Following Rabbits Blog

Today I went to the hell's kitchen flea market, over on 39th Street in Manhattan between 9th and 10th Aves. I was hoping to find some cheap gold frames or mirrors and have been dying to find an old brass birdcage for decorative purposes. There were some mirrors, but all were over $100... sadness. It was drizzling and cold when I got there, so a lot of merch was covered up, including most of the vintage clothes and jewelry. I haven't been to this flea since last summer, but it's always fun sifting through the oddities in the booths. I always feel like I'm exploring my nana's basement when I hit up this flea market... so many fantastic things that you don't need but would love to buy... just to have. Vintage tea sets, clocks, furs, old suitcases, boxes of skeleton keys (I'm always tempted to buy a handful of these but wouldn't know what to do with them... I just think they're super cool). But then you find the really interesting stuff: an allegedly Venetian mirror fit for the Queen of Hearts, a human skull (origins unknown), a pair of handcuffs. I ended up leaving 65 scooters behind for an eiffel tower and a silver ring. My cat, Lily, has a habit of fully inspecting absolutely anything new that enters our apartment... the tower was no exception.

The hell's kitchen flea is open every Saturday and Sunday from 9a-6p.

Chrysler Reflection by Frank Larson, part of his collection of photographs of 1950s NYC

SEE IT: art and photography I fell for this week
Take a trip back in time to 1950s New York. Frank Larson's photography has been lovingly scanned and put into a web gallery by his grandson, Soren Larson. The photos were rediscovered by family members after having been packed away in storage for years. I love looking for the details in the photos: the fashion, the signage, trying to recognize streets and buildings. 

This spring gallery on Pictory showcases 23 photo stories of spring. The link opens to my favorite photo; the photographer happened upon a beautiful scene and managed to capture a very special moment for the couple in the photo.

Vitamin E: Eric Einwiller takes a photo every day on his iPhone and posts it to his blog.

HEAR IT: songs I downloaded this week
1. Say You Will by Kanye West 2. Loosen Your Hold by South 3. Hate by Jay-Z 4. Honey by the Hush Sound 5. I Want You Back by the Kooks

READ IT: new yorky reads from around the web
One of my favorite discoveries on Twitter has been @nycscout. "Scout" uncovers hidden gems around the city and blogs about them. One of my favorite features this week was about the owls in Herald Square. Have you ever noticed their eyes flash green?! I saw it for the first time when I was looking at the Christmas windows at Macy's last year. It's cool to hear the history behind all of Scout's discoveries and learning new things about the city.

Last weekend was gorgeous! (Boo for the return of the cold this weekend...) The taste of spring was enough to relish this article by Time Out New York: 101 things to do in New York City in the spring. The article has tons of links to the best places to eat outside and drink on rooftops, tells where to find the best outdoor markets and craft fairs, and lists scores of only-in-nyc springtime activities. Ready, go!

EAT IT: culinary indulgence of the week
I don't get to eat out super often, but my friend Katie came to visit me this past weekend so I spoiled myself a bit with some great shopping and eats around the city. Sunday night we went down to Little Italy and had dinner at La Mela. Katie remembers this place the way it was 10 years ago, which was apparently a very rowdy and raucous version of the place it is today- a family-style joint cooking up heaping portions of pasta. I got fettucini alfredo, which gave me enough leftovers for a big lunch the next day. The prices are steep for what it is, but the food was good. From La Mela we walked around the corner to Ferrara Cafe, where the line went out the door for delicious pastries, gelato and coffee to go. I was pretty full from dinner, but I got a palmiere (I've always known them as elephant ears), which I haven't had in ages! This will be a new fave place to bring my parents when they visit, for sure. 

DO IT: add these to your to-do list for next week 
Here's another tip I got on Twitter after it was retweeted by @Etsy. Satori Lewis is 10 years old and has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She's going in for surgery on March 31st to have a full spinal fusion done. She's going to be in the hospital for a bit, and her mum, Melissa of Haut Totes, is asking for everyone's help. Satori already has the best doctors and a loving family to care for her, but she could use a little amusement during her hospital stay. Melissa is asking people to send Satori postcards. Write her a cheerful note and address it to:

Satori Lewis
Surgery date 3-31-10
Davis 7 Pediatrics
UC Davis Children's Hospital
2315 Stockton Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95817 USA
**Be sure to include the surgery date** 

If you missed Johnny Cupcakes' NYU lecture Monday, be sure to get down to his SoHo pop-up shop Friday night. Johnny's making his NYC stop on his Suitcase Tour Friday, April 2 at 25 Howard Street. If you're familiar with JC like I am, you'll be in line much earlier than the 8p start. He's known to draw quite a crowd, especially when there are limited edition t-shirts on the line! If you and Johnny haven't been introduced, check out The Maestro Knows as he kicks it in Johnny's Boston and LA stores and gets a tour of Mr. Cupcakes' kick-ass house.

