me gusto mucho!

i want to live in this store and eat macaroons all day. pretty please?



(wait for the slideshow to move... the styling is incredible!)




photo courtesy of impactlab.com

from one side of the world to another.

i'm going to the philippines in june. and i might do a little jaunt to get some pho while i'm on that side of the world.


on top of my planning for this and that, i came across this place on the web.

how awesome is that store front?! and... they serve food like this:


and now, i want to go to finland. just to get coffee in that cute little, plaid cup.


oh, those europeans, always so stylish. what a great restaurant branding idea!

classic

now that the holidays are over (i know, i'm late), let's do a review shall we?

in the last few months, i've visited my share of new bars and restaurants in the dc and philly areas. and with the rebirth of the cocktail and the trendiness of all things mad men, i've been enjoying my libations more than ever.

my current favorite? the old fashioned.

with it's agnostora bitters, sugar, and orange zest it's the perfect complement to my drink of choice, bourbon. you can find a recipe and some trivia here.

some places to check this classic cocktail out?

in philly, check out the village whiskey. don't forget to also try the duck fat fries and the variety of pickled items - it's way past vlassic. promise. or you can always go to the pub and kitchen, one of my philly faves.

in dc, definitely grab one at againn (best i've had so far - must be the brandied cherries) with frites. also try it at the W hotel's living room bar or at my virginia favorite, eventide.

cheers!

Back Track Part II: Spa Castle

avenue S spa at Spa Castle (yes, that's a private jacuzzi in the back)*

Let's just cut to the chase here. I LOVE THE SPA. Again, I LOVE THE SPA.

So let me tell you, how excited I was when my friends took me to this place called Spa Castle in Queen, NY for my birthday. Ya'll, it was like an adult water park. But larger. And so much better.

You walk in, pay an entrance fee of $40 and get a waterpoof watch that acts as your locker key and 'credit card'. You lock up everything. Your watch, bathing suit, and assigned uniform is all you need.


The locker room has a bath area with 4 different jacazzis but we avoided that since it was nude only -traditional Korean bath - but it also had a lounge and some sauna rooms where you can lay and sleep (in your uniform).

Upstairs you walk up to the massive first floor. There is an area for purchasing private massages like a traditional spa and a lounge where everyone is chilling/eating. The lounge has a buffet, a pinkberry-esque yogurt place, starbucks, sushi, hamburgers, you name it.

the sauna town

Then it has 7 saunas. Again, 7 saunas. They are all different and cater to each guest. There was a gold plated sauna, a jade sauna, an ice sauna, a LED color therapy sauna, a infrared sauna, a super hot sauna, the list goes on and on.


In the mezzanine, there is a sleeping lounge with comfy recliners which all have individual TVs attached. People were taking naps galore. There was also a separate room just for foot and hand massages.


On the second floor were the pools. There was an indoor pool with a swim up bar and tables for eating (in the pool). There was the warm pool with various acupuncture-like massaging jets for each individual seat.

just one of the many outdoor pools/jacuzzis/waterfall areas

Outside it was like adult spa playground. There was a deck to lay out, the wooden aroma therapy jacuzzi, the regular jacuzzi, then the massive bade pool (building wide, at least 1 block long) with ever possible jet, spray, and waterfall you can imagine. The jets and sprays were strong enough to work out knots in my shoulders so that I didn't have to go the regular massage place.

my favorite jet, perfect for the shoulder knots!

The place is insane and all of pool and sauna access was included with entry. Entry is a day rate, so if you can get there at opening and stay until closing - no problem.


Finally, on the third floor, yup a 3rd floor, there was Korean restaurant, where one could enjoy the day on the patio or inside having the famous bulgogi and kimchi.


The best part is, the owners are building 19 more Spa Castles around the country. SpaCastle gods, don't forget DC please!


