A trip to the North Shore.

 the North Shore of Massachusetts, taken w/ instagram app 

Last weekend we actually had a car again so Dan and I went on a little adventure (we had to rent one since ours died :( remember this post? about the flood? yeah, I never followed up on here b/c the ending was just too sad. our little car didn't make it. luckily insurance took care of the cost, but that doesn't make up for the inconvenience and sadness of it all. sigh). Anyhoo....we rented a car on Sunday to go look at possible replacement cars, and on a whim decided to go for a ride up the coast. 

I'd been itching to do something a little different and explore a new pocket of New England, and so we decided to visit some of the little towns up in the North Shore that we hadn't been to before (we'd only seen Gloucester and Rockport last Fall). It was perfect weather for such an adventure.  

As we drove along the coast, popping out to take pictures and breathe in the salty sea air, it seemed like all the craziness and anxiety surrounding us during this transition just vanished. What is it about the sea? The sound, the smell....I just love it. 

We eventually ended up in the little town of Manchester-by-the-Sea where we parked ourselves on a bench in the sunshine with ice cream cones. A very simple, but beautiful afternoon trip. (Also fell in love with the little village of Magnolia, MA).

Some news!

Boston skyline on the 4th of July

Well, I think it's time to finally (officially) spill the beans on here. We are saying farewell to Boston in a few weeks and moving back to NEW YORK!! It's a loooong story, but I will attempt to share the cliffs notes version here now :)

We really had no idea what would happen post-Harvard -- whether we would move or stay and where would be going if we did move. And I honestly had no idea if New York would ever enter the picture again. Dan had been working on developing a new business venture during his time here that got a lot of traction throughout the year, but it was an up and down roller coaster ride not knowing whether they would receive funding or get the idea off the ground. In the meantime, he was applying for jobs all up and down the East Coast as back-up. 

Then we got the best news last month -- a group of investors decided to invest in Dan and his team and their idea! Amazing! They've been up and running ever since -- so exciting and I am SO PROUD of him.

Although there will be a team based up here in Boston, they needed a team to get things rolling in New York for a number of business reasons, and so we decided to move back (a no brainer, really -- we love New York (obviously!), not to mention it's much closer to family and friends and with a little one on the way, the last thing we wanted was to be isolated and far away from everyone). 

Sooooo, it's back to the Big Apple for us! So so excited. It was pretty much a nightmare trying to find an apartment (but we finally did! UWS!!) and there have been so many details and glitches and hang-ups along the way that I was nervous to even say the words out loud let alone in writing. But now it appears that everything is in place (at least, we think so!) and we are scheduled to leave at the end of the month! 

Not really looking forward to moving at 7 months pregnant. Or finding a new doctor and hospital (anyone have any recommendations? seriously? :). BUT...am SO looking forward to being back in a community of people who know and love us. And being back in a city that makes my heart sing....!  

And there you have it...our big news! The next few weeks should be interesting with all the packing that needs to be done (and I move like a snail these days) and all the Boston/New England fun we'd like to experience before heading out. We'll have to see what we can do -- and I will try to capture some of that on here as we go! 

Snapshots from the 4th.

  

 

Hope you had a wonderful long weekend! We had a lovely 4th here in steamy Boston, spent with friends over a leisurely (air-conditioned!) dinner in Beacon Hill, followed by fireworks on the Charles River, which we watched from the Longfellow Bridge. I was pretty pooped after the heat and all the walking/standing, but it was definitely worth it to be out and about on such fun, buzzy night in Boston.

Lunch with a view...

window seat on Newbury Street

One thing I love about Boston is the architecture....so many interesting, beautiful buildings. I especially love the nook-y tables tucked into windows in all the little restaurants and cafes along Newbury Street. So charming. Dan and I dined at such a table/cafe today, in fact, and it was perfect. 

That's all. Just thought I'd share :) 

Cinco de Mayo: BBQ-style

Blue Ribbon in Hipstamatic

For Cinco de Mayo, Dan and I decided to buck tradition & enchiladas by instead heading to Blue Ribbon Bar-B-Q in Arlington for a dinner of pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, baked beans and slaw. Mmmm. Since we were heading to Arlington anyway and the baby loves BBQ so much (ok, it's me...since I love BBQ so much!), it was a no brainer, really. Blue Ribbon's sides are especially delish and I dig the 1950's diner vibe. We highly recommend this place if you're in the area. Happy Cinco de Mayo! 

(note: I tried to take "cute" photos of us eating the BBQ goodness, but I don't think it's possible to look cute or attractive in any way, really, while eating such a meal, so I decided to spare us (and you)).

Boston blooms.

Near Fenway Park, Boston

No time to write tonight, drowning in artwork for the show on Friday. But look! The trees are really blooming in Boston (hooray!). AND it was about 70 degrees here today. We're hitting the Big Time here, kids! Whew, finally...

