Burger of the Week #68

A special birthday burger from last week! My pal Meredith made me this felt burger with all the condiments just to my liking! 

Thanks Mere, you're so talented! 

Brooklyn Art Library: A Global Artist Tour

I stayed in Brooklyn last week, but with my predilection for Manhattan, I found myself constantly traveling back under the river. Luckily, on my final day there, my flight was delayed and I made it to Brooklyn Art Library before my flight. 

The Brooklyn Art Library is home to the Sketchbook Project, a traveling library of artist books created all around the world. The Library is lined with shelves with the hundreds of sketchbooks people have submitted to the project.

These little books were some of the most beautiful and emotional works of art I've ever seen. And getting to hold them and flip through them made it very strong and personal experience. 

If you're in the area, check it out, the library is located at 103A North 3rd St. in Williamsburg or if your an artist I encourage you to participate. Participation is $25 and you get a blank journal. When you turn your book in, it will then go on tour around the world—you'll be able to see when and where people check your book out and see their comments. Imagine, people the world over, handling and admiring your artwork. After five years, you can contact the Library to have your book returned to you. 

MoMA PS1

On last year's visit to New York, I went to MoMA, which I was sufficiently impressed with. So on this visit, Denise suggested we check out PS1—an extension of MoMA. 

So we took the G Train up to Queens on a pleasantly rainy afternoon. I was immediately stuck the facility presence on this unassuming street. PS1 was founded in 1971 in a section of under-utilized buildings in Long Island City. It is an exhibition center rather than a collection institution and it focuses on emerging artists and genres. 

There was surprises all throughout the sprawling building. In one vast room you could stand in the midst of a great 40 person chorus, with each member emitting from their own speaker encircling you. The sound shock you with its sheer size and beauty.

[Janet Cardiff: The Forty Part Motet]

In another room, I was completely mesmerized by the spinning brushes of an old school car wash—so engaged in fact, that I didn't immediately notice the effect the static electricity produced by the spinning fibers was having on my own hair. 

[Lara Favaretto: Just Knocked Out]

I was quite taken with the fine, detailed work of Caitlin Keogh. The colored pencil work is so meticulous and precise, I just couldn't stare close enough. Plus, much of her work focused on fashion and shoes, so I simply adored the silhouettes!

I also found myself lingering by the work of Max Brand, a German mixed-media painter who uses everything from chalk, crayons and markers to paint,  bleach, and oil. The pieces look a little hectic but I loved the use of materials and the organized chaos. 

Overall, I was impressed by the diversity of art found within PS1 and by their innovative use of space. Another New York recommendation!

A Stroll in the Park(s)

I love that Riverside Park is my front yard. Park access is a major amenity, and I can't imagine living somewhere where I didn't see green. 

When I visit big cities, I'm often impressed with their incorporation of green space into urban living. Europe may love its piazzas and fountains but New York loves its parks—and I fell in love with them last week too: Bryant Park, Washington Square Park, Madison Square Park, East River State Park and of course, Central Park. 

What's amazing about Central Park is how many hidden gems are in it. And I mean hidden. New York City may be easy to navigate, but the Central Park is a rambling menagerie. On my last morning in the city, I went in search of Wollman skating rink, a rink you often see in movies, and a rink that I had apparently walked near on several occasions without even noticing. Which is remarkable in and of it's self, but even more so because it has a carnival in it for the summer!

I went to Central Park on three occasions last week and I didn't come close to covering all of it. It's an architectural wonder that I will continue to admire.

Another NYC novelty is the High Line—a public park built on the historic elevated rail line on Manhattan’s West Side. I wasn't expecting the High Line to be so beauitfully landscaped and maintained. It's absolutely gorgeous, and based on the foot traffic, it's wildly appreciated and enjoyed. 

(Image Ian Baan, highlinepark.org)

These parks are surreal bits of wonder and creative ingenuity amidst a city that moves at a constant and exhausting pace. It's a nice opportunity to catch your breath. 

Who You Gonna Call?

While I was in NYC I sought out the New York Public Library—Ghostbusters being my favorite movie and all, it seemed appropriate. 

I was so impressed by the building that I went back later in the week to have a tour. Which was fascinating, for instance: There are 88 miles of books in the stacks (2 floors above ground and 5 beneath). In the 1990s they ran out of shelf space and added another 50 miles under Bryant Park, adjacent to the library. And: The books in the stacks are arranged mainly according to size. (what?!?) 

But also going on at the library through February 2013, is an exhibit called Lunch Hour NYC. (Online Exhibit here). The beautifully curated exhibit looks at NYC historically through more than a century of lunches. 

Power lunches, school lunches, and the modern miracle—the Automat. As times changed, so did the way we ate. A city obsessed with time, speed and efficiency, the lunch hour was constantly reinvented to accommodate the bustle of the city streets. 

Dissecting a culture and place in this fashion is an intriguing way to look at it's history (plus it's about food). If you'll be in NYC during the next 6 months I highly recommend checking it out. It's free and open to the public during regular library hours. Also, the library tours are free, and Mon-Sat 11 am and 2 pm, Sun 2 pm. 

Burger of the Week #67

I've blogged before about Child's Own, which turns children's drawings into plush figues. I'm not sure if this drawing intentionally resembles a burger, but I'm declaring it such. I just love it—I think it's time to make my own!

To have your own children's art recreated visit Child's Own Studio.

Shopping in the Rain

I'm back from New York, but I will surely be posting about it for the next few weeks. This was my third time in NYC but it was my longest stay and first time in Brooklyn. On Wednesday I asked if we could make the walk across the East River via the Brooklyn Bridge. 

