back in NYC!

And happy about it. Snowy Central Park, lattes in the East Village, exploring Downtown Manhattan, drinks at Death & Co. and my record collection at home in the new apartment.

goodbye 2011, hello 2012.

Plan B at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York, May, 2011.

Lunch at Tigerlily Cafe in Port Jefferson, New York, July, 2011.

A snack with Dana in Greenpoint, New York, June, 2011.

Lykke Li at Webster Hall, New York, May, 2011.

From Stony Brook to Manhattan on the Long Island Rail Road, March, 2011.

My first Manhattan apartment, beyond perfect, at Bank and Waverly, April, 2011.

My roman roommates in our humble abode in Monteverde, Rome, September, 2011.

Photo Cred: Michelle

Nevermind bar in Barcelona, Spain, October, 2011.

Piazza del Duomo, Florence, Italy, September, 2011.

Vintage shopping, Rome, Italy, December, 2011.

Friends and Fleet Foxes in Rome, Italy, November, 2011.
Photo Cred: Michelle

Peroni's at Marina Piccola, Capri, Italy, October, 2011.

Bar hopping in Trastevere, Rome, Italy, October, 2011.

Taking a dip in the Mediterranean in Capri, Italy, October, 2011.

Gondola rides in Venice, Italy, November, 2011.

The golden top of Les Invalides, Paris, France, December, 2011.

From Manhattan, Brooklyn and the beaches of Long Island to Paris, Barcelona, Rome and the Italian countryside, this year brought worldly travels filled with challenges, side-splitting laughs and lifelong friends. I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store.

barceloneta.

I didn't realize how much I had been missing the beach until we made our way to Barceloneta, the strip of Barcelona beach that inspired many of Picasso's early works. Gina and I set out in search of paella and sangria and found a few streets lined with mom-and-pop stores, from a surf and skate shop to a hole-in-the-wall bar that was a shrine dedicated to the Spanish flamenco singer "Bambino." We relaxed on the beach and drew in our new sketchbooks before we continued exploring.

hola barcelona.

It's fall break and I've spent the last week exploring my new favorite city, Barcelona. Gina and I temporarily moved into the most beautiful, gallery-like apartment overlooking the Cathedral Barcelona, where our friends of friends were lucky enough to be staying this semester. Each morning, three sets of french doors covered with white linen curtains were open, inviting in sounds from the local musicians and church bells from the streets below. We spent our days wandering the shop-lined streets of the Gothic Quarter, searching for any and all of Gaudi's works and discovering Catalan cuisine. 

And there is much, much more to come.

under the tuscan sun.

The last, and most fantastic stop over the weekend was Donatella Cinelli Colombini's winery in Trequanda. We drove through the Tuscan countryside to get there, and were greeted by the warm sun and a crisp breeze when we finally made it. We toured the property, sipped the signature Chianti Superiore and learned how to prepare the local pasta dish, Pinci, from head chef Antonio. Afterwards, we relaxed in the glass-walled dining room overlooking the vines and were served an unbelievable meal- antipasti, pasta, roasted chicken and apricot tart, all paired with the perfect wine, of course. Completely stuffed, we found our way to a patio terrace with a view and put our feet up until it was time to go. Check out more photos from our Tuscan adventure on Faded-Sign.

move, eat, learn.

"3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and  almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based movement, learning and food ... into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films...= a trip of a lifetime."
Totally jealous. Via Rick Mereki.