This is September and I’m supposed to be excited about Fall/Winter ’10 Fashion. Honestly I’m not inspired. The shows echoed the same trends they have the past 4 seasons. 80’s, 60’s circa Mad Men, Classicism, Knitwear. Don’t get me wrong I love fashion & I have already purchased a new pair of boot cut trousers! (Yea! They’re back!) But isn’t there more?
Recently I saw Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts (Mediocre, spent too much time in India, Julia is luminous as always, Viola Davis & James Franco’s talents are wasted.) and it started me thinking. Everyone’s journey isn’t about finding yourself chanting to a cold looking Indian woman while flies swarm around you. Some of us want to Eat, Pray and Love in other ways. Since this is my blog we’re going to CONSUME, WORSHIP & STALK with joie de vivre!
EAT
Tender Greens with 4 locations, 2 in LA & 1 in San Diego, and a 5th opening in Walnut Creek, is becoming the hippest, healthiest restaurant chain on the planet. The owners describe it as comfortably urban and the majority of the produce comes directly from farms here in California.
Magnolia Bakery in New York is my happy place. Since 1996 they have been open at the legendary Bleecker St. location. 4 NYC locations later, they have finally opened in LA’s Beverlywood neighborhood on the corner of 3rd & Orlando Av. Have the carrot cake cupcake. It’s all about the cream cheese frosting!
Cafe Gitane in NYC’s Nolita is one of my fave coffee houses in the world. Yes, Nolita can be a lil too hipster but Cafe Gitane is a lil slice of Paris sitting right next to Sigerson Morrison. Grab a bite from it’s French-Moroccan inspired menu but really it’s about having a great glass of Bordeaux or the perfect cafe au lait.
San Diego’s Cucina Urbana, in the heart of Banker’s Hill is becoming not just a neighborhood fave but a city-wide sensation. With a comfy interior and delicious hearty Italian food prepared by Chef Joe Magnanelli it mixes Old World with hip new dining trends like using organic produce and sustainable products. Be sure to check out their monthly Winemakers Series.
My vote for best Happy Hour goes to The London Hotel located in West Hollywood. The hotel is gorgeous & super stylish. Happy Hour includes $5 gourmet bites and $5 glasses of Veuve Cliquot! $5 people! And yes, Gordon Ramsay of Hell’s Kitchen created the menu.
PRAY
We all have our own deities so I’m not even gonna try & tackle religion. God, Allah, Shiva…Pick one and believe. We all have to worship something. For some it’s not religion it’s the relentless search for perfection. And for others, it’s a new Madonna.
The Art Of Fitness in Laguna Beach operates by the credo “your body is a work of art. Let The Art of Fitness make it a masterpiece.” In this ocean front gym you can spin, lift weights with a personal trainer, or increase your flexibility through yoga or Pilates and even expand your mind with guided meditation or massage. Oh yes, there is a world class spa on site.
I don’t wanna be all name-droppy but at Easton Gym I’ve seen Patrick Dempsey, Eva Mendes and Dominic Monaghan working out. Yeah you can do Crunch or 24 Hour Fitness, both of which are basically sex shops. You can even do Gold’s and hang with a bunch of steroid-ed out meat-heads. Or you can spend an arm, leg & lung to work out at Equinox in order to “get discovered.” But if you really want a great work out, at a great gym with a neighborhood feel, at a great price, Easton is the place.
The Pilates Room in San Diego is a great place to learn. Devotees of Pilates claim the exercise lengthens muscle, strengthens and tones your core, & and liken it to yoga because the method uses the mind to control the muscles. Because Pilates requires a Pilates Reformer (the machine you work out upon) and a trainer, it can be pricey. Not at The Pilates Room where they offer group classes that are limited to 6 people. They also offer one-on-one training and mat classes for killer abs.
Saying that Lady GaGa has taken the music world by storm is an understatement. Since the release of her debut album 2008’s The Fame Lady GaGa has sold an estimated 13 million albums and 51 million singles worldwide. Fast forward 2 years and both Time and Forbes magazines have included her on their lists of the 100 Most Influential People. But those are just stats. Not since Madonna has one artist held the attention of music fans. And if you don’t believe that go to any gay bar, in any city, in the World. I bet a Lady GaGa song is playing right now. And her fans are dancing and singing along even if they don’t speak English. That’s devotion.
LOVE
Who understands that thing? You know, love. What is it? An emotion? A virtue? An action & a feeling? I know I’m not in love with any one right now. And that’s fine because the pursuit of love can be very fun. Here are 4 things I’m finding, well, lovable.
Marc Jacobs Bang is MJ’s new fragrance. Marc Jacobs is a gay icon and an iconic designer. From his legendary grunge collection for Perry Ellis which got him fired but changed fashion, to his eponymous collections that are always on the must have lists of fashionistas all over the globe, to his work as Creative Director at Louis Vuitton which has given a grand old fashion house new life, Marc Jacobs is one of the greatest designers of all time.
Nikita is the CW’s newest action show. It’s a story we’ve heard before; beautiful young girl is forced by shadowy government agency to become a spy/assassin. Yes, the original La Femme Nikita was a kinda hot & sexy French movie. Of course the American version gave us bland Bridget Fonda in one of the most unbelievable performances ever. Now we have a TV series based on the movies. What’s cool about this? Maggie Q, the star. How many American TV shows have featured a female Asian lead? Gorgeous and bad ass, after honing her craft in action movies with Tom Cruise, Jackie Chan & Bruce Willis, it’s about time for Maggie’s close-up & star turn.
And last but by no means least Eat, Pray, Love the book, not the movie. The book has been on the NY Times Best Sellers List for 158 weeks. Oprah loved it. And obviously a whole lot of people love it too. And darn it after seeing the movie I marched myself over to Borders to see if I shall love it too. It’s sitting on a stack of books that includes The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Running With Scissors & Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I’ll get to it. I promise. M*