Sprinkles

Sprinkles make everything better, right? I made this cake for my friend Tracey’s birthday last week and when the plain white (carrot) cake didn’t look festive enough...sprinkles to the rescue! There may or may not be sprinkles in my future since today is my (eek!) 30th birthday. I’m terrible about my own birthday (remember last year, when my friends had to tell me about my surprise party?), but looking forward to celebrating with friends tonight.

Happy Thursday! I hope there are sprinkles are in your future :)

NYC before AC

{licking blocks of ice on a hot day, circa 1910-1915}

This absolutely amounts to a first-world problem, but the air conditioning has been broken for two days in the office where I’m currently working. It's hot, to say the least. As we all fanned ourselves, scoured the office for small, silly, USB-powered fans, and complained, it made me think of this fascinating old New Yorker article about life in the city before AC.

Arthur Miller (yes, that Arthur Miller) writes about a particularly warm summer in the late 1920s when his family was living in Harlem. He describes how, to escape the heat of their apartments, people took to sleeping in Central Park.

{battery park on a hot day, circa 1910-1915} 

Even through the nights, the pall of heat never broke. With a couple of other kids, I would go across 110th to the Park and walk among the hundreds of people, singles and families, who slept on the grass, next to their big alarm clocks, which set up a mild cacophony of the seconds passing, one clock’s ticks syncopating with another’s. Babies cried in the darkness, men’s deep voices murmured, and a woman let out an occasional high laugh beside the lake.

It’s completely understandable (especially in my current predicament) but also totally wild to think about from the perspective of a modern New Yorker. If it were safe, sleeping in Central Park sounds pretty magical...

Both photos via the Library of Congress. 

New Bob Dylan

NPR has a first listen of Bob Dylan's new single, "Duquesne Whistle," up right now. If you're a Dylan fan, that's pretty much all that needs to be said about that. Go listen, it's jaunty and growly and good.

Photo by Elliott Landy

(A World Away) Weekend in Pictures

{catching the ferry to fire island}

{ocean beach}

{at housers for a boozy lunch}

{the best bloody mary}

{private beach}

{so many red wagons}

{napping in the sun}

{a deer! in a front yard!}

{the perfect day at the beach}

Determined to wring every last drop out of summer, which I feel like only just got started, I headed out to Fire Island for the day with a friend. (New Yorkers, the LIRR has some great deals on day trip packages!) We took the ferry to Ocean Beach, a cute little beach town with no cars and lots of red wagons. It was a dream of a day -- cocktails by the water, wandering past pretty homes and cats sleeping in the sun, lounging on the beach, a perfect breeze, ice cream, and a ferry home just before sunset. I think it was as much summer as you could squeeze into a day! Hope your weekend was summery!

Corgis

Because it's Friday, here are 5 Things That Make Corgis Happy (taken from this longer list of 40 things). Aren't Corgis the strangest looking dogs?


Hiking.


Unicorns.


Loveseat.


Sandcastles.


Reading in bed.

Corgis are so odd. I just have to giggle when I pass one on the street. Or when they're in the Queen of England's entourage. Happy Friday!

Wedding Season: Cheeky Flasks

*I'm not a wedding blogger by any means (just a seasoned wedding guest), but with wedding season upon us I thought I'd share a few posts for brides and wedding guests alike. The last post in the series is a little something to get you through the reception...*

For the final installment of the wedding season posts, I thought we'd focus on a little something to help you through the reception if you're a wedding guest this summer. To be prepared (and a bit cheeky), why not tuck a flask into your purse for the night? I did for one of the three weddings I've attended this summer :)

So, if you find yourself at a dry wedding or in need of a little more oomph in your cocktail, here's some fun flasks to come to your rescue.


Chevron flask, $17.95


Three Sheets To The Wind, $25


Classic Stanley Flask, $22


Sneaky Hidden Flask, $24


NY Embroidered Flasks, $70


Skull & Crossbones, $65


Hide The Evidence, $2.99

Fess up, folks. Have you ever taken a flask to a wedding?

Top photo via PBS.

