The weekend is here!

Happy Friday, my darling readers! How was your week? I'm really looking forward to a couple of days off. Since Brooklyn Heights Cinema is closing (the saddest news ever!), we're planning to catch one final flick (I'm thinking this, since I still haven't seen it). Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead. Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

Obsessed with this Morgan James cover.

Love this book shelf.

The cutest water pitcher.

An awesome summer playlist.

Anna Wintour takes the ice bucket challenge. 

An Instagram account for J.Crew gingham.

Tees designed for selfies.

Downton Abbey: behind the scenes.

A whimsical dessert party. So cute!

Topped toast is my fave. 

Alright, my lovelies! I'm taking next week off from blogging. See you in September! xoxo

(Image via Collage Vintage)

Travel Page: Padua and Venice

At last! The final leg of my European vacation this summer—three days in Padua and Venice, Italy. When Matt and I finally made it to Padua, we let out a small sigh of relief. We had trekked rom Sweden to our destination, and now we could truly kick back and relax. And since Matt had lived in Padua before, he was in his element playing tour guide here...

O Captain My Captain

I was deeply saddened to hear that Robin Williams passed away last week. Like so many, I grew up entertained and delighted by so many of his films. Three favorites stand out: Good Will Hunting (I walked past this bench en route to work every morning for three years), Hook (I saw this in the theater with my cousins in Maine—and spent the summer chanting "Ruf-i-ooooo!"), and Mrs. Doubtfire (I still remember the tears of laughter streaming down my grandmother's face when we watched this scene).

But—as Matt pointed out last week—I had never seen Dead Poets Society, which Matt claims is his ultimate role. We rented it last week to watch, in honor of Robin, and whenever I mentioned our plan to my friends and parents, they all replied, "Carpe diem! That film changed my life. You'll love it." I did. Similar to this movie, it's one I can't stop thinking about. It reminded me of the power of a very good film and the impact of a memorable character, like John Keating, who Robin plays. 

It was nice to see a youthful Robin Williams in his first dramatic role on screen—and say goodbye.

What's your favorite Robin Williams film?

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Bar Chuko

Do you like Japanese food? I recently tried out Bar Chuko in Prospect Heights. It was so hard to not order everything on the menu—each dish was so good. That said, it's easy to sample a lot since the menu is divided into snacks, bites, bowls, and skewers (all reasonably priced). For $2-3 a pop, the grilled veggie skewers were my favorite part. I tried the corn, the broccoli, the cherry tomatoes and the snow peas (don't they look so pretty?). As the night went on, I kept increasing my order, adding more and more skewers to try. Next time I go, I have a strategy: Order multiples of each from the start!

New Brooklyn nail salon

My latest Brooklyn discovery: This super-cute Hawaiian-style nail salon called Pau Hana. It's funny because I've never really felt like a quickie manicure/pedicure in New York is all that relaxing, until I found this place. If you close your eyes, it sort of feels like you're being whisked away somewhere tropical for an hour. It sounds silly, but the Tiki music, the turquoise wash basins, the wicker chairs—it makes a difference. 

My favorite part is the organic nail polish they stock. The brand I tried is called Zoya and—I'm not kidding—my manicure (in Jolene) is still chip-free after seven days! 

Do you have a go-to nail spot? What about it helps you relax?

More summer manicure ideas here and here.

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The weekend is here!

What are your weekend plans, my dear readers? I am so excited to kick back and relax. I'm also hoping to do a bit of reading. I just picked up this book—have you read it? I need to see it before the movie comes out this fall! Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead. Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

My favorite poem.

The large print.

Pop culture weddings you've actually attended yourself. (#1 might be my favorite.)

Crinkle fries are back!!

The prettiest yellow bra.

The best Broadway news.

A sun shade for people who burn easy (like me!).

In a word: Breathtaking.

Birthday cake crumbles.

Garlic-roasted tomato sandwiches. Um, yes, please.

(Image via Design Love Fest)

Made me laugh.

Did you know that Diane Keaton is on Pinterest? I love her boards! This pin of hers made me laugh—perfect for a Thursday, right? :)

PS: Are you reading her new book? I loved her last one!

(Image via Pinterest)

Asparagus and Pesto Ravioli

Ever since I took a pasta-making class last summer, I've been eyeing machines (like this one) so that I could make my own pasta from scratch. Enter this recipe for Quick Pesto Tortellini with Asparagus and Capers. Bloggers Nicky and Max have a work-around so you don't need a machine to serve up this airy, flavorful treat. They use puff pastry for the pasta part. Brilliant!

The result looks delicious. You can find the full recipe on their blog over here. 

What do you think? Would you give this recipe a whirl?

(Images via Nicky & Max)

Movie Page: Guardians of the Galaxy

I've mentioned before that Matt and I tend to trade off on the movies we see. This time, it was his pick, so we saw Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel movies are hit or miss for me (unless of course they star Robert Downey Jr. Swoon.), but I loved this film. (I had an inkling I would like it after reading my friend Rachel's review.) Chris Pratt is an amazing superhero. The film is hilarious. I left feeling nostalgic for my mix tapes—and even downloaded the movie's soundtrack.

Seriously, it might be the summer's best blockbuster film. Have you seen it?

PS: Another summer flick I loved.

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Governors Island escape

Over the weekend, Matt and I took the ferry over to Governors Island for the first time this summer. I can't believe it's taken us this long to get out there this year—especially given all the new things to do! On Saturday, the weather was perfect. The ferry was crowded. :) But we had a blast. Here are my top three favorites of everything that's new:

1) Hammock Grove. This place is awesome. All hammocks. The crazy part—we found a free hammock right away! I wished I had brought a book with me. I could have lounged in my hammock reading all day. 

