Summertime: DC, Boston, and the Beach

Summertime: DC, Boston, and the Beach

by | Aug 5, 2025 | Travel, What's New | 0 comments

The Boston Public Library is the most beautiful place… and the quietest.

Last month my daughter Nora and I went up to Boston to look at colleges. It was the first of our out-of-town tours and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being able to enjoy this rite of passage now as a parent felt so good, yet so surreal. I flashed back to when I was the one going up to New England to look at colleges. Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston and one other I can’t remember. It was me, my dad, and my stepmother. And maybe it was that trip where we visited my high school crush Billy’s MIT fraternity house, an old Boston brownstone mansion. Hmm, Billy.

And how great is Boston?! Maybe I’m biased since my dad is from there (well out in the country, west of there) and it feels like home to me. Anyway, we drove north, like five hours, listening to entirely too much Taylor Swift and just talk talk talked. 

Our first stop was Boston College. We walked around an empty campus for an unofficial tour and fell in love with it, the grand, colleg-y-ness of it. Nora walked the entire circular path of the garden labyrinth which felt symbolic of choosing a college and one’s future. It was about another 20 minutes to the city of Boston. We checked into our hotel and then went out exploring. Newbury Street had gotten even fancier since the last time I was there. With almost every clothing store you can think of, you could get yourself into a lot of trouble. I could almost feel my husband checking the bank balance as we strolled down the row of brownstones. I went into Buck Mason and Ganni and came out empty-handed. Nora went to Brandy Melville and even though the sales girls there are pure evil, she endured and found some things that gave her joy. We also spent time and money in the Trident Booksellers & Café which I highly recommend! Nora got a cute canvas book tote, how Boston is that? And I picked out a Pink Pony Club keychain for Tim which made me laugh a lot and him not very much. We had dinner at Eatally which my friend Jay had recommended and it was amaze. We ate a delicious Italian dinner, including the best gnocchi of my life, and then wandered around and around the extensive Italian marketplace. Finally, we walked back to our hotel, eating gelato on the way.

In the morning we wandered some more and found the Boston Public Library which was so stunning, then over to the Boston Commons before we headed off to the tour at Boston University. It’s an amazing school but after seeing it in person, Nora realized it was not for her. We headed out of the city right after the BU tour, just as rush hour hit and we were tired and hungry. We found a Shake Shack and it gave us the energy to squeeze in one more school, University of Rhode Island. I guess I’m really bad at Googling directions because we ended up at the Graduate School of Oceanography instead of the main campus. We kept wondering why it was so small and just seemed like a sad outpost, although scenically situated right on the water. The main campus is very nice. It had started to rain and we walked around the empty grounds as the sun set and Nora said if she can love it in the rain, it’s gotta be good.

Our trip to DC to look at colleges was next. There was, to be honest, an overly ambitious plan to drive though all the southern states and tour about 8 schools. Plans changed as I had to take care of some very challenging family responsibilities in DC. But we did have a great tour of Georgetown University. I realized that even though I’d grown up there and been to Georgetown (the neighborhood) I’d never seen the campus of Georgetown (the University). It was ungodly hot that weekend and we walked a lot. Highlights included eating at Rocklands BBQ, Tatte, and Dig Inn. The kids got to go out for ice cream with my aunt and uncle at our favorite Milly’s. There was also a brief drive around American University, so we got our money’s worth. We usually do some shopping in Georgetown, but didn’t this time. I threw in some old photos of the new Blue Dot store which is one of my favorite furniture and decor places. You should go.

After DC, we thought we’d go to see UVA “real quick” which is ridiculous because Charlottesville is over 2 1/2 hours farther south. And did I mention it was hot? We walked around the campus, again, deserted as if humanity had vanished, but it was not uninteresting. Everyone was running out of patience which made it hard to choose a restaurant and figure out directions and all that, but we perservered and found a cuban restaurant called Guajiros and I was proud of us for not going somewhere stupid like Chipotle. And then the cherry on top was finding a Ben & Jerry’s store and getting sundaes which ironically did not have cherries on top but were delicious. The exhaustion, heat, and walking mixed with the surprise, joy, and sugar resulted in happy sobbing. Literally. Win.

Not all of the summer was spent on the road. We had some beautiful days loafing at home. Blueberries on our blueberry bush. We even got to eat a couple before the birds did. The pool. Reading books. Picnics at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s. A Strawberry Moon viewing party with bonfire.

And finally, the beach. Same as always. Sun bathing, wave jumping, Wawa hoagies. Sleeping in, ice cream, mini golf. Sunset bike rides with magic hour photo shoots. Seafood dinners, yoga, Playa Bowls. It’s a formula but it works. I hope you have all been making the most of the season. More to come soon!

Museum Trip: MoMA

Museum Trip: MoMA

by | May 27, 2025 | Art, What's New | 0 comments

Earlier this month, I spent a RAINY DAY IN NYC with my friends Laura and Lydia. We met at the Museum of Modern Art and spent the day walking through the galleries and talking about all the things we did after college and after that. It was a lot to talk about. And we all had to take turns.

