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3.19.18. Someone has a case of the Mondays.

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3.18.18. Mom and A made the trip up to NYC to celebrate my 35th birthday with me. We had dinner at the River Cafe. It was an all-time favorite moment. I am so thankful for these women. Restaurant #13: River Cafe.

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3.17.18. Longest travel day ever... I took this picture (and found out my dad took the same shot in the summer when he visited years back) while K and I explored the old part of Zermatt town. I had so many architecture questions that were left unanswered. After, we got in our car to drive back to Zurich, ended up getting on a train that sent us to ITALY, had to drive back over the pass only to find the train we should have taken from the beginning, stress ate McDonald's, and landed in Zurich with 2 minutes to spare on a dinner reservation with a friend of K's at AuGust. We signed the wall and he claimed it was fate that we ate there and talked about a business plan that will apparently change all of our lives.

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3.16.18. Zermatt is insane. We went to Gornergrat to see stunning blue sky views of the Matterhorn, and then walked up to a tiny lunch spot called Zum See. The food was great but it was the company that was fantastic. We met a pair of traveling friends from Zurich who made friends with a group of older German men. We didn't understand a lot of what was happening, but then one of the men took out an accordion and started belting out old German tunes. There was a dance party, and I think one guy and our traveling friend fell in love. Afterwards, we went to Hennu Stall for some live music and ended up spending hours dancing to a British band (don't worry, I got their card in case they are available to play at my unscheduled wedding). We finished the evening with a late dinner at Hotel Post and a few songs from another live band. I will definitely go back to Zermatt in my lifetime. And, if I do and I run into our Zurich friends, I owe them a bottle of champagne.

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3.15.18. Today was reserved for shopping in the rain and exploring the winding alleys of Bellagio. We tried out the pizza at La Grotta (quattro frommagio on point) and then headed down the valley in search of Zermatt. 

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3.14.18. In our last day in Sils, we made our way to Morteratsch glacier for an "intermediate" ski. K was on death's bed with a cough, and I ran the entire downhill section because I am terrified of cross country skiing down hills. Great success! We had our first Rösti of the trip (mit speck and spiegelei) and made our way over the mountains and into Como. Our Airbnb host was super cute and nice, so we had dinner with him at the restaurant he recommended. We then checked out the view of the stars at the northern point of Bellagio, and it turned out K's family also always looks for the big dipper.

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3.13.18. Today was a day of views. We opted out of skiing and instead took the gondola to the top of Corvatsch, watching these two skiers make their own path up the mountain. Then we headed over to Muottas Muragl to ride the rail car and sled down the mountain. It was shockingly dangerous... I watched a woman injure her knee flying into a wall, just after watching a couple of kids fly off a snow pile into a drift. I guess that's what you can expect for sleds that don't have brakes and don't have steering. 

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3.12.18. For our second full day in Sils Maria, we skied the opposite direction towards Silvaplena and enjoyed bright blue skies and gorgeous views. We hurried back for a massage in the strangest but secretly coolest spa I've ever visited. On the walk home for a casual dinner in town, we caught a glimpse of Alpenglow breaking through the evening fog.

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3.11.18. Just an epic first day in Switzerland. The weather wasn't great, but we still saw thousands of people ski a cross country ski marathon before we attempted 1/10th of the distance ourselves. We had our first fondue of the vacation (and don't plan for it to be the last), drank a bottle of fantastic Swiss merlot, had dinner in Sils Baseglia where Mario served us and I had liver for the first time, and walked home as it lightly snowed in a pitch black and silent Sils Maria. 

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3.10.18. We arrived! It only took a car of anxiety, plane, train, and cab to get here. We checked out the preparations for the morning's ski marathon including this enormous machine that was rigged to ring cowbells (I have a fever, and it's only prescription is). I loved getting to check off my first major bucket list item of the year: finally seeing this magical place in its most renowned season. 

