LONDON // Local choices

Have been meaning to put up a few of my suggestions for tourists who want a blend between touristy spots and local hang outs.  (Not including the obvious museums) I'm not keen on places you have to book before you go etc... so apart from Ciro's Pomodoro food (which can get very busy) everything else is very much go with the flow! 

• Between Thursday and Saturday // Borough Market sat for lunch and drink. (great vibe) -- Grab a cider at the cider bar. From there you are on the doorstep to Southbank so can pop into Tate modern or have a walk along the river.

• Portobello road (the Electric Cinema is VERY cool for a date (if you want to chill) -- beers and stretched out sofas while fluffing it up with a movie.// Otherwise if you are keen to go to Portobello Market on a Saturday the Electric Brasserie is pretty good.

• Boris bike -- London on a bike is where it's at. Ditch the tube, bus and save your sneekers - grab a Barclays Boris Bike (easy to hire) -- recommended route: Option 1: Cycle along Hyde Park through to St James park and stop at The Orange pub or The Thomas Cubit for a drink. (nice) Option 2: Camden Lock route below.

• Camden lock canal   -- walk towards Maida Vale (little Venice) -- you will end up walking through Regents Park which is amazing and through London zoo (very cool). Beautiful scenary and houses ... at the end of it be nicely greeted by The Waterway restaurant for a drink/food.

Also while in Camden visit the on the water bookstore.

• Spitafield Market  -- Morrocoan meatballs at Leon?

• Brick lane. on a Sunday: Hell yeah. 

• Richmond -- High street shopping, pop along to the green, have a drink by the river, walk up Richmond Hill and have a drink at the Roebuck - local style.

•  Richmond park - visit Isabella plantation.

Cider @ Borough Market

Food and Booze.

••  The Waterway (Little Venice) 

•• Ciros Pomodoro for dinner (italian in Knightsbridge) -- live music from 9pm

•• The Old Ship pub or The Dove (Hammersmith) 

•• The Piano Bar (live music and drinks opposite High street ken tube station (Kind of a middle age)

•• The Churchill Arms (Kensington church street ) --- super cool for a drink and to grab a thai green curry :) 

•• Ottolenghi (cupcakes)

•• If you want somewhere hip and underground, on a Friday pop to Ginglik (Check out first to see if its a Friday run by Charlie and Sam - groovy baby)

•• Clubby style: Proud camden

• If you have an extra day I would go to Cambridge for the day - punting on the river!

Even on a winter's day - cycling through the park is glorious!

A helmet saves the day!

This is what happens when a happy cyclist's commute turns to drama.

Geeeez, what an emotional cycle into work this morning. Filming a little good morning video for Antonio, us cyclists get reminded of the importance of wearing a helmet.

Cyclist has a broken elbow and cheek. Her bag got stuck in the wheel sending her over the handlebar. Had she not been wearing a helmet Doctors said she would have probably been in a Coma.

Happiness in only real when shared

. us both, Marataízes, Espirito Santo .

• Travel love •

California

Wonderful trip to California / Thanksgiving

NEW YORK

It is no surprise NYC is known as “The City that never sleeps.” As if all the bars and restaurants and clubs and theatres that surround the city’s avenues and streets were not enough, a wonderful life of music, magic, Saki bars and entertainment exists on a parallel, underground.

Having spent some time in this brilliant city here are some of my suggestions….

Apart from the obvious touristy attractions, here are my simply MUST DO’s:

** CYCLE down/up the Westside Highway  (You can hire a bike just off St Chritopher’s street)

** Go for at least one BRUNCH

** WALK along the “HIGH LINE” elevated park - www.thehighline.org

** Get to know the UNDERGROUND wonders

** Have a Rooftop drink

** MAGNOLIA CUPCAKE - 401 Bleecker Street 10014 - www.magnoliabakery.com

** Walk across Brooklyn Bridge

** Vintage stores in Williamsburg

** Catch a live music gig

** Madison Square Gds

So, to go alongside these tips here are some options:

.daytime.

