what are your plans this weekend?

I know it's only Wednesday (hump day), but I'm already really looking forward to my first weekend back in New York in what feels like forever (after SF, Bahamas, and Philly visiting my family). My goal is to be outside as long as possible since the weather is improving (thank goodness!). On weekends, I have a habit of power-walking through Soho, West Village, and East Village while chatting on the phone or listening to a podcast, people watching, and taking photos. I actually just stumbled upon the above photo of a restaurant called Freeman's which I had instagrammed 2 years ago while on such a walk! Isn't it so cute? I love how off the beaten path it is, tucked away in Chrystie St.

I'll also be catching up with my friend and former L'Oreal colleague Adam at brunch, meeting another friend Adam (funny coincidence) for coffee to plot out his career path (which sounds so devious, no?), attending a Crunch workout class, and working on my application to a theology seminar. What's your weekend looking like?

(Top photo via Nicole Franzen, bottom photo of me taken by my friend Danny in Soho)

5 in-transit thoughts

I was just telling Abby my roommate that I wish I had several hours after work to decompress, read silly Buzzfeed articles, catch up on my Facebook newsfeed and just... relax. Reconcile the random thoughts in my head from throughout the day (I call them 'in-transit' thoughts because they float around and then are gone before I get a chance to contemplate more or write them down). That's why I thought I'd just write them here before bedtime (and maybe stumble upon this blog post sometime in the distant future and think back about myself, 'What a baby I was!' That would be pretty cool.).

- Two contradictions: I'm trying to be more minimal in life -- give away clothes I haven't worn in a year to my sister, own less things, etc. -- and yet I am totally hooked on Pinterest, which is all about excess everything. It's like... I need to go on Pinterest and pin pretty things to my boards to unwind before bedtime. What a goof.

- For the Bahamas, I was still putting all of my sample-size toiletries in ziplock bags for my flight carry on and felt like something was amiss. Why haven't I bought a real-person plane bag? I just ordered this Stephanie Johnson yellow jumbo zip bag and am abnormally excited to pack for my next trip in style, for once.

- My internal dialogue lately has been unnecessarily dramatic: "I really want babies. I love babies!!!" "No, you can't have babies, you're not even married and you have too many things on your bucket list to do!" "But I'm really good with them. Get on with it already, have a baby." "No. You're not having babies until age thirty." "Ugh, fine. But don't wait to long...." Seriously, estrogen is such a nuisance sometimes. I sincerely hope this is every mid-twenties woman's inner turmoil so I'm not the crazy one.

- Yesterday I went to Art Bar in the West Village for late evening drinks with some girlfriends and loved the ambiance of the back living room-- very 1940s velour couches/fireplace chic. Need to visit again soon.

- My friends Sarah and Evan are getting married on March 30 and I'm beyond excited. Abby and I are both thinking first: What am I going to wear? Second: What does this mean we're old now? And lastly: Holy crap, Sarah's going to be a married woman!!! I 'm so excited. I'm totally going to finagle the microphone and give a rowdy, tipsy toast because I love that girl.

(Photo via here)

happy holiday my loves

Merry Christmas Eve!! So this year was the first year that I've ever had a REAL tree in my apartment and in my life actually (growing up, my parents would bust out the fake tree, sigh). I loved smelling its fresh pine scent every day this December. Below are a few photos of Abby's and my East Village apartment -- we put up some white lights and it's been feeling quite festive. I just left today to spend the holidays in PA with my family, and am now furtively last-minute wrapping presents and listening to Beyonce's new album. Enjoy this time with your loved ones!

Bird and Butterfly ornaments from West Elm

new york city guides: where to brunch

For over a year now, I've been thinking about blogging my favorite things to eat, see, and experience in New York City -- my own NYC guide of sorts. After 6 years of living in Downtown Manhattan, I'm finally ready to get started! (Better late than never right?). As a huge foodie, I think it's only appropriate to kick off with my favorite meal of the day: Brunch (a meal so important to New Yorkers, it deserves a capital "B"). Here are some deliciously eggy, cozy, and chic brunch spots I love and hope you'll enjoy as well.

Clockwise from left: You can't go wrong with eggs benedict at Calliope; dinner at Paprika is great, but their whipped green eggs for brunch is worth an extra trip; B Bar gets extra points for their complimentary banana bread baskets; San Marzano's $18 pizza, coffee + unlimited mimosa brunch is unbeatable, and you know my thoughts on breakfast pizzas. 

