buvette // nyc

November 12, 2014

new york city // buvettenew york city // buvettenew york city // buvettenew york city // buvette

One of the best places we experienced last summer while we were visiting New York was Buvette in the West Village.

I had pinned this little gem MONTHS before we even took our trip, but knew from the photos and the reviews that this was a place I had to find myself at. Absolutely a must in my to-do book. Fortunately for us, Buvette stood directly across the street from our AirBnB. A coincidence to you maybe, but to me? FATE.

The first gold star for Buvette is its location. Nestled right on Grove Street, it is surrounded by adorable brownstones, and steps from some of the best small shops in the city {see my last NYC post for details!}.

Next up is the ambiance. You are definitely in New York City {and you are L O V I N G  I T!} but you might as well be in Paris! Not that I’ve ever been to Paris, sigh, BUT! I can only imagine that this little place would fit right in there. {AND WAIT! I just visited their website to retrieve the link and la dee da they DO have another location. IN PARIS. I knew I was on to something!} The decor is perfect– from the tables and chairs, to the wall hangings, and even the menus– a letterpress work of art.

And while the location and ambience are important, it’s the food that really takes the cake. They have a small menu, but they really do have everything you could ever want. Something sweet? Get the Belgian Waffle topped with raspberries. Savory? Croque Monsieur! Or, you could really hit the jackpot with the waffle sandwich: a sunny side up egg with gueyere cheese and bacon sandwiched between two waffles and drizzled with maple syrup. SAVORY AND SWEET TOGETHER AT LONG LAST!

That last dish was what I got if you’re wondering. ;) And for the girl who is always debating between the pancakes or the eggs benedict, well you know, dreams really do come true.

//

Buvette

42 Grove St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 255-3590
8 Comments · Filed Under: food, travel ·

welcome to new york.

October 30, 2014

new york city --

“Walking through a crowd, the village is aglow
Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats
Everybody here wanted something more
Searching for a sound we hadn’t heard before

And it said
Welcome to New York

It’s been waiting for you
Welcome to New York, Welcome to New York.”

//

Alternately titled: My Mom’s Retirement Trip!

Ahh, retirement! Such a beautiful thing, I can only imagine!! And although I’m light years away from experiencing it myself, my mom is in the thick of it! What bliss. When summer was upon us, my sister and I were all up for helping her celebrate. My mom chose the place– New York City– and naturally I was excited from the very beginning. We decided to go for for a few week days in August. I set us up with an adorable AirBnB in the West Village {SWOON!}, scoured Pinterest for all the greatest, and we hopped on the train and took off! Three glorious days, three ladies in the city.

Here’s the rundown on day ONE:

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The first day we arrived in the city around lunch time. We took an Uber from Grand Central Station straight to our little street in the West Village. It was the perfect street in the perfect location.

Look at those doors! Look at that European-esque hallway! It was all just too good.

And the apartment!

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Our place was so cozy and just the right size for the three of us {a queen bed and a pull out couch}. Small, but that’s all we needed!

{ If you’re looking to stay in NY, let me know and I’ll send you the AirBnB link to the place! Very highly recommended and the location can’t be beat! :) }

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Right away we walked the streets of the neighborhood. I have blogged about the West Village before and I still think it’s ABSOLUTE MAGIC. We had lunch at Tartine, a little french bakery bistro right on the corner W 11th St and West 4th Street. Usually I come to New York for a day, or for a weekend, which is all wonderful and good, but also always so so busy. A jam-packed-full-of-action-don’t-stop-for-a-minute kind of experience! It was so nice to be able to sit and know that this city was ours to soak in, enjoy and explore, even if just for a little while.

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Y-U-M. YUMMM.

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Magnolia’s Bread Pudding = ONE THOUSAND YUMS.

Oh my dear, this is not the only time we would eat this during the trip!

{Bread Pudding for breakfast, anyone?}

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The shops in this area of New York are endless, and perfectly unique. My favorites were Sockerbit {sweedish candy!}, Goorin Bros. hat shop {I wanted that one in the photo, but decided in the end to leave it on the shelf!} and Greenwich Letterpress {because, PAPER. Forever paper.}. Every store is so different and it’s fun to step inside them all!

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After all the wandering, we headed into Washington Square Park, where summer in the city was most definitely in full swing. New York might not have the lakes or oceans, but they do have live music, plenty of great people watching, and fountains {if you’re into that sort of thing}.

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I love this photo so much. Bleeker Street in all it’s glory.

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We ate at Rosemary’s in Greenwich Village for dinner on a recommendation from a friend. The rooftop garden was wonderful and the atmosphere was just what I was looking for. I love a place with bistro lights and this place had it all. An emphasis on fresh homegrown herbs and produce {SO INTO IT} The homemade focaccia bread and homemade pasta were great highlights, too. Traveling is half about the adventure, and half about the AMAZING FOOD!

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Gah, I love New York! And these two beauties, too!