Interspersed, we talked about the main show we viewed, Jack Whitten’s The Messenger. What an amazing body of work! I love large abstract paintings and appreciated how much thought, technique, and meaning when into his work. It was so much to take in. My favorite works were created by dragging a flat wooden rake across enormous canvases, adding multiple layers, resulting in so much texture and color. Abstract, but resembling landscapes, or waterscapes, or whatever your psyche imagines.

The MoMA also has numerous famous works of art, and it was great seeing the Picassos, Van Goghs, Matisses, but I especially enjoyed seeing the many Jacob Laurence paintings they had collected, small but powerful.

 

After we left the museum, we found a cafe to eat and chat in. Le Pain Quotidien, which I remember being good, but this one was just okay. I guess I have high expectations of restaurants when I’m in the City, because, well, New York City. But it was a good place to sit and talk. I really wanted to learn about Lydia’s life. We all talked about our meandering career paths, about the effect of the pandemic, and about our kids, who are all roughly college-age now.

I took a lot of videos for some reason. I was really enjoying capturing the feel of the day. I love being in New York. Watching people, seeing what they’re wearing, picking out the tourists from the locals. I like orienting myself and figuring our how to get through the streets and avenues. I adore the architecture. And I especially love all the window displays. There’s so much ‘art’ to see outside of the museums. It’s a visual feast. So enjoyable, I almost didn’t mind the rain.

 

CHECK OUT THE MOMA

Tickets are $30 (unless your friend has a membership, then they’re $5) Membership are $110/year.

 

Museum Trip: The Brandywine

Museum Trip: The Brandywine

by | Apr 23, 2025 | Art, What's New

Last Thursday I spent the day with the Wyeth family.

I have wanted to go to the Brandywine Museum of Art for a long time and last week I took a day off to make the drive down to Chadds Ford, PA. It was a beautiful April afternoon and I found the museum with only a few other people and I was able to stroll the creaky-floored galleries and soak up the artworks as if it were all just for me. Sun streamed in from the large windows that curve along the western wall of the modern addition of the historic barn-like building. Climbing the stairs to each new gallery floor gave a new view of the Brandywine Creek, art in itself, over which the museum perches.

I’m, of course, familiar with the Wyeths, but learned so much I didn’t know in the few hours I spent there. Andrew is perhaps the most famous painter in the family, with his muted colors and unparalled detailed and textural brushwork. His subjects reflect the rural landscapes and family he grew up with. The world he paints feels so familiar and the images really resonate, but it’s because these ordinary subjects are infused with such mood and meaning you become transformed. NC Wyeth, Andrew’s father, is known for his stunning book illustrations, work which defined him and which he later worked hard to transcend. His works are full of power and life and color. He’s a true master. But it’s Jamie Wyeth, son of Andrew, that was my favorite. A contemporary of Warhol, his works reflect the influence of the Pop Art movement in size and power.

I also viewed an amazing photography exhibit of Robert Frank and Todd Webb, documentarians of America that reflect years of travel and truly seeing their subjects.

I took a few photos of some of my favorite works, but just know they do not do any justice to these masterpieces. You have to go in person.

February Catch Up

February Catch Up

by | Mar 13, 2025 | What's New | 0 comments

It seems like an entire lifetime has transpired since I last wrote a weekly update. If we’re talking the life of an adult cicada. Speaking of cicadas, have you watched Slow Horses? I have and I love it.

To catch you up: the Eagles won the Super Bowl. I don’t get crazy over football but I love my home team and it was a great game.

I finally managed to get together for lunch with my new friend Kelly from the Frenchtown Bookshop Writer’s Circle. We went to the Lumberville General Store which was cute as hell. I mean, Bucks County knows how to be historic and quaint and all that. I wasn’t surprised when I drove through a covered bridge on the way. We talked about art and kids and of course, writing. See Kelly’s artwork here.

Valentine’s Day came and went with very little fanfare. I went to a funeral. My friend Meaghan’s mom was given a beautiful send off and I’m glad I could be a part of it.

The big event of the month, and probably the reason I didn’t write and had a hard time focusing on anything else was our son’s “procedure.” Not a “surgery.” My husband and I went down to Children’s Hospital in Philly and spent about seven nail-biting hours waiting while our son had an ablation, or multiple ablations in his heart. It was so stressful, so scary that I felt unable to do anything in that waiting room. I don’t think I was even breathing. And as I thought about all the possible outcomes, all the reasons why it might go well or not, I realized how much I live my life based on superstition. There’s no controlling life. It’s hard and often unfair and it doesn’t discriminate. And sitting with other parents, some with really young children, I became acutely aware that life is happening for other people, all the time. It was profound. And humbling. But I knew we had so many people praying for us and I was grateful. We left Philly as it started to snow and we ended the day driving through a blizzard. Our son started his new job at Panera three days later and baseball season a week after that. So I guess you could say he’s doing well!

