outdoors – Page 2 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Snapshots October 4, 2013

Save Prada Marfa

I love following Gray Malin on Instagram. His photos are incredible. A recent post brought to my awareness the fact that Prada Marfa is under threat of being demolished due to the Texas Department of Transportation. This modern art piece is a permanently installed sculpture by artists Elmgreen and Dragset, situated about 37 mi northwest of the city of Marfa. The installation was inaugurated on October 1, 2005. The artists called the work a “pop architectural land art project.” The sculpture was intended to never be repaired, so it might slowly degrade back into the natural landscape.*

Prada Marfa was made culturally popular by its regular appearance on Gossip Girl, and yes, I did order myself a Prada Marfa sign for our house (sorry, Sasha!).

The Texas Department of Transportation recently deemed the installation to be a form of advertising akin to a billboard. Given this categorization, Prada Marfa needs to be licensed by the state, but the area in which it stands isn’t eligible for this type of permit. Fans are rallying around this iconic art piece on Facebook. You can read more about the details of the initial ruling here.

Some of my favorite photos of Prada Marfa are those from Gray Malin’s Prada Marfa collection below.

*Prada Marfa description

Personal September 30, 2013

Minneapolis Snapshots

Sasha and I headed to Minnesota for the weekend to spend time with friends. They live in the wonderful city of Minneapolis – it’s also the city where my brother-in-law grew up, so we’ve been meaning to go for ages now. We certainly weren’t disappointed. Despite a rainy Saturday, we found Minneapolis to be a gorgeous, outdoorsy city, filled with delicious restaurants and unique things to see (i.e. the massive cherry below). We ate a light snack after we arrived at The Local in downtown, had dinner on Friday at Punch Neopolitan Pizza, ate breakfast at Edina Grill, and then had lunch at Gorkha Palace on Saturday. We dined at Loring Kitchen and Bar before we headed to Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna on Saturday evening, then finished the weekend off on a great note at Cafeteria in Uptown before heading to the airport. I seriously enjoyed every single bite of food we ate on the trip (as did Sasha!). It was so nice to spend time with Sasha’s friends and their adorable girls. Next up, NYC in one month!

My new Warby Parker glasses – as discussed here

Sparkling water and hummus at The Local in downtown Minneapolis

Creeping around Target headquarters

Walking around in my new J. Crew Darby Loafers (on sale!)

The most delicious (not so healthy) Tibetan lunch at Gorkha Palace

Rain, rain go to Spain

Amazing dinner at Loring Kitchen and Bar

Boys being boys at Amaluna (my favorite Cirque ever – and I’ve seen 8!)

I already miss this sweet face!

Snapshots August 28, 2013

I Went to the Woods

One of my favorite quotes ever is from Thoreau’s Walden, which I studied in great detail during my American Literature class at The University of Texas at Austin. The theme of solitude and oneness with nature is evident throughout this literary classic, and whenever people talk about the forests or woods, the entire quote plays out in my head:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

Sasha and I are heading to my parent’s house in Durango, Colorado today for an extended Labor Day weekend. I cannot wait to go hiking, rafting, and exploring in this gorgeous town. I hope to come back much more relaxed than I am in my current work state!

Photo via Fourth Lake