At long last, The Ace Hotel Post is up! Sorry for the delay.
I had so many pics to Photoshop for this one.

I think it's best to keep this post a photo essay with little comment from me.
Just see for yourself, and enjoy.


Just inside the front door...


...is a minimalist flower concession.

Shiny new check-in area.

The lobby is 1800s-grand-style.


And I love the lighting. It's definitely pre-electricity-style lighting.
Like at the Park Avenue Armory. Another one of my favorite spots.


Of course the whole 1800s pre-electricity aesthetic is just a pose.
Because there is wireless. But of course.

Where else in NYC can you combine trendy people-watching with a comfy place to sit on a cold day? Well, probably any place in NYC that has seats. But then again, The Ace Hotel on 29th and Broadway is a brand new scene to explore, study, make field notes and theorize about, and the like. So why not go to The Ace? You can take your coffee from the Stumptown Cafe and occupy some pricey real estate in the lobby for as long as you like. Really, they don't mind!

The Ace Hotel
20 W 29th Street
New York
212.679.2222

Stumptown Coffee Roasters is the cafe in The Ace Hotel.
Enter on 29th Street or through the lobby. There's always a line.
But it moves fast.

My favorite barista.


Action-packed. The barista is a blur. Do they all wear ironic hats?
Yes, I do believe they do.

Taste of the case at Stumptown Cafe.


I always opt for the same. A soft pretzel and a macchiato.
(Two of the few offerings sans pork.) Yes The Ace loves the pig.
I think it is trendy to love pig. So they do. Oops, and I said
I wasn't going to editorialize here...

And the 7 Train platform says:
It's my birthday!

[Click this link and read what I wrote last year.
So funny. I am totally the same.
Will be getting my 99cent DD Latte later today.]

When I was in grammar school, I used to get so excited on my birthday that I would fall and hurt myself on the playground pretty much every year, and wind up in the nurse's office with a skinned knee. Needless to say, I am being very careful crossing streets today. :-) Last time it was this warm and sunny was when I turned 9, and we all got to go play in my backyard and play tetherball. I remember exactly what I was wearing and remember being giddy with happiness.

It's my birthday! And I am going to do all my favorite things and revel in the sunny 73 degree weather. Most of the picture captions are links to previous posts. Click them!

Birthday commute. Just caught the 7 Train! Perfect timing.


Coming up the subway steps into Bryant Park from
the 7 train. Look at that sky!! To the right, One Bryant Park,
one of my favorite buildings. I saw a whole PBS show about it.


Aaaah, spring pansies freshly planted in Bryant Park. My favorite park.


Birthday lawn in Bryant Park. Not quite yet. Too much rain last weekend.
I love how their caution tape is green and says Bryant Park. So nice.
[click here to see last year's lawn on the other blog I write]


Birthday daffodils blooming in Bryant Park


Birthday Garment District Zen Garden.
A favorite spot for my eyes to rest.
Even though they redesigned it.

My favorite work breakfast.
Egg sandwich and iced coffee from the cart on
40th & Broadway. Nice guys.


My 99cent Dunkin' Donuts latte has a view of Times Square.
Nice work day today.


Yes, I had nice musings from the pool.
This Pisces must swim on her birthday.
aaaaaaaaaaah, calming.

[click image to enlarge]

For a little background information, please read the previous post, and come back. Ever since the time change, I have been getting projects done that have been stalled for a long while. Like restringing a pair of 50s lamps (next post). And hanging recent acquisitions. Yes, we are pleased with our new art wall. Now, just one more photograph to hang tonight. And one more 50s lamp to repair.

[L-R] Michael Pellew, Happy Holidays, 2009, ink on paper; Alicia Kachmar, Safety Cones, 2009, yarn, batting, thread, beads; James Hull, Map, 2000, pigment & gold on metal; unknown Toronto artist, Safety Pin, 1998, encaustic on canvas; Matthew Murphy, A Classic Setting, 1995, oil on board.

The best iced cookie I have ever eaten. By Alicia K.

Blurry Portrait of an Artist.
Her work to the right.

Crochet Safety Cones by Alicia Kachmar


I think I scarfed 3 whole cookies. Honestly I don't know what
came over me. I will never forget the taste of these cookies.
The icing was sooooooooooo delicious. And I normally don't like icing.

So here's the thing. I took one look at the blurry photo I took of soft sculpture artist, Alicia Kachmar, after I went to her opening back in October, got frustrated with my photography skills in that moment, and didn't want to post. But now that I look at this batch of photos again, I think they're a good representation of the event. So here goes.

In other news, I just "installed" my very own safety cones which I proudly purchased the night of her opening, and am very pleased with the arrangement. If I can snap some non-blurry pics, I'll show you. Even if they're a bit blurry, I'll show you.

Note: Some of my blurry pics on this blog are blurry on purpose. Some are just due to low lighting and the fact that I don't like the flash on my digital camera. Too harsh.

I loved these tiny photos by another artist in the show.
They were only about 2" by 2". And look at the neat case they come in,
below.

The photos. The question: who was the artist?

The artist herself!

Everyone at the show could don the orange safety vests and
do some investigating. Very festive.

The Chashama pop-up gallery space on W37th was teeny tiny, so the
show spilled out onto the street.

