Autumn in Review

I like autumn leaves but haven't gone collecting leaves or posting them much until this year. 

Central Park

Alexandria, VA

National Zoo, DC

Origami Meetup Group Artist Trading Card 2013

My friend Linda loves artist trading cards (ATCs) and organized a card swap for the origami meetup group with the theme “Red, Orange, and Brown”. As always, I started brainstorming and planning my concept as soon as the trade was announced. This is a bit of a break from my previously heavily geometric/hydrangea-ish cards. Although the process can be viewed as a geometric mathematical problem to make 6-inch squares into ATC sized cards.

Design inspiration

My friend Nate specializes in making ATCs out of origami paper. I liked this concept from his Origami Heaven ATC trade and wanted to try it out myself.  

While playing with paper to figure out the crease pattern, I managed to find a way to weave a basket which I used as a card/basket.

Materials

The Card/basket is made from 6inch patterned kami. Apple and carrot are each made from half of a 3inch kami. So they’re both made from rectangles.

Revisions

Unlike my very first ATC which had a “secret theme”, I did share my process/prototypes for the OMG trade with friends. I’d like to thank Linda for her paper donation. My original prototype was a very boring plain brown. Unfortunately she didn’t have enough paper for all 9 cards in the set. Luckily Doug had received a batch of pattern paper from Linda so he had donated some as well. I don’t think people will mind that their baskets are slightly different. Jason liked the basket and suggested that I add some ridges/grooves on the carrot to make it more realistic.

Final 9 cards in the set

“Harvest” (OMG ATC Trade 2013)
Red, orange, and brown are autumn harvest colors in this ATC set. The basket is made from one sheet of paper and doubles as the ATC card.   

To read more, take a look at the next page.

Jazz in Autumn Central Park, New York

Jazz and Colors was advertised on many NYC event guides as a great way to take a stroll around Central Park while listening to classic jazz performances. I was surprised this was only the second year for the event. Just to note, I didn’t research the set list or the bands. Sometimes it’s better to just walk and enjoy and see what’s playing. I started out with egg/cheddar on a sesame bagel for breakfast (prepared for walking!) and headed to Columbus Circle. A banner indicated the band/location: ELEW and Nature of the Next / Columbus Circle. They had a huge crowd probably because Columbus Circle gets quite a bit of foot track. I wonder if most people just walked by and learned about the event. Maps and pamphlets were available at the information table.

While I walked to nearly 7 or 8 bands, the only three I remembered were Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (Bandshell, not pictured), Jason Marshall Quintet (Pineband Arch), and Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All Stars (Olmsted Bed on the Mall).

I know I had a perfect autumn day/weekend in Cambridge [blog entry] but New York also has its perfect autumn days. With foliage all around me in orange, yellow, red, and some greens too, I just wanted to keep walking and taking pictures. Dark branches with character spiraled out of nowhere. Ginkgo, maple, and pots of chrysanthemum looked even more lovely with the various sculptures / buildings inside the park. I also liked Central park’s benches, pools, lakes, bridges, and reflection of the leaves and buildings. Even more pics on shutterfly.

Other highlights from the weekend

Go go Curry http://www.gogocurryusa-ny.com/ typical comfort food. Try the chicken katsu or pork katsu and you won’t be disappointed.

Jiro dreams of sushi movie. http://www.magpictures.com/jirodreamsofsushi/
A movie about work and passion, with just a dash of sushi food porn in the mix. Linda and I both agreed that the food critic was awesome. He’s able to articulate just what sets Jiro’s sushi place a step or two above others. The movie was also a keen study on father/son relationship as well as the relationship between sushi chef/customer and sushi chef/fish market/fish dealer. I don’t think I’ll make it to Tokyo’s Ginza district any time soon, but may check Sushi Yasuda because it’s well regarded in the city.

Dim sum in 8th Ave Chinatown (Brooklyn Sunset Park) for the first time with friends was great. I didn’t get the name of the place but am sure we’ll go back there. Good service and very delicious shrimp dumplings. Pretty cool to have had dim sum in Manhattan, Queens, and now Brooklyn!

Windy Sunset Park made it difficult to take a picture of the gorgeous skyline. I recommend people take a trip out here though. http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sunsetpark

Whole Foods almond milk latte. Yes it’s not a secret that Whole Foods has almond milk available if you’re not interested in milk or soy. I like to switch it up a little and find it fun to get an almond milk latte whenever I’m in a Whole Foods. In this case, we were waiting for the movie to start so had some time to chat and sip coffees.

