Oh Panton…how I love thee

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Sue In The City

Having worked in the interior design business in New York for almost two years now (albeit as somebody who publicizes beautiful work, rather than one who actually creates it), you can’t help but get influenced and inspired by the beautiful products and design you see. One design in particular has had me salivating (yes, I admitted to salivating over a piece of furniture!) is the Panton Chair. Made from a single piece of plastic, these pieces are the epitome of incredible design – to me at least!

The Panton Chair

Retailing at about $270 each, I never actually thought I would own any of these beauties – I mean, that would just be a little too steep for my budget-minded self to get over. Imagine my absolute joy when I discovered that one of the largest showrooms here that sell these chairs were having a major clearance sale. This was it…our chance to finally own an original piece of art. (Yes, yes, I realize it’s only a chair, but still!)

John offered to go to the sale and brave the masses while I waited at home to accept delivery of our food order (we now order our groceries online – it’s pretty damn convenient!) and I really did not have my hopes up. I knew that the sale would be a madhouse and I knew that these chairs (if they were even up for sale) would be the first to go. John got there just after 9am and stood in line with Marcel, waiting for doors to open at 10.

At ten o’clock on the dot, the doors swung open and the madness started. Within 20 minutes it was all over – everything sold out! But lucky for me my incredible man managed to get in there, point to six white Panton chairs and go, sold, sold, sold, sold, sold and sold!

Fast forward an hour and I was smiling from ear to ear – six white Panton chairs at our dining table…Life is GOOD!

(Now I have been tasked at recovering some of the costs by selling our old Ikea chairs online…any takers?)

Indian Wedding Fiesta

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Sue In The City

henna

Last week Thursday John and I attended the wedding of one of my work colleagues. This was my first time at a true Indian wedding (we attended day one of the three-day celebration) and it was so refreshing to see the joy, fun and tradition that took center stage. Hardly any speeches, just a short introduction which lead to a group dance by all the brothers, sisters and eventually all friends of the couple. Music, food and dance was abound and one of my personal highlights was getting a henna tatoo applied to my right hand. What a refreshing celebration!

Soil in the City

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Sue In The City

In my work I have come across so many amazing people and have slowly started to build up a network of wonderful friends – albeit friends on a professional level. Through the events that I get invited to (and there are many!) and the interviews that I have to set up for my boss I have been in the company of many B/C-list (shhhhhh…don’t tell them I called them that!) celebrities and people who I really look up to. Another aspect that I’m fascinated by are the journalists that I’ve gotten in contact with – and I mean journalists from across the spectrum – local newspapers and blogs to writers with the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. I love it.

Last week we were having a meeting with a freelance writer for one of the top shelter magazines here in New York and he mentioned that he was working on a story for the New York Times on dirt and how it affects design and living in the city. Intrigued, both Vicente and I started commenting and telling our own versions of the Battle of the Soot (ask any New Yorker – we all have those stories…) In our house we have a ‘no-shoes’ policy – those dirty buggers get pulled off feet just as you step into the door. Considering the amount of people, dogs, birds, trees, garbage trucks and food on this small island, you can surely imagine what the streets’ dirt-quality must be like! Some friends don’t quite get it, but when you clean your own home, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do to try keep it as clean as possible for as long as possible.

So, back to the meeting with the writer for the New York Times…He took some notes and emailed me on Monday to get an okay for him to use some of our quotes in his article. ‘Of course’ I said, figuring that as long as Vicente’s quote got featured, I’d be happy to have mine edited out. But to my amazement, my quote made it in! See for yourself – my name in print in the New York Times! Who would’ve ever thought?

Read the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/garden/02dirt.html.

I had to giggle when I saw the title. It was written in the stars? No! Just the Times!

Running with the stars

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Sue In The City

Last year August John and I went to support our friends Annie and Maxine who were running the New York Half Marathon. Seeing them cross the finish line inspired me to do the same and when the registration opened this year I jumped at the chance to jot my name on the dotted line. Moment of madness? Perhaps. Well, I definitely thought so after I started training for this big milestone at the beginning of May. Yes, it was a half-hearted attempt, but I really dragged my butt all the way over the first couple of 2-mile sessions. I felt despondent and pretty sure that this girl would never complete a 13-mile race.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, this girl tonight ran 6 miles (and did a 5-mile run just for fun on Friday too)! And it feels so good. I am yet to experience that ‘runner’s high’ everyone keeps raving about, but man…I am loving the running.

To add to the exhilaration of tonight’s run, I spotted Leonardo di Caprio and his three ‘bodyguards/male support system’ on their bicycles in the park. He whizzed right be me and I’m pretty sure that 4 miles into my run, on my way up a Central Park hill, I was a sight for sore eyes…quite literally.

But it’s nights like tonight, with a light breeze drying the sweat off my back, celeb-spotting and feeling that great rush of happy endorphins that I really appreciate living in this great city!

