Manhattanhenge

Last week I got to see a phenomenon unique to Manhattan - a singular time of year when the setting sun aligns with the grid of Manhattan streets and shines right through the cross streets of the city. It's a incredible sight to see, not only because the sun seems to magically appear exactly where you're looking, but because the photographers gather for hours (hours!) beforehand at their chosen cross streets. I had scouted out the Tudor City Bridge at 42nd Street and First Avenue as my prime viewing spot earlier that day and was surprised to see photographers camped out at the spot at 2 in the afternoon! 

When the sun appeared from the left, coasting down to the right, we all clamored to get that perfect shot - for those few seconds that the sun was actually in the middle of the space between the buildings. I was craning over the shoulders of the two rows of photographers in front of me, and only really got a few shots of the sun in the very middle. I had a friend with me, who kept telling me to appreciate the moment and stop taking photos for a second. She was right. The sun was huge, and orange, and magnificent. And it looked so much better with the naked eye than through my camera lens.

In the end, the shots that show the sun in a blur make it much easier to see the perfect central placement of the sun on the grid as it sets. 

So cool, right? By the way, Manhattanhenge also occurs twice during the year as the sun rises. I'd like to say I'm going to make it up for that, but the sunrise version of Manhattanhenge falls in the wintertime (December and January), so it's going to take some serious motivation to get me up before sunrise. 

When we turned around after our sunset photos, we were faced with a full moon rising over the East River. And yes, that long tripod below is holding a tiny camera!

Manhattanhenge, I can't wait to see you again next year!

The curator newsletter

So, a wise friend suggested I turn my blog roundups into a newsletter, allowing my finds to pop weekly into your inbox, rather than waiting for you to find my entries. The more I thought about it, the more I fell in love with the idea of writing you a letter every week. It feels more intimate, more meaningful somehow. You will have chosen to receive my roundups - and I'm so grateful. My site will now become a location for recipes, photographs, places we love in New York, and my random thoughts, and ultimately a bit more personal that it has been before. So sign up in the box below to receive my newsletter, and I've given it a permanent spot on the left column of the site also. 

I hope you'll join me on TinyLetter, my first newsletter is almost ready to go, so you should see it in your inboxes very soon :)

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Foodie Finds

The days have suddenly turned hazy and thick, and seem to stretch on without end. How is July here already? And why do I express surprise every time it's a new month? It happens twelve times a year, so it really shouldn't be such a shock. Since during this time of the year I'm not turning on my oven if I can help it, my summer cooking is restricted to drooling over food photographs on my computer screen. And there are plenty to drool over, that's for sure. So, I'm checking in today with some of my foodie favorites over the past few weeks:  

I haven't had meat in over 8 weeks (!!) but am still occasionally having fish. So, I'm craving these crispy fish tacos with jalapeño sauce from Pinch of Yum for tomorrow's dinner.

Ok, I know I've gushed about Adrianne Adarme's gorgeous food blog, A Cozy Kitchen many, many times on this site, but guess what, guys? I got to meet the lovely Adrianna in real life several times in the past year, and now I get to be her editor on her new book The Year of Cozy!

Ugh, I'm slowly but surely coming around to kale. I know I'm behind the 8 ball on this, but it's taking me a while. This spicy kale and coconut stir fry from the always inventive Kate at Cookie + Kate will get me to kale nirvana faster.

If you're not yet reading nutritionist and food blogger McKel Hill's Nutrition Stripped, then you're missing out. I'll think about you as I make her creamy ginger green smoothie with avocado and lemon tomorrow morning.

I haven't gotten nectarines from my farmers market yet, have you guys found any good ones? When I do, I'm making this green rice salad with nectarines and corn from Not Without Salt (although the recipe is from the recently published Vibrant Food by Kimberley Hasselbrink).

I simply adore baking with olive oil, so this olive oil cake from Beth at Local Milk isn't really that different for me - except that she's using fennel and rosewater, two flavors I haven't combined yet, and two flavors that I independently love.

Here's the perfect housewarming gift: Nikole Herriott is now selling these stunning kitchen towels created by Lisa Rupp.


For those of you in the US (or Americans outside the US) have a lovely July 4th weekend! Hopefully these food links will come in handy as you hang out with friends and/or family.