Ace of Cakes

Yesterday was my friend Alex's birthday, and we all made up lies and pretended to be too busy to hang out. So she was super bummed, but really we had an elaborate plan cooked up with a restaurant week dinner in Little Italy and drinks at a favorite bar. But the icing on the cake (literally) was this cake I picked up at Lexington Market! (Not exactly a Charm City Cake aka Ace of Cakes). I have to say the naked woman cake was much more interesting than the man in the thong cake (also note that I did not special order this cake - there were several just waiting to be bought). Seriously though, can you get cakes like these anywhere or is it just a Baltimore thing?

Totally unrelated, but I recently saw a post on the lovely blog Perfectbound [studio] about the site meter they added, so with a little guidance from them (thanks ladies!) I added my own. Here I am thinking my parents and a few friends are the only ones reading my blog. Man, was I wrong! Thanks to everyone who stops by, and from all around the world! Also, welcome to everyone who found me via the Budget Travel blog map post yesterday.

Coffee Culture

One of the most charming things about Paris (and much of Europe) are the cafes. Armed with chairs facing the street, cafes are not just about eating, drinking and socializing, but most importantly, people watching. Time just seems to slow down.

I remember hearing when I was a student in Paris five years ago of the looming invasion of Starbucks. First there was one, and then there were a handful. I couldn't help but cringe by the fact that their arrival - from the Fast Food Nation - could single handedly have the potential to change one of the best things about French culture. Until Starbucks, a coffee in a to-go cup was pretty much unheard of in France. But what would this do to cafe culture? (luckily, I think cafe culture has lived on, but now they've banned smoking in cafes...but that's a whole other topic).

And as if there weren't already a Starbucks on every American street corner, one of the reports I heard on the Today show this fall, was that the chain (who does do wonderful things, give employee benefits and practices good design) was set to double their locations. Ugh! What about the little guys and mom & pop shops? That being said, and maybe it's just me, but I was so glad to see this article in the New York Times yesterday about a local Kansas City joint outlasting the neighboring Starbucks (which is set to close). Haven't corporations heard about too much of a good thing, and more doesn't necessarily make things better?

One thing is for sure- Starbucks are the best free public restrooms around!

The New York [check] List

2008 is my "Year of the List" so I figured it was high time to check some things off the growing to-do list.

• New Museum (see yesterday)
• Kelly & Ping for noodles with Grace (yay! finally!) in Soho
• Chelsea Market (the former National Biscuit Company with a fabulous interior of industrial meets decay)
• The "best espresso in town" (according to Quinzio, or in my case, hot chocolate)
• Paula Scher map paintings at Maya Stendhal Gallery (GREAT show, extended two weeks)
• Small, but stylish Sartorialist exhibition at Danzinger Projects
• Amazing journals and prints of Dan Eldon:the Journey is the Destination (my hero!) at the Candela/Decker Gallery
• The make-shift memorial for Heath Ledger outside of his apartment (just happened upon this)
• Dinner with more friends in Park Slope at Song (super delicious and super cheap Thai)
• Drinks at the library-esque bar Union Hall (complete with their own bocce courts!)
• Hoboken (fabulous view of the city!)
• Ingo Mauer (cool show, now closed) at the mansion turned Cooper-Hewitt museum
• Playtime in Bedford Hills with my 3 first cousins once removed (so cute!)
  

Tip for the trip: Chinatown bus is only $35 roundtrip from Baltimore, Philly or DC- a complete steal (and only 3 hours - depending on traffic - from Bmore).

Next visit: Fuerzabruta and the Typographic Tour (when it's warmer), and maybe check out a thing or two on this Project Runway "guide" from Budget Travel. Yes, just when you think you've done it all, there's always more.

