Free Charley Harper Prints

Thanks, Cara, for the heads up about free Charley Harper downloads here.


Print 'em out, frame 'em, done!

Fall in Carroll Gardens

The tree across the street from me decided last week to finally admit it was fall, and changed from green to this brilliant yellow nearly overnight.


I came back after Thanksgiving to find it bare and Christmas tree stands around the corner.

Happy almost December!

Where I've Been: Breakneck Ridge

It's hard to get my hiking fix in New York, but luckily it's not impossible. Like most things in this city, you just have to dig a little to find hidden gems. And that's what Breakneck Ridge is—a little gem that no one tells you about. (Of course, that might because most New Yorkers couldn't care less about hiking ...)

Two up-for-anything friends and I traveled on the Hudson line on MetroNorth for about an hour and 20 minutes to the Breakneck Ridge stop. It wasn't a traditional "stop" though; we were dumped out on the side of the tracks ... literally. But we found the trail and started the hike. Or more accurately, the climb. We bouldered straight up for the first, oh, 45 minutes.

Six hours, two peaks and a 3-hour jaunt through the dense forest later, we made it back to the train tracks, just in time for one of the last trains to leave and take us back to the city.

I've done plenty of hikes, but this one trumps some of my Oregon favorites. High praise!

Here's Breakneck Ridge:

Where I've Been: Maine

I was at the airport for a lot of October. It was busy busy. Instead of talking your ear off (typing your, uh, eyes off??), I'll let the photos tell the story.

First: I headed to Maine for my birthday. Oh, it was lovely. I visited Annemarie at Salt Water Farm and she cooked me a tasty lobster dinner for my 26th. (She cooked it, but I killed it! What? You, Ms. Vegetarian? Yeah, more on that later.)








Go, go, go to Camden, Maine, and visit Annemarie. She'll cook you something amazing and teach you how she did it. Plus, it's simply beautiful up there.

Fall To-Do List

I'm going to go ahead and say it: This summer was a bit of a disappointment. Don't you agree? It rained all of June; July came and went; and I'm not sure what happened to August. And now September has come and gone. How has this happened?

That said, I made it through about half my summer to-do list. Now, onto fall, which I enjoy even more than summer. In fact, this morning, I woke up with the windows open and the cool air breezing in and I felt happier than I have in a long time. So, here goes ... this fall, I will:

* Hike Breakneck Ridge
* Go to Maine and visit Salt Water Farm -- DONE! I went last weekend for my birthday. More on that soon, when I get my pictures developed. (Yes, developed. I shot with film if you can believe it ...)
* Sit on the edge of Lake Metacomet
* Volunteer at the New York Marathon again
* Go to two weddings in the midwest -- one in Chicago this weekend, the other in Minnesota
* Volunteer at 826 Brooklyn
* Apple pick
* Meet baby Elsa, the daughter of my friend from my Country Home days, in Virginia
* Spend the rest of my 5 vacation days, which means I just might go back to Oregon and spend it on the coast. Maybe!

Anything else? What are you doing this fall?

My week without ...

I've been reading ReadyMade's A Week Without blog posts for a while now. First, my friend Amy gave up processed foods, and now Virginia is giving up spending any money for a week.

Well, so am I.

But I didn't plan on it. My purse was stolen on Monday night, right out from under my legs. Sneaky McSneakerson purse-snatcher just slipped it away from me as I was having dinner with a friend. Sigh. Gone are my credit cards, debit cards, cash, MetroCard, cell phone, iPod, digital camera, sunglasses, keys, driver's license, etc. etc. etc.

Since all my means of spending any money are frozen for at least three days, I can't spend a cent. My dear Calley gave me $100 and a new MetroCard, and so far I've used $50 of it to buy a new cell phone. That was priority.

Otherwise, nothing. Nada. No happy hour. No dinner. No groceries. No yoga. But really, it's kind of invigorating in a city like this. It's made me realize just how much I do spend every day and how much of it might be not be necessary.

And I am suprisingly not that upset about the whole thing. Sure, it's a pain to replace things, but stuff is just stuff. It's like I'm starting completely over, since in just one day, I have a:

• new phone
• new driver's license
• new work building ID
  
• new bank accts
• new credit cards
• new fraud alerts
• new locks
• new relationship with the NYPD

Yup. Starting over. Again.

One Year

Despite my absence on this blog, I figured it shouldn't go without noting that yesterday was my one-year anniversary in New York. And, well, kind of my one-year anniversary for the blog, too. But that day did go unnoticed—it was sometime in July.

Ironically, I didn't get to post yesterday because I was on a plane on my way back to NYC from KC—which was exactly where I was last year. Much different circumstances, though.

