paradise

July 10, 2010 | about me, architecture, beach, family, life & leisure, my life, the big apple, travel | 2 comments

get a warm cup of coffee, sit back, prop up your feet, and come with me to paradise.

the fun begins at the atlanta airport…

camera in hand the entire trip just so that my lovely readers can feel like they are in the warm weather Caribbean with me!

Musketeer#1 wasn’t so sure about my endless camera shots. she’d assured me she felt as if the paparazzi was after her.

after we’d checked all of our bags, – $92 dollars later – (yes for only FOUR bags=ridiculous) we basically stripped down to nothing to make it through security AND finally we made it to our gate…and tummies were growling.

now I don’t know about you all, but airport food just doesn’t do much for me. there’s usually a lot to choose from. For me, choices are overwhelming. smoothies. friend chicken. pizza. snack food. coffee. hot dogs. sandwiches. chinese. AND I MEAN PEOPLE EAT IT ALL NOT MATTER WHAT TIME OF THE DAY. I just cannot eat pizza at 9 am, but whatever suits your cravings.

we settled on a strawberry-banana smoothie.

and for the celebrity I enjoyed photographing – chex mix BOLD FLAVOR!

finally boarded the plane. two movies later, and after my choice of pretzels,peanuts or biscoff cookies with a soda; I saw it.

ST. THOMAS – U.S. Virgin ISLANDS!!! We’ve arrived.

after a 25 minutes ride on the WRONG side of the road + a handful of what I thought of as near death experiences.

WE MADE IT TO THE RESORT! greeted by luscious, green beauty and…

tropical beverages. What more could you ask for, it’s an oasis of heaven on earth!

we enjoyed LOTS of sundresses, sunshine and sun-kissed cheeks!

Not to mention way to much pool-side + beach-side lounging. it took me a while to not feel guilty about

…s l o w i n g down a little

mr. iguana even graced us with his presence pool-side.

andrea + i quickly fell “in love” with the peaceful, island life!

we ate pool-side lunches on bright + breezy + tropical-inspired outdoor fabrics.

surrounded by amazing tropical landscaping

and MORE and MORE and MORE tropical beverages!

there she is again, giving me the EYE!

:: the pool ::

:: the fam ::

:: the favorite part of my dinner – my mini coconut vanilla milkshake ::

And as for activities go. Andrea and I did a lot of kayaking. Which I still have super sore triceps from. We got in a battle with the winds, and a coral reef being in our path home. Needless to say we killed ourselves trying to make it back to shore. And next we decided to torture ourselves some more. We did give our arms a rest, and gave our legs the next working. So what did we do? Got in a paddle boat. We peddled all the way out to a little white buoy that resembled our volleyball friend from Hollywood “Wilson” – whom we all know from “Cast Away”.

I thought about taking Lil Lady out too, but we decided to rent a motorized boat instead. Afterall, this is suppose to be a relaxing vacation, RIGHT?

So that is just what we did. We rented a boat (which came with Captain Dan), and we went island hopping and snorkeling.

We saw lots of boats.

and wildlife.

and beautiful park land. this part of St. John was bought by the Rockefeller’s in the ’50s for $50/acre. What a steal! The family later sold it to the government, but with the promise it would forever be preserved as a natural park. And today two-thirds of the island boasts private beaches, pristine foliage and turquoise waters.

As the Caribbean drops off into the Atlantic – the waters become a deeper blue. It’s stunning!

What did as our boat rounded the corner?

the island home of Kenny Chesney. Our boat captain uses the same marina as our Country singing friend, Kenny. They bring him his boat from the St. Thomas marina on a regular basis when Kenny is vacationing. He shot one of his album covers on the beach below his home. The white sands of Trunk Bay are located the one side of the peninsula property his home is on, and on the other side – Cinnamon Bay. He sings about the area on St. John in his album, The Old Blue Chair.

and three doors down…

Presidio Del Mar. This might be one of the most beautiful architectural works I have EVER seen in my life. While studying architecture, we were constantly reminded how important it is for the “architecture” to move beyond the exterior wall. It cannot stop at the stone/brick/etc, but MUST celebrate and respect the context. This house is a perfect example. It completely blends in with it’s surroundings and enhances views to and from. It is situated perfectly on the peninsula point of 1.63 lush acres, and completely takes my heart away. It took ten years to build. The stone was all brought in from Italy. There is a fabulous hand-laid cobblestone driveway, six suites, outdoor showers with FABULOUS fixtures, and everything in between. (some of the decor is a little over the top or I might say not “island” appropriate, but the home itself speaks design wonders)

Oh and I forgot to mention, it can be yours for about $38,000 per week – which includes maids and cooks!

