This dress rocks

Decades ago, it was cow statues displayed all over the city and now it's Sidewalk Catwalk. We call that public art New York style. It is something for anyone who is a slave to fashion. Some 32 custom-built mannequins are on display runway-style down Broadway in the heart of the Fashion District featuring the work of NYC's top fashion designers.

Boxy and bold, splashy padded shoulders are out and well-cut suits are only for the Wall Street folks. So what's your dress uniform?

Here's some of what I think are the quirkiest designs some creative others plain dumb and ridiculous. I reserved the front row seats for you, so be the judge.

This dress rocks, don't you think?

It was designed by two of the aspiring designers from the Parsons School of Design.

Sea shells? I forgot, Manhattan is an island.

Are you kidding, psychedelic body? The 50's are a blur to me.

Nanette Lepore, I'm terribly disappointed in you.

A deflated balloon or a waterlogged giant diaper?

It's flag day Tommy Hilfiger style.

Cutesy but not creative.

Here's Kenneth Cole making a statement. What do you mean?

Further down on Times Square two of the pianos which is part of another art installation Play Me, I'm Yours could be found tied down to hollow blocks. 60 of these pianos decorated individually by local artists are installed in public spaces throughout the five boroughs. New Yorkers and visitors from all over the world are encouraged to play them.

This guest must be feeling like a first-class virtuoso as he plays right smack in the middle of the crossroads of the world. There was a line behind him of people waiting their turn but he wouldn't let go.

And what do we have here? Some dance craze of the 60's it looks like. Help me out, is it the monkey? I can't remember.

And for those who've worn their gaskets into the ground.

You never know what you'll see when you wander the streets of Manhattan. You just have to remember them. This is the trouble with my catch-up blogging, loads of boring pictures. I have to follow my own rule that if it's not written down it didn't happen, gotta take better notes since I have serious recall problem.

Hello Brooklyn!

Guilt, guilt, guilt. It's the borough next door and I'm not familiar with it. Sadly, I could drive for miles on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and not have a clue where I am or how to get out of it. Shame on me. Someone is bound to give me those condemning looks since I claim to be a true New Yorker and yet I haven't walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. So in order to free myself of this unpardonable sin of unfamiliarity with my neighbor, I feel the need to explore and walk the streets of Brooklyn.

People who don't know Brooklyn tend to think of it as a middle and lower class suburb of Manhattan. Not anymore. Nowadays, that's no longer the image most New Yorkers have. Gentrification seems to have progressed mercilessly in this city of many neighborhoods, some poor, some rich and others solid middle class.

Park Slope is an all time favorite nest for the yuppies while a good concentration of hipsters are found in the gentrified areas of Brooklyn Heights, Red Hook, Fort Greene, Williamsburgh, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Prospect Heights. The primary lure are the gorgeous brownstones, outstanding restaurants, galleries, historic homes and churches along tree-lined streets and its proximity to Manhattan. It is culturally diverse and a gastronomic paradise. The downside of it is that living in South Brooklyn is no longer cheap!

First stop : Motorino's in Williamsburgh.

It's a Sunday morning and the game is on. Germany versus England.
Motorino's even has a World Cup menu special.




After watching Mike Colameco's feature of Motorino's as the best pizza place in town, I felt compelled to try it. I dragged Chong to this unknown spot in the neighborhood where we used to work. As we all know, pizza is a big deal in New York, so here we are on a mission. Forget about how you eat it, folded or with the use of knife and fork, there is as artisanal pie craze that's happening here and boy are we hungreeee!!!

Totally irresistible is the Prosciutto di Parma, puffy and crispy crust with generous amount of that salty ham. Mmmmm-good.

Margherita DOC with tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala and basil. The mozzarella made from buffalo milk is flown fresh weekly from Campania and the pizza cooked in wood-fired brick oven. Now that's respectable. Entire volumes could be written about pizza and this Motorino's signature dish could very well be in one of them.

It's a simple setting right on the Graham St. in Williamsburgh; the joint is a large high-ceilinged room with warm lighting over wooden floors and soft-hued marble. The air around is filled with the scent of the bubbling pizza. Five stars for Motorino's.

