An Urban Girl

Our days of visiting with my mother are numbered. SIGH. It’s been a beautiful week and we have created many memories all around. But in parallel to this beautiful week, we have also been having a terrrrible week. A terrible twos week to be exact. BIGGER SIGH. My sweet girl has had at least one fussy spell per day and is suddenly terrified of every aspect of what used to be a lovely life. Waking up: Scary. Changing diaper or clothes: Scary, Sacry. Nap Time/Bed Time/or any sleep inducing activity: NO!NO!NO! Our Beloved Bath time: OMG, You are out of your mind! And anything to do with restrained seating in a shopping cart, stroller, high chair or car seat: Just Forgetaboutit! Here are some of the excuses I have been offering stunned passer bys: It is left over effects of the flu she picked up from New York… She may have been jinxed by a darn nice lady we met at a party last month who told me to enjoy her sweet nature now and look forward to the TERRIBLE TWOs shortly. I

My mother is coming to visit this afternoon. She will stay with us for TEN days she said. The main reason for her visit is to be in the vicinity of Mr. Urban during these tough times of his father’s illness. Those two have somewhat of a wonderful relationship as far as in-laws go. She loves him and notices all his goodness. He likes sitting next to her and listen to her stories, shares new games and books like Sudoku and Marley and Me with her, says things like “Can’t wait to see your mom tomorrow”, and savors her cooking to no end. As a result we are fed very well when she is with us, and everyone is happier all around… Anyways, I adore their kinship, and I wish it upon everyone in a relationship with in-laws (including myself). It’s just a lovely way to go through life… For my part in the visit, I have been preparing all morning… I made up the guest bedroom with fresh sheets and fresh flowers. And for dinner, I am planning to serve a good looking Greek Salad inspired by th

  Not knowing what would be in store for us, travelling to New York with a toddler during the thick of summer, we decided to spilt the trip in half and drive up to Long Island for a mini seaside vacation.  Neither of us had travelled to the Hamptons before, but from what we knew of it from the movies, it was worth a visit. We arrived to the village of Southampton , just in time for a late lunch of clam cassoulet, lobster salad and cold sweaty glasses of white wine at Barrister’s.  Lunch was followed by a stroll around the village, where we took stock of interesting places to hit later: for me it was DVF and Theory (both running sales) and for Mr. Urban it was Sant Ambroeus.  However, Mr. Urban decided that he can’t put off important matters till our visit back into the village the next day, and announced an immediate stop at Sant Ambroues , a pasticceria, confetteria and gelateria (which turned out to be a GREAT idea on various levels).   With all that sugar and seafood i

As you may have already imagined, I am as much of a devotee to certain renowned chefs and restaurateurs as my mother is to certain designers…  And as any serious groupie would, food related excursions are researched thoroughly and planned well in advance, especially when travelling.  But when Mr. Urban asked me of our plans for New York on the eve of our trip, I told him that our only plans relate to keeping a 21 month old happy!   Of course I had ideas at the back of my mind taunting me… things like Lupa, Bobby Flay, Saks, The Met, and colorful Martini’s at funky Manhattan lounges would pop in, but I graciously managed to ignore them, thanks to my mama-Zen mediation practice. I dare say that the 6 hour flight over went beautifully.  We didn’t get to watch Date Night, nor did the UrbanToddler sleep a wink (as we had secretly hoped for), but our girl was engaged and at a delightful volume level throughout the flight.  We looked positively smug when neighboring passengers noted h

I often wonder how Celebrities get their children to do certain things...   Like in this picture:  Suri Cruise, wrapped in a blanket, joining her mother Katie Holmes on the set of The Kennedys in Toronto, Canada on Thursday July 15, 2010. Did you know that on Thursday, Toronto's weather was 86 degrees and very humid... 

Months ago I was able to score us a 600 sq ft suite at a 4 star New York hotel over looking Central Park for a ridiculously low price.  I did not care that when July came around New York would probably be scorching hot and balmy.  After all it’s New York and we have had a long standing unconditional love affair with the city for years…  New York is where Mr. Urban proposed, one romantic November evening years ago.  And that’s not all that makes us sentimental about this beautiful city, the list is long.  But suffice it to say that we love New York   through and through…. There is one caveat though.  Due to an experience I will not mention now, I refuse to travel to New York these days unless I am sure I have spacious and lovely accommodations (which does not cost me my first born child).    OK.  I will mention why I say this just because I feel like you really want to know… On our last trip to New York , during a busy Spring travel season, we paid $300 per night for

The Urbans are back! Currently sorting out laundry, a pesky 101 fever, week old dust on the coffee table, and tonight's supper.   Looking forward to report on a delightful summer week that has come and gone way too soon....   

My beloved Mr. Urban has been graciously dealing with difficult times.  His father is battling the dreaded big C.  There are menacing downs and then somewhat hopeful ups, and many many prayers throughout…    The past few days have been trying, to say the least.  But you wouldn’t know it by looking at Mr. Urban.  He is optimistic and relentless in trying to make things better.  His demeanor is calm and his eyes are full of hope, I imagine that just looking at him must bring his father a sense that all will be well.   This morning we had a few hours to fill our lungs with fresh air.  We quickly packed a simple picnic, a beach ball, a small lawnmower, James Blunt, and a cute toddler into the car and headed to Golden Gate Park .  Los Altos was a perfect 75 degrees with sunny blue skies when we left.  San Francisco was supposed to be clear and 65 degrees… But we should have known better than to leave the warm comforts of our town…  The park was thickly overcast, windy and cold.

May the winds of freedom blow away the clouds, the world over... Happy July 4th from San Francisco, California .

After fighting a terrible 4th of July long weekend traffic we arrived to Napa for a wonderful day trip.  I must say that if it wasn't for Mr. Urban's map savvyness and maneuvering, we'd still be sitting in that awful traffic! Napa has over 450 wineries, but in over ten Napa trips, Mr. Urban and I have stayed faithful to only 1 itinerary...    The trip almost always begins with a pilgrimage to the magnificent Darioush Winery , an homage to Persepolis - the ceremonial capital of the ancient Persian Empire.  We can never get enough of the beautiful architecture (and their wines) and it almost always manages to get us extra points if we are accompanied by out of town visitors. After, there is always a pit stop at Dean and Deluca's, where we stock up on gourmet picnic stuff to take with us on to our next stop, which is usually the lovely picnic area of Rutherford Hill Winery .  Although there are many picnic areas in Napa, we love this particular spot for its rusti