End of Summer…

 

Ph by Ashley Frangie

“The greatest cruelty is our casual blindness to the despair of others.”

We all tend to believe that the things that happen to us, only happen to us; that when people hurt us, they do it intentionally, that everything that surrounds us is for the sake of making our life the way it is. We never stop to think that maybe, just maybe, what people do to us is the reflection of their own personal problems, their own unhappiness, their own despairs. I think that the greatest virtue we could all have is compassion, we never know what that other person was going through when they did the things that hurt us; or maybe we look for perfection in everything when mistakes happen around the corner everyday. We have to be compassionate about others, about their problems, about their life. I believe it is the greatest form of love. Compassion shows our human side, our belief that we all ride together in this enormous air balloon called world that will eventually break; even though we all have different problems and circumstances in life, we all suffer, so believe in the greater power of empathy and don’t be careless or blind to what others might be going through. How are you feeling this Friday? Today, I am feeling remorse for the way I am sometimes with the people that care about me, for the times compassion wasn’t in my heart and I forgot that people might have bigger problems that I.

Localdiggz First Anniversary!!!

Ph. by Ashley Frangie

One year ago, I decided to start this journey, maybe for the love of others, for the love of places, for the love of food, for the love of inspiration, but most of all for the love of life. In the quest of trying to give you as much information as possible on this blog, I re discovered myself. I found out I was braver, stronger, and more passionate than I remembered. It has become my escape, for everything and everyone. It has become my way of letting go of things and people, but also it has become my way of meeting wonderful persons I now admire and care about. Sometimes I wonder if anyone reads what I write, if someone wants to know where I’ve been, what I recommend, what “I wore.” Maybe someone does, maybe not, but at the end I believe that doing the things we love might reach unexpected things when there is no purpose at the end, when we are enjoying the ride. When we are doing what we love because we want to, we become authentic, and here is when people start looking up, when we become ourselves.

I believe that everything in life has its own purpose, we sometimes meet people randomly who become our friends in years to come, or who become a very important part of our lives; we reach circumstances in life when we remember why things happened the way they did. So maybe this blog has its own purpose, its own master mind trying to get somewhere, maybe it doesn’t, but isn’t that the wonder of life? Not knowing why we are standing here, right this moment, right this second? Embrace what you have become and let it reign you. Embrace what you have and let it own you. Embrace what destiny will give you and let it surprise you. At the end when getting old, we will know that how we feel is because we have lived, because we have had the chance, because “we have loved, danced, lived, sang, sweat, and screwed our way through a pretty damn good life. Because getting old is not bad, getting old is earned.” (From the movie The Guardian).

Anyway, even though this blog has helped me, and I hope it continues to, I hope it has helped you. I hope you can find comfort, adventure, joy and words in my writings. I hope you enjoy visiting it. If you don’t, let me know how I can change that. How are you feeling this Friday? Today, I am feeling grateful, for the wonderful opportunity this blog has given me, and for letting me be part of your mind, heart, and life. Thank you my dear readers for letting me be me and still coming back!

ABC Kitchen NYC… my favorite

 

Foto from Cosmopolitan TV

ABC Kitchen has become my favorite restaurant in NYC. I have heard about it many times but I’ve never had the chance to visit, it was either extremely crowded or I wasn’t interested. Well, I regret not going before, it is an extraordinary place.

It is quite surprising actually, because when you go inside that ordinary door, you don’t expect the marvelous white fantasy that surrounds this place. It’s location, ABC Carpet and Home Department Store, gives the place the charm it deserves. The restaurant, which is operated by Michelin Star Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten, is dedicated to serve fresh, seasonal, organic, locally and regionally produced ingredients under safe and sustainable environments. Everything the Chef creates is Farm to Table oriented, offering one of a kind dishes very artistically presented.

The décor of the restaurant is completely inspired in its beliefs. Everything is white, clean, and shiny with green and wooden touches, it seems so simple but elegant at the same time. The mirrors and chandeliers give a vintage feeling to the decoration, over exposed brick walls painted in white enhances the rustic and natural environment. The ambiance is casual as the waiters also dress a casual “Converse style” matching the country side of the restaurant.

Selfishness, good or bad?