New Museum, New York

Lately visiting museums has become more about experiencing the space, than the art for me (definitely influenced by the fact that I work for architects). I loved all the details at the new[ly renovated] New Museum in New York from the mismatched chairs and tables in the cafe (and how the Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries installation behind it became part of the ambiance), the gorgeous tile "tapestry" walls in the bathroom (yes, I did photograph the bathroom) and the elegant white on white donor signage (I also do this for a living, so I appreciate when it's done well). It's worth a visit just for the scenic view (and designer chairs) on the 7th floor.

Face It

I have tons to share from my fun-filled weekend in The Big Apple, but first I thought I'd start off the week with this super-fun flickr pool called "sleeveface" that Felice sent me. How funny! Reminds me of the John Stezaker collages I saw at the New Museum . . . more on that tomorrow.

{above martindenny by guacamowa, Johnny by LolaBix and Phyllis Diller Laughs by Matt_Bailey on flickr}

Les Soldes

{The Sartorialist, Parisian style}

Paris, fashion capital of the world. Also, inventor of one of the coolest holidays ever: les soldes. Well, maybe not a holiday per se, but for six weeks every winter (Jan/Feb) and six weeks every summer (June/July) practically all of Paris is 50% off to make room for the next season's clothing lines. Brilliant (especially with the weak dollar right now). It also helps us laymen (like me) attempt to have a few moments of French chic that The Sartorialist - Scott Schuman - captures in his "street fashion" photographs.

The Sartorialist street style currently on show at Danzinger Projects in New York City through February 23. (via Cup of Joe)

Meet the World

Check out these amazing flags by Icardo Doria {Brazil and china above, Angola below}. The campaign, Meet the World, started in 2005 and uses real data from Amnesty International and the UN in the framework of existing flags for a powerful graphic representation of issues relevant to the country. More here. (Thanks, Reck!)

Kind of reminds me of something you'd see in GOOD magazine.

Poster Places

It's only Wednesday and I've already found myself riding the rails between Baltimore and DC twice this week. An easy ride, it's only about an hour between the two cities on Amtrak or (for a whopping $7) on the MARC commuter train. Every time I'm at Union Station I admire the fabulously classic posters by Michael Schwab {above and below}. I love the bold colors and sense of place to encourage train travel. Well done, Amtrak! Along the same lines, it's no secret that I love anything that encourages people to travel, so I was super excited this week when I checked Jennifer Hill's Places I Have Never Been blog and saw her latest project which was a special commission {below} for Tourism Vancouver. The visual and text she created make Vancouver a really intriguing place to visit. Click here to learn more about her design, and I suspect there will be more sketches and background research to come on her blog.
{Update: new post about what inspired the print here}.

So You Think You Can Dance?

For over a year now, my friends can tell you that my life has been scheduled around one thing- Body Jam. Every Tuesday and Wednesday you better have a damn good reason to tear me away from my pre-choreographed cardio dance class at the gym with my might-as-well-be-in-a-music-video rock star teacher (aka, the best gym class in the world; even Christiana in Cyprus takes the class!). And if that's not enough, I've been know to break out the moves in the streets of Baltimore and the clubs of New York.

What really started my love of the dance was a hip-hop dance class when I was a student in Paris. Studio Harmonic (pictured above) was my first encounter with a professional dance studio, and I figured, I'm in Paris, why not take a hip-hop class? It was kind of fabulous being in class with a thirty-something, a seven year old [boy] and a whole bunch of teenage girls, and not to have a clue what I was doing, and the added bonus of it being in French. As much as I loved my French rap, Choukri (who didn't speak English) much preferred the likes of Michael Jackson and "You Rock Rock My World." I returned to the class two years later when I was working in Paris, and now on every subsequent visit I make sure I'm in town for my Wednesday afternoon tous-niveau [all levels], 15 Euro, hour and a half hip-hop rendezvous. While the Louvre is great and all, I'd much rather experience the mundane rather than see what I'm "supposed" to see. And I have hip-hop to thank for teaching me that lesson.

