Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Cool buidling on Elizabeth Street  

We've been a bit light on the blog these past few weeks because we all had to do a bit
of traveling (Comic-Con and SF Renegade) to get ready for the holidays. We've got a
few more trips  lined up and we hope that we'll be bringing back some irresistible and
unique things to our shop.

This week, Vynsie "went to market" in New York. Apparently, that's fancy industry term
for checking out the New York International Gift Fair. Excited to be bringing back  some
cool things, but most of the trip was spent hanging out with awesome cousins, eating,
and chasing down the best bowl of Ramen in the city. Oh yeah, also met Evan from
Yellow Owl Workshop. Love him and his wife's line - which we're bringing back!

This is the bottom part of the building above.

OKAY, never in my life thought I would wait over an hour for a bowl of Ramen. But, if you're ever in New York, you
need to check out Ippudo in the East Village. I took my cousin's lead and ordered the Akamura Modern - fatty pork
belly in a rich broth with chewy noodles. The light fixture on top says "Eating Ramen guarantee you happy."  Yep.

So, the first thing I did after dinner was google "Ramen Restaurants in New York". This was lunch the next day.
Traditional ramen from Menchanko-Tei in Mid-town. Also so delicious. 

Antique shop right next to creepy and awesome Elizabeth Street Gallery. The outfoor garden is filled with statues
and gargoyles, this place is a beautiful surprise in the city.

Balthazar is a personal favourite restaurant. It's pretty famous and not a secret, but the gorgeous decor makes you
feel like you're in Paris. The food is rich and decadent. Order a dozen oysters and settle in great people watching.

Okay... maybe this is kinda weird... but we were watching this handsome couple on a date all night! They barely
touched their food, just talking, laughing, and mega eye contact. Really sweet.

Had a really nice time catching up with cousins at Cafe Habana. This is the top of cousin's head, he's checking
his iphone.

Of course went to check out the Kidrobot store in Soho!

Pink Ice Cream Truck on Spring Street! 

Perhaps my favourite shop in the city, actually anywhere. The shop is tiny, but the owner, Rita, has a beaufifully
and uniquely edited selection of new and second-hand clothes and jewelry from Paris. She was warm and
gracious and shared some wonderful stories of her travels and her business. Very inspired.