Eating in Copenhagen

I ate many amazing things in Copenhagen, but these are some of my favorites!

The best meal you'll eat at a museum. Really, not only was this open-faced sandwich gorgeous and delicious, but the atmosphere at Café Charlottenborg was perfect for some travel journal time.

When I was sitting in Grød chowing down on my risotto, a woman started talking to me in Danish and seemed confused that I didn't understand. Do I look Danish? No. But it's a very international city, so who would know? She, of course, spoke perfect English so I was able to say, yes this dish is amazing and you should totally get it.

One of my favorite things about traveling is that I allow myself to basically get a cappuccino everyday. I went to The Coffee Collective twice. Both times were fantastic. There's a great bakery across the street that should be on this list, but I didn't take any photos of their buttery-danishes.

So, it's worth going to Tivoli just so you can eat this crepe with two scoops of ice cream and chocolate sauce from Vaffelbageriet, which means waffle house. It's been ranked one of the top ice cream shops in the world and now I know why. This is a case when traveling alone really pays off--I did not have to share with anyone!

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Café Charlottenborg

Nyhavn 2 1051 København K Danmark Tue–Sun 11am-5pm Wednesday 11am–8pm Monday closed

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Grød

Jægersborggade 50 Nørrebro København Mon–Fri 7:30am-9pm Sat, Sun 10am -9pm

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The Coffee Collective

Jægersborggade 10 Mon–Fri 7am-7pm Sat, Sun 8am-7pm

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Vaffelbageriet

Vesterbrogade 3 1630 København V Sun–Thur 11am-11pm Fri-Sat 11pm-12am

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Read what I ate in Helsinki and about my Nordic Adventure...

less selfies, more art

Need some inspiration?

Sunday Slowdown on Monday, again

I think I say this every single week -- it's been busy! I got back in town after a Nordic Adventure for a few days before enjoying some of the last days of summer in Brooklyn. I finally got back to DC Tuesday, made my favorite gym class, tried a hip hop class with my sister and spent the night in Friday with a glass (or bottle) of wine and a veggie burger form Busboys and Poets.

Then the weekend. A company picnic at the National Zoo, a birthday party for the cutest little girl my sister used to babysit, the All Things Go Fall Classic festival at Union Market and drinks with friends at Rock N' Roll Hotel. I somehow made it into the studio, finally, on Sunday, cleaned my house, got groceries and caught up with my friend on Google Hangout. So yeah, I forgot to post yesterday.

My friends and I started this thing in DC called the WDCC where we meet up once a month to share a skill around creating our own creative businesses. I'm entirely blessed to have even met these other women, and I just started reading the book by one of them, Kelly Rand, called Handmade to Sell. We mentioned it in our August gems post--I highly recommend it if you are at all interested in selling your handcrafted goods.

Our next session is Sunday and we are talking about time management. I'm pretty excited because I could definitely use a refresher. Knowing when to say no, when to say I gotta be alone, and when to say hell yes! is absolutely necessary in any endeavor. I'm getting much better at it, but some days it seems impossible.

And/or maybe summer is just distracting?

We're still finishing up a few samples and have a photoshoot scheduled soon...which means clothes are coming! It's my first time doing everything start to finish outside of my past life in the apparel industry, and definitely the first time doing it all on our own. I'm totally amazed I've found a space to work and people that inspire me in my six months time in DC. So, go life! And that music festival? It was awesome. Future Islands is the most terrifying and exciting band I've (ever?) seen...and I want to marry the lead singer if only so that I could witness his amazing moves more often.

What I have stuck in my head.

At first it was raining.

Eventually it stopped.

Oysters make everything better.

So, I've been into this look: workout shoes, black clothes. That's it. Oh, red lipstick.

How was your week?

last days of summer : North Williamsburg

It's a gorgeous day. The sun is out and it's hot. While I'm a bit anxious for fall, I'm always happy to spend the day shopping, strolling, splurging on good food and sipping some small batch coffee. Here's a mini guide to the north side of Williamsburg for doing just that! Special thanks to my local tour guide for showing me around this past weekend.* Start at Toby's Estate for some coffee. If you're lucky, they'll still be serving the mint julep espresso. It's basil and mint infused simple syrup over a shot of their Bedford blend espresso, topped off with some whole milk. This drink is a pleasure to sip slowly while wandering the neighborhood. It will cool you off and give you a caffeine jolt. Don't forget to load up on water while you are there, you're gonna need the hydration!

