Nathan Sawaya

Being the big sister means you constantly have to think of things to do with your little siblings to stimulate their minds, capture their attention, inspire their creativity, and tire them out by the time they get home. 

I've always been an advocate of children exploring their creativity, so when my youngest two siblings got into Legos, I was the one supporting their expensive hobby even though my parents kept complaining about finding Legos in every corner of the house and stepping on tiny ninjas and doll accessories. They started out just being interested in building what was on the box, then my sister got the brilliant idea to make her own scenes for her toys. I was definitely on board and a trip to the craft store quickly followed.

One day on a subway ride home from the city, I saw an ad for a Lego exhibition at the Discovery Times Square Exhibit. It's like the Lego gods were speaking to me. There's no way my brother and sisters wouldn't absolutely love this!!!! So one cool summer afternoon, I packed some snacks and we headed to Times Square. 

First off, let me take a quick second to breathe....it's always hard for me to talk about the $106 I paid to get in there. But there were five of us....but then again, I'm a broke college student! 

Ok, im good now. 

The exhibit is called The Art of the Brick and its a series created by artist Nathan Sawaya. Now Nathan is a true kid at heart. He's one of those people who always loved the freedom and playfulness of toys but tried to fit himself to the mold of the corporate world and found out what a lot of people already know: it's not for everyone. And so he began to pursue his lego hobby more and more with larger more intricate pieces. One day someone offered to pay for one, and just like that his art career began. 

 The exhibit is beautiful. There's a lot of variety in the pieces and a lot of familiarity to the New York area (like the I love New York poster or lady liberty). It starts out with Nathan's interpretations of some world famous art pieces like the Mona Lisa, The Girl With a Pearl Earring, Starry Night, and Michelangelo's David to name a few. 

Then Sawaya gets intimate with his personal portraits of his wife. 

And he gets experimental with plays on human figure, juxtaposing the body with shapes and light and shadow. 

A cool thing about this exhibit is that Sawaya leaves you with the conclusion that building with Legos is endless, although he never mentions that building with Legos is expensive. I mean, which big sister paid for the 18,000 bricks used to create this T-Rex?!?!

I think the best part of the exhibit was at the end where Nathan showcases some young Lego talent. That was the most inspiring part for my little brother who now wants to create something "so awesome they'll pick it to be in here." 

And best of all, the last piece in the exhibit, is a piece still in the making. It consists of individual Legos placed by the visitors of the exhibit. And now we're a part of it too. 

~ Lisa L.

Vamizi Island

The school computer keeps crashing every time I try to render my perspectives >_<

During times like this I just wish I could take a quick break, go outside, hop into my private jet, go somewhere wonderful, come back, and then get back to my work. Likity split! I can't afford my private jet just yet, but I can look at these fantastical pictures and imagine I'm there for a while. 

My first getaway would have to be to Vamizi Island. When your computer keeps crashing and your projects due in a week, you just want to be alone. Vamizi Island is the place for seclusion and reflection. 

 

The island is located in the Quirimbas Archipelago of Northern Mozambique. Aside from the residents of the small fishing village, it'll just be you, the beach, the sun, the water, and a special someone. Doesn't it sound absolutely perfect?!

Vamizi Island Lodge, is a simple and beautiful group of seven villas on the island. They embrace the natural beauty of the island by allowing it to mesh with the design of their dwellings. The furnishings are a crisp and refreshing white. The textures of the natural woods remind you of the beautiful nature you're in which colors the rest of your view.

You can wake up with the sun peeking through your blinds and walk right out onto your private beach to have breakfast. You can enjoy a much needed massage as you drift off to the melodic music of the waves.If you'd like to be active, take a stab at fishing, enjoy a calm canoe ride or dive right in with the fish! And always expect the surf-fresh seafood to be exceptionally tasty.

Yep, Vamizi Island might be the first place I take my jet. :)

~ Lisa Lou 

Newport

One day in class, we got to discussing the first group of American millionaires; the robber Barron's of the late 19th century. They were families like the Rockefellers, the Carnegies, the Vanderbilts, and the Astors, all of whom most of us are indebted to for some of the luxuries we enjoy in our day-to-day lives.

We spoke about how extravagant and over-the-top these families were with their extensive art collections, elite dinner parties, and ginormous summer 'cottages.' Then I remembered that I actually visited a few of those cottages last October on my trip to Newport. 

Newport Rhode Island is a beautiful island about 4 hours drive from the city. The Newport Mansions are beautifully kept and maintained by the Preservation Society of Newport County, and everything is exceptionally breathtaking there.

The first mansion we visited was The Breakers. It's Italian Renaissance- style palazzo designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt for the Vanderbilts, the transportation tycoons of the 1800's. It was their summer vacation home and party house.

Let me tell you, the Vanderbilts spared no expense on this house. The 70 room mansion has rooms for dancing and dining, a library encrusted in gold, coffered ceilings, fireplaces taller than I am, an indoor fountain, extensive balconies with awe-inspiring views, a very large kitchen, servants' quarters, and the most spectacular backyard I've ever laid eyes on.

 After that, I visited Marble House, another home owned by the Vanderbilt family because no, one giant extravagant home wasn't enough. 

