Fall in New York City

Fall in New York City was in its peak over the past couple of weeks, and I was determined to capture its colors with my camera. It's easy to get lost in your everyday routine but you have to make time to explore some pretty places (parks, cute neighborhoods, forests) and just wonder around with a camera.

Ok, it sounds pretty easy to wonder around with your camera. But sometimes I feel like I'm missing a nice shot because I don't use the moment to stop and snap, or I don't want to look like a tourist in NYC, or I don't feel like carrying my slightly heavy camera everywhere with me! Excuses, you will say. And they are! I got over them the moment I found this adorable street in Chelsea (see the picture above). I was so captivated with capturing the moment that I didn't care about how I look anymore, what people thought, and how heavy my bags felt. After this lesson I happily proceeded to take pictures of Central Park with a mantra: "just wonder around and click away!"

Photos are taken and edited by me

Hidden Garden Brunch

One of the favorite traditions of New Yorkers is to go out to brunch on the weekend, and the city surely doesn't disappoint in the selection of brunch spots it has to offer. With that said, this past weekend Joe and I ended up in the East Village for church and decided to find a brunch place afterwards. This sunny and quiet Sunday morning made me crave a place with a garden to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. And how lucky we were when we stumbled upon the little cute and hidden garden of the Standard (hotel near Astor place)!

The garden was basically empty but very charming with its potted plants, colorful tables, chairs, and sofas. I was a bit in disbelief that we could randomly find such a perfect spot for our meal! We ordered some simple brunch food like lattes, eggs + baked potatoes, and pancakes. And let me tell you: all of the food was extremely flavorful and delicious. We will definitely be back to the Standard, because it's not your standard brunch spot! ;)

Photos by me.

This is not a sponsored post.

Farmers market and a healthy summer recipe

Another reason why I love summer is because we have a weekly farmers market! You can't even believe how much it brightens up my day, how happy it makes me to buy fresh produce from the farmers. So happy  that I can't ever pass it by. Ever.

Of course, I'm a big fan of locally grown food but also farmers markets remind me of my childhood in Ukraine. When I was a kid I used to go to bazaar  (that's how we called any market) with my grandmother all the time where we would buy fresh produce from farmers. Also we grew a lot of vegetables and fruits ourselves, which is another reason why I appreciate fresh local food so much. Hence, there I am on Tuesdays - completely overloaded with fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, and bread.

I know that farmers markets can be a bit pricey but I think that eating high quality, fresh and local food is very important. And the taste is just so much better than any store sold groceries. Also, in my opinion it's important to manage correctly the food that you buy. By this I mean: try to use any perishable produce quickly so it's fresh, try to minimize any waste (it's terrible to discover those super expensive strawberries going bad somewhere in your fridge!), plan your meals in advance and buy only the necessary things (account for the nights that you eat out).

Sometimes it's problematic for me to use tons of vegetables that I buy at the greenmarket because it's hard to cook every day. But I found a great solution to utilize all my veggies in a healthy way by preparing a vegetable stew (we call it rahu in my family)! And I'd like to share this recipe with you! :)

This recipe is adopted from my mom. You can substitute any vegetables you have on hand. 

Pictures are via my Instagram.

Sunset paintings

Sunset is a magical time of the day, and the images above prove it. Can you believe that some of them have not been edited or edited just to a limited extent? Also this is the view from my apartment in the north of Manhattan - I know I'm very lucky to have such a view of Hudson river and beautiful sunsets. There have been so many sunsets (I miss a lot of them unfortunately); all of them are one of a kind, special, unbelievable, breathtaking... I love to see my apartment wrapped in golden burning light, and I love to feel the warmth of the setting sun enveloping my being. I love to take a minute to enjoy these peaceful quiet moments - it makes this life so much more wonderful!

These photos were taken by me over a period of two years. 

Please, give credit and link to this page if you would like to use them.

Instagrammed: New York City wedding

Believe it or not but this past weekend was my first NYC wedding, and I was really excited about it! I was excited about celebrating this beautiful day with a special couple in my favorite city. It gets better: celebration (and lots of dancing!) took place in Ukrainian Institute (Harry F. Sinclaire mansion) on the Upper East side right across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We even got a "private" viewing of the current art exhibit (I definitely recommend checking out their art exhibits - especially opening nights with the reception (one coming up this Friday!), and also their concert series). For more details visit www.ukrainianinstitute.org

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click on Instagram icon on the right side of the page or search for lunarka45

Summer in NYC

Do you live in NYC or are you planning to visit this summer? It doesn't matter because below are 5 great ideas on what to do in the city for resident and tourists alike.

The Public theater has been producing Shakespeare in the park since 1962 with some really amazing actors and absolutely for free. The feelings that you have from watching Shakespeare plays under open night sky in Central Park in the middle of New York City  - are... truly unique. This year The Comedy of Errors is playing during June, and Love's Labour's Lost, a New Musical in late July - mid August. To get tickets: sign up for the random drawing online, stand in line at Delacorte theater for a noon distribution of tickets (some people come at 6am!), or come around 7pm for a stand-by line (I had the most luck with this option). More info at www.shakespeareinthepark.org

La Marina - amazing open space cafe/bar/restaurant right on the Hudson river with beautiful views of sunset. It's all the way uptown in Manhattan but if it gives you more motivation for a long train ride: Leonardo di Caprio and queen B have been spotted here ;) More info at lamarinanyc.com

Governor's Island 'Jazz Age Lawn Party' - go back in time to the roaring 20s, learn popular dances from the beginning of the 20th century, dress up and enjoy it in Great Gatsby style. To get to Governor's island jump on a free ferry (more details here) and to get tickets to the jazz party go here.

Syfy movies with a view.There are tons of free movies all over NYC this summer, and I'm excited to check out outdoors movies at the Brooklyn Bridge Park. It's a perfect summer evening activity: friends, movies, park, views of downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge. For movie schedule go here.

Picnic in a park. Have a picnic at any park in NYC. Small picnic, elaborate picnic, lunch picnic, just a snack - whatever kind of picnic but take advantage of city parks this summer to recharge. If you want to eat in Central park, you can grab take-out from anywhere or stop by Whole Food on 59th and Columbus Circle (in Times Warner mall) or on 97th st. and Columbus ave. (they have wonderful salad, hot and desert bars). 

Picture sources:
Shakespeare in the Park / La Marina / Governor's Island Jazz Age Lawn Party / Syfy movies with a view / Picnic in a park

Memorial Day in the park

The weather this Memorial Day was just perfect: not too hot with a gentle breeze. So my friend Gina and I got an idea to go to Central Park (like hundreds of other new yorkers, of course). We spent a  lovely late afternoon laying on the grass, enjoying sunshine, fresh air (as fresh as it can be in New York), and music sung by a strange angel lady (oh NYC...). Also Gina and me just can't hang out without taking at least a single picture, and this time we took a lot! I'm excited to share some pictures of my outfit that day, which is one of my favorite go-to summer outfits: a light top, breezy maxi skirt, comfortable sandals with a little golden heel, and a denim jacket for cooler evenings.

This time in the park was just so lovely that we made a resolution to have more picnics outside this summer. I hope all of you had a great weekend and I hope you'll enjoy your summer outside as well.

Top: Anthropologie, Skirt: Nordstrom, Denim jacket: Madewell, Sandals: Sam Edelman, Bag: J.crew (available in other colors here), Sunnies: Madewell, Earrings: Nordstrom Rack

Photos taken by my friend Gina