Happy Friday, and happy long holiday weekend as we (in America) get started on the Labor Day  holiday. This is the unofficial end of summer where we make our way to the beach, picnics, outdoor brunches and savor the last remnants of summer Friday bliss. Being a New Yorker in the fashion industry means time feels like it moves faster and rarely does one ever look back and reflect when magazines need pulls for the holidays. It's certainly a hurry up and go now way of life, leaving you wondering what even happened to summer let alone sitting back to savor it.

That's why I like to jump on my bike as often as I can and (literally) stop and smell the roses. While there are not many roses left on my routes, there are plenty of gorgeous end-of-summer flowers and foliage around Battery Park City, the West Side Bike Trail, Central Park and The Highline. Anyone who tells you there isn't much "nature" in Manhattan needs to look closer.

The nice thing about getting out of your car and walking or biking is that you notice all the details and even in these last breaths of summertime, nature herself is still giving us all plenty to stop and enjoy.

Happy Holiday Weekend. xo

All photos by me, via Instagram. Taken with my iPhone.

I love to eat. I love to try new delicacies I have never had before. I love to taste foods that are not the norm and truly take me out of my culinary comfort zone. I love a great dinning experience with friends that lasts for hours and becomes an event. A meal so fantastic that you never forget the ingredients and dutifully have each course captured on your phone. I love the creativity and artistry of food, from local simplicity to fine-dining.

I can't cook. I store my pans in my oven. I have pledged to learn. Does that count?

If I can't become a kitchen wizard myself, I certainly can utilize the best of the NYC food scene and the abundance of talent that comes from being able to eat here. I have my go-to's and favorites, and I am always looking for something new. I am lucky that a dear friend is a chef too, she has taught me so much about flavors and the craft of creating something delicious.

Spending more doesn't always mean better, and I approach eating in NYC, and on my travels, as an equal opportunity customer. Street food, local and regional are amazing ways to discover something new you love. (I whole-hardily subscribe to the Bizarre Foods and Anthony Bourdain approach to food experiences.)

I'll keep sharing my tasty adventures but wanted to stop and highlight a few of my recent favorite eats. The above images are a small collection of some of my favorite NYC/Brooklyn meals from Spring/Summer 2012 and include (L to R):

- Luke's Lobster for a seriously tasty lobster roll
- Perla's Fois Gras Pancakes (impossible to describe how good these are!)
- Cafe Colette's "Colette Cocktail" 
- Oysters at Flatbush Farm
- Tombstone Sunday Night's cocktail at Perla
- Riverpark's amazingly delicious Buttermilk Pana Cotta by pasty chef Angie Lee
- Cafe Colette's parmesan, egg, arugula and asparagus salad
- Kimbop from 32nd Street

Do you have a favorite restaurant in the NYC area or abroad? Let me know and... Bon appetite!

All photos by me, via Instagram. Taken with my iPhone.