New York City, New York - Day One of Fun

While home in Boston this month I grabbed the train down to NYC for two days of fun with old friends in the city. Upon arrival my first stop was lunch with a former coworker at SD26, owned by the famous Tony May of San Domenico Central Park fame. I ordered the Il Quadrifolgio, which is described as "a nutritionally balanced one course meal comprised of four individual recipes designed to provide all the necessary ingredients to stay energized throughout the remainder of your work day without compromising the pleasure of the senses." It was a tasty meal for $26. 

Sicilian spaghetti with olives, capers and eggplant to start, followed by chicken breast with slices of pear and a mustard glaze, and to finish a rucola and tomato salad and some refreshing cantaloupe melon

Some lovely home-made biscuits came with the check at the end of the meal

After lunch, my friend and I met up with another of our former co-workers for a little reunion trip back to our old office at the Italian Trade Commission where we all first met. My first job out of college, I was a Marketing and Promotions Officer responsible for promoting the food and wine from all of the various regions of Italy on the US market. I ate very well those two years!! 

Some history on the building: Nestled on a quiet and highly coveted street in Manhattan’s fashionable Upper East Side, this magnificent townhouse is a luxurious retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. The rare 35’ wide building has windows on 3 sides and was built in 1910. It has been meticulously maintained and has served as the home to the Italian Trade Commission for over 20 years.

• 18,789 s.f. includes english basement
• 6 finished floors, 1 sub-basement floor
• 6 marble fireplaces
• Original detail and hardwood floors throughout
• Continuous rail spiral staircase from 1st-5th floors

Here we all are reunited in the hallway of our old floor (with Michelle's daughter Ella Rose Victor Hugo - Ella's father is the well-known chef and award-winning cookbook author, Florian V. Hugo, who is a descendent of Victor Hugo).

What I'm wearing: Dress Cynthia Rowley, Cardigan JCrew, 
Shoes SE Boutique from DSW and Bag Hermes Birkin

One of the little luxuries I miss from NYC living is a manicurist shop on every single block. In London, unless you go to a pricey hotel spa, it is difficult to find a good, affordable manicure. So before dinner, I headed for a relaxing half hour manicure on Lexington Avenue on the Upper East Side.

Taxi cab shot: Nails, Essie Nice is Nice

After a quick shower and outfit change, I headed downtown to Rivington and Bowery to meet a friend for drinks and dinner at Freeman’s. At the end of a seedy little alley, Freeman’s is a very hipster restaurant made to look and feel like “a rugged clandestine colonial American tavern.” Indeed it is a cosy and inviting space, with dark walls and uneven rustic wood floors with taxidermy animals adorning all of the walls.

Seared filet mignon, sweet & sour onions, mashed potatoes and horseradish cream

Daily fish special of salmon and native american corn with rucola

We ended with a sinful dessert of Bananas Foster with rum butterscotch, but after half a bottle of red burgundy, I forgot to take a picture :-). It was a jam-packed and fun-filled day. Stay-tuned for day two! 

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Rockport, Massachusetts - Capt. Steve's Sea Shell Shop

For those of you who know me personally, or have seen the pictures from my Boston condo, or just wondered about my blog logo, you will know that I love the sea and all things related to it! So I thought it was worth doing a separate blog post on my favorite store in Rockport, Massachusetts: Capt. Steve’s Sea Shell Shop. This shop really is an amazing source for domestic and international shell varieties, all at affordable prices. My favorites are the pearlized shells in ivory and turquoise because they catch and refract light so well. 

That's Captain Steve behind the register

As a decorating tip, why not fill a glass bowl or vase with beautiful shells to place in a bathroom or on a bookshelf in the house, or create a dramatic display of oversize shells: its an easy way to bring the sea inside!

If you're crafty, you can even make mirrors, picture frames, center pieces, jewellery or any item that will take hot glue!

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Rockport, Massachusetts - A Day on Cape Ann

Rockport Harbor and Motif #1 fishing shack : the most often painted building in America

Rockport Harbor and the Sandy Bay Yacht Club

Sorry for the radio silence, but I have been on vacation for the last ten days at home in Boston, at our family beach house in Rockport, MA, and finally a short stint in New York City. I wanted to share with you a place I have been going to since my childhood: the most beautiful and picturesque New England seaside town on Cape Ann: Rockport, Massachusetts. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on three sides and steeped in history, Rockport is primarily a suburban residential and tourist town, but it is still home to a number of lobster fishermen and artists.

Breakfast:

Go for the hand-made donuts at Brothers Brew Coffee Shop on Main Street. Locals will know this as the original Coffee Shop, and while it has been given a facelift and a new name, the donuts are still as good as ever.

For a proper sit-down breakfast, head to Flav's Red Skiff for blueberry pancakes, french toast, waffles, eggs and giant omelettes. Go early to avoid the line. They also serve lunch and dinner and I love getting their steak bomb sandwiches as take-out to eat on the beach or at home.

In 1856 a gang of 200 women led by Hannah Jumper swept through the town and destroyed anything containing alcohol in what is called "Rockport's revolt against rum" and banned alcohol from the town. Except for a period in the 1930s, the town remained one of 15 Massachusetts dry towns. Rockport remained dry for many years until recently, when it was voted that alcohol could be served at restaurants, but liquor stores are still illegal. You can walk by Hannah Jumper's house a few doors down from the Red Skiff.

After breakfast, take a stroll down historic Bear Skin Neck. You will find ice cream parlors, art galleries, shops of all kinds, and a beautiful vista out onto the Atlantic Ocean at the very end of the neck. 

You can buy lobsters at the famous Roy Moore Lobster Co. on Bearskin Neck, or if you prefer not to be the one to drop these creatures in scalding water, head to Roy Moore's Fish Shack for a lobster meal looking out to the ocean.

One of my favorite stores on Bearskin Neck is Capt. Steve's Sea Shell Shop. You can find every kind of sea shell, starfish and sand dollar in this shop and the staff are extremely educated on all things shell related. This shop was featured in UK Vogue and Sandra Bullock bought loads of shells and sailor's valentines here when she was filming The Proposal in Rockport.

My poor parents: on every single trip to Rockport as a child, my brother and I insisted on a mandatory stop to the Country Store on Bearskin Neck to fill a giant white bag with penny candy of all kinds. Though no longer a penny, this is sugar heaven.

No trip would be complete without a stop at Tuck's Candy Factory, where you can watch them make the famous salt water taffy and can also buy fudge and chocolate covered everything. 

In the evening, go for a sunset cocktail at My Place By The Sea, and then see a performance at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, a new concert hall opened in spring 2010 with state-of-the-art acoustics and breathtaking ocean views. I challenge you to find a more beautiful concert hall than this!

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