New York State of Mind

Photos by: Chandamheer

Walking through the paths of Bryant Park, while gazing at the towering skyscrapers that surround me; stuffing my face with a hearty slice of authentic, thin-sliced, New York pizza; envisioning my future residency in SoHo's beautiful cast-iron lofts; taking in the savory aroma of sausages and the sweet smell of candy, as they slowly reach my nostrils, while I stroll through a street fair in Little Italy, and ending a long day, 86 floors up, while gazing at the city lights, as they twinkle below me. In a nutshell, this was my New York. My words and photos do not do it justice, but alas, I still try.

New York, I Love You

When I was a junior in high school and dreaming of my future as a college student, I would always threaten my parents that I'd move across the country and attend NYU. (Side note: When I was a junior in high school, while everyone ELSE was dreaming of a future as a college student, I was actually daydreaming about becoming a famous superstar. But please, don't ask me why or what I thought I'd be famous for, because I have no idea). Anyways, as you and I both know now, I did not opt to attend NYU (didn't even apply), but instead, I reached a compromise with my family and attended school six hours away from home at UCLA. Now, years after my NYU and superstar fantasies, I finally had the chance to visit the city of my dreams. Fresh off of the train from New Jersey to New York (I made a one day trip to NJ), I literally shrieked with absolute glee, and Alex L. can verify this should you have any doubts. I hadn't seen anything yet, or even made it to the hotel, but I was in New York, and I was already in love. 

Dress: Bloom; Sweater: Forever 21; Necklace: Nordstrom; Photos of me by: Alex L.

My love affair with New York continued throughout my whole stay there, and deepened even as I left. In fact, my heart is aching to be reunited with the love of its life. I am thoroughly convinced that the next step of my journey in life will find me there, so much so that as I blog throughout the day, I simultaneously have windows open on my desktop for fashion and editorial job listings in New York. So, if you or anyone you know is looking to hire an extremely qualified recent graduate, holla at your girl. Just kidding, but no, seriously. 

Washington DC: A Food Diary

Beer Battered Onion Rings that literally melted in my mouth

Naturally, a trip to D.C. would not be complete without some savory shots. After a visit to the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, I stopped by President Obama's favorite burger spot, Ray's Hell Burger. When I stepped inside the refreshingly air-conditioned restaurant and watched everyone blissfully chomp away at their burgers, I knew I made the right decision. I had a tough time ordering, as everything on the menu looked mouth-watering, but I went with The Mack, which featured Ray's special Hell sauce, and a side of beer-battered onion rings. When the gigantic portions were placed in front of me, I was in burger heaven (and PETA's worst nightmare?). I only managed to finish half my burger, but that was fine by me because I was more than happy to save some for later.

The Mack with American Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, Pickles, and Ray's Hell Sauce

Alex ordered Soul Burger Number One with Swiss Cheese, Mushrooms, and Bacon

Later that day, I made my way to Georgetown. After reliving my college days, while I sat on a bench on campus and pretended to be a student as real ones passed me by, I ventured into the heart of downtown Georgetown where the night life was bustling. After finishing up some shopping on M Street, where I snagged a purse on sale at Urban Outfitters, I found myself at Georgetown Cupcakes, where I purchased two delectable cupcakes for my bus ride back to my hotel. Very special thanks to Ginger from (Fred and) Ginger in Prague for the amazing and helpful DC and Georgetown suggestions!

Red Velvet Cupcake

Chocolate Ganache Cupcake (my favorite of the two)

Photos by: Chandamheer

I know my DC photo posts weren't as visually appealing as they could have been (I was in a slump the whole trip from the previous photo-deletion incident), BUT my next posts of New York City are the highlight of the trip! Come back soon to get a taste of the city that never sleeps. 

Monumental Moments: Part Two

On Monday, you saw me cool down in front of the Washington Monument. While this post has very little to do with food or fashion, it would be an utter shame if I didn't share the beauty that is D.C. Thus, I hope that you will forgive my momentary fashion blog faux pas in re-posting the same outfit twice.  Nonetheless, here is part two of pancakeSTACKER gallivanting around D.C and some more photos in front of places you might have heard about.