Next stop: Cobble Hill

Cobble Hill is a charming neighborhood filled with mouth-watering beautiful brownstones. Like the rest of Brooklyn, it is foodie-friendly and it boasts a local bookstore Bookcourt on Court Street - you wouldn't want to leave once you're inside and trapped in rows of shelves of neatly arranged wide selection of books.

Walk a few steps and grab lunch at a cafe or satisfy that sugar craving at Sweet Melissa's Patisserie.

Catch a movie at the nearby Cobble Hill Cinemas which shows a mix of first run, foreign and independent fare.

Or stroll with your kids or walk your puppy in this pet-friendly community...

Oh what a beautiful day, a perfect place to spend Sundays. I'm sold, I think I love Brooklyn. Who knows what you'll find in it, it is a culture all its own, it even has its own language. Fuggedaboudit, now I know I don't have to fly anywhere to find interesting places. It is right here, I just have to walk.

I'll see you at Red Hook next time.

Perfect harmony

Sweet Baby James and the Brooklyn girl are back. On their Troubadour Reunion, every seat at the Madison Square Garden was occupied by no less than boomers like me who are huge fans of these two icons, James Taylor and Carole King. It was the concert of a lifetime that brought me back to the days of Copperline, Fire and Rain, Tapestry and So Far Away.

Oh, Mexico!

They were never a duet but together they make beautiful music. What boomer doesn't own that classic CK album Tapestry, the sleeve of which is a simple be-denimed Carole clutching some fabric as she sits by the window her cat on the foreground. She made some bold statement about the place of women in rock music and she wowed the audience as she belted out Natural Woman at times stomping gently on the stage without being showy.

Carolina On My Mind

JT is so neat and cool, still bashful but relaxed enough to inject some humor between guitar licks. That side of him showed as he switched from the lullaby Sweet Baby James to Steamroller Blues , quoting "from the sublime to the ridiculous" and displaying some Led Zeppelinish-antics while jumping up and down on stage.

Zestful, smily and constantly tossing her hair around, she still has it all at age 68.

Backed by the original band the Section, the mellow arrangements just kept pouring one after the other; songs that followed were as great as the first one. Some fans even stood and grooved with them all up dancing, clapping and singing along.

And then there was standing ovation followed by their generous encore!

They did not have to be showy for the beauty of their music is simplicity. It was another nostalgic experience, I felt like I had the best seat in the house and they were both singing to me.

How sweet they are.

LilyTopia

Returning home all partied out from Marc's wedding we decided to take a daytrip. A family visit isn't complete without that excursion usually to nearby West Point Military Academy or the suburbs of neighboring Connecticut, Boston or Pennsylvania. Ruel and I share the same passion of gardening so here we are ready to fulfill his request to see Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa. My brother must've bragged about his trip to this garden when he came to visit years ago and Ruel just has to see it for himself.

Are we there yet?

We hit the road quite early but somewhere on I-276 Lady Jane must have picked up some distorted signals and sent us driving around on a loop. After what I've seen this gadget do or not do, I wouldn't trust this Lady to land a 747.

By the way, When was the last time you updated this gizmo?
What update?
Oops. After exorcizing the ghosts out of this poor Garmin, we got well on our way to Longwood and arrived there just in time for lunch.

The wooded, shady grove served as a backdrop for our picnic. What I would give to have this in my backyard. Sorry kids I already packed everything we need so you just have to fix your own sandwiches and no rice or soup this time. Bread - that's what you're eating. You are in the woods, deal with it.

After lunch, we wandered the gardens, stopping to sit awhile and take in the sights, scents and sounds. We were even greeted by one of the cats employed by Longwood to keep out mice (we were told). The perfectly clipped linden trees and well-pruned bushes are just a sight to see; 200 years old those trees must be at least.

Hah! My neighbor Lissa would have a field day chastising Mr. Pierce for planting those trees and Mr. Du Pont for buying the park. You see, sadly, this girl has a violent antipathy to trees. I gather she wants us to slaughter all the trees in the property grounds and grind them for mulching. Can you imagine?

Well, she won't get her way; instead we (the rest of the board) gladly signed up for tree stewardship with the City and adopted 26 trees for free as part of the MillionTreesNYC program of our Mayor. Lissa was livid. More trees, more birds, more bird poop on my car, more leaves to rake in the fall, she complained. Okay, so you're not a tree hugger but come on. As Philip would say, she's a loose cannon.

