Where I've Been

Hi everyone!  I know I've been MIA for quite some time now and I apologize.  This summer I've been suffering from major blogger burnout so that is why my posts have been spotty.  But I really appreciate you all still checking in!  Last week we were away visiting my in-laws in Newburyport, MA.  We absolutely love the town and it's a vacation every time we visit.  We hope to move there sooner rather than later.  Here are some snapshots, Instagram style:

Pools in Bali

This heatwave makes me wish for a pool.  The worst thing about living in New York City in the summer is the lack of access to them.  You can go to a pool if you're loaded and have access to private clubs with roof top pools or you could battle the city kids in the overcrowded public pools, but there's nothing in between.  Sigh.  So to further torture myself, here are some of the pools from our trip to Bali... and notice how they're all practically empty.  If only teleport existed.

Portland, ME

Mike and I were up in Newburyport for the long weekend and decided to take a day trip to Portland, Maine.  It's only a little over an hour trip from Newburyport which is amazing to me.  I really thought MA and ME were a lot further apart.  Sadly, I had to look at Google Maps to visualize it (apparently my geography stinks.)  Anyway, Portland is a fantastic seaport city full of cobblestone streets and rustic charm. 

You know you're in Maine when... you see huge stacks of lobster pots!

Cobblestone streets are my fave.

I didn't realize that Portland was situated on a big hill.

Of course, whenever I'm in a new city I always manage to find a great home store.  I stumbled across Nicola's Homes and instantly felt a connection.

I think my favorite thing about seaport towns are their hanging wooden signs. They exude character.

Vietri Dinnerware

Gorgeous upholstered furniture

A rowboat filled with pillows... reminds me of this.

Beautiful bedding

I loved this punched tin lampshade.

These are my new favorite candles, Ana Candles.  Tara also sells them in her store.

Fun printed pillows and a handsome orange dresser

Bags made to look vintage are fun.

A great store inspires and this one certainly did.

Nicola's Homes
215 Commercial Street
Portland, ME 04101
207.899.3218


Store Hours:
Mon-Sat 10-6
Sun 12-5

Pittsburgh

Earlier this week I made a trip out to Pittsburgh to visit my friend Erin. We had a great time hitting up the Strip District downtown. I'll admit that I knew very little about Pittsburgh and I was pleasantly surprised by this little pocket of the city. It has my favorite combination of unique, old architecture, delectable food shops and restaurants, and great shopping. Here are some of the highlights:

We found an awesome donut shop that sells fresh donuts.

They make every donut fresh, right in front of you.

Fresh donut, maple glaze, bacon crumbles. Can we take a moment here to savor the magnitude of this?

This donut has the right combination of sweet and salty and just melts in your mouth.

Still giddy from our maple bacon donut high.

A trip to Pittsburgh wouldn't be complete without a visit to Primanti Brothers, the restaurant famous for their coleslaw and fries on the sandwich.

We also stumbled across an amazing home goods store called Hot, Haute, Hot.

The vibe was vintage, a little rustic with lots of French inspiration... totally my style.

I couldn't pass up this awesome inspirational sign. It still has yet to be hung but it will be a great daily reminder to enjoy the present.

I highly recommend a jaunt out to Pittsburgh... it's a fabulous city!

Bali

I wanted to share some of my favorite photos from our Bali trip before it becomes a far too distant memory. We were blown away by the hospitality of the Balinese people and the beauty of their land. We spent the first leg of our trip in Nusa Dua beach, on the southeastern tip of the island and the second half of our trip in Ubud, known for it's jungle, rice paddies and artist's villages. Also famous from Eat, Pray, Love, but more on that later.

We spent every day in Nusa Dua in one of these bales (pronounced ballet) overlooking the beach. It was a great way to quickly recover from the jet lag!

We trekked out to Uluwatu to see the temple and watch a traditional Balinese Kecak dance at sunset.

The gates looking into the temple.


The entry way into our hotel villa in Ubud.

This was our view from our villa terrace. Everyday we watched the monkeys play in the ravine. It was spectacular!

Ancient temples abound in Ubud.

I couldn't get over the gorgeous mossy patina that was everywhere on the island.

A traditional Balinese dance.

The dances were more like plays in that they came complete with wonderfully elaborate costumes!

Rice paddies at dusk.

The monkeys at the Ubud Monkey Forest were fascinating to watch. This guy reminded me of Navy.

I have to say, the highlight of my trip was a chance meeting with Ketut Liyer, the Balinese healer, famous from the book Eat, Pray, Love. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but I do have his business card. He still says "Happy to meet you" and "See you later, alligator" to this day.


My photos and descriptions hardly do Bali any justice. It was breathtakingly beautiful, intimately hospitable and astonishingly magical all rolled into one. Definitely the trip of a lifetime.