Subway reading

On her brilliant blog, photographer Ourit Ben-Haim takes photos of New Yorkers reading on the subway—everything from the Bible to Lolita to Star Wars. There's something vulnerable and intimate about these shots, don't you think? It feels like witnessing a private moment.

What are you reading this summer? I'd love to hear your recommendations... (I just started this book.)

P.S. This woman has a six-and-a-half-hour commute!

(Photos by Ourit Ben-Haim for her blog Underground New York Public Library. Via Shoko)

Are you a city mouse or country mouse?

Toby is a born-and-bred city kid (who knows how to hail a cab and wear tattoos), but this Saturday, we decided to escape to the country...
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First day of summer

Yahoo! Today is the first day of summer. Actually, the season officially starts at 7:09pm, if you want to be exact. (And here are a few photos we took last summer in Fire Island.)

Once I read in Oprah that a secret to happiness is keeping a gratitude journal every night--or even just telling yourself as you falling asleep--three things that you were grateful for that day and three things you're looking forward to the next day. Anything you're especially looking forward to this summer? Even something little!

P.S. Seven summer essentials...

Motherhood Mondays: Brooklyn househunting

The other day, Alex and I saw the raddest apartment in Brooklyn...
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Brooklyn Bridge bike ride

Last night, Alex, Toby and I rode across the Brooklyn Bridge. Manhattan looked beautiful in front of a bright pink sunset, and it was one of those perfect New York moments. Toby's still working on his smile for photos, and I thought this smile was a great one! What a bunny. Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Update: Thanks for your comments. My sunglasses are from Lookmatic. My specific pair (Colt) is sold out, but I also like the Harpers and Wayfarers. xo

NYC Date Night: Fire Escape Drinks

Alex and I are always lamenting the fact that we don't have a garden or balcony or any outdoor space. Once Toby goes to bed, we're pretty much stuck inside for the night. But then! We had a lightbulb moment...
We could hang out on our fire escape. So we've started a little ritual of climbing out there on random warm evenings, and last night, we decided to snap some photos. First, we dress up to make it feel more like a real date. (I usually wear jeans and a T-shirt at home...or, let's be honest...pajamas:)
Then we climb out our bedroom window. (Whoot, whoot! Nice legs!)
We sip and chat, three stories up. We can hear the street noise (cars honking), the trees (leaves rustling), and a restaurant garden nearby (people murmuring, glasses clinking)...
Do you ever drink rose? Sometimes it gets a bad rap, but it's the perfect refreshing drink for a warm evening. And I love the bright pink hue; it just feels like summer. (Side note: You can spot the restaurant garden below us, to the left of Alex.)
Our fire escape looks across a courtyard onto another apartment building, just like Rear Window.
We love our little outdoor drinks, and I'm glad, after six years of living here, that we finally thought of it!

Do you have a fire escape? Or a balcony? Or (gasp) an actual garden? Be still my heart.

(Update: I'm wearing this silk polka-dot skirt and these Swedish Hasbeen sandals.)

NYC Dates: Trapeze class

So. Last Saturday, Alex and I took a trapeze class, and it was wild...
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Dates with your child

Do you guys ever take your little ones on dates? Now that he's (almost!) two, Toby and I are starting a new tradition...
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Motherhood Mondays: Doo-wop group

Toby and I were on our way to the playground on Saturday, when we passed this AMAZING doo-wop group. Toby was transfixed! It was one of those awesome New York experiences. They play every Saturday (except when it rains) on Bleecker Street right outside Murray's Cheese. Man, those voices.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! xoxo

NYC Date Idea: Sailing on the Hudson River

As I mentioned, I'm currently trying out a Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone, since it's supposed to be the best phone for social media. Now I'd like to share our favorite New York City date: Sailing on the Hudson River. Here are some photos, if you'd like to see...
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Lemonade-stand season

A few years ago, for New York Magazine, I interviewed kids about having lemonade stands in New York City. They were so hilarious and crafty! Their tricks to increase sales included purposefully misspelling "lemonade" on their signs and telling people's fortunes. One brother-sister team made $240! Read the story here, if you'd like.
And these photos by photographer Joanna Ebenstein made me laugh. She passed two boys in Park Slope, Brooklyn, selling bacon panini, of all things! And at $3 a pop. Haha, only in NYC.

A NYC weekend

New York City can feel so dark and dreary during the winter (puddles! gray buildings! umbrellas whacking you!) that it's always a restorative breath of fresh air when the sun comes back out. Everyone pours out of their cramped apartments, and the city comes alive. This weekend felt like summer, with blue skies and cool breezes. Hope you had a great one, and here are a few photos we snapped this weekend, if you'd like to see...
On Saturday, we rode bikes across the Brooklyn Bridge (this was the view from my bike seat!)...
We headed to the glorious Brooklyn Bridge Park in Dumbo. You can see the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridges jutting out from each side, and hear the subways rattling noisily across them every ten minutes. (Our friends got married in this park a few years ago, and they had to pause their ceremony whenever the subways clattered overhead:)
We chilled in the grass (and I showed off my newly orange toes:), while Toby ate raisins and gazed at the enormous historic carousel that opened last summer...
So, we decided to buy tickets (the attendants' T-shirts say "Pony Up $2!") and take a spin on the carousel.
As we climbed on, Toby suddenly got freaked out by the horses (he cried at first!) so we sat together on the sleigh. (Note the other freaked out baby sitting behind us:)
Look at the rad backdrops in these photos!
We met up with our friends and headed to a nearby playground to hang out...
Dumbo is such a spectacular neighborhood. (This was just a random view we had when we walked to the deli to buy a snack!)
The next day, we headed to the Transit Museum in Brooklyn Heights, which is chock full of vintage subway cars. Toby's head almost exploded.
Taking photos was tricky because he was so excited and giddy that he literally ran everywhere. Just ran!! A little boy's dream come true:)

Oh, New York, sometimes we forget how great you are in the winter, but then summer comes, and we feel guilty for ever complaining. We love you! xoxo

(Toby's plaid shirt at top by Pearls & Popcorn; overalls by Carters)

Accidental twins

Yesterday afternoon was sunny and gorgeous, so Toby and I met friends at Washington Square Park. Everything was going swimmingly...until I realized that I was dressed exactly--exactly--like my friend's four-year-old son. I sometimes tease myself for dressing like a ten-year-old boy, but I guess I was six years off. :)

P.S. I need to wear these wedges.

(Photo by my friend Ashley)

Relationship tip: Keeping the sparks flying

Alex and I recently started doing something new...
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