Blizzard! Is! Coming!

tree & night sky ~ boston

According to every newspaper story, anchorman on tv, internet article, people on the streets, etc., a HUGE BLIZZARD IS COMING! Like, now (well soon). And all through the night. And into tomorrow morning and so on and so on. Finally! A big snow storm for me to play in! Dan's classes have already been canceled and even though I work from home and therefore my work won't "technically" be affected, I *might* take a few hours off to frolic, bake brownies, read a book by the window as the flakes fall, etc. Fingers crossed that this thing is as good as they say it's going to be. 

Christmas in Boston.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace 

Tonight I had to run down to the store in Faneuil Hall to pick some things up and was reminded of Boston's dedication to Christmas magic and twinkle lights. 

In other news...I. am. exhausted.

p.s. i'm having a christmas sale on all jewelry between now and 12/18! (they make great gifts :)

feeling thankful.

Faneuil Hall marketplace

I snapped this pic tonight. They're getting a head start on the Christmas magic over here in Boston. I'm not quite in the holiday mood just yet (Thanksgiving will do the trick), but still, I'm always a sucker for twinkle lights. 

AND I should also mention that this lovely strip of city magic shown above will now be home to the latest line of work from City Girl Designs! (that's me :) Yep, that's my big news! It's a wonderful store full of all handmade goods from local artists and I am now one of those artists! 

It's in a great part of town, part of the marketplace in Faneuil Hall, where (as you can see) the magic (and great shopping) abounds. I think getting out from behind my computer, where most of my artistic transactions take place, and into a real life situation with my art will be a really, really good thing for me. It gets tough being so isolated in my creative process, only interacting with customers via the web. Plus, it's just so dang exciting to finally have my artwork out there, in a real store! A big step forward for me.  Feeling thankful....very thankful. :) 

Pockets.

lovely downtown Boston

It was a good meeting in the city today (maybe more news on that sometime soon?) but even more fun than that was getting to walk around the little pockets of Boston that I had not yet explored. And there are lots of pockets, people. Boston? Not a bad little city. Not bad at all. (even as I say it, though, I am missing New York like crazy. does that ever go away?) 

And in other news, my sniffles of yesterday have turned into a full-fledged cold. Can't. Breathe. 

Fort Point

Fort Point

Tonight we explored a new neighborhood in Boston: Fort Point. Very cool place with a Brooklyn-like vibe that has a huge artist population. This weekend, many of the artist residence live/work buildings have opened up their studios/homes to the public, so if you're in the Boston area, you should definitely check it out. The live/work studios are just as interesting to see as the work itself (maybe more so!). Info here.

The Day.

Newbury Street adventures
It was a good, good day. A day spent mostly in Boston and mostly on Newbury Street (for work-related stuff), which is a great street. And then I came home and made some art. And took photos for some new items on Etsy. And made a crock pot meal that was surprisingly delicious (I made up the recipe, which doesn't usually go so well). And listened to Dan's stories about what he learned today in class. And it was all very good :)

Oh and also: I WAS OFFERED A (small) PART IN THE SHOW I AUDITIONED FOR LAST NIGHT! YIPPEEEE!! Rehearsals start in January, the show goes up in April. I am happy :)

Blue Skies & House Love.

through the glass ~ Prudential Tower, downtown Boston
The sky was not this blue today (confession: sometimes I stock up on photos. which means I am not always taking a new photo each day. I don't get out much). I did, however, get out today, but it was raining too hard for picture-taking. Anyhoo...

Tonight while watching HGTV in the background as I worked on all my latest projects, they showcased three D.C. homes to see which renovation got more bang for their buck. I fell in love with one of the homes and promptly jumped onto Trulia.com to see how much houses cost in that particular neighborhood (a fun game I play sometimes).

And...I. fell. in. love. With this house. With this YARD!

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It's like The Secret Garden!! So full of nooks and magic. Can't you just envision the most perfect evening garden party back there, complete with twinkle lights, champagne and Van Morrison music?

And it's only a mere 3.4 Million. I have such reasonable taste.

Happy Friday.

downtown Boston
Have a great weekend!
and, ps, this print now available in my shop--->

Beacon Hill.

a Beacon Hill Street
No energy for creative writings tonight, so I will just tell you about Beacon Hill instead. It's an adorably charming & historical neighborhood in Boston (similar in feel to Georgetown or Old Town Alexandria, for you Virginia peeps). It is also where they have apartments that are *smaller* and *more expensive* than New York. (we checked). There are gas lamps & cute boutiques & lots and lots of brick & cobblestone. Wouldn't it be dreamy to step outside onto this street everyday?

