Would You Live in a Water Tower?

I’m going to answer my own question: Yes. Absolutely. But only if said water tower looked like this:

converted water tower

Tom Dixon, a British design and manufacturing company, converted a 60-foot water tower, in North Kensington, London, into a gorgeous apartment. It has three floors complete with a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and (sigh of envy) a roof terrace. It’s going for $3,900 a month–which, scarily, isn’t too bad if you compare it to NYC prices for similarly sized digs.

I love how the big windows lets lots of light into the space:

converted water tower

converted water tower

converted water tower

converted water tower

There are tons of water towers in NYC. I’m wondering when someone will convert one into a luxury apartment here on this side of the pond!

converted water tower

(Photos via Gizmag, via Architizer; thanks to Shawn for introducing me to the link)

Postcards from Nowhere

Here’s a Kickstarter I wish I had gotten in on earlier: On June 1, Brooklyn-based photogs Andrew Kenney and Jake Jones took off on 3-month road trip through each of the lower 48 states. Along the way, they’re shooting lots of pictures and printing and sending postcards from each state to the people who backed them via Kickstarter.

While it’s too late to sign up to receive postcards now, you can follow their journey and see their gorgeous photos on their website and Facebook page. Here’s a sampling:

wyoming

Wyoming

nebraska

Nebraska

idaho

Idaho

new jersey

New Jersey

You can also preorder sets of blank postcards–which they’ll ship to you in September, once they’re back in NYC after their journey.

(Photos via Postcards from Nowhere’s Facebook page; found via Afar)

Olympics Ridiculousness

olympics

When I was watching the parade of nations on Friday, I couldn’t get over how incredibly attractive all the Olympians were. Beach volleyball players, runners, tennis players, divers, weight lifters, judo athletes, shooters–everyone, men and women alike, from every single country, was super good-looking. One of my friends even posed this question on Facebook: “Is it me or did the flag bearers have to pass a hot or not test to walk?”

Apparently, the athletes also find each other wildly appealing, as ESPN reported in a crazy/hilarious story about the debauchery that goes on within the Olympic Village. The place basically “turns into a frat party with a very nice gene pool,” according to one athlete.В When they’re not hyper-focused on their events, the Olympians are celebrating (i.e. drinking) like maniacs, prowling for hook-ups and engaging in lots and lots of sex. (None other than Ryan Lochte estimated that 70-75% of athletes hook-up during the Games.)

My favorite line from the article:

On the way to practice fields, “the girls are in skimpy panties and bras, the dudes in underwear, so you see what everybody is working with from the jump,” says Breaux Greer, an American javelin thrower. “Even if their face is a 7, their body is a 20.”В

And even more Olympics ridiculousness that I’m loving right now: the U.S. swim team’s take on “Call Me Maybe.” Almost more fun than the Games, themselves!

(Image via Pinterest)

So Ready for an NYC Weekend!

new york

Happy Friday! I’m spending this weekend doing something I haven’t done in a while–chillin’ in NYC. I’ll be celebrating my best friend’s birthday (happy 3-0, Reen!), going to ballet and watching the Olympics. (I have the parade of nations on as I type–how good-looking are all the athletes?! Also–it’s pretty funny that so many of them, no matter where they’re from, are snapping smartphone photos as they march in.)

Have a great weekend, as well! And enjoy my favorite links from the past few days:

This link made my week

The life of a reporter…told through cat.gif"city map placemats" href="https://nymag.com/shopping/bestbets/computer-brush-new-stuff-2012-7/" target="_blank">Paper placemats that are too cool to use

Fictitious dishes

5 dudes who’ve taken the same photo for 30 years

I suppose this is a benefit to riding the subway!

(Image via Julien-Pierre)

The Museum Of London’s LomoWall

The Olympics start tomorrow and I’m so excited. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I never watch sports. But every two years, I find myself glued to the Olympics, watching and reading about athletes and events that I could care less about at any other time.

I’m not lucky enough to be in London during the Games, but if I were, I’d definitely check out the new LomoWall at the Museum of London. The mosaic spans more than 213 feet and is comprised of nearly 30,000 photos that amateur photographers from around the world shot on film. (Yup, actual film!) The theme was “inspiring and achieving in London’s Olympic Year” and includes images of Britain’s Paraolympians training for the games.

The Lomography site has some cool shots depicting the wall’s construction:

lomowall, london

lomowall, london

lomowall, london

lomowall, london

It kind of makes me want to go out and shoot some photos on a manual camera!

(All photos via Lomography)

Fried Egg Earrings

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love eggs and live off them. For years, I’ve been going through more than a dozen a week. (And no, surprisingly, I don’t have high cholesterol!)

I wasn’t always egg-obsessed. I grew to love them, partially by necessity. As a writer/editor, I don’t make a ton of money. And in order to afford the things that bring me the most happiness–ballet classes, travel, dinners out with loved ones–I have to make lots of really cheap breakfasts, lunches and dinners at home. Which means that my day-to-day diet consists of various combinations of spinach, avocados and lots and lots and lots of eggs: hard boiled, poached in soup, sunny side up over pasta, scrambled, made into veggie omelets, added to stir fries and curries.

So this weekend, I was amused and delighted when Mal and I stumbled into Torch Song Metals, a little jewelry shop in Mal’s new town of Nyack, NY, and discovered these adorable earrings. I love how it’s not immediately obvious that they’re fried eggs. At first glance, they look like a pair of simple studs.

fried egg earrings

The designer (whose name escapes me!) told me that she she first created a pair of chicken wing earrings and made these to accompany them–because she also loves eggs. I think they’d be a great pair to wear every day–and delight in knowing that you’re subtly wearing your favorite food!

(Photo via Torch Song Metal’s Etsy shop)