Longwood Gardens is a gasp-inducing site. The sprawling garden display is awesome, with over 1000 acres of indoor and outdoor gardens, and a collection of trees. Tens of thousands of different kinds of plants, tiled pools and fountains, an outdoor theatre are just some of the beauties the garden offers.

The meticulous design, the mood and the overall look remind me of the gardens in Versailles.

The conservatory is a showcase of more exotic and beautiful plants. Currently on display (LilyTopia) are about 10,000 lilies of different varieties flown overnight from The Netherlands. Some are even scented. I thought the Dutch are just known for their tulips and reef. What a spectacle.

Outside the conservatory are many pools of water featuring tropical and hardy water lilies. At this time the area is closed for maintenance. During my first visit here, I saw the large-leaved Longwood hybrid water lilies with leaves that grow up to 88 inches in diameter and dominate the center pool. The huge leaves are said to be capable of supporting the weight of a baby and are grown annually from seeds.

The grand garden is the Main Fountain Garden in front of the conservatory. Its formal design again reminds me of the gardens in Italy and France. From the porch at the conservatory we watched the show of the dancing fountains, garden theatre at its finest. We heard that this is lit at night and during the holidays.

I don't know about you, but we all had a blast. The kids are happy and impressed. The Singapore Botanic Gardens doesn't come close to this, they concluded.

With its excellent sampling of plants, different garden styles and theme gardens, it has something for everyone. Not to be left behind are the treehouses. There's just not enough time. We missed our chance to see them. The view from atop those treehouses must be spectacular.

So all you gardeners and wannabes out there, visit Longwood Gardens. It is a horticultural paradise and the best display garden in the world. Just don't invite my neighbor unless you want those trees chopped down into massive doorstops. Take a number, we all want to shoot her.

Trees will do this to you..make you become protective of them and at all cost!

Who can top dat?

As soon as we stepped out of the airport, a blow of humidity welcomed us. We're in the bayou! We made it, even Inang survived the two and a half-hour flight to New Orleans without bathroom issues. She did it for Amber and Marc, she said.

The proud parents, Carol and Ped

Marc and Amber tied the knot, a wedding in New Orleans in a 150-year old church with the 102-year old great grandma marching down the aisle. Who can top that?


Above is the altar of the historic Saint Mary's Assumption Church and the National Shrine of Francis Xavier Seelos.

Reception was at the House of Broel, a gorgeous Victorian mansion located in the beautiful garden district. The wedding cake is a lovely three-tiered Louisiana-style King Cake a cinnamon-roll cake with sugary icing inside with traditional Mardi Gras colored sprinkles on the outside. Here we are, or some of us:

Dance away, it's your day. The groomsmen got Converse sneakers for their gift, Marc took the lead in showing them off at the dance floor.

Rehearsal dinner was at a rented circa 1880's Greek-revival house on 1448 Magazine Street where the rest of the family also stayed. We all stayed near the French Quarter and I loved it.

How about a crawfish boil? Served the traditional way, potatoes, sausages, corn and crawfish spilled along the length of newspaper-covered table, served steaming and spicy hot!!

Here's some highlights of our trip:

My mission was to find a balcony and earn some beads without having to lift my shirt. After all this is not Mardi Gras. I found this store that sold them, but nah, these won't do!

Hey, there's a bunch of guys up there .

Throw me something, Mister.

I was so totally into Bourbon Street. The jazz and club beats permeated the street.

Drink more beer.

Beer, beer and more beer, Huge Ass Beer.

The hot weather did not seem to weigh down the street walkers.

Cafe Du Monde

There's music outside to eat the beignets by... yummy, piping hot, mounding high with tons of powdered sugar.

We toured the Oak Alley Plantation, about an hour drive and midway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. 26 oak trees believed to be 300 years old line the avenue leading to this classic Greek-revival antebellum home.

I've always craved for a taste of New Orleans. It must be the Southern charm that attracts me. Thanks to Amber and Marc who made it happen and showed us how to have a good time. It was the wedding of the year, you couldn't have picked a better place, your hometown Amber.

We love you both and welcome to our crazy family, Amber.