Open note to my blog

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Sue In The City

Dear blog -

Oh how I’ve missed you! It seems like such a long time since we had an opportunity to sit down and really connect. Weeks have passed in a whirlwind of trips, meetings, dinners, movies, walks, runs (yes, I’ve signed up for the New York half marathon and started training this past Monday), visits from friends and family, rainy days, sunny days, phone calls, Facebook pages, parties, the arrival of Spring (and all the cold and miserable days inbetween), the death of a beloved grandfather and somewhere in the midst of all of this, I have just not gotten round to sitting down and spending some quality time with you.

BUT, it will all change, I promise!

I will get back to you with renewed vigor and once again share all my crazy New York City (and other exotic destinations) stories with you and we’ll laugh, cry, hang our heads in shame and ultimately know that life in the city is amazing.

Til we speak again,

Sue

Verocious New York dogs…

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Sue In The City

When you live in a big city like New York you realize what a strange, strange relationship most people have with their dogs (and cats, for that matter). People who live in shoebox-sized apartments keep Great Danes or other large breeds and big burly men take their 500gram miniature poodles for ‘walkies’ on diamante leashes. It’s weird and it’s taken me some time to get used to it. I always grew up thinking that dogs needed back yards and lots of space, but in the city it seems that dogs are more human than many of the people you pass on the street.

I recently received the following snippet from a friend and just thought it was so typically ‘New York’ that I had to share it:

‘Older lady with small dog and man with small dog stop on sidewalk because dogs are greeting each other (man’s wife waiting impatiently several feet ahead. Man (saying not to the lady, but to the dogs): “This is Clyde.” Older lady (saying not to the man, but to the dogs): “Clyde? This is Simon!” Man: “Simon?! MY middle name is Simon!”

It was at this point that the friend (a Canadian, possibly my favorite breed!) had to walk away and giggle, rushing to her computer to tell me about this exchange.

Up until yesterday, this was my favorite dog-in-the-city story. However, it just got blown out of the water with what happened while we were walking in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I’ll set the scene…

Quiet, trendy neigborhood street, lined with small boutiques and coffee shops, hipsters with too-tight jeans and quirky hats (some wearing suspender belts…yes, I know). Four of us are walking down the street when we hear a big Harley-Davidson-caused roarrrrr coming down the street. Cutting through the roar was the high-pitched barking of a small dog and we also heard a lady scream. What I saw made me laugh so hard that I cried…

Two burly men on a low-slung Harley were slowly making their way up the street – the one on the back clutching his driver’s shoulders and peering angstly over his own towards a white Scottish Terrier running full force after the bike, chasing it with all its might. This wouldn’t have been as funny if it wasn’t for the fact that the Scotty’s leash was trailing behind him and that the Scotty’s owner was crazily running after the bike-and-dog combo, cluthing her handbag, sunglasses and pointlessly trying to catch the Scotty’s leash – uttering faint girly screams!

The day was saved by a third burly man who blockaded the Scotty’s tirade, grabbed its leash and handed it to the flushed owner. So funny!

I would have paid really good money for that video clip and thought to myself that this is not a scene you’re likely to see anywhere other than New York. Ha ha haaa!

Winning Over Washington

Posted on April 7, 2009 by Sue In The City

With the arrival of spring has come my travel spirit and sense of adventure. My sofa is no longer satisfying enough for me! It was time to spread my wings and explore a little.

I had a brief (18 hour) visit to Washington DC a month ago for the launch of a new hotel and I saw the Capital Building and that long pointy monument (now I know it’s called Washington Monument) from the cab window. I promised myself that I would go back and explore this beautiful city and this past weekend offered me that opportunity.

Anneen, a friend from Namibia whom I’ve known about 25 years, is currently studying in Washington and invited me to stay with her for the duration of my visit. She also proved to be the most delightful host, showing me all the touristy things, despite probably having seen them all plenty of times before and we ate way too many ice lollies, walked miles and miles and caught up like you can only catch up with someone you’ve known all your life. The gods of great weather were on our side this past Saturday too. Though windy, the sun was out and we could even remove our jackets at times, savouring the sun on our pale, white arms. (I did get a horrible sunburn on a random part on top of my left hand, but let me tell you about that in person – I’m too embarrassed to write about it here!).

I completed the 5 hour bus trip to Washington on Friday after work and had to get on a return bus at 11.15am on Sunday, so it was bound to be a short weekend, filled with hordes of people who were also headed for DC to see the Cherry Blossoms – only in bloom two weekends a year. I was lucky enough to catch them at their peak. Gorgeous!

Aside from the flowers, other highlights included seeing the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, The Capitol Building, the Smithsonian and all the many museums along ‘The Mall’ – the huge lawn you saw on TV if you were watching the inauguration of our favorite US President. Sadly the grass is still recovering from being trampled on by millions of feet, so the wind caused huge dusty gusts, sticking to our ice lollies and lipgloss…

After walking all over the city to all the tourist hot-spots, we ended the day in perfect style by resting our weary, weary feet while eating Nando’s chicken and chips at the only US location of this fabulous South African restaurant. I’m happy to report that the peri-peri chicken tasted just like it does at home – and the sangria is tasty!

