LIFE//A Perfect Day in Madrid
¡Hola! The gamine has officially gone international. We are having an amazing time abroad and of course we want to share it with you! Check out our first mini travel guide for the perfect day in Madrid (you really only need one).
A Perfect Day in Madrid
9 am: Check into the ME Melia Madrid, a stylish and hip (but not in annoying minimalist way) hotel located centrally in the Plaza de Santa Ana. We got a deal on jetsetter.com. They let us check it at 9 am no problem after a lovely Delta flight over where we got bumped up to first class!
via memadrid.com
11 am: Take a quick nap and then take a short walk down one of the main streets, Atocha to the Museo Reina Sofia. Go right to the 2nd floor and see Picasso’s Guernica. It is not disappointing. The enormous canvas was powerful and more importantly the room wasn’t crowded, so feel free to linger and really take in this masterpiece.
via disfrutaespana.com
12:30 pm: The day is long in Madrid to wander around grab some cafe con leche and explore the city. We had a lovely traditional lunch at one of the small cafes in Plaza Santa Ana. Order some specialties like tortillas españolas and get ready for the beginning of a lot of ham on the menu.
2:00 pm: Siesta! Take advantage of the other worldly tradition of siesta (after all this is a cultural experience) and take an indulgent midday nap with the windows open.
4:00 pm: Walk about 10 minutes towards El Parque del Retiro, the gorgeous Central Park of Madrid. Now you are a tourist at heart so find the pond and rent a small row boat for less than 5 €.
Not that we have to tell you, but take some time to just relax in the park.
via www.sha.asso.fr
9:30 pm: Begin your tapas (or pintxos, pronounced “pinchos”) tour of La Latina, an area of town renowned for its small plates. We took the New York Times’ advice (as we mostly do) and headed to Calle Cava Baja, a charming street teeming with small restaurants. We absolutely LOVED Txakolina, a bit of a modern twist on pinxtos vascos with wood paneling and counters made out of recycled wine cases. Continue your crawl and discover your own favorite place.
our favorite tapas stop in Madrid!
12:30 am: Head back to the hotel, but the night is still young in Madrid so head two doors down to The Penthouse, the ME Madrid’s rooftop bar and you will need to show your key. Yes, rooftop bars tend to lean towards cheesy, but this one offers astounding views of the city, a pretty decent mojito and comfy banquet seating. Take it all in!
via memadrid.com
So that was our perfect day in Madrid. We have so much more to share about San Sebastian (on a moderate budget with some splurges) and tomorrow we head off to our final Spanish city, Barcelona. ¡Hasta Leugo!
STYLE//An Etsy Favorite: Neapolitan Paper Studio
Hi Readers – because I’ve been so busy organizing the Aroc Urtu + Ash&Dans pop-up shop this weekend (more details to follow) I’ve had minimal time to post on the blog.
Despite being a bit short on time I wanted to share with you this amazing Etsy shop – it’s my new favorite! Designer Laura Naples created Neapolitan Paper Studio and everything in their little shop is so beautiful. From the re-covered vintage books to the notecard sets and paper boxes, each item is more special than the next. See below for my favorites and check out Laura’s Etsy shop here.
Chevron Notecards
Re-covered vintage Amadeus Book
LOVE notecard set
Marbelized Paper Boxes (I love the Aqua one on the bottom left!)
Vintage re-covered Little Princess Book
And finally – we’re so excited about this last minute pop-up shop opportunity! Despite having to really hustle to put everything together, we will be open at 38 Main Street in East Hampton on Saturday and Sunday from 12 PM – 7 PM and you’re officially invited! Check out our e-vite below:
LIFE//Organize your travel with Tripit.com
We may have mentioned that one of us is heading to Spain tomorrow. Yay! We made quite a complicated trip for ourselves flying into Madrid, driving up to San Sebastian and then flying to Barcelona then home. Luckily, some ingenuous person came up with tripit.com. Sign up for free and simply send all confirmation e-mails to plans@tripit.com and instantly you have a gorgeous itinerary complete with confirmation numbers, addresses and times! Who needs a personal assistant?! There is even a feature that shows the average weather conditions for your destinations.
Of course we will report back from España and even try to blog overseas! Get excited for our Spanish travel guide coming soon!
Hello San Sebastian!
LIFE//Hamptons Edition: Wine Tasting at Wolffer
Whether you’re out here this weekend, for labor day, or are thinking about making a possible day trip out east, you must make time to fit in a wine tasting at Wolffer Estate. Last weekend, a group of us drove over on an overcast day and despite the iffy weather, we had a great time.
We sat out on the back deck behind the tasting room and tasted a variety of reds, whites, roses, and delicious sparkling wines while enjoying the scenic view for about $18 per person (there are different priced flight options). Sitting out back can get quite crowded so be prepared to get aggressive in scouting a table. Going at an off time like earlier in the day also helps.
