Gotham Gal

The Affordable Art Fair

Today I went over to The Affordable Art Fair at Pier 92 (52nd and 12th Ave.) This is the 2nd year of this event. The exhibit has run for a few years in London and Bristol England successfully. One of the gallery owners that I know compared the Art Fair to shopping at TJ Max. You really have to know how to wade through the garbage. My favorite booths generally have young, up and coming artists or established artists that have never busted out into a high price range or have been collected at that level. I don't like the booths that carry prints or uninteresting photos. I much prefer the real art where there is only one piece.

There were a few booths that I enjoyed. One was Booth 506, Angela Usrey Gallery from (believe it or not) Chattanooga, TN. There were two artists that I liked. One was Lisa Noris who took old clothing patterns and put them on canvasses. This is a theme that I saw throughout the show. The mixed media pattern/clothing seems to be new (at least I have never seen it before). The other artist was Elizabeth Clemons who painted musicians in b/w. Not wow but interesting.

Sarah Nightingale Gallery from Water Mill, NY had a really great video called "teaching my friends to fly" and also some statues that were related to flying. I think Sarah has an incredible eye. I have been to her gallery and in the basement of her gallery. She knows talent.

Hespe Gallery had an artist named Eric Zener who painted swimmers in water. The swimmers were controlled and intense. You felt them in the water. I really liked this artist and am looking forward to getting info from the gallery on his larger pieces.

Margaret Thatcher also had some interesting works from an artist named Markus Linnenbrink. Very controlled drip paintings. His exhibit is on show now at their gallery and I am going to get over there and take a look. I liked Margaret too. She knows her stuff.

Jeffrey Coploff is a very hard working gallery owner. He had done a great job on his booth. He really represented each of his artists. I like most of his artists as a whole. He has a good mixture of talent and everything is well priced. We happen to own a Kathleen Kucka which is one of his artists. I'd definitely check out his booth #442.

There were 2 more galleries I really liked. Koelsch Gallery out of Houston Texas had these fantastic hanging suits and costumes made out of paper mache on hangers jutted out from the wall. Each piece had whimsical sayings on them. They were quirky. I liked them.

They last gallery was Rebecca Hossack Gallery from London. The artist Peter Clark. He made suits out of paper. Very mixed media. The suits even had button holes, interesting pocket details and the suits were made from metro maps to potato chip bags. Very clever. I really liked his stuff.

If I get a chance, I will go back there this weekend and take a look at my favorites again. I find it is always important to go back and look because you might not be as excited the 2nd time around.

Big home, Big Challenge

Last night I went to a book signing at the New York School of Interior Design on East 70th between Third and Lex. My friend, Kira Wilson, is a graduate of this school and also sits on the school board. If they weren't before, they must certainly be thrilled that she is an alumni now.

Big Home, Big Challenge is her first book in a series. This is one fantastic reference book. I am thoroughly impressed with the breadth of information from a variety of designers, painters, lighting specialists etc. She really did an incredible job. As an avid reader of magazines (from Elle Decor, Metropolitan Home, Gourmet, Food & Wine, etc) this book is incredibly well done.

Kira had started a magazine, with her pal LeeAnne, called To the Trade. Unfortunately the magazine is no longer in publication - but our fingers are crossed that the magazine will come back into circulation. This magazine covered topics in depth for designers or the consumer interested in design. Noone else was doing a magazine like this. People loved it. The content was really good. You wanted to read each article, which is so rare.

Back to the book. Kira starts out talking about the Big Home Challenge which could mean a big room, a long hallway, a big loft or a big house and how do you make these rooms intimate and warm. The chapters are Getting Started, Connected the Landscape, Defining space by Function, Architectual Solutions, Optical Illusions, Decorating Details, Art and Accessories and the Well-Lit Challenge. You get different perspectives from experts she interviewed and lists of questions to ask yourself. Truly well done.

More than anything, I am so thrilled for Kira. She is such a wonderful person and my fingers and toes are crossed on the success of this book. I have a feeling, I don't need to worry...

a dinner not to be believed..

We were the lucky winners of one of the items on the block at the big auction of our children's school. We, along with a group of couples, won the opportunity for Mario Batali to come and cater a dinner party at one of our homes. Lucky for me, he cooked out of my house.

Everything came mostly prepped otherwise they would have needed all day plus more. He brought in food from his restaurants. Two people make pasta for one of his restaurants all day. That is their only job. So, for instance he brought some ravioli already prepared, tomato sauce prepared etc.

The 8 course meal was paired with a different wine at every course. The wine makes the food taste even more delicious. The white truffles he brought, and we ate, are like a drug. There is something about the smell. Once you smell a fresh truffle like that, you simply want to smell it again.