My favorite badges L to R, top to bottom: for leaving the nest, for being a happy camper, for surviving first love, for being a smitten kitten, for being just my type, for being a black sheep, for being a dirt bag, for having a bun in the oven. (I've got someone in mind for every single one of these, ha!)

Everyone deserves a little recognition sometimes. With these fantastic little merit badges made by Lee Meszaros, you can reward your friends for everything from rocking the boat to flipping the bird.  Each merit badge is $24 and comes with a certificate of recognition. Your girlfriend absolutely needs a badge to commemorate Saturday night's bender, your roommate could use a reminder that the wall you put up to split your one bedroom into two is very thin, and your co-worker's housewarming party deserves more than a bottle of wine. Not sure the dirt bag in your life will appreciate your pointing out his dirt bagginess, but it'd be worth $24 to see the expression on his sorry mug. Just sayin'. 

This travel poster series by The Heads of State is so fun! The serigraphs have a vintage feel... like they're modeled after those old postcard stickers plastered onto the sides of worn leather suitcases. (Does anyone really have a suitcase like that? I so want one...) Each print is 14x24 and $30. They're limited edition, with New York and San Francisco already on their second run. Hurry up and rep your city before they run out! The Heads of State- Jason Kernevich and Dustin Summers- create stunning visuals in the form of music posters, magazine illustrations and book jackets. (Wow, I so want these guys to design my book cover when I ever finish it!) I browsed through their galleries and picked out a few of my favorite designs:

 
clockwise from top left: illustration for a feature article in Real Simple; art for a BYU magazine article about New Orleans after Katrina; Logo/Identity for Brokelyn.com, a blog about living it up in Brooklyn on the cheap; and an illustration for an article in Cookie magazine.

There are a million things I encounter in the course of every week; some I bookmark, some I email to friends, most I tweet about, but none make it into full blog posts. I decided to make my Friday posts a veritable treasure chest of everything I discovered during the week and want to share with you all!

the cloud collector by Paul Octavious, part of his Puffin Clouds series. You can purchase a print here.

SEE IT: art and photography I fell for this week
Art, photography, sculpture and stories by Paul Octavious. Definitely check out his website to see more of his gorgeous work!

I discovered some stunning fashion photography by Russian photographers Andrey Yakovlev & Lili Aleeva. Their work is absolutely amazing... makes me wish I was someone's muse so I could have fabulous photos taken of me. Pretty!

You must see this aerial eye candy by photographer Jason Hawkes for Boston's Big Picture. His aerial shots of New York City and Las Vegas are breathtaking!

HEAR IT: songs I downloaded this week
1. All the Same by Sick Puppies 2. Warmth by Tiger Lou 3. God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (Live) by Coldplay 4. Sour Times by Portishead 5. Teardrop by Massive Attack 6. Ordinary Riches (whole album) by Company of Thieves

WATCH IT: videos I peeped this week (that you should too)
Lady Gaga in Wonderland: a spoof on the AiW movie trailers starring the Lady
Quirky duet Pamplamoose covers Telephone: great rendition of Gaga's hit
Day in the Life of New York City: an incredible tilt-shift video by Sam O'Hare

Suspicious Activity? Nah, just circus elephants on their way to Madison Square Garden.

DO IT: upcoming events to check out
Tomorrow (Saturday) is Obscura Day: "an international celebration of wondrous, curious and esoteric places" (sounds very Alice in Wonderland!). The event I'm most interested in in my area is a tour of the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel in Brooklyn. The tunnel was abandoned and forgotten, only to be rediscovered by a 20-year-old Bob Diamond in 1980. Bob is still the one giving tours of the tunnel, and will be giving two tours tomorrow. You must wear sneakers and bring a flashlight, and will be heading down a rabbit man-hole to access the 165 year old passage.

Johnny Cupcakes (I'm basically obsessed with this guy's story) is holding a FREE lecture at NYU this Monday, 3/22. Lecture is at 7p, in the Rosenthal Pavilion, 10th floor of the Kimmel Center. Be sure to bring cash to buy some of his shirts!!

The circus is coming to town! Late Monday night (around midnight) elephants (and ponies!) from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus will be parading through the Queens Midtown Manhattan Tunnel on their way to Madison Square Garden. The MTA advises those interested in seeing the procession to wait on the Manhattan-side of the tunnel, on 37th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. The circus will be at Madison Square Garden from Thursday March 25 through Sunday April 4.