Birthdays & Saturdays [Things I Love]

So I've been MIA from Sleeping Venus

for the past week, because I've been in midtown

full time, everyday working for Paper Magazine

I can sum it up with: rotten flowers,

hunting for the perfect shade of chartreuse taffeta,

Excel, desperately trying to get Marc Jacob's assistant on the phone,

holding real life prison letters from Michael Alig (I die)

and wanting to have Pinkberry for lunch everyday with an empty wallet

oh, the life of an intern

but onto other things

like all the lovely things that happen on Saturdays and birthdays

and all the wonderful noms and sights

the things I love:

Good restaurants!

like Risoterria, where I went on my bday

(I'm 19, I'm nearly a dinosaur, even though 19 is one of those really liminal ages...)

it is on Bleecker Street,

which is easily becoming my new favorite place

not only did I get to have all my favorite foods on my birthday

(a momlet, ice cream, pizza)

but the pizza was brick oven,

mozzarella, asparagus, and white truffle oil

and white truffle oil just makes everything sexy

did I mention this restaurant gives you free one and a half feet long breadsticks,

yes, breadsticks,

I'm totally smitten with any place that gives free bread

anyhow, this pizza was mind blowingly delish

and I want it every single day, desperately

Candy!

not just any candy though, my new obsession is grapefruit gummies

and my not so new obsession is basically anything from Economy Candy on Rivington

it's so authentic, and its one of the only places where I can find

vintage goodies

like Sixlets and Bottle Caps

its also one of the only candy places that doesn't feel gourmet & overpriced

so it makes me feel really nostalgic

I'm dying for a little lunchbox tin from there

so I can tote my peanut butter & jelly sandwich and my apple to work everyday in style

what's better than good restaurants and candy?

getting Thai takeout to eat at Tompkins

so romantic

since it was just impossible to squeeze in pad thai on my birthday

I had it the next day, and it was everything I wanted

a lunch special from Tara Thai on First Ave

a sunny day in the park

bull dogs with chubby paws

and lots of pup watching

why is it that lime tastes so good on pad thai?

it really gives it a depth of flavor

(everyday I consider going to culinary school instead of Vassar)

one day I'm going to own my own food joint

it will happen, even with a Sociology degree

and it will be made possible

by all the hours I spend watching the food networking and food joint hopping

I can't even tell you how many ways I know how to prepare pork loin

my fave recipe is for an herb crusted pork loin

but I'm a vegetarian....

I also love getting free ice water at Starbucks,

and it's even better when it belongs to someone else

sorry William, but this girl was so thirsty

thanks for helping a sista out

And it's totally awesome when streets in the city happen to look like Europe

I could sort of feel like I'm in Delft, or Harrlem

maybe even Tuscany, if I squint...and ignore all the cabs

Lastly, I gotta love Washington Square Park

street performers and the wonderful sounds of doo wop,

fleetingly beautiful sand art by Joe Mangrum (he is amazing),

botanical garden worthy flowers

eccentric couples

frolicking children,

and that refreshing fountain mist

are more than enough to keep me smiling all summer long.

Photo Diary

Today was a best day

a long walk, famous gelato

from Cones on Bleecker

the hazelnut literally tastes like eating a Ferrero Rocher chocolate

and the white chocolate just blew my mind

it was expensive,

but oh so worth it to sit on a random stoop

with the 8 dollar cone dripping on my skirt

as I tried to get every last bit of white chocolate deliciousness

I also had my first slice of real (nonvegan) New York pizza since being home (nomlicious)

there was also an impromptu dance parade on St. Marks

and an unexpected street fair

(that was sadly all out of my fave Thai springrolls)

and lots of other beautiful sights

I don't think there is much that's better than cradling dumplings & beautiful architecture.

Beauty All Around.

The other night

I woke up at 5:04 in the morning to readjust my blanket

and I caught a glimpse of the sky

and it was just gorgeous

it looked like watercolor

so I did what anyone else would do...got out my camera and took some pictures

before I dozed off again

it reminded me of how much I love being home

I know I say it every single day

but to see the sky when I open my eyes every morning

just makes every day so much better

there's just beauty everywhere here, I'm never ever moving away

I mean, where else can you buy mini cupcakes right on the street

(at the Little Cupcake Lover Cart on Broadway, I recommend these noms)

it was like the size of my thumb and the frosting was so great

and the sprinkles were like technicolor

I must try the strawberry tiny delight

I'm so obsessed with mini noms

and eat vegetarian shrimp & southern fried chicken, all in a 4 block radius

even though it was so hot out today, I can't even imagine what 95 degrees feels like

I needed to have one nice stroll around Soho

before ascending into the whirlwind of being a full time intern.