Mario is impressive. He is not only an incredibly smart but a great guy to hang with. He loves life. He loves rock and roll. He is passionate about his food. He really taught us about where the food comes from and why he pairs food with certain wines. Also, how food is prepped. He's a great teacher.

We began with coppa which is an italian salami - made at his restaurant. Next, we had a warm buffalo mozzarella layered with eggplant and tomatoes and served with a warm tomato sauce and cheese crisps. Unbelievable! We had 2 pastas. One being a pumpkin ravioli. The other pasta was served with a buttered sage sauce. The next course was beef braised in a barolo wine served with shaved white truffles. Rich is an understatement. Then, there was an incredible 3 cream goat cheese served with a tomato chutney. Last but certainly not least was individual apple quince tastes with a brown sugar type topping served with cinnamon carmel gelato. Top! There were appetizers and extra cookies at the end too. One thing that I learned from the entire experience and seeing the leftovers gel up in my refrigerator. Butter is abundant.

Everyone had a great time. But, the best part was really getting to see Mario in action. He rocks!

new york fall

I love the fall in new york. The weather is beautiful. The leaves begin to change. You can walk around the town and really enjoy yourself without being too hot or too cold. There are a million events, new books to read, new restaurants to eat in, new stores to check out, and last but not least new movies to watch.

This season seems like a better mixture of movies than most years. I have been trying to sneak in to a theater here or there when I can. That is one of the beautiful things about new york is that you literally can sneak into a theater and catch a big hollywood film or an indie film at any time.

I was lucky to sneak into 3 movies this week. I saw the Station Agent which is a great slice of life indie film. The performances are great. How these people's lives end up intersecting and how they become friends with each other is interesting. I really liked it. Probably more realistic of how people end up in friendships that you weren't looking for. The other movie I saw was Sylvia. Gwyneth Paltrow is an incredible actress. I just wish she would take better roles. The film was beautifully shot. She was amazing but in the end, who really cares about this story. Not interesting at all. Blah! The last film I saw was Mystic River . What amazing performances by each and every actor in this film. Clint Eastwood's direction and characterization of events that take place is incredible. I really loved just watching the fine acting as the story unfolds. True oscar performances. If you have to see a big hollywood film this year, see this one.

MOUSE

MOUSE Making Opportunities for Upgrading Schools and Education is a fantastic organization that I chaired for 3 years. We literally started out by wiring schools. It was so incredulous to us (us being Internet people) that school's (particularly high schools) were not using technology or connected to the Internet. MOUSE has grown over the past several years. We certainly do not need to wire schools any longer. Technology has changed. MOUSE has figured out programs which incorporate the use of technology into the buildings and into the classrooms. MOUSE is the true catalyst for integrating technology into the school system.

Last night, MOUSE had their annual fund raiser. Lots of new faces and lots of old faces. The event took place at the W hotel in Union Square. It appeared to be a tremendous success. Caroline Kennedy eloquently spoke about how MOUSE has given direction to the school system in how to reshape schools for the 21st century.

The new Executive Director, Carole Wacey, has done a tremendous job taking MOUSE into another phase. She is full of energy and is executing on the strategy set forth a few years ago through a strategic plan. It is certainly satisfying to see MOUSE continue to grow with terrific, devoted people.

Check out their website. If you can, they can always use a donation.

Date Night

When we first had kids, someone told us we should make sure that every week we had a date night. Make sure you stick to it. That way, you can keep up your relationship and the kids also have some space. It was fantastic advice. My husband and I have been having a date night now for 12 years. The kids expect it and we get to enjoy being together alone. I admit, we go out more than one night a week but we try to keep one night to ourselves.

We have 3 kids. It is really difficult to spend one on one time with each of them at this stage of the game. So, we began date night with our kids. It is time consuming and we have to plan in advance but it is really nice. We basically each have a one on one date with each kid, 3 times over the course of the school year. Each kid gets to pick what they want to do. Dinner, movie, theater, ESPN zone, bowling, shopping, whatever.

Tonight is my date night with my son. He is the 7 and the youngest. He definitely does not get to see the majority of the movies that would be his first pick. So tonight we are going to see Good Boy. He'll love it. I will enjoy watching him roar. We'll go out for italian food first and dessert after the movie. It is great. He can talk all he wants and noone interrupts and he has my full on attention.

I highly recommend it if you have children. If you are having children, make nights for yourself or you will either go insane, or look at each other in 20 years and say "who are you?"

Handbags

I love buying handbags. They always look good. An old friend once told me that you can always tell a well dressed woman by her accessories.

Finding the perfect handbag is a mission. I have purchased hangbags that are too heavy, or bags where everything falls to the bottom and you can't find it, or bags that don't hold up. This fall, I was on the mission to find that perfect bag.