Toward the end of our boat outing the skies turned a little gloomy. If you look hard, you’ll see a faint rainbow in the background. There is still beauty in the sky after a storm. I was taken away by the stillness I felt when the afternoon shower subsided. It was so peaceful, and I felt completely surrounded by God’s beauty!

too bad…the paradise vacation part one was over. off the the “concrete jungle” as Alicia Keys would say.

We packed up again and tackled another long day traveling through airports.

STT (St.Thomas) – ATL (Atlanta, GA) – LGA (New York City, NY) to take a second look about my soon to be new home. One month, five days, and counting…

then this door will be the entry to my new home!

we are getting measurements, locating outlets and making lots of mental notes. next time we arrive as movers! We further discuss rug sizes. I have come to the conclusion that the NYC design standard is a light wood pine color parquet floor. Every single, and I mean every single apartment I looked at in my search had the exact same floors. UGH!!!

Stan even joined us from work to take a look. After our design note taking session we ventured up to the roof deck for a few before we headed out.

and and just for kicks…the mailman. What can I say my grandma likes details, and I do as she asks and give her details! He’s got a snazzy style for his mail carrier uniform, wouldn’t ya say? I’m diggin’ those tube socks!

An after a long morning, and HOT weather we opted for something lets say, “rather nutritious”.

Please excuse the vulgar language used below, but as the sign reads in a version for “tender ears” be ready to enjoy if you are going to enter the front doors.

And afterwards, a few blocks west, me and my two partners in crime ran into Kelly Ripa. I am kinda a BIG fan of her. Maybe just because I love watching the show in the morning when I am working out at the gym. She was fabulous to talk to. She kindly referenced me to her architect she’s used in NYC. [A fabulous designer I should note] She was waiting for her kids to get off the bus near their SOHO family apartment. Her and Mom’s conversation was precious because it was a true mom to mom chat. She told mom she must be so thrilled post my college graduation, and couldn’t imagine how that felt as a mom because she was completely “mom proud” of her son’s 6th grade graduation.

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:: change of direction ::

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i feel compelled to share a picture just merely for the fact that I thought it was fun and whimsical for a chocolate plate. oh and the story behind my fabulous chocolate plate. 8am up for a long run outside, finished off my a coffee outing, and on the way home a light rain. Needless to say, you can imagine I wasn’t looking so very hot. I get back up to the hotel room, and head straight to the shower. Strip down, open the door, grab a towel, reach for the lever to turn on the water, and NOTHING!!!!! What???? It is 10:45 and I have a meeting with the executive director of the AIA New York City at noon in a completely different neighborhood. SO I unfold the towel and swing it around myself, run into the bedroom, pick up the phone, and Front Desk button…pushed. Ring, ring, ring…

Front Desk :: “Hello and how are you doing this morning.”

me :: “Um, yes, is there a problem with the water in the hotel?”

FD :: “Oh yes, in fact the City has just contacted us and let us know that they have turned off the water in this area of Lower Manhattan in order to do some work”

me :: “Really?”

FD :: “Yes, and we do not know how long it will be. Would you like for us to bring you up a couple bottled waters?”

me saying to myself :: “Yea-right I’ll shower with two 16.9 fl. oz. bottles of water” (the thought crossed my mind, but I wasn’t rude after all it wasn’t their fault)

me :: “No I appreciate the offer, but I needed to shower because I have to leave for a meeting in an hour, and I have been our running. Thank you though.

FD :: “We are inquiring about how long it will be off right now, and will ring your room when we know”

me :: “okay, thanks”

CLICK.

What the h!@#$%^&* am I going to do?? I cannot go like this. Praise the Lord I had a key to Stan’s apartment. I text him at work to let him know I am “breaking in” for water! Sure enough the minute I left the water probably came back on, but with my luck if I’d stayed I would of been one nasty girl at a meeting.

Now you think okay…problem solved, right? Well he lives in a total different area. So I load my purse with make-up, flat iron, hair brushes and other showering products. Guys bathrooms aren’t quite stocked like a girls! Catch a cab. Race to get ready. Re-load all of my junk in my bag…and race 1.7 miles to the AIA office. Whew I made it. Our meeting was fabulous. An even included an impromptu jaunt to Midtown for an NBC interview about the a controversial blog post on the New York Times Building.

