Happy Polar Vortex everyone!
Good news: I searched the interwebs and found the perfect way you warm you up... That's right, a #polarvortexselfie–OF A POLAR BEAR–snapped by photographer Daniel J. Cox.
Daniel, I hope this permission-less post is okay with you, because frankly, I COULDN'T RESIST.
My e-cart is brimming with ridiculously affordable finds from J.Crew's 40% Sale sale, including this spectrum of my favorite steals*.
*Please note that approximately 99% of the above picks will not be purchased due to the author's deep anxieties over a FINAL sale shopping.
Whenever construction begins on a storefront in my neighborhood, I cross my fingers that a new hummus spot is on the way. But when two salad factories set up shop within three blocks of my apartment, I was less than disappointed. While it would've been nice to welcome less commercial establishments to the 'hood, I can't really complain about anywhere specializing in heaping bowls of veggies.
Two blocks north on 83rd and 3rd, Just Salad is an attractive alternative to Juice Generation for the post-Soul Cycle crowd.
Three blocks south on 78th and 3rd, Chop't grabs the 77th Street subway-goers and hungry Lenox Hill staff.
Which one trumps the other? Read on to find out.
PROs:
-Is is actually NOT just salad–this spot also offers amazing soup and super-healthy fro-yo.
-They are very generous with sampling said amazing soup and super-healthy fro-yo.
-Great deals on coconut water.
-Window counter seating.
-Proximity to Orange Leaf (where I can go for tasters afterwards).
CONs:
-EXTREME stinginess when it comes to portioning toppings.
-Major up-charges when you ask for even the smallest bit of extra topping.
-I always leave hungry (see last PRO).
CHOP'T
PROs:
-Very generous with portioning salad toppings.
-Very generous with giving tasters of salad toppings.
-Amazing seasonal offerings, like kabocha squash.
-Homemade sourdough croutons.
-Super-wholesome homemade dressings that include healthy fats like tahini and avocado are so good, they can even be treated as a dip.
-Large, private booths.
CONs:
-Where is the soup? They need some!
-WOAH-sometimes salads get so chopped, you can't tell the difference between a tomato and a tempeh.
-Weird wrap-like bread comes with salads.
-Lacks important pescatarian protein options like tuna and salmon.
And the winner is... CHOP'T! Just Salad's crazy portioning rules just don't satisfy this veggie-loving customer.
As for some words of wisdom to Chop't? Please, get some soup cookin'! It is winter after all...
Dawn Levy puffer, check; infinity scarf ($7 from 85th Street guy), check; black shearling UGG hat, check; J. Crew leopard print texting mittens, check; L.L. Bean duck boots, check.
I'm dressed and stocked with all essential foodstuffs (see: #fairwaymadhouse #kabochasquash #fage).
Hercules// nor'easter// blizzard of '14–whatever you're called, I'm ready for 'ya.
Astrostyle.com promises that a fantabulous 2014 lies ahead for this Libra. And with a New Year's celebration that kicked off with my first go at nail art, a visit from my London-based zodiac twin Rachel and her boyfriend, and a delish (and rowdy) dinner at the UES's Felice 64, I've got no reason to believe otherwise.
Happy new year everyone!!!!!!
80 degrees in December... That was nice. Now that I'm back in freezing cold NYC, it's time for a little look back at the past five days I spent in the balmy Sunshine State for Larry's cousin's wedding in Miami and some quality time with our Tampa-based families (and my sister Sam who also flew out to enjoy the warmth!).
Oh, Loehmann's
A poem written by Hali Narins Berman in response to the bankruptcy declaration of yesteryear's discount mecca.
Where I bought my first (and only) Prada–way on sale
Where I found a J. Mendel skirt that continues to prevail
Where I spent many-a-Black Fridays stuffed to the max
But that never stopped me from scoring an extra 20% off beautiful flats
Where I snagged Seven jeans a year past their time
But honestly - $120 for denim in the early 2000s? That's seriously a crime
Oh, Loehmann's, you haven't been great for a while
Gone are the days when you supplied fabulous off-price style
Neverless, bankruptcy is quite the shame
With you gone, my closet will never be the same!