“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, is asking others to live the way we want them to live.”
Oscar Wilde

I’ve heard many things about selfishness, some people say it is necessary, some say people who act selfish live longer, and others believe that being selfish is the perfect way to end a relationship with life, with love, with friendship. What do you believe? Is it possible to live your life without thinking about others? Do we need to be selfish to have a better and happier life? I believe we are all selfish by nature, we tend to think about our problems, our happiness, our regrets, our comforts first and then we focus on others. We do the things we do because it is what’s best for us, not because it is best for everyone else. All of the things we do have a selfish thought behind them. However, I do not believe that acting selfish is what will make us happier; yes, it will probably make us live longer. But what kind of life are we destined to live if everything we do, we do it just for us? We would be completely alone.

Commune and Memoir, NYC in a word…

Photography by David Goddard
Styling by Diana Hernández

Commune and Memoir tells the story of New York in one word. It is a NY based brand founded by Colombian Laura De Valencia. During her childhood she discovered a passion for words after her grandfather transmitted her his love for Greek and Latin roots dictionaries. She went to law school in Colombia but she was more interested in art, design, and reading her favorite writers: Gabriel García Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges, and Paul Auster. This is where she started to underline words that were important to her and gave her a special meaning for love, family, and life.

Three years ago she embraced that passion and decided to start Commune and Memoir. She wanted to do something special with those words and share it with people in a very literal and poetic way. She lives in New York City, therefore she felt connected to this amazing and vibrating city and the words she wanted to express. Her desire was to communicate them in a different and out of the ordinary way, so she thought of describing NYC in just one word. After doing research and several conversations, street encounters, and books, she connected the words to the city. She was determined to transmit them in a specific type of T-shirt that could reflect the softness of the poetry in the words. The challenge for Laura was to select the best and most beautiful way to define them. The T-shirts are manufactured in Peru with Pima cotton, which is one of the superior blends of cotton, extremely soft and durable.

The brand launched in March 2014 and right away it was featured in Marie Claire Magazine. Nina García, Creative Director for the magazine, described them as “Brainy and Cool,” and Vanessa Rosales, Colombian fashion writer for Vogue Latin America, as “style with substance.” She posted about the brand on her Instagram account: “A sensitive endevour that tries to capture this monstrous marvel of an urban landscape with a single, beautiful word.” In her own words she said: “In a world where images flow very vividly, Commune and Memoir, describes the New Yorker experience with words.”

The philosophy of Commune and Memoir “is to make people connect, to transcend beyond fashion, beyond trends; defeat time in a very minimalistic and clean way.” Laura is doing it the right way, the T-shirts have the best quality and the concept is profound and engaging. It is a matter over time, she used words to create a timeless treasure, a timeless memoir.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE NYC IN A WORD?

You can purchase the T-shirts online in the webpage, and you can find more information about this extraordinary project in Facebook and Instagram.

Commune and Memoir cuenta una historia de Nueva York en una sola palabra. Es una marca radicada en Nueva York, fundada por la Colombiana Laura De Valencia. Durante su infancia descubrió su pasión por las palabras después de que su abuelo le trasmitiera su amor por los diccionarios de raíces Griegas y Latinas. Estudió leyes en Colombia pero su interés estaba más enfocado en el arte, el diseño y en leer a sus escritores favoritos: Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges y Paul Auster. Aquí es dónde ella empieza a resaltar palabras que le gustaban y que eran importantes para darle cierto sentido al amor, a la familia y a la vida misma.

Hace tres años decidió convertir esa pasión en algo tangente y compartirla con el resto del mundo, fue aquí cuándo comenzó Commune and Memoir. Lo que Laura buscaba era hacer algo especial con esas palabras y compartirlas en una forma poética y literal. Ella vive en Nueva York y se sintió atraída y conectada por esta cuidad tan emblemática y emocionante. Su deseo era hacer algo completamente diferente, por lo que decidió describir a Nueva York en una sola palabra. Después de años de investigación, de pláticas en la calle con desconocidos, conversaciones con amigos y varios libros, encontró las palabras perfectas para describir la ciudad. Ella estaba determinada a trasmitirlas en un tipo específico de camiseta que pudiera reflejar la suavidad y lo poético de las palabras. Estas son manufacturadas en Perú y son de algodón Pima, mucho más suave y duradero que el algodón normal. 

La marca fue lanzada en Marzo de este año e inmediatamente fue presentada en la revista Marie Claire. Nina García, Directora Creativa de la revista la describió como “Brainy and Cool,” Vanessa Rosales, escritora de moda para Vogue Latinoamérica, como “estilo con substancia.” En su cuenta de Instagram, Vanessa publicó lo siguiente acerca de la marca: “Un esfuerzo sensible que trata de capturar lo maravilloso de este monstruoso paisaje urbano en una sola y hermosa palabra.” También mencionó: “En un mundo donde las imagenes fluyen con gran exceso, Commune and Memoir describe la experiencia neoyorquina con las palabras.”

