Uniqlo Cubes, NYC

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Cube, Fashion, Midtown, NYC, Pop-up, Shop, Uniqlo

Uniqlo is up to something. The Japanese brand seems to be popping up everywhere these days-literally. Pop-up stores have opened all over the city, and two megastores are scheduled to open in Midtown (34th St. between 5th and 6th, and 53rd St. & 5th) during the middle of October.

Last night I discovered four structures that look like giant Rubix Cubes next to The Lot and rink at 30th (and 10th Ave). These white, plastic squares are Uniqlo’s newest invention: the retail Cube. The four cubes are stocked full of Uniqlo best sellers: cashmere sweaters, soft t-shirts, jackets, and accessories, all at affordable prices.

La Bergamote Patisserie, NYC

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Almond Croissant, Chelsea, Food, French, La Bergamote, Manhattan, NYC, Patisserie, Restaurant

Perched on the Northwest corner of 9th Avenue and 20th street is La Bergamote, a delectable bakery in the heart of Chelsea. When I was an intern at CBS News last spring, one of my bosses introduced me to this French patisserie and its incredible chocolate almond croissants. Seriously, these are the best croissants you will eat. Ever.

James Blake & Bon Iver, Fall Creek Boys Choir

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Bon Iver, Collaboration, Fall Creek Boys Choir, Folk, Indie, James Blake, Justin Vernon, Limit to Your Love, Music, Rock, SXSW

Image courtesy of NPR

Today, August 29, is the day we’ve all been waiting for-and most of us don’t even know it.  Justin Vernon and James Blake have released a collaboration for consumption on iTunes (look for it on Spotify!). As fate would have it, Vernon & Blake would meet at the South by Southwest music festival this year in Austin, Texas. They kept in touch after SXSW, exchanged a few ideas over email, and now, our lives are better because of it.

London meets Wisconsin with this colaberation, aptly titled “Fall Creek Boys Choir.” I know Blake from his song,Limit to Your Love, when it was featured on a Paste music sampler back in ’09, and Vernon, well, from his self-titled album Bon Iver, which arguably is the best album of 2011. This song begins with what sounds like a wolf bark, then flows into Vernon’s smooth falsetto we know and love.

In the past, Bon Iver has collaborated with artists like Kanye West and St. Vincent. I can’t wait to see whom Vernon will team up with next.

Hurricane Irene & Holocene

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Bon Iver, Holocene, Hurricane Irene, Hurricanepocalypse, Iceland, Justin Vernon, Manhattan, Music Video, NYC, Survival

Happy Sunday!

On Friday evening, my sister evacuated to my apartment from Jersey City to escape Hurricane Irene.  Yes mom, Krista and I have survived the over-hyped hurricane with hardly a scratch. Thank Heavens! Apparently the hurricane blew through NYC during the middle of the night while we were fast asleep. Now, we are ready to get back to the normal ebb and flow of the city. The pace will pick up soon; the sound of police sirens and angry taxi divers has already begun to creep into the white noise of Midtown, Manhattan.

Here’s a rainy day treat to wet your whistle for Music Monday tomorrow. What could be better than Bon Iver? I can’t get enough. Holocene is my favorite track from his self-titled LP that was released earlier this summer.

Isn’t this a beautiful video? I think Krista and I need to take a trip to Iceland.

Earnest and Sewn, NYC

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Denim, Earnest & Sewn, Fashion, Manhattan, Meatpacking District, NYC, Style

Welcome to the Wild West—at least, an eclectic, upscale version of the Wild West on Washington Street in the Meatpacking District. Earnest & Sewn was established in 2004, and has become a staple for denim and basics in the fashion industry. Rustic interiors, with taxidermy animals (think, Ace Hotel) hang on the walls of the store, and strategically placed dry goods fill counters and tables.  Walls of deep, indigo denim line rough, wooden shelves, and pair after pair after pair of every type of denim pant imaginable is arranged to please the eye.

Elliott Erwitt, International Center of Photography

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Elliott Erwitt, ICP, International Center of Photography, Modern Art, NYC, Photography

French Photographer, Elliott Erwitt has documented many great moments of the American story during the 20th century. He moved to New York City as a young man and in the 1950’s, got his start working in a darkroom to develop “signed” prints for fans of movie stars. In 1953 he was invited to become a member of Magnum Photos, and the rest is history. Erwitt’s career took off.  Soon, he began to make his own documentary films and even produced a few comedy and satire programs. His photographs are featured all over the world: in the MOMA in NYC, the Smithsonian in D.C, the Kunsthaus in Zurich, the Royal Photographic Society in Bath, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, and currently, at the International Center of Photography just down the street from my apartment in Midtown, Manhattan. This exhibition has been open all summer, but will close this Sunday, the 28th of August.

