The Wall

I found this platter in Charlotte months ago and fell in love. At the time, I had already moved to Manhattan and was feeling a little home sick for things of the south. The platter has the wonderful skyline and monuments of the city and put my heart a little at ease when I saw it.

After returning to NYC, I looked up the company that manufactures the plate and found that they carry a platter for Richmond, VA and Manhattan too. WHAHOOO! CHARGE IT! My order arrived a few days later and they were hung...well...ummm...another couple of months later. Sadly, I managed to pick the one wall to hang them on that required cement nails. It just took me forever to purchase the nails. After much ado, here are the results:

BEFORE

AFTER

DETAILS

Before & After

Living in a pre-war building in NYC definitely has its perks and, well, not-so-perks. Most older buildings are walk-ups and they don't have laundry rooms. On the upside, the buildings are made really well, most have gorgeous wall molding and we just so happen to have TWO walk in closets, which is nearly unheard of in this city especially in a studio apartment.

As it just so happens, our building does not have a laundry room, so My Hero has so graciously accepted the dirty-clothes-duties. He schleps nearly 5 blocks to the laundry mat on his day off to sit and guard our clothes as they rotate in public machines OR he drops them off at the cleaners conveniently located right outside our building (I opt for the latter choice).

I am amazed every time we pick our clothes up from the cleaners. Every time. You see, when we drop them off, they are a jumbled mess inside the bag like this...

But when we pick them up the next day, they are a perfectly cubed column that would blend well into a game of laundry Jenga. Amazing.

Eye Heart Valentine's Day!

I absolutely L.O.V.E. Valentine's Day! I have loved it for as long as I can remember. You don't have to go overboard with flowers, candy, jewelry, cards, stuffed animals, etc...well...kidding. It's nice to have another reason to spread love on your family and friends.

This was my best Valentine's Day yet. My Hero had the entire weekend off from work (which is a rarity) so we planned away!

We started out Saturday morning with some snow on what was supposed to be at least a 40 degree day. The flakes were nice and light and didn't stick as we headed to Tiffany! No purchases were made, but My Hero got links taken out of his watch so he could finally wear it. Then we headed down towards SoHo for a Chocolate Tour!

Our group consisted of about 10 people, all New Yorkers, as we were lead through the streets of SoHo and the West Village. Our first stop was Kee's Chocolates. Our pallets were initiated with black rose chocolate.

Our next stop was Vosges Haute Chocolate where we were delighted with a piece of dark chocolate with Mexican vanilla bean and a piece of milk chocolate with candied violet flower. I actually preferred the violet flower. The interior decorating of purple, black and crystal exuded good taste and welcomed a purchase by several in our group.

A short stroll later, we were whisked inside MarieBelle New York where we tasted a piece of cinnamon chocolate as well as a piece of pure Mongolian chocolate. I was a little disappointed since I thought we were going to sip hot chocolate here which is what I feel this company is best known for. Since we didn't, I got a few individual packages for later. If you get a chance to stop here, you must admire the packaging of the products all over the store. This company does it right. It's so consistent and a real treat for your eyes just in case you don't have a sweet tooth. There is also a small cafe in the rear if you need to sit for a bit to enjoy your treats.

Our bellies were getting full as we headed to our next destination, Vesuvio Bakery. My Hero was beginning to feel a little green from all the sugar, but he felt a bit better in this "green" bakery when we were handed a bag with a delicious chocolate-on-chocolate cookie inside. I've past this small store front numerous times, but have never been inside to hear the story. This bakery uses wind energy for all their baking and packages everything in recycled materials. Even the materials used to build the shop are 100% recycled. We were only able to eat a smidge of the cookie and save the rest for later. Sorry for not having pictures to share, but the store was teeny-tiny and very tight with our group inside.

Our final stop was the famous Jacques Torres for Wicked Hot Chocolate and a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. We were a little early so the sweet treats weren't quite ready for us. We took in the scenery and watch the bakers at work. Everything is made fresh right on the premises. This was the largest operation we visited.

Following the tour, we needed to put some real food in our stomachs and soak up some of the sugar. We couldn't think of anything better than a piece of New York style pizza from Famous Ben's Pizza. Mmm. Mmm. Good.

BEST. VALENTINE'S DAY. EVER.