Let's Take The Bus To Work!

Take the M7 bus to work with me! I hop on in the 70's West. A few blocks south, at 66th, we drive past the Lincoln Center and the prestigious Juilliard School...

... then the bus goes around Colombus Circle...

... past Carnegie Hall...

... as yellow cabs whiz past beautiful buildings...

... I get off at Times Square, with its orgy of billboards...

... and leaving 42nd street behind...

... I reach 38th street, in the old Garment District, where dark little stores still offer sewing machines (new or vintage), dress forms and all kinds of little things.

Makeovers

The Museum of Natural History, a few blocks away from my New York abode, has undergone a serious makeover. Like many old art institutions around the world (the Louvre in Paris and the Covent Garden opera house in London come to mind), the building has a new appendage, in the form of a metal and steel structure. That is where visitors now enter and discover the solar system floating around, as they go up a spiraling, upwards walkway flooded with sunlight.
My ancient Mini iPod has also been revamped, with products from DCI. With those fun earphones, no more need for diamond studs from Tiffany's... As for that tiny cube, it's actually a speaker that allows me to listen to some music and NPR podcasts in my little room.
On my playlist: NPR's Fresh Air, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Bookworm, and music by Björk, Debussy, Bach. What are you listening to?

Doors To Burgundy

On our way back from Italy, we stopped in Burgundy and visited the magical village of Châteauneuf. Both the medieval castle, complete with moats and towers, and the 16th century church are beautifully preserved. I took tons of pictures but thought I'd share the ones featuring doors... This post is dedicated, with love, to my sister Céline, who kind of collects door postcards and images.

In Como

Sorry girls, I have no George Clooney sighting to report in Como - the star famously owns a villa in this beautiful and posh little town. I did however see things of great beauty, such as the Duomo, with its extraordinary, ornate facade.
In the tiny little streets, every single building seems to have remarkable ancient features (such as that carved woman's face, below, spotted in a private courtyard) and sheer elegant lines - isn't that wood door fantastic? I also shopped and treated myself to something very, very nice. Visit Aurea again this week to check it out!

Around Los Angeles

Inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry...

A superb old tree on my street in Venice...

The threshold of a building on the hip Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Hitchcock in LA - black birds congregate on the power lines downtown.

The Abbot Kinney Fair

On Sunday, the trendy Abbot Kinney boulevard in Venice greeted visitors for its annual fair, a strange and festive event featuring all kinds of food trucks, several live music stages, Venice's usual zoo-like throngs of weirdos (Venice - where Art meets Crime, one sign proclaimed), happy dogs, as well as little stands of all ilk, from sellers of wonderful handmade jewelry and apparel to representatives for all kinds of noble causes, vintage bike displays, a smiling veiled woman giving out Korans, and much more. I loved the posters above.
Valet parking for bicycles was offered - only in Los Angeles!

Follow that truck! A few trendy food trucks drive around Los Angeles, updating their location via Twitter to allow devoted gourmets to track them down for a treat. The Coolhaus is one of those, and it appeals to lovers of ice cream and architecture: their house-shaped ice-cream sandwiches have names such as Mies Vanilla Rohe (Mies is possibly my favorite architect ever), I.M. Pei-nut butter, or Frank Behry... At the Abbot Kinney fair, a long, snaking line of visitors awaited their cool design sweets.

Among the many wonderful items for sale were some children's clothes. Of course, for some mysterious reason, baby apparel is always adorable, eliciting ooooooh's and aaaaaaw's. These colorful little tees were no exception, with their simple and charming images, ranging from the playful (the electric guitar for a teeny rock star) to the poetic (the dandelion in the wind...).
Note to my friends and relatives: please make more babies! I want to have little ones to spoil!

Benjy did not attend the event, but lo and behold! I ran into a little fairy in her stroller with two of Benjy's darling cousins, black dachshunds just like him!
And if you're into adorable pooches camera loves, check out Sam's post about a book I absolutely want, Dogs In Vogue.

Patterns At Lafitte

Last summer, I took you with me to Lafitte, a mansion/castle in the South West of France where I spend a few weeks every year. This year, we are going to step into the rooms again, as I wanted to share with you some of the beautiful patterns that brighten up many of the rooms... Come in!
From top:
1. the cotton sheets in my room
2. the wallpaper in the stairs
3. bedspread in the master bedroom
4. a comfy chair in the main living room

Le Centre de Danse du Marais

Even though I only spent a couple of days in Paris, I managed to take two dance classes at the Centre de Danse du Marais, where my dear teacher, Frédéric Lazzarelli, works. It's always a delight to step into this ancient building, and the largest dance studio, with its hardwood floors and spectacular wood ceiling (top picture), as well as huge mirrors and a piano.
I like being at the window during the barre, for the occasional, welcome breeze, and for glimpses at the building's beautiful facades, looking onto a cobble-stoned courtyard.

Around Amsterdam

Oh beautiful Amsterdam... While I adore its narrow brick buildings, some prefer to live on houseboats. What would you choose?

And I am happy to present you the New Thalys, which one takes at Amsterdam's spectacular (above) Central Station. With its red and purple seats, and its sleek design details, this New Thalys makes the Thalys even better.

Visit again this weekend, for some shopping on Staalstraat...

M83 And The LA Phil

Months before I moved to Los Angeles, I read about the eclectic, modern programs that the LA Philharmonic's musical director, the great Esa-Pekka Salonen, offered the audience. Breaking away from the repertoire, the orchestra indeed often plays scores by all kinds of young composers, and I was very excited to attend those concerts. I love it when cultural institutions break with tradition!
Last night, for the first time, I headed for the home of the LA Phil, a fab and crazy structure designed by Frank Gehry, for a very special event - the orchestra had invited M83, a French rock/pop/electro group that usually performs in nightclubs. After the orchestra played one of my favorite works, Debussy's La Mer, Anthony Gonzalez, the leader of M83, headed for his Apple computer and electronic gizmos to play songs with the orchestra - magical vocalist Morgan Kibby joined them for one song. It was lyrical, noisy, moving, polished and fun all at the same time.
To celebrate the event, KII Arens designed a limited edition poster (above) that now graces my room with its bright colors.

Farewell, Paris

A few last views of beautiful Paris...

To celebrate my departure, my dad treated us to lunch at my favorite Paris restaurant, Le Congrès at the Porte d'Auteuil. I had 12 oysters and chocolate mousse for dessert - with a glass of champagne of course.

At the Menagerie de Verre

Twice a year, dancer Norio Yoshida drops by Paris's Menagerie de Verre to give ballet classes. That's an occasion I try never to miss.
His enlightening explanations (the "attitude" is a spiral, feel it in your body) are always precious. And I also enjoy being in the Balanchine studio of the Menagerie de Verre. This industrial printing press, covering 21,500 sq feet (2,000 sq meters) has been renovated and turned into a dance venue with bright airy studios, painted white. A dream space.