new york snaps

Non-food-related New York highlights:

• First subway ride and walk through Manhattan to visit the Met
• Strolling though soggy, gloomy, beautiful Central Park
• Attending a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• Exploring Strand Book Store (and buying way too many books)
• Running into Patricia Clarkson and her dog while walking to Chelsea Market
• Meeting Mindy Kaling at Magnolia Bakery later that day
• Seeing the original Batman masks on display at the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA
• Visiting 30 Rock, where my television alter ego, Liz Lemon, works

New York food post to follow!

rainy days

It's been pouring down rain for the past several days here in Southern California. I've had the same vintage floral umbrella for years, which I found at one of my favorite thrift stores that no longer exists. I love my umbrella, but it has seen better days. It's kind of bent on one side and not very big and, therefore, not completely effective at keeping me dry. So, I decided to go on a search for a new umbrella that was both cute and functional. I pretty much hit the mother lode with umbrellas.net.

Bicycles, polka dots, florals, and stripes - definitely my kind of website! Living in Southern California, though, it's hard for me to justify spending nearly $40 on something that I'm only going to use a few times a year. I decided to browse trusty Target.com for some more affordable options and stumbled upon these:

Bubble umbrellas! Maybe not as overtly adorable as an umbrella with bicycles on it, but still pretty nice. Plus, they're sturdy and they get the job done. I just threw the Batman umbrella in there as a joke. Well, maybe I'm a little serious about it...