A few highlights of the year ... in 365 days, I:

• Moved ... not once, not twice, but three whole times. In a year.
• Job hunted
• Killed a few cockroaches
  
• Landed a job! A good job! A job I love.
• Re-launched a pretty huge website
• Got my byline in ReadyMade magazine
  
• Learned to snowboard
  
• Survived match.com
• Painted two rooms
• Endured delays in many, many, many airports.
  
• Saw the Yankees play in the old and new stadiums
  
• Voted for Obama and watched him win (ok, well all did that)
• Said good-bye to my favorite dog
  
• Ran across the Brooklyn Bridge
  
• Ran a 10K
• Ran a half marathon
• Traveled to Hudson, NY, Washington DC, Virginia, Boston (many times), Vermont, Portland, Kansas City, and Montreal
• And basically survived NYC.

We'll see what the next 365 days bring!

General 54

Favorite neighborhood in Montreal: Mile End.

We ate bagels (though they were not as good as New York bagels) and drank coffee ...

(photos by jes)

And we shopped. A lot. We stopped by General 54 before it opened, and stalled and stalled and stalled until they finally opened the doors sometime after noon. The store carries Jennifer Glasgow Design and it's because of her that I dropped way too much money. But it was Canadian dollars, right? Right? I bought:

This dress in gray, and it criss-crosses in the back. (Don't worry, I wear a cami underneath to keep it decent.)


And this skirt. And I have no guilt. Even when my credit card bill is due, I'll have no guilt ... because they're super cute and I can nearly guarantee that no one else in New York'll be wearing the same outfit as me.

Looks like Glasgow isn't carried anywhere in the States—but you can shop online!

Montreal

Over the Fourth of July, I pulled a really un-American move. I left the US and went to Canada.

Some friends and I traveled an hour and a half by plane to Montreal. It isn't as European as I'd heard it would be, but regardless, it was a good getaway to another country in which English isn't the dominant language.

We really had no agenda, but we saw fireworks on the Fourth, thanks to the International Fireworks Competition. Thanks, Australia!

We discovered the neighborhoods, and ate a lot and drank a lot of coffee. And shopped. More about that later.

Plus, we strolled around Parc du Mont Royal and stumbled upon their Sunday drummers circle. Reminded me of the movie, The Visitor (which you should see.)

Then we got lost in a Labyrinth, with a bunch of 12-year-olds and it was fantastic.

And in the middle of Old Montreal, a street performer entertained the crowd for our loonies and toonies.

And of course, we (er, Jes and Sarah) tried Poutine, Montreal's delicacy of French fries covered in gravy and cheese curds. As you can see, Jamie wasn't loving it.

So, everything about Canada was great, right? Well, except, for the journey back. See, on my way back, I forgot I had mace in my bag. Yup, that good ol' mace—bought for me by my grandmother—has made it through nearly every single security check in the past two years, so I totally forgot I had it. (That's disconcerting, yeah?) But who gets randomly searched at the border? Moi. (See that? That was French.) So they go through my bag and find the mace. Long story short, I was berated by six big Canadian policeman about having it, and apparently if I called it "dog repellent" instead of having it for personal defense, I would have been ok. But mace is not only not kosher to fly with (duh—totally my fault, I get it) but it's also just plain illegal in Canada. So I was essentially breaking the law.

Then, they start asking for all my information, and to see an ID with my current address. But I don't have an ID with my current address—I shamefully still have an Iowa ID. (That was, um, four or five addresses ago.) So I had to explain where I've lived, and then they yelled at me about that, too. (I'm now a proud owner of a New York driver's license. I'll be getting called for jury duty soon, I'm sure.)

About 30 minutes later, lots of speaking in French, and a debate on how to say "editor" in French, they let me go. Phew. But, I might not ever be allowed back in Canada. Sad. Glad I enjoyed it while I was there!

So, lesson learned: Don't bring mace to Canada and you'll be fine.

The High Line

Have you heard about the High Line? If you're in New York and you haven't—how heavy is that rock you're under? If you're outside of New York, you're forgiven.

I was a bit dubious of it—it's a park on top of old elevated train tracks, which have been abandoned for years. I heard rumblings and grumblings of how much money it cost to re-hab and I wasn't sure if it would be worth it.

But I went on one of the first non-rainy days this summer, and I was very impressed.


There were plenty of places to put up your feet.


And remnants of what it used to be. The plantings are all based off what was naturally growing there when the tracks were abandoned.

This was stretch was the first section of the park—multiple more are in the works and they'll stretch up to 34th Street on the west side of the city. I have a feeling I'll be visiting again. And if you haven't gone yet, definitely check it out.

