Sweet Thing: Balthazar.

Central Park on a summer day, for me, is the very definition of heaven. So when a friend invited me to join her for a picnic on a particularly pleasant weekday afternoon, (this would be a "work picnic," of course), I hopped on a train immediately. I arrived to find her waiting with all the outdoor essentials, and, to my delight, a bag of these beauties.



Have you ever had a sticky bun? Somehow - miraculously - in all my extensive sweet-sampling, I never had. What a discovery! At once flaky, buttery, and sticky-sweet, Balthazar's interpretation is legendary, and understandably so. Sticky bun novice that I am, I can't offer any personal opinions about how it stacks up to the competition. What I can say: twenty minutes later, I still had gooey topping on my teeth. And on my fingers. Still, I wanted another.

Copy Cats.

These photos - from the blog, "The Cat Scan" - put a smile on my face today, making an already gorgeous, crystal-clear, post-storm morning even brighter.

Have a wonderful week, everyone.

Images via The Cat Scan.

In Hiding.

Like most New Yorkers, I'll be spending this weekend indoors as Hurricane Irene approaches. (I'm prepared with plenty of bottled water, flashlights, batteries, and chocolate.)

A busy work schedule had me with my hands full this week, and I apologize for being M.I.A. here on the blog. I'll be back Monday, barring any weather-related power issues. To my fellow East Coasters, please stay safe this weekend!

Photos: 1) Vivian Maier via First Time User, and 2) Beatrix Meszoly de Jourdan via Flickr. 

Book Crush.

These photos of Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe make me want to cut my hair, string together some feathers, rethink my entire (colorful) wardrobe, and pick up a guitar.




"Just Kids," Smith's memoir recounting her relationship with Mapplethorpe, came out early last year. (As with most good things, I'm a little late to the game on this one.) I'm normally a fairly fast reader, zipping through a book in a matter of days, but I've lingered on this one - I love disappearing into the New York of the Seventies: the hallways of the Chelsea Hotel, Max's Kansas City, the Coney Island boardwalk. I don't want it to end. Some days, a good book feels like a good friend.

Photos by Judy Linn and Norman Seeff, via Interview Magazine.

Hello, Monday!

The weather in New York today was nothing short of spectacular: bright and breezy, 77 degrees.

It was a skip-down-the-sidewalk, sing-out-loud, swing-your-arms, dance-into-the-sunset kind of day. More, please!

Photo of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald by Gilles Petard via Awesome People Hanging Out Together.

The Makers Project.

Brooklyn photographer Jennifer Causey is the creator of The Makers Project, an ongoing series of photo essays and interviews profiling artists, designers, craftspeople, and all-around creative rock stars. "When my project began, I knew I was photographing people who make things, but I soon realized I was also photographing people who make things happen," she says. Among her many notable subjects:

James and Caitlin Freeman of Blue Bottle Coffee...

...jeweler Jennifer Sarkilahti of Odette New York...





...and Michael and Rick Mast of Mast Brothers Chocolate.





Photos by Jennifer Causey for The Makers Project. Found via Simple Song.

Broken.

The Museum of Broken Relationships - a traveling exhibit based in Zagreb, Croatia - features relics from ill-fated unions, along with the stories behind them.

The caption accompanying a mobile phone displayed in the exhibit: "It was 300 days too long. He gave me his cell phone so I couldn’t call him any more."

All images found on the museum website. Via Good.

The Sun Burns.

I returned home to a rain-drenched New York late last night, and spent an hour or so before bed catching up on unread posts on my blog reader. (A week with limited phone and Internet access left me with quite a few!) In my post-vacation dream state, this list, typewritten on the back of a check, struck a chord.

via Wit + Delight. (Know who made this? Please share so I can give credit!)

A Quick Hello.

Hello from Martha's Vineyard! I'm here with my family til Friday, and I already wish I had more time. There are wild rabbits and deer in the yard, the weather is warm and breezy, and as I type, there are lobster rolls and peach pie sitting on the counter for dinner. In short? Heaven.



The Internet is a bit spotty at the lovely house we're staying at, so I will not be able to post regularly this week. It does happen to be working now, though, so I thought I'd check in and say hello. Happy summer!

Photo by Max.

Author Eats.

Feast your eyes on Wendy MacNaughton's illustrations for the New York Times Book Review piece, "Snacks of the Great Scribblers."



My writing fuel of choice? Cherry pie, cinnamon toast, Billy's banana cupcakes, anything with Nutella on it - guess Lord Byron and I would've been ill-suited work buddies.

via Wit + Delight.

Bye For Now, NYC.

Early tomorrow, I'll be bidding New York adieu for a week and heading to Martha's Vineyard for some beach time with my family. (And to celebrate my birthday!)

I've never been, so I'm not sure what to expect, but as long as sun, sand, and some sort of delicious summer pie is involved, I'm sure I won't have any complaints! Enjoy the weekend!

Image: Pinterest. (If anyone knows who the photographer is, please let me know so I can give proper credit!)

Noted.

Thanks, Ira. Revisiting this quote was just what I needed today.



Top image via Pinterest. (If anyone knows who made it, please share!) Card by 4four, available on Etsy.

Freaks, Geeks, and Cat Birthdays.

A die-hard Freaks and Geeks fan, I stopped in my tracks when I spotted this card, by the Great Lakes Goods, in a local boutique.


I'm also a fan of this one...



...and this one. I'm not sure what a "cat birthday" entails, (besides perfection, apparently), but I'd love to find out!



More from the Great Lakes Goods - including a list of stockists - here.

Sweet Thing: Pies 'n' Thighs.

I had apple pie at Pies 'n' Thighs for breakfast this morning.



Said pie was resting atop a giant slice of cheddar cheese: an ideal combination of salty and sweet. Be still my heart.