Walk along the "high line" elevated park if its a nice day, you can even pop to magnolia on the way and then along the river Hudson for a cycle- all pleasures in a nutshell.

Visit the MOMA / Central Park / Lincon Centre (Romeo and Juliet is currently on)

.food & drinkies.

MEAT PACKING

Start your evening at Spice market, there is nothing like their ginger margeritas!

Perhaps a drink at the roof top of one of the following:

Gansevoort hotel or SOHO house

Pastis - www.pastisny.com - great option for both brunch or dinner

WEST VILLAGE

Extra Virgin: www.extravirginrestaurant.com  Cozy Italian in West Village, nice bar too.

Tartine: (253 W. 11th St., New York, NY 10014 ) French place, nice for brunch

LA ESQUINA: (Taqueria) MUST HAVE DINNER HERE! www.esquinanyc.com

CHELSEA

Tia Pol: Cozy lovely tapas place

Red Cat: In Chelsea with good American cuisine.

SOHO

Boqueria: www.boquerianyc.com - Lovely tapas and wine! Great place to pop in on rainy afternoons for a drink and catch up

EAST VILLAGE

Decibal Saki bar - www.sakebardecibel.com - 240E, 9^th Street – Btw 2^nd/3^rd street - order wasabi dumplings and try many of the sakis available on the menu!

LOWER EAST

Stanton Social: www.thestantonsocial.com Great restaurant and bar scene

Schiller’s Liquor Bar: www.schillersny.com American brasserie. Good food, great cocktails, fun/hip vibe, cool people. Crowded and noisy.

Inoteca: (Rivington & Stanton) www.inotecanyc.com Great wine list, yummy Italian small plates. No reservations and usually a long wait, but it’s worth it and you can drink wine while you’re waiting. Small and crowded, but in summer they open the doors out to the sidewalk. 

TRIBECA

Next Door Nobu: Cheaper than Nobu – don’t take reservations, great deal, good scene

BROOKLYN/ Williamsburg 

Le Barricou – www.lebarricouny.com Brunch around 1pm

Go for a little stroll round Bedford street

Alterantive place for live music www.unionpool.blogspot.com

Clubs:

One oak night club / BOOM BOOM (at the Standard Hotel)/ THE BOX

Snapshots in motion of my time out in NYC

the freedom and simple beauty is too good to pass up.

um encontro na Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro.

um domingo qualquer.

Domingo Carioca

Domingo tranquilo

Sem hora pra acordar

Curtindo um cafezinho na varanda

Acompanhada pelo som do saxofone

vindo do vizinho no 2o andar

Jogando fora conversa

Na praia da Barra entre amigos eles se encontram

Debaixo de um calor radiante

Partidas de beach-tennis

Entre cervejinhas e mergulhos refrescantes

Sombras de uma tarde iluminada

Um sol vermelho no horizonte desaparecia

Acalmando aquela areia fervida

Refletindo no mar cada movimento

De mais um domingo qualquer perfeito.

Barra Da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.

.The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught fire. 

Rio de Janeiro in a nutshell

Happy Thanksgiving :)

 Happy Thanksgiving

Departed NYC, Destination San Diego

With Mer asleep by my side

Thanksgiving up in the sky

Currently flying over Illinois

i ponder on words of Tolstoy

"If you want to be happy, be."

The world, so modern

At a 9150m altitude high

reflecting on all i am thankful for

good health, family, friends

love, happiness, travels

and of course, free wifi.

Forgive and Forget

Smile and spread the love for a better living

in this moment i remind you

You are unique my friend

Happy Thanksgiving!

xxx tash


Altitude 9150m, Ground speed 683km/h. Time at destination 7:23am. Est time of arrival 12:36. Currently flying over Illinois. outside air temp -39C. Seat numbers 26C, 26B. Free pretzels. Free wifii. Dept. NYC Destination San Diego.