Hard Days.

insurmountable. (a tall building in Boston)
I don't know why, but I seem to be having an amazingly long streak of hard/annoying/difficult days lately. It's mostly just a *feeling* that I have trouble articulating (although Dan is good at helping me find the words), and mostly just feels like anxiousness/agitation.

Some obvious things are: 1) I miss New York (duh), 2) and my friends and 3) it's hard adjusting to a new place. But I also think it might be 4) work. My work/life balance has been a little off-kilter lately (one of the downsides to working from home). It has started to bleed into the other areas of my life, and I find myself feeling like I always *should* be doing something while I am home now (since home is also my office/studio) and guilty when I am not. And there is always so much to do that even though I feel like I am doing things CONSTANTLY (even into the wee hours of morning), it somehow always feels like not enough. Which I know is messed up and not healthy and all that good stuff, but *knowing* it doesn't really lessen the agitation!! Sigh...Guess I'm still learning. Learning this Boston Life thing and learning this Full-time Artist thing.

And so tonight I made a list of things to do that might help me shake this feeling. Simple, happy things completely unrelated to art and work and photo editing and research and forums, etc. Things like 1) make dinner, and 2) work on Dan's present (one year anniversary is DAYS AWAY, people!!!). And I banned myself from the living room (where my "studio" is and where I spend WAY too much time) and instead sat in my cheery kitchen for a good long while. And that seemed to help.

It also helps to remember that tomorrow is a new day, a clean slate. (speaking of tomorrow, whoops, it is tomorrow. time for bed). Goodnight....

Randomness on a Monday.

Boston sky
Not much time for writing today (and my computer is not behaving, making everything I try to do on here ten times harder) but a quick post to say we all arrived safe & sound back in Boston on Saturday! Have been busy little bees ever since showing mom the sights & sounds of our new city, sorta half-diving back into artwork & Etsy-ing (me), and "shopping" for classes (which is sort of like previewing) in preparation for Harvard Kennedy's Fall semester (Dan)...among other things.

AND, some random exciting-ness, tonight I play my very first Boston show! Okay, well it's not really my show, per se, but rather an open mic, so I will be contributing only 10 minutes of music to the night. BUT it's also a competition (a very competitive one, apparently, because I had to sign up four weeks in advance), and if I win *then* I get my own show! Or share the stage with past winners. Or something like that. But it's a start! And this is what I did (open mics, competitions, etc.) when I moved to New York, and that turned out pretty well. So I am excited! If you are reading this and live in the Cambridge area (though I really don't think I have any Cambridge readers. Do I?) then come on out to Lizard Lounge this evening at 8pm!

Wish me luck :)

The Weekend (& the Gold Dome).

The Massachusetts State House
The weekend was full & lovely (the highlight still being Tootsie, of course). Apart from that we also did one of Boston's famed Duck Tours (are they famed? I keep hearing about them). And as much as I typically dislike guided tours, this one was pretty darn fun. I mean, the bus turned into a boat, people! And I do love boats. And things that transform (into boats). And cities. So I was pretty content :)

I will try and post some of the fun facts that we learned on this here blog over the next few weeks. Like, that gold dome up top? The real deal. 23k gold. (It once was made of wooden shingles). I also took enough pictures to last us for at least the next month, (a good thing b/c I was running pretty low (I don't get out much)).

And on a completely unrelated note: guess what? I AM GOING TO NEW YORK IN TWO DAYS. And am a little bit excited about it :) From there, it's vacation time down at the Jersey Shore (no, not that kind of Jersey Shore) w/ my fam! So. Excited.

Movie Night!

'Movies by Moonlight' at the Boston Harbor Hotel
I love outdoor movies. Love the magic of cinema mixed with twinkly city lights. Love the openness of it all. Love, love, love. So after hearing about 'Movies By Moonlight' at the Boston Harbor Hotel (which is très fancy pants), we decided to head down there tonight for dinner and a flick.

We were lucky enough to get Tootsie (which I swear I had seen many times growing up, but the only scene that looked even vaguely familiar was the one where Dorothy (Tootsie) dons various sparkly gowns for a photo shoot (which I guess is the only thing my five year old brain could make sense of at the time). Dan, on the other hand, had confused 'Tootsie' with 'Curly Sue' and so was visibly relieved when he saw Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray up on the screen).

Anyway, it was awesome. And ridiculously hilarious. And with a backdrop of the waterfront and boats decked out in twinkle lights, it really couldn't be any more magical. A lovely way to spend a Friday night.

Tootsie

Goodnight.

downtown Boston
Tonight I am struggling with words. I had a whole post planned, but now feel a bit blah and uninspired. And so I will just leave us with this image of beautiful downtown Boston (as captured by my camera perched precariously atop the roof of our car), and say goodnight.

...goodnight...