Summer to-do list

There's plenty to keep you busy in New York during the summer. When I was here for an internship in 2005, I kept a list on my fridge of things I had to get done so I would leave here with no stones unturned. But then, I had a time limit, so I was forced to get everything done before I left. Now, I'm a bit more lazy. Weekends come and go—and it's not that I'm doing nothing, I definitely am doing a lot—but sometimes the things I want to do get pushed behind boring stuff, like grocery shopping and laundry and running and going to the gym and blah blah blah. (Note to self: do laundry tomorrow.) I feel like there are summer-only things that are just slipping through my fingers. So in an effort to keep myself honest, here's my rest-of-summer to-do list.

• Listen to the New York Philharmonic concerts in the park
• See a movie at Brooklyn Bridge Park
• Go to Maine and visit Annemarie at her new cooking school, Salt Water Farm
  
• Go to the beach! (that's on the list multiple times)
• Rent a bike and ride for a few hours, then sleep in a hammock on Governor's Island
• Take a kayak out off the docks on the Upper West Side
• See the John Lennon exhibit at the Rock 'n' Roll Museum Annex
• Practice yoga with Lululemon in Bryant Park
• Have a from-the-farmer's-market dinner party
• Go to the farmer's market once a week (duh)
  

Who's with me? Anything I missed?

NYC P.M.

Sadly, I'm realizing there are fewer times lately where I have the typical "I love New York" moments. I used to have them when I ran over the Brooklyn Bridge, or when I took the R train to Brooklyn and the above-ground track lent great views of the Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. I like to say that "everything becomes habitual"—even living in New York. You go to work, you go out, you come home. New York just becomes part of the scenery.

But I was pleasantly reminded how beautiful the city is when Jes and I went to a going-away party for a friend of hers a few weeks back. It was on the top floor/rooftop of a high-rise on the west side. Not sure how the hosts can afford such a pad—they were our age—but they were gracious and let us admire the view as long as we wanted.

photos by Jes

Can't really complain, eh?

things we make

Hey friends: I have an Inspired Image over at Things We Make today. Check it out!

things to remember, part duex

Just a few more friendly reminders:

- There are many things a weekend away with friends won't cure, but I don't know many of them.
- Don't bring pepper spray over the Canadian border. (More on that later.)
- When in doubt, Bob Dylan.
- Dogs. Heart.
- Don't forget to have a good time.

photo by sarah

Food, Inc.

Food, Inc. should be required viewing. Go, go, go!

Treasure found

If I had an extra $150 lying around, I would have bought this print from she hit pause. studios today at the Smith Street Fair:But I don't have that extra cash right now, so I just grabbed a card and thought, "another day."

I would love to have it alongside the Underwood typewriter that I scored for $30 in Kansas City back in January. It was the holy grail: the typewriter I'd always wanted at such a cheap price! But since I've moved so much, none of my favorite pieces—my other vintage typewriter, my seltzer bottles, my artwork, my pewter ice cream molds, my books—are here with me in New York. Sometimes I think it's just "stuff" that's a pain in the arse to move. But most of the time, I can't wait to have it all back with me again.

RachaelRaymag.com

I'm not usually one to self-promote. Usually. Mostly I like to put the spotlight on my talented friends.

But part of the reason this poor lil' blog has been so badly neglected is because of the time I've spent at work, re-launching our website. (Who knew how much time it takes to re-launch a website?)

And I swore I'd never say where I actually worked on this blog.

But I'm kinda proud of it.

So get thee to RachaelRaymag.com and enjoy!

Things to Remember

This ...

... inspired this:

- What you love is more important than what loves you
- You deserve the time and money spent on yoga
- You always feel better after a run or time at the gym—even at 6 am
- Sleep is important
- Food you eat should be clean, sustainable, and always enjoyed
- Consuming doesn't make you happy
- Do one thing every day that scares you
- The love you take is equal to the love you make. (I can't take credit for that one ...)

To be continued ...

(I can't remember where I found that image, so apologies for the lack of credit.)

Lost my mind in Oregon

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Portland? And how much I miss Oregon?



Don't get me wrong: I love New York, too. But where else can you just climb a mountain and stand on the edge of the world better than you can in Oregon?


I took a much-needed vacation to Portland over Memorial Day. First on my must-do list? Hike. Nicole and I climbed Saddle Mountain this time.

We were supposed to see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainer and the whole Pacific coast from the top.


But by the time we go there, our heads were literally in the clouds.

And this was as good as it got. But I'm not complaining one little bit.

Then we headed to the coast—Ecola State Park—which may be my favorite place in the entire world. The rest of the weekend was filled with bagels, coffee, crossword puzzles, Sauvie Island, Portland Saturday Market, four-square, beer, barbecues, good runs, beautiful weather and sun.


But most of all, I saw the people I miss. It's true—I don't think I'll ever be able to shake myself from Oregon.