the best porch in all of new york

i just got back from one of my whirlwind work trips to new york and i'm glad to be home. i usually stay with a friend in harlem while i'm there, but on this occasion i stayed with one of my oldest and dearest who lives in brooklyn heights. he has the most fabulous place on the promenade. and i can't even really describe his view with words. you can see all the way from the verrazano bridge to the empire state building. UNOBSTRUCTED. AMAZING.

it's really, really special. and while it was cold and much too windy this trip, i was reminded of the last time i stayed there in the late summer and slept every night with the french doors wide open. sigh. i have some pictures of the view and so i'll post them now, if only because there was a blizzard this morning and i'm staring out at two feet of snow. besides, we could all probably use reminder of what warmer weather looks like.

now that i'm sufficiently sad because it's FREEZING here, i'm going to take a cup of tea and go hide under my electric blanket.:)

k

train ride

last weekend was the nea opera honors in washington, dc. and while i don't have any pictures from the event itself, i do have pictures from the train ride home. we rode in the last car and my friend megan was so kind as to point out the delicious light that was happening out the back window of the train. so i went back there several times with my camera as the light changed. at one point the conductor even opened the door for me so that i could have a clear shot (probably not the smartest move, but nice nonetheless). but my favorites are the ones that i took through the filthy window - i like the ttv effect and the lone handprint on the glass.

oh, and i did hang out with brian stokes mitchell, one of the presenters of the event. super nice guy. and i also spent some time chatting with composer and honoree john adams, who is just about the coolest person i've ever met.

k

cape cod day 1 (part 1)

on our first full day in cape cod, we spent the morning in the salt marsh in eastham. not having any set plans or any idea what to expect, we just parked the car and started walking. when we got down there, all we were saw was water and some swans. not disappointing, but not exciting either. but then we found a trail and decided to take it. as we were walking, we came across an old man on a bike who stopped us and asked where we were from. before either of us had a chance to answer, he said, "oh, you must be from new york city." we were amazed. when we asked him how he knew, he just smirked and said that he could "just tell". hmmmmm. well, after chatting with him for awhile he let us know that if we continued to follow the trail, we would come across a really beautiful overlook. so we took it. the trail led through a wooded area that was hilly, so it seemed that we were hiking. not a big deal, but anyone who knows me knows that hiking is like a four-letter word to me. but i did it because i really wanted to see what was up there. and boy were we rewarded. here are some of the pictures i took of the marsh and the views.

as we were walking back down the trail and out of the woods, we came across a young family. the father took one look at us and said, "boy, i feel underdressed".  that's when lisa and i looked at each other and realized that most people don't go hiking in skirts, dresses, scarves, and jewelry. no wonder that guy thought we were from new york.

k

a view from a balcony

last night i was supposed to go see and take pictures of polvo and obits at the south street seaport. the forecast was calling for several inches of rain and massive thunderstorms and by the time i left my office, i knew the show was going to be a no-go. and sure enough, it was cancelled. it was too bad, but thankfully i had an excellent plan b which involved dinner and wine at my friend's tribeca apartment. by the time i got there, i got an update on my phone that the show had not been cancelled, but instead had been moved indoors in brooklyn, but it was too late for me. good friends, good food, and good wine were all i was interested in by then.

after pouring for about an hour straight, the rain suddenly stopped and the most amazing sunset i have ever seen appeared. it looked like the sky was on fire. so we all moved outside to the very high balcony and i got my camera out and took a bunch of pictures. i only manipulated the sunset pictures by upping the contrast a tiny bit. i hope you enjoy them.

 thanks for an awesome evening, ladies!