It's raining cats and dogs...

Here are a few shots of New York City's beauty dogs and cats (ok, one cat - this is a dog town people!)...

I love this guy - he is so New York. Even the dogs in Soho are trendy cool.

This one? Pure Upper East beauty.

Meet Mr. Upper West. Rich. Aloof.

He did not care much for me taking his picture. I think I invaded his privacy...

This is a midtown meltdown little one. I was afraid to take the shot for fear I would induce an anxiety attack.

This wild one could not be more relaxed hangin' outside a biker bar in the West Village chillin' with the beer-drinking owner...

This cute pug (check out the tongue!!) was in a baby carriage on the Upper West Side. This is not uncommon in Manhattan. A lot of owners take their aged or sick dogs out & push them around in baby carriages when they are no longer able to walk.

This dog is the all-American dude - he was doing a little laundromat action with his owner in Chelsea but found the time to ham it up a little for the camera!

And this (lone) cat? She was in the window of an office in Chelsea and her eyes slayed me so I had to take her picture.

Much love from dogtown (aka Manhattan),

Erica

This little piggy went to market...

The Union Square Greenmarket, that is.

Seriously, I couldn't have painted those colours any more beautiful than Mother Nature made 'em...

I love food. But not just any food. I like the kind of food that tastes like food should.

Not processed or chemically altered. Clean. REAL.

And in a town where everything (and I do mean everything) can happen in an instant, there's something reassuring about seeing these farmers (most of them families) arrive first thing in the morning to sell what they patiently grew (much of it from seed).

What began with a few farmers in 1976 today has grown into an unparalleled outdoor market experience with more than 140 producers setting up shop each week in one of New York's most infamous public spaces.

You can pretty much buy anything your little heart desires.

But when it comes to food, you may just have to fight with some of New York's top chefs who arrive early for the fresh produce.

Here is a sampling of some of my faves...

Peonies by the bunch (my all-time favourite flower)!!

Freshly made breads and pies... mmmm...

One of my favourite things to buy is fresh, homemade applesauce. I can't explain why but I pile it on everything. Meat. Potatoes. Did I mention I'm Irish?!

Jonesing for a salad? You can't do any better than this place... I can already hear the crunch...

Ok, all this talk of food is making me hungry. Must. Go. Eat.

Much love from Manhattan,

Erica

Windows with soul...

Here are a few shots of my favourite New York City windows to start your Friday with a little beauty...

This one (below) intrigues me. Not sure why, entirely. It's relatively plain. I suppose I picture myself sitting behind the desk in the window to the right, staring out at the New York street. Pen in hand. Blank sheet of paper awaiting my next move.

Speaking of NYC writing, here is the window from Carrie's apartment as featured in Sex & the City. My friend lives across the street and pointed it out to me. While the show portrays Carrie as living on the Upper East Side, all the outside shots of her apartment were actually from a West Village brownstone. The place has become quite famous as a result. Many tourists and photgraphers make pilgrimages. What you can't see from this photo is the "No Trespassing" sign blocking the entrance to the stoop.

Note, the famous window where Carrie was shot writing her column is at the top of the photo with the a/c unit in it.

Here's s'more NYC window gorgeousness...this greeny goodness was shot along the Highline (running next to the Hudson River):

If windows are cool, then this East Village beauty is one of the coolest cats around... seriously, right?

Ok, this window may compete a little for the cool-cat crown...

And this one... well this one here is my favouritest of all...

Pure multi-coloured (red and yellow, oh my!) goodness.

Beauty Friday all!

New York's stop-or-go game...

There is a little game I learned how to play the very first time I came to New York (about four years ago now). And I still play it to this very day.

You see, Manhattan is a walking town. Everyone walks. Everywhere.

The rule is that every block takes about one minute to walk and every avenue takes approximately three minutes (depending on your pace).

Which means there are a whole lot of stoplights to contend with.

And at every corner, you are either faced with this...

Or this...

You have a choice every time. Stop and wait for the sign to give you the "all clear". Or follow the path that is already open and beckoning you forward.

Me? Well, this town has taught me to try and go with the flow.

I now try to follow the path that is open to me at all times.

Which, to be honest, is not something I have always been particularly good at.

I often have a big vision. And for a long time, I believed things should unfold a certain way in order to ensure I arrived at my desired destination. But I am learning life often has other plans.

We can resist this. Get stopped. Stalled. Frustrated. Disheartened.

Or we can simply try to keep watching for the route that is open and available.

Trust that the universe may just have a better plan for you.