If you’re looking for something fun to do in the winter, check out a semi-pro hockey game. Three of my friends and I went to a Lehigh Valley Phantoms game and had a girls night out. I stole my son’s Phantoms jersey and felt really cool wearing it. They have pretty good food there, just don’t get the pretzels, they’re terrible. Jahan Dotson of the Eagles was a special guest that night and that was fun.

I visited the Michener Museum of Art and met with the director of marketing, hoping to do some design work for them, and had an amazing time there. I’m hoping to plan a trip there with friends and clients soon. I am so completely at peace when I’m walking through a museum. Can you imagine working for an art museum, every day? And I went to an art opening for a friend of mine, Glenn Harren. You can see his paintings here. He was showing at the SVA in Frenchtown, which is owned by another friend, John Schmidtberger.

And a lot of other things happened that I don’t have photos of, or can’t share photos of. My daughter and I went prom dress shopping. It was fun but utter madness, at the King of Prussia mall on a Sunday. It was a workout! The kids finally got their photos taken for their driver’s licenses. The DMV. On a Saturday. We have survived a lot. Oh! AND, I drove into NYC for a mini high school reunion. Although I went to school in DC, an inordinate number of alums live in New York. We met at a shabby little bar in NOLITA. I got to see people I hadn’t seen since I graduated. So crazy. And it felt like no time had passed.

 

How to Buy and Sell Preloved Clothing

How to Buy and Sell Preloved Clothing

by | Feb 22, 2025 | Slow Fashion | 0 comments

My love of thrift shopping goes way back. Like a lot of people, I started buying vintage or thrift store clothes because I didn’t have a lot of money to spend, but I also did it because I thought it made me edgy and cool. Today I shop used because of my conscience. I know how harmful the fashion industry is and I want to make a difference if I can. I try to be very selective when I add things to my closet, whether they’re new or used, and buy quality if I can. Then I take really good care of those pieces so they last. I find as many ways to wear those items and be creative in styling them. Lastly, I take great effort to resell clothes so they stay out of the landfills for as long as possible.

Replacement for my favorite AG jeans that ripped irreparably

IN PERSON

Pandora’s Closet & Style Encore — Located in Allentown PA, these sister stores are my favorite places to sell items because they sort, choose, and pay for clothes on the spot. I’ve found a few good things for my daughter and myself.

The Attic — I had one experience with this vintage consignment store in Bethlehem PA. I brought them a large bag of clothes, carefully edited, then went through a very lengthy and tedious process of consigning with them. They were very picky, took very few items, sold very few, and I had to hunt for the unsold pieces in the store. In the end I made only about $30.

Country Chic — This vintage consignment store in the very quaint town of Frenchtown NJ is great for browsing although I have only found one item I liked, a pair of leather pants that ironically my friend was selling there. It hasn’t worked out to sell to them because I rarely have the large collection of clothes they require to be a consigner.

Salvation Army — This is definitely the preferred place for my daughter and her friends. Sometimes we go to the Family Thrift Shoppe in Hellertown, but Salvation Army is better because it is a true non-profit, and they have a place to try on clothes. After I sell or consign, I hit up either of these places to donate the remaining stuff.

There are, of course, tons of other places like Greene Street in Lambertville and Shop Vintage Alley in Doylestown, but these are where we go most.

ONLINE

ThredUp — I can’t say enough about ThredUp. They have so much inventory, you wonder why anyone would want or need to shop new. I have found dresses for weddings and parties, great when you know you’ll only be wearing it once. One time I went shopping for dress pants at Ann Taylor, then came home and found the exact same navy blue trousers on ThredUp in perfect condition, for $9! As for selling, they provide pre-paid shipping bags for you to send in your used clothes in exchange for money or credit. I’ve purchased about 20 things over the years, returned some because they were not right, but found some very good pieces.

Poshmark — There was a time I was on there a lot. I’ve sold over 30 pieces, and bought close to 40. Every once in a while you encounter someone on there that is unpleasant or shady but it’s rare.

eBay — In the past I have found some good items on eBay like J. Crew coats and the like, but I’ve sort of drifted away from them.

I’ve scrolled through Vestiaire Collective and DePop, but never sold or bought on them.

 

Black leather pants, originally thrifted in Paris!

J. Crew slip dress.

J. Crew black wool blazer.

Whether you shop online or in person it’s good to shop with a list. Just like you would with new clothes, know what you already have, what you really need and be honest about whether you would really wear the new piece. Try things on and be picky. Most stores don’t take returns. I think thrifting is most fun when you go with friends and make it entertaining. Sometimes we have more fun finding things that are so wrong, rather that what’s right. Sometimes you get to go back in time to when your style was completely different. Chunky loafers! Low-rise jeans! And it’s especially enjoyable to see your kids discover things that are cool again. 

Happy hunting!