After taking a trip through Napa and Sonoma, I expected Long Island vineyards not to compare but in fact Wolffer is now my favorite place to be on a late Saturday afternoon! Visit the estate at 139 Sagg Road in Sagaponack – on average they’re open until 7 PM.
*All pictures were taken my my brother, a budding photographer with a new blog that you should check out if you’re interested – www.f-stopnyc.com
And for good measure, here’s a pic of me goofing around, polishing off all of our glasses…
STYLE//Fall Shoe Finds
Around this time every year I begin to migrate from my beat up flip flops (I have literally had the same trusty pair of Havaianas for 8 years) to my Fall/Spring shoe of choice; the ballet flat. It’s also around this time that I begin frantically pulling out every pair, realizing that I have irreparably worn through the soles and sides of each one.
I don’t know if it’s just me but I manage to wear through a pair of flats in approximately one season. Thus, I begin researching new options come labor day. Below are my favorite findings. Since my Fall wardrobe consists of wearing jeans and a tee every day, I rarely ever go for anything too basic in the shoe department. So if you’re more of a plain jane this post is probably not applicable to you. Enjoy!
These Louboutins are the gem of my imaginary Fall shoe collection. I’ve splurged for designer shoes in the past but for some reason I’ve never been drawn to the legendary red sole until now. These shoes are calling to me and I’ve been visiting them online a lot recently. I’m hoping that any day soon an anonymous donor will swoop in and generously gift them to me! If you’re fortunate enough to be in the market, they’re available here.
Anyone who knows me knows I love a glittery shoe. They make day-to-night outfits a cinch. This pretty little number is available at JCREW on sale!
I fell in love with this Opening Ceremony pair upon seeing them in the September issue of Bazaar. The color and velvety texture scream Fall to me. Find them here.
Like I said, I rarely go for basic but if I do opt for a simple black shoe I’d like a pair like these which have an interesting stirrup detail. Plus I do love a good Mary Jane – I think they’re pretty much timeless. Find these at TopShop here.
Lastly, Sue London’s are possibly the most comfortable flats I’ve ever worn. Last year I invested in silver, this year I think I’ll spring for the hot pink. Available on the Sue London website.
LIFE//Sometimes Blogging Ain’t Easy!
When I saw this image this morning it just called to me. There are days when I have so many things that I want to share and other days where it just doesn’t come quite as easily. If you too have a blog then I’m sure you have felt this way before as well!
via hypeofmusic.com
ART//Portraits by Elizabeth Dyer
via elizabethdyer.ca
So we cannot tell a lie. We worked late tonight and missed the opening of Miles’ show at Half Gallery. It was rainy too which never helps!
We are feeling a little nostalgic and started to think about the show we put on in Chelsea exactly two years ago. The exhibition, “In Your Face: Portraits by Young International Artists” (the first and only show by Nikki Cohen Enterprise) featured several artists all dealing with portraiture.
We decided to start featuring some of these artists on the gamine because we still LOVE them. Megan Cedro was in the show as well!
Tonight we want to feature Elizabeth Dyer who we were introduced to by a friend from graduate school. Her work is immediately arresting. Her delicate portraits are powerful and full of life. She brought her works down from Canada for our show and everyone who saw them was drawn in by their beauty. Some of the works are painted directly on gorgeous wall paper while others are leave the canvas bare–we love her use of materials. She also takes commission. Check out her website here.
via elizabethdyer.ca
via elizabethdyer.ca
via elizabethdyer.ca
STYLE//End of Summer Style Cues: Sailor Knots
You’d have to have your head in the sand not to notice that the nautical trend is in full swing this summer. Just this morning as I was grocery shopping I must have seen four girls in b & w striped St. James Sailor Shirts.
I’ve seen all different takes on the sailor knot too – from bracelets to necklaces and headbands – but these lovely dip-dyed rope necklaces from Tanya Aguiniga are by far my favorite. They’re made from unraveled cotton rope and come in the subtlest of gray tones. I’d like to pair one of these with my white cotton maxi-dress and a denim jacket for one of our end-of-summer soirees.
LIFE//Watermelon Hearts
Now I know it doesn’t take a genius to whip these up but I just loved the idea. As predictable as I am, I don’t know if I will ever grow out of this phase of loving the girliest of things, i.e. anything relating to hearts, clouds, bubbles, balloons, and especially Will Cotton who wraps it all up into one amazing package!
I’m thinking this might be the perfect simple labor day appetizer for when we have our friends and family over for a bbq at the beach!
Image via penloon.tumblr.com
ART//Miles (from Work of Art) at Half Gallery
This is a just a quick heads up that Miles Mendenhall (a runner up in Bravo’s Work of Art) is exhibiting at judge Bill Power’s Half Gallery. We will definitely be at this show and we will report back. So mark your calendar for the opening this Tuesday, August 24 from 6-8 pm.
See you there!
Check out some works from the show below from everyone’s favorite OCD-overtired-witty-artists’ artist. They look to be in the vein of his final exhibition on the show.
via halfgallery.com
via halfgallery.com
via halfgallery.com