I loved Washington – the openness, the fresh air, the civil-ness of the people, the beautiful architecture…and it’s so clean. Loved it.

Sound Walking…

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Sue In The City

With the first signs of spring slowly rearing their heads everywhere across the city, that sluggish depressed feeling that I’ve had for the past couple of months is slowly lifting. I almost feel less trapped, but am waiting for the day where I can step outside the house without a winter coat on before I rejoice and officially proclaim that spring has arrived. Until then, I am keeping my eyes on the little green buds showing up – oh, and the fact that my itchy eyes and runny nose is back points to a definite spring-like quality in the air!

The bad thing about this long winter is that any attempt at being social involves running from the warmth and comfort of your apartment to the train station, freezing on the platform, running from the station to your destination coffee shop/restaurant /movie theater and then freezing your bum off while you’re there before repeating the whole process until you’re back in your warm, comfy sweats and sheepskin slippers (thanks Ouma!) and warmly tucked under a blanket, munching something warm and chilling on the sofa at home. So the natural choice then, is to just stay home in your warm, comfy sweats and sheepskin slippers and order in something warm and comforting.

In an effort to break this nasty habit, John and I decided to venture out for our first day on the town in a long time this past Saturday. And what a fabulous time we had! It was as though the entire city was sharing our joy and had come out to play. But we had a mission. Before leaving home John had downloaded a ‘Soundwalk’ tour of Little Italy, a small suburb in trendy downtown SOHO. Narrated by one of the actors on the HBO show, The Sopranos, you upload this walking tour onto your ipod and then follow a map of the area while narrator Vinny Vella shows you the local haunts and hotspots. What a fantastic time we had! We ended up spending about fifteen minutes with ‘Sal’ at his barber shop (he’s a friend of Vinny’s and both John and I took a photo with this cool old Italian guy). The most memorable part of the tour was where Vinny handed us over to his Chinese friend who took us into a Chinese food market in China Town, just off Little Italy – What a weird experience! At the entrance to the store were the usual Chinese food fare, but as we moved to the back we were accosted with weird and non-wonderful edibles (?) including pork snout, pork hooves, crocodile legs (fresh…still included skin-covered feet), pork uteri (yes, one uterus, many uteri), duck’s feet, boneless duck’s feet, a variety of birds – all with the head still on, congealed pork blood and a strange variety of fish heads and other seafood that really belongs, well, alive and in the ocean. It was weird and a little freaky. But I guess that’s what part of making life in New York what it is…a melting pot of different cultures, different beliefs and, well, different appetites.

You can listen to an excerpt of our tour on the website, and if you’re ever in the city, be sure to schedule some time with Vinny – it is highly recommended!

The first bud is out there…

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Sue In The City

I’ve been neglecting my blog of late and realized this week that I left it hanging for the past two weeks with my rather moody winter blues post, so thought I’d quicly share with you that my blues is on its way out…spring has sprung! In theory at least…

It’s still freezingly cold and I’m still so over my winter wardrobe, but on Sunday when John and I schlepped our lazy bums across Central Park to meet a friend for lunch on the Upper East Side, I stopped next to a tree right outside our apartment building. ‘John! Look at this!’, I shouted. “It’s a…a…little leaf!” and true’s bob (good old SA saying!), there it was – the entire tree was covered in these little baby leaves.

If that was not enough of a sign for me that spring is in the air, I could just look in the mirror at my allergy-ridden eyes and snif my watery nose to know that it’s true. Now if only the heat would come and join Spring, I would be all smiles!

Winter blues

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Sue In The City

This week marks the second anniversary of our lives in New York. Two years ago I got on the plane and left my life for the great unknown with a man I hardly knew… And now look at us!

The most pressing thing on my mind this past week, however, has not been the anniversary, but rather the fact that this is the first (and longest) northern hemisphere winter that I have had to live through – from beginning to end. And I have had enough! On the weekend we had a little break from the monotony of down-filled coats and double sock-wearing with two wonderful days that even had me (gasp!) wearing my Birkenstock sandals – without my summer-standard pedicure. I was just feeling happy about finally seeing the end of winter when, BAM, it hit again on Monday. Rain, ice and that bitchy wind is a combination that I have, after almost five solid months, had enough of.

For the first time I find myself understanding the northern hemisphere’s penchant for UV lamps and extended international vacations during the winter months. I feel depressed. Caged in and smothered. I need to be outside without being weighed down by gloves, a scarf a hat and heavy coat. I need to have my arms free when I’m out and about on the weekend again! Most importantly, my skin needs to feel the warmth of sun.

I have never missed Africa more. Roll on spring! Please!