My Dreamy NY Trip From Ages Ago

Ahh, remember when I used to live in NY?

I'd go to museums on my lunch break like it was no big deal?

And I saw my little Monkey sister everyday (because we were roommates)?

And we'd pretend to be annoyed at all the tourists at Christmas time but would still go to Rockefeller Center?

 And there were dinners with these ladies?  

And we'd go to see my Little Monkey sister perform at clubs all over downtown? (This was her nod to Sally Bowles, isn't she adorable?)

 And my bestie from college was always there?  (Well for 6 of my 8 years.)

For my last birthday (when I turned Old), Monkey flew we to New York to celebrate properly.

Which meant that Bergdorf Goodman was the first stop.  

One of my gifts was an appointment to the Braid Bar at the John Barrett salon which meant no washing my hair for a week!  My dream!

Then maybe I did a little shopping . . . 

Like at Forever 21 (which might be age-inappropriate)

And the sale department at Anthropologie.

 Valentine's Day Dress . . . Check.

Joe Fresh . . .Well, I wanted this one but when I sent this photo to Magic Man  . . . 

He sent this photo back to me:

So I decided I could not buy the crazy, silver, sequined blazer.  

Instead, I chose a demure black version:

 Ha! That'll show him.  

Or me when I try to sport this in Texas and get thrown out of everywhere.

Then there was my old NY stand-by, Necessary Clothing (THEY have a retail site and Joe Fresh doesn't?!)

This is my version of the oversized Dude Sweater.

And this killed me!

A blatant knock-off of a Dries van Noten pattern!?  

Like we would't notice.  

I didn't buy this one, by the way, out of respect for lovely Dries.  

Can we discuss the state of young people's clothing?  

These were being sold and not as a joke or for a costume and there were being worn too.  I don't get it. 

 Except for the high-waisted, elastic waist versions. But those make me feel guilty for even thinking of wearing them.  Too comfortable.

Back to my birthday celebration, my lovely friends and sister treated me to a luxe manicure.  

Can you spy my Marc Jacobs socks bought that day at Century 21?  My new new favorites.

And there was so much walking.  And so many wild animals.

And the best part, our traditional dinner at L'Asso.

 How is it possible this place is still a secret and we always get a banquet table for 8 like it's no big deal?  Heaven!

And I'm kind of in love with Kirk's camera.  You know Kirk, he's my friend who got a shout out from Uhh Yeah Dude from stage.    

It was a tres short trip but one that I'm still dreaming about.

Especially since College Bestie is leaving NY soon and Monkey just had HER birthday.  

Dreaming of a Coastal Getaway

I had a perfect family holiday in Miami once.

We went in January when my sister and I were living in NY.

 Which meant even though it was in the low 70s 

we were going to the beach.

You could tell who the New Yorkers were because they were laying out while the locals were bundled up. AND the New Yorkers were reading The Post from their lounge chairs.

We stayed at the Delano (who like their furniture big).

 The white on white rooms were my alter-ego's dream. (I vacillate  between clashing prints as you can see below, and whiter than white simplicity.)       

  I just remember being so darn happy there.   

 I think this coupled with my recent move closer to the Atlantic  has got me thinking that I need to go there again.  Soon.

 Not to mention I have been listening to a ton of PitBull.

And Miami always represented 90s Glamour 

and you know how I feel about the 90s.

 90s Glamour, Miami & Niki Taylor all go hand-in-hand.

 But most importantly, I would love to vist a city 

where pants are optional.

Dreamiest Little Sister

March is my little sister's Birthday Month.

(She's the charmer on the left and I'm reading the age-inappropriate magazine on the right.) 

And there are two things you need to know about her:

 She's a Rock Star.

And she's a World Champion Athlete.

Like THE World.  Planet Earth.  El Mundo. 

And she's my favorite.

Dreaming of Donuts in LA

Ah, donuts.  When I was growing up my dad would bring us donuts every other Saturday morning, so they would be waiting for us when we woke up.  Not that I need to justify loving donuts with a story about my childhood.   





When I moved to LA I thought nothing would fill the empty space left behind by New York's Doughnut Plant.  

I used to live close to their shop (they are closed on Mondays! I know because I went twice on Monday before it clicked) and would check several times a week for their Passion Fruit doughnut (they change daily).  I can say in all my years of doughnut eating that the Passion Fruit Doughnut is the best doughnut ever created.    

The others aren't so bad though.

Stan's Donuts in Westwood was one of the first places I went to when I moved to CA.  

I am a sucker for anything that's pink - especially homemade pink frosting.  Their Simpson's Donut is pretty close to a perfect pink donut.  I think it's the strawberry bits in the frosting - that reassures me that this is the real thing. 

If you're in LA and want a donut you have to try Randy's Donuts at least once.  You'll probably go back more than once, especially if you like giant glazed donuts or coconut donuts.  

Then there's the photo-opp factor.  

You always need to take a photo.

A newer 'donut' destination is not technically a donut.  Fonuts are actually baked and don't really taste like donuts but they are delicious.  Plus, I am partial to them because my sister (in the orange shoes) took me there when I was having a sad day.

They actually have a sit-down area both inside and outside, which is rare for a donut-joint.  I loved the grey and yellow exterior.

Chorizo Cheddar might change your life.  And, they have a pink donut called Strawberry Buttermilk which is actually like the most perfect miniature strawberry cake.  

 Since my last visit (we went right when it opened) they added passion fruit coconut which I must need to try soon.  I won't compare it to the Passion Fruit at Doughnut Plant, it can be it's own special, little donut-shaped cake.  




These places will have to do until they open up a Gregg's in America.  Oh pink jelly-filled, pink frosted, Pink Jammie, how I miss you.