XoXo Philly

After spending more and more time in NYC, my adoration for Philadelphia has slowly withered away. But after taking a walk, a very long (all the way from U.Penn to Hahnemann), I realized that the city is charming as long as you take some time to observe. I have noticed that a lot of NYC's character has been murdered by modern buildings that keep popping up on almost every block. But since Philly's real estate market doesn't have the same vigor, thankfully the wonderful colonial style homes and the Beaux-Arts buildings have been preserved. But enough of the architectural babel, here are some pictures from my walk....

some cool birdhouse on the side of a home...

I have some obsession with lanterns. I found some beautiful ones in India and Dubai that I'll try to find the pics of.

I heart this picture I took in Rittenhouse Square.

I found this cute French patisserie near Rittenhouse called Miel. The owner of the cafe was so sweet and there was such a great assortment of pastries, which is all that matters to me! They had macarons!...but they were all fruity so I passed. I had a the dijon sandwich which had a peculiar apricot dijon mustard with smoked turkey and muenster cheese. The sandwich was good, nothing spectacular. But their cafe au lait was truly magnificent and I had a dark chocolate mini pastry with a caramel center and topped with sea salt. Simply delicious. 

I love the French Bistro decor with the marble tables with wrought iron pedestals, the wicker chairs, and the fresh yellow roses, magnifique! 

                                                     

Violet Ball with a twist of orange

Once upon a Thursday, I made some fresh orange juice with the juicer my friend Jimmy gifted me for my birthday. I mixed the deliciously sweet juice with some Pellegrino and sipped it out of one of the champagne glasses I got as a favor from NYU's Violet Ball. Along with it is my lunch which I must say is one of the best tasting sandwiches in the world! It's a baguette, with Italian seasoned turkey, gruyere cheese, pear champagne vinaigrette, and mixed greens. 

The champagne glass reminded me of the "Ball" at Bobst....more like a shit show than a ball. It was surreal to see the library where I have spent 100s of hours studying turned into a slip and slide of beer and wine.

My lovely roomies

more pictures to come...

A weekend getaway thanks to good ol' George

Thank you George Washington not just for your great leadership skills but also for your birth. It gives us students a day off from school! So I decided to go to Boston with the one and only Deena. It was a much needed escape from NYC, namely NYU.

Interesting juxtaposition of old and new. Trinty Church (left) and the John Hancock Tower (right)

As I am a student who studies architecture, I feel in love with the city and its many untouched landmarks. We're were very lucky because our hotel was just down the block from the famous Boston Public Library and Trinity Church. We were just a street away from Newbury Street, where Alyssa and I were on a crazy hunt for a pair of heels for herself and a dress for me, oh the stresses of womanhood.

I also had the great opportunity of meeting many of Deena's Egyptian friends. They are such chivalrous and kind people. They were all so excited by the changes in their country. Not to mention, such an intelligent bunch and I thoroughly enjoyed their company.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip including two very pretty ladies.

Lysh or Lish?

Sunny but frigid

At Algiers on Harvard's Campus; N. African delight with my fav. 

Egyptian

Algiers on Harvard's campus was such a lovely cafe and a great escape from the freezing temperature. I had a Viennese coffee, not so Algerian. But I got some crazy stuffed pistachio cookie. Harvard was nice but not my cup of tea...even though I was escaping NYU, I couldn't help but miss our campus-less school. All in all, it was a fantastic trip. Just next time I'm bringing a car, a downcoat, and a ski mask with me.