Work is beyond busy, but there’s one thing getting me through each day – Bali in 22 days! Sasha has begged me not to over-book us, so I’ve limited my planning to a famous Balinese cooking class, volcano tour, temple tour, yoga class, Ubud day trip, and my favorite – an elephant ride! The first time I saw elephants in the wide (i.e. not at a zoo) was in South Africa three years ago, and I fell in love. They are so darn cute.
photo by vicki grafton via entouriste
I love, love, love New York City. It has so much energy. I adore walking around all day long, eating far too much (delicious) food, acting like a total tourist with my big Nikon DSLR, getting excited about things I’ve now seen numerous times, like Central Park and the Empire State Building. I spent a very brief 36-ish hours in NYC this weekend with a good friend of mine – play-by-play itinerary below. What are your favorite things to do in the city? We’re thinking about making this an annual trip, so I welcome suggestions!
Friday
Kate Spade Madison Avenue changing rooms… I need this wallpaper!
I’m heading to NYC this weekend with a girlfriend of mine, and when I stumbled upon these NY invitations on Oh So Beautiful Paper, I totally swooned. I love the save-the-date so much. The handpainting adds such a unique touch. The venue for this wedding is equally cool.
I decided to do more investigation into the venue via Style Me Pretty – it’s very rustic, and I love it.
View of downtown Austin
View from Mount Bonnell
Darrel K. Royal Stadium at The University of Texas at Austin
G’Raj Mahal on Rainey Street (delicious)
Amazing coffee (love the on “The Drag”)
My favorite independent book store
Hamilton Pool
Sixth Street
Austin City Limits
__________________________________
I’m in Austin today for a UT Recruiting event, and as we have a little downtime (the first I’ve had ALL week), I thought I’d share some wonderful Austin guides:
sources linked via image
On Satuday, I headed to the Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market (Eastside location) – something I’ve been meaning to do for ages and had never gotten around to. One thing’s for sure – I’ve been missing out. Enticing aromas welcome you when walking towards the long two rows of tents selling everything from brightly colored vegetables to fresh flowers, organic beef and vegan treats. I went with Sasha’s aunt, Zlata, who enjoys markets as much as I do. We left with a full (recyclable, of course) bag, stuffed with basil, portobello mushrooms, peppers, flowers (top left picture), limes, and last (but definitely not least) vegan pumpkin pie! I was giddy with excitement when I saw Sinfull Bakery‘s stand (my favorite), as I’ve been trying various vegan pumpkin recipes to little success, and wanted something tried-and-proven on that particular morning. Sasha scarfed it down when we got home and gave it two-thumbs up, which means a lot coming from a carnivore who eats eggs but doesn’t like desserts.
My favorite stands were:
Sinfull Bakery – as mentioned above, the vegan treats (and samples) are so tasty
Pat Greer’s Kitchen – I was handed a vegan sauteed veggie taster and it was heaven-in-my-mouth (need to head to her restaurant!)
Billabong Fresh Flower Farm – where I got my gorgeous flower arrangement
Utility Research Garden – the juiciest limes I’ve ever tasted
Shade/Canopy – I love the restaurants, so naturally loved the booth
Knopp Branch Farm – some of the best portobello mushrooms we’ve ever eaten
Revival Market – a little sneak peek before I headed there for lunch with friends on Saturday
My love for farmer’s markets dates back to my time in Austin at The University of Texas – I wrote an article for the UT newspaper, which was linked to here.
Have you been to your local farmer’s market?