I go to the greenmarket in the morning, and last week I wondered if maybe I wasn’t entirely awake yet:
it’s actually an installation in the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. reminds me a lot of this installation in Madison Square Park last year (Antony Gormley’s Event Horizon).
except these guys aren’t poised to jump.
the artist is Steinnun Thorarinsdottir…why are Icelandic people so cool?
if I could live anywhere, I think maybe it would be at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. 340 days of sunshine, the Amigo Room, really comfy bathrobes, bicycles free for the borrowing.
Here’s my wardrobe:
dress by Bhalo
sunglasses by Oliver Peoples
bikini by Melissa Odabash
hoops by David Lee Holland
it is now becoming quite evident that I’ve been traveling a lot, trying hard to outrun the NYC weather. so far I’ve been wildly successful.
the San Enrique is a hotel (or former hotel, it didn’t look too inhabited to me) right across the border in Nogales, Sonora (that’s MEXICO, gringos).
a few blocks further into Mexico and you come to La Roca, a restaurant carved into the side of a hill.
two things I love: light and color.
La Roca has some hidden party rooms. here’s one of them:
I mean, excellent.
headed to a supermercato on the outskirts of town…great candles.
previously, on Y LA REV, we re-visited one of my favorite cities, and now we’re back with a few more travel notes.
this past trip I spent a lot of time in Sarria, where I discovered the best cafe con leche (or, as they say in Catalan, cafe amb llet) at Doctor Coffee. I was addicted, and by the end of my trip I knew the baristas by name.
I love places that actually care about style.
had dinner one night in an amazing Italian restaurant near the Palau Musica…it’s already hard enough to get a table there so I won’t divulge the name, but it was good (who knew, Italian food in Spain?) and inexpensive and, again, really well-decorated.
rustic. loves it.
I’m not going to lie, a lot of my vacationing revolves around dining out. my last night was a Michelada-fueled romp through some delightful Mexican food (again with the foreign places!) in Gracia.
under the watchful eye(brow) of Frida Kahlo.
another true confession: I love watching music videos. especially with dudes like this:
I have a type. and it’s a silver fox in a tuxedo deshabille. there’s probably a bottle of champers somewhere, too.
adios, guapos!
I love Barcelona. and I love having an excuse to go visit (in the form of two smart friends studying there, hola Zan & Mummsy!). last year I posted a couple photos from my first trip, and this time I checked out some old favorites and discovered new haunts.
one of my favorite places to go in Barcelona is MACBA, the contemporary art museum, and prowling the neighborhood after my visit I came across this fellow:
a giant cat, stalking the streets of El Raval.
the neighborhood is also a great place to get a haircut:
if you want to look like those guys.
I’ve always admired street style in Barcelona, because it seems at the same time colorful and intellectual. then I came across Da Hustle…
word.
and as per usual, I’m always on the lookout for a Chinese restaurant.
didn’t get a chance to try the food, though.
Barcelona, a city of grand diversity: felines of extraordinary size, awesomely bad hairstyles, clothes with cred, and Sichuan specialties. more to come!
best way to see Venice is simply to wander, either on foot through the narrow streets and bridges, or by water taxi through the canals.
the doors of Venice:
and now, some commercialism. the prettiest Pellegrino bottle in the world (Missoni!):
after Venice, I went to Vicenza where my hotel was right next to a weird and wonderful store called Cash-n-Carry. inside, a Costco-like delight of Italian products, including the WORLD’S LARGEST NUTELLA JAR:
hard to tell from the photo, but it was approximately 10 inches tall.
and also, bizarrely erotic meringues:
I purchased some items to take back to the hotel room, and had to pack them in a box.
unpacked:
a bottle of Sardinian wine, grapefruit/cranberry juice, fruit, almonds, Ritter Sport, and a corkscrew. all the makings of a delightful evening watching Champions League in the hotel.
since Venice is such a touristy city, it’s a great place to shop. I stumbled on two Bottega Veneta boutiques within five minutes of exiting the water taxi. score! I also came across my perennial favorites (and hometown heroes) Vhernier, Roberto Coin, Nardi, and Pomellato. the windows at Pomellato:
ahhhhh pink ring come home with me!
I’ve wanted some of those baby rings (bottom left) for ages and should have bought them years ago…because now I won’t be satisfied until I get that fish-scale cuff, too.
I have a thing for necklaces like this…and for ebony and gold. so chic. and slightly reminiscent of my favorite Mardi Gras beads. Venice is the home of Carnivale!
moving on from Pomellato (oh so slowly), I discovered an amazing chandelier shop.
beyond. Murano is just a 10-minute water taxi ride from Venice, hence the preponderance of beautiful art glass.
masquerade chandelier!
I love zodiacs. this one is in the piazza San Marco. obviously influenced our friend Temple St. Clair.
you have to see the Bridge of Sighs. it’s under renovation (like much of San Marco) so the effect is rather like a Wim Wenders film.
so many photos, so little time. part 3 is on its way!
spent a few days in the Veneto…
you know that expression, “see Venice and die”? I think most American tourists are planning on accomplishing both items consecutively. everyone was approximately 300 years old.
oh, and San Marco flooded. they’re serious about that whole Save Venice thing. I personally had to save my Camper booties from the rising waters.
this dude had the right idea.
one of the things we do at Y LA REV when we travel is find Chinese restaurants in incongruous places.
I swear, I took this photo with my Kodak point-n-click. the whole city is a postcard.
stay tuned for part 2, in which we explore the city in detail…
we escaped to Montauk, Long Island last week.
lots of love for this charming getaway, particularly for:
the rocks we collected on the beach
the colorful signage
Whoa Nellie on Main Street
and the temporary jewelry tattoos I purchased there!
(TOTALLY saving them for a special occasion).
we’ve posted a lot recently about friendship bracelets (Ayofemi and Bhalo) because we think they’re sweet.
and you know we love bracelets with a mission (again, see Bhalo). so it follows that we’re giving big hearts to Same Sky.
Same Sky employs HIV+ women (who are also survivors of the Rwandan genocide) to make these glass-bead bracelets, all fair-trade, socially-responsible, and good for us.
my favorites are the fabric wraps, crocheted from Rwandan textiles and named after popular songs (popular, at least, on my iPod):
Tangled Up in Blue
Material Girl
at first I was trying to decide which one to buy, but at only $40 for the fabric wraps, and to support such a meaningful endeavor, I think I’ll just get a few. and they’ll look awesome layered, too.
y la rev 
