California dreaming

Today, I'm off! California-bound to visit my little sister Alyssa, who just moved there last year. I'm starting the week off in Irvine where she lives, then meeting Matt for a weekend wedding in Northern California (San Francisco to be exact). Alyssa and I don't have a ton of things planned, but one thing's for sure: she's taking me to Santa Catalina, 26 miles across the sea. As I've mentioned before, the Wheatones signature song pays tribute to this tiny island, a place I still have never been. So stay tuned for updates about my trip...they will be coming soon!

(Photo of Santa Catalina by butterfly1172 via Flickr)

Room with a view

The room.

The view.

Check out this room at the Saffire-Freycinet, a new hotel that just opened on Tasmania, an Australian island not too far off the coast. I'd feel like a different person waking up there every day — wouldn't you?

(Photos via T Magazine and Sameer Reddy)

Emmys in review

Is it just me or is TV getting a bit more exciting than film these days? The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards last night were filled with surprises, great speeches, and a Glee-inspired opening number that brought the house down. Here, a few of my favorite moments from the show, and a shout-out to Modern Family for one of the best intro skits ever!

 A well-deserved Emmy win for Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet, Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.

A super-psyched Jon Hamm escorting Betty White. Their dance lessons in the opening number was one of the show's best parts!

 Archie Panjabi takes it home for The Good Wife.

In one of the night's more notable upsets, Modern Family beats Glee for Outstanding Comedy Series.

 And Mad Men wins it for Outstanding Drama Series! (How grown up does Susie Draper look?!) 

Night at the museum

Here's something you should know about me: I'm a girl who loves to plan. But a weekend that goes by schedule-free? It's something I treasure even more. This Saturday, my spontaneity led me to the Guggenheim, a museum I've wanted to visit since my high school days. I loved the Haunted photography and multi-media exhibit, especially the portrait of Princess Diana. And how cute is this 1970 New Yorker cover featuring the museum? Let's just say I'm now the proud owner of my own copy, in postcard size.

The weekend is here!

Hello lovelies! How great is it that Friday has arrived? I am looking forward to a bit of summer cleaning this weekend, and I also need to pack. Next week, I'm off to California for some last minute summer R&R — and to celebrate my birthday too! So tell me, what do you have planned for your own Saturday/Sunday bliss? 

Here are a few happy posts from around the Web to get your weekend started right:

A few bits of summer so far.

Your chance to be as stylish as Joan on Mad Men.

A sparking blue interior.

Ice cream and cow-tipping!

An eloquent and adorable 3-year-old poet.

(Photo via It Looks Good To Me)

Sleeping bears

As a girl who — growing up — loved reading books like Bear Aware to prepare for hikes deep in the wilderness in Maine, I'm not sure how I feel about the sleeping bag pictured above. Cute and hug-able? Maybe. Something you want to wake up next to while alone in the woods in the middle of the pitch dark night? Yeah, not so much.

(Via A Cup of Jo)

Get out of town

My dear readers, are you in the mood for a weekend escape? Look no further than the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. It's easy to get to, with lots to do and lots to see! For me, dinner at Paragon and spa treatments at G-Spa are the only things a girl could need, but what about you? Have you been to Foxwoods before? Do you have plans to go soon?

Read more about my weekend trip in the latest issue of New York Resident magazine, available now.

Birthday bliss

In honor of my little sister's 25th birthday today, I thought I'd share some creative party details as inspiration for celebrating the occasion just right. A cupcake with a sparkler is sweet and festive, don't you think? What great way to make a birthday wish!

(Via The Sweetest Occasion)

Cover girl

Maybe it's because I love The Good Wife. Maybe it's because I think that Julianna Margulies continues to be one of the best actresses out there today. Maybe it's because I'm interviewing Julianna's co-star Matt Czuchry today for the next cover of New York Resident magazine. Either way, I think Redbook's September cover might be one of the best issues to hit newsstands this fall — I can't wait to snag a copy!

Get a sneak peek at pics from the shoot here.

Tomato tasting

There's no better way to spend a Sunday than tasting heirloom tomatoes at the open-air New Amsterdam Market downtown. All 20 varieties were delicious, and I was more than okay with lining up to try each one. My favorites were the Black Prince tomato (which tasted rather egg-planty) and the Sun Gold cherry tomato. Blame last week's article in New York magazine, but I'm sort of on a tomato kick. I picked up a quart of cherry tomatoes at the market — guess what I'm eating for lunch?

The weekend is here!

Happy weekend to you! Was it just me or did this week go by fast? Tonight I am going to see Trust at the Second Stage Theatre starring Zach Braff and Sutton Foster — I can't wait! Especially after reading this New York Times review. So, my dear readers, what are your weekend plans? Here are a few happy posts from around the web to get your weekend started right:

A recipe for Tomato Pepper Salad that combines all the ingredients I love. 

Chart your travels with a scratch map.

Did you know Aerin Lauder prefers hand-written thank you notes?

I want to wear these Femme Flats from Topshop. The ones with the polka dots. 

(Photo by Osvaldo_Zoom via Flickr)

Hiya peaches

How gorgeous is this bowl of peaches? Blanched for pie by culinary extraordinaire Anna Stockwell, they are the only thing I want to eat today. 

(Photo via food, fotographs & forget-me-nots)

A peek inside Etsy's offices

I've been inside some cool office spaces, but none as cool as this. The lamps in Etsy's corporate offices look like something out of a Disney movie. And ping pong? At work? That should take the place of conference tables world-wide. What a great way to hash out creative ideas!