2) Food trucks. There used to be ZERO food on Governors Island. Trust me. We went out there about four years ago for the Jazz Fest and failed to eat before boarding the boat. We were starving! And hangry! Now there are so many choices for lunch. You can even get Blue Marble out there. Yum!

3) More bike paths. A major plus is that bikers are the first to board the ferry. Better yet, with all the new green spaces that are open, having a bike on Governors Island makes it easy to whip around and see it all. Like the furthest point past Hammock Grove: The view of Lady Liberty from there is incredible. And costs nothing to see!

Have you been to Governors Island this summer?

The weekend is here!

What are your weekend plans? Matt and I are hoping to scoot out to Governor's Island to bike around and check out the new Hammock Grove. Usually, we make it out there a handful of times a summer. I can't believe we haven't been yet! Wishing you a lovely and relaxing weekend ahead. Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

The next movie on my list.

Shark attack.

NYC summer streets. Awesome.

Celebrity crush. Swoon.

A floating snowflake hotel.

Such a pretty dress!

Behold: The Ryan Gosling bathroom.

Love this gold belt.

How to create a home office space (love this tip!).

Surf's up!

(Image via Tumblr)

Jars dinnerware

When Matt and I were in Paris, we splurged on a fancy night out at Le Chateaubriand. The food was unreal (in case you're wondering, the top image is their cheese plate; the bottom image is part of the dessert course, strawberries served with a mix of Indian spices that tasted like anise)—but I couldn't leave without asking about their dinnerware. Every course came out on a different color plate! The waiter explained: They use Jars, a brand founded in 1857 in the South of France. The plates and bowls are all hand-crafted—and beautiful. It was such a cool part of the dining experience to curiously wait to see which plate color would be next. Can you imagine being the person in the kitchen coordinating that part of the meal?

The good news: I thought it would be impossible to find Jars back in the U.S., but the brand is sold at Williams Sonoma. 

Do you pay attention to restaurant details like this? Or is all about the food? :)

Roller skating

When was the last time you put on roller skates? For me, I think it was when I was in third or fourth grade—until last week. Brooklyn Bridge Park just opened up a new roller rink on Pier 2, and it's pretty awesome. The only problem is this: I'm terrible. It was so hard for me to remind myself to lean forward (not backwards) to stop moving, and I miss the confidence and fearlessness I had when I was a kid. It was awesome to see the other skaters—mostly between the ages of 4 and 10—barreling around the rink. Then again, I'm pretty sure when they fall, it hurts a lot less. ;) After about 30 laps, I started to get the hang of it again, but that was that. 

I might have to make it a regular thing—and hopefully, my skills will improve with time. :)

More about the Brooklyn Bridge Park expansion here.

Boyhood

Have you seen Boyhood? After a couple of attempts where I arrived to a sold-out show, I finally got to the theater 30 minutes early and snagged a seat. :) Ever since, I can't stop thinking about the film. In case you haven't read about it, check out this review and watch the trailer here. The story is remarkable. Basically, the film traces the journey of Mason from the age of 6 until he turns 18. Director Richard Linklater (the same guy behind the Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and After Midnight trilogy) got the cast together to film every summer for a few days in Texas over the span of 12 years. As the New York Times aptly explained: the realism is jolting.

It's amazing to have this time capsule film that allows you to watch a little boy grow up. Not only that, but the chance to see the impact that time has on the relationship you have with your family and the people you love the most. It's a beautiful reminder of how tumultuous our adolescent years can feel and how much credit we need to give to the varying moments and people that ultimately shape our lives. Hand's down, my favorite part of the movie was seeing Mason interact with Mason Sr. (played by Ethan Hawke).

Have you watched the film? What did you think?

Watch Ellar Coltrane (the film's star) on Jimmy Fallon here. 

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Farmer's Market in Brooklyn

Come August, the only thing I want to snack on are heirloom tomatoes. I'm so lucky that there are two farmer's markets within walking distance from my apartment with table after table of fresh garden picks. This weekend, I went to both—making a single serving salad for myself on Saturday (with olive oil, balsamic, and a sprinkle of sea salt) and a large salad on Sunday (with burrata cheese and basil). It's so fun to see the different varieties that each place has. Saturday's market had a lot more Cherokee Purples and Green Zebras, while Sunday's market had more red and yellow varieties (like the Speck Roman tomatoes, pictured above).

Do you have any go-to recipes for heirloom tomatoes? Would love to hear!

PS: More heirloom tomatoes here and here.

The weekend is here!

Happy August, my darling readers! And happy weekend, too. What do you have planned for the next couple of days off? Anything fun? I love the month of August—it is always so chill as everyone in New York eeks out the remaining days of summer. A few things I'm excited about: heirloom tomatoes, movies with a view, anywhere with a rooftop. :) So, consider this your reminder to savor the remaining days of the summer. It's going by fast! Here, to get your weekend started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

For anyone that mispronounces your name.

New York notecards.

A sad, funny, poignant movie I just watched. Have you seen it?

Love Anna Kendrick.

Where beauty grows.

Brian Williams is a proud dad.

The craziest selfie ever. (Plus, check out this new no-selfie app.)

Kate Middleton's funny faces.

Love this super helpful packing app.

A day at the beach.

How to become a wine expert overnight.

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