elyssa: five days in new york city

location: back in canada

i took fall reading week as an opportunity to head down to nyc. eat good food. drink good coffee. keep good company. and lastly, get in some good studying. the eating, drinking, and frolicking most definitely happened. the studying? not so much.

i got rained out. rain can be a serious morale killer. especially when every single book you're carrying gets drenched. and even more so, when you're standing on the street drenched down to your undergarments. thrilling, let me assure you..

i took the dismal weather as a sign from the heavens to shut the books and take the time to regroup. my days consisted of long walks alone through crowded streets and empty parks, with stops at hidden bookstores and many a starbucks.

outside looked like this:

inside, however, looked like this:

whole foods became my refuge. i went 3 times! traipsing through the beautiful columbus circle location and checking out all the goodies not found on canadian shelves immediately lifted my spirits.

indian food from the hot bar!

a mini fall cupcake!

seasonal lara bars!

honey roasted peanut butter!

blood orange chocolate!

i was in heaven. with food in my belly, even the grim outdoors became beautiful. lincoln center looked gorgeous in the twilight downpour.

with a change in mood, came a change in weather. sure enough, sunny skies for the remainder of my stay!

i started off one morning with yoga near bryant park at yoga to the people - an amazing, donation based yoga company with studios across the country. after walking 60+ blocks the day before, yoga was absolutely necessary..

yoga was my only formal exercise for the trip - but walking all day left my limbs feeling like they'd clocked several hours at the gym.

an emergency slim pret provided much needed energy on occasion..

some street nuts gave me the stamina for another 20 blocks or so..

long days left me craving a late night dinner of tofu and veggies at the zen palate..

and on my last day (joined by my mom!) - we walked a monumental 75 blocks and 12 avenues. darting through marathon runners gearing up for the big day (new york marathon - 45,000 runners!!)

our destination: candle 79. dare i say it?

candle 79 is my new favorite nyc restaurant.

and its vegan. oh my.

butternut squash wild mushroom crepe with beet salad and polenta fries.

antioxidant potion - sparkling water. concord grapes. blueberries. lemon. mint. ginger. agave.

freebie baby muffin.

tea and agave.

new goals:

now it's back to school and to the books for a grueling 3 more weeks. new york put me in a holiday state of mind..

christmas windows!

christmas cups!

..even with christmas on its way, the goal du jour is to stay focused. eat healthy. keep gymming and yogaing my way to sanity. study with purpose.

for the first time in forever i haven't been sick in months. must be the yoga. i shall keep yogaing.

i have the boy's birthday festivities and then thanksgiving around the corner. will be devising a bit of a clean week in anticipation of all the holiday frenzy. more on that soon.

current obsessions:

my new anthro turtle cardigan (dont judge, i love turtles). dreaming up thanksgiving dishes. christmas lights.

with love.

hira: apertivo culture and fine piemonte dining

current location: pane amore, via madama cristina. with sarah. (friendly owners, the best chocolate muffins, and wireless. soothingly familiar feelings.)

there is a beautiful thing about food in italia--it is everywhere. but unlike the states, it's hard to find food that is produced in mass quantities, yet retains quality and taste. affordable yet classy. traditional yet diverse. enter: the apertivo. brilliant, really, and quite a social endeavor: in addition to eating and drinking for a mere fraction of the normal cost, you also mingle with italians, americans, and other europeans. perhaps a more hira-esque alternative then multiple, consecutive nights at the same pub (ahem, murphy's.)

this week, we decided to try a new apertivo at la drogheria, in piazza vittorio venetto--the piazza that is booming in the evenings, twinkling with white lights, and provides breathtaking views over the bridge and river. a simple 5 or 6 euros will buy you a drink of choice, and unlimited access to the apertivos set out--la drogheria had grilled zucchini and eggplant, tomatos, polenta with a selection of sauces, pastas, foccacie, frittate, mele con canella (apples with cinnamon), couscous, and baskets of bread with various oils and balsamics.

cafes and small ristorante hold apertivos nightly, drawing in a number of people who love food and love to mingle. ergo, it's difficult to whip out the camera and snap photos while simultaneously balancing a glass and plate and smiling at the stranger talking to you. also, the lighting is less than stellar. i do what i can.

a beautiful night-view of piazza vittorio veneto

the road down to the bridge and river

drinks, couscous, apples and frittata

when we are not apertivo-hopping, my usual ragazze (amiche) and i are taking restaurant recommendations from the amazing daniele (i say this in hopes that he will read this...) and venturing out to try new foods. this time, we decided to celebrate at a piemonte ristorante called scannabue--located under a beautiful church at the corner of via baretti and via saluzzo. dining outside with torches of fire to provide warmth, we were first served the ultimate bread basket. i like options. this basket gave us 4 choices. next, aqua naturale and .5 litres each vino bianco and vino rosso. the owner came to greet us, and explain some items on the menu--upon his recommendation, i chose the 'guancia'--deer cheek. tipico piemonte. very soft and succulent.

getting warm--sitting outside because it was too crowded indoors!

clearly not skimping on the chocolate here...

celebrating. (hahahah)

and when i'm not eating or hiking, i am teaching this little one her english verbs. don't tell her nonna that we really spend the majority of our time simultaneously playing hangman and listening to shakira on my ipod (elisabette is a big fan).

this week: i was doing well by cooking at home and buying fresh fruits and vegetables--well, in the past week, i have eaten out too much. so this week, i am instituting clean week, italy. this includes 5 visits to the new gym i just joined (mostly because it is closed on the weekend) and cooking at home every day this week for dinner. i'm craving a detox.

obsessions: truffles. chocolate muffins at pane amore, dark-toned paisley scarves, latinos, bicerin, the return of the headband, carelessness.

currently thinking about: settlements. new ones. the ongoing struggle for justice.

i think of you often, dear. remembering the long summer days. love that you are reflecting back on the mountain and bringing it along with you. reminding me to reassess.

our story is not over.

hira: lazy hazy sunday strolls

current location: torino, italia. il mio apartamento (piccolo. molto piccolo).

hello blog world--checking in at the beginning of another week. i have to admit, i spent this weekend pretty much camera-less--choosing instead to walk the streets of torino and just live minimally. saturday and sunday were spent with respective roommates, first summer and then regina. it was a pleasant, relaxed weekend--strolling through via madama cristina for the street fair, via roma, garibaldi, po and piazza della repubblica for shopping and crepes with nutella. yes. visiting sick friends, pastries and chocolates in tow (harry potter taught us that chocolate was good for ailments, remember?)

at Murphy's-- a pub where the world seems to come together. here you will meet students from all over the world.

a lazy brunch at piazza san carlo felice with a good friend and roommate

still trying to spend as much time outside as possible before the weather gets too cold, usually studying my italian lessons--brown leather bag, as requested.

blog moments: emily's root vegetable pie and chili in a pumpkin bowl (seen all over the blogosphere). canadian thanksgivings. chicago marathons (inspiring longer runs).

currently obsessed with:

running a route that takes me over this beautiful bridge at sunset

milano. zara. divine.

Io voglio regalarti la mia vita, Chiedo tu cambi tutta la mia vita

{I want to treat you to my life I ask that you change all of my life}

tizzy, you've got me hooked.