Pumpkin Patch

October 18, 2016 by Patricia Chang in Family, Fashion, Food, Travel

IF YOU PLAN ON TRAVELING HERE READ THESE TIPS FIRST:

Over the weekend we took the Metro North from Grand Central to Croton Falls station for a fun day at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard up in North Salem, NY! Wear comfy shoes and be warned - they only have porta potties.. You can use the bathroom at Gordon's Deli as soon as you get off the train from Croton Falls station where they happen to have yummy sandwiches! We envisioned a quiet day in nature. Not so~ There's loud (fun) music and dust kicked up by what reminded me of a "Times Square crowd" if you go on a weekend. Last year we were faced with a lot of traffic (from the station to the orchard) and long lines for everything, so we went earlier in the morning this year and it was much better traffic wise. Also prepare to stand still often, there are quite a lot of bees. Lastly, bring cash.

First things first! I've learned that as a parent, your greatest joy comes from watching your child have a blast. Chase quickly spotted the row of bouncy castles in the back so we zipped there first. At 2.5 years old, he was only allowed on 2 of the 3 inflatables. We paid $3 for the bouncy castle where Chase waited patiently on line. Once he got in he realized it is not connected to the slide he saw and stayed for less than 30 seconds. I pushed him back in but he wasn't interested in jumping. So to the big slide we went! It was $2 per turn or $5/3 turns. I paid the $2 to see if he can handle it and he LOVED it! I got him the bundle ticket and let him go 3 more times in a row. I thought it was worth it because he rarely comes across such a giant slide and laughed the entire time. Plus I really enjoyed watching him come down in an "X shape". The 3rd inflatable was an obstacle course for kids older than 6 years.

Pumpkin picking! Got one!

Dancing with his friend Charlotte to the live music during our (second) lunch break! I'll share a video on Instagram - they were soo cute!!

The tacos were pretty good! Do'h - Don't forget to try the homemade cider donuts like we did this time~ Had them last year and they were really good.

Apple picking: Apparently due to many circumstances such as an extremely hot summer, apples (and pears) were no longer on the trees and only in bins. You can only enter this "picking" section if you are buying a $20 bag. It's worth the short, but steep hike up because there is a great view, fresh air and you can get away from the crowds.

I'm including this because they had the longest line of all. Just FYI: might want to go early if you're interested!

We only picked a couple of mini pumpkins for easier traveling. I would have picked some larger pumpkins had we drove. Grab a single serving cold apple cider while you're paying inside the store - it's so fresh!

Once we got back to Grand Central Station my friend Nancy (Charlotte's mom), whose family spent the day with us, pointed us to Joe & the Juice. I ordered "Joe's Green Mile" and guess who stole it from me. I was happy to share it because he has gotten pickier about his vegetables and it has spinach, avocado and broccoli! It was one of the tastiest juices I got so I am curious to go back and try every flavor. I was a little surprised when I was paying because at $10, it was pricier than Juice Generation which I already find a bit expensive. It will be the occasional treat!

Memory Lane from exactly a year ago at the same place - looks like we are starting a tradition!

I can't believe he was small enough to put in the bin. Today, those pumpkins would have been squashed to pumpkin pie!

Shop the Look

I got this pumpkin costume last year for the same event and it still fit~ Milking it ;)

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Postcards from Barcelona, Part 3

