The Week In Pictures: 7.11.08

Quite possibly the best sign ever outside of the Marc Jacobs store, NYC

Hello Lovelies,

Please forgive my tardiness in posting; I spent the entire morning in the friendly skies, flying from New York to Phoenix. I am still adjusting to the drastic shift in surroundings and time zone!

This week has been beyond action packed! Normally, I only visit New York once every year for my birthday in September, but my friend Bianca and I had been chatting about photo shoots for the last few months, Gala partially convinced me to come out, and on top of that, I found out that LouLou was visiting at the same time. I was presented with a perfect storm of talented and inspiring girls!

I flew overnight to JFK and arrived in New York last Friday morning. After some transportation delays, I caught a shuttle into the city (click for video).

After dropping off my bags at Bianca’s, I headed over to meet Miss Gala Darling at a cute french café. She’s so naturally stunning in person with perfect skin, crystal clear blue eyes and a quiet confidence. We ate sooo much food that I christened it ‘the last supper.’ This theme would continually arise throughout our week together!

On our way to Soho, we both got distracted by a ginormous ice cream cone. I need one of these for my living room!

Friday night was the 4th of July, so a group of us went up to a rooftop on St. Marks Place to watch the festivities. It was a fascinating experience because little colonies of people were gathered on their rooftops for as far as we could see. It was like a little city stacked on top of the city itself. The fireworks were so loud and booming; the glowing orange sky resembled an apocalypse!

After the fireworks, we hung out at Bianca’s and had a little pre-game action before Rubulad. Eliza and Gala came over (click for video) for some chit-chat and drinks. Oh, the debauchery! Can you tell that I was really enjoying myself?!!

At around midnight, Gala, Bianca and I caught a cab to Rubulad (click for a video). So hot and sticky, everyone was a sweaty mess! Gala convinced me to climb a ladder to a rooftop (I’m really scared of heights) where a guy was pedaling a bike that had massive, flapping wings attached to it. I also got stuck inside a bizarre handcrafted treehouse where all the floor cushions were mysteriously stained. This pretty much summed up the atmosphere!

On Saturday, I woke up and it was pouring. High humidity and rain are a disastrous combination! My Dries boots were getting soaked, so I ran into Trash & Vaudeville on Saint Marks and bought these patent white babies. I think I’m in love!

An art market was going on in Williamsburg on Sunday, so I called Gilda to join me and filmed my walk to the subway (click for video).

We had a fantastic time, especially when we witnessed a strange old man in a pink shirt spinning on a chair in the middle of traffic while an equally crazy guy danced to Cher:

Also worthy of a mention was finally meeting the stunning LouLou! She was selling her beautiful handmade bows and undies and I couldn’t resist! Seriously, her stuff is top notch.

After the art market, Gilda and I wandered through Brooklyn looking for food when we stumbled upon a little gem of a restaurant resembling a surf shack! The atmosphere was amazing; an inflatable parrot was perched in a tree and the ground was covered in sand. Can you tell that Gilda was amused? Here we are hanging out at the Bloomie’s in Midtown:

On Sunday, Gala, Gilda and I attended Dances of Vice at the Montauk Club in Brooklyn. The overall look was rooted in the 20s and 30s and quite the departure from out normal hangouts. The patrons went all out with their dress; gentlemen in suits, top hats, vests and other finery danced with women in flappper dresses, fully made up faces and perfectly set hair.

We sat on a beautiful couch for much of the night, taking in the fancy footwork on the dance floor. Upon arriving back in the city, we had one of the best meals in the middle of the night at French Roast, which impressed me with the air of european refinement it upholds at all hours.

Sunday night was spent with Bianca at Sway, a Morrissey & The Smiths trubute night. It was one of the best club nights I’ve been to in ages. The music and crowd meshed perfectly and I couldn’t help but to smile at the folks boogying down to Prince’s Black Sweat.

The night was topped off when Bianca and I ended up with a cab driver who felt the need to drive at ungodly speeds while we squealed in the back, filming the adventure (I’ll share it soon)! We were holding onto the grab bars in back and the entire thing looks like a high speed chase!

On Tuesday, I headed up to Museum of Modern Art in Midtown to witness the breathtaking Dali Exhibit in person; his line work and precision were unparalleled. Though I like Dali, the most moving art to me were the Pop pieces in the museum collection:

Much of the rest of my week was spent in the company of Gala; we immediately bonded over being goal-oriented Virgos with a mutual love of blogging and shopping! We chatted in diners until 3 a.m., sat in private booths surrounded by tightly pulled black curtains until 4 a.m., and did two separate rooftop shoots. I miss her so much already!

One of our best moments together was catching the action behind the velvet curtain of The Box with our friend, the talented illustrator Molly Crabapple (below). It definitely lived up to the hype and kept me intrigued the entire time!

Thursday was my last full day in the city. Gala and I had a final outing at Pure Food & Wine and plotted our futures together over her favorite pint of $17.00 raw peanut butter cup ice cream. A roof shoot in the West Village by Bianca sealed the deal.

This trip was fulfilling in that I got to spend so much time with some of my favorite people and really experience some of the best parts of the city with their company in tow.

I hopped a flight to Phoenix this morning at 8 a.m. and in a matter of hours, the humid and compact city that never sleeps was replaced by a dry desert spread that runs forever in every direction with a smattering of palm trees. I’m spending the weekend with my mom and stepdad in their new house (and it’s so large that I’m still finding my way around)! Also of notable mention; I am now the proud owner of the Samsung Blackjack (a late graduation gift!) and it’s pretty awesome.

How was your week? Did you make any big changes? Are you in the midst of plotting your own summer travels and spur of the moment getaways?