original plans for the house, written on a linen scroll

obsessed with these floors!

This Old House

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting my boyfriend's friends, Dave & Liz and their twins, in Massachusetts. They live in a small town, population 5000, in the middle of the state. We arrived really late Friday night and when I awoke, it was fall. For reals fall. Changing leaves, crisp temperatures, and the smell of pine in the air.

As I lay in bed, I began to take in my surroundings from a somewhat hazy climb into my bed the night before. I saw a beautiful study, filled with light that danced off original wall paper, and two french sliding doors. Above me was a multi-domed light fixture that must have been original to the house.

I began to hear stirrings above me and the little feet of their 2-year old twins, Will & Ted. They came down for Cheerios and toast while the guys got Liz & I giant chocolate-chip pumpkin muffins from the bakery down the road. I began to wonder around the house and realize I was not staying in a new one. Everything was so beautiful and old and authentic. We took a tour of the two story house complete with two attics and a basement, which holds a twenty foot well, original to the late 1800s when the house was built. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. It's hard to describe it's magnificence with words.

After the tour, we went apple picking, toured a colonial village, and headed for home. There we feasted on apple pie (with cheese & icecream), hamburgers, & sweet potato fries. It was wonderful! The next day, we woke up for more pie and then took a walk through this gorgeous New England town. It was a memorable weekend and a great way to begin fall.

old fashioned pantry, maybe my favorite room

original wall paper

love the light here

apple pie perfection

Only in New York...

After a relaxing and wonderful Labor Day weekend of lounging at the beach and watching the US Open, I had a rough start to the week. It began on Monday evening after my guest had gone home, and I had cleaned up and was resting before the first day of school the following day. I was lazily reading on my bed when out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. A bed bug. Yes, the bug that all urban dwellers dread worse than the smell of August garbage or spotting a rat on the street. I knew immediately it was a bed bug because there are pictures of those little monsters plastered all over the subway warning us.

I quickly picked up said bug and put him in a tupperware container and then inside a gallon ziplock. I called my boyfriend, freaking out as usual about bugs, and explained the harrowing situation. He calmly instructed me to look under my mattress, inside the sheets, ect. I checked and saw nothing. Could it be that this was a rogue bed bug? I guess I would know in the morning. "Don't worry he said, they don't come out until they sense a warm body." Very comforting thought.

I went to sleep, itching already, dreaming about bugs and awoke pleasantly to find not a bite at all. No sign of bugs under my mattress or in my sheets. I went to school after checking the freezer where I had stashed said bug to kill it dead, which I did. Everyday last week, I checked for bugs and still have not seen another one. Maybe, just maybe, I escaped the beagle smelling bed bug dog...hopefully. I will keep you informed.

The next night, I awoke at 4 am to the sounds of my passionate neighbors. Not pleasant, but not unheard of in pre-war apartments with thin walls. Whatever, I put my pillow over my head and drifted back to sleep. Then, I heard a banging noise outside my window and opened my eyes to see a man standing outside my window on the fire escape. (This is one of my biggest fears that someone will break in and kill me or rob me from that window, even though I keep it locked tight.) My heart started beating a million miles an hour, I grabbed my phone to call 911, flipped on my light, and heard a loud banging sound and laughing into my adjoining apartment. Yes friends, that was my crazy neighbors, having sex on my fire escape at 4 am. After my heart slowed down, I sort of chuckled at how strange and yet typical these things are in this crazy city.

Hopefully my nights will settle back down this week! :)

U.S. Preppy

This past weekend my sweet friend, Megan Frazee, came to visit for the long weekend. We had a blast! Being a foodie herself, we checked out the Green Market in Union Square and bought beautiful things for dinner. We made fried goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms, no words for how fun those were to make and eat! Then we had an heirloom tomato & fresh basil pasta dish to accompany. Fresh peaches, pretty flowers and tasty pretzels were all enjoyed from that little market of goodness!

Then, the next day we went to the US Open @ Arthur Ash stadium. (This is what I set out to write about, but got sidetracked by those squash blossom memories.) The US Open was my first ever tennis match to watch and it was quite delightful! Reading "Open" by Andre Agassi is as close as I got to the pros before.

Here are some of my take away points on the evening:
-There are preppy guys EVERYWHERE! I have never seen so many popped collars and Sperrys in one place. Girls, if you're looking for a date, I have got a killer recommendation for you.
-It's a very calm crowd, no enthusiastic chanting in tennis. You can hear the generators in the stadium, its so quiet! If it gets too loud, the ref says, "thank you, thank you" aka shut up! -Preppy sponsors: Want water? Have an Evian! Want ice-cream? Ben & Jerry's is there to serve you. Want a souvenir t-shirt? The Ralph Lauren store is open for biz.
-It took me two years of tennis lessons and a U.S. Open match to understand how they score that silly game!

Great weekend of eating & preppy sports!

US Open!

Chinese food in Flushing before the match...very authentic!

Time to go home...