Wednesday, August 31, 2011
college, the golden years
I finally arrived back at school...thank God. Now, don't get me wrong, it's been an awesome summer- but two NYC trips, 3 jobs, a little west coast visit, a lot of family, and some buses to Boston later, I was definitely ready to get back. I'm in an apartment with five other girls this year- three of which I lived with freshman year of college and now we're reuniting for our junior year- it only seemed right! The six of us make up a diverse group; from a journalism major, to my roommate who's pre-med, to Candice who can "speak" sign language, to another who has Celiac's disease...but we share a common love of shopping (both in stores and using the very dangerous and highly addictive on-line sites) which we made clear the day after we moved in. Shopping addictions aside- we DEFINITELY needed the matching bath mats in front of the two bathroom sinks right?!? (Oh well, at least they look cute) We really lucked out with our place. The apartment is huge, but the strange part is that this was the apartment that my best friend's boyfriend lived in last year, where the six wild boys had parties every Thursday-Saturday night while also inviting people over every other night. We celebrated new years here and poured champagne all over the carpets, we celebrated numerous birthdays, had dance parties as much as possible, turned up a speaker so loud that it caught on fire, dropped ashes on the floor from one of the boy's hookahs, someone almost fell through a screen in the window while dancing on a table, someone punched a hole in the wall one night, we overflowed the toilet and it leaked down to the apartment below, we made chicken alfredo and everyone got sick from the sauce, honored Cinco de Mayo with margaritas, a few people funneled rum and coke, we watched basketball most of the time, music was always playing, black lights were always on, and to hold up a torn piece of line paper for each night's ruit list was a steak knife stabbed into the wall. Knowing all this, you would think that this place was dirty hovel, a piece of crap, a place where you couldn't take your shoes off for fear of catching disease. But the boys somehow managed to clean up (or so they made us believe when we came over on a weeknight); they kept their cabinets labeled (my favorite being "glassware" which contained all the champagne flutes, wine and margarita glasses that were specifically for the "ladies") and they made "family" dinners all the time- the chicken parmigiana was delicious if I do say so myself. Those boys are some of the funniest people I've ever met - technically six lived in this apartment but another six lived across the hall and most of the time it seemed like they were all part of one huge, friendly, hilarious fraternity- always in and out of each other's places, doors always open, we had the best time. So to come in a week ago to an apartment where a picture of michael jordan's wingspan did not sit atop a pyramid of well placed basketball jerseys, or see a small bar rescued from a garage sale set up in the corner had disappeared and the the six-foot-tall T.V. set was not up against the wall, I had a very strange sense of uncomfortable-ness about moving into this apartment...this was not my apartment...this was where we danced on top of tables to Rihanna and Lil' Wayne, where we watched the Superbowl, where the boys were always up until at least 2am every night. I'm still trying to think of it as my own, and believe me, the girly additions such as table lamps, flowers, bamboo place mats, and posters of lovers kissing by the Eiffel Tower in black and white definitely make it more our own, but it will always be the original club C302...I mean hey, we can't get rid of that highlighter paint on our wall that says their names, someday they'll find strong enough paint to cover it up.