A Year of Evenings

{3191: A Year of Evenings}

Nothing is better than when a project that starts out as something just-for-fun turns into something more. This fall I posted about the wonderful photoblog 3191: A Year of Mornings, by friends Stephanie and Mav who live 3,191 miles apart. Well, all of their hard work and creative efforts has paid off, and Princeton Architectural Press will be publishing a book full of their juxtaposed images of mornings throughout 2007 (due out sometime next fall). And the best part is, in 2008 the lovely ladies will be sharing "A Year of Evenings."

And speaking of photo projects, check out Andrew Nagl's (who took my design*sponge introduction shot) Project 365 with a new image every day.

Finally, Happy MLK Day! Here's a great NPR piece documenting the imagery (in murals) of Martin Luther King. (thanks, Lisa!)

Cartography

As I gear up for my map making workshop, here are a few of my favorite inspiration maps these days:{The HOW Design Conference poster designed Clifford Stoltze and team}

{ORK city posters- gotta love a good map and great typography . . via D*S}

{Transit Maps of the World by Mark Ovenden - I am such a geek, but I LOVE this book . . . more great info on the subject on the H&FJ blog}

{[Pentagram designer] Paula Scher's map paintings on display until January 26 at the Maya Stendhal Gallery in NYC . . . via Gothamist}

{Wall sized map from Urban Outfitters to plan my next route ... or I could really go for one of these old-school pull down maps}

And speaking of maps, check out this awesomely addictive Traveler IQ test! (Thanks for the tip, Stelios!).

Creative Juices

There's all sorts of fun, creative stuff happening around B'more to start the creative juices flowing. Here are just a few (feel free to post more in the comments):

• Book Making &/or Taxidermy [form] Sequin Book Ends (yes! you read that right, how fun[ky]!) workshops with Felice at AVAM.
• Contemplate...Create! collaborative workshops between the Walter's Art Museum & the Baltimore Museum of Art in conjunction with MICA (there's even one devoted to map making!).
• QuestFest international festival celebrating visual theatre January 14-27. Check out Nana Projects Magic Lantern Show & Eric Dyer Films at the Creative Alliance, or one of the many other performances at various venues around town.
• Roller Derby starts rolling again January 20th at Putty Hill Skateland.
  
• Introducing the Pantone GOE System at the Enoch Pratt library auditorium January 29th (sponsored by PGAMA).
• Stoop Storytelling "family secrets" February 11th at CENTERSTAGE.
  

Candy Day

Daily Candy is a (you guessed it, daily) email blast full of fashion, food and fun that arrives in your inbox with the latest and greatest of everything and anything (accompanied by sweet illustrations & includes special editions for major cities). Personally, the Wednesday, Travel edition is my favorite. Sign up here for your weekly surprise, from The 2008 To-Do List (I mean, 2008 is my year of the list) to Chitty Chitty Bangkok (which I forsee in my traveling future :-).

Philly Style

Ever since high school (and college) when I'd have [crew] races on the Schuylkill, Philly has become a yearly destination. These days three of my great friends live there and now I make it well beyond boathouse row and truly get to discover the city. I have the added bonus that Kyle is an urban planner (makes for a great tour guide), Lauren loves markets as much as I do, and Hanne shares my same love of art. Every time I visit they cook up something great for me. This time we substituted our annual visit to the Amish stand (in the back left corner of) Redding Terminal Market (Philly's version of [Baltimore's] Lexington Market] with a trip to the Italian Market full of outdoor produce stands and little markets (where we picked up some fresh mozzarella and homemade pasta for a delicious dinner) and brunch at Sabrina's Cafe.

We spent the afternoon in one of my favorite areas of Philly - the up and coming arts district, Northern Liberties. Art Star is a great gallery featuring many local [indie] artists (love the current show with animal screen-prints by Eleanor Grosch). I'm convinced I'm incapable of leaving the store without making a purchase. Our afternoon wasn't officially completely until a little phyical activity at the design forward North Bowl. I may have been the big loser, but at least I got to check out some great interiors. (Thanks, tourguides!)

