a few of my favorite things....

Just a few of my past and present favorites for summer.

K-Jacques Saint-Tropez - Wonderful Parisean sandals in natural leather, brilliant colors (well the primary ones and the new neon colors at least- which are the only two groups of colors that matter to me) and metallics as well. I Get at least two pairs of every summer season- one natural leather and one color. They wear in amazingly, and never leave my feet. My personal favorite styles are the Agopos (I own the natural leather color), and the Homere (I have them in natural and one in the painted red).

F-Troupe Shoes - Try to get your hands on a pair of these babies! Great independent shoe designer sold in select boutiques around the United States. I believe it is based out of London. I am dying for a pair. I mean, how cute are these?

Tazo Iced Teas - On my daily Starbucks runs during the sumer, I ditch the coffee. Instead, I go for the shaken iced tea (unsweetened of course). It comes in amazing flavors- my favorite being the Zen (blend of green teas). But what is even better is that you can buy the iced tea bags online and make a batch yourself! The Black Tropic tea isn't available to order at Starbucks, but it is super yummy too!

Mark and Estel - Amazing lightweigh shirts and dresses for summer. I could never express just how much I love these two designers (I met them back in the day). Their shirts changed my life. My favorite is the finished rounded v-neck shirt.

life moves pretty fast....

Would it be too cliche if I were to finish off this quote from Ferris Bueller? I think so. Using only the first half of it will serve its purpose just fine.

IN Manhattan, time moves not pretty fast, but faster than fast. Every day, people from all backgrounds, from all different parts of the world, move from place to place. Although most of them run about ten minutes early, in their minds they are always "late," thus ignoring others around them as they walk ( as though on a mission) to get where they have to go on a daily basis. To themselves they exist only in their own minds- as if in their own little bubble. Once at their destination, this usually doesn't change. Maybe the pace slows down a bit-- however, to me, for Manhattanites, being at work brings with it the objective of getting home as fast as possible. As such, life can be somewhat of a blur.

WEEKENDS aren't an exception (at least half of the time on weekends at least). Manhattanites scramble, running faster than they do during the week, to get a good seat/beat the traffic on trains, cars, the Jitney, HELECOPTERS, to get to their weekend destinations (most likely a Hamptons). Once there, it's up at 8am to get to the beach to find a decent area to sit and tan. Then, finally, they relax for a few hours.

HAVING been wrapped up in this for almost a year now, I finally understand this concept of time. Sometimes I just want it all to stop. If it's not one thing in Manhattan, then it's another- and I find myself always scrambling to get places and giving in to that rude ideology and mindset more and more every day. But, having grown up on Long Island, I am lucky to have somewhere to go when I want to take a break (now if I could only find more time...). Despite the traffic and abundance of stores and shopping centers, it is the country to me. I can sit in my backyard at the pool and pretend I am somewhere far far away.

WHY this is so important to me this week of all weeks, is that my baby sister (who is now 18) graduated from high school yesterday. Is it true? Is it really so? I thought.

It was. She graduated yesterday; it happened. At least I got to see bits and pieces of her last year home- maybe a handful of days. However, I can't help but feel as though I missed out on a major part of her life.

Manhattan blinds you from so much- secludes you from the rest of the world. Life outside of the city is almost as though it is a completely separate world in and of itself. How did I miss this past year? You can't make up for lost time.

Then I started wondering- Is it truly Manhattan or is it just the transition of living away from home? Or both? All I know is that I need a change-- and need to find ways to slow down.

life in the big bad city

I don't know where this blog will go... I guess i've just been inspired (and sort of convinced) by my good friend rr.

I have lived all over the state of New York my entire life...

Long Island is the part I call home (where I never have- nor ever will- feel belong)...

Westchester is where I landed myself for college (where I never let myself fit in).

And now? I've managed to find myself (like there was a choice?) in what some call one of the most wonderful cities in the world.

Yes, New York.

The place where the sidewalks reek of garbage or hot dog vendors.... Where there are lots of yellow taxicabs that whenever needed are all full.. Where you can't walk down a street without being mentally undressed by the eyes of construction workers... Where construction starts at 8am (even in your own apartment building)... The place where apartments are way too expensive and the living cost in general, absurd. The city where there are times when you have to dodge more than a handful of people just walking on the sidewalk to work. The city where people are racing to get to the top, yearning to be seen (and ultimately, of course, famous) without thinking of others on their way.

Quick Facts:

• New York has a population of 8.2 million people in a mere 322 square miles.

• New York has an occupancy rate of 97% (which leaves 3% of apartments and townhouses unoccupied, which makes it impossible to move).

You are never alone in Manhattan. Walking down any street, you are with company. Sitting in a Starbucks, your are with company. On the subway. On the bus. At a museum. The moment you step out of your apartment building, you are with company. Everything is so accessible here, and you are always with company.

But how can a city full of people be, at the same time, so extremely lonely?

Welcome to my world.