One Year in Gotham

Spring has arrived! If you’re like me, and grew up without seasons then you HAVE to see the incredible transformation that this season brings!

Washington Square Park. “Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair.” -Washington

Hello, Internet?? It’s me, Sara.

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I’m getting comfortable in New York City, isn’t that great news? No, it’s not. 

The catalyst for this post is actually not NYC, but the rerelease of Star Wars Episode 1 in 3D. As a huge fan of the original trilogy, the newer trio upsets me. Not because Lucas lets his special fx obsession corrupt a classic story. Not even because of Jar Jar Binks. No, it’s because George Lucas got comfortable. Ambition and potential success weren’t breathing down his neck once he got to the newer films. As a result you get three movies that most Star Wars fans don’t recognize as part of the same series.

Comfort is the most dangerous thing that can happen to creativity. There’s a reason most artists struggle. Stories of incredible athletes coming from broken homes, and miserable childhoods riddle sports coverage from the Olympics to the Super Bowl to the World Cup. When someone feels the world constantly pushing, they have two choices. They can either fall back or push back. Those that push back get their names on a jersey, in lights, or scratched into history books.

I’m starting to get into a groove in New York. I have two jobs, an outstanding Brooklyn apartment, and a fairly regular schedule. Don’t get me wrong I feel blessed and honored to experience this life, this city, this moment. However, unless I want my creative work to look like Star Wars Episodes 1, 2, or 3 I need to continuously take risks. It should never be easy, life should never be easy.

So, I’ll leave you tonight, a night all about championships and dream-achieving, with a quote my sister always says to me, “Only the weak attempts to accomplish what he knows he can already achieve.” – Stella Juarez

**Photo of “The Immigrants”, a statue in Battery Park. Shout out to my parents for teaching me strength.

Magnolia Bakery. Three words: nom nom nom

It’s been a while since I posted; I’ve been so busy! It’s been great! But these window displays are worth a full blown post. If you’ve never seen New York during the holidays then you’re missing out on the most beautiful display of fashion and art. So you’re thinking how great can they be? Just mannequins wearing whatever their pushing on you, right? WRONG! These are professionally done. Most stores, like Fendi and Cartier, actually use the entire store as a display. And all the stores try to outdo each other. At Bergdorf Goodman their displays are actually designed by the same people that design the fancy art galleries in Soho. Saks has an amazing light show projected on their building; this technology has been used by Disney World and other big entertainment companies. But I think my favorite ones were the whimsical windows at Tiffany’s. They actually created multiple Merry-Go-Round façades on their store front (besides I love Audrey Hepburn so I clearly have an affinity for everything Tiffany’s.)

These window displays are exactly why I love New York. Everything is BIG. Everything GLITTERS. Everything makes you work harder and aim higher.

Side note: The people at Bergdorf’s are incredibly nice; they kept spraying me with fancy perfumes and trying to sell me soft, fluffy things. Naturally I tried not to touch anything. I would have to sell my soul to pay for anything in that place, except for maybe one glove….maybe.

Here are the pictures (quality’s not great, I took these on my phone):

Cartier, dressed to look like their signature red box

Tiffany’s, windows looking like fancy old-timey carousels

Fendi

Bergdorf Goodman, their theme was Carnival of the Animals. They featured dresses from designers like Marchesa, Oscar de la Renta, etc.

Aren’t these fantastic?!

At Schiller’s in the Lower East Side. Some scenes from Morning Glory starring Rachel McAdams were shot here! It’s really swanky; looks like an old-fashioned subway station inside with its white rectangular tiles. Apparently the food is very good, so I’ll have to go back and check it out.

This week a friend of mine passed away. I didn’t know her too well, but I knew her well enough to say that heaven gained a beautiful soul. I pray that her family can get through this difficult time, and be able to focus on Kaitlin’s lovely life not her death.

Death is humbling, especially when it happens to someone so young. I don’t know if I have a specific purpose with this post, just to say to be careful for the rest of this holiday weekend. And always, always tell people you love them. Don’t wait till tomorrow.

First: elephants are the best. They mourn their dead, make life long friends, and have excellent memories; they’re like humans but better. Second: I found my favorite statue in NY