So about the chocolate plate. I guess the hotel felt really bad. Most people aren’t showering at almost 11 too, so I was probably the only one who called down. This was in my room, with the kindest note apologizing for the inconvenience (reminder :: they had no control of the issues) when I returned the hotel that night! How thoughtful.

Today was a long travel day to. I have bags to unpack, laundry to tackle and life to return to. And I can definitely say 9 days living out of a bag is just not my style. There is nothing like home sweet home!

urban living + thoughts

June 22, 2010 | books, design, interiors, the big apple, thoughts | 2 comments

I was inspired. Last night as I lie in my bed trying to fall asleep, it just wouldn’t happen. You know when your body is stopped, but your brain is going ninety to nothing. I started wondering lots about NY. Since trying to sleep was a worthless cause at the moment, I decided to scour design books, read into the insightful writings of inspiring designers, and attempt to design/layout/purchase the decor for my new apartment. I started with the Room to Inspire in the City :: Stylish Interiors for Urban Living by Annie Kelly.

It was a gift to me a few months back (a really awesome gift!), and I’d yet to have a chance to take it all in. The first thing I read, “Abrasive as it is, why are we so attracted to big city living?” I got to thinking…that is so true. Why would I limit my space so that I feel packed into under 600 square feet, just me and all my belongings. Why would I want to live in the hustle and bustle, stress and chaotic order of a BIG city. The next sentence read, “irresistible (EXACTLY!!, I thought it is indeed irresistible…) siren call of culture, trade, and society, including America’s most successful designers, who make all sorts of compromise and often sacrifice space to live this way” Kelly hit the nail on the head, it is like a giant “melting pot” everything and especially of all great things design!! It is inspiring to simply walk down the street, and knowing that my only “tamed part of the city” be the retreat I seek behind my closed apartment door, I am still okay with it. With that in mind, you learn to create your own little oasis in the teeny-tiny bubble of air space around you. I concluded that this could have an effect on my blog as well. A good effect, I hope. It might give a rebirth to my blog, with the variety around me I hope that the over stimulation of my brain can be channeled into somewhat organized thoughts right HERE! Low and behold, the very next page I read in Kelly’s book read this… (got me thinking again), “What makes a good decorating blog?” I like to dwell on the somewhat rhetorical questions in books before I actually read what the authors says, so I thought some more. I thought a lot about the blogs that make my do little back flips in the chair while in front of the computer when they have new posts. I thought deeply about what I liked loved about them, and I made a list of positives! Then I read on, “daily postings covering a wide variety of finds and inspirations, written about with enthusiasm and passsion (that’s KEY!) that both entertain and educate (Yes, we want to learn something!). And the best of all, they aren’t afraid to have a point of view”. That gives readers a way to related, learn, and feel enthusiasm themselves! So for me, this book was like a mid-year resolution read!! THINK creative and be INSPIRING!!! Why? b/c the best reads for me are creative and inspiring, they make my blood rush, and my heart beat real fassssst!

uprooted southern gal

June 18, 2010 | my life, the big apple, thoughts | No Comments

I officially committed myself to NYC yesterday. Yeap, you read that right, I signed a lease. Like it or not I am there for a WHOLE year. So come August I will officially be an uprooted born and raised Southern gal. Woo Hoo! No more sweet tea, Chick-fil-A, grits, and “yes mam’s”. Just follow the yellow arrow to my new Tribeca home.

The view out of my soon to be window is fabulous, and for all those roof top dwellers who thought they had privacy…looks like I am going to be invading that now:

[i'm loving the astro-turf "green" roof]

I most definitely owe a BIG thanks to my 3 little helpers in search of this apartment. They were troopers, especially while sitting in a windowless leasing office for hours on end!

But like little kiddos they were rewarded with miniature bites of heaven thanks to baked by melissa

And later Mom and I found our candy store on the Upper East Side :: Samuel & Sons

“This is long a coveted source for the finest quality tassels, trimming, braids, gimp, fringes, and more, Samuel & Sons Passementerie is literally an institution — even though something of a secret — known only to legions of interior designers and decorators. Samuel & Sons is one facet of a family-owned company that began in business three quarters of a century ago as M&J Trimming, Based in New York’s famed Garment District, M&J Trimming has long supplied fashion designers, costume makers, interior designers, and craft enthusiasts with every possible variety of decorative trimming, and is one of the most respected names in the fabric and trimming industry today.”