P.S. In case you missed it, check out the latest D*S sneak peek of Ellen Lupton and Abbott Miller's Bolton Hill [Baltimore] home. I could totally live here!!!! (Some of you may recognize the dull version of their house from the movie Invasion).

Table Tennis Olympic Trials

As a kid I aspired to go to the Olympics (I think it was more so I could get a really cool warm up suit), but now I've settled for going to the Olympics as a spectator. That has yet to happen, but on Sunday I got one step closer. While in Philly I attended the Olympic Trials for table tennis. A spontaneous idea, it was possibly the best $10 I've ever spent. Watching the players serve the ball looked a bit like Harry Potter conjuring up a magic spirit (or in another case, Mr. Burns' creepy hands on The Simpsons), and them BAM the ball was off like a rubber band back and forth. Very impressive. There was some intense competition and the crowd was into it with roaring ooohs and aaahs at the end of each set. Unfortunately, despite the hype, 12 year old Ariel Hsing will not be representing the US in Beijing this summer (read more here). Other highlights included an old man in a suit not so covertly chugging beer out of a [clear] Poland Spring water bottle. Gotta love spectator sports - the crowd is just as exciting to watch!

Stay tuned for more Philly adventures tomorrow.

Art of the Stamp

Last night when I was in DC I saw the poster for "Trailblazers & Trendsetters: art of the stamp" outside the National Postal Museum (literally across the street from Union Station). Maybe it's just me (my best friend from high school who is now a lawyer-type stared at me strangely with my enthusiasm about it), but I'm really excited to go back and check it out when the museum is open. Nothing makes me happier than a piece of snail mail with a real stamp on it. Exhibit runs through June 2.

At one point growing up I aspired to design a postage stamp (another one of those inklings that I wanted to be a designer). The irony is that at stamps.com, now you can!

Kid at Heart

I was super excited when Joyce Hesselberth of Spur Design (one of my favorites) sent me the link to their new blog, Kid Baltimore. No, I don't have any kids, nor do I plan on having them anytime soon, so I guess I'm just a superfan of this new blog because I'm a kid at heart (and it features Baltimore in a positive light through family-friendly kid eyes). I'm sure a ton of adults would benefit from this site, seeing as they probably haven't been to half the places either. The posts are succinct and to the point, nicely featuring a variety of places and the activities to do at each place (that aren't necessarily your run of the mill responses). And the best part is that all the info is right there (including a link to mapquest directions). The comments are a great way to provide feedback, your own ideas and see what others are saying.

I was a huge fan of the adult version, but now Ellen and Julia Lupton (Ellen is Baltimore based, go Baltimore!) have done it again and come out with D.I.Y. Kids. Seeing as I used to wake my mom up at 6am as a kid because I wanted to "make something," I definitely could have used this book then. Fun for all ages, as far as I'm concerned.
To top of it, one of my favorite bloggers, Irene, of Bloesem, has just started a spin off blog, BloesemKids, featuring beautiful products just for kids. It's kind of amazing how much cool kid stuff is out there!

I'm a Little Sponge*

It's official! I'm the newest sponge in town. I've been working with Grace, as her intern for the last couple weeks, and I couldn't be happier! The first time I ever read design*sponge, I was in love, and now I'm a part of it!!! I'll be managing the sneak*peeks into artists and designers' homes, researching new artists (on etsy) and collaborating on all sorts of fun projects. Nothing else changes - my day job goes on, as does Prêt à Voyager ["Ready to Travel"] - I get to do it all! Check out my full introduction here.

And a special thanks goes out to my super talented photographer, Andrew Nagl (ahem, he's only 15!) for making me look like a star! Below is a picture I shot of him during our photo shoot in the alley behind Load of Fun. The pile of trash cracks me up! Ah, Baltimore. . .

