Pretty Things

mighty girl


mossiere



napa books (i am a sucker for this spelling of "pajama")


terrain



jonna pohjalainen



aakash nihalani


alessandra mortola via aesthetic outburst



adam and viktoria


bird and banner



james merrell


once wed


paper pastries


mary ruffle


something


sight unseen



frolic!

Weekend! (Chicago Edition)

Oof, I have been neglecting this poor blog! I have started a bunch of posts but finished none of them... I plan to remedy that next week so please bear with me. In the meantime, I thought I'd tell you about my weekend. I went to Chicago to visit my friend Piper and we had a great time. We made my annual pilgrimage to Hot Doug's (the goat sausage with roasted plantains and smoked Gouda was amazing), met up with my friend Amanda, went to the record release party of Piper's friend's band, had brunch at Tweet, lunch at Bin 36, dinner at both Big Star and Publican, went antiquing, made pizza, printed Piper's first letterpress job in her kitchen, shopped till we dropped, and watched one of the most amazing movies of all time. I even got to spend an extra night when my homebound flight was overbooked (thank you, Southwest for paying me to spend more time with my friends!).

But I think the undeniable highlight of the trip was on Saturday, when we drove up to Wadsworth to visit North America's largest gold plated object, Onan's Gold Pyramid. You see, Saturday was Obscura Day, and I am not sure there is anything more obscure or bizarre than a 6 story home (surrounded by a moat) in the middle of suburbia, built in the 1970's by an eccentric man who still lives there and gives tours every weekend*. There are really no words to adequately describe the experience of visiting the pyramid, so my photos will simply have to do. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside the home itself; if you are ever in the Chicago area on a weekend, I highly recommend taking the tour.








*He and his wife raised five children in the pyramid... can you imagine being the kid in 5th grade who lives in a gold pyramid?

Full Speed Ahead

Of all the things I looked at Alameda Point this weekend, the most charming were two beautifully kept scrapbooks from the 1950's. These books are such wonderful records of two women's lives, and it is so sad that their families weren't able to keep them. I truly regret not buying at least one of them and I hope that someone gave them a good home.

Notes from the Point, March 2010

Amanda Wachob

A lot of people have posted about these tattoos by Amanda Wachob, and I have to follow suit. They are just stunning and the colors are perfection.

Weekend!

I need to start keeping a better record of my weekends. Last weekend, I attended an incredible citrus-themed dinner (photo by Emily Heller) at 18 Reasons, had drinks under the waterfall at Smuggler's Cove, had a fantastic brunch with one of my oldest friends and our mothers at Flora, another great dinner with friends at Doña Tomas, and saw Evan Dando perform (he's still great, btw!) at Cafe du Nord (where I'd seen Harlem- my high school penpal's band!- play just 4 nights before).


This weekend promises to be even more eventful! Tomorrow night is the annual Monster Drawing Rally, hosted by Southern Exposure and featuring about 100 local artists including my friend Marina Luz (above). And let's not forget the Oakland Art Murmur! I am hoping to make it to both.


On Saturday morning, I may or may not be motivated enough to go to the Ferry Building for tamales with my friends Erik and Dan. I say maybe because I will then be meeting my friend Myles for lunch at the always incredible (and always filling and nap-inducing) Val's.



Saturday night is the opening of Temporal Surfaces, a joint show featuring my friend and fellow RISD alum, Jess Hess (above, top) and the amazing Kevin Cyr (above, bottom) at White Walls gallery. You can read an interview with Jess here (and see her studio here, on MLFY).


After I stop by White Walls, I will be heading over to the Exit Theater to see the final (sold out) performance of Stallion's Celestial Science. It's been three years since Stallion's last show and I have been eagerly anticipating his return to the stage so I can witness the spectacle that I've heard will change my life forever.

Saturday night is also the ForageSF Underground Farmer's Market, but I don't think I'm going to be able to attend this time. If you haven't been, it's a really great way to connect with small-scale local producers selling homemade goods and foraged produce.


Sunday morning (assuming it's not raining), I will be up bright and early (or perhaps I will not have slept, given Stallion's reputed awesomeness) for Alameda Point, followed by brunch at the restaurant I would marry if I could, Camino. Seriously- if you know of any gentlemen between the ages of 30-36 who resemble Camino, send them my way. The picture above is of their gin Bloody Mary, my personal brunchtime favorite (served with their home-pickled vegetables, of course).

After that I will most definitely need a nap. Which reminds me- I better get to bed early tonight to prepare myself for all this excitement!