Monday, August 15, 2011
cole world, no snuggie
To put it bluntly, I'm obsessed with J. Cole. I think he's far more talented than many other hip-hop artists out there who are trying to do the "real" music thing- which is why I'm anxiously awaiting his Cole World: The Sideline Story release on Sept. 27th. To tie over crazed fans he's been slowly releasing singles such as Return of Simba, Disgusting, Lost Ones, Cheer Up, How High, Can't Get Enough and Work Out along with posting videos of himself on uStream and releasing 2 small mixtapes, one with 4 songs and the other with 3, of previously unreleased music (minus How High which is on one of them). Today, he just officially posted his video for Work Out- something I'm sure most guys, and girls (myself included) were excited to see after seeing his cover art for the single. The video was what I expected, Cole with a bunch of gorgeous chicks surrounding him, street ball, a party, some singular shots of him- kind of a typical video, but what I really liked was the fashion in it. One girl in the beginning is shown wearing a gold chain earring/necklace that is so funky and cool over a cropped and shredded black t-shirt and denim cut-offs...bad chick. I also love the denim-on-denim on the main girl in the video- don't get the wrong idea, it's not a Canadian tuxedo (sorry, eh) but instead rolled light wash denim shorts and a cropped, light wash denim vest over a brightly colored tank...again, bad chick. J. Cole has swag in this as well- military jacket, another denim button up, gold watch, simple white t's, not over the top. Much like his musical style, which isn't typically writing verses about blowing money on extravagant things or wearing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of diamonds, his music reflects his real life, not some persona made for the industry. He writes about making it as an artist, coming from nothing and striving for something (while meeting some women, some clubs, and some drinks along the way), never giving up because he knows that although he's headlined for talents such as Rihanna, has been applauded by Jay-Z, and played at the huge Bonnaroo festival, he still has a long way to go and is seems humbled knowing that.
Cole World, 9.27.11.
Work Out
listen&enjoy
Cole World, 9.27.11.
Work Out
Sunday, August 14, 2011
gym playlist
I literally don't know if I could go to the gym without my iPod. Yes, the gym plays music over their loud speakers so if you don't have the luxury of owning some sort of music device there's still something there to keep you going...but there's only so much Miranda Cosgrove, Jonas Brothers, and Hansen I can take (and those are Planet Fitness' main artists on their music playlist). I just got back from a great workout with Alex (who's training for a 5k...myyyy girl!) so I figured why not share one of my many gym playlist's- maybe someone else will use it to power through their 30 minutes on the elliptical-or perhaps veteran Disney Channel stars are more your style...
1. Bring it Back- Tyga
2. Can't Get Enough- J. Cole
3. Trade It All (Pt. 2)- Fabolous ft. Jagged Edge, P. Diddy
4. Verme- Baby Ranks
5. Live This Life- Big Sean ft. The Dream
6. Heart of the City- Jay-Z
7. Hi You Dern- LoS
8. All Systems Go- The Deans List ft. OnCue
9. Don't Wanna Be a Player- Big Pun
10. 100 Keys- Big Sean
11. Did It On 'Em - Nicki Minaj
12. Baltimore 2 Step- LoS
13. Yoko Ono- Chris Brown
14. By Any Means- Wale ft. Meek Mill, Rick Ross, Pill
15. Hometown Hero- Big K.R.I.T.
16. What U Doin' Bullshittin'- Big Sean
17. Upgrade U- Beyonce
18. Dear Professor- The Deans List
19. Lights Out (I Don't See Nobody)- Fabolous
20. Only Wanna Give It To You- Elle Varner ft. J. Cole
21. Return of Simba- J. Cole
22. U Don't Have to Call- Usher
23. Hard In the Paint (remix)- Waka Flocka Flame ft. Ciara
Monday, August 8, 2011
FFANY
Fashion Footwear Association of New York.
a.k.a.- heaven.
I have just arrived home from New York City after 4 days of staring (more like drooling) over buttery leathers, soft suede's, and colorful fabrics that are part of what make up the beautiful brands of Sofft, Born, Isola, Kork-Ease, Vintage, and Walk-Over's- which are the beautiful shoes that made my eyes hungry and my feet itch with desire.
I was lucky enough this summer to be allowed to help out at my dad's company- H.H. Brown Shoe- working with line-sheets, photography, data entry, and numerous other odd-jobs that need an extra hand around the office. This may sound like sarcasm (but trust that it's not)- I truly enjoy driving 45 min. in rush hour to finally walk through the glass doors on the fourth floor and be surrounded by fashion and shoes every day. But aside from being able to occasionally take home the unwanted size 9's heaped in a pile out back (why aren't they already taken is my question), the best perk of this job was having the opportunity to come down to NYC twice this summer to be a part of FFANY.
