on ne joue pas avec la nourriture!

breakfast table - somewhere in the Upper West Side
(wasa, ricotta, fresh figs, freshly ground pepper, honey, yellow raspberries, green tea)

"Don't play with your food! ", used to say my parents. To which I would now reply: "pfff!!!" and roll my eyes.
See, I have started this new little project: breakfast pictures. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so better start on the right foot!
Why do I bother? First, designing a pretty plate is so much fun.
Second, everything tastes so much better when it looks good. Simple ingredients have more flavors when elegantly presented.
And third, it's a way of eating better, healthier food. When you have to prepare it and compose a pretty picture, you have to opt for variety, colors, contrasts, ... you have to experiment and use your imagination.

So, ... what did you have for breakfast? I need ideas! Colorful, pretty, healthy ideas!

flipping through the pages of a beautiful manga

Kinokuniya bookstore www.kinokuniya.com - Avenue of the Americas, across Bryant Park - map it here

Let's travel through the pages of a good manga, Vagabond by Inoue Takehiko, which I discovered thanks to Monika N. She also pointed me to a great Japanese bookstore, Kinokuniya Books, which is located just across from Bryant Park and which is now part of my favorite lunch break destinations. I got lost more than once in the beauty of the origami papers, they have cute tshirts and gifts with an exotic edge. They even have a little coffee shop upstairs and those credit card size subway and NYC maps.

flower dress in a flower setting

•••, première mise en ligne par • Eliane •.

Have you ever felt that some people complete the landscape? That if they would just move a few meters it would not look as pretty? That's what I thought when I saw this woman reading a book among the flowers. You could easily miss her but her beautiful orange bag was all I could see. Then her pretty dress. Then some overweight people I had to crop out of the scene (sorry guys) .

pigeon mamma

Riverside Park (around W73rd St, above the highway) - map it here

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's blurry again. That artistic touch is back. I stumbled on this old woman feeding the local pigeons after a stroll in Riverside Park. The park is below, along the Hudson River. After a nice bike climb, you reach the other part of the park and Riverside Drive. I noticed this strange woman, just as I had finished climbing the curve and turned back.

It reminded me of this post, much better executed, by fellow New York blogger Ken Mac who found the Greenwich Village pigeon mamma. Notice the difference with the Upper West Side pigeon mamma who brought a bird cage with her own bird, so dear birdy could socialize among its peers. Or... could it be to steel a pigeon or two for dinner? You need four for this recipe of pigeon farci au foie gras et mangues poêlées (pigeon stuffed with foie gras, with shallow fried mango). I know, I know... never blog on an empty stomach.

spring 2009 collection

spring 2009 collection, première mise en ligne par • Eliane •.

In the little park adjacent to the Cathedral of St John the divine, way up in the Upper West Side, this white peacock was very proud to parade. It really looked like a fashion show and he loved the attention! We were 3 to take pictures of this true diva.
More pictures of this fashion scoop...
Look at that gown!

So versatile.

Like in all good fashion shows, here comes the bride.

Notice the accessories: tiaras are in!

And yes, some models do eat.

urban discovery

W80th between B'way and Amsterdam Avenue - map it here

I know it's a little blurry but let's think of it as an artistic effect, ok?
So why do I show you this? Well, the flowers are pretty, the brownstone is beautiful and this bohemian exuberance is quite charming. But there is something else... Can you spot it? It is something you would not expect to see in Manhattan. That you would not expect to see in any city for that matter. See it now? No? Let's show you an extra one!

Got it now? No?

____________
I know... I know... I've been slightly undisciplined lately and have "forgot" the daily aspect of this blog... No post since Monday, bad me!

-- backlog is now updated --

sweet!

316 Kent Ave, Brooklyn (seen from the East River) - map it here

Sometimes, I can be slightly distracted. Which is how today, I enjoyed a little tour on the East River and can bring you a picture of the Domino Sugar refinery in Williamsburg.
See, the idea was to take the free shuttle to Red Hook for a little shopping stop at Ikea. Arriving at pier 11 where the ferry leaves, I see one right there. For sure, that should be my ride. So I go at the end of the queue and am asked by the New York Taxi crew member for my ticket. A ticket? That's new. Where do I get a ticket? We need a ticket now to go to Ikea? Where? "Go, embark", she said. So I get in.
To my surprise, the boat starts its journey in the exact opposite direction. First stop: Fulton Ferry Landing in Dumbo, near the Brooklyn Bridge. Then Hunters Point in Long Island City. Then East 34th Street near the United Nations. Then to South Street Seaport. And finally back to where this all started.
I got in a commuter water taxi by mistake! But I enjoyed the visit immensely. :)

blue mirage, redux

IAC building - 555 W 18th St - map it here

Saturday, I showed you the left side of this beautiful building designed by architect Frank Gehry. This is the missing piece.
I initially took this picture just to remember where the building was located (11 ave. @ W18th street) and because I wanted some cars to get an idea of its scale. Then I noticed that this is just where the highline is located. You can see it if you click on the picture to enlarge it.

a cup of devil

Grom - 2165 Broadway - map it here

Sunday we had to decide between two sins. Let's show you which ones got the better of our sweet tooth: pistachio and espresso were our sins du jour. Yum!!!

belgium exposed

Belgium exposed, première mise en ligne par Alan Carter.