More gallery goers.

And more.

And more.

Is the OXO Salad Spinner in my future?

I've been wanting a salad spinner forever. I never think I have the room for it, but I am tired of blotting greens dry with a paper towel. Way too labor intensive, if you ask me. This one looks like a good one from OXO. Hint? Available at Macy's, Sur La Table, Target, Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond. You name it.

Utopia Boy/Girl Bud Vase by Jonathan Adler, $28

All these years later, I still love this tiny vase from Jonathan Adler. Hint?

Remember when I mentioned on Twitter last week that I was heading over to the new Opening Ceremony at The Ace Hotel? Well I went and browsed the items (some very amusing and droll design pieces, I was pleased). And then I came back to my computer to research the store further. Here's the weird part: the pictures I discovered online were not of the store I saw. Was I in an alternate universe Opening Ceremony? The space I saw was rather small with temporary-looking walls. Perhaps the real Opening Ceremony was around the corner hiding. I was in a dummy Opening Ceremony.

The only way I can explain it is "retail subterfuge." That's what it must be.

3 more days 'til my birthday!!! Friday, March 19!!! I am rather excited...

I felt a bit jet-lagged yesterday morning, but then I sprung into action. This is totally my time change. I got more done yesterday than I can believe. It was like I was asleep for the Fall half of the year. YAY Spring!

Whenever I bring my lunch, I always get hungry earlier. Coincidence? I think not.

For example, I just had a bit of my roasted eggplant black bean chili (made by hubby on Sunday). Oh so delicious. But it's only 10:55 am. I need a 99cent Dunkin' Donuts Latte to calm down my fake hunger.

In Spring!

I have to work up to a full-length real-live blog post. So it's time for some haiku posts. Yes, I've got a lot of insignificant musings. Time to purge.

In Spring!

[image via Twitter via Bryant Park NYC]

The Liberty of London for Target home collection will debut in Target Stores on March 14, but before that, New Yorkers get a special treat: a chance to pre-shop the collection at the Pop-Up shop in Bryant Park. Everyone loves a Pop-Up right? I sure do. I'll be there with my camera, snapping pics like crazy just for you. Stay tuned. In the meantime:

When: The Liberty of London for Target Pop-Up will be open to the public March 10th to March 13th. Wednesday, March 10 from 11am to 8pm; Thursday, March 11 – Saturday, March 13 from 9am to 8pm daily.

Where: 1095 Sixth Ave @ 42nd St (Next to Bryant Park)

[image via Slice]

Just to elaborate on the previous news-heavy Twitter-based post, Paulie Gee's is opening on 60 Greenpoint Avenue (Franklin & West Streets) at 6pm tonight. I can hardly contain my excitement! Read all about it on Slice. That is until I put my two cents in.

Proposed title: .gee meets Gee

Follow me on Twitter!
No, Twitter doesn't pay us to say this.

I have so much to tell all at once, that I am spazzing out, not knowing how to tell it, and thus not telling it. So here's how I'm going to tell it: through a retelling of my Tweets. Right here, right now. No need for a Twitter account. I'll give you an account of Twitter instead. Just the facts.

RT @seriouseatsny RT @slice: Paulie Gee's opening tonight in Greenpoint. Photos of what you might expect—and the menu: http://su.pr/1jBsoK

RT @BryantParkNYC Sneak peak inside #LibertyofLondonforTarget Pop-Up opening Wed @ 1095 6th Ave by Bryant Park. http://ow.ly/i/FX1

15 pieces, the last collection designer by Lee Alexander McQueen for his eponymous label... [via racked] http://bit.ly/bqIsGb

http://twitpic.com/17jvae - Armory Show, Pier 94 Contemporary. "Edit your consciousness. Spray to Forget. Shake Well. 2 oz/60ml. reedseifer.

http://twitpic.com/17js35 - This piece really caught my eye at The Armory Show, Pier 92, Modern. Tristin Lowe. It's felt!

@openingceremony has a mini-collection by Martin Margiela, but no Bic Plume Pen yet. boohoo. http://bit.ly/bs7rNB

You can never have too many Chinese figurines from the 50s. Right?
I can't figure out if these are supposed to be Chinese or Japanese.
I love them already. Here's the shopping link, price: $16.55

Etsy is addictive. But what isn't these days. Some time ago, I discovered that Etsy has vintage, and have been holding myself back from a shopping spree. But seeing as it is my birth month and things of that nature, I might be in the market for the items contained in this post.

This is way cool. $9.98
Sure would make breakfasts fun, don't
you think so hubby?


This pin might be cute with a cardigan and a scarf...
$20, atomic chyrsanthemum. hmmm

Carboard Mounted Deer by Cardboard Safari™
$25.99 on Modcloth

Through the magic of internet clicking, I found the very same cardboard mounted deer from the now defunct Brooklyn restaurant on Smith Street I photographed in 2006. On Modcloth! Filed under "Apartment" (not "Home"). I like their specificness. Specificity. Yes.

What do you think? As I said, I became inspired by this image. But I don't think I can really use this exact image as one of the backgrounds, can I? I plan to take pics of metal openwork around NYC, such as these, and see if they're usable. We'll see.