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3.9.18. Jenny appears to be settling in nicely at my parent's house with the normal amount of crippling anxiety and fear of abandonment sandwiched between bouts of delirium and excessive licking. Much like the roller coaster of emotions I felt when it took me 2 hours to get to JFK from the city and I almost missed my flight to Switzerland.

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3.8.18. On my walk over to Bayard's for the standard week night nachos, I caught a glimpse of a film crew, taping in New York at night, but lighting up the street in order to make it look like daytime. I feel like there's a simpler solution for shooting in daylight?

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3.7.18. The winter that won't end continued today with another 3-4 inches of snow. I wandered out in search of warm broth-y food and had to go no further than across the street to Jeju, the new ramen place on my block. The pork belly ramen was out of this world. Restaurant #12: Jeju.

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3.6.18. The core 4 got together in celebration of Mom, who won a lifetime achievement award tonight. I often bore the people in my life with how obsessed I am with my family, but it was such a treat to hear other people say what my Mom has meant for them in their careers. She deserved every bit of attention and asked for none of it. Congratulations!

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3.5.18. Occasionally the sunset reminds me of how lucky I am.

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3.4.18. I met Ali G's newest family addition on the UES. We reminisced about the epic night we had in Paris after the marathon, talked about her new business and what it's like getting manufacturers to listen to you when you don't work for an enormous company, texted a few old friends, and decided a bottle of white wine is acceptable after 2pm on a Sunday.  

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3.3.18. A and I went to see Michael Cera in Lobby Hero. In B's words, MC was a brilliantly awkward human as always. A spent the night when I threatened to take her to The Box for a real NYC night out, but we stayed in and drank Mark Ryan and watched Portlandia instead. 

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3.2.18. T minus 10 days until N and L are no longer a party of 2. I met these peeps out at Alta, one of my favorite restaurants in New York 1.0, but I pre-ate a pizza so I just stopped by for drinks. We talked about the time B slept on a bench through my marathon and about why N doesn't want a Pisces but will probably get one and hopefully not crush its spirit. Restaurant #11: Emily.

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3.1.18. Dinner and drinks part 2 with our west coast visitor. We talked about that wonderful evening at Raoul's when the stranger bought our dinner and we didn't find out until he'd been gone for an hour, about the moment when you stop wondering what you should be when you grow up and you're just grown up, about spicy margaritas and mexican food, and about tarot cards and what they really mean.

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2.28.18. I'm fairly certain R only comes to New York to hang out with me and M. We grabbed dinner at Cafe Cluny, lit a paper bag on fire, knocked a French press over and spilled grounds everywhere, and laughed for hours. Kiehl's fam turned Lancome fam!

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2.27.18. Jack told my mom that he had no idea what I do in New York, and no one would tell him. So, in response, I sent him a picture story of my life in New York. The key details were that I work in a bird's nest in the sky, I walk on a garden above the street to get to my office, my building has a triangle on the roof and a sculpture with stairs that go no where, and I walk every Saturday morning to a coffee shop called The Elk for a coffee while Jenny waits outside on a bench. 

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2.28.18. These children are absurd. Peppa Pig shoes and all smiles!

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2.25.18. I made the 30 min drive out to Montclair to see E's new house. The boys put Jenny on a leash and walked her around in circles for several hours. We only had a minor incident with a lick attack.

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2.24.18. Saturdaze in the Willage.

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2.23.18. V and I headed to the upper west side for a night of ballet and fancy cocktails. We went to Romeo and Juliet, and because I'm running 1,000,000mi/hour these days, I didn't realize what the story was until 2 scenes in. After the show, we dabbled in the best smoky tequila cocktail we've ever had at The Office NYC - an offshoot of The Aviary from Chicago. On floor 35 of the Mandarin Oriental, its views of Central Park are just short of spectacular. Plus, we got to see a whiskey bottle from the 1940s! Restaurant #10: The Leopard at Hotel des Artistes.

