her latest foray -- want to grab coffee and talk it out with me?!

• I am loving all over this JCrew coat - pretty much anything tweed gets me every time. 

• Water Wars in Central Asia.... this is a fascinating quick read (Hat tip to Ben)

• We are a couple weeks out from that last debate and hopefully we are all recovered and ready to dominate this coming Tuesday - but this NYTimes Late Term Abortion piece is worth your read. 

• Hillary's website error page is phenomenal. 

big money.

Did any of you read this New York Times piece, Poor Little Rich Women?  Alex sent it to me and I read it yesterday on the plane - quite something. The anthropological angle to it makes it smart...and the rest of it just makes me feel lucky that I am not an uber-wealthy woman on the UES. Yikes!

weddingness.

How was your long weekend?! Ben and I got back late last night from Italy and I am going into full cleanse and recovery mode for the next week! For anyone planning to go to Italy in the near future, I will be sure to post some recommendations (especially restaurants) in the next couple of days. But before that, right before we left, we were up in NYC for a very close friend's wedding. It was small and charming and beautiful. They had the wedding and reception at Haven's Kitchen in Chelsea. We stayed in an airbnb in an awesome location just a couple blocks away (here is the link in case you are looking for a place to stay). We also went for a great run along the west side...

And got a fantastic brunch at The Standard Grill in the meatpacking district...followed by a walk on the high line!

We happened upon the Gansevoort Market which is phenomenal...and we would highly recommend for a snack/lunch...

And not pictured is a lovely mother's day brunch with Ben's parents on Sunday morning and some stops into some of our favorite haunts (Third Rail Coffee and Fish's Eddy).

The wedding was wonderful and it was so good to see friends and to have a spring weekend in the city...here are some photo highlights!

lbj.

Truth be told, I have never been a big Broadway person. While living in NYC, I only went to a handful of shows including one I went to with a guy I was dating. The show had gotten great reviews (I can't for the life of me remember what it was called - it was something about the electricity or the evolution of tv). People loved it. I fell asleep 15 minutes in. All this is to say, it has got to be something really good to get me to see it...which brings me to All the Way.  Have any of you seen it? 

Eric, a colleague at work, raved to me about it a couple weeks ago. But then, Lauren didn't love it. It is all about LBJ and as you know, I love me some LBJ (click here for a previous post and great New Yorker piece). Apparently, Bryan Cranston is convincing and impressive. I really want to see it - I think Broadway meets political history may just be my speed...

Thoughts? Anyone want to join Ben and I on a hot date in NYC to see a Broadway show?!

work time.

Talk about the week getting away. NY was beautiful. Gorgeous actually. I didn't really get to enjoy the city since our days were packed at UNGA but it was nice to be back even just for the walk back to the hotel at night....

In huge news, I was running through Grand Central on Monday morning en route to the UN and I was starving. I figured I would just check to see if my old regular bagel/coffee shop, The Lunch Box, was still open. It was! This place is tucked in the bowels of the GrayBar building, perfectly hidden from tourists and crowds but connected to Grand Central. You can only imagine how thrilled I was. I used to grab something every single morning, oh how I miss being a regular in NY! It is right by the tracks so all of the Amtrak/train folks are moving through and I just love it. And they have renovated and gotten bigger. It is still a hole in the wall but a bigger one. If ever you are in need of a phenomenal egg sandwich or bagel in Grand Central, definitely go find it! I stopped in all three mornings for old time's sake...

Of course, I also swung by to see Shirley at Spa Butterfly (click here if you don't know what I am talking about) and I stopped in to Fish's Eddy and ABC Carpet when I had some down time on Sunday evening. On my way out of town, I literally ran through the MoMA! I went straight to the photography, hustled through the painting and sculpture exhibition to make sure the Pollacks and Rothkos were still there and stopped for a second to take in the garden view!

I also snuck in a spectacular run early Wednesday morning along the west side.

But I was there for work and work I did. The days were packed and long but they also included amazing moments, including a great staff reception with POTUS, Kerry and the Ambassador...

And another beautiful room with POTUS and FLOTUS in the Waldorf...

And seeing Desmond Tutu...Great stuff NY, great stuff.

ny state of mind.

It was another weekend away for us and our 4am wakeup today to get back to DC in time for work was worth it! We went up to New York to see Ben's parents and even though we got there late Friday and left early this morning, we certainly made the most of it.

Saturday morning we went to the Farmer's Market in Pleasantville. It was a phenomenal market...

Not to mention they had the best waffles I have ever tasted from Pikas Farm Table.

I was wiped out this weekend. No idea why I was so tired but after the farmer's market I took a nap while everyone else went for a run. After all of this, we hit the road and drove over to Connecticut for lunch and antiquing. Lunch was awful but to make up for it we went to this roadside ice cream shop in Woodbury.

Our first stop was at Millhouse Antiques and Gardens. It was a gorgeous property. The pieces were spread out between a couple different buildings and we admired and talked with the owner. 

We then just drove down route 6 pulling into anyplace that had an antique sign. 

None of us planned to buy anything so we just perused and were amazing by some of the pricing!

By late afternoon, we made a last stop and then drove over to visit Ben's grandmother in Bridgeport. We spent a while looking at old photos and Ben's Aunt Susan stopped in for a visit as well. We piled into the car and drove through Fairfield to dinner. It was a gorgeous drive and we all commented on our favorite houses.  
Sunday morning we woke up and headed out for a run with Ben's dad in Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

Right after that we jumped in the car, with the roof down because it was a gorgeous day, to swing by Stone Barns to grab a bite for lunch at their cafe.

We also ran into some of their family friends and their golden retriever, Laila. I was in love.

After lunch, we hung around the kitchen. Ben and his Mom cooked up a storm. I took another nap. Ben's dad watched golf. It was quiet and nice.

And for dinner, we feasted on a fantastic meal by Ben. These scallops with corn and tomatoes were spot on...

Ben and his Mom also made this great beet salad...

And of course, green beans, potatoes, and ribeye.

Not pictured was the dessert of vanilla ice cream with a fresh peach sauce that was unreal. It was a wonderful weekend. We both feel rebooted and ready for the week to come!

citified.

My Dad sent this link yesterday, American Cities a Century Ago, and I was totally captivated by the pictures. I don't know why but they are so interesting! Here are just a couple...

Philadelphia

New York, New York - City Hall

Washington DC

rainy day.

Big news for all of you in NY. The 'Rain Room' is coming to MOMA next month! I am so jealous. It was in London last year and it is really cool, you have to go and report back. You can walk through these rooms of rain but never get wet. The sensors are such that the water stops as you walk through but you can be standing in the middle of the room with water pouring down. Tell me you aren't intrigued!