Miyazaki movie Wind is Rising or Wind Rises. I don’t know what the movie is called but it was a sold out crowd (possibly because everyone heard the ad on NPR or because it’s only playing at the Landmark Sunshine theater for one week). I enjoyed the visual effects but found the love story a bit difficult to relate. I did like the main character’s pursuit of his dream though. That was powerful.

Speaking of jazz, there is also an excellent jazz anime called “Kids on the Slope”. It’s currently available on stream on Crunchy Roll. I found it because I heard Yoko Kanno also worked on the music. There were a few love triangles but the overall character interaction was genuine and relatable. Best part was of course the music but it’s rare to find anime more focused on friendships and growing up than the regular school romance. Who is your favorite character? It’s a toss up between the two male leads at various points of the storyline.

Autumn Trip Notes from in Cambridge, MA

Make a list of lovely autumn things and you will find them in abundance in Cambridge: fall foliage, crisp weather, classic buildings, seafood, good apples, and more. This past weekend I spent a pleasant autumn weekend in Cambridge with my friend Ying and took the opportunity to explore the streets, neighborhoods, and Harvard/MIT campuses. On the train ride back, I jotted down all the notes as basis for this entry. Not meant to be a detailed review but rather a collection of pictures, reference sites, and food thoughts.

above: my favorite shot of the trip. a colorful branch from Harvard courtyard.

Highlights from MIT Campus

I didn’t get a chance to photograph the “infinite corridors” (wiki entry) but it’s a fun “to-do” for every MIT visitor. Should start at the 77 Mass. entrance for the small dome, take a pic of the medallion and then walk through the different hallways until you get lost and found again. I discovered a lot of interesting wall art/exhibit/lab scenes this way.

Foliage from Harvard Campus

Good Eats

Ying was the one who suggested that I start a blog (was all about food)years ago. So this section is dedicated to her. The foods are grouped by meal as opposed by day.

Breakfast was exclusively at Flour for two days. While the chocolate almond croissant was nice, the regular croissant fresh out of the oven is highly recommended. Both coffees (French roast and house blend) were great. Watch out for weekend seating but outdoor seating works on a sunny day too. I loved their version of the French toast (yet another way/variation of French toast).

More food and fun after the break.

NY Autumn/Winter Guide 2010

Updated Jan 2011.

Winter Events
Bryant Park Pond [link]
Free ice skating rink (If you bring your skates and a lock). Otherwise you can rent their skates and purchase locks. I love outdoor ice skating rinks, and this one is in the middle of the city so you get nice city lights and swinging music. Also a bunch of holiday shops featuring interesting items.

Radio City Christmas Show

Nutcracker at Lincoln Center

Various Trees and Lightings 2010
//Rockefeller Center: Nov 30. The biggest tree in NYC. More lights than tree. Check out the new Lego store nearby too and all the XMas window decors on Fifth Ave!
//Bryant Park: Dec 2. Nice ornaments and usually a photo op by the sponsor.
//Lincoln Square: Nov 29.
//Metropolitan Museum of Art: If you like medieval stuff, this tree is filled with classy medieval ornaments and angels.
//Natural History Museum: Famous origami tree


All Year Indoor Happenings
B&N Readings (NY Store Listings)
Great authors. I saw Anthony Bourdain, Alton Brown, and David Sedaris this year.

Strand Books Readings (Calendar)
I love the Strand, more neighborhood friendly and awesome recommendations for all types of books, including philosophy, science, sociology, etc. I happened to catch a few events here which resulted in heated crowd discussion, much more in line with NYC than the family friendly B&N right?

Jazzy events at Lincoln Center http://www.jalc.org/jazzED/g_listening09.html
Space is beautiful and I attended a listening party that was particularly fun.

Autumn Events

Oyster Festival [link] EVENT PASSED
After trying more stuff at the festival, I have come to the conclusion that the only ones worth the trouble are raw oysters and soft shell crab. Two rounds of oysters and one round of soft shell is plenty. Lobster bisque was ok but still not that amazing.

Free Concerts in Bryant Park EVENT PASSED

NY Marathon [link] EVENT PASSED
I actually went to watch the marathon this year (2010) from several locations (viewing map pdf)! The Queens viewing area was neat because you can watch the runners go up the Queensboro bridge and as you take the subway into Manhattan, you can watch them run in the lane next to you. I also watched from Central Park near the end and thought it was very inspiring to see the runners still looking great at the end of the 26 mile. Amazing…I applaud all the athletes.