The New York Times says that “Mr. Erwitt has been a seeker of the ‘decisive moment,’ an instant in real time when people, animals or objects appear before the camera in surprising and illuminating ways. What distinguishes Mr. Erwitt’s work has been his keen eye for the comedy in everyday life.”

Cafe Grumpy, Park Slope

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Adventure, Brookyln, Cafe Grumpy, Coffee, NYC, Park Slope

One sunny Sunday afternoon, my friend Greg and I went on an adventure to Park Slope, Brooklyn. We grabbed our MetroCards and swiped them through the Harold Square station to take the Q train to 7th Ave. Once in Brooklyn, we walked through Grand’s Army Plaza, all over Prospect Park, and soon found ourselves on 7th Ave right in front of a small shop with black exterior and a gray face that was frowning on the outside window. It was Cafe Grumpy, and of course, we had to go in.

Price: $ (from $2-$12)

WiFi: None, but there are newspapers to read and people to watch, if you’re up for it. Don’t bring your laptop, there is a strict “no laptop” policy.

Food: Minimal pastries

Locations: Four of ’em: 224 W. 20th St. (Btw 7th & 8th Ave), 13 Essex St (Lower East Side), 383 7th Ave (Park Slope), 193 Meserole Ave (Greenpoint).

Hours: Mon-Thurs 7am-7:30pm
Friday 7am-8pm
Saturday 7:30am-8pm
Sunday 7:30am-7:30pm

Tips: Order a latte. Also, if you feel like splurging, go for the $12 cup of Ethiopian coffee, hear-say says it’s to die for.

A beautiful Steven Weinberg painting now hangs in the Park Slope cafe, so take the F over the river, grab a cup of coffee (or two), pine for Weinburg’s mountainous landscape, then take a walk to Prospect Park.  That sounds like a perfect day to me!

Restaurant Week, NYC

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Cipriani, Food, Nobu, NYC, Restaurant Week, The Spice Market

Restaurant Week comes along twice a year, and it is wonderful. It’s a limited-time offer to eat at many of the expensive, exclusive restaurants here in the city for a discount. Prices are set at $35 for dinner and $25 for lunch, so anyone can visit restaurants like the Spice Market in the Meatpacking District, or Nobu in TriBeCa for a meal.

My best friend Bekah is in town from Florida, so last night we met my sister in Midtown and took the 2-3 downtown to Wall Street to eat a Cipriani’s, a beautiful Italian restaurant in the middle of the Financial District. We enjoyed a delicious three-course meal on an outdoor terrance overlooking Wall Street, under palm trees and towering columns. I love living in this city!

You can enjoy Restaurant Week, too. Now, it extends through September 5th. Just click on the photo below to visit Restaurant Week’s official website.

Music Monday: Josh Garrels

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Folk, Josh Garrels, Love & War & the Sea In Between, Mason Jar Music, Music, Ulysses, White Owl

 Josh Garrels, has been churning out mellow records since 2002. His seventh full-length album, Love & War & the Sea In Between, was released on June 15th of this year-and it’s entirely free for your download pleasure.

Each track on this folky/neo-soul record is absolutely different from the one before. Josh uses a bevy of eclectic instruments from the dulcimer, shophbar, castanet, and timbrel to the lute, gong, and cornet to weave layers of melodies together. When you pair these instruments with Josh’s soothing vocals, you can understand why it took over a year of constant, tenacious work to complete Love & War & the Sea In Between.

Garrels is a genre all of his own, but fans of Anathallo, Gregory Alan Isakov, and Bon Iver will be drawn to his sound.  You can download the album from Bandcamp for free, leave Josh a tip on NoiseTrade, or purchase it on iTunes. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Listen to All Creatures:

Noteworthy tracks on L&W: Beyond the Blue, Ulysses, White Owl, & The Resistance

Mason Jar Music (from Brooklyn, NY) has put together an incredible video about Josh:

Spotify

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Music, Spotify, Technology

If you haven’t jumped on the Spotify bandwagon already, it’s high time you did. In case you haven’t heard, Spotify is the best thing to happen to music since iTunes. Spotify is a music streaming service with desktop applications available for Linux, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X.

It’s like the Library of Congress, but exclusively for music.