FFANY happens four times a year and is a great way for buyers to come see shoes up-close and decide which shoes they'd like to have in their upcoming collections. H.H. Brown is lucky enough to have a beautiful showroom right off Broadway and Fashion Ave., but many other shoe designers and company's simply rent the exhibition space in a nearby hotel if they don't have a showroom in the city. On the 14th floor, our showroom is beautiful; with light mahogany wood floors, windows on every side over looking Times Square, two kitchens, two small runways, and space for each of the company's shoe lines, it's a very impressive place to bring buyers- companies such as Saks, Nordstroms, Dillard's, Macy's, Bloomingdales, Bon-Ton, and many other big department stores as well as small boutiques.
The first night we arrived around 8:30pm after being stuck in about 5 hours of traffic- typical rushing around the city without regard for others will cause accidents, who knew? Anyways, we set up the photo equipment, met with the Russian cleaning guy who was super sweet, and I quickly glanced over the rack of clothes the models would be wearing over the next few days- white lace, crochet, bandage skirts, gauzy tops, sheer florals...aaah. My dad dragged me out so we could finally check in to the hotel- after working in the office from 8 to 3 and then driving from 3 to 8, we were absolutely exhausted and starving (salted peanuts and chocolate on the drive up just didn't cut it). We checked into our hotel, Ink 48, and I was blown away. A converted printing factory, Ink 48 is set on 48th street right near Hell's Kitchen and surrounded by a lot of car dealerships. My favorite part about the hotel was that it was pet friendly, with a dog bowl and chalkboard bone at the front entrance that read, "Ink 48 Welcomes Brady!"- the bowl was filled with treats! Inside the glass doors that extremely nice (and nice-looking) doormen open is a funky and modern interior. Warm colors such as gold, red, bronze, and orange play off the dark mahogany floors and music is pumped over the speakers. My room was on the 2nd floor, had an impressive king size bed (which I wish I could have shared with my girlfriends...another time!) a huge bathroom, a flat screen, stocked mini-bar, and complementary leopard bathrobes and umbrellas; needless to say I was more than happy with my arrangements for the next three days. I quickly changed into something more comfortable and met my dad downstairs to grab dinner...at 10:30pm. Now, whenever I travel with my dad I always feel the need to make it very clear that he is my father and not my aging, mustached boyfriend. So, I tend to say, "daaaaad" really loudly and proceed to say variations of, "Have you called mooooom since we got here? What do you think MOM is doing? Do you miss MOM?" etc. I hope people get the hint. Anyways, we ended up at this restaurant in Hell's Kitchen called 44andahalf and it was amazing. Dimly lit white and black interior and a small courtyard where you could eat under the stars and had fairy lights draped over the ivy covered rock walls- naturally we ate outside. The servers were all male and all gay, wearing pink t-shirts with different sayings on each. The shirt our waiter, Joey, had on said "heaven" on the front and "hell" on the back. Another waiter's said "over" on the front and "easy" on the back. I don't really get it but I like the concept. We got two huge crab cakes as appetizers and they were outstanding- they on a bed of lettuce with thinly sliced red and yellow peppers scattered around the plate and sides of peanut sauce, ginger sauce and some sort of spicy one that my dad thoroughly enjoyed. For my meal I got the Summer Salad and it was literally unbelievable. A thickly sliced heirloom tomato was the base and then, stacked like link n' logs, was generously cut watermelon and feta cheese drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette...wow. So simple yet so perfect. My dad and I left the restaurant around 11:30, went back to our separate rooms (his on the 5th floor had a much better view...I was jealous) and I proceeded to pass out as soon as I hit my pillow-top mattress.
