Author: Heather

I love travel, ballet, cats and my hometown of NYC.

Cat Cafes

This morning, I awoke to a link in my inbox, from Mal, that made my day: “8 Purrfect Destinations For Any Cat Lover.” (From Buzzfeed, of course!)

It mentions Cat Island; Cat City, Borneo (duly added to my list of places to visit); Belgium’s Kattenstoet Cat Festival (who knew?!) and others.

All those cat-centric places reminded me of Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, London’s new cat cafe, which opened earlier this month.

cat cafe 5

I’m thrilled to see cat cafes, which started in Japan more than 10 years ago, opening in more countries.

cat cafe 1

Um, why couldn’t Lady Dinah’s have opened a few months earlier when I was in London?

cat cafe 2

So how long until NYC gets a cat cafe?

cat cafe 4

Have a wonderful weekend!

cat cafe 3

(Images via Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium)

Crazy Days

paper airplanes

Whew! Apologies for being a bit MIA, lately—life has been so nutty! My schedule has been packed, though with all good things: family events, dinners with friends, bridesmaid dress shopping, ballet rehearsals, a reprise of Rock Band Night (!). Each one has helped me get through the Long Slog, day by day. (And hello?! Finally, some warm weather today!)

A few posts on escapes I’ve made during this never-ending winter to come. And I’m happy to report I have a few trips in mind for the coming months, as well. 😉

(Image via Venturous Endeavors)

A Cure for Winter

This sounds like hyperbole, but I’m convinced it’s true: I don’t think there’s a single New Yorker who’s not over this winter.

Seriously, I can’t remember a season this cold, snowy and endless since I was living in Boston.

Whenever the weather comes up in conversation—with friends, family, co-workers, people in my neighborhood, strangers in stores—everyone has the same reaction: They shake their head in weary resignation and say something to the effect of, “I’m so over it!”

My mind has been returning to these Sunlight PillsВ that I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. I’ll take one of each, please!

BoraBora01

BoraBora03

(Images byВ Vaulot&DyГЁvre; found via Swissmiss)

Welcome to the Long Slog

countdown to summer 2014

My least favorite time of year has officially arrived. The Long Slog, as I’ve dubbed it, is the endless period of time between Presidents Day and Memorial Day.

It’s the dead of winter without the festivities and anticipation of the holidays. Just long, gray, chilly days. And there are no holidays to break up the everyday routine of commuting, going to work, etc. Memorial Day and the start of summer seem so far away.

The craziest/saddest part is that I feel like I’ve already been wading through the Long Slog for months! Today marked the 14th snowstorm in NYC, this season. And since the start of the year, we’ve gotten four feet of snow! No wonder I’m tired of seeing the icy mounds of gray snow all over the city.

So I’ve been brainstorming my Long Slog survival plan. It mostly consists of ways to treat myself in NYC: Getting massages here with my mom and sister. (Those were our bday.gif"betony" href="https://www.betony-nyc.com/" target="_blank">this place, soon.) Planning game nights or other events with friends.

And, of course, I’m hoping to go on a few quick, weekend getaways. I actually have one planned for this weekend—ironically, to Vermont! But I’ll be doing lots of warm, cozy activities to counteract the winter chill!

(I’d originally planned to use a wintry image with this post—but I couldn’t bring myself to snap a photo of the piles of snow along the streets!)

Happy Valentine’s Day

While I’m a firm believer in showing love for those you care about every day, the romantic in me appreciates that there is a holiday devoted to love. (At least, this year. On other V-Days, my feelings have run the gamut from sad to excited to indifferent to content.)

This afternoon, my sister, parents and I were on a group text, sharing our V-Day plans and photos and cards we’d created for the holiday. I got the warm-fuzzies hearing the nice evenings they’d be enjoying. And my sister must have been feeling the same, because she wrote:

Glad we all have so much love and happiness in our lives! Best fam ever!!!

Compared to how snowy and miserable it’s been, NYC was 40 degrees today, which felt positively balmy. Seeing so many people walking around carrying bouquets of flowers added nice pops of color (and a bit of spring) to a city that’s felt iced over and gray for weeks. I couldn’t help but smile at the scene—not to mention at this brilliant sign I stumbled upon at Columbus Circle.

Hope you had a wonderful V-Day, as well!

#foundlove

More Snow

How crazy is this winter? NYC—and most of the east coast—got another ton of snow today. And there’s more on the way tonight.

I wish I spent all my snowy days like this:

TOMER HANUKA’S “PERFECT STORM”

But unfortunately, my reality is much more like this:

US-WEATHER-SNOW

How many more days until summer?

(Top image via the New Yorker ; bottom image—and more photos of New Yorkers slipping along Fifth Avenue—via the Observer)

Modern World Map

Speaking of fernweh, fewer things stoke mine more than maps of the world. (Last week, I went to LA for work. I spent half of the 6.5 hour ride there zooming in on different places on the map on my seatback screen.)

Recently, I stumbled upon this Modern World Map.

modern-world-map_01_1024x1024

Though not all the countries are labled, just looking at it is enough to get theВ fernweh flowing.

modern-world-map_06_1024x1024

I especially love the gold and aqua color scheme—so cheery, yet soothing, especially in the midst of thisВ endlessВ winter!

modern-world-map_04_1024x1024

(Images via These Are Things)