So This Is Where Colors Come From!

On Thursday I had the privilege and pleasure to attend the opening night party for the Color Factory. I was surprised by how much fun I had there (I really had a whole, whole lot of fun) and even more surprised by how many old friends I ran into there. So many friends were there that I hadn't seen in ages! Everyone was just in town celebrating their connections to the Color Factory. And what connection was I celebrating? My friend Rebecca was a big helper on the Color Factory project and she did me the solid of inviting me out to the opening. Thank you, Rebecca, for getting me in to see all the colors and eat all the treats.

And if you're asking "What is the Color Factory?" I think the following photos will answer that pretty well. But you can also go to their website to learn more. Or just read me say "It's a procession of color-themed art installations with treats in most of the rooms."

Standing in the shadow of a Soho hotel, we find the Color Factory space. I don't even make it inside before I start having run ins, spotting my friend Eric and then my friends Angie and Greg.

Inside the lobby and, yep, there's Tessa. And then Mindy from BYU appears with her husband Jeff. And Sharon, my old neighbor. And then, finally, Rebecca, my previously mentioned Color Factory connection. (these people aren't all pictured here right now but they'll turn up later)

After a lot of time talking to my reunions, into the Color Factory I go. (By now I should have mentioned that I was there with Patricia).

See, there’s Sharon!

Oh look it’s Lindsay and Bryce!

Patricia and I drew really good blind contour line portraits of each other.

There’s Mindy and Jeff

(some of these balloon room people are strangers)

While I was in the color disco I met famous NYC illustrator Jason Polan and my favorite Mexico City Instagrammer, Abby Clawson Low — everyone buy her book when it comes out!!

In this room you had the option of getting spun and I got a lot more spun than I was expecting. I'm still feeling a little nauseated from it.

The grand finale was an absolutely gigantic ball pit in a completely unexpected shade of blue (paired with blue gelato of absolutely no flavor).

Claire and co-workers (tbh, Claire was the one person I had a hunch I might see at the Color Factory).

But my least expected reunion was Karen, who I hadn’t seen since our trip to Brazil about 9 years ago. Bonus points for her being with Clay, who I hadn’t seen for long enough that I didn’t even know he lived in New York now.

And here’s Greg and Angie.

People picking out their Color Factory gift.

This is a map that our Rebecca made.

A little more Color Factory and then back to the lobby for more reunions, like seeing Jared and his niece and then watching the Color Factory brain and work trust take a group photo.

So, in conclusion, I really had a good time at the Color Factory. Good enough to think as I left "Maybe I'll come back to the Color Factory again?" 

Why Not Look At All These Friends

Here's a post several postponements in the making, it started with one fortuitous week in early July where I had three seperate friendly visits. "Ah!" I thought, "This could make a nice little blog post." But then friends kept turning up, and I kept thinking "Oh! I could add this to that blog post." But now July is completely over and August has totally begun and I've decided to cut the post postponements off (No more friends! Friendship is canceled!) and get these photos online.

(You might be surprised to find some eating mixed in with these amigos)

All the friend-times began when Andrew was in town for a day with his dad (who I hadn't seen for a good number of years) and his nephew (who I had not seen for very many years) on their way back west from a sailing trip. We had lunch at the Momofuku Noodle Bar. 

Our New York Noodle Bar has added an Extremely Spicy Noodle to their menu. They had an Extremely Spicy Noodle at the Toronto Noodle Bar when I went. I found both to be, yes, spicy, but not murder spicy. The East Village one is topped with cheese and comes with a chocolate milk, in Toronto it was just soy milk. Again: Spicy, but not murder.

The next day Lucas was in town and we finally went down to Hank's Juicy Beef so he could try it out and so that we could take a TOPS reunion photo with Henry.

And if you're into what's going on in the world, you have probably heard that our friend Carol is engaged. She and her fiancee and his children were in New York that week, they had a nice picnic Friday night for lots of friends to come meet Geoff and the kids, but then on Saturday Carol and I lunched at Olmsted and really talked turkey.

The next day, a Sunday, I went to Claire and Evan's roof to participate in a Cookbook Club dinner. I didn't take any pictures that weren't of the sunset of clouds. But we've got a really good dinner coming up soon that I definitely should try to remember to take photos at.

Then a day or two later Lucas (still in town) and I went to the Nintendo Store so that he could decide he wasn't in the mood to buy a Switch yet.

At the end of that week I headed out to Corona, Queens...

And met up with Jeff at Torterillia Nixtamal, providers of tortillas to countless Mexican restaurants in the city and providers of tacos to people that stop by in Queens

And from there we talked over to Cienega las Tlayudas to meet up with Tara and her mom (hmm, not pictured, oddly) to have us a very nice dinner of super real deal horchatas, tacos, tostadas (not pictured) and a tlayuda (very much pictured).

That Sunday a little dinner was thrown to honor our outgoing Sunday School committee. No pictures of the dinner or the committee or anyone but just LOOK at these decorations (and they're not even all the decorations)

In the middle of the next week Mallory was in town so I had her meet up Jeff and Michael and Tessa and Kristin and me at the Hank's Juicy Beef 2nd Anniversary Celebration (July was a big month for going to Hank's, too)

Now here's a little detour...I got invited out the Hamptons (my first time in my 15 years as a New Yorker!) for Becky's birthday. A house with a pool had been rented and we all just chilled out around the house or the pool. I somehow did not pack my swimsuit so I got to go on the Target run Saturday morning. I also wore this cat shirt I got from Grandma's house last year. It was just going to be my pajama t-shirt but it was such a hit at breakfast I just kept it on all day. Anyway. Here's some pictures from the weekend, I didn't take a ton. Whatever you do, don't miss the birthday cake Heather made.

And then, if you can believe it, Carol was in town again. We went to Frenchette, a buzzy new bistro everyone's talking about. But what they're not talking about is how small the tables are. Sheesh! Also of note: the perfect saltiness of the butter, the sauce that came with the blowfish tales, the exceptional merguez sausage, and the fries with the duck frites, and the colors of the roasted carrots.

One rainy Wednesday I got lunch at Ma La Project with Victoria. I ordered my beef dry hot pot "super spicy" and you know what? It was spicy. At last. 

Then this Saturday morning I went and saw the new Mission Impossible with a bunch of amigos at the Dolby Cinema at the Magic Johnson and, listen, this is how I want to see all my action movies: Dolby Cinema style. Such good pictures, such rumbly, super loud sound. AND Jamar was in town, that's what I was keeping secret until now, and a nice little handful of us went and had lunch at Go Go Curry. And now, finally, I'd say I've shown you every friend that was around from early July to early August.