La filosofía de Commune and Memoir es “conectar a las personas, trascender a través del tiempo más allá de la moda y de las tendencias, desafiar al tiempo en una forma minimalista y limpia.” Laura lo está logrando, las camisetas tienen la mejor calidad y el concepto es profundo y muy atractivo. Es una marca que se mueve a través del tiempo, que conecta a través del tiempo; una marca que usa las palabras para crear un tesoro infinito, un recuerdo infinito.

¿CÓMO DESCRIBIRÍAN A NUEVA YORK EN UNA SOLA PALABRA?

Pueden encontrar más información sobre la marca y dónde comprarla en la página web Commune and Memoir, en la página de Facebook y en Instagram.  

 

 

 

The Pavilion, a Controversial Story in Union Square

I’m in Phoenix for this week after finishing my fashion classes in NYC and an amazing weekend in The Hamptons. I will tell you all about it in a post where I recommend you places to go and to eat. It is an amazing place to relax, have fun, and do some shopping. But for now, let me tell you about this new place in Union Square in NYC.

The restaurant is called The Pavilion, and after 6 years of planning and debating it finally opened this season. It was so controversial because activists didn’t want a comercial business in a public park. They argued that having this space for kids was a better option than a full service restaurant. I think the place is outstanding, I am impressed with what they did to the abandoned structure in the park. The orange umbrellas and the green plants on the outside give light and life to the gray structure.

The place has around 90 sits inside and another 90 outside overlooking the park. Almost all of the ingredients used for the dishes come from the Union Square Greenmarket. The ambiance is casual, relaxing, and fun. Chef Mario Urgiles, which used to work at Maison, created an exceptional “market cafe” kind of menu, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is simple yet surprising.

The breakfast menu offers eggs any style, Benedict, and omelettes; it also has pancakes, home made granola, market fruit plate, an assortment of fresh juices, coffee, and tea. The lunch menu includes tomato soup, beef carpaccio, kale Caesar salad , chicken and tuna sandwiches, Croque Monsieur, tuna Nicoise salad, hanger steak, mussels with fries, and the market day specials from Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. For dinner you can enjoy the same menu as lunch and the raw bar, and tuna, salmon, and shrimp crudo. Terri Dreisbach’s dessert menu includes a flourless chocolate cake with beets, a variety of gelatos, apple tart tatin, coconut mousse, among other delicacies with local ingredients.

If you come to NYC I recommend visiting the disputed Pavilion, a hot spot that enhances the true concept of a Market Cafe. It does accept reservations, which I do recommend doing in advance. Make them though Open Table, it is easy and fast. You can do it straight from you phone if you have the app.

 

Estoy en Phoenix por esta semana después de terminar mis clases en Nueva York y pasar el fin de semana en Los Hamptons. Es un lugar increíble, voy a escribir un post de todos los lugares que deben visitar, las playas, y donde comer. De verdad se los recomiendo muchísimo, es un lugar para relajarse, divertirse e ir de compras. Pero por ahora, les voy a contar de un lugar que acaba de abrir en Union Square en Nueva York.

El restaurante se llama The Pavilion, y después de años de planeación y debates finalmente abrió sus puertas en Abril de este año. Muchos activistas de la ciudad no querían que un establecimiento comercial ocupara las instalaciones de un parque público, ellos creían que un lugar para niños y ancianos era la mejor opción para la gran estructura del restaurante. Por esto, tardó más de 6 años en crearse. El lugar está increíble, lo que los dueños hicieron con esta inmensa estructura del parque es sorprendente. Las sombrillas naranjas y la vegetación que invade la decoración del lugar le da vida y luz a esta estructura que duró años descuidada. 

El restaurante tiene 90 sillas en el interior y otras 90 en la parte afuera con vista al mercado de Union Square, del cual provienen la mayoría de los ingredientes de los platillos del menú. El ambiente es casual y divertido, espacialmente para la cena. El Chef Mario Urgiles, el cual solía trabajar en Maison, creó un menú excepcional al estilo “cafetería,” simple pero muy satisfaciente. El lugar sirve desayuno, comida, cena y brunch.

