the dreamers, the believers, the doers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners

Long distance is about not settling, extreme planning, making my dreams come true, STRESS, speaking 4 languages, tearful goodbyes, compromise, making new homes, not being able to leave the airport until he's completely invisible, falling in love with every city we visit, perpetually packing and unpacking, trouble sleeping alone, curing writer's block, wondering where we'll finally settle so we can get that dog, trust, skype, lots of fighting, great sex, 18 cities in 1 year, care packages, constant leaps of faith...never quite feeling at home since home is where the heart is, isn't it?

Sunday: Uptown Appreciation Day

Yesterday, was so fun it makes this particular Monday seem that much worse! New York gets all dressed up for the holidays and it is a must see. So Simone and I decided to take it all in and make an uptown day of it; tourist style. Not to be outdone by New York herself, I decided go with something uptownish?? I opted for all black, an Adrienne Landau fur vest and my favorite Jenni Kayne shawl in winter white.


I think, I make a big deal of this a lot, but it is seriously a different world up there! It is the decadent New York of the early 90's, the one I dreamt of as a child. The tall towers, glistening shops with dreamy windows made up for Christmas, twinkle lights everywhere, the Plaza hotel, carolers, Rockefeller Center and everyone piling up 5th Avenue with bags and bags of lovely gifts. Just as I began to feel sorry for myself, being most sadly without any shopping bags, I got a treat of my own-tea and cake. After being pleasantly warmed and comforted, we walked further up and past the park to catch a feel good-The Fantastic Mr. Fox. It was excellent but long and my hunger only got worse imagining what was in store next.




Behind a thick velvety curtain at Le Parker Meridien lies burger heaven! It's called the Burger Joint and that is exactly what it is. You walk up to order, they shout your name when it's ready and the fries come in a brown paper bag so the grease stains make you feel even worse for all the calories you've just ingested! But it is seriously worth it! Be sure to share a black and white milkshake...it's a memory maker.

New York I Love You Too

I decided I needed a bit of an attitude adjustment when it comes to my big apple. She and I have been in a strange place lately. Perhaps it's all the travel that's got me wanting to take off again. Plus, with this cold weather and the getting dark by 3:00? Ok, maybe 4:00...its just unbearable. So I decided I must see New York I Love You, to rekindle our love. It worked. The stories were things all New Yorkers often regale with friends. An impromptu tryst with a sexy stranger over the seductive lighting of a cigarette, discovering a wonderful new place, having a moving conversation with a lonely stranger that seems like an incarnation of god come down to send you a message, or realizing that you have just been majorly had! The fact is these wonderful bits just mean more when they happen in New York. Seems like odds are in our favor, but the reality is it could take a lifetime and a miracle to find something real. The up side is you get to accumulate these wild tales on your journey. And these could not get any more real.

One story featured a cab driver who picks up a very distraught man. He has tears in his eyes and does not reply to the driver although he insists on pursuing the conversation. The cab driver says, "You know you come here because you think this is the capital of where all things can happen." And the distraught man replies, "yeah it can be...in the beginning." They say if you can make in this town you can make it anywhere. It's absolutely true.

I really feel like biting the shit out of an apple right now.

"8-9 Times Actually"

I never took much notice of Rihanna beyond having her must-have hits on my gym playlists. She is a beautiful young star, role model, fashion icon and suddenly VICTIM?

A bit over a year and a half ago, I lost my cousin to domestic violence. Maria was a young mother of two, a broken and deeply affected soul, who I could not penetrate. She was constantly looking for love and approval. Ultimately, her misguided search proved to be fatal. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of her, wonder what I could have done differently, how I could have reached her. Today, I try to be a surrogate to her children. They look more like her everyday, especially her son. Sometimes I can literally see her through his eyes.

My cousin, Maria, was a text book case but the truth is, anyone can fall victim to domestic violence. This is what Rihanna proves to us. She had the opportunity to reach millions all over the world-to stand up and say, "It's not ok!" I am so grateful that she has. Watch the interview if you can because it was just so perfectly real. She looks incredibly beautiful; the perfect picture of a star. But her secrets, told in a slight yet direct voice, are chilling, vulnerable and without tears. It seems impossible she is just 21 years old.

A Toast

One evening this summer, I was sitting at a quiet dinner somewhere in the south of Italy. We sat beside a large group of ladies. The long table buzzed with laughter and loud enthusiastic chatter. I wondered what they were celebrating-birthday, bridal shower? And it made me wonder, if I tried to put together a dinner of my nearest and dearest, what would it look like? Could I even think of that many people? Who would they be? The evening really stuck with me and last night I shared this little story because I realized I had gotten my answer. We were celebrating my birthday and I looked around to the most beautiful and special friends a person could ask for. So I thanked them for being the ones.

Lost Los Angeles

Funny how life is sometimes. I used to travel to Los Angeles just about every month. I would go for hikes at Runyon, brunch at Kingsroad, browse my favorite shops like American Rag, Madison and Opening Ceremony. At night it was always a posh dinner-sushi at Koi, Italian at Mozza, drinks at the Chateau Marmont. Soon my travels headed east to Europe. I have absolutely no complaints but going back made me realize how much I missed it and frightfully how much I really like it!





The most alluring feature of the city of angels, is the consistently perfect weather. As we get older it gets increasingly more difficult to endure the cold weather. In Los Angeles, on October 29th through November 4th, I enjoyed 80 degree weather; fully clear, no rain and not a cloud in the sky! I never considered myself much of a weather baby, growing up on the east coast, but I couldn't help but be bewitched by how pleasant it was outside. Then, I hit all my old haunts, all the while thinking, I could really get used to this again.