I hope you’ll join me on my never-ending search for beautiful pieces, with history, for your home. Find my curated treasures, in Booth #154, at the Antique Trove, in Roseville, CA. ~ Barbara
Reading the Sunday New York Times, on-line this morning, I sneaked-a-peek at an add for condo’s in Long Island City. The development, called The View, is “one subway stop from Manhattan” and 75% sold…pretty good in this economy! I haven’t read the fine print, but it appears that 2 bedroom view condos sell for $795,000. Now, we’re not in the market for a New York home, but it doesn’t cost anything to dream, does it? Where would you buy a home, if it could be anywhere in the world? Wherever you live, enjoy the day!
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Hello dear friends! I returned late Wednesday night from an adventure I’ll never forget! My younger brother…my only brother…invited his four sisters to join him on a boating caravan, more than six months ago. I was amazed and happy, when all four sisters accepted his generous invitation to travel from San Diego, stopping in Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz and many ports, in-between. Our brother/captain, showed us the ropes and before you knew it, we were sharing watch duty, keeping on course. Sunrise and sunset was usually an amazing spectacle of nature. I saw a half dozen dolphins swimming…
Read the rest >>My four siblings, a brother and three sisters are just now leaving for a 16 day voyage along the Baja coast, to Cabo San Lucas and then back north, up the eastern coastline. We’ve planned this trip on my brother’s boat for months! I’ll be out of communication while gone, so stay safe and be well!
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New York is the heartland of “hurry up and wait”! If you want a break from it all on your next visit to Manhattan, I highly recommend walking the High Line. On what was for years a raised train track, is now a lovely 2 mile stretch of green grasses, trees and a well-traveled walking path, with plenty of places to stop and see the sights. It’s probably hard to tell, but this is a very cool circulating water feature. …and I love this sign, advertising a storage business! And when you reach the end of the park, heading towards…
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I found one of the most beautiful women’s boutiques today, in the Meat Packing District of Manhattan. While this area is it seems the “go-to” place for high end clothing and accessories, Charles Nolan is the most gorgeous of all. Trust me, when I say the pictures don’t do it justice! The shop also comes with a happy/sad story, since the owner, Charles Nolan, who was a fashion guru in New York for years, finally opened his own stunning shop, but sadly died of cancer, early this year. His sister and lovely assistant run the place and make you feel…
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We returned to one of my many favorite neighborhoods in New York today, Gramercy Park, which is located around 20th Street and 5th Avenue. There seems to be an abundance of interior design related businesses in the area, from plumbing and lighting, to gorgeous tile and home furnishings. I stumbled on to a wonderful store, Lillian August, that is probably going to become my new fave, replacing, or in addition to, ABC Carpet and Home, when visiting New York, but more on that later. We’ve enjoyed lots of wonderful restaurants, this trip, but so far, our “top pick” is Gramercy…
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The great thing about being in New York, is just being here. Does that make sense? Hope so! This morning, bright and early, we headed over to the Rockefeller Center, to watch the Dr. Oz show. We’re not talking major “star power” here, but he’s warm and engaged in the audience and just watching the production process is fun! After a deli lunch looking out at the skating rink, we went “Thrifting”. As you can imagine, Mr. Wonderful was super-excited! I told him he was my subway director and body guard! He wore my backpack on the subway, and said…
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Even though I’ve been to NYC a half dozen times in recent years, I had never been to the beautiful Metropolitan Museum of Art. As the largest art museum in the western hemisphere, this is a place that requires some time in your day, but it’s well worth it! Where else in the world can you see such amazing talent, history and beauty, in one place? Not to trivialize the art itself, the frames are works of art, by themselves! I found “The Master Painters of India” very impressive. Their art was created for religious manuscripts, not to adorn walls…
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I hope you enjoy architectural history as much as I do, because today we’re taking a quick peek at Union Station, in Washington D.C. This morning, we took the train from D.C. To NYC, which by the way, is a great travel option. I had never been to Union Station, and was in awe of the place! This is a true national treasure, that is owned/managed by Amtrak. I figure that Amtrak could get on budget if they sold this amazing piece of property. The station was built in 1908 and was refurbished in the eighties. Isn’t it stunning? How…
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Hello friends! Bob, Mr. Wonderful and I “won” a 2-night stay in Washington D.C., at a recent fundraiser and enjoyed lunch with our Congressman, Dan Lungren, in the Member’s dining room today. Lunch was followed by a stellar tour of the Capitol and Congressional Library. In fact, we were able to climb the steps within the congressional library’s rotunda and step outside to enjoy some once-in-a-lifetime views of the town. I think our forefathers did a pretty amazing job of selecting timeless finishes, and commissioned talented artists, to withstand the last 200 years and still look fabulously grand! We had…
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