 Marble House was built by the Grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt as a 39th birthday present for his wife. She used the house to store all of her art and treasures and her expensive taste is epitomized in the 500,000 cubic feet of marble used in the house's construction. 

Marble house is a lot smaller than The Breakers, but it is just as glamorous. The rooms utilize a lot of wallpapers, textures, and patterns. It showcases the culture of the couple and even the appreciation for the water, as the husband was a sailor. There's also a Chinese Tea House in the backyard! 

I can't say enough how much a trip to Newport will change your life. It's so peaceful and scenic there that I didn't want to leave. Just take a day in the springtime when the flowers are blooming and drive up. You won't regret it. The food up there is pretty good and you'll make lots of new friends like I did :)

~ Lisa Lou

Rafaella Cafe

Thankfully my family and I made it through Hurricane Sandy unscathed. We were just fortunate enough to have a LOT of quality time with each other before my parents shipped off for vacation. In all this quality time, my mom made a ton of food and  I was loving it. But, I was craving me some Crepes. 

If you don't know anything about me you should know that my favorite breakfast food is Crepes. Sweet, or savory. And last week, I had lunch at a great place called Rafaella Cafe.

It is the cutest little cafe in Chelsea and the best part is, they serve breakfast til 4pm!!! So of course I ordered some crepes!!! Here's a picture of my Nutella and banana crepe, yummm. Isn't the plating just beautiful?? please excuse the cuts, I couldn't resist a pre-pic taste ^__^

It was sooooo good. I also tried a bit of my bestie's moroccan chicken crepe...de-lish!

Besides awesome breakfast, the place is adorable. They've got this little nook with books filled with awesome art. And you KNOW how much I love me some awesome art!!

There's such a homey feel you get in Rafaella. Its definitely eclectic and they had me jammin' to the great Motown tunes they were playing.

I mean dry-erase art?! Love it!!

And did I mention almost everything on the menu is under $10? It's way too close to my school for it not to be my new everyday spot :)

~ Lisa Lou

If you're hungry in Grand Central

I did a site visit to Grand Central Market for my Environmental Experience class. Guys!! It's soOoo nice there. The quality level of the foods there is unbelievable and the atmosphere is splendid. It's like a little town where we all know each other. Everyone says hello, good afternoon and one nice old man said I looked very nice today :) 

If it's not hand-made, it's organic, sustainable, delivered fresh daily, and just heavenly tasting. Go there for a quick snack or something to cook for dinner later (if you can cook that is...). They also have hundreds of coffees and different spices from all over the world that you won't find anywhere else in New York. 

There are two bakeries there and their treats are scrum-diddly-umptious! The halloween stuff is out and it's soooo cute!

If you're ever near Grand Central and you need a quick snack, head over there. Your tummy will thank you :)

~ Lisa Lou

Walking the Line

My curriculum includes this class called Environmental Experience. It could be the most boring class ever because there's a lot of lecturing, or, it could be the best class ever because it makes you think and look at design in a different way.
I choose the latter.
The class is basically about the experience that people have in a built environment. Pretty self explanatory right?? But not many people actually consider that. Some people design a space and expect people to figure out how to exist in it rather than observe and understand people, then design a space for them. 
Our assignment was to walk and observe a few public spaces in New York and observe how people interact with them, the emotions exhibited, the activities going on, and the principles and elements of design applied in the space. I happened to be near the Highline this morning, and I decided to take a stroll and have some breakfast :)

~ Lisa Lou

Cafeteria

119 7th Avenue

poto: cafeteriagroup.com

So FNO was a fail -__- , but I guess that's how it usually is for people with real lives. Everything was pretty much over by the time my friends and I met up and we couldn't really decide on one place to go. After some mindless walking around, we decided to go grab a bite and get some drinks. 

New York may be the "city that never sleeps", but all the kitchens are closed by 11. So, we decided to hit up an oldie but goodie, Cafeteria. 

Located in the heart of Chelsea and open 24 hours, it's definitely a go-to spot for everyone doing early brunches, late dinners, and midnight drinks after the party. The interior designer in me tried to overlook the need for another entrance or at least double doors, the lack of walking space near the bar, and the noisy transition the retractable facade makes as it's manually pulled up and down. 

The ambiance was great, everyone is just ....chill and I had a nice Aloe Vera Lemonade as we waited to be seated. They were playing a few of my high school favorites like Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk so it distracted me from the 20 minute wait to be served. My grilled Mahi-Mahi was divine; with that topping of crushed mango (my favorite fruit) and the avocado and chili cilantro aioli base...YUMMMM. 

We didn't get to see any celebrities that night, or party with the rest of NYC, but we sure did eat well :)

~ Lisa Lou

Lunch with Strangers

   
 These days its pretty nice outside and I started bringing my own lunch to school. This particular day all the stools were taken and yes, I could sit in the lounge... IF I wanted to freeze my booty off. So I decided to walk and find a spot and did I?! 
There's the cutest little outdoor seating area behind the Eventi Hotel. There are trees, benches, a burger joint if you don't already have lunch, AND a ginormous tv. What more could you want?

~ Lisa Lou