I feel a little bad that for the Belgian national day, I just took you to a popular Belgian place but did not have a Belgian flag to show you.
Alan Carter was kind enough to let me use his hilarious picture of a unique Belgian flag snapped in Brussels. Thank you, Alan!
Alan says, and he is totally right, that this picture illustrates perfectly l'esprit swanzeur bruxellois. The swanze is a special word in Brussels slang. It refers to the facetious, joker personality of the inhabitants of Brussels.
My little country is experiencing an identity crisis these days. And although we are not exactly chauvinistic, since this crisis started, people have started displaying the national colors. Flags are showing up at the windows. And as you can see, some can be more committed than others.

vive la belgique!

vive la belgique!, première mise en ligne par • Eliane •.

Today, I have a special thought for my little country on its national day. I wish it many, many more. And I just hope the bunch of moron politicians who manage it took this opportunity to have a few beers together and resolve all those silly problems. We deserve much better.
And of course, I had to stop at Le Pain Quotidien to pick up the lunch du jour (a gauffre de Liège and a tartine au poulet curry).
Bonne fête à tous les Belges!
Goed feest aan alle Belgische!

hesitating between two sins

Grom - 2165 Broadway - map it here

On which one to set your heart? Hmmm... decision, decision...

a blue mirage

IAC building - 555 W 18th St - map it here

This building is quite amazing. When you see it "in person", it looks as if its panels were made out of blueish plastic. It looks as if you would touch it, you could make it move a little. It looks a little surreal. And in picture, it also looks surreal. nearly fake. It almost looks like a drawing, like one of those architectural renderings of what the "real building" would look like. Its lines are swaying even more.

Where and what is this beauty? This is the IAC Building designed by architect Frank Gehry. It is located on the West Side of Manhattan (click on the "map it here" link under the picture for exact location). You can learn more about it here: http://www.iacbuilding.com

trompe-l'oeil (le soir)

Five Times Square - map it here

Yesterday post proved me that you were not paying attention! We spend time coming up with meaningful tags and you guys don't even read them? What's that about? Seriously! ;)
So today, concentrate, as I have to give you a little exercise. Those attentive among you will figure out easily what is going on here. The others will just have to pass their turn and go back three spaces.

So above is "trompe l'oeil (by night)" - nope, it's not about the hot guy with his stylish hat in the foreground. And here below is "trompe l'oeil (by day)" - and nope, it's not about Sheer Genius. Concentrate people, concentrate.

:-)

somewhere in Midtown Manhattan

This is what happens when you lock professional adults in a conference room and leave them to their own device for two hours straight.

light headed?

Calyon Investment Bank - 1301 Avenue of the Americas - map it here

Yesterday, I showed you how to loose your pants on Fifth Avenue. Today, I found someone who lost her head on Sixth Avenue.

baggy jeans

baggy jeans, première mise en ligne par • Eliane •.

We always marvel at those women capable of trotting in their Manolo Blahnik stilettos in the cobblestone streets of the Meatpacking District. But fair is fair: let's recognize it takes special skills to be able to walk all day long with your pants falling to your knees. So I say kudos to this gentleman for making it seems effortless
And no, I will not practice this at home. Nor should you.

parlez-vous français?

, première mise en ligne par • Eliane •.

As aujourd'hui is le quatorze juillet, here's a little leçon de vocabulaire on the bretelles of this employée of the French Institute/Alliance Française. Bisous à tous and vive la France!

(for those of you who need a little help with all those exotic words, here's one of the sites I like: http://www.wordreference.com/fr/)

[catching up!]

Hallelujah!!! I seem to be able to post again. So I am catching up!

I must admit that I was not a happy camper this past week: the perspective of loosing all my scheduled posts did not seem that appealing to me. I don't know about you but I'm not digging this kind of boo boos.
INot sure what I did to fix this but it seems to be working. Good. But that does not mean Blogger and I are best friends again. I'll need some serious apologies. Sans blague.