El menú de desayuno ofrece huevos al gusto, huevos Benedict y omelettes; además hotcakes, granola hecha en casa, fruta del mercado, variedad de jugos recién hechos, café y te. El menú de lunch incluye sopa de tomate, carpaccio de carne, ensalada César de col frisada, mejillones con papas a la francesa, así como los especiales del mercado dependiendo del día, ya sea Lunes, Miércoles, Viernes o Sábado. Para cena, el menú es el mismo que la comida, pero también incluye una barra de mariscos crudos. El menú de postres de Terri Dreisbach incluye un pastel de chocolate sin harina con betabel, diferentes sabores de gelato, tart tatin de manzana, mousse de coco y otras delicias preparadas con ingredientes locales. 

Si vienen a Nueva York, les comiendo visitar el controversial Pavilion. Un lugar de moda que rejuvenece el concepto de cafetería. Les recomiendo hacer reservaciones si no quieren esperar mucho tiempo para sentarse. Yo hago las reservaciones por Open Table, es muy fácil y rápido.  

 

Things To Do With Kids in NYC in Summer

Hola my dear readers! I am sorry for not posting the last week, but it has been an unexpected but exciting rush. I have been in NYC with my family and I am here to take two courses, one is Introduction to Fashion Photography and the other one is Fashion Styling. I will keep you posted on everything I find interesting to say about them.

So being here with my almost 3 years old niece was a little bit challenging, however, I do have 10 things to recommend you when visiting NYC in the summer with kids. Hope you like them and if you have more please share them here! Thank you!

¡Hola! Perdón por dejarlos abandonados toda la semana pasada y parte de esta, ha sido una semana de rush pero muy padre. He estado en Nueva York con mi sobrina y mi mamá porque vine a tomar dos cursos en FIT. Los cursos son de Fotografía de Moda y Estilismo de Moda. Ya les contaré como me fue y si lo recomiendo.

Estar en esta ciudad de locura con mi sobrina de 2 años y 9 meses ha sido todo un reto, pero también ha sido muy divertido verla como se quiere subir a todo, al metro, al taxi, al camión, es impresionante lo que hace su capacidad de asombro y lo poco que necesita para divertirse. Aquí les dejo unas fotos y también 10 cosas que les recomiendo hacer cuando vengan a Nueva York con niños en verano. 

1. Visit Central Park to ride the boats near the Boathouse restaurant. It is fun and exciting for the kids. Price: $12 USD for the first hour and $3 USD for additional 15 minutes.

1. Visiten Central Park para que se suban a los barcos que están al lado del restaurante Boathouse. Los niños se suben con salvavidas y es una experiencia muy padre y una manera muy divertida de conocer partes del parque que caminando no lo hacen. Precio: $12 USD por la primera hora y $3 USD cada 15 minutos adicionales. 

2. Visit the Victorian Gardens Amusement Park in Central Park. It has around 10 fun games to ride. If the children are under 36 inches they do not pay the entrance. Price: $8 USD on the weekends and $7 USD on weekdays. Plus you have to pay $3 USD for each ride you get on or pay the unlimited ride ticket for $14 USD on weekdays and $16 USD on the weekends.

2. Visiten Victorian Gardens Amusement Park en Central Park. Es un pequeño parque de diversiones con 10 juegos a los que se pueden subir los niños. Está ubicado justo donde se pone la pista para patinar en invierno. Si los niños miden menos de 36 pulgadas no pagan entrada. Precio: $8 USD por persona los fines de semana y $7 USD por persona entre semana. Además cobran $3 USD por juego o pueden comprar el boleto ilimitado para subir las veces que quieran por $14 USD entre semana y $16 USD los fines de semana. 

3. Visit Times Square during the day, I do not recommend to go at night because the ambiance is not children friendly. The M&M’s store is a good place to get some chocolates and take a picture with one of them.

3. Visiten Times Square durante el día, la verdad no recomiendo ir en la noche con niños, el ambiente está muy pesado y no es para niños. La tienda de M&M’s es una buena opción para visitar estando allí, pueden comprar chocolates y tomarse foto con un M&M. 

4. Eat lunch at The Plaza food hall. It has many options for adults and children to eat, like Luke’s Lobster Rolls, which is my favorite. Once you’re there visit the Eloise store where children can spend hours playing with the mini piano and all the fun games in the store.

5. Coman en el Plaza Food Hall. Tiene muchas opciones de diferentes tipos y estilos de comida, además el lugar está padrísimo. Mi lugar favorito se llama Luke’s Lobster Rolls. Una vez que estén ahí vayan a la tienda de Eloise, los niños pueden jugar con el mini piano que está en la tienda y además entretenerse con los juegos que ofrece la tienda.

