The Thirty-first Day

Happenings in the Hamptons…

• Walk/Run—We started the day with a part-walking, part-running tour of the lovely town of Amagansett.
• Breakfast—The Reform Club advertises a “continental breakfast” but I’ve never seen a continental breakfast as thorough and amazing as this one!
• Main Beach—We lucked out and had the most amazing weather today.  Not a cloud in the sky + hot sun + good books + beach chairs and towels = success.

Lots of people made it out for "Beach Day Glorious."

Everyone's lounging.

• Afternoon snack—Coming back to our rooms after a long day in the sun, we were happy to find freshly baked gluten-free cookies and blueberries, picked yesterday from the farm down the road.

Our snack complete with a personalized note that read, "Welcome back, Eastman's! We hope you enjoy these..."

• Dinner at Harbor Bistro—Despite the extra-long dining experience (about 2 1/2 hours), we really enjoyed the food.  We just wished it would have come a little sooner.

Sibs.

The Thirtieth Day

More Happenings…

• I like to move it, move it—Jamie and I sipped Starbucks and perched on cinder-blocks at 6:30 a.m. while guarding Dan’s stuff so he could wait in line for and pick up his U-Haul.  Congrats, Dan, on Moving Day!
• Morning nap—Coming home two hours later, I crawled back into bed for another hour and a half of good sleep.
• Lunch at Beacon—The prefixed menu here was a great deal and the chocolate chip soufflé that came at the end was especially memorable.

California wants you back, Anna Knott!!!

• 5^th Ave—Mom, Dad, Natalie, and I did some shopping and walking.  Always fun!
• Risotteria for dinner—We are beginning to know the wait-staff by name here.  If a place like this would only open up in San Diego, the Eastman’s would easily keep them in business.
• Luxury Liner to the Hamptons—Our bus to the Hamptons was packed but comfortable.  We arrived at The Reform Club Inn to find the most heavenly beds ever made, inside gorgeous cozy rooms.

This picture cracks me up - waiting in the rain for the bus.

A view inside.

The Twenty-ninth Day

Today’s Happenings…

• One-on-one critique—I’m now going through the process of trying to narrow down my work into just a handful of images to display at the final show next Thursday.
• Photo Shoot (Operation Terrible) – I agreed to a photo shoot for a family with two young kids.  The mom was pregnant and on bed-rest in the hospital so the kids were being taken care of by their grandmother.  They reallllly missed their mommy.  Not even ice cream would cheer them up.
• Visitor #11—The one and only Anna Knott came to town!!  After spending a few days with friends outside the city, Anna joined up with Eastman’s…just like old times!
• Family walk along the Hudson—Everyone loved our 4-mile loop.
• Dinner at Commerce—Delicious food but one of the noisiest restaurants I’ve ever been in.

Together again!

• Yogurtland—I never get tired of yogurt.

Anna's is the one that looks like it was made by Rainbow Brite.

The Twenty-eighth Day

With two photo shoots, a critique, some time in the lab, a workout, and the arrival of visitors #10-12, today was a very full day…

I had the pleasure of meeting Haley and Ramsey March and their adorable daughter, Charlotte, through Adrienne Hoehn, a friend who lives in NYC.  We met at the Central Park Bethesda Fountain and then walked through the north end of The Mall.  Everything about this morning was beautiful–the trees, the architecture, the water, and of course the March family!  However, I’m fairly certain there was some kind of humidity record broken in the last 24 hours; by the end of the shoot I was literally drenched in sweat.  Even sweet little Charlotte was dripping.

Meet Charlotte.

Wide open spaces.

Is she not the cutest??!!

Gorgeous.

Peering into the fountain.

Run, run, run.

B E A U T I F U L .

I will post more about today’s second shoot tomorrow.  Something to look forward to…

And finally, Mom, Dad, and Natalie made it into the city just in time to secure a table at Risotteria, a gluten-free Italian restaurant, before closing.  This place has become my dad’s new obsession and he made sure we all had plenty to eat:  4 pizzas, 2 salads, 10 breadsticks, 1 bowl of risotto, and 1 cupcake–all gluten-free and all delicious.

Earl Eastman, in his own Food Heaven.

The Twenty-seventh Day

After an individual critique with Seth Greenwald, I spent several hours printing in the lab and then walked over to the West Side campus for today’s lecture entitled “10 Things Every Artist Should Know.”  The lecture was presented by Heather Darcy Bhandari and Jonathan Melber, co-authors of ART/WORK: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career.  I enjoyed the presentation because they spoke about the practical side of being an artist, basing their expertise on their experiences as a gallerist and attorney, respectively.