[mon.07jul] après la pluie, le beau temps

near pier 11 on the East River - map it here

And after the rainstorm, a nice reward. Can you see it? Well, those two guys can see it. What? The rainbow!!! Where? Starting on the left where South Street Seaport is located, then curbing over the two bridges. See? It's starting to fade away, but it's there. The first bridge is of course the Brooklyn Bridge. The blue one behind is the Manhattan Bridge. On the other shore, accross the East River, it's Brooklyn. And that big yellowish building next to the Brooklyn Bridge is the Watchtower (headquarters of the Jehovah witnesses).

This is the first rainbow I spotted in years! And anytime I spot one, this book title from my childhood pops in my mind: "Après la pluie, le beau temps" (literaly: after the rain, the nice weather). It is the title of a short story in Les malheurs de Sophie, a children book written by La Comtesse de Ségur. As a kid, Sophie was my hero: she misbehaved a lot, was a little mean (just a little) but always witty. If you're learning French, I think you might enjoy those short stories. I'd compare it to Eloise, without pictures and for more advanced readers.

[sun.06jul] let it rain... let it rain...

Ikea Brooklyn - 1 Beard Street - map it here

It takes a few minutes of a summer rainstorm to have your feet in the puddles. And completely soaked. And it takes just a few more minutes to really have fun with it.

[sat.05jul] old friends

Red Hook - promenade - map it here

Fateful picture immortalizing my old friends: they took a turn for the worse during the rainstorm that followed that day. Tragic end.

[fri.04jul] happy fourth!

[thu.03jul] spotlight on times square

Times Square - map it here

A quick lazy one, as I leave the office. I always forget that if I walk just half a block, I can bring a snapshot of all the ambiant craziness. And this time, I am rather pleased with this one: when you have a lot of bright lights, it's always a bit of a game to avoid the white lights which usually come out extremely blurry with the iPhone.

Oh and I almost forgot (bad host that I am), the round building on the left is the NASDAQ, the big one behind it is Condé Nast. And the billboard on the right, stand on 1 Times Square. On New Year's Eve, that's where the ball drops. Wait. Yes, I think so. Or close. Hmm... Yep, that's right!

More on the NASDAQ here and on Condé Nast here.

[wed.02jul] bonjour miss!

, première mise en ligne par • Eliane •.

On our way to Red Hook, let's wave to Miss Liberty! Isn't she pretty?

[tue.01jul] no! no! and no!!!

, première mise en ligne par • Eliane •.

This is theme day again, time flies! And this month theme is: "post a picture of a sign in your town that includes the text 'no'". There were 172 participants in this theme day. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

So I kept my eyes open on those "NO" signs these past few days. It's hard to pick a favorite: theyare all over town! All those things you can't do:
• nope, can't ride your bike in the garden
• can't enter until the boat has decked
• can't honk or it'll cost you $350
• can't park there
• can't... what exactly?
• can't enter here
• there's no cking here (*)
• can't dump over here or you'll be prosecuted
• can't enter until directed by vessel crew
• there is no trespassing there
• and no parking there
• and no smoking here
And finally, this very polite one found in my neighborhood: No dog please! Restored brownstone.

Happy July to all!

(*) for those with fertile imaginations among you, it stands for no docking

[mon.30jun] the sweedish invade red hook

Ikea Brooklyn - 1 Beard St - map it here

Bravissimo to those of you who guessed that my urban exploration took me to Red Hook, a Brooklyn neighborhood. The clairvoyants among you even figured out that I went to the new Ikea that just opened in Brooklyn.

If you're visiting New York, this is one of the best deal in town: pretend you are craving Sweedish meatballs for lunch, hop on the free water taxi (pier 11, far end of Wall Street), enjoy a twelve minute ride with the best views of the Financial District, the Brooklyn waterfront, the bridges, you'll pass Governors Island and wave at Miss Liberty and before you'll know it, you'll dock in Red Hook.

Once there, either head to the Sweedish empire or, skip discreetly and head to Fairway on one of the adjacent piers, buy a $6 sandwich that you'll eat in the outdoor café, with great views, explore the artist studios, the outdoor gardens, bring a book and take the sun on the promenade, ... you get the idea.

If you want to learn more about how to get there and what it looks like, I've organized all my pictures in a Flickr album - you can view it as a diaporama (I've added comments here and there).

ehem... please excuse this interruption...

colorrandom, première mise en ligne par Bill Wetzel.

A picture gathered on Flikr [not mine] to illustrate the little inconvenience I am experiencing these past few days.

Not sure what is the problem: my connection, Blogger or my browser but nothing will post. I have several posts saved, just waiting for that miraculous moment when pushing "post" will actually... post!

Well, in the interim, why don't you visit my fellow NY bloggers: Brian, Ken, Kitty, Lori, Ming, Jimmy and the others I am linking on the right panel. They have wonderful blogs which will certainly satisfy your appetite!