Day 2- I shot out of bed at 7am to my alarm-clock radio playing "Can't Get Enough" by J. Cole, so obviously the day started out well. I met my dad and his assistant, Daniella, downstairs at 8am and we were in a cab by 8:15 on the way to the showroom. Drinking our complementary coffees, Daniella and I caught up on how awesome the new Kork-Ease were, how her adorable pug Duncan is, and how her sister's honeymoon in Italy is going. I love that she's only 23 and is on my level with so many things, especially the shoes. We got to the showroom by 8:30 and it was already filled with buyers, CEO's, presidents of shoe companies, caterers, and assistants. We spent the whole day in the backroom- the temporary media studio- shooting three quarter shots and pair shots of shoes from almost every line for the up-and-coming Fall 2011 season and Spring 2012 season. With my Kid Cudi Pandora radio station on, the day seemed to fly. I was introduced to media directors, art directors, creative directors, presidents, cleaning people, marketing people, web designers, and buyers, and surprisingly didn't feel overwhelmed meeting everyone and running around, but instead excited and energized by all of the hustle and bustle of it. After work, JD (the man behind all the promoting and marketing of the lines Walk-Overs, Kork-Ease, and Vintage) took us all to one of his favorite restaurants- Ember Room. A really funky and modern place that is Asian-American fusion food, my dad's boss accompanied us and proceeded to order everything on the menu...and it was all delicious (especially the chocolate ribs). After a raucous dinner involving politically incorrect statements being made at very loud volumes (thank you endless cocktails) we finally made our way back to the hotel. I, sadly, had to retreat to my room while everyone else went to the roof where the club/bar is- apparently very beautiful views overlooking the city...I of course wouldn't know because I laying in bed watching The Office until I fell asleep.
Day 3- Again, up at 7 but this time to the sweet melodies of "Desire, Want, and Need" by Big Sean. The showroom was just as busy as Tuesday, but this time I got to watch a few runway shows for the Sofft line which was really awesome- the models looked gorgeous in their dresses and my favorite was an Alice + Olivia cream colored bandage dress with an empire waist and criss-cross detailing showing her open back, fantastic. Around noon, my dad and I had to go to Grand Central Station to go pick up a camera he'd set up for another line of H.H. Brown, Dexter Shoe, which makes bowling shoes and sponsors events such as the one he'd set his camera up for- Teen Masters Finals- an event that was covered by Sports Illustrated, Time, and the New York Times. He'd set it up on a continuous interval shot at 8pm the night before, taking a shot every minute- so at this point there were about 1000 pictures stored on the memory! I met with the #1 bowler in the United States which was crazy, the president of Dexter, and the coordinator of the whole event- all really nice guys. They wanted the camera to continue taking pictures until the set-up was done (it was delayed because the NYPD came in and shut it down temporarily because the men setting it up weren't wearing long sleeve shirts and steel-toed work boots...typical unions) and they wanted to shots of the kids bowling. So in the meantime we went and got food in the dining concourse at a place called Zócalo, this delicious Mexican place. We ended up making friends with the manager who sadly informed us that the restaurant was being shut down after 14 years of being open because they were putting in a fast-food burger joint...right next to another burger place. He shook his head telling us he'd been there since the place opened and that it was really upsetting for him- we agreed, sympathizing and voicing how stupid it was to put in something they already had, this food was too delicious to shut down! At the end of our meal, our manager friend gave us two coupons for free house margarita's the next time we came back, and thanked us warmly for our support. Being nice pays off, eh? Afterwards, we went to go check on the bowling situation and noticed that some NY Fire Department workers had arrived and were eyeing my dad's camera rigged up on a huge ladder, seeming very suspicious. Two hours of waiting later, they had finally set up, thrown the first ball, made speeches, and we could get the camera and go. As soon as my dad climbed up the ladder to get the camera, a frantic middle aged woman came running towards me shaking her wrinkly index finger, "No! No! No! Get him down from there! Are you part of a Union?!" I shook my head and tried to explain my situation, but instead of listening to me she sneered at me and told me that we would be fined $7000 if anyone "important" came and saw (whatever that means). She tapped her foot, said "Sir pleaseeee" about twelve times, wagged her finger at me some more, and then finally walked away as my dad came down the later...really nice woman. We made it back to the studio around 4:30, did some more shooting and special requests for people, and then finally wrapped up around 7:30 and headed to dinner. Daniella, my dad, and I went to this incredible Italian restaurant called Amarone. It's won numerous awards for it's wine and food, and the atmosphere alone is fantastic. Dimly lit, white linens, candles, and a rose for every woman at the end of her meal- obviously I fell in love with the place. I got rigatoni e bolognese sauce and a house insalata to start. I literally burned my tongue on the sauce because I was so eager to keep eating it. After basically licking my plate clean, we ordered dessert. Daniella and my dad got chocolate cake with hazelnut gelato and I got a warm apple tart with vanilla gelato- soooo good. I left with a white rose and crashed into bed totally content (and very full).
