A Spring Afternoon at Old Westbury Gardens
There’s something timeless about walking through Old Westbury Gardens on a warm spring day. Located on Long Island, just a short drive from the city, the estate is a beautifully preserved slice of Gilded Age history. Once the home of John S. Phipps, a financier and member of the prominent Phipps family. The mansion and gardens were built in 1906, and today are open to the public, offering one of the most elegant and peaceful day trips you can take in the area. The grounds were alive with spring color. Tulips bloomed in organized rows and natural drifts—classic reds, soft pinks, buttery yellows. Daffodils and hyacinths added bursts of white, violet, and blue, their sweet fragrance lingering in the air. Along the paths, you could hear birds everywhere, and I was lucky enough to spot a couple of cardinals and robins. It was also the first time in my life ever seeing lizards in New York City. They were roaming all around the garden, and I was happy to learn that they are beneficial to gardens, as they primarily eat insects including those garden pests that ruin plants and flowers.
North Channel Beach in Jamaica Bay
North Channel Beach offers a quiet escape right within city limits. Tucked along the edge of Jamaica Bay, it’s an unexpectedly peaceful spot with wide-open views of the water and sky. From the shoreline, you can watch the sunset stretch across the bay, casting warm light over the channels and marshes. I remember driving down to this little spot as a kid with my parents, parked in our cars as the planes flew closely by, watching fishermen and women, kayaks and small boats all around. It's a busy world away from the busy boroughs that surround it.
Recipe: Braised Brisket, the Low and Slow Legend Returns
I don’t always come across brisket at my local supermarket, so when I spotted a gorgeous cut sitting there like it was waiting for me, I couldn’t pass it up. It has been years since I last made brisket at home, but I had to stick with my tried-and-true method: a slow oven braise with vegetables, herbs, tomato paste and beef broth that promises a rich, deeply flavorful gravy that develops as the meat cooks low and slow.
Winter Solstice, “Holidaze” and the Thrill of a New Year
December begins and suddenly life is going fast-forward straight to New Years Eve, to the end of the year when we’re all toasting to making it over the imaginary finish line. This year I promised myself to stay organized and avoid the holiday rush, the stress. I finished almost all of my Christmas shopping weeks before the 24th, met all my deadlines and thankfully kept all of my social commitments despite a couple of curveballs. My life and home have been in a state of positive disruption ever since the month got started. I spent the second weekend in December purging more than half of my closet and decided to look closely at how much unnecessary I was living with and rid myself of the non-essentials. A lot of Doechii, a lot of Grupo Niche. I was preparing to welcome the new year with a clean and tidy home and lots of positivity.
Recipe: The Perfect Tiramisu
Likely my family’s favorite dessert, Tiramisu is the one I’ve practiced making most of all, and I like to believe I’ve perfected the recipe that my family loves so much. As a New Yorker, and Colombian coffee enthusiast, this dessert expertly covers the textures and flavors that I so love.
November: Apples, Cinnamon and Gratitude
A drought warning was declared for New York City for the first time in two decades and it has been unusually warm for weeks. Novembers in New York are significantly less frigid now, but everyone is still fighting the urge to play Mariah Carey and jokes about pumpkin spice lattes abound. There’s no fighting the holiday hum. Everything seems to go in warped speed after November 1st, until I catch my breath on December 31st and hope for the best in the coming year. This time, I wanted to enjoy these moments worth remembering while they happen. One of my dearest friends offered to host a Friendsgiving at her place which was an amazing opportunity to spend time with my girlfriends. I’ve made it a goal to make more time to see my friends, all of them — especially those that have been in my life for so many years. Twenty years of friendship, baby! I love these girls like family. But first up, was Thanksgiving with my family.
October, My Muse and Moment of Magic
October has always been my favorite month, not just because it’s my birth month, but because it feels like everything aligns perfectly: the crisp air, golden light, the scent of cinnamon, apple, and pumpkin weaving through every bakery and cafe. New York City thrives wrapped in the warmth of autumn. Halloween’s creeping closer, it’s peak farmers market season and there’s that sense of joyful anticipation in the air.
I prefer to keep my birthday plans simple, understated. I find applying less pressure on having fun actually turns out to be more joyful for me. So I figured the best way to kick off the month would be with one of my favorite things: an outdoor show, surrounded by my best friends. The show promised the kind of electric energy I was craving, and it didn’t disappoint. Kaytranada, Channel Tres, and Sam Gellaitry put together a 4-hour DJ set that was an electric collaborative dance party. The music flowed through the crowd like an unstoppable current, pulling everyone in, bodies moving in rhythm together synced to the pulse of the universe. Losing myself in the music, in the atmosphere, in the joy of being there with the people I love most, I felt grateful for life and another year around the sun.
KAYTRANADA Timeless Tour 2024, with Channel Tres, Sam Gellaitry @Forest Hills Stadium
I had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to see KAYTRANADA live since at least 2016 when 99% dropped. I thought it finally was the right time four years ago, until the Corona virus happened and the tour was canceled. Which is why as soon as I saw he was doing a Timeless tour and performing at one of my favorite small stadiums in NYC, I had to buy tickets immediately. Sold out back-to-back Friday and Saturday nights’ shows, I knew we were in for a very good time.
Summer of Mulberry, Bettica Jugíto de Mora
There are few things I’ve enjoyed as much as I have re-watching the original worldwide success that was Betty La Fea. Growing up in the 2000’s, there was no escaping the show since it went on to be adapted in close to 20 different countries, each using the basic set up: an “ugly” but brilliantly intelligent woman succeeding in a beauty-driven industry, as a springboard to tell decidedly local stories to each country.
Virginia is for Lovers (And Memories)
After couple of years before we got married, my husband and I took a long weekend trip to Virginia Beach. It was a random day trip even back then, but it’s a coastal city that has always been dear to me. This summer, it seemed daunting trying to land on a destination to celebrate our Anniversary. We always agree that we should have considered getting married during any other month but August. August is hot, muggy, and uncomfortable. August is peak hurricane season, and everything is booked everywhere and everyone is busy there. It’s the crunch right before summer ends and all of us are desperate to enjoy the last sliver that remains.
Old Souls, New Pretzels, and a Whiff of History
Considering the proximity between our cities, I’m surprised the first time I’d actually visit Philadelphia wouldn’t be until this summer. I expected similarities given the endless comparisons between the two, but the history displayed throughout so many parts of the city felt distinct to New York’s. Unique to itself, the bustle between streets above and underground during rush hour felt familiar, but not as much as the smell of burnt pretzels wafting through the streets.