May 19, 2016 by Patricia Chang in Fashion, Food, Travel

Oh man, how do you put into words the work of Gaudi. It's no secret that he is a huge part of what makes Barcelona a special place. Sagrada Familia (angels chiming *ahhhhhh*) is TRULY a gem. My jaw dropped to see the stained glass in this enormous space is ombre! The sun light piercing through was just magical and breath taking to say the least. I was lucky to have come back 16 years later and it caught me off guard to see new parts of the building I did not remember from 2000 (a 10th grade Spanish class trip). Turns out it was only half built back then. I remember climbing the spiral stairs up a tower, terrified that there's no guard rail, holding onto the wall as I courageously made it to the top. Now they have an elevator! It's pretty cool to see people still working on it both from the outside and inside (by the museum) on a structure started over a hundred years ago. Can't wait to come back with Chase when he's old enough to appreciate it and perhaps it will finally be complete by then! Each of Gaudi's creations are pretty spectacular, Park Guell is a sunny day in tangible form and FYI Palau Guell is free on the first Sunday of each month. If you like visiting historic and architectural spaces, the MUHBA was more interesting than I honestly expected it to be - you can walk around Roman ruins discovered under street level with all sorts of shops and homes in a rather small vicinity.

Tamara from Theglamandglitter was in Barcelona just before me and recommended Chok, a chocolate and donut specialty shop. Don't expect a sit down cafe, just a couple seats for a quick bite and the most fabulous concoctions! I am so glad she recommended this spot because we went back anytime we were near one. The cronuts are beautifully garnished, we got a white chocolate one with edible flowers and a an amazing tarty crunchy topping. Contrary to how they look, they're not too sweet so you can manage to eat an entire donut. It's really hard to choose a flavor - their combos are really sophisticated and interesting! I also got a package of dark chocolate covered potato chips for the road which is perfect for a salty tooth like me.

I absolutely have loved this Self Portrait dress for ages! The powder blue was perfect for Park Guell but a lot of shoes were dressing the dress too up. I wanted to wear it casually and the weather was non committal, so I paired it with boots. Try wearing your favorite dresses this spring whenever or wherever you want by accessorizing appropriately!

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Post cards from Barcelona, Part 2

May 16, 2016 by Patricia Chang in Fashion, Food, Travel

Ciutadela Park, wearing Shopbop — Ciutadela Park, wearing Shopbop

Welcome back for Part 2 of our trip! I mashed together some of my "naturey" photos and ended up with a parks list. I have come to realize I have a soft spot for parks when I travel. When you're running around seeing all the sights, it's especially relaxing to sit and listen to some water trickling while soaking in the surrounding culture. My favorite place was Ciutadela Park, as we went back twice by choice. There's something about this park that brought out a sense of home away from home. It reminded me of a condensed Central Park in NY, except this park has palm trees galore!

We also went back to the beach for a second time. The first time, we stumbled upon it on our way to the cable car that takes you up to Montjuic. We saw people selling blankets and decided to come back for a picnic if we had time. On our last day we happened to walk by the beach again. Before making it to the sand, we got distracted by some people making large bubbles for the crowd. It was then I noticed groups of people buzzing around on electric bikes and scooters of all kinds. Right there in the middle of the board walk we spotted a rental place and had a spontaneous ride! I definitely recommend going along the entire boardwalk this way. It was so fun that had we discovered it sooner I may have convinced my husband to do all day rentals everyday~

El Nacional is a gem! There are multiple restaurants in one large open space with THE most fabulous interior. Our Airbnb was just around the block and I would have missed it had I not just seen it on my friend's instagram (@mjtraynor). I think we tried most of the sections and I can't really recommend one over the other. The tapas section was a unique experience because they come around announcing available plates in their hand (kind of like dim sum carts). Definitely check out this space if you're in the neighborhood!

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Botanical Gardens Trains Bonanza

The New York Botanical Garden

January 31, 2016 by Patricia Chang in Vlog, Family, Travel

Introducing, my first VLOG! It was Martin Luther King Day, so we took advantage of my husband's day off by heading over to the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. Luckily, we caught the last day of their annual holiday train show. As we hoped, Chase, especially, enjoyed the show. It was heart warming to watch his face glow with mesmerization by the impressive train displays. Despite it being one of the coldest days here, it was definitely worth the trek. We were able to get there fairly easily from Grand Central Terminal. It's safe to say, Chase's love for trains bloomed here; we even got him a larger train set just a week after!