Farmers Market
Pick up apples, pumpkins, cider, and other yummies. Union Square Green Market is year round M/W/Sat. Madison Square Park also had a small market setup this year for a few months. I learned what "urban pumpkin picking" entails: picking a pumpkin out of the pumpkin house (shelves make up the walls and pumpkins of all sizes line the shelves)

Pickle Day [link] EVENT PASSED
Small event in the parking lot area LES (hard to find...). I like pickles but I didn't realize how ridiculous it is to eat so many pickles in one day. I picked up a jar of horseradish pickles from Horman's. Excellent with roast beef and other sandwiches! Tried the smoked okras from Rick's but wasn't too impressed. I think it's better as an ingredient in salad or sandwich as opposed to eaten by itself. Their other pickles are much better. If you like pickles and don't have to venture too far to LES, definitely check it out next year.

Chocolate Show [link] EVENT PASSED
I went to it once and thought it was fabulous (blog entry). Besides different venders selling chocolate and offering free samples, you will see chocolate art, sculptures, fashion, and cooking demonstrations. May not be feasible to go every year but if you haven't gone at least once, grab a friend and check it out next year!

Halloween Parade [link] EVENT PASSED
My favorite this year was the Walk/NO Walk sign by a couple and all the funny Chilean miner ones with signs. Too many Lady Gaga costumes that I just didn’t find them interesting anymore

Other Links

101 Fall Things by Time Out NY
http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/own-this-city/79341/101-things-to-do-in-new-york-city-in-the-fall

101 Winter Things by Time Out NY
http://newyork.timeout.com/things-to-do/57411/101-things-to-do-in-new-york-city-in-the-winter

Ice Skating in NYC
http://gonyc.about.com/od/iceskatinginnyc/Ice_Skating_in_New_York_City.htm

Rainy Day Ideas
http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/own-this-city/75734/40-things-to-do-when-its-raining

My 2009 entry
http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2009/11/ny-autumnwinter-guide-2009.html

NY Autumn/Winter Guide 2009

While I always try to update my summer fun guide, I want to stay motivated with my autumn/winter guide. The reason I combined them is that I always seem to miss Autumn in Central Park every year. The weather gets cold fast and the holidays are always so crowded. Once DST ends, you get 5pm sunsets if not earlier. So what is there to do? Some of these events already passed, but hopefully putting them here will make me remember them next year. Most events are annual.

Winter Events
Bryant Park Pond [link]
Free ice skating rink (If you bring your skates and a lock). Otherwise you can rent their skates and purchase locks. Try to catch it early because it gets really crowded around the holidays. I love outdoor ice skating rinks, and this one is in the middle of the city so you get nice city lights and swinging music. Also a bunch of holiday shops featuring interesting items.

Various Trees and Lightings
Rockefeller Center: The biggest. More lights than tree. Dec 2
Bryant Park: TBD. Nice ornaments and usually a photo op by the sponsor.
Lincoln Center: Nov 30. I only saw this tree once. It was blue that year.
Metropolitan Museum of Art: If you like medieval stuff, this tree is filled with classy medieval ornaments and angels.


New Find
Oyster Festival [link] EVENT PASSED
My cousin and I love oysters, especially ones from Tracks and Oyster Bar. I was browsing the LIRR trip deals when I found out about the Oyster Festival in Oyster Bay. While the festival is not what I imagined...I somehow imagined it to be a crazy showcase of million kind of oysters (kind of the chocolate show?). But it's more like a county fair (carnival type) with awesome seafood (and of course oysters). Some run-down of the seafood: Raw oysters from Oyster Bay (don't be scared of the line, so worth it!), soft shell crab sandwich (they take one whole crab, deep fry it, and put it between a bun, smells and tastes amazing), whole lobster dinners, chowder, gumbo, etc etc. Usually I don't expect fair food to include seafood, but these are amazing. If you take the LIRR and buy the LIRR Oyster Fair package, you get 3 oysters with your ticket. Sweet!

Free Concerts in Bryant Park EVENT PASSED
Two weeks in October Bryant Park set up a stage featuring performances and concerts. I happened to catch the Bargemusic one during a Wed and was surprised by all the


B&N Readings (NY Store Listings)
They are held indoors and you get pretty famous people in NYC. I saw Tracy Morgan and John Hodgman at the Union Square location. If you want to gift an autographed book to a friend or relative, this is a great place to check out. Otherwise the reading/discussion portion is free. I would advise you to go early and try for a front seat if you want to get your book signed earlier. The B&N near Lincoln Center has many performers passing through, probably right before a show in town.

Strand Books Readings (Calendar)
I haven't gone to any readings here but they have a lot of guests too!