Following Rabbits Blog

I found out I have some unexpected money coming my way over the next couple months. For better or worse, I have always been one to live in the moment and not worry too much about the future (read: I'm not a saver). My philosophy, especially since moving to NYC three years ago, has been to do absolutely everything I want and live life to the fullest-- and if I get hit by a truck tomorrow, I can't complain that I missed out on anything. That said, I have decided to plan a last-minute solo trip to Paris in September, and I am over the moon about it!! I went to France for two weeks in '98 with my high school French class, spending 4 days in Paris and 10 days in Blois with a host family. I turned 15 on that trip, celebrating with my host's family in the gorgeous Loire river valley. 

my host's dad ran a patisserie... lucky me!

Since then I've been smitten with France, and have been dying to go back! If anyone has tips or recommendations on what to pack, what to see, where to eat, or who has the best pain au chocolat, lemme know!

chateau Chambord

My mum came to visit for the long weekend and we had so much fun! We watched a sox game at Thom's, went bowling with friends at Lucky Strike, went on a ghost tour, introduced my mum to Popbar, and had some beach time at Coney Island. Monday we hopped over to Governors Island for the day. We rented bikes, got a blue marble ice cream, and pulled over to browse the Better than Jam pop-up shop. 

We got home in time to catch the sunset before scooting out to my fire escape to see the fireworks. Such a fab weekend!

When I heard that Steven Heller would be promoting his latest book, Iron Fists, with a panel discussion including DJ Spooky and Shepard Fairey, I jumped to RSVP. I'm a huge fan of Shepard's, and was super excited to meet him. The event, held last night at the Phaidon Book Store, was titled "Big Lies, Little Truth", and focused on propaganda art and its relevance through time. Heller took us through a brief overview of his book, which focuses on propaganda art and "Branding the 20th-Century Totalitarian State" with a slideshow of art from Nazi Germany, Facist Italy, Mau's China, and the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin. 

Next up, Shepard gave a history of his work since he started tagging with his "Obey Giant" motif in 1989. He took us through his more political work, including the iconic Obama "HOPE" poster, and the ad campaign he did for Saks Fifth Avenue, which included Soviet-inspired artwork.

DJ Spooky spoke about his music and his artwork, including his new book- The Book of Ice (due out July 1). He did some phenomenal artwork playing with the idea of a Republic of Antarctica. You can download the mix he handed out during the event for free here. While you're there, check out the Guardian UK's map of musical influences- epic. 

When it came time for book signing, I approached Shepard first, with his book and a poster print of his that I wanted signed. He happily signed both for me. His hands were covered in paint, so I asked where he'd been painting. He said he put up a new mural at Stanton and Bowery, so I walked over there after the event. I finally found it, on Rivington and Bowery, and it's gorgeous!

You can see photos of him painting it here, and he also hit Brooklyn, too.

Steven Heller signed a copy of his book for me, also- what a fantastic night!

On our way home from D.C., we stopped off at the Point Pleasant boardwalk for a bit of late-night fun. After a stroll along the boardwalk, we got a book of tickets and went on the tilt-a-whirl, the swings, the gravitron and the music express. Haven't been on carnival rides in ages!

photo by David Moylan

Once we were sufficiently dizzy, I got some cotton candy and we played mini-golf at Castaway Cove. We got a midnight slice of pizza and sat on the boardwalk overlooking the beach, and headed back to Queens. Such a full, fun day!!

After seeing Green Lantern Friday night (fail), we were discussing what we could do Saturday. We decided to get up early and head to D.C. for the day, since I had never been and it was looking like great weather for a little road trip. The alarm went off at 6am, and after much grumbling on my part, we were on the road by 7:30. Arriving in D.C. around noon, we parked the car and walked to the Air & Space museum, passing the Smithsonian Castle on the way.  

The museum was on the top of my list of D.C. attractions, and it didn't disappoint. So much to see and do! We paid the $8 to do the flight simulator, doing barrel rolls and gunning down imaginary flying targets. 

After a few hours at the museum, we walked over to the Washington Monument and took some photos.

The reflecting pool was drained, which was kind of a bummer. Would have been cool to see.

From there we walked down to the White House for a peek. All in all, was a fun little romp through Washington. Looking forward to a more extensive visit sometime.