a rekindled love affair

I just returned last night from my first trip back to NYC after I left nearly 1 year ago. It was a whirlwind. The minute I got off the plane it was nonstop, go, go, go. But that's how the city is- and I squeezed in as much as I could in my 6 day vacation. I saw old friends, met new ones, went to a Kylie Minogue concert, celebrated Cinco de Mayo, had lunch at Tiffany's and dinner at Barney's, ate Magnolia cupcakes, enjoyed pizza nearly everyday, wandered around aimlessly on 5th Avenue, stumbled onto live jazz in Central Park, and ventured into Brooklyn to see old roommates and check out the flea market. It was absolutely delightful, despite the abnormally chilly weather for May; it was a nice respite from the sticky Miami summer heat. While visiting NYC is different from living there, I definitely rekindled my love for it. I was dragging my feet so much when it came time to leave yesterday that I missed my flight... I will definitely be back soon for another love affair with this wonderful city.

all above photos taken with iPhone 3Gs and enhanced with Instagram and CameraBag apps

when one door closes, another opens

This past week marked the end of one chapter in my life, and the beginning of another. While it was weird and even a bit sad to leave my emptied Brooklyn apartment and all the memories, and roommates that went with it, I'm excited to see what Miami has in store for me. So below are some photos taken during my last week of running around having fun in the big apple, and a letter I wrote on the subway one day. It was a nice release and helped me say goodbye to NYC.New York,
I love you. It's more than the average girl's infatuation with the magical and seductive appeal of your bright lights, signature skyline, and bustling streets. It's a kind of tough love that can only be experienced by those who've lived and endured the trials of a relationship with you. Visitors and tourists have their own ideal of you in their mind, which is what keeps them coming back for more. But to truly live in this magical, spell-binding city, which I've found most anyone and everyone claims to want to do, is to see her in another light. I've seen the good, the bad, the ugly, and the fashionable. The glamor, sex, drugs, and hipster indie rock. You take one from a naive, unprepared adolescent, chew them up, and spit them back out as a cynical, mature adult. But by working three other menial jobs to barely make ends meet, it brings to light what one's priorities are and how much of your soul you're willing to give to get it. The city, and its youth-ridden Brooklyn counterpart, is full of dream chasers. It's an exhausting, larger-than-life machine that works you to the bone. How you come out on the other end is what you take with you from that relationship. Like other prior relationships, you still carry emotional baggage, invaluable memories, cynicism, wisdom, and lessons learned from mistakes made. For me, I realized that I'm not the kind of person who feels the end justifies the means. I endured the struggle, experienced the hustle, and don't see the need to continue to do so for the rest of my transition to adulthood. Until I can support myself, have a job I love, and live the dream New York life I want, I'll leave the hustling to the next batch of Williamsburg's hipster imports. We had a good run, New York, and my life is all the richer for it. Thanks for showing me all of your greatness, your beauty, and the flaws that come with it. Because there is no such thing as perfection, our time together was perfectly imperfect. For now, I'm going back to a former flame- Miami. But after I take care of some unfinished business there, who knows what the cards have in store for us. So this is goodbye. For now.

Love,
Chelsea

Hung Chains

This was a shoot I did last weekend in Brooklyn's Dumbo area right by the water and bridges. It was early evening as the sun was setting, and with such an amazing view, how could we do any wrong? The pictures came out great and the team was awesome to work with! Hung Chains is a new designer team that creates updated, more hip holders for your glasses and sunglasses around your neck. I got to keep a pair and I've been rocking them all around New York! I love the concept and look of them. Here are the pictures for their Spring-Summer 2010 collection.

Prospect Ave Pizza-makers

Friday nights in my family have traditionally been pizza & movie night. It's just kind of how Friday nights should be. And while I have been having my fair share of pizza since moving to NYC, the combo of pizza and a movie on a Friday night has been lacking. However, this past weekend that was corrected. My roommates and I collaborated with our upstairs neighbors to make a veggie pizza, some pasta, and watch a flick. There's just something fun and comforting in making your own pizza- the freedom of choice, ability to experiment with toppings, its imperfections, and sheer deliciousness in knowing it came straight from oven to plate. Below is a picture of the finished product- and funny thing is, we actually ended up doing another pizza-making night the following evening at our friends' housewarming party. Things got a little too experimental as the night went on and beers were had, with people throwing on banana, avocado, and all sorts of weird oddities. I wish I had snapped a few pictures of those creations.

My Park

Last Sunday was spent lazing around in my Brooklyn apartment. I thoroughly enjoyed doing so and not having anywhere to be at any time because lately I've been running around so much, to and from the city, it gets exhausting. And that's what Sundays are for, right? After a wonderful Sunday brunch at home and some blog browsing, I went to visit my park- Prospect Park. It's kind of the Central Park of Brooklyn since it's the next largest and is just as picturesque. In fact it's so huge it has lots of sports grounds, nature trails, ponds for paddle boats/ice skating, playgrounds, a carousel, and even its own zoo. When I first moved into my apartment over the summer and discovered the park 2 blocks away, I spent much of my time exploring, jogging, and picknicking there. But as the fall and winter months crept in and brought on the chill (as well as the fact I was overseas for most of fall), my visits there became far and few in between. With the exception of a night-time sledding venture to the park a few weeks ago during the blizzard with my roommates (which was actually a magical experience since I felt like I was in Narnia), I have not been able to brave the cold and visit the snow-covered grounds. However Sunday was an exception since it was relatively warm out-- look at me, a Floridian, calling barely 40 degrees "warm", I guess I'm adjusting. Everyone else seemed to be taking advantage of this too as I saw lots of life and energy fill the park- families walking, athletes biking and jogging, children playing at the playground, couples sitting on benches, dogs with their owners, and solo park-goers like myself.
The park is a place where I can find some quietude, feel in my element, and get my dose of nature that I lack going back and forth into Gotham city- where ubiquitous skyscrapers overshadow the busy streets and there's a constant hustle and bustle. I'm anxiously awaiting the coming months when I can watch the remnants of winter's harshness gradually melt away and blossom into spring.

On the walk home, I snapped a few shots of the gorgeous brownstones... I wouldn't mind living in one.

Who wouldn't want to come home to that entrance everyday?