Check out Henri Bendel on their mezzanine above the cosmetic department. The entire floor is dedicated to handbags. The selection is really wide, different and fun. The area that I chose is the area where you can make your own bag. There are literally about 7-8 different bodies to choose from. They also have a variety of fabrications for the outside and inside of your bag. Different straps. Different hardware. Different insides can be picked. For instance, you might just want a zip pocket, or a zip pocket and a pocket to store your phone and another one for your blackberry. You choose. It takes 30 days once you order. They are all $300. I thought the concept was very smart. You can individualize your handbag to fit your needs and your style.

I have already picked out my fabric for spring...

Chicken in the Pot

I love to cook. I have my standards for the family based on the season. Chicken in the pot is one of my fall and winter dishes. Everyone loves it and is always requested once there is a chill in the air. So, I thought I'd share.

Use a big pot. I use one of the Le Creuset dutch oven pots that I also use for brisket and stews.

Ingredients:
One large chicken - seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika
2 cups rice
2 onions - diced
1 bag of small carrots
2 cups white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or water (chicken broth is definitely tastier)
mirepox (peppercorns, thyme or herbs de provence, 2 bay leaves inside cheesecloth and tied into a ball)

Heat the bottom on the pot with canola oil. Put the chicken in and brown on all sides. If isn't necessary but it does help seal chicken. If you don't want to do it - don't bother and start with the next step. Saute the onions and carrots in canola oil until soft. Add your chicken. Pour in wine and broth. Put in mireopox sack. Bring to boil. Put on lid, and bring down to simmer for about one hour. After an hour, add the rice. Make sure you pour the rice into the liquid areas so that it gets absorbed. Put the lid back on, keep at simmer and let sit another 20 minutes to half an hour. Just make sure that the rice is getting soft. If the rice is not totally done after 20 minutes and there is no more liquid left - then throw some more water into the pot, put the lid back on and let the rice continue to cook. You could actually turn off the stove at this point and just let the pot sit covered for another 10 minutes or so. You really can't fail. You might get a bit of a burnt bottom pot, but you can always soak it over night.

Now, pull out the chicken. Cut up and serve with the rice. Voila!

new victory theater

If you are a new yorker (or live in the new york area) and have kids, you are probably interested in the cultural ongoings for kids around the town. If you haven't already, check out the New Victory Theater. The productions are all over the place. Some of them are amazing and some are painful to sit through. We used to buy tickets a few years ago to every event. Big mistake. This year, we tried to be a bit more discriminating. The theater gives information on what is age appropriate for each play. I have found that if they recommend 8 and up, 5 and up is fine. If they recommend 12 and up, depending on your kid, 8 and up would be fine too. If you purchase tickets in advance and can't make the performance, they try to accomodate you and sell them to another interested party.

Last night we saw Cookin' which is a crazy musical kitchen with chopping, yelling, drumming and dancing. The performers pick a few adults from the audience to participate in their chaos. This production is from South Korea and has had good reviews. We liked it. It lasts about one and a half hours, no intermission.

Check out the site for other performances throughout the year.

April Gornik and Joss Stone

Last night we had a whirlwind night. First to the art opening of April Gornik's latest works, then off to see Joss Stone open for Simply Red at the Beacon (does Simply Red actually still exist?) and then a late night dinner at the classic Cafe Luxenbourg on the upper west side.

April Gornik is a very accomplished artist. Her work has been purchased by the Met, the Whitney and the MOMA just to name a few museums. She is also very sweet, smart, witty and an accomplished yoga girl. Her oil works show the beauty of landscapes. Her style is consistent with masters who have painted landscapes for years. Personally, I like her black and white charcoals at this latest exhibit. They look like photos from afar. If you are in the neighborhood of East 57th Street, it is worth going up to the Danese Gallery and seeing her work.

Joss Stone rocks. She opened for Simply Red last night. We only went to see Joss Stone. What a treat! Out comes a beautiful, tall, long blond haired girl wearing lilac cords a long sleeved black t-shirt and barefeet. She is obviously a little taken back by the huge audience coming to see her. She seems a tad nervous but once she starts belting out the songs, it is incredible. She has a sexy, smoky voice which sounds more like Etta James and Lauryn Hill than a 15 year old white girl from England. She giggles when people cheer for her. She hopes you like what she sang. Truly refreshing to see a real talented star in the making, instead of a one hit wonder pop star. She even writes her own music. You go girl!

Cafe Luxenbourg was our final destination. It is a classic westside institution. Loud but good vibe. French bistro food. If you are up that way, you can't go wrong having dinner at Cafe Luxembourg.