Walking back to the East Side campus, I checked out a few lenses for my two shoots tomorrow, then cabbed it back to the West Side for a dinner at Schnipper’s.  Tonight was an extra special night because Robb and I got to see my cousin, Samantha, for the first time in over ten years.  Samantha works for Disney, lives in the city, and has excellent taste in restaurants.  Schnipper’s was a perfect dinner spot.  Robb and I gave it an immediate thumbs-up upon walking in the door because a) there was no line, and b) the AC was on full blast.  Our burgers and sweet potato fries were very, very good and Robb thoroughly enjoyed his “Purple Cow.”  (Purple Cow = Rootbeer Float, but substitute grape soda for the rootbeer…so gross!)

Robb and his Purple Cow

Cousins reunited...terrible iPhone picture but still fun!

Needing some extra inspiration for my workout tonight, I downloaded selected hits from “Carmen Electra’s Workout Mix” and “The Biggest Loser Workout Mix”…you may want to look into those.  Now I’m off to bed early so I’ll be rested for my a.m. shoot tomorrow.  Peace.

The Twenty-sixth Day

I’m losing my blogging steam.  Here’s the quick run-down:

• Early morning breakfast at Norma’s—This morning I ordered the Very Berry Brioche French Toast.  Ahhhhh…It was beyond amazing.
• Group Critique—I really like Laurel Nakadate, the faculty member who led this morning’s crit.  She is all about being passionate about what you do. If you love it, you’ll have fun doing it, and that passion will translate into your work.
• Eskimix & The Downpour—Jason is great so he met me after class to walk me home before he had to leave for the airport.  We stopped for yogurt at Eskimix and when we were still about 5 minutes from home it started raining buckets.  No cabs would stop to pick us up because were so close to home.  With no other options, we made a run for it and got soaked, the “I stood under a hose” kind of soaked.
• Nap, Recover, and Blog—After napping in the afternoon, I am now enjoying a restful evening of recovering from a weekend of too much fun and catching up on all this bloggity blogging. Goodnight.

Taken in a garden just down the street from our apartment.

The Twenty-fifth Day

Jackie and I started the day by cooking breakfast for the boys which was made complete by some freshly shipped homemade Sweet Potato Bread.  Thanks, Mom!!

Our bike ride through Central Park was fabulous.  We made a complete loop around the park, getting lost only a couple times through the middle.  One flat tire and broken bike seat later, we returned our bikes to the shady bike rental man at Columbus Circle.

We rode past the Met so Scotty could get a picture.

Jackie, you're so pretty.

Creeper Mike.

Stop for the photo opp. LOVE the Thompson's!

Starving and ready for lunch we headed for Keste Pizza & Vino, a pizza place on Bleecker Street that was recently dubbed “Best Pizza” by New York Magazine.  Not only was the pizza truly incredible, but Jackie and I received a private demonstration of the pizza making process from our new friend in the kitchen.

Step 1: Build a blazing hot fire in your brick oven.

Step 2: Stretch out your dough like a pro.

Step 3: Choose from an array of fresh toppings.

Step 4: Put your pizza in the oven. (Baking time: approx. 1 minute.)

Step 5: Admire your work.

Step 6: Say "thank you" lots of times and get really excited about your free pizza!

Not willing to stop at just the pizza, we made our way down the street for gelato in order to more thoroughly clog our arteries.  Grom was over-priced but creamy and good.

Tiramisu & Straciatella

We walked back to our building and entered the lobby, saying hi to our doorman and noticing Blake Lively and Penn Badgley picking up a package from the reception desk.  Mike made sure to hold the elevator for them and then started the following conversation.

Mike:  Oh, cute dog.  What’s its name?

Blake:  Penney.

Mike:  Honey?

Blake:  Penney.

Mike:  Henney?

Blake:  It’s Penney.

Mike:  Ohhh…Penney.

(Blake and Penn get off at floor 5.)

Mike:  Goodbye Honey Henney Penney.

Neighbors

Taking a cab through the pouring rain, we made it to the Richard Rodgers Theater where we saw In the Heights, a 2008 4-time Tony Award Winner.  I love LOVE loved it and my only regret was that Natalie wasn’t there to see it with us.  (It’s the rapping, hip-hop musical, most comparable to the movie Step Up.  So Natalie.)

Mike and his lady bug umbrella while we wait to get inside the theater. Can you see how hard it's raining in the background?!

Happy theater-goers.

Going out for a late post-show dinner, Jason took me to Blue Ribbon Sushi.  The lines for this place are usually terrible but our new strategy of going out late on rainy nights is proving to be very effective.  The restaurant was close to empty, we were graciously taken care of by about 10 different servers, and our sushi arrived within minutes.  Happy and full, we walked on home.

Another reason to like Jason: He likes sushi as much as I do.