5. Visit Dylan’s Candy Bar for a good supply of candy and some fun photos.

5. Visiten Dylan’s Candy Bar para comprar todo tipo de dulces y tomarse fotos. La tienda está muy padre y a los niños les gusta mucho. 

6. Visit the Museum of Natural History, sometimes it offers special events that might be of interest to you or your children.

6. Visiten el Museo de Historial Natural, muchas veces tienen eventos especiales que pueden interesarles a sus niños. 

7. Take a walk in The High Line, a public park built on a rail line above the streets of NYC. Its structure is amazing and the views are outstanding. I completely recommend taking a walk though this historic park, and try some of the street food offered.

7. Caminen por el High Line, es un parque público que fue construido sobre unos rieles de ferrocarril muy antiguos como en un segundo piso sobre las calles de Manhattan. La estructura del parque está padrísima y las vistas de la ciudad están hermosas. Realmente recomiendo que caminen por ahi y además prueben algo de la comida que ofrecen en el parque. 

8. The Zoo in Central Park is always an option, however, I do hesitate to recommend it. The price is $18 USD per adult and $13 USD per children over 3 years old, and there aren’t too many animals to see.

8. El Zoológico de Central Park puede ser una opción, pero no lo recomiendo mucho. La entrada cuesta $18 USD por adulto y $13 USD por niño arriba de 3 años y la verdad no hay muchos animales que ver. 

9. Take a ride on the carousels in the city. There is one at Central Park, one at Bryant’s Park, one at Pier 62, and one at Riverbank State Park. You can also find some in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

9. Visiten los carruseles que hay en la ciudad. Pueden encontrar uno en Central Park, uno en Bryant’s Park, uno en el Pier 62 y uno en Riverbank State Park. También hay en Brooklyn, Queens y el Bronx. 

10. Visit the famous toy stores in Manhattan: FAO Schwarz for a dance on the big piano, Toy’s R Us for a spin on the Wheel ride, and American Girl for lunch at the cafe with the kids and their “babies.”

10. Visiten las famosas jugueterías de Manhattan: FAO Schwarz donde pueden jugar con un piano gigante, Toy’s R donde se pueden subir a una rueda de la fortuna y American Girl para comer con las muñecas donde las niñas pueden jugar a ser mamás. 

Trending… the juice generation!

 

Ph. by Fernanda Casillas

Since last year we have heard a lot about juices and the positive effect they have on our bodies. Juice bars are trending all over the world, specially in the US, and I believe is a trend that will last more than we think so. However, we need to be well informed on what are the juices that help us and which ones are the ones that trick us.

A cleanse with juices is good way to detox the body, it is like a reset button that helps us nourish, rejuvenate, and alkalinize our bodies. According to Liquiteria (one of the most famous juice bars in NYC) doing a fresh juice cleanse will make us feel more energized, reduce bloating, rejuvenate skin, normalize digestion, loose weight, improve metabolic function, and other amazing benefits that will restore our entire system. I see it as a way to get rid of everything that our lifestyle introduces to our body that just makes us feel bloated or unhealthy. I haven’t done it but reading about all the things that it will do to my body makes me want to try it.

When doing this kind of cleanse, we should be careful with the juices we drink. Almost all of the juices that help us detox are juices from vegetables, like spinach, kale, parsley, celery, ginger, romaine, carrot, and this is because pressing fruits into juice is not so recommendable. When we squeeze the fruits we leave out all of the fiber, which is the one that help us feel full longer and absorb the natural sugars more slowly; so drinking juice will be like drinking only the sugar from the fruit. Some fruit juices contain as much sugar as soft drinks. Don’t get me wrong though, some of these cleanse juices have the necessary amount of certain fruits that bring our bodies all the enzymes and vitamins that we need to help the process of detox, for instance: cucumber, pineapple, green apples, pears. Try the cleanse for three days every now and then, but do not consume your fruits juiced on a regular basis, I think it can be counterproductive.

This photos were taken in Monterrey at a local place called Peace & Love, a New York inspired deli and coffee joint that offers excellent salads, gourmet grilled sandwiches, and healthy food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The place is really comfy, cozy, and so different from the rest of the deli places in Mexico, it has a sophisticated like ambience that will invite you to visit over and over again. Let me know if you like it and, thank you for reading!!!