♥♥♥

18 Comments · Filed Under: family, life, travel ·

creative overnight!

October 8, 2014

{Creative Overnight}

This past summer, I took at trip to the Catskill Mountains in New York with a bunch of local Boston creatives {and friends!} for a very special overnight. The event was dubbed “#CREATIVEOVERNIGHT: no work, all play” and with my friend Lauren running the show, I was instantly up for being a part of it. We drove down on a Tuesday morning, spent the day stopping here and there around the Hudson Valley, and then spent the late afternoon and evening doing the kinds of things that fun people do when they are together. There was rain, which was not ideal for swimming or sunbathing, but there was certainly plenty of instagramming, taco eating, flower crown making, and S’MORES, which was QUITE IDEAL and perfectly delightful.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip…

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Rachael, Natalie, Laura and I all drove up together from Boston. We piled into my car and coasted out on the thruway, heading towards the Hudson Valley and the Catskills– and we stopped in the town of Hudson for lunch!

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Hudson is so cool! Old School vibes with both vintage and trendy storefronts.

 …

Destination #creativeovernight: Phoenicia, NY

Home of The Graham and Co!

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Rachael and I were roommates for the night! Loved!

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The Graham and Co. was amazing. It’s a small but mighty boutique hotel located in the town of Phoenicia. This wasn’t my first trip visiting the Catskills, but it has been a very long time {my cousins have a cabin in “upstate” where we visited once or twice when we were little} so everything felt very new to me.  There is just such an old fashioned feel to the whole town, like you’ve stepped back in time. The Graham and Co was the perfect spot for our getaway– and so kind and accommodating, too. They had simple cozy rooms, and both a lobby garage and a den, which saved us from the rain and was also the perfect movie theatre for Moonrise Kingdom!

{creative overnight}

The next morning we headed to the Phoenicia Diner for brunch. SO DELICIOUS!

This is the kind of place I would go back to every weekend if I could.

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I just loved everything about it.
Because it’s fun to have a good time, eat good food, and spend time with good, kind, inspiring people. And because this getaway was the dreamiest.

{creative overnight}

Thank you, Lauren for organizing the best #creativeovernight ever!

{creative overnight]

And 3 cheers for The Graham and Co! Such a sweet place!

//

{diner food by Rachael + map photo by Natalie}
{group photos by JAMES. Thank you for everything, James!}

♥

5 Comments · Filed Under: friends, summer, travel ·

the great hut to hut.

September 12, 2014

the great hut to hut

At the very end of August, when the days were still hot and blissfully free, Zan and I, and almost his entire family went on the most amazing 3 day adventure in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We hiked during the day and spent the afternoons and evenings in a few of the Appalachian Mountain Club Huts, which run along the parts of both the Presidential Traverse and the Appalachian Trail. The entire experience was completely amazing and something that I feel so lucky to have gotten to do! We packed all our snacks and lunches ahead of time, kept our backpacks full of the essentials, and breathed in the most incredible views you can imagine.

Do you know what it feels like to be five thousand and twelve feet above sea level?

I T   F E E L S   G L O R I O U S.

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The first night we stayed at the Mitzpah Spring Hut. All of the AMC huts have one main dining room {pictured here} and then bunk rooms or cabins. It had been raining on our way up to the hut so upon arriving I was both excited and relieved. It felt so cozy and with so much of Zan’s family there hiking the trails and being together– like something special was going down in the history books. And I was glad to be a part of it.

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Black Bean Soup! Foccacia Bread! Alpine Salad! Chicken Parm!

{These hut crew members did NOT mess around with dinner.}

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The gang’s all here.

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Our bunk room!

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Mapping out plans…

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And the weather was perfect. Early morning blue skies and a just a little bit cold, which turned to warm, of course, the minute our feet hit the trails. We ate oatmeal and pancakes and bacon for breakfast {another hut meal!} before gathering up our belongings to head out for our second day in the high mountains– 6 miles across the ridge to the Lakes of the Clouds…

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All 17 of us!

{And Zan’s sister and her boyfriend were joining in later that day. That’s 19! Party!}

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There she is! The Lakes of the Clouds Hut!

{And not a moment too soon.}

Also, Mount Washington straight ahead! Which I did not choose to climb, but much of our group {including Zan} did!

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Relaxing in the hut was more my speed at that point of the day… :)

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There really are lakes in the clouds, in case you were wondering!

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And they are stunning.

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As is the view from the hut!

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Hiking is hard, but it’s also incredibly fantastic. I would not say the actual act of hiking is “a walk in the woods” for me, but everything I feel at the end of the day is worth all the hard miles and steep hills and sore knees. It feels so free to be on top of the world like this looking out at all the layers, feeling like you just accomplished something big. And my favorite part was always the hot chocolate waiting for me in the hut, and when I was finally able to climb into my jams and sit down with my people, and enjoy a good meal AND a sweet sunset, all after a summer day’s work. ♥

30 Comments · Filed Under: family, life, summer, travel ·
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