Politics

Back in '04 there was a fascinating article in the New York Times called "What You See Is What You Get" comparing the logos of John Kerry and George W. Bush (make sure you click on the article graphic) . Since that article, I've been convinced the Bush won the election only because his logo had a better design (sending a stronger message). For the current election I love seeing how design and technology are being used to help get (especially young) people involved and interested in the election. The graphic above is from Facebook who has teamed up with ABC for election coverage and getting the word out. I'm definitely a fan of the simple graphics that Facebook has created and keeps updating to keep its users updated about news and events regarding the election.

Shop Berlin

The day I bought my ticket to Berlin last fall I saw a post about Kwikshop on Designer's Library. I think it was a sign. Kwikshop is a really cool concept store that looks more like an ice cream stand than a design shop, where the inventory isn't vast, but it sure is clever (my favorite purchase was a stamp that says "diamond ring" - in German - that you stamp around your finger). Oh, and you can "order" from the kiosk window out front. How fun!When it comes to design in Berlin, Stilwerk (Kartell shop top left) is the mecca of it all. It's essentially a shopping mall, but way more fun, with (generally) high end stores to dazzle your home. For stationery, RSVP (top right) in the Mitte has a charming collection of paper products and accessories (I was a huge fan of the map postcards where with needle and thread that you sew before you mail to show where you've been). OK-Versand (bottom left) was a definite favorite with their goods from around the world that were totally affordable, fun and things you don't see everywhere. Berlinomat (bottom right) features contemporary design goods- go at lunch and grab a quick bite in their cute cafe.

Also of note were Luxus International - described as an artist laboratory, it's kind of what you'd expect a store of Etsy artists to be like, plus some fun stylin' Berlin souvenirs; Mamsell - a chocolate + gift shop in one; and Mobilien filled with tons of fun and colorful gifts (from German "breakfast boards" - way more fun than using a plate - to metallic gnomes!). And it was closed when I was there, but Smart Travelling is definitely a store that would be right up my alley!

For more on my Berlin favs, use the blogger search bar on the top left corner of my blog or check out my flickr albums here. And feel free to add your own to the comments section below!

Baltimore's Finest

I can only imagine that crack is like watching The Wire because myself, coworkers, friends and even my mom are completely hooked. The brutally honest, but fascinating look at Baltimore has us talking non-stop about the show like we're intimately involved. Tonight Season 5 - the final chapter in David Simon's "visual novel" - airs at 9pm on HBO. The show is repeatedly hailed as "the best TV you're not watching." Just make sure you start with Season 1. . . (More past posts on The Wire here).

On a lighter note, Josh Lefkowitz is back on tap at CENTERSTAGE with Now What?, his laugh out loud, second installment monologue about the highs and lows of being a struggling artist. Now through January 20th.

Laundry Day

{laundry detergent is photogenic in Cyprus supermarket}

Cleaning day! I desperately need to do laundry and get organized to get this year started off right! Have a great weekend everyone!

French Word-a-Day

{lavender field photograph to teach the word "but" [goal] on French-Word-a-Day}

Every time I travel somewhere I can't help but feel like a schmuck for making people speak English to me, while meanwhile they know at least two or three languages. Luckily I still have a little bit of my French, although losing it quickly and never was as fluent as I desired (I'm convinced it was because my French teachers always spoke English instead of French with us). Anyway, one of the buts (that's French for "goal") for the New Year is to sign up for small French conversation classes. In the meantime, I'm working on getting in my "French Word-A-Day" on this great blog that perfect for the francophile like me. (Thanks for the link, Patricia!)

The NYC List

Things I Want to Do Next Time I'm in NYC:

1. Check out the New Museum [the contemporary museum that just re-opened] and "Get Lost" their special project of artists maps of downtown New York. After the museum I want to explore the city using one of these maps. (via Cup of Joe; image via New Museum)
2. Take the H&FJ Typographic Tour of NYC signage (self-guided Google Earth tour downloadable from their website).
3. See Dan Eldon's "The Journey is the Destination" journals at the Candela/Decker Gallery.
4. Experience Fuersabruta.