When I first moved to NY, my goal was to experience as much of the NY lifestyle as I possibly could. In almost 6 years, I’ve had my share of celebrity sightings, eaten at some of the best restaurants, visited the museums, seen lots of shows, spent a weekend in Fire Island, played slots in Atlantic City, watched performances in the parks, and I can find my way around The Village. Now I can check one more off my ever-growing list - a summer in the Hamptons! My friends and I are sharing a house for the month of July, and now I’m wondering why I didn’t do this sooner (oh, right, I couldn’t afford it before…). The house, which we’ve nicknamed “Camp Fern,” has a pool, a deck, a large kitchen, a grill, and is a mere mile and a half from a gorgeous beach! And bonus, there’s a farm on the way to the beach that sells fresh produce every day! I was a little sad to be missing my beloved farmers market for a whole month until I discovered this little gem. Here are some pics of our first evening’s stroll to and along the beach.

Long road leading to the beach

Gorgeous estates with fancy cars

I really wanted to crash this party. They had a great view, a guitar, and a bonfire.

And a BBQ and something delicious cooking in a very large pot.

Not a bad view!

Lori, Heather and Paige enjoyed the evening beach stroll.

Emily showed off her guns.

Wild life! There were lots of little bunnies on the side of the road and in the yards of the fancy homes. Most were camera shy.

More bunnies! There’s some truth to that joke…

Fancy home

Fancy estate

Stay tuned for more pics of my Hamptons summer adventure!

It’s nice to have friends who work in fun industries. My friend Michelle does PR for movies, and sometimes I get invited to screenings and premieres, but this was more than just a premiere, it was an event! It was the world premiere of Sex and the City 2, and if you know anything about fashion and NYC, you know this was a big deal. Nicki, Heather and I joined thousands of NY fashionistas, news media and paparazzi, and of course the stars of the movie at Radio City Music Hall a few days before the movie hit theaters. While we were up in the mezzanine, my other friends managed to score seats downstairs and got to see the stars up close!

Fashionable popcorn bag

Liza Minelli on the red carpet!

Everyone loves Aiden (John Corbett)…

Mr. Big! (Chris Noth)

Hunky Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis)

The ladies of Sex and the City

NYC is supposed to be one of the fashion capitals of the world, so will someone please explain these outfits to me?

Drunk and snoozing on the train, this guy’s rocker style, bandana and all, is straight out of the ’80’s.

I would totally wear these sandals. Except they were men’s sandals, a.k.a. “mandals.”

Spotted on my commute to work one morning in January. Not sure what I liked best, the floral shirt unbuttoned down to his pot belly, revealing his chest rug, or the pretty purple purse and color-coordinated scarf.

This guys stumbled, completely drunk, onto my train as I was heading out to meet a friend for dinner a couple weeks ago. I would normally cover the unsuspecting model’s face, but then you’d be missing out on the full effect of his outfit. The back of his fringed coat had an animal head, like you’d see on an animal skin rug. And yes, that is a flask in his hand.

Tight white jeans, pegged at the ankles. Worn by a man. Fashion don’t, for sure.

San nin fai lok! Gung Hay Fat Choi! This year, Chinese New Year fell on Valentine’s Day. The parade is typically held a week or so later, but on the first day of the new year, Chinatown is packed with revelers. On this gorgeous sunny day, my friend Paige and I ventured downtown to find colorful confetti, children throwing down poppers (traditional firecrackers are illegal in most cities now, due to fire hazard), shops decorated with tigers and lanterns, and lion dancers and drummers scaring off evil spirits in front of every shop to ensure a prosperous new year. It was quite festive! 

Lion dancing in front of the police precinct on Elizabeth St.

Many streets were absolutely packed with people.

Some of the confetti poppers contained little pink parachutes with red banners. I’m guessing the banners said something about good luck. Everyone was trying to catch them as they floated down from the sky.

Year of the Tiger

The streets were so colorful!

These used to scare me when I was a little kid.

We followed these lions down the street for a while and felt like we were part of a parade!

I’m fortunate to have many amazing girlfriends, not just here in NYC, or in CA, but even around the world. When it comes to celebrating just about anything, my friends are always ready. I wasn’t too keen on celebrating another birthday this year, but celebrating me? Sure, why not! Paige, Nicki, Heather and I started with a fantastic dinner at Double Crown before joining some other friends at the adjoining bar, Madam Geneva. After that, we moved on to Pravda.  Good food, good friends and good times, the perfect way to celebrate anything!

Dinner at Double Crown was awesome! (me, Nicki and Paige)

Me, Einat, Nicki and Heather (the downstairs restroom hallway was, oddly enough, a lovely spot for photos)

Hell, Yes!

Einat, me, Heather, Michelle and Bay at Pravda

Who needs “Jersey Shore” when you have these guys?