Autumnal Hijinks

Continuing on this autumn love fest, I attended my first medieval fair a week ago! Fort Tryon Park, which takes top spot on my NYC parks list,

holds an annual festival

and now that I live blocks away from it, I just had to check it out. I had no idea it drew in so many people (roughly 60,000)! A. and I had a fun time checking out the costumes (leather! corsets! lace!), weapons, and playing games. Too bad I missed the horseback jousting matches, but it was a great afternoon nonetheless. The weather was absolutely perfect and I ended up buying the flower crown of my dreams. Even Dad joined in on the medieval antics and agreed that he'd never seen so many people in "our park."

That same weekend, A. and I joined up with local Burning Man attendees for a random walk around the city pretending we were going through theme camps on the NYC playa. The journey led us into Staten Island, of all places, where we attacked

a Russian salad bar

, ate lunch

in a historic village

, and took a few moments to rest

inside a rustic Tibetan museum

. It was sweet to throw on our ears and tails again and answer to the curious folks who wanted to know what the hell was going on. A., on the other hand, just couldn't get enough strangers asking, "

What does the fox say?

" (By the way, have you seen

Kerry Washington's SNL version of the silly song

?)

{Monday Inspiration} And Breathe...

Fall has already been with us for about two weeks now and I. Am. In. Love. Autumn has been my favorite season ever since spring started attacking my senses long ago. There's just something wonderful about the chilly air that makes you want to cozy up under a blanket, jacket weather, boots, and all that gorgeous foliage.

For me, the new season also signals a chance to start anew. I don't know if I'm still in sync with the school season where September would bring in new supplies, new friends, and the feeling of starting fresh, but it's always been an interesting time to check in, be introspective, and see what improvements can be made. This season I've taken on regular meditation and signed up for a local yoga studio. In order for things to stick, I have to make them as easily accessible as possible. I'm a lazy bum and as soon as I can make an excuse to quit a new habit, trust that I will. (Why is it so hard?!)

Heights Meditation

 is a small donation-based group that meets every morning just a block and a half away from my house. I'll roll out of bed at 6:45am and walk over for a half hour session of beating thoughts off with a stick (without judgement, of course). Some mornings are calmer than others (and I admit to having skipped out two times when I was just too afraid to sit quietly with my monkey mind), but I think the effort really counts. I know it will take a long time for me to be fully present the entire session, but I do get snippets of quietude every morning.

When that little Tibetan singing bowl signals it's time to ease back into the day, I have a smile on my face because that ringing sends heavenly sparks shooting through my temples and I have created a little more distance between me and whatever might try to overwhelm me in the coming hours. This is going to sound cliché, but it feels so good and peaceful knowing that I have more space between me and my hectic surroundings. It gives me time to think before reacting because I don't feel like I'm constantly sinking under. It allows me the space and permission for foresight and presence of mind.

Meditation and yoga go hand-in-hand and if I was going to begin this journey into mindfulness 

–

 one I'd been really curious about since reading Dan Harris' book

10% Happier

–

 I wanted to go all in.

Mind Body Soul Yoga

is a few blocks away and now serves as my noontime break. I'll finish my morning shift and walk over to the boutique studio to stretch away any stress that might have built up since meditation that morning. It's almost like a rest stop in my daily mental health journey and one that's resulted in more even-keel-feeling days. I'm no longer racing through 12 hours fighting off anxieties and daunting thoughts, feeling absolutely exhausted by the time the evening comes around. I'll get my mind right first thing in the morning and then reset it again before beginning my afternoon work.

Granted, my body is still getting used to the early wake up calls and I'll easily pass out at 10pm, but I feel better. Not only am I not incessantly nagging or frustrated by every little thing A. might have neglected around the house (which is working wonders on our relationship) or want to hide under the table when works gets annoying, but I love that I'm doing this for me. I told myself that if I didn't want to go to therapy to control my anxieties and panics, then I needed to invest in my mental health some other way. That first day in class, while lying on my mat with my eyes closed, I thought, "Wow! I can't believe I'm carving out an hour and a half out of my day just for me." And that was quickly followed up by, "Are you kidding me? That's nothing compared to all the time you spend for everyone else!"

I don't know why it took so long to accept that I deserve this nook of time. I'll be sure to let you know how my journey into mindfulness unfolds.

Aaaaaaaah Topangaaa!!

Tonight A. and I are off to watch

The Lion King

on Broadway

! I got us 2-for-1 tickets during the

Broadway Week

promotion and am excited to finally see this show. Everyone I know who's seen it can't speak highly enough on the artistry, puppetry, and costumes so I cannot wait to experience it for myself. You know I'll be bopping around in my seat singing along. Hakuuuuna Matata!

Watch the cast below as

they serenade some unsuspecting commuters on the A train

in New York City. When this video came out this summer, my sister and I commented on how we ride this train All The Time and all we're treated to are panhandlers, preachers, breakdancing teens, and guitar players. Meanwhile, New York City still owes me a flashmob experience...

P.S. The actual lyrics to the "

Circle of Life

." Also,

the Australian cast singing on a flight

from Brisbane to Sydney earlier this year. Again, I'd take this over crying babies and barking dogs any day.

