for some reason, this winter a bunch of friends have had babies and so we’ve been on a renewed hunt for great toys. one friend in particular (a new mom interested in only the best for her child) has asked for something for her newborn that is intellectually stimulating. hmmm, that’s not usually something that i think of for an infant but i am sure that is only because we are depriving our kids in so many ways as woefully undriven parents. put to the challenge, i decided to check out romp, a great store that used to be on fifth avenue in brooklyn but now lives online only (sadly). with a focus on beautiful things that both parent and child can love, romp stocks a great collection of lovely german toys like the stacking toys above. i am sure our friend will be happy with one of these options and the baby’s brain power will be put into action very very soon.
with two small and darling kids and one lovely husband who all occasionally need some amount of tending to as well as a full-time job, this blog is an excuse for me to explore the streets of new york, with a focus on brooklyn -- my home -- and manhattan, for those great little finds that seem to appear randomly on all sorts of blocks around new york but are sometimes hidden from plain view. i gravitate toward small, beautiful, independent places with interesting things, fantastic and friendly service and mostly affordable stuff (or at least an excellent value) and food that is extremely tasty, reasonable and in a great space -- though taste will trump design every time. to help put all these ideas in one place, i also will provide a series of new york mini-guides. in each of these, i will highlight something fun to do and then give some food, shop and doing suggestions nearby. these mini-guides, soon to be accompanied by mini-maps, will help to fill an afternoon -- where to pick up a snack, what shops to check out nearby and is there a really sweet little park along the way for a much needed rest. and i am always looking for ideas -- so if you have any suggestions for where to eat and shop or what to do please let me know. . you can also follow me on twitter at cherrypatter.
and for those of you more interested in the photos, i have absolutely no photography training and while i have been picking up a few tidbits here and there, mostly i think the credit for the photos goes to my lovely camera. it is a canon rebel xti, and the lens i use most of the time is the 50 mm 1:1:8. i also have a 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 for longer views.
Excited that modern Chinese takeout spot (whatever that really means) might have a soft opening tomorrow in Gowanus next to fav 4&20 bbirds
[...] i find easily) my favorite kind of wooden baby toys by grimm (and i have featured them before here), bags by mz wallace and orla kiely, lots of earring and lovely vases and other home goods and [...]