Clockwise from left: Gemma is delicious and inside the fancy Bowery hotel; Veselka is everyone's go-to Ukrainian, 24-hour diner-restaurant with family-style portions (love their pancakes & corn beef hash); Cafe Minerva's french press coffee is decadent and brunch portions are perfect; Zoe is underrated but I remember everyone's meal looking so good and really enjoying my shrimp & sunny eggs on grits.  

Clockwise from left: I've been going to Cafe Mogadore for years and have tried almost everything, but the Moroccan Benedict is a stand out (the omelette pictured above is great too); while Corner Shop Cafe is in the smack dead center of busy Broadway Street in Soho, the food and great prices are worth a visit; newly opened Tinks is already known for their chicken and waffles; Prima has cool industrial decor and is generous with the hollandaise sauce on their eggs benedicts :)

Other very popular brunch places that are worth mentioning but have longer waits:  Extra Virgin in the West Village, Clinton Street Baking Co. in LES, and Cafe Orlin in the East Village. For drunk brunch options (unlimited drinks), see this list. Feel free to add your favorite brunch places in the comments section!

(Instagram photos by Helen Hearts)

life lately... august recap

Hi lovelies! I'm still reeling at the fact that it is past mid-September. While I love autumn, I'm feeling bittersweet about summer passing by so quickly. This August marked my 1 year anniversary at work, which made me reflect on both how much I've grown and learned, as well as how fast time flies when you're working!!! So here's a little recap of my life through August and early September... captured by Instagram (my obsession). It's important to me to remember the little blessings in life, so I'm going to get as detailed as I can (don't mind the rambling)!

Food Fair, Brunches, and Gelato...

August was definitely a foodie month. Jen (a blog friend turned real friend) and I went to the Brooklyn food fair Smorgasburg to try as much food as we could consume (like the fried rice with egg above). I also had Sunday brunch every week at places like Veselka (a neighborhood favorite --see how big those pancakes are above?), Linen Hall (beautiful ceilings), and Cafe Minerva in the West Village, which I love for their delicious french pressed coffee :) And of course, you can't keep me away from Gelato ti Amo, the gelato & sorbet place next door -- I probably go there at least once a week! Luca (the owner) is a friend, and it's always nice to have neighbors who are really great people too.

Washington D.C. Trip...

First weekend of August, I went to visit one of my best friends Anna in D.C. (again). We hung out with Jill and Audrey (two girlfriends from our high school) and Katie (Anna's sorority "little"), and it was such a blast. I had no idea that D.C. could be SO hot in the summer (it was almost 100 degrees that weekend!), but we had a great time enjoying Jazz in the Garden, a Nationals baseball game, walking through Georgetown, brunch at Clydes and more. (I found the beautiful graffiti above on the Georgetown campus - isn't it gorgeous?)

Fashion Week!

To be honest, Fashion Week really intimidates me! Especially Fashion's Night Out, when Manhattan is a complete hot and scary mess.... and of course I still participate ;)  The energy in the city around this time of year is intoxicating. I was lucky to be invited to Glam Media's NYFW blogger dinner-- meeting other New York based lifestyle and fashion bloggers was an absolute dream! I loved hanging out with the girls at my table, and getting to know the team behind Glam, who impressed me to no end and were super fabulous to boot. I also had a chance to attend Harlem's Fashion Row for work, as well as visit Birchbox's fun Sample Stop with my L'Oreal friends and to catch up with my friend Deepica.

Long summer walks...

 

Okay, this sounds cheesy, but I adore New York summer walks. Living in a walkable city is so important to me... I get to see so many things along the way (like this pink brownstone 3 blocks away from me in the East Village and this kooky NY Magazine spin-off in Nolita). There's nothing a good, long stroll can't fix. This past weekend when my family came to visit, one of the best things we did was walk the entire High Line, an elevated park on the West Side that used to be rail road tracks. The views are spectacular--case in point, the rainbow-colored WWII-inspired couple kissing mural. My mom, sister, and I also indulged in popsicles while walking -- a heavenly summertime combination.

 How was your August? Are you ready for fall?

PS: Some other Life Lately recaps from this year.

a sunny weekend with friends

How was your weekend? My college friend Steph came to visit me from Boston, and we spent the sunny weekend catching up at the Standard Biergarten with some of my L'Oreal friends (hey Sorah, Johanna, Riley, & Deeps!). Add in a Latin fusion dinner with Justin, Paul, & Graham at Boca Chica, dancing at One & One, some Phileo frozen yogurt, and stumbling upon the set of Showtime's Californication in the West Village -- it was a great weekend! Loved our little reunion, Steph!

