K.I.D. Collective

There is so much inspiration in New York City. It’s literally around every corner, on every person and in each bite. I’m already thinking about my next trip. Maybe next time, I’ll have a camera. Below are a few highlights from the trip. I hope you all enjoy your long holiday weekend.

The lobby and rooms of the Ace Hotel are fantastically curated and while not the ideal hotel for everyone due to the oddities, Jevan and I found complete comfort where old and new collide. Drink the Stumptown Coffee, have an Old Fashion in the bar, check out the taxidermy, look for the mummified cat (check the bottom left drawer in the lobby), and cross paths with rent stabilized tenants that wouldn’t budge (good for them) when the hotel took over. Rumor has it they only pay $200 per month. I’m serious on all parts, even the kitty.

Images from top left: The Ace Hotel Lobby, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory , Brooklyn shopping at the Future Perfect, Lower East Side shopping at In God We Trust, soup dumplings at the Shanghai Cafe, beer and brats at the Radegast Hall and Biergarten

We spent little money for food while in the city. Strange but true. Most of our choices were modest but completely delicious. Some highlights were the Soup Dumplings from the Shanghai Cafe, lychee and almond cookie ice cream from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, a shared bowl of Ramen at a little noodle place on St. Marks, and a Brat and Fries at the Radegast Hall and Biergarten. Our first night in the city we had a tequila at Los Feliz. What seems to be a tiny little Mexican joint in the Lower East Side serving tacos and good tequila. Later we found out there were two levels below us. On the fringe of Chinatown is the East Side Company Bar. It’s a speakeasy of sorts, as the only sign you’ll see is a tiny gold label on the door. It’s dark, intimate and has tin ceilings and candles everywhere. Walking in you get a faint whiff of, get this, honey, it’s part of the bartender’s mise en place. The drinks reminds me of the cocktails of years past. I had a sazerac and it was near perfection.

Images from top left: Tim Burton Sketch, East Side Company signage, Los Feliz Taqueria, Tim Burton sketch.

If you’re like me regardless of how many times you go to NY, a museum trip never disappoints. This time we checked out the Tim Burton exhibit at the MOMA. Little did I know Tim Burton was and is such a prolific artist. There were hundreds if not thousands of sketches chronicling his entire life.

Photos: [Ace Hotel - New York Times; Chinatown Ice Cream Factory via Qype; Radegast Hall and Biergarten - Melissa Hom; Los Feliz - Jim Knapp]

Cold weather inevitably makes me think of the beach. I’m not sure why because the thought of putting on a bikini at this moment makes me want to hide in my closet. Something about my skin being the color of skim milk. And winter is kicking in, so that means my extra layer of winter warmth is as well. While day dreaming of the beach and me in a sweater (because of the aforementioned skim milk skin and winter fluff) I remembered I never posted photos or told you about how wonderful the Mediterranean coast of Turkey really is.

Jevan, Meggan, Beau and I all took a little commuter flight from Istanbul to what we thought was a tiny town called Antalya on the Med. Little did we silly American’s know this town, and I say town in the loosest of terms, is nearly 1,000,000 people. After renting a car and being laughed at for not knowing where we were going, we finally navigated our way, with the help of countless Turkish folks, to Old Town. Old Town is charming with it’s cobblestone one way streets and proximity to the coast. We spent one night here and headed out the next morning in search of beaches and ruins. We drove west following the Mediterranean for a couple of days. On our last day before returning to Antalya we came upon the beach below just outside of Kaş, Turkey. It’s called Kaputaş Plaji and surrounded by cliffs and water. Hands down the most gorgeous beach we saw.

We were only able to stay one night in Kaş, a bohemian of a town, but if you are looking for a great beach town go straight to Kaş. It’s far enough away from any major airport so the tourists are minimal but there are plenty of shops and restaurants to keep you occupied when sitting on the rocky beaches has you bored. I could have spent at least a handful of days wandering the streets, rug shops and beaches. Beau and Meggan also have some incredible photos up from our trip. You can check them out here. Actually, check out all their photos. National Geographic should be knocking down their doors.

Don’t forget to buy a few Turkish towels. This shop has every color and size. This was the only thing I bought when in Turkey other than food and drinks.

I don’t care what anyone says, street food is the best way to get a feel for a culture. Try all the street food in Turkey. It’s some of the best we had. This little street cart is called Bi Lokma, translated to Mama’s Kitchen. It’s actually just down the steps from the restaurant ,Mama’s Kitchen. I’m not sure if this is Mama or not but have a good feeling it is. These are the Turkish version of donut holes.