Go West

I received J.Crew’s August catalog last week.  Gold star for me for not ordering anything, even though I have a both a gift card and a credit to my good name.  Actually, it’s pretty easy to avoid buying pretty clothes when you’re many many #s above your normal weight, but I like to give myself a pat on the back whenever possible.

So, why am I talking about J.Crew?  Cause I love that each new season brings a different location for their catalog shoot.  This month’s catalog was shot at Lake Powell in Arizona, and gosh is that some amazingly breathtaking landscape.  The rock formations have such an incredible architectural quality, I couldn’t resist writing about them on the Babble.  I’ve been wanting to take a trip out West for some time now:  hike the Grand Canyon, see Lake Mead, do some crazy whitewater rafting, take Ansel Adams-esque photographs.  You know, the usual.

(All images courtesy of the J.Crew August catalog)

I’m also coveting this bag, in case you’re interested.

Happy St. Patty’s Day

This is what pregnant ladies do with their wine glasses: drink green smoothies.  That wine glass is one of my favorites, not only because it’s extra large, but because it reminds me of our trip to San Francisco and Northern California last January.  We visited the Twomey Cellars winery in Healdsburg, California and it’s the site of the Babble’s header photography.  I was blown away by the design of the building, which takes advantage of incredible views of their vineyards in the Russian River Valley.  I know the architect is local to the area, but I can’t seem to find it listed online.  Does anyone know who designed this building?

Miami Vacay

We returned Tuesday from a short but well worth it trip to Miami over the weekend.  Rudy is helping me unpack.

That fur to the right of him is his pelt.  Don’t ask.

We were able to get some much-needed sunshine, eat Cuban food (thanks Amy and Max!), swim, fish, and be inspired by architecture.

Here are a few of the photos I took in the Art Deco District on Sunday morning.  Tip for all you vacation photographers: Sunday morning is the best time to capture a city because there are fewer people and less traffic, and if you time it right you can get great light.  We probably should have gotten up a little earlier for the best light in a sunny city like Miami, but hey, we were on vacation.

This next one might be my favorite of the old hotels.

Here’s where we stayed. 

Just kidding.  We didn’t stay there.  But we drooled over this strip of hotels from the beach.

I absolutely loved this one (above).  Isn’t that little balcony amazing?  It’s the Ritz-Carlton, so I tried not to get too attached.

Just that morning I was thinking how much I like terrazzo flooring, and lo and behold we came across this:

That’s not your average terrazzo, friends.  The embedded stones are huge.  Here’s a scale photo with my sandy foot in it.  Keep in mind I have freakishly large feet.

These steps are gorgeous and belong to the Hotel Gansevoort (designed by the Stephen B. Jacobs Group) which we checked out in search of a restroom.   We were directed to their coffee bar, Cafe Bustelo, which turned out to be A-mazing.

Rows and rows of their coffee line the walls to the tall ceiling.

 

It is beautifully designed, and great for people-watching. 

Just across the street (Collins Road) is the property I’d be interested in purchasing and redeeming:

 

Anyone want to go in on an investment property?   This one’s a winner: prime location and great mid-century bones.

One last architecture photo from the trip.

That’s a parking garage.  Isn’t it astoundingly cool?

Nothing  like a trip to a new city to gain some inspiration.  Miss you already, Miami.

I get by with a little help...

I'm proud to say that the exam went well yesterday and I mustered a PASS! I'm excited to be a LEED Accredited Professional and can't wait to put this knowledge to work on a project. I apologize for the lack of posts this week. I was determined to spend every spare second studying and it seems to have paid off. A big thank you to friends like Cassi, Dawn and Katrina who graciously shared their study materials with me. Now on to the good stuff. A few weeks ago I took off on a road trip with my husband and dog. We had a few destinations in Florida in mind, and we couldn't have picked a better week weather-wise. It was gloriously warm and sunny and we enjoyed every second. We made it all the way to Key West and the 0 mile Marker on U.S. Highway 1. Being in the Conch Republic for a few days was such a nice change of pace. On a beach on one of the keys we came across some makeshift architecture- a structure made of driftwood and found items. It had walls, multiple rooms, even stairs leading to an eventual second level. It's a little difficult to tell from the photos (do I need to invest in a wide angle lens?) but someone has put a LOT of work in to this beach house. A ramshackle as it was, it definitely seemed to provide shelter. What I love most about architecture is that it deals with how we live and make the most of our environments. For me, travel is the best way to experience this. I'll leave you with this image from Laugier's Essay on Architecture which argued for a return to simplicity and rationalism in building. Architecture history sticks with you!