California

The Fall.

As autumn falls upon us

Green shades slowly fade to yellow orange reds

Corridors of a freezing wind blow

Bright lights, skyscrapers

With the Christmas spirit awakening glow

Trees stand naked shivering in the crispy cold

While we find comfort under man-made coats

Wildlife seek for shelter

Excavating burrow nests and holes

In central park they meet on their bikes

Never beaten by the oscillating weather

Indulging on life's simple delights

With each other,

Simply chuffed to be living this city together.

(Reflections after a central park cycle with Mer and Jess)

one month in.

Good morning Manhattan!

So a month has passed since I hit the big apple and so much has happened in this time. The Pictet gallery morning latte which was so quickly substituted for a "vanilla single shot soya iced starbucks " has taken a backseat as I replace it with instant coffee in my small east village kitchen. Living a champagne lifestyle on beer money - harder to adapt than anticipated! Life is pretty sweet at the moment. I am loving the fast paced New Yorker ways... A week in and I was already venturing the world of laundrettes. Here I was, lunging my laundry 2 blocks down 2nd avenue to do my first bit of own washing. May i stress there is a huge gap in the "laundrette world" for bars. Seriously, forget meeting new people at your local pub - the new this is to hang out at the laundrette. My mind was clocking how much cash i could make selling beers in that place. Plenty may I add. Next time I shall be taking a 6pack with me and assessing margins for profit. (people spend a couple of hours at least chatting as they patiently wait for their whites and colours to spin in that machine)... food for thought. 

 ‎"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."-- Howard Thurman 

Global Potential has been inspirational so far! I have been so fortune- meeting people of all backgrounds, ages and styles . I really hope to be giving back as much as I feel i have gained. The program is great and myself and Renoly Santiago are running workshops at one of the schools 2 times a week on leadership skills etc... the class varies with 15-20 kids participating each week - its been awesome.  Popping to the Bronx, Brooklyn, meandering my way through different cultures- so diverse.  The GP program at CDI will be staring on Friday... here's a chance for the students at the school to get involved in their communities - action plans, setting goals, solving problems!

A warm welcome to the Big Apple

"A mind that is stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions." - - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Two weeks in, and I can only say that this city and friends living here, have greeted me with huge open arms. Hopping off that plane I was hit by a mini heatwave and the smell of fish in the air. It reminded me of the feeling I get everytime I land in Rio.

JFK 22.09.2010

With a huge smile on my face, I enjoyed every bit of the journey to my new home in east village, thrilled to know that I would soon be living with my best buddy and childhood friend Mer.  The view as you cross Manhattan bridge is overwhelming. Everytime. I wonder if New Yorkers ever get bored of it.  Huge hugs from Mer, it took me no longer than 15 minutes to feel like I had been living here for months. In no time we got through a bottle of wine and spent a good few hours catching up on our lives while indulging on sushi. Han later popped in  and  flopped on my bed it was like we'd never been apart. Its amazing how with good friends distance does not separate.
Thursday started with an early rise and a long walk from home down to the Financial District where the Global Potental office is currently located. I ventured through the little backstreets, through neighbourhoods like Little Italy and soaked every bit of this city. At the GP office I met up with some of the other staff and was introduced to the GP program.
http://wings-unclipped.blogspot.com/2010/10/global-potential-program.html

The GP program is brilliant. Having met some of the students that have returned from their trip abroad it is overwhelming to see the impact GP has had in their lives- students take on challenges and turn them into opportunities. The idea of replicating this program in both the UK and Brasil is seriously exciting but overwhelming all the same.

Getting a bike was possibly the best decision I've made since I moved here. There is no greater way to explore a city than to cycle around it -Westside highway, Governors island, Brooklyn, Bronx... Mer and I visited Connecticut and Philadelphia - fun times! NY has so much live music, so many festivals, art, people here are so friendly... the weather has been a spectacular 30C!

NYC Bike CLUB 2010