Fig and Olive

The other day I found myself in Midtown around lunchtime, which doesn't happen often!
I was headed to Fig and Olive to meet a blogging buddy for the first time in person.
Trac~ and I have been blogging buds for a while and we finally found some time to meet up!
We started our meal with iced tea...
And focaccia with a trio of olive oils.
As for our meals, I had the Provence Chicken Salad...
And Trac~ had a panini on what might possibly be longest lunch plate I've ever seen!
It was so nice to get to chat with Trac~ in person- I'm so glad we were finally able to get together!
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a great weekend!

Visiting Jack Donaghy

Do you watch 30 Rock?
I happen to think it is quite hilarious! So when I was watching the show last night, I realized I hadn't shared photos of Rockefeller Center since the holidays (you can check out that post here). As I'm sure you can imagine, things look pretty different around this time of year! So without further ado, here are some recent photos of the real 30 Rock:

This plaza area is probably familiar to those of you who watch The Today Show- it's where Matt, Meredith and Al have all their outdoor shenanigans! But during the holidays, this is where the big tree is stationed! When I first moved to NYC, my office was just a few blocks away, so my co-workers and I would walk down here and eat our lunches on those cute, little circular benches. That seems like ages ago... yikes!
If you popped back to my post from December, you'll see that this is where the ice-skating rink used to be. Now it's just a sea of patio sets for the restaurant.
Oh, and look! Now that the weather's warm, there's a fountain behind Prometheus.
But one thing that doesn't change? These flags! Come snow or shine, the flags are always there.
Isn't that right, Jack Donaghy?
(Don't worry- I know he hears me way up there!)
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

"Curtian Up! Light the lights!"

I take my camera everywhere.
Its true! I never know when I'm going to want to snap a photo... so I try to be prepared!
So the other day, as I wandered down 6th Avenue, I whipped out my camera.
I was just being silly...
And then I realized I was coming up to Radio City Music Hall.
I hadn't been there in a while, so I stopped for a few pictures.
I was bummed to find out that I missed Oprah (though I might have caught her show with Christina Aguilera online...)
This is such an interesting building! As the Radio City Music Hall website explains:

When the stock market crashed in 1929, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. held a $91 million, 24-year lease on a piece of midtown Manhattan property properly known as "the speakeasy belt." Plans to gentrify the neighborhood by building a new Metropolitan Opera House on the site were dashed by the failing economy and the business outlook was dim. Nevertheless, Rockefeller decided to build an entire complex of buildings on the property-buildings so superior that they would attract commercial tenants even in a depressed city flooded with vacant rental space. The project would express the highest ideals of architecture and design and stand as a symbol of optimism and hope.

More than 300 million people have come to the Music Hall to enjoy stage shows, movies, concerts and special events. There's no place like it to see a show or stage a show- everything about it is larger than life. Radio City Music Hall is the largest indoor theatre in the world. Its marquee is a full city-block long. Its auditorium measures 160 feet from back to stage and the ceiling reaches a height of 84 feet. The shimmering gold stage curtain is the largest in the world. For more than sixty-five years audiences have thrilled to the sound of the "Mighty Wurlitzer" organ, which was built especially for the theatre. Its pipes, which range in size from a few inches to 32 feet, are housed in eleven separate rooms. The Hall contains more than 25,000 lights and features four-color stage lighting. And what's a show without special effects? Original mechanisms still in use today make it possible to send up fountains of water and bring down torrents of rain. Fog and clouds are created by a mechanical system that draws steam directly from a Con Edison generating plant nearby.

If you ever have a chance to see a show here, I would highly recommend it! I hope you're having a great day- thanks for stopping by!

Muji mania!

When I was in Midtown this weekend, I stopped by this building.
Do you recognize it? I bet you've seen it in the news! Here's a hint: people were climbing up the sides of this skyscraper as forms of protest a couple years back!
Give up? It's the New York Times building!
This is one monstrous building. The tower rises 748 feet from the street to its roof. On top of being huge, it's also green! For example, it is surrounded by ceramic rods that help to block direct sunlight into the building, thereby reducing cooling costs. Neat, huh? (And those rods are, apparently, very easy to scale!)
Now, while this is an amazing structure, it's not nearly as exciting to me as what occupies part of the ground floor: MUJI!
Have you ever heard of this amazing place? After stumbling into their flagship US store one day, I've made quite a few return visits! Muji started with 40 products and now includes more than 7,000 products, including stationery, clothing, and kitchen appliances. Based out of Japan, Muji is distinguished by its design minimalism, emphasis on recycling, avoidance of waste in production and packaging, and no-logo policy. For example, products are wrapped in clear cellophane, plain brown paper labels and red writing.

Needless to say, this store is quite an experience. Every time I visit, I make a bee line straight for the paper goods.
They have the most incredible assortment of stationery and supplies... just look at those pens!
But if that's not your thing, there are lots of other things to shop for. How about organizers and collapsible computer speakers?
Or shrink-wrapped scarves?
Or toiletries?
I mean, don't you love these cotton swabs? I don't think you can tell by the picture, but they're so much smaller than the Q-tip version!
Not to be outdone, the kitchen supply area is pretty fun!
Oh- and what about these little stamps? They each depict the skyline of a famous city... I love the ones for NYC and Paris!
As I'm sure you can imagine, I can never walk out of Muji without a bag full of goodies...
And this visit was no exception- check out my loot:
I bought some pens (which the cashier wrapped in a little envelope for me).
And this really fun planner...
The pages just show a blank clock: AM on the left and PM on the right. It's up to me to fill in the rest... isn't that a creative way to think about the day?
I also picked up a new spiral notebook (love the subtle green shade of the lines)...
And a 5-pack of notebooks. I just love these- they're the perfect thing to throw into a book bag or schlep to a meeting!
Well, there you have it... my little trip the NY Times building and Muji! If you're ever in the area and want to stop by, you can find it on the corner of 8th Avenue and 40th Street!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful day!