(Photos via unstitched)

A sweet quote

"Whatever [Suri] wants to do, I know she's going to be amazing at it. I've already started my applause, and I will be applauding for the rest of my life." — Katie Holmes, Fall Fashion issue of New York magazine

Summer salad

The Mango and Pine Nut Salad, featured in Women's Health.

I don’t know about you, but when it gets this hot, the food I tend to crave the most is salad. But finding inventive ways to combine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers can be tough day after day. Leave it to Women's Health to come up with a fantastic list of low-calorie summer salad recipes to carry their incredibly appreciative readers (me!) through into fall. My favorite so far is the Black Bean Salad. There’s something about the scent of cilantro mixed with avocado and lime juice that makes my mouth immediately start to water.

Next on my list to mix up? This Mango and Pine Nut Salad. What about you? Any fun summer salads that you love to make?

(Photo by Jonathan Kantor)

The windy city in pictures

Waiting in line for deep dish pizza at Gino's East.

Enjoying a photo op at "The Bean" in Millennium Park.

Margaritas a la Rick Bayless at Frontera Grill...

followed by a late night ride on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier.

Waking up to a sunny day...

and a White Sox game at Comiskey Park.

Dinner at Art Smith's Table 52 — orecchiette and a slice of Hummingbird Cake.

Last stop of the night: The Publican for Belgian beers.

Farewell Chicago! Thanks for a lovely weekend! xo

Krysten Ritter for Banana Republic

It was late. 

I was feeding my online shopping addiction at BananaRepublic.com. What a great surprise to find actress Krysten Ritter featured on the homepage, modeling this adorably polished outfit for fall. I love her khaki skirt and navy jacket combination, not to mention her playful stroll! In the mood to mimic Krysten's style? Tonight, for one night only, Banana hosts their signature "After 5 Style Event" with a 30 percent discount for cardholders on any purchase of $100 or more.  

Oh fall fashion. You make me happier than you'll ever know.

Puppy love

This photo from bawkbawk combines two things I love the most. (1) Puppies and (2) The beach.

Looks like this guy had a tough day.

The weekend is here!

My dear readers, what do you have planned for the weekend? I'm off to Chicago tonight for two and a half days of food, fun and catching up with friends. Any tips for exciting adventures in the Windy City? The last time I was in Chicago, it was February (and negative degrees) so for trip #2, I have some exploring to do!

Before I go, take a peek at a few happy posts from around the web to get your weekend started right:

Pink Parasols as cocktail accessories.

DIY pillow shams from Design Sponge. (You should know I'm on the hunt for my own pillow shams — after reading this, maybe I should just make them myself?)

New (and artfully designed) roll-on cologne from Diptyque. I agree with Julie Earle-Levine, I want to try L'Eau.

Photographer Thomas Marlow's paint-happy engagement shoot. 

(Photo by Eric Tenin via ParisDailyPhoto.com)

Ode to popsicles

A Raspberry Basil Ice Pop from People's Pops.

Maybe it's because they make me feel like a kid again, but as August gets hotter and hotter, all I want is a bite of this cold, sugary treat. People's Pops has been my recent flavor of choice. With stands at the Brooklyn Flea, Chelsea Market, even the High Line, they are "popping" up everywhere my summer travels seem to take me.

Can't try the real thing? Edy's now offers a tasty alternative — Pomegranate  and Acai Blueberry Fruit Bars. Yum!

(Photo by Peyotetheatre via Flickr)

I forgot my phone

On Friday night, the unthinkable happened. I went out the door...and forgot my phone. You know what I missed? Nothing. No calls, no texts, no BBMs. Instead, I enjoyed a few technology-free hours and discovered something simple: bliss.

(Photo courtesy Leah Dieterich and thxthxthx.com)

Lovely Bride

The LovelyBride.com homepage.

Although I've never been a girl that spends hours fantasizing about the details of my own 'I do', for the first time, Lovely Bride kind of makes me want to. The site's design is sweet and the blog is filled with cute and inspirational ideas. Plus, the shop's owners think Cafe Cluny is 'lovely' too — another point on which I happen to agree. So, what do you think? Any brides/brides-to-be/wedding-lovers that adore this site too?

We made sushi!

We did it! We made sushi! And with the help of the iPhone app "Teach me Sushi," it was actually fairly easy to do. For next time, there are only a few things we'd change:

1) Make real edamame. It was my fault — I thought my local supermarket would carry it. Turns out you need to go to a specialty food store or local farmer's market to find it. Anyways, we had to go with the frozen kind, which steamed with sea salt, wasn't that bad.
2) Use a firmer grip on the Bamboo Sushi Roller. As you'll notice from the pics, some of the rolls don't form a complete seaweed circle. Practice makes perfect with that, but it's a good thing to keep in mind.
3) Buy more wine. Making sushi takes time. While one bottle should be enough to get you through, it's smart to have a second one on hand just in case you run out. Because when the sushi-making gets tough, the tough need more wine.

But overall, it was fun. And how did it taste? So good.

The weekend is here!

I wonder — will our sushi look as good as this?

Big weekend plans tonight! Matt and I are going to try making our own sushi. We're going with the basics: Spicy Tuna and California rolls. To add to our ambition, we're making edamame too.

Now, Matt already knows — when it comes to cooking skills, mine are limited to say the least. But we figure this is something that will be an adventure of sorts. And in the event of a massive screw up, I've got Sushi Hana on speed dial.

What about you? Has anyone ever made their own sushi before? Check back next week — I'll let you know how it goes!