Picnic in paradise.
I didn’t take a traditional summer vacation this year, so I had every reason under the warm California sun to be a tourist in my own town instead. Here’s the best of what I had a chance to see and do.
A string trio in Central Park.
Almost a year to the day after my last carload of belongings disappeared into the Lincoln Tunnel and left Manhattan forever, I found myself approaching the island on the Z train from Jamaica with just a small suitcase at my feet, gazing out the window at the Empire State Building as I had on so many arrivals before. I’d always thought the best ways to experience the Empire State Building were from the observation deck on the 86th floor and from a great distance. Even from my apartment building’s rooftop on 29th and Lexington, just a few blocks away, it never seemed as tall and majestic as it did from Queens.
I needed to see New York again. Living there was never going to be permanent — I had eyes for California — but my fifteen months there inevitably felt like a negligible scratch compared to the deep etchings so many others leave on New York’s weathered surface.
Frank Bogert Memorial Rodeo.
So said my boyfriend, surprisingly often, who had never actually been to a rodeo until last Christmas, when I gave him the gift of, well, truth — two tickets to the Frank Bogert Memorial Rodeo in Palm Springs, CA.
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Happy goats in downtown Los Angeles.
It’s been almost five months since my boyfriend and I drove cross-country from Virginia to California, and I love this place. Here’s what I’ve been up to.
Of all of the reasons why I was excited to move to Los Angeles this summer, my boyfriend was at the top of the list.
Getting to cook, finally, was just below him, followed by having someone to cook for.
Below that, being able to drive my convertible around again, ie to discount specialty, and specialty, grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.
Union Square
I just wrote about a lot of the things I liked about New York. Something I loved about New York was its eccentricity. If time and weather allowed, I walked as often and as far as I could just so I could see what I could see. And thanks to modern technology, I always had a camera on me. Here are some of my favorite moments, many of which I’ve already posted to Facebook and Twitter, but together here for posterity.
And, of course, you can see a lot more of these kinds of photos from a number of other contributors over at my art photography site, Pretty Trashy Art.
When I told people I was planning to move from New York City to Los Angeles, the reactions were often surprising, always funny.
I walked 10 miles yesterday! It had been a life goal for about a week before I decided to do it.
The High Line
I can’t wait to pass through Louisville next month on my cross-country drive to LA. From the archives, here are some of the reasons why I like the place so much…
(Hint: it has a lot to do with the hotel.)