Day 4- We were able to sleep in a little bit because we were way ahead on the pictures and linesheets- Daniella and I make an unbeatable team when it comes to getting things done. We wrapped up a few leftover shots of groups of shoes and then began cleaning up and packing up all the camera equipment for our trek back in the afternoon. Sadly, we were unable to make it to the insanely cool Training Camp, or, TC Supply Shop, which sells the Vintage, Walk-Over, Gorilla, and Kork-Ease shoes, along with brands such as Naked&Famous denim and Levi's. With chandeliers, taxidermy deer heads, and vintage antique shoe making machines, Johnny Cash and Jay-Z on the speakers, this store defines cool. We left the city after grabbing freshly made strecci, ciabatta, and bomboloni at Sullivan Street Bakery for the drive home...the pane and dolci didn't even last us to the parkway.
Five hours of traffic later I was back to reality...but I'm itching to return back and embrace the empire state of mind again.
44andahalf
Ember Room
Zócalo
Amarone
TC Supply Shop
Sullivan Street Bakery
a.k.a.- heaven.
I have just arrived home from New York City after 4 days of staring (more like drooling) over buttery leathers, soft suede's, and colorful fabrics that are part of what make up the beautiful brands of Sofft, Born, Isola, Kork-Ease, Vintage, and Walk-Over's- which are the beautiful shoes that made my eyes hungry and my feet itch with desire.
I was lucky enough this summer to be allowed to help out at my dad's company- H.H. Brown Shoe- working with line-sheets, photography, data entry, and numerous other odd-jobs that need an extra hand around the office. This may sound like sarcasm (but trust that it's not)- I truly enjoy driving 45 min. in rush hour to finally walk through the glass doors on the fourth floor and be surrounded by fashion and shoes every day. But aside from being able to occasionally take home the unwanted size 9's heaped in a pile out back (why aren't they already taken is my question), the best perk of this job was having the opportunity to come down to NYC twice this summer to be a part of FFANY.
FFANY happens four times a year and is a great way for buyers to come see shoes up-close and decide which shoes they'd like to have in their upcoming collections. H.H. Brown is lucky enough to have a beautiful showroom right off Broadway and Fashion Ave., but many other shoe designers and company's simply rent the exhibition space in a nearby hotel if they don't have a showroom in the city. On the 14th floor, our showroom is beautiful; with light mahogany wood floors, windows on every side over looking Times Square, two kitchens, two small runways, and space for each of the company's shoe lines, it's a very impressive place to bring buyers- companies such as Saks, Nordstroms, Dillard's, Macy's, Bloomingdales, Bon-Ton, and many other big department stores as well as small boutiques.
