Pizza Tasting

Sarni and I stumbled upon Two Boots in Hell's Kitchen and decided to give their pizza a try.  Normally, I am loyal to the New York thin-crust pizza, but after Cuddles introduced me to Two Boots' organic thick-crust tomato-laden Aunt Bessie a few weeks ago, I was hooked!  Sarni had some sort of meat-crazed pizza, which he liked.

The Two Boots in Hell's Kitchen is also interesting, decor-wise - the walls are plastered with posters from pulp fiction B- (and possibly C- and D-) list movies.  Sarni was so cute, wondering aloud why he hadn't heard of any of the movies.  Pizza and an education.


Hell's Kitchen.  On Canon Powershot.

Super-Stacked

Reason number 1 so few Manhattanites like to keep cars in the city.  "Check out my car!  No, up there, on the third layer, two cars in."

At least theft shouldn't be such an issue.  What thief is going to scale this behemoth?


Hell's Kitchen.  On Canon Powershot.

Life really is a highway

Sarni and I participated in some very un-NYC-like behavior recently - we went car shopping.  It felt weird.  It felt even weirder to have so much difficulty actually getting to the dealerships (perhaps thus highlighting why we were going car shopping in the first place).

Here, Sarni looks longingly at his impractical car of choice.  Maybe the next one, babe.


Hell's Kitchen.  On Canon Powershot.

Down the Rabbit Hole, Part 2

Remember my post a few days ago about the growth hormone overdose that seemed to be affecting clothing logos?  Well, I think it may have spread to non-clothing parts of the city.


Midtown.  On Canon Powershot.

In the Air

Spring has arrived in NYC!!  Well, at least for one day.  Welcome back, old friend.


Central Park.  On Canon Powershot.

Pop Art in the City

Sarni and I happened upon a new statue in Union Square.  It's simply titled "Andy."  We, and the crowd around us, thought it was a statue of Andy Warhol.  (Although I should confess that at first, I thought it was one of those street performers who poses for money.)

Doesn't he look like any other confused, bewildered silver-plated shopper in the city?


Union Square.  On Canon Powershot.

Back to Basics

Hey there Bloggees, sorry for the temporary hiatus!  Felt a little under the weather...

...but nothing some organic Jean-Georges Vongerichten couldn't cure.  Sarni met up with our friends N&P for brunch at his "farmhouse" experiment, ABC Kitchen.

Minimalist Jean-Georges is something I had to see - surprisingly, it worked!  We had a lovely brunch, and everyone enjoyed the uber-healthy food (all grown locally and harvested sustainably).

In a perfect union of marketability, ABC Kitchen is attached to ABC Homes, a furniture and housewares store right upstairs.  Naturally, Sarni and I had to see it for ourselves.

This may be another only in New York - in the Indian, Pakistani and Middle Eastern section, we located this impressive deity.  Those bills in its hands?  REAL MONEY.  How the store has stopped thieves from coming in and taking them is beyond me.


Flatiron District.  On Canon Powershot.

Growth Hormone Warnings?

Sarni and I noticed something strange when we were out shopping.  Logos, which were formerly endearingly (and tastefully) small, are blowing up.  Literally.

I mean, what happened to the Lacoste alligator??  It looks like he's on steroids.


Herald Square.  On Canon Powershot.

The Secret Garden

I have to admit, I always assume that Macy's won't be able to impress me anymore, flower-wise.  I mean, I've seen their flower show multiple times - hit me with your best shot, big guy.

But this arrangement, it impressed me.  Entirely made out of green foliage, with dangling flowers suspended in individual test tubes of green liquid, this flower arrangement was like a zany tree straight out of a Lewis Carroll story.  Well played, Macy's.  Except I was so impressed, I almost forgot to shop.

Herald Square.  On Canon Powershot.  Photographic credit to Sarni.

Dog Day Afternoon

This may qualify as an "only in New York."  A toy dispenser filled with doggie treats, standing in the middle of the sidewalk.  Oh, but don't worry.  "Cats love 'em too."

Oh, and did I mention that it's chained up to prevent theft by . . . dogs, presumably?  One for the dogs, people.


Murray Hill.  On Canon Powershot.

Second City

I've been thinking about the subway a lot recently (partially because I watched a documentary about urban caving, and partially because I've found myself taking the MTA a lot recently).  It's so strange, this second network of tunnels snaking under the surface of the city, like an unseen ant farm.  Anybody?  No?  Just me?  Okay.


West Village.  On Canon Powershot.

A Spoonful of Seitan

Over the weekend, Sarni and I met up with Megaphone and Wonderland for dinner.  We went to the West Village branch of Gobo, a gourmet vegetarian and health food restaurant.  I don't know about you, but there's something about immersing yourself in seitan, soy and carrot-celery-ginger juice that really makes you feel smugly alive.  I mean, check out Sarni's beer.  Even the alcohol comes out looking medicinal.


