I woke up this morning, my head throbbing dimly as a reminder of last night: the loud bar, low pulsating music, a throng of bodies crowded into a warm room. I stand at the kitchen counter. I’ve done the usual to wake up. A brisk walk, the cold wind stinging my eyes. A cup of milky coffee. Now, I’m alert but still operating at half-speed.
Read moreMINT CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIES
My energy level is flickering on and off like a light switch in a thunderstorm. I’m good! I’m getting up! I’m…no. I’m on the couch again, my eyelids heavy and threatening to close. On Monday, I had sinus surgery (nothing scary! not gruesome! as routine as such things can be), so my body is in full recovery mode.
Read moreSWEET POTATO ROLLS
There's a mug of tea steaming on the windowsill to my left. It’s quiet in my apartment but cheerful noises from the street outside drift up through my open window on the warm breeze. Children shout from the school next door. A delivery truck rumbles past, then another. A far-away siren, the thump of trash cans hauled to the sidewalk, a girl giggling as she waits in the long line outside the bakery downstairs.
Read moreWHISKEY SALTED CARAMEL CINNAMON ROLLS
The weather lately feels like a moody teenager, swinging wildly between seasons: a hot, sunny morning one day then a raging rain storm lashing at my windows the next.
In Vermont last week, the air was crisp and cool to match the fall foliage. I drove home by way of the Hudson Valley, spending a few days with friends. I needed a wool hat to counter the chill; we spent the evenings outside in the hot tub, steam rising in the cold air, or camped out drinking wine around the outdoor fire pit. And yet today, buttery sun is pouring in through my windows. I wore a t-shirt to run in Central Park. The clock at Columbus Circle read 72 degrees at 10 AM.
Read morePOUND CAKE + A DAY IN NYC
You don’t need a guide to New York City. There are a million in existence, and you likely have friends to tell you where to go and what to eat. But yet, it pains me to see the streams of tourists heading to Times Square or Fifth Avenue, missing some of the city’s best gems. Sure, if you want to eat at Red Lobster and see bright lights, do it. But I always think it’s nice to see the quieter, less traveled parts of a city as a visitor. If I designed a day for someone visiting –provided they didn’t need to do bucket list things like go to the Met or eat at Katz’s—here’s what I’d do. This isn’t quintessential New York and it doesn’t check any famous boxes. But it’s a collection of seriously fantastic and pretty places that are worth seeing:
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