The first night we arrived around 8:30pm after being stuck in about 5 hours of traffic- typical rushing around the city without regard for others will cause accidents, who knew? Anyways, we set up the photo equipment, met with the Russian cleaning guy who was super sweet, and I quickly glanced over the rack of clothes the models would be wearing over the next few days- white lace, crochet, bandage skirts, gauzy tops, sheer florals...aaah. My dad dragged me out so we could finally check in to the hotel- after working in the office from 8 to 3 and then driving from 3 to 8, we were absolutely exhausted and starving (salted peanuts and chocolate on the drive up just didn't cut it). We checked into our hotel, Ink 48, and I was blown away. A converted printing factory, Ink 48 is set on 48th street right near Hell's Kitchen and surrounded by a lot of car dealerships. My favorite part about the hotel was that it was pet friendly, with a dog bowl and chalkboard bone at the front entrance that read, "Ink 48 Welcomes Brady!"- the bowl was filled with treats! Inside the glass doors that extremely nice (and nice-looking) doormen open is a funky and modern interior. Warm colors such as gold, red, bronze, and orange play off the dark mahogany floors and music is pumped over the speakers. My room was on the 2nd floor, had an impressive king size bed (which I wish I could have shared with my girlfriends...another time!) a huge bathroom, a flat screen, stocked mini-bar, and complementary leopard bathrobes and umbrellas; needless to say I was more than happy with my arrangements for the next three days. I quickly changed into something more comfortable and met my dad downstairs to grab dinner...at 10:30pm. Now, whenever I travel with my dad I always feel the need to make it very clear that he is my father and not my aging, mustached boyfriend. So, I tend to say, "daaaaad" really loudly and proceed to say variations of, "Have you called mooooom since we got here? What do you think MOM is doing? Do you miss MOM?" etc. I hope people get the hint. Anyways, we ended up at this restaurant in Hell's Kitchen called 44andahalf and it was amazing. Dimly lit white and black interior and a small courtyard where you could eat under the stars and had fairy lights draped over the ivy covered rock walls- naturally we ate outside. The servers were all male and all gay, wearing pink t-shirts with different sayings on each. The shirt our waiter, Joey, had on said "heaven" on the front and "hell" on the back. Another waiter's said "over" on the front and "easy" on the back. I don't really get it but I like the concept. We got two huge crab cakes as appetizers and they were outstanding- they on a bed of lettuce with thinly sliced red and yellow peppers scattered around the plate and sides of peanut sauce, ginger sauce and some sort of spicy one that my dad thoroughly enjoyed. For my meal I got the Summer Salad and it was literally unbelievable. A thickly sliced heirloom tomato was the base and then, stacked like link n' logs, was generously cut watermelon and feta cheese drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette...wow. So simple yet so perfect. My dad and I left the restaurant around 11:30, went back to our separate rooms (his on the 5th floor had a much better view...I was jealous) and I proceeded to pass out as soon as I hit my pillow-top mattress.
Day 2- I shot out of bed at 7am to my alarm-clock radio playing "Can't Get Enough" by J. Cole, so obviously the day started out well. I met my dad and his assistant, Daniella, downstairs at 8am and we were in a cab by 8:15 on the way to the showroom. Drinking our complementary coffees, Daniella and I caught up on how awesome the new Kork-Ease were, how her adorable pug Duncan is, and how her sister's honeymoon in Italy is going. I love that she's only 23 and is on my level with so many things, especially the shoes. We got to the showroom by 8:30 and it was already filled with buyers, CEO's, presidents of shoe companies, caterers, and assistants. We spent the whole day in the backroom- the temporary media studio- shooting three quarter shots and pair shots of shoes from almost every line for the up-and-coming Fall 2011 season and Spring 2012 season. With my Kid Cudi Pandora radio station on, the day seemed to fly. I was introduced to media directors, art directors, creative directors, presidents, cleaning people, marketing people, web designers, and buyers, and surprisingly didn't feel overwhelmed meeting everyone and running around, but instead excited and energized by all of the hustle and bustle of it. After work, JD (the man behind all the promoting and marketing of the lines Walk-Overs, Kork-Ease, and Vintage) took us all to one of his favorite restaurants- Ember Room. A really funky and modern place that is Asian-American fusion food, my dad's boss accompanied us and proceeded to order everything on the menu...and it was all delicious (especially the chocolate ribs). After a raucous dinner involving politically incorrect statements being made at very loud volumes (thank you endless cocktails) we finally made our way back to the hotel. I, sadly, had to retreat to my room while everyone else went to the roof where the club/bar is- apparently very beautiful views overlooking the city...I of course wouldn't know because I laying in bed watching The Office until I fell asleep.
