Ohhhhhh, Mexico...

I've been to some spectacular beaches in Asia -- Nusa Lembongan, off the coast of Bali, and Pansea, on the island of Phuket, both come to mind. And yet, nothing could prepare me for how stunning Mexico would be. I flew to Cancun, but headed about an hour south -- per friends who had made the trip before -- to the area just above Tulum. The water was turquoise, the sand incredibly white; you could walk out of your hotel room and into the bay and snorkel around with the local sea turtles. And, oh! The tacos! Everything was fresh and fragrant; I ate about a gallon of guacamole per day and couldn't get enough. I can't wait to go back.

We're baaaaaack!: Block Island, RI Edition

This post is mostly for my parents, who have been forced to look at the same picture of Santa as their homepage for the past, oh, eight and a half months. (It's been so long, I'd forgotten the password to this here blog, but it finally popped in my head last night.)

After a long drought of no traveling (and limited picture-taking), I finally got out about about this summer. The first trip was to Mexico, for burrito-eating and tequila-drinking and swimming with turtles and such, and the second was to Block Island, RI, for lobster-eating and beer-drinking and swimming in the freezing cold New England ocean. I managed to get my Block Island photo act together first, and so, I present: Pretty beachy pictures, part one!: New England edition.






























Pretty beachy pictures, part two!: Mexico edition should be coming soon.

The Best Day of Santa's (and my) Life.

Merry Christmas, everyone! I know that I am loooong overdue for an update, and now seemed like a good time to say hello. Especially because I actually have pictures to share. Many, many, many pictures.

A few weeks ago, I descended upon the great city of New York for several days to see old friends, do some Christmas shopping and partake in the annual event that is Santacon, in which several thousand merry, bearded and slightly inebriated (hmmm… let's just say "very jolly") Santas take to the streets of New York and criss-cross the city in a haphazard parade of holiday joy. It is the most fun I've ever had. (For a second opinion, I suggest you check out NYT's celebrated photographer Bill Cunningham's audio/visual recap of the event, which he just happened to stumble across but which he clearly enjoyed immensely.) It's a truly fun, festive, silly time, in which I took about 400 pictures, but whittled it down to a mere 50 just for you.

There are a few unwritten rules of Santacon. 1) Wish as many people as possible a Merry Christmas! 2) Try not to get arrested. 3) Refer to both yourself and the entire group as Santa as much as possible, and only in the third person. 4) Have a very merry day!

Enjoy the pics. Happy holidays, everyone. See you next year!

Santa starts his day with a photo session on the steps of the Post Office.



Our fellow Santaconners, who we must thank for introducing us to the event:


When Santa got thirsty, Santa chants: "Santa needs a drink!"


Stripper Santa, complete with reindeer, North Pole and police presence:


A personal favorite: Phanatic Santa


This little kid was not psyched about "Sneaky Santa."


To be fair, Santa was not always on his best behavior:


Mini-Santa!


The Salvation Army band very nicely played some carols for Santa to sing along to.


Santa invades Grand Central! Much to the chagrin of Grand Central Security.


After a small ho-ho-ho protest, Santa agrees to leave Grand Central.


Santa and Menorah Man, in fine spirits:


Santa decides to recongregate outside of Grand Central and sing a few more carols with the Salvation Army band (who, it should be noted, benefited generously from their generosity):


General merriment ensues:






















Buzz kill: Santa gets busted by the po-pos for an open container violation.


Oh, but Santa will not be stopped! Santas break into a "Feliz Navidad" song and dance around a couple who just got engaged by the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree:




Santa decides to head downtown.


In case it wasn't clear: Santa takes the 6!



Some Santas prefer anonymity.


Santa (and friends) make a pit stop at McDonalds.


Obviously, not an original Santa idea.


Another impromptu "Feliz Navidad" dance party! An instant Santa favorite.


Santa descends on the South Street Seaport!






Santa is tired. And although other Santas spread Christmas joy well into the night, this Santa goes home and sleeps for approximately 16 hours.

It's been too long, hasn't it?

There has been much running around, what with finishing up a very good, beachy summer and heading into a busy fall and all. It's been great fun, if somewhat exhausting. Here are some snaps of a friend's beautiful beach wedding last weekend in Ocean City, New Jersey – full of fun times with old college friends, beautiful babies, and lots of laughter -- and also from a long NYC jaunt just before in which I got to attend my first fashion week. I'm a bit too tired for more commentary right now. But enjoy the pics; I promise to be back soon. Mwah.