West Village.  On Canon Powershot.

Kaleidoscope Project On Location: Land of Hope and Glory

While in England, Sarni and I had the privilege of visiting some close family friends at their adorable cottage in Bradwell.

All of the walls in Bradwell were made up of stones - some cemented together, some just resting on top of one another.  In the world of the Three Little Pigs, this town's got it in the bag.

We encountered a silent guard-dog on the back steps of one cottage . . .

. . . and his equally silent buddy next door.  I wonder if the owners took a look at the first dog and thought, "pfft, I could get the same results with a pile of wood."

Is anyone else slightly disturbed by the sleazy pose adopted by this gnome?  It's like a new line of Gnome Gigolos, now available for all your backgarden creepiness needs.

I don't know why this amused me, I guess because they couldn't decide whether the lane was more "in the back" or "little," so they just went with both.

I'm pretty sure this amused me because I'm immature.

At the English pub where we stopped for lunch.

No longer in Bradwell - a view of Sarni's hometown from behind his house.

Our "English" shadows.  Don't they look refined?


Bradwell, etc., England.  On Canon Powershot.

Kaleidoscope Project On Location: Land of Hope and Glory

A "Wonderland" perspective of Chester, England.  Giant chess pieces?  Check.  Photo credit to Mountie (thanks Mountie!).

I took this after my stunning victory in miniature golf.  (This is a macro shot of a normal-sized golf ball - I thought it may be necessary to clarify that, given the previous photo.)

Sarni takes out his frustration from his miniature golf defeat by visiting the Big Boys' golfing range.

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be an archer in the 1100s, wonder no further.

Everything looks more English when it's Tudor-style, that's what I say.

Similarly, I feel like you can English-ify anything by adding "ye olde" to the front of it.  "ye olde cell phone warehouse."  See what I did there?

A famous Cathedral, of which I ironically cannot remember the name.  But doesn't the photo look dramatic?  Spooky.

This is a famous corner in Chester (even though it looks like Mama Sarni, Papa Sarni and Boz are trying to find it in different directions).

Boz (involuntarily) models the mobius scarf and fingerless wrist cuffs I knitted for her.  (PS, it's quite a rush to see people wearing stuff you made - Karl Lagerfeld, I totally get you.)


Chester, England.  On Canon Powershot.

Kaleidoscope Project On Location: London-town

Shakespeare's Globe.  Where the magic happens.

A creative street performer.  Spooky.

I don't know whose shadow that is, but it kind of improves the photo, don't you think?

"Omg, I have nothing to wear."

And you thought you hated taking the stairs.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the majority of the hands were not formed into rude gestures.

If these street signs were rotated into use, the world would be a less efficient but infinitely more amusing place.

The Millenium Bridge (otherwise known as "the bridge that was destroyed in Harry Potter").  It's back!!


London.  On Canon Powershot.

Kaleidoscope Project On Location: London-town

I got to Westminster Abbey too late to get in (I mean, I could have entered to hear Evensong, but I figured that a religious building was not the place to test the definition of "true worshipper").  But it still looks magnificent and wedding-ready on the outside!

A moving memorial dedicated to Richard the Lionheart . . .

. . . thoughtfully placed in the middle of the Parliament parking lot.  I can hear his thoughts now:  "I commanded the Crusade for this?"  Incidentally, my diligent research (i.e., reading Wikipedia) revealed that Rick here was actually a pretty racist dude.  Maybe the parking lot locale wasn't unintentional?

I love how enamored the British bobbies are with Big Ben, especially guy on the right.

EDIT:  Mountie rightfully (and Britishly) pointed out that Big Ben is actually the name of the bell within the clock and not the tower OR the clock!  True story.  Although it makes me wonder why the Brits decided to name the bell, the one thing you can't see?  Oh you crazy Brits!

Sunset over Westminster bridge.

Sarni and I always laugh at the fact that there's a burger joint in NYC called "Good Burger" and another burger joint called "Better Burger."  Hence, I was especially amused to find "Ultimate Burger" way on the other side of the pond.  Behold, the all-knowing Ultimate Burger.  So that's where he's been hiding.

The British National Museum - unfortunately, it took me so long to find it, I only had about an hour and a half to look around.  Half of this time I spent lost in a pretty terrifying Egyptian Mummy exhibit.  Oh, and by the time I finally found an exit, a guard stopped me and said, "We're closing - go back through the exhibit."  Not my finest moment.

This is a hall dedicated to the Age of Enlightenment.  I wandered up and down the aisles, marvelling over how much humanity has learned over the centuries.  Then I left the museum and realized that I must have walked straight past the Rosetta Stone and the Easter Island statue without realizing it.  So much for my enlightenment.


London.  On Canon Powershot.