Day 3- Again, up at 7 but this time to the sweet melodies of "Desire, Want, and Need" by Big Sean. The showroom was just as busy as Tuesday, but this time I got to watch a few runway shows for the Sofft line which was really awesome- the models looked gorgeous in their dresses and my favorite was an Alice + Olivia cream colored bandage dress with an empire waist and criss-cross detailing showing her open back, fantastic. Around noon, my dad and I had to go to Grand Central Station to go pick up a camera he'd set up for another line of H.H. Brown, Dexter Shoe, which makes bowling shoes and sponsors events such as the one he'd set his camera up for- Teen Masters Finals- an event that was covered by Sports Illustrated, Time, and the New York Times. He'd set it up on a continuous interval shot at 8pm the night before, taking a shot every minute- so at this point there were about 1000 pictures stored on the memory! I met with the #1 bowler in the United States which was crazy, the president of Dexter, and the coordinator of the whole event- all really nice guys. They wanted the camera to continue taking pictures until the set-up was done (it was delayed because the NYPD came in and shut it down temporarily because the men setting it up weren't wearing long sleeve shirts and steel-toed work boots...typical unions) and they wanted to shots of the kids bowling. So in the meantime we went and got food in the dining concourse at a place called Zócalo, this delicious Mexican place. We ended up making friends with the manager who sadly informed us that the restaurant was being shut down after 14 years of being open because they were putting in a fast-food burger joint...right next to another burger place. He shook his head telling us he'd been there since the place opened and that it was really upsetting for him- we agreed, sympathizing and voicing how stupid it was to put in something they already had, this food was too delicious to shut down! At the end of our meal, our manager friend gave us two coupons for free house margarita's the next time we came back, and thanked us warmly for our support. Being nice pays off, eh? Afterwards, we went to go check on the bowling situation and noticed that some NY Fire Department workers had arrived and were eyeing my dad's camera rigged up on a huge ladder, seeming very suspicious. Two hours of waiting later, they had finally set up, thrown the first ball, made speeches, and we could get the camera and go. As soon as my dad climbed up the ladder to get the camera, a frantic middle aged woman came running towards me shaking her wrinkly index finger, "No! No! No! Get him down from there! Are you part of a Union?!" I shook my head and tried to explain my situation, but instead of listening to me she sneered at me and told me that we would be fined $7000 if anyone "important" came and saw (whatever that means). She tapped her foot, said "Sir pleaseeee" about twelve times, wagged her finger at me some more, and then finally walked away as my dad came down the later...really nice woman. We made it back to the studio around 4:30, did some more shooting and special requests for people, and then finally wrapped up around 7:30 and headed to dinner. Daniella, my dad, and I went to this incredible Italian restaurant called Amarone. It's won numerous awards for it's wine and food, and the atmosphere alone is fantastic. Dimly lit, white linens, candles, and a rose for every woman at the end of her meal- obviously I fell in love with the place. I got rigatoni e bolognese sauce and a house insalata to start. I literally burned my tongue on the sauce because I was so eager to keep eating it. After basically licking my plate clean, we ordered dessert. Daniella and my dad got chocolate cake with hazelnut gelato and I got a warm apple tart with vanilla gelato- soooo good. I left with a white rose and crashed into bed totally content (and very full).
