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Category: Beautiful Places Close By

Off the Beaten Path: Photographic Missions (Queens)

Like many neighborhoods along the L-train, Ridgewood, Queens, which sits next to Brooklyn’s Bushwick and East Williamsburg, is pretty hipster-invaded. There’s nothing that a natural born weirdo dislikes more than someone who is simply in a weirdo costume.  Eh.  If you still have your appetite, you can check out the Read more…


A Love Letter to You (Philadelphia)

There’s always a reason to go to Philadelphia. Usually it’s food. But the food invites you to make a day of it, to explore other things. Then, the duration of exploration makes you hungry again. (So yes, it’s mostly about food.) But Philadelphia is only two hours away, has deep Read more…


Seaglass Fish / A “Fish” Sandwich

Meeting up with a friend for lunch in Manhattan, I set the meeting spot at Seaglass, the beautiful sea-inspired carousel in Battery City Park. Thankfully, it was empty.  With it being so photogenic, I thought I’d have to creatively crop carousel riders out of my shots.  It was a beautiful Read more…


Backyard Butterfly Break

After several less than active seasons, the butterfly bush has been all a-buzz this summer. So I broke in the new lens for my Nikon and got into the bush to photo-stalk some of the feasting creatures. Like this Monarch butterfly, a big flirt who seemed to content to playfully Read more…


Delicious California (in pictures)

{ A crème brûlée donut from Donut Friend. } { Plant Food + Wine‘s Polenta + Hash: wild mushrooms, sweet potato hash, harissa } { Their potato-heavy Breakfast Burrito } { And their Chickpea Fritatta, dressed to the nines. } { A side of barbecue tempeh with very bitter micro greens. Read more…


Eat with Your Eyes

After I came across 2 unrelated and random references to The Morgan Library & Museum, I went. Because it was like someone was telling me to.  And when I have the time, I like to live life like a Wes Anderson character would, chasing whims and beautiful things, standing in Read more…


The First Day of the Rest of Your Life; Lavender

There are things that go very differently in my head. The first day of my Summer break… In my head I rouse from a peaceful slumber as a stray ray of sunlight gently taps my shoulder.  Hovering Blue Jays hold up an impractical, sheer house coat as I saunter out Read more…


June Traditions

My bag packed for the 5th Grade overnight trip, I had my sweet tooth covered. But that’s about it… It would be our last year at Club Getaway, so we’d have to make it count. This included sneaking off from my group to take scenic pictures.  Things to climb.  Dandies Read more…


Chiaroscuro

I recently had to write the yearbook letter for my graduating 5th grade class. Though I love to write, in general–mostly because I’m not that great at speaking but always have a lot to say–the prospect of translating the internal world… to words… with a deadline is very daunting. I work Read more…


C’mon, Spring. Please.

While I finish a busy week before Spring Break travels, here are iridescent heads of mallards at the Massapequa Preserve glistening in the sun… The crocuses in the backyard, like me, who are just sick of waiting… The daffodils, worse for wear, finally standing up with the sun…   And Read more…


Animal Kingdom

I am pretty sick of the land being a scratchy shade of dry beige. The animals are marching out of their dens, ready for spring. Myself included. But far more exciting, this fox. Who sees beautiful foxes in their path randomly? Luckily me today. The fox, a Red Fox, was walking about Robert Moses State Park. Near Read more…


In Pretty

The things you think are visually appealing as a little kid are stored for continual appreciation even decades letter. For me, gasoline, water and black top.    Premature daffodils in the backyard, appreciated by an outstretched slug, appreciated by me.  A snow-dusted Central Park on a grey winter day while I am Read more…


Scenes from A Long Island Staycation

Typically the weather during my mid-winter school break, the week of Presidents’ day, is poor. The usual snow chances have me avoiding travel and “hunkering down” at home in hibernation mode, perhaps planning Spring and Summer adventures. This year, however, had me stricken with early onset Spring fever. I needed to bust out Read more…


Asbury Park

When the seductive sun returns and undresses you, leaving the Southern hemisphere on the sly and randomly, you make an occasion of it. It was Spring in February! We had the plan to head to the Jersey Shore off-season for lunch before this forecast. Partly because going to the Jersey Shore Read more…


Birthday Stuffs

Luckily, my birthday celebrations expand many weeks–there’s me-time travel involved (the sloths), us-time travel (London), family, friends. Eventually, all sides have been represented, leaving me smiling and grateful. I love October; and I love how my birthday delivers me to the excitement of autumn and winter holidays. And I love October sunrises, Read more…


Pieces of Downtime

Flying over the sandbar that is home. Raspberry alien hands: I’ve always wanted to do this. Delicious vegan Halloween candy from Justin’s and Unreal. Soup weather–or at least it was last week: Red Pepper and Corn Chowder.


Sunflower Pumpkin Patch

How delightful to stumble upon a field of flowers in rural New Jersey! I couldn’t pass it up, especially because my own sunflowers are now all dead.   Happy sunflower faces against the grey day. Kind of a mystery why these cuties are still standing… What is more delightful than a field Read more…


Golf in the Day / Baseball in the Evening

It was a sporty day. First, it was The FedEx Cup (Bubba) in the morning at Bethpage’s Black Course. I’m a fan of Bubba. He’s a total weirdo. This is a good thing.  And baseball in the evening! This is the joy of summers off, being free from a draining Read more…


Pretty Views Photo Purge

My first sunflower!


Summer Outtakes

Without the Empire Pass this year, I am not getting to the beach as often as last year. I am stealing the EZ-pass to go, however. This was some mushroom. I wanted to buy it and sit on it with a hookah.  The butterfly bush started getting some action. This Read more…


Undeveloped Long Island: Welwyn Preserve (Glen Cove)

Undeveloped Long Island: It is so easy to hate where you’re from. It conveniently holds blame for all the ails of your upbringing. It takes no offense. But it’s other things, you just need to look beyond the paths you’ve worn well. Like anywhere, it can be new and fascinating Read more…


Sun Sandwich

Isn’t it amazing how days are neatly organized, bookended by the rising and setting of a bright, hot, great ball of fire? Goodness. Gracious.  Inside them, other good things that bring you joy and sustenance, like a cracked chocolate-encased marshmallow… …Spring baseball in front of a plate of fruit-filled pancakes, with lots Read more…


Sunrises, Foods, and a Cat

I can make a book of the lovely sunrises I get to see on my daily commute to Brooklyn. I think I love Sweet & Sara‘s smores thingy because it reminds me of Moon Pies… or what I called them Scooter Pies.” Sara makes the best vegan marshmallows… and I’m Read more…


These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: Orchids

There are not many things as beautiful as an orchid. So the New York Botanical Garden‘s orchid show (Orchidelirium), which exhibits thousands diverse orchids, is a heavenly way to spend the afternoon. The magnolias are blooming. And an azalea bush that beat the others to bloom.


So Purdy.

The ocean next door. Without Pickle Shack, M.O.B. will have to do. Ground’s jewels. Complete protein. Roasted vegetable aftermath art. Happy cupcakes. Manmade on majesty. “Even if you’re on the right track…”


I ♥ Vegan New York

Will walk for vegan food: On a beautiful afternoon, I strolled from Brooklyn to Manhattan to check out Nix, a new casual restaurant from Michelin-starred chef John Fraser. The attention to detail–from the space to the water to the service to the, of course, the menu–was impeccable. First, from my walk over Read more…