(A Retro) Weekend in Pictures

{heading towards the ferry to governor's island}

{the view from the ferry}

{everyone dressed in 20s-style clothes}

{the band - don't you love their outfits?}

{st. germain}

{beautiful old homes (or maybe barracks) on the island}

{small chapel}

{I'd imagine an officer's family living there}

{coming back into manhattan}

This past weekend I went out to Governor's Island for the annual Jazz Age Lawn Party. It's a day of 20s-style fun with a jazz band, a dance floor, cocktails and picnicking. Almost everyone dresses up, and walking around the island's old homes and military buildings feels like stepping into a time machine. They even have a pie baking contest, which I fully plan to enter next year. Hope your weekend was jazzy too :)

ps - more photos of the event here.

Wedding Season: Off-Registry Gifts

*I'm not a wedding blogger by any means (just a seasoned wedding guest), but with wedding season upon us I thought I'd share a few posts for brides and wedding guests alike. Today: off-registry gifts!*

Do you feel comfortable going off-registry when buying wedding gifts? I think for me it depends on how well I know the couple and their taste. I still cringe at the first off-registry wedding gift I ever bought (and maybe the first wedding gift I ever bought!). When my childhood best friend got married right after college, I wanted to get them something they could use for fun date nights. So I got them a brightly colored tiffin box, a Twister towel, and maybe a gift certificate for local take-out. I envisioned a fun, flirty picnic with a game of Twister (we were 22!). Looking back, I wish I had gotten them something a bit more timeless than a Twister towel--eek!

When looking for something a little more classy than my Twister towel gift, I like to think about something the couple would really use & enjoy, or something they wouldn't think to ask for from their wedding guests. So, here are a few ideas if you're in need of an off-registry wedding gift.





A Subscription Service. If your friends are really into wine, beer, or something edible, get them a subscription to receive something new every month. Wine of the month clubs are tried and true, but there are also craft beer clubs, and even ice cream subscription services like Milk Made in NYC.



A Fun Tool Kit. This would be especially great for new homeowners. Throw in a gift card to Lowe's or Home Depot.





Mason Jar Blender. If you've been to a wedding over the past few years, you've certainly seen mason jars in use--as decor, as drinking glasses, as vases...the list goes on. So, very likely, the newlyweds will have a lot of jars leftover. Help them put them to use with this awesome mason jar blender.



Pinhole Press Gift Certificate. I've mentioned Pinhole Press before (I gave them to my roommates before they both got married), and their gift cards are a great way to let your friends customize their own gift. They offer photo books, framed photos, and even wine bottle labels.

What about you? Do you cling to the registry, or do you prefer to get something a little more unexpected?

Top photo via, ice cream photo via Milk Made, beer photo by Suzi Marshall, tool photos via Alice Supply Co., mason jar photo by Our Labor of Love, wedding book photo via The Soho.

Then & Now

Did you see this home featured on Apartment Therapy? The author's aunt bought a home and found photos & a ledger of expenses from 1939! I love glimpses into the past like this, and it's so interesting to see what changes and what stays the same.







What a neat thing to find. Do you live in an older home? My building is around 100 years old and I'd love to know more about who lived here in all that time.

Photos by Sarah Dobbins

(A Day Trip) Weekend in Pictures

{celebrating a friend's new job with chili margaritas}

{headed to grand central}

{classic meeting spot}

{10 minute rainstorm}

{the old croton aqueduct trail}

{the hudson river from dobbs ferry, ny}

{salty paws sailboat}

With no plans and an entire summer Saturday ahead of us, my friend Nicolle and I hopped on the train and headed north. There's tons of little towns to visit within an easy train ride of NYC, but it's not always easy to get from the train station to the town. Last summer we walked a mile of sketchy roads in New Haven, CT before getting to anything worth seeing.

This time, we chose the Rivertowns (we started in Irvington) which are all an easy walk from the train. They're all connected by the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail, which winds through lightly wooded areas and past big beautiful homes. We had a lovely day getting lost (like, actually lost), rained on for a bit, and imagining who might live in the houses. How was your weekend?