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2.22.18. The Kiehl's fam dinners continue, this time with T, fried pickles and brussels sprouts at Whitmans, one of my first beers in 6 months, and gossip. 

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2.21.18. I caught up with C for the first time in over a year. We had dinner at Restaurant #9: the Spaniard. Calling it a restaurant is a stretch since it's basically just a bar, but the snacks we had were delicious. We talked about small companies and 10 year plans and Austin and working out and being a vegan. Kiehl's fam for life!

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2.20.18. M texted me this follow up picture from our day long Brooklyn adventure. This was just before I talked to him for 30 minutes about what a soul and a spirit is and how my spirit is a dog and his is an owl and Moana's grandmother is a sting ray.

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2.19.18. On a whim, N and I decided to see Cruel Intentions the musical. It was both as terrible and as awesome as you would imagine. We took a trip down 1990s music memory lane, the mom from Home Improvement was mysteriously part of the cast, and the tater tots were passable. 

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2.18.18. Jenny made a new best friend. I headed out to Brooklyn for a 2 hour brunch that turned into a 6 hour wine+spotify+Moana+cheese+pony rides afternoon. Brooklyn is a black hole of fun that never lets you go.

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2.17.18. I made my first beer! It is mediocre and named "Mr. Beer" but I am still proud.

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2.16.18. I snuck Jenny into my building in a canvas bag and she slept under my desk for a day of emails and work catchup. Bring your dog to work Fridays should absolutely be a thing. 

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2.15.18. I am amazed by how technology can make me feel like a legit artist. I took a pic on my way home from drinks with Thea from college and this little app turned it into a watercolor. I've said it once already this year, but I am so incredibly happy that this little street is on my walk to and from work/play/coffee/anything. My dream would be to live in the little brick house on the left.

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2.14.18. Jenny has made the decision to hate going to daycare. Every morning I get stared down by this aggressively sad face. Get a grip, pup! Sorry I'm not sorry you get to hang out with friends all day!

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2.13.18. Lubert teaches bear the piano. This text from Anna melted my heart. Restaurant #8: La Contenta.

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2.12.18. In celebration of old west coast friends in town, I finally got to try the ridonkulously expensive food at Cosme. It was delicious, but at one point I asked the waitress if it was really $10 / single open faced taco* on the appetizers. Per usual on a Bob night, even when it's a school night, we night-capped at the fanciest hotel I've visited in months. Only thing missing was Bob singing opera and/or Cher. Restaurant #8: Cosme.

*tacos were the size of a silver dollar.

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2.11.18. Naps and Jenny snuggles for the laziest possible Sunday. 

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2.10.18. We ate too much at the Little Prince, a restaurant where Brian is a regular, can bring his own wine, the hosts know him by name, and we can be loud without repercussions. We drank Firehouse and Brian's Left Bank / Right Bank Cali blends, ate Nutella creme brulee, Jesse made me cry with laughter, and afterwards we reminded ourselves what it's like to be 25 in New York.  

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2.9.18. Jess organized a stand up comedy night at The Stand. The hype guy (the host? not sure what he's called) was by far the funniest one. He picked out people in the audience and ripped them apart. It's one thing to get up and deliver a stand up routine, but I have so much respect for people that can ad lib in front of a crowd. Restaurant #7: Simon and the Whale.

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2.8.18. I dressed like a catholic schoolgirl and K dressed like a muppet at work today. We then had dinner at Cafe Luxembourg on the Upper West Side and saw some chef celebrity (clearly it wasn't me who noticed them).

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2.7.18. Facetiming with Jack and Lucy is likely one of the cutest things a human can experience. Generally it goes like this: Jack talks non-stop even when he doesn't have the phone, and he's extremely eager to hang up on me because it involves pushing a red button. Lucy steals the phone and wanders around the house, babbling incoherently. Most of the time, I only see their foreheads or a double chin and cheeks as they look down at the phone.