Don't miss: anything. If you have the time and money to check out the Avenue S spa, do so! if only I had the time and was not on a recessionista budget, I'd be there. For those who are on a recessionista budget, your $40 will go a long way in just the pools. Sit with the stronger jets for a while and you can probably work those knots!

Tips:

• You'll get the most of your $40 if you make this at least a half day trip and find out where you are most relaxed and sit for a while. You'll spend the first hour just getting your bearings and trying everything out.
  
• Bring a towel, the towels they provide are just hand towels and won't dry or cover much.
  
• Finally, be prepared for nudity (both to see and to partake) in the locker rooms. The showers are not private and again, the towels are teeny tiny.

*all photos linked from the Spa Castle web site

Back Track: Part I

photo of Nikko, c/o the Nikko Sushi Bar Site

It all started with a business trip to North Carolina in August. It was busy, busy, busy. But we were able to squeeze in some time to have a fabulous dinner at Nikko Sushi Bar.

Big city upscale feel meets Southern Charm meets Asian Zen.

The sushi was fresh and plated beautifully. My true test for good sushi is salmon and unagi. The The eel was broiled just enough and not dry/chewy (common mistake). But the salmon, ooh the salmon! The salmon sashimi was like butter - smooth, fresh, melt in your mouth yum! This place rivals the amazing sushi in Seattle.

To make the night even more recessionista fabulous is that Charlotte has a lower standard of living cost than the bigger cities, so I gasped when I saw the bill. For the price of only 2 in DC to have the same cocktails, salads, appetizers, 2 rolls a piece, and desserts the 3 of us had, we ate, and ate well. It was like a restaurant week discount. Bonus! If ever you're in the downtown Charlotte area, the short cab ride to Nikko is well worth it.

Don't miss: the Salmon Sashimi, the Strawberry Mochi, and the Red Bean Tempura Ice Cream and of course, owner behind the bar running around in a cowboy hat.

there's never any time.

the scary queen charlotte at CLT airport | charlotte, nc | august 13, 2009

it's been absolutely nuts in leahland.

i'm currently in charlotte, waiting to jump on a flight that i had to beg to be put on because a certain airline whose hub is in charlotte decided to cancel the 4:30 flight to dca WITHOUT notifying anyone on the flight. [non]checking-in was fun. thanks, usair, thanks.

things are a little busy here, so as a late reference to the rumored saved by the bell reunion and my crazed schedule as of late, here is the BEST. CLIP. EVER.

to do: dog days on u street

dirty energy| u street | aug 1

U Street celebrated this weekend with a Community Festival. Local shops participated in the Dog Days of August which included some crazy sales (and lots of fun junking). I walked around, shopped (a little too much), and was able to stop and just take shots of the usual DC charm and character.

stamped crates | u street | aug 1

yum, farmers market peaches. p.s. farmers market at 14 & u, every saturday from 9-1pm.

monkey bucket | u street | aug 1

old & dusty| u street | aug 1

loved hanging/junking out at ruff and ready, it's like your grandma's attic/basement on crack. hording anyone? if you're patient, you'll find some good estate pieces priced to go. not for the claustrophobic or germaphobic.

sporadic chess | u street | aug 1

the best part of this scenario is that the guy who is standing was just passing by (see his luggage next to him?) and decided to play with the guy on the bike. random. and so u street.

musicar | u street | aug 1

these things were out to promote the Art Cars Festival. total road hazard--people were slowing down to gawk -- but hilarious and total over stimulation.

brassvn (notice the men's room sign)| u street | aug 1

"take my picture" | u street | aug 1

and what's u street without characters? be sure to visit pradesh (sp?) at the capital carpet and furniture store. he was the sweetest man and a total ham when he saw my camera.

part II: nags head

for those that don't like reading. *ahem*cousins*sister*ahem*.

