This photo is from a very cool book I just discovered (via tumblangeles) - empty L.A., a photography book about one of my favorite cities. It's a bit eerie. Some people have commented that the images show us just how ugly Los Angeles is, but I don't feel that way. I see pieces of a city that I once lived in, quieted and vulnerable.
The photographer, Matt Logue, works in the film effects industry. Kind of explains his eye.
Eggs with tomatoes - or, the more romantic version: Uova Al Piatto Con Pomodori
Dan made this fantastic lunch for us today. You should try it - under 30 minutes to make, and utterly delicious. His post and the recipe here.
The title of this post sounds worse than it actually is. PopTech, the annual conference in Maine that brings together thinkers and doers in the arts, education, science, media, technology, medicine, and politics, is a life-changing, inspiring event. However, on the Sunday morning that follows, one can't help but ask: What Am I Doing With My Life?
I missed the first day, and it's unfortunate. One of the people I really wanted to hear speak is John Fetterman, the courageous and innovative mayor who is revitalizing the depressed city of Braddock, PA. Here is the PopTech post about his talk, and another post from Sharon Glassman at HuffPo.
So, enter Day 2. The theme of the day was thinking differently, of shifting our mindsets; which, honestly, is the overarching theme of PopTech anyway. But, the speakers who were first up on Thursday asked the audience to change they way we relate to technology and think about the natural world. Here are the highlights:
Michael Pollan and Dean Ornish, on why we should learn how to cook, eat food that our great grandmothers would recognize, and make sustainable choices; Alec Ross, the determined senior advisor for innovation in the State Department who makes me hopeful; Will Allen, who alongside John Fetterman, is truly an American hero; the ridiculously brilliant Neri Oxman, and Mark O’Connor, who brought tears to my eyes with his unbelievable talent.
My birthday last week slipped by without much fanfare, which is totally fine with me; except that it’s always a good reason to take a trip. I’d planned on traveling to LA, but the trip was cancelled. Now, I'm most likely not traveling until December. Try not to get too depressed.
So what to give myself for my birthday (because, you know, this only happens once a year)? The $395 perfume or $348 bag? Each one is worth the price of a plane ticket, so I figure, it’s almost the same as if I’d hopped into seat 6A on Continental from EWR - LAX last Friday.
Almost.
I grew up with this magazine, learned about food and travel by reading the exquisite editorial features, and still treasure each edition like a favorite book.
From today's New York Times:
Gourmet did not lack for impassioned readers. Alice Waters, the California restaurateur, said she nearly started crying when she heard of the closing. Gail Zweigenthal, a former editor in chief of Gourmet, said she was saddened. “I think it was the first magazine that taught people how to navigate the intricacies of foreign travel, where to stay, what to eat,” she said. “It was such a special magazine. It had such history.”
More from our vacation...
Some quick tasting notes:
1. Decant complex reds. Seriously, I didn't think decanters were anything more than lovely glass pitchers for wine. Until our laid back, but keenly knowledgeable pourer at Ridge taught us the difference. He poured us a tasting of wine that had been open for a day and decanted, or aerated; and wine that had just been opened. Turns out, there is a huge difference in taste. So much so that I now think seriously about drinking a red that has just been opened (for me that is serious thought). Complex reds: Zinfandels, Cabernets, Petite Sirahs, Syrahs, and any other reds that are heavier blends.
2. The glass does make a difference. Again, I doubted this to be true, figuring it was just some marketing ploy by Reidel. Our pourer gave us a red in two different glasses and asked us to smell, then taste. The difference in smell was so pronounced between the two glasses, I didn't even have to taste the wine to know that it would be better in the proper glass (in this case, it was a Cabernet in a glass with a larger bowl vs a glass with a smaller, narrower bowl).
And Ridge wines? All fantastic, and you can get most of them anywhere in the country. The tasting room is located in Dry Creek Valley, a gorgeous drive from the crowds of St Helena. Highly recommended.
reblogged from tumblr
Today I am thinking a lot about coffee. It could be exhaustion that is driving my thoughts, but really, I think it is my excitement over uncovering two great coffees in NYC. I say 'coffees' because one is not so much a place as it is a brand of coffee --Stumptown, which has made it's way to Manhattan from Portland, via Brooklyn. Until the official Stumptown cafe opens at the soon-to-be-open Ace hotel, you can buy it at City Girl cafe in Soho, which I did yesterday. A lb of freshly ground Ethiopian Wondo sat in my bag all day, and the delicious, rich scent is lingering in my memory.
Down the street from my office, in the nondescript no-man's land between the neighborhoods od Kips Bay/Murray Hill and Flatiron, there is a perfect cup of coffee at Fika. The tiny, stylish cafe feels sunny even in the worst of weather, and although a large cup of coffee is a sort-of hefty $3, it's worth it.
