a lovely backyard (not mine)

on a sunny day not so long ago, lizzy and i were practicing chinese in this lovely backyard, which belongs not to me but to albero dei gelati. that place is full of surprises. for months, i thought that they only had gelato. organic, sustainable, and addictively delightful gelato, mind you, but just gelato. then winter came, and they put up a sign in the gelato window telling me that i could go inside for gelato. well, once i went inside, i got a lot more than gelato.

it was a gorgeous spring day, unlike today.

i got, like, three kinds of tuppo (which they kindly explained was italian brioche): chocolate, cream, and raisin/honey. then i spotted some focaccia pizza, which i added to my bag. i'm pretty sure i also got some sort of tiramisu, but at this point, who can remember? (numerous subsequent visits have blurred my precise memory of that first foray indoors.)  then i discovered that they had really good frittatas that come on a platter with all kinds of other things like cheese and bread and salad. anyway, enough about the food (for this is not a food blog), and onto the backyard. this was the newest surprise from albero dei gelati. 

pockets of green are always especially enchanting in a city, and this backyard enchanted my pants off. the pots of herbs on the yellow shelf are cute, but look at those tables! they are salad tables! i mean, what more can i say? and that green fence is pretty cool too. 

i'm intrigued by the idea of putting a ladder (see below) in our yard so that i too can have hanging plants. but then i remember my paranoia about people rappelling (or if i had a ladder, climbing) into our subterranean yard. also, would it crash to the ground on a windy day and squash all my flowers? i also think about what would happen if a bird/squirrel died after descending into the yard. but you know, that's not really on topic so if you want to hear my thoughts on that, you can ask in the comments.

the ladder that sparked my paranoid trains of thought. it looks great there, though. 

the space was definitely conducive to expanding one's linguistic repertoire, and also to eating, drinking, and general relaxation. they also have wifi. i can't wait until the weather clears up so i can go back. what is "gelato" in chinese? lizzy? anyone? 

in addition to the salad tables, you can sit in this bright corner...

..or at these ikea green tables.

the plant sale!

the brooklyn botanic gardens had its annual plant sale this week. the weather was totally uncooperative (i.e., gusty winds and flash floods), but it cleared on the last day so i went to check it out. i'm glad i didn't let my laziness get the better of me, because it was awesome. i know my love of plants is old news, but i get seriously giddy around all this green. 

plants on plant on plants.

i really wanted to eat that rainbow chard right then and there.

it's almost better than the regular gardens, because if i like it, i can have it. (within reason.) the bbg sale was a lot cheaper than going to a regular nursery. there were a bunch of japanese maples, red clumping bamboo, peony bushes, loads of herbs and lettuces, succulents and orchids, and hundreds of other plants i have yet to make friends with.

a big bowl of hens and chicks. 

also, they had these little red wagons in lieu of shopping carts! it was cute to see all the little old ladies pulling these radio flyers around. i kind of want one now. they seem handy for all kinds of things. 

my little red wagon of plants: blue grama grass, coleus, lemon-scented geranium, and yarrow. 

this yarrow (achillea) has fuzzy fronds.

this geranium is deliciously lemony.

thanks for coming along, sarah! who wants to go next year? 

the giant tent, set up on the cherry esplanade. 

brooklyn botanic gardens

our family adventure continued to the brooklyn botanic gardens on sunday. 

under the flight path.

clusters of trees have begun to blossom in parts of the gardens; the daffodils and tulips are already in full bloom. it wasn't crazy crowded, since it's not yet time for the cherry blossom festival. ("it's next week," said the security guard to a couple of disappointed women, kimono-clad, at the gates.)  

the gardens were lovely, and i'll be back in a couple of weeks after the madness of sakura matsuri. (there's going to be an amazing plant sale!) but man, the bonsai. i could have stayed in the c.v. starr bonsai museum all day. i love miniatures and i love plants, so obviously, bonsai drive me crazy (in a good way). sadly, i have never been able to keep one alive, so it's a good thing i now have a membership so i can visit it anytime i want. (all the time.)

prunis x subhirtella. a miniature version of the ones outside.

zelkova serrata 'makino'. the scale of this tree is perfect: tiny leaves to go with the tiny trunk and branches. some of the other bonsai have normal-sized leaves on miniature trunks, which is just not as impressive. 

have a great week!

around here

i spend most weekends in brooklyn, but i don't get out as much as i should. hhh's hermit-like tendencies can be contagious, and the god-awful winter didn't help. and when i do leave the house, it's often to eat. (restaurants are the best destinations. after eating, i can sometimes be persuaded to see other sights.) but my aunt and uncle are visiting from taiwan, and i am using the occasion to see all the things within ten miles of my apartment that i (shamefully) have not visited in years (or ever). 

DUMBO's view of manhattan bridge

on saturday, we headed through brooklyn bridge park, into DUMBO, over the bridge and then wandered through the financial district, up to canal street. it was only four hours, but traveling through these neighborhoods on foot reminded me that i wanted to get a hold of the new york nobody knows, by cuny-based sociologist william helmreich. he took four years to walk all of new york city's 6,000 miles. (every. single. block.) out of curiosity, i had picked up goodbye to all that: writers on loving and leaving new york, but am unswayed by their stories. maybe it's just because i'm not yet ready to go. helmreich's book is about a man's love of this city, and i love new york in any season but winter. it's looking like good reading for a city summer. 

in the shadow of brooklyn bridge

manhattan looks good from here.

springtime baby party

this weekend, we hosted a baby party for our friends madeline and brandon. madeline is a friend from my hric days, where we bonded over binder-making and other ngo delights. and she is british, which makes her classier than all the rest of us. brandon is a super tall and super nice dude from ohio, who ran in the nyc marathon and sings in bars. 

some handmade (not by me) crepe paper elephants. 

baby-appropriate bunting. 

they had the great idea of doing a time capsule, and asked guests to bring something from the present to "show a future human being what life was like before he got here." baby elliott miller will get to open it in 2030. there were also some pretty talented onesie-makers, who have ensured that baby e.m. will be stylishly clothed. (unfortunately i didn't get any photos!)  

quiches. 

cupcakes with tiny flags.

congratulations, madeline and brandon! hope you enjoyed your party. xoxo

brandon gives two thumbs up. 

madeline, hua and nick at the grill. 

above: amy and nina (who loves fruit).

left: friends enjoying food!