Now take a stroll to the Williamsburg Waterfront. If it's Saturday, you can grab a bite at Smorgasburg and take a rest on the rocks by the water. Gaze out across the East River and enjoy the Manhattan skyline.

If it's Sunday, keep walking down Kent to the Williamsburg Flea Market for some antique, vintage or handmade finds. They also have street food, so you can grab a snack if you are hungry. Afterward, wander through McCarren Park for some more fresh air if it's still a nice, sunny day.

Next, retrace your steps a bit and head to Artists & Fleas for some intense shopping. Local artists and designers sell jewelry and clothing, mostly vintage or thrift, but you never really know what you'll find. I found a great brass necklace here last time and eyed a few vintage outfits that would be great on a dance floor.

If you really want to up your jewelry status, head on down to Vera Meat. I love all of her designs and appreciate the care they take in making sure you have the your favorite fine metal and the right length chain, oxidized to your liking. Each piece is magical, even surreal, like this Llama Lady Love necklace.

If you aren't so into jewelry, but maybe more into home design, A&G Merch is just a few blocks away. I found some awesome laser cut vinyl placemats for my dining table here in fun colors like lavender, tangerine and wine (I am making up these color names, who knows if they have names). I think these lace gems would also make an excellent backdrop to a Día de los Muertos dinner party--it's never too early to start planning fall festivities!

And finally, because I'm sure by now no matter how amazing the weather or how much you ate at Smorgasburg, you're now hungry and ready for a cocktail.

Head to Allswell for a well-earned meal to end the day. Sit at the bar. Eat the house bread with ricotta and don't worry about the gluten. Take off those sunglasses. Look your bartender in the eye and tell her to whip you up her favorite cocktail.

Best part about this plan is it's totally fine if you are solo! Maybe even more fun because you can shop, eat and sit at your own pace.

Happy last days of summer!

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Toby's Estate

125 North 6th Street Brooklyn, New York 11249

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SmorgasburgWilliamsburg

Saturdays 11am - 6pm

East River State Park (90 Kent Ave at N. 7 St.) Brooklyn, New York 11249

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Williamsburg Flea Market

Sundays 10am - 5pm

50 Kent Ave Brooklyn, NY 11249

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McCarren Park

776 Lorimer St Brooklyn, NY 11222

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Artists & FleasWilliamsburg

Sat & Sun 10am-7pm 917-488-4203

70 North 7th Street Brooklyn, 11249

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Vera MeatBrooklyn

Open 7 days a week 12 - 8 pm 18-388-2400

7132 N. 5th St. Brooklyn NY 11249

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A&G MerchBrooklyn

Open 7 days a week 12 - 8 pm 18-388-2400

111 N. 6th Street (@ Berry Street) Brooklyn, New York 11249

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Allswell

347-799-2743

124 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

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*Note, on the day I actually did all of these things, my phone was full of photos from my other travels and I thought, ah so nice to not have to take any photos. Of course, now I can't find any good photos of these things and wish I had taken my actual camera out. Or deleted the photos on my phone. Not that these are such bad photos, but mine would have been, well, mine.

Home is the sound of the birds...

Just heard this song on Nordic playlist #33 and I love how they define and describe home.

How do you define home?

Nordic adventure countdown : Elsa Adams

I leave for Copenhagen on Friday. I've been listening to this Nordic playlist collection all day in preparation and am now, of course, looking up Danish fashion designers instead of packing. I just got off the phone with someone who knows Denmark well and she gave me some great names of Danish designers to check out--one being Elsa Adams. I'm in love.

I've always had a thing for lace. I used to order lace cards when I worked in menswear even though I knew we wouldn't use it. Elsa Adams even designs her own lace, which is amazing. Here are some of my favorite Elsa Adams creations: