A few fun things for your summer New York list, from food and culture to fabrics and walks in the park.
Mood Fabrics
Recently, I had an itch to get creative one weekend, so naturally popped into Mood Fabrics in the New York City’s Garment District . It’s definitely an experience to peruse through the jersey knits and buttons and feathers and other embellishments…a mecca for crafters, if you will!
Oficina Latina
Next up is Oficina Latina in SoHo (with a 2 for 1 happy hour!) where author, Christine Reilly, joined us for our very own Q+A! Such a pleasure to get the point of view of the person behind the words. The book is a beautifully written tale about a family living in NYC, and covers themes ranging from strong family bonds, to mental illness, to the tough topic of what happens to a family if one of the children gets a life-threatening disease. It’s deep, but lyrical and filled with a lot of Heart.
Walks in Central Park
Summer seemed to sneak up on us early this month, and I’ve been enjoying every single second of it with daily walks in Central Park. There’s always something fun to see if you keep your eyes peeled, and the other day I came across this pretty painting of a bridge, but no artist in sight!
UWS For Vegetarian Tasting
Another idea is to dovetail on the UWS who has the most amazing vegetarian tasting menu on Monday evenings. If you’re not a vegetarian but your partner (or friend) is, have no fear! They also offer a “Vegetable Focused” menu, which lets you get your greens, with some meat, too. What I really love about this place is that every month the tasting menu changes, so you essentially get a completely different experience the next time you dine there. I have a feeling this is going to be one of my regular spots!
The Bosnian Film Festival
Ahhh, yes, the oh so fun Bosnian Film Festival happened this month! I’ve been working behind the scenes with them for a few months now, and was so proud of the way everything got pulled together! There were a ton of great films this year, but one I particularly enjoyed was a film called Tigers–it was directed by a Bosnian (Danis Tanovic), and was based on a true story about what happens in 3rd world countries when formula is pushed on new moms (instead of nursing), and the water supply they mix the formula with is filthy, which obviously tears apart the tiny newborns’ systems…causing sickness and death. Heartbreaking and powerful…a reminder of what positive change art forms can have when they address serious social issues.
Salinas in Chelsea
If you’re a Spanish wine and tapas fan, check out Salinas in Chelsea. We went for dinner and I have been thinking about the Mozarabe drenched in honey-olive oil butter (pictured below) ever since.
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