independence day fireworks in front of our house | july 2009 | nags head, nc

massive [click to see the people on dunes] | july 2009 | nags head, nc

buried [dunes] | july 2009 | nags head, nc

snake tracks [dunes] | july 2009 | nags head, nc

beach house #3 | july 2009 | nags head, nc

nags head pier at sunset | july 2009 | nags head, nc

gone fishing!

relaxing on the pier | nags head, nc | july 6, 2009

after working remotely from the beach for a good part of the day, i slipped away for a couple of hours to go fishing. i grew up fishing with my father, so no matter how much i squirm touching the bloodworms, i actually really enjoy it.

here are some shots from today:

fallen between the cracks | nags head, nc | july 6, 2009

left for the seagulls | nags head, nc | july 6, 2009

bait & hooked | nags head, nc | july 6, 2009

not our catch | nags head, nc | july 6, 2009

our big catch! | nags head, nc | july 6, 2009

outer banks photos

photo by parkerspain

it's raining on the outer banks but while, of course, i'd rather it be sunny -- a rainy day here still beats a day at work.

however, i've started taking a photography class at the torpedo factory and have yet to find some good weather to do my homework. i'm sure i could take shots of things in the rain but, as a beginner, i'm not confident on finding correct lighting in the cloudy haze.

so instead, here are some fun shots that i've found on flickr. i'm not sure i will ever be this good, but it's nice to dream anyway.

bodie light house | photo by jim frazier

nags head pier | photo by cary scott photography

kitty hawk | photo by cary scott photography

my wish: to live simply

from our aunt's beach house in mindoro

kris w/ our nephews

my cousin rj w/another nephew in mindoro

my cousin kris (mentioned here), took these shots in her hometown of sablayan, mindoro. if only i were there now...
[it's going to t-storm in dc again. ...sigh.]

miss this

no rain + fruity drink + clear water = happy leah

it's another dreary day in dc. i miss this place.

in the land of roses (and tevas)

shadows on the columbia river | portland, or | june 8, 2009

the northwest always has a way of grabbing my semi-bohemian-granola side and pulling its heart strings. i love it here. who wants to move with me?

the columbia river at sunrise | portland, or | june 8, 2009

multonomah falls | portland, or | june 8, 2009


perch: the columbia river at sunset| portland, or | june 8, 2009

*i'm not judging about the tevas. promise. but there are a lot of them here. i don't blame them. the columbia river is absolutely gorgeous and i can see why folks are all about being outside here.

heartfelt and simple

as you can see, i have a slight obsession with packaging (i go on and on about gift packaging here and here). since my cousin did the destination wedding thing, i decided to drop off their wedding presents after the event so they didn't have to lug too many presents (or too much cash) around.

as part of their present, i decided to frame some shots that i took of them behind their backs (literally!) so they would remember those quiet times during such an fun-filled, memorable weekend.

since the frames and colors of the photos were so handsome, there was no need to wrap the presents but instead just insert a card and tie a simple bow (a couple of times over).


easy. and pretty.

to do: red rock canyon, nv

red rock canyon outside of las vegas, nv | may 25, 2009

my friend lan lives in north las vegas. And while drinking, gambling and making "friends" on the strip was fun, i was so excited to visit with a friend i only get to see twice or so a year. we had a good time just talking about her life in vegas. one place she was sure to show me was red rock canyon.

did you know that vegas was actually underwater? the water caused striations and when the water evaporated minerals were left in the rock causing the the red (or not-so-red) rock. on certain parts of rock, there are petroglyphs, supposedly put there by anasazi indians.

divit [w/ petroglyphs?] | red rock canyon, nv | may 25, 2009

big bird | red rock canyon, nv | may 25, 2009

red rock canyon is part of a public park. my friends are avid nature people. they go hiking, canyoneering, climbing, and repelling down parts of the rocks regularly. i can't wait to go back, not only to see my friends, but to get have my own adventures at the park.

where's waldo? [find the hiker]| red rock canyon, nv | may 25, 2009

thriving in the rocks | red rock | may 25, 2009