Decompression

Part of the post Burning Man ritual is to decompress once you've re-entered the Default World, also known as real life. As hard as I tried to avoid taking my phone off airplane mode on the 10 hour drive back to Los Angeles from Nevada, I eventually relented and was soon scrolling through some 75 messages. It's scary how quickly I plunged right back into the frantic clicking, swiping, and liking when just a day ago I couldn't have cared less about anything going on beyond Black Rock City's trash fence.

Settling back into the day-to-day was much quicker this time. Last year, I walked around NYC feeling sad that pedestrians weren't covered in lights or furry costumes and that everyone was just so quick to get somewhere. And the

MOOP

! Oh God, litter and dirt everywhere. I wanted to be back at Burning Man so badly. Then the year goes on and eventually you almost forget about what it was like to be out there, but that happens just in time to make that journey once again. A. and I went with the notion that we probably wouldn't be returning in 2015 because we want to experience other corners of the world and when one of us only gets two weeks of vacation a year, that time off should be well-considered. Well now I think we do want to return.

It's fun to tell friends and family about your Burning Man experience, show off videos and photos, and try to get them to grasp what an incredible place this is (it'll always be one of those "You had to be there" spots). Still, there's nothing like getting together with other burners and

exchanging

 stories and discoveries because there's just so much that one person could miss. This past Saturday, A. and I visited a friend I've known through the Etsy NY team who lives just a couple blocks away. We've been living so close for about nine months and couldn't manage to meet up...until we randomly bumped into each other on the playa.* A burner for about eight years, he's seen some things and so five of us gathered to chat about this year's burn, favorite moments from previous years, and finally watch that  

Malcolm in the Middle

Burning Man episode

. A. and I left his house happy and wondering if we shouldn't return next year and really do it up. Then again, that's exactly how we felt last time and before we knew it, we were packing up to head out without accomplishing any of those grand plans. I'm sure that itch will strike again in full force when we meet up with 100 or so burners this Sunday at a Post Playa Picnic in Central Park.

*It's funny how frequently you'll run into people you know even though you're in a sea of 65,000 people in a 5+ square mile area. There were a handful of folks we knew would be out there and did we see any by actually visiting their camps? Nope! We saw them through chance meetings while biking around and attending random events. It's always a happy surprise.

Where To Eat In Chicago

{Let me interrupt my Burning Man talk to tell you a bit about our Chicago trip from long ago. A friend of mine just flew out there and it reminded me that I'd yet to hit publish on this post! So while it's all hot outside, let me chat a bit about our wintry trip to the Windy City - especially since one of the food spots we enjoyed will soon shut its doors forever.}

It's been MONTHS since A. and I went to Chicago and I still think on how much fun we had. It was still a chilly winter when we flew out in March and yet we didn't let that stop us from exploring and roaming the city. I can only imagine how awesome it'd be in the warmer months and can't wait to go back someday. Not only did we give ourselves a self-guided tour to check out cool architecture (and squeezed in so much walking in one day), but we had our fill of some really good food. Below are a few of our favorite spots.

Garrett Popcorn: My friend Norell, who studied in Chicago, first introduced me to Garrett Popcorn when she and I worked at Latina magazine years ago. They had recently opened a NYC location just a couple blocks away from our office and she insisted I try their Garrett Mix, a bag of caramel popcorn mixed  in with a batch of their cheddar cheese popcorn. So when I was in Chicago, I had to get a bag for A. to try. (We both prefer the caramel popcorn, which left us with a bag of cheesy popcorn to get through.)

Giordano's Pizza: Chicago really needs to stop calling their deep dish pizza "pizza" at all. The thing is huge! One slice is like a piece of lasagna or, as our friend Danny calls it, a casserole. This spot, a popular chain in the city, was incredibly good and filling. The special contained sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and so much cheese!

Hot Doug's: A.'s friends introduced us to Hot Doug's, which is apparently the best place to grab a Chicago style dog and other yummy concoctions like beer-soaked bratwurst and special sausages made of wild boar, escargot, or duck with creative toppings. A couple months ago the beloved spot announced it was closing its doors forever on October 4 so if you have a chance to taste them out before the final day, I'd highly recommend it.

Park Grill: After a full day of walking, we ended our self-guided tour at Millennium Park to see Cloud Gate, also known as the Bean. It was still winter so ice skaters were gliding around the rink in front of the restaurant while we snuggled inside sipping on some amazing apple cider and good eats like shrimp and arugula flatbread with oven roasted tomatoes and peppers.

Yolk: We still dream about this brunch spot! I'm not even kidding. Just a few days ago A. and I admitted that we'd fly back out to Chicago just to eat at Yolk at again - it was that good. The mocha, the egg sandwiches, sweet and savory crêpes, and their tasty Tour de France, a French Toast flight that consisted of banana nut bread with bananas, sweet orange bread with strawberries, and lemon poppyseed bread with blueberries. We were just sad that we only had but so many days to eat there.

By the way, if you're looking for a place with amazing views of the city, but don't want to pay $19 to cram into the Willis Tower's Skydeck, then go to the Signature Lounge on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Center. Comfy booths and no reservations needed. Order some cocktails and enjoy the incredible view.

Have you ever been to Chicago? What places did you love? Below are a few photos from our trip!