We did, and in the process were caught midway in a fairly impressive rainstorm. This may have been upsetting, if it hadn't have been 100 degrees and über-dry the preceeding few days. It was the first time I'd seen rain in over a month and once we were safely huddled under the second arch we found it quite enjoyable. We got to see lightening hitting over the skyline of Manhattan—unfortunately, I have a slow shutter-finger and can't provide photographic evidence that this actually happened. 

Anyway, once we made our way across we reached DUMBO - a newerly developed neighborhood (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), which is home to younger professionals of the artsy and techy sort. 

We outsmarted the rain by sneaking into local shops and eateries. One notable shop was Brooklyn Industries—a cutting edge clothing design company founded in 1998. The company aims to engage the local community in art, clothing, design and style, and has 14 retail locations (12 in NYC+Portland+Chicago).

I found the brand to be well-made, well-intentioned, and well-designed, but was very disappointed to learn many of their products are made in China. It doesn't seem like sending your designs around the world is a great way to "engage the local community". I'd rather see the brand stay small, with one or two locations, while maintaining production in Brooklyn (as the name suggests) rather than grow to such success and quantities that requires overseas labor. 

So I'm torn. As much as I applaud their Social Responsibility objectives, the "Made in China" label inside my lovely new handbag breaks my heart.

Upper East Anthro

Before I left NYC yesterday, I made it to the Anthropologie on the Upper East Side. Despite it's location, it's a very unassuming place. The window displays didn't look quite as fresh, but what it lacked in outside flare, it made up for inside. The space was... spacious, and made for a pleasant shopping experience.

I headed off to the airport after this shopping jaunt, so I'll need to make a special trip and hit the 3 additional Anthro locations I missed this trip!

1 Down, 4 to Go

I've been in NYC for 6 days now and it just dawned on me that I should have spent my week hunting down the city's five Anthropologies! What was I thinking!

That's right. Greedy ol' NYC has five glorious Anthro stores: SOHO, Chelsea, 5th Ave, Upper East Side and Rockefeller Center. I got to admire the windows at Rockefeller in person today. Now i haven't received an Anthro catalog recently (for shame Anthropologie!) so the visuals were new for me.

I found them to be a pleasantly whimsical transition into a new season.

To the Upper East Side first thing in the morning! Think the windows will be different?

Christopher Street Charm

So I'm in New York this week and I purposefully tracked down Greenwich Letterpress. It's on a charming street in the Village. 

Now, heartbreakingly enough, they were out of the Teenage Power Couple Pencils, which was a driving force of my mission. But they had many other fantastic cards and gifts, from themselves and other letterpress companies. That said, I was shocked and disappointed when I got home and examined the set of cards I had purchased more closely only to realize they were, in fact, NOT letterpress. I felt slightly misled. Who'da thunk that anything there wouldn't be?!
Regardless, if you're even in Manhatten, check it out! And got some brad at the Corrara Bakery next door!

Burger of the Week #66

This is in honor of a friend's band that I just learned is called "First Outer Inner Last". Who remembers their Algebra?? 

Also, it looks like this burger landed on the moon, and this Friday (the 20th) is the 43rd anniversary of Man walking on the moon.

Presenting F.O.I.L. Burger....

Burger of the Week #65

Because of my love for both shoes and hamburgers, sooner or later is was inevitable that I'd find this.... the hamburger sneaker. 

Though for some reason I'm much more drawn to the Vegetarian Version.

Summer Mocktail

We've been breaking all sorts of temperature records around here, and new temps call for new drinks. Here's a refreshing blend I concocted earlier today—

I highly recommend you make one for yourself. 

Forgive my overly specific instructions... I'm not one for measuring!

• 2 large slices watermelon

• 1 half a cucumber

• 4 mint leaves

• 1 teaspoon of honey

• Splash of lime juice

• A Bit of club soda

• 3 ice cubes

All blended and served over ice. 

Burger of the Week #64

It's the PacBun, a mash-up of two of my favorite things: PacMan and Hamburgers. This came out in Japan in 2010 as part of a celebration of PacMan's 30th birthday. 

Ugh, I'd love to take one for the team here, but this looks pretty disgusting. Not sure I could even sample it, meat or no meat. 

I particularly enjoy wompdevil's comment "I would only eat this if I had nothing else to eat during a zombie apocalypse... even then I would probably try to eat my shoe first."

The Great 'Scape

It's time for me to accept the fact that asparagus season is over. But I've so enjoyed this veggie fling that I've decided to have a series of vegetable affairs—mini obsessions* focusing on one veggie at a time.  I will share my findings here, tagging the series "veggies".

I'm going to start with a vegetable that's new to me—The garlic scape**. These are similar in appearance to green onions but are actually the shoots of the garlic plant. 

I was brought these by a farmer friend of mine. And I was eager to see what I could make of them.

On Tuesday, I grilled a pizza and used sliced scapes as one of my toppings. It tasted like garlic—but fresher! I can't really explain it, but if you like garlic (and I do) I'd look into it. 

On Wednesday, I made a garlic scape pesto. Which I served over gnocchi and peas; a little tarragon for seasoning and it was quite delicious. I then froze the rest of the pesto in ice cube trays, because it's easy to retrieve a serving at a time that way.

Friday night I made a stir fry. It was a rather unusual combination for me, and it seems that frying the scapes as long as I did, really muted the garlic flavor. I could really smell it while it simmered but it was rather subtle when I ate it. 

Saturday I tried a little experiment—a nice loaf of bread sliced and filled with butter, chives and scapes–then roasted! Yup, I'll be doing that again. 

So results? I like scapes, but I like garlic, so it's that's not a huge shock. But it is a fresh alternative to the traditional clove. I'm thankful for the discovery.



*Obsession is a personality trait- I get equally obsessed television programs, songs, and now and then, an actor or two.
**In Botany . a leafless stalk rising from the ground.