Me, Deepica, and Sorah at the Standard

Clink!

Bumped into this super fun car while walking over to the Standard. Wish I could drive it!

On our way to froyo, we saw a cellist in the West Village! Perfection. (Still think it's one of the sexiest instruments ever.)

Lonny, Johanna, and Steph xoxo

After Steph left, I made a visit to the Frick on Sunday to see the Renoir exhibit and then volunteer ushered at my church. Although I didn't get much sleep this weekend, I can't stop thinking my little mantra: Too Blessed To Be Stressed! Life is good.

Renoir's Dance of Bougival (my favorite)

I also really enjoyed this portait, Lady Peel by Thomas Lawrence. Her red ostrich feather hat and rosy cheeks makes her a knock out spirit in my mind. (Girl crush on a painting, it happens! ;)

life lately...

It's almost a foreign concept to me that we are already mid-way past April. Unbelievable. AND it hasn't been raining every day! (Whatever happened to April showers?) I'm so thankful that this month has been warm & beautiful, but I hope it doesn't pass by too quickly. Here are a few fond memories from April that I'm especially grateful for...

My wonderful family coming to visit from the Philly suburbs last Friday & Saturday (Easter weekend) = lots of exploring (Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Soho) and eating! Here's baby sister Jess enjoying some Shake Shack.

Being Chinese, my family couldn't possibly visit without restocking their supply of Chinese herbs & spices. So to Chinatown we went.... and bumped into the prettiest tiles. The turquoise is so striking, I have this image set as my Facebook cover picture.

We had a dinner feast at Peking Duck House, which is one of the nicest & cleanest restaurants I've ever been to in Chinatown (and you know that I'd happily go to the grimiest nook & crannies for good food). We didn't order their famous duck, but we had lamb chops, shumai, baozi, tofu, and other tasty little eats.

After my family left, I started off Easter Sunday at my lovely coworker/friend Marc's brunch in his Hell's Kitchen apartment, where everyone ate and drank outside on his enormous outdoor balcony. We also celebrated his sweet dog Sydney's birthday. It was so nice to see all of my L'Oreal pals and finally drink that Bloody Mary! (On a sidenote, I was sitting against a maroon couch on the balcony, the color which unbeknownst to me, reflected into my hair. Everyone thought I had purple streaks the entire time, hah! I wish I were that daring.)

On the F train back downtown, I sat across from this man who was selling cotton candy. I just HAD to ask his permission to take a picture. Moments like these make my heart swell and whatever doubt I have about living in New York (going on 5 years!) is instantly squashed.

Despite living here for so long, I had never, ever visited the High Line on the West Side highway. So I dragged one of my best friends from college, Danny, for a nice long walk right before Church service at Redeemer. It was so calming and scenic, I can't wait to go again. (And it's nice that Chelsea Market is right there. Picnic in High Line Park, anyone?)

Drinks/dinner/dessert at Catch, a trendy seafood restaurant in the Meat Packing district. I went with some lovely L'Oreal ladies who a) know how to eat and b) inspire me to do great things in work and in life. (Thanks Farrah, Esohe, Jes, and Sara.)


And this weekend -- Red velvet cupcakes (w/ heart sprinkles!) with Jasmine at Molly's. Can't go wrong with a little sugary self-indulgence here and there ;) We walked around the West Village/Soho for hours and popped into a few stores, like Addidas. Love Jas's sassy pose.

Any fun events from your week? I'd love to hear.

a small world: paris vs. new york!

Sometimes the world can feel so teeny... and I love it! I just got back from Amy's book launch party for "Paris, My Sweet" at Bosie's Tea Parlor in the West Village. (It was so intimate with just about 30 people and lots of champagne and macarons. I feel so lucky to have been invited!) At the party, I spoke to this super nice gentleman, Amy's friend Vahram Muratyan, whose reputation precedes himself as he just published his new book, Paris vs. New York, which started out as a blog.

Vahram's illustrations have been all over the internet, and it was so serendipitous and awesome to meet the guy behind all the quirky designs. Here are a few of my favorite Paris vs. New York comparisons....

I can't wait to flip through the book and see all 100 of the illustrations!

PS: If you would like to buy a print, you can find them here :)

(photos via paris vs. new york blog)