This little NYC traffic game has taught me to continue to move toward my desired destination but not to get too bound up in the "how".

Cuz sometimes that ain't up to us.

That's not to say that you shouldn't continue to consult the map.

Talk to the people that can make the best recommendations.

Research, research, research.

But once you've done that?

Trust the signs.

In doing this, you can navigate streets you wouldn't otherwise see.

Meet people you would have missed out on. Experience things otherwise impossible had you held fast to your original plan.

Trust you will still reach your ultimate destination.

The key lies in your choosing how you get there.

So which would you prefer?

A controlled, linear, stop & wait approach?

Or might you just keep moving... NYC streetlight style...

"Sink-in" moments...

During a visit to Italia a few years ago, a man by the name of Giampiero described a moment that gets in deep (and remains embedded) as a "sink-in moment". I adore this term. I have learned to recognize a "sink-in moment" of my own when it occurs. A place. A person. A meal. A song. A realization. It is a moment where I am fully present. Free. Connected to something bigger. Albeit fleeting, it is a moment of grace and beauty that I meet with gratitude. It remains embedded in my soul's story. Here are a few "sink-in" moments from my past week in New York (and beyond)...

Sink in moment #1: Bicycle, bicycle... I want to ride my bicycle (on Governor's Island).

My friend Melanie (from my University days long, long ago) arrived for a visit this past weekend and we took a water taxi over to Governor's Island, a former US Army facility and Atlantic Headquarters of the US Coast Guard. Now it is an artist's haven complete with outdoor Summer concerts, people picnicking, and visitors cycling to their hearts content.

We rented bicycles. But these were not just any bicycles, people. They were pretty, powder-blue girl bicycles. C'mon... seriously, could these bicycles be any cuter?!

It was a gorgeous, sunny day and when we rode by the water, the Statue of Liberty was so close it felt like if we stretched our arms far enough, we might just reach her.

Wild, choppy waters. Views of the NYC landscape in the distance. Safely away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan among people who picnic, skip rope, hang in hammocks, play and relax.

A sink-in moment for certain.

Sink-in moment #2: The sound of the wind in the big, old trees of Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

My uncle Paul from Ireland once said when he is dying, all he wants is the smell of onions and garlic cooking. This is how I feel about the sound of wind going through the leaves of a big, old tree. It is my absolute favourite sound in the world.

A rush of breeze through thick, lush leaves = heaven.

In visiting Prospect Park in Brooklyn, we went to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and I got to hear my favorite sound many, many times. The wind in the big, old (antique-like) trees soothed my sun-scorched self. It's a sound so essential to me that I can't believe how absent it is from my New York City living experience.

The sound reminds me of happy childhood Summer days, lying on my bed daydreaming as I watched the leaves bob and weave on the windsurf, the dappled light somehow finding its way through the greenery, dancing and glinting.

Sink-in moment #3: Brooklyn's finest flowers & lily pads...

I know, I know. The fact that I have fallen in love with flowers is a sure sign I am aging. Melanie and I did confirm that when we were younger, we never cared much for things like flowers or birds. I mean they were there - and we didn't hate them. But we had seemingly much more important things to do back then. Somehow, with the passage of time, it happened. I fell in love with flowers. Big time. Here are a few of my favourites from Brooklyn's Botanical Gardens...

And lily pads? Seriously. I had no idea that lily pads could be this stunning. Truly. Here is a sampling...

The sun was getting ready to settle down for the evening and as the gardens began to close (in preparation for a wedding reception that evening) I tried to capture some of the sunset beauty...

Sink-in moment #4: Home-cooked food (Melanie-style)

One of the (many) things I admire about my friend Melanie is her cooking ability. She's a genius. And not only is she good at it - she really, really loves it. Even when her husband suggests just ordering a pizza, she would rather cook. Always. And this weekend was no exception (lucky me!). On her last evening, we shopped at Whole Foods and got home around 9pm to start cooking. The food was divine. We opened a bottle of Prosecco and talked until three in the morning.

This photo, below, captures the essence of my NYC foodie experience with my dear friend, Melanie (this image is a framed napkin hanging on the wall of Greenwich Village restaurant, Perilla).

Sink-in moment #5: Simply stepping out...

I truly believe that life is mostly just about getting out into it. Stepping away from the comfort. The ease. The air conditioning. Getting a little uncomfortable. Standing up and meeting life.

find life experiences and swallow them whole. travel.

meet many people.

go down some dead ends and some dark alleys.

try everything.

exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life.

- Lawrence K. Fish

Much love from Manhattan,

Erica