The Vietnam Memorial

The White House

I hear someone really important lives here

A view of the Lincoln Memorial taken from the WWII Memorial

A closer shot of the Lincoln Memorial

And, the man himself, Lincoln

Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia

Making my way to the Tomb

Guarding over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

A view of D.C. from Arlington

Photos of me by: Alex L.; All other photos by: Chandamheer

Monumental Moments: Part One

A little thing called the Washington Monument

Hitting 95 to 100 degrees a day with 40-60% humidity everyday, D.C. was some of the hottest weather I've experienced since Spain. While I generally look forward to the heat (sunshine is my thing), hot heat plus sticky humidity is a recipe for disaster when it comes to my body and hair. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say my clothes were more than drenched after hour tours and miles of walking around. Yet, it wasn't just the humidity that put a bit of a damper on my trip. On the second day of my trip to the Virigina/DC area, I accidentally erased all the pictures on my camera from my first day's adventure. So, sadly, all my amazing photos from day one are forever lost in the limbo to memory card heaven. Thankfully, I was still able to go back and re-shoot some of the big sites from the nation's capital. While I am still heartbroken over losing some of the most beautiful shots of my first day on the east coast, I have the consolidation of my memories to keep me from getting teary-eyed. Thus, since I lost about 200 shots that day, I'm going to have to spread out the few photos I have left from D.C. As a side note, Please ignore the fact that I will be wearing the same thing for all my D.C. posts (I seriously crammed what I could into one jam-packed day!). Below is a little taste of pancakeSTACKER in D.C.

It was so hot out that I was so giddy to find this mini fountain, can you tell?

I didn't know if people were allowed to run through it

But since no one stopped me, I was sure it was made for cooling down

So, cool down I did

Shorts: Forever 21; Belt: Old Navy; Top: Nordstrom; Photos by: Alex L.

pancakeLEFTOVERS: September

Dining at Japonessa, easily my favorite Seattle sushi spot. This thriller is called the Orange Crush

It's been a while, has it not? Or at least it feels that way, even though it's only been a week since my last post. I hope the photos from my last few posts have left you in a food-induced comatose state for long enough to forget that my internet usage has been compromised by my new found, jet-set lifestyle. But really, in all seriousness,  I hope that you all can not only smell the sweet aromas of the foods I smell, taste the utter satisfaction of every first bite I take, and feel the anguish of my 70-year old, under-exercised body, specifically my legs (definitely need to join a gym now that I am back), but also that you can all genuinely experience every joyous, new moment I feel, translated via my camera and blog to your computer screens and hearts.

Moments before I left the San Francisco airport on my "I need to experience life (and momentarily press pause on the inevitable real-life that is yearning to begin before I am)" post-graduate, traveling expedition, an old friend sent me a text that read, "I hope you find what you are looking for." Now that I have officially completed my tour around the US (yes, after three weeks of hotel-hopping, I returned yesterday to the comforts of my own room), I can safely say, that although I left not knowing what exactly I was looking for (or even if I was looking at all), I have come back with a deeper sense of what I want for myself in the future, and I am steps closer to where I hope to be.  

Well, enough of the profound, post-journey personal analysis, and on to the good stuff-- the pictures. pancakeSTACKER celebrated two months last week, so to continue with what I started, here are some of the most delicious pancakeLEFTOVERS from my virtual table to yours.

Spotted: A stylish Seattelite sporting an effortlessly tousled bun, the perfect shade of cowboy boots,  a peacoat for light showers, and a knapsack for goodies

Worth the heart attack? Oh, I think so. Bacon-wrapped scallops at Japonessa

Sinfully delicious. Meet Mr. Diablos Rex a la Voodoo Doughnuts

Plaid & Peppers at Pike Place

A stop at the first Starbucks. Special treat: Enjoying a cup of Joe with a live band playing melodious tunes in the background or the sneaky, but sophisticated mister who made his way into my shot?

A discovery on the Underground Tour that was too funny not to share. One of these is not like the other...

Elegantly Eco at Pike Place: What's more stylish than shopping green?

Now, many of you proclaimed your utter disgust at this display of public sanitation gone awry. But, can we all just take a moment to acknowledge the absolute creativity and dedication of that profession of love? J+R, I hope you are as stuck on one another as you are on this wall

Well, there you have it. The last bits and pieces from Seattle and Portland. I'll continue posting about the duration of my travels, and even better, it will be in a timelier manner now that I have internet again. Last, but not least, kudos to you, if you managed to read all that up there, and thank you for continuing to follow my blog, even while I was gone!