Day 4- We were able to sleep in a little bit because we were way ahead on the pictures and linesheets- Daniella and I make an unbeatable team when it comes to getting things done. We wrapped up a few leftover shots of groups of shoes and then began cleaning up and packing up all the camera equipment for our trek back in the afternoon. Sadly, we were unable to make it to the insanely cool Training Camp, or, TC Supply Shop, which sells the Vintage, Walk-Over, Gorilla, and Kork-Ease shoes, along with brands such as Naked&Famous denim and Levi's. With chandeliers, taxidermy deer heads, and vintage antique shoe making machines, Johnny Cash and Jay-Z on the speakers, this store defines cool. We left the city after grabbing freshly made strecci, ciabatta, and bomboloni at Sullivan Street Bakery for the drive home...the pane and dolci didn't even last us to the parkway.
Five hours of traffic later I was back to reality...but I'm itching to return back and embrace the empire state of mind again.
44andahalf
Ember Room
Zócalo
Amarone
TC Supply Shop
Sullivan Street Bakery
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Saco'ed
I have arrived home sandy, sweaty, sore, exhausted, but above all, happy, from my weekend at Fryeburg, Maine. This trip was planned last December, December, because people were so excited about it. Not only was it a chance for all of us to spend 2 nights by the beach, but it was also one of our close friends 21st birthday- so the celebrations were endless. About 35 of us met up at 4:45A.M. at a visitor center near the highway- people had made the trek from southern Mass, Connecticut, even New York, to meet up and be part of the raucous caravan that would be heading to the infamous Saco River. Two french-vanilla ice coffees, 1 Red Bull, 1 wrong turn, 2 tolls, and a playlist of Chris Brown later, we'd finally arrived at a dirt road, a nearly hidden entrance to Fiddlehead Campground.
From our car we could hear shouts and yells from our friends in the cars in front of us- ecstatic about the impending two days of what I heard would be no sleep. We drove down a windy, bumpy dirt road, bottoming out at the end, and arrived at a shack where I checked in with the "staff" of two college age girls- definitely not the most well run place, but perfect for a group of college kids. Checked in, ready to go, we drove down to Beach 1 (the rumored "best" beach) and parked our cars on the side of the dunes. There were about twelve tents between our group, and about six hundred tents on the beach overall. People yelling, music blaring, the occasional firework bursting above- I literally had to ask myself, "Is this real life?"
The next two days were a blur of loud music, being woken up at 5am by fireworks and someone yelling, "TIME TO GET UP AND GET SACOED!", making friends with everyone we met, dancing on the beach, floating five miles down the river armed with floats, funnels, and food, and laughing around numerous campfires. Yes, the port-a-potty's were appalling; yes, being woken up at 5 was incredibly annoying; yes, my tent had about three inches of sand coating the inside; and yes, I felt like I'd been hit by a train when I arrived home Sunday afternoon, but would I go back?
Hell yes. But only one weekend a summer- a person can only take so much Saco...
From our car we could hear shouts and yells from our friends in the cars in front of us- ecstatic about the impending two days of what I heard would be no sleep. We drove down a windy, bumpy dirt road, bottoming out at the end, and arrived at a shack where I checked in with the "staff" of two college age girls- definitely not the most well run place, but perfect for a group of college kids. Checked in, ready to go, we drove down to Beach 1 (the rumored "best" beach) and parked our cars on the side of the dunes. There were about twelve tents between our group, and about six hundred tents on the beach overall. People yelling, music blaring, the occasional firework bursting above- I literally had to ask myself, "Is this real life?"
The next two days were a blur of loud music, being woken up at 5am by fireworks and someone yelling, "TIME TO GET UP AND GET SACOED!", making friends with everyone we met, dancing on the beach, floating five miles down the river armed with floats, funnels, and food, and laughing around numerous campfires. Yes, the port-a-potty's were appalling; yes, being woken up at 5 was incredibly annoying; yes, my tent had about three inches of sand coating the inside; and yes, I felt like I'd been hit by a train when I arrived home Sunday afternoon, but would I go back?
Hell yes. But only one weekend a summer- a person can only take so much Saco...
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