very simple

I’ve been hunting for a new morning coffee spot, due to the fact that the cafe I pretty much lived at during my unemployment has gone drastically downhill in the past few weeks. Things ranging from price increases to the fact that they didn’t have any sugar one morning, not to mention the bathroom being out of service for several weeks, have made me long for a change of pace. And then my dad reminded me that there’s a Le Pain Quotidien right in the center of Central Park. Now, I can generally take or leave LPQ as an establishment, but this particular setting was perfect. I spent about an hour over there this morning (during leash-free park hours, so the place was somewhat overrun by very adorable free-ranging dogs), and I can safely say that I’ve found my new spot. At least while it’s nice out, since it’s all outdoor seating.

As a bonus, this is my view walking to and from the cafe/my apartment.

I’m pretty sure I’ve given up the ghost on the 365 project (again), but I’m still taking pictures when the mood strikes. I’m going to blame it on the fact that I’ve got a new job (finally) and that’s taking up a lot of my brain-space now, which I view as a good thing. Getting paid doesn’t hurt either. But, in any event, I headed up to the family compound in the Berkshires for memorial day weekend, and took some pics of the burgeoning spring/summer flora and fauna. As always, click on the thumbnail to see the full photos.

The first tulip to burst through, while all the surrounding ones are still in their pre-bloom stage

one of the many, many birdhouses that my parents have scattered around. Maybe next time I go up, I’ll do a whole photo series of their collection (most of which are purely indoor decorative items).

I took this in an attempt to show off the macro feature of my fancy camera lens to…someone.

up in the berkshires two weeks ago, things were very slowly, in very small ways, starting to bloom.

I actually heard this before I saw it, but it was instantly recognizable. I don’t know whether it’s restored or a replica, but I just love all forms and homages to the Shelby Cobra. My dad had one back when I was in high school/college, but his was bright red. Completely impractical, given the fact that you could drive it about three days a year (the combination of no roof and inability to park it anywhere safe was a bit of a limitation), it was still the talk of the town whenever we actually left the house in it. My favorite part about ours? The 5-point restraint harnesses instead of seat belts.

This here is a perfectly poured cup of espresso. Let’s see Starbucks do that!

The first thing I should note is that, on the day I took this picture, it was cloudy and pouring rain outside. That’s before we get to the fact that this is occurring inside a not-well lit coffee shop. So clearly, the giant black wraparound sunglasses are an essential wardrobe choice.

This kid was so enjoying his bagel and cream cheese that he managed to give himself a full handlebar mustache in the process.

By the way, mustache is one of those words that keeps looking wrong even when I’ve double-checked the spelling in the dictionary.