Paper Summer

The other day I was just a girl

walking around the Meat Packing District

resumes in hand, looking for a hostess job,

or god forbid, another retail job

when I saw this Vespa

and it was beautiful, I looked at it and felt instantly transported to Miami

I mean, cmon, look at that palm tree and those aloof outdoor diners

it screams Miami

the sad thing is, that I had to snap a shot of this beautiful, shiny, bubblegum baby

while the owner was standing right behind it, about to board,

with apparent admiration, spiked with envy,

I dream of this Vespa

I also dreamed of not having to scour the city looking for a summer job,

that dream came true

I am now Paper Magazine's newest intern

I'm pretty much speechless

I've been seeing a lot of monarch butterflies lately,

and whenever I see them something good always follows

there were a lot of monarchs around before my first kiss

way back when,

thank god for butterflies, and amazing opportunities.

The Daily Cone

I think I need to start documenting

my obsessive, unhealthy, insane love affair with ice cream cones

so I am going to photograph every cone I have this summer

and it will be epic (for me at least)

because I was so deprived at school

and now I am free to love & eat

today I had a cone at home

nom nom banana split Turkey Hill froyo

and I ate it while watching Spongebob, so taking a picture slipped my mind

it's tricolor, banana with fudge swirl, chocolate with walnuts, and strawberries

best thing? it was on sale at Fine Fare for $3.24

I love cheap noms.

Carvel cake mix, with neon confetti in it, um this is one of the creamiest & best

gotta love the patriotic cone hugger

Pistachio almond

gotta love the matching nails

and my love of all things seafoam

since I was sitting in the window,

I got to see all the passerbys and their utter envy,

for I had an ice cream cone and they did not

the other day my uncle expressed his concern

about my vegetarianism and how I might not be getting

enough calcium & vitamin D

which may just mean I have to eat more ice cream

and if ice cream has vitamin D in it,

then it is like eating sunshine,

which totally explains why it makes me so happy.

Mini Eats.

Just for anyone who has ever wondered

"can you buy just one munchkin?"

like i have wondered on many occasions,

I have an answer for you: yes!

and they are just 25 cents each

sure, you'll probably get a weird look from the cashier

but who are they to pass judgement,

some people like their food mini

and yessir, I had a chocolate one, and a glazed one

on the M9 yesterday

twas great, although they were out of jelly

which is truly unfair

no one ever likes the jelly ones

but they are just so divine,

sure the jelly tastes a tad bit artificial,

with a hint of that cherry medicine taste

that brings you back to the ear infections and throat aches of childhood,

but hey, I love em

and next time I pass a Dunkin Donuts

(tomorrow) I will treat myself to one (or two, maybe four) small sphere(s) of joy

speaking of small, doughy creations

I had the best garlic knots of my life the other day

and let me tell you, Poughkeepsie garlic knots do not compare

I got them in Queens, Jackson Heights, believe it or not

they were luscious, oversized, and coated in olive oil

and were even better once I sprinkled parmesan cheese all over em

like little Italian biscuits, gotta love the marinara on the side

best thing about these? they were only a dollar

dollar garlic knots, munchkins

this is eating mini, on a budget

being broke at home isn't so bad after all.

Home Sweet Home

I got home yesterday

and let me tell you, the LES is looking beautiful

I've really learned my lesson

I promise to pack lighter next year

maybe I"ll bring only 20 pairs of shoes next time

but, this morning

I woke up in a room, alone

and it felt good

I could hear all the traffic on the Williamsburg bridge

and right outside my room door

was a patiently waiting pup

just dying to play fetch and lay on the couch

I had my mom's Spanish coffee

right out of my Hello Kitty mug

(college coffee is so nasty)

and a mom-let

with yellow american cheese on white bread

my classic favorite food

there was Spongebob

and lots of revolutionary things happened

Spongebob got round pants, and a booty

Patrick turned into a sexy woman complete with blond pigtails and red lipstick

I must say, he was a hottie

it feels so good to be home

where everyone wears shoes at all times

each street smells like a different type of food

halal is always the most tantalizing

and sometimes you run into a street fair (which made me oh so happy)

thai spring rolls, nom

and you don't see the same face,

or the same college sweatshirt or

ethnic print harem pants (oddly popular at Vassar) twice

I was just speechless as I walked around

I forgot how beautiful Essex Street is, it's an acquired taste type of beautiful

but lovely, and welcoming all the same

I got reacquainted with my non-edible-double-decker love Forever

I was on the L train and I had the fleeting worry

"oh my god, I have so much reading to do tonight"

I forget that those are the worries of the past,

goodbye Art History flash cards

(they really got to my head, I was working in the library the other day

and as I scanned out some books for a girl,

instead of telling her the due date, May 21,

I handed back the book and said 1921)

but, the triumph of the day was the noms

vegan Pizza from Vinnie's in WillyB

Barbeque chicken slice with vegan cheese

I load on the hot sauce and parmesan cheese and I'm just in heaven

granted, when I eat spicy food I feel like my lips swell

but it hurts so good

and who doesn't like a lil added lusciousness.