Watercolors

I started watercoloring! I picked up the Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolor set. They’re so beautiful, I spent yesterday painting and watching watercolor videos. I feel inspired and excited to experiment with these.

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I watched some video tutorials, these are the results. Going to try more techniques and styles.

I can’t wait to boulder again once shelter-in-place is over. It’ll be fun to start from the basics again. I miss it so much!

 

East Coast + Food

I went to the east coast back in March for 2 weeks. I hit up New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, and Virginia.

NEW YORK

I landed in JFK airport in NYC found this cosy donut shop near the subaway exit:

 

I haven’t been to New York for 7 years and have been dreaming about Levain’s cookies ever since. I’m happy to report that they are just as good as they were all those years ago! My favorite is the Chocolate Chip Walnut cookie that is crispy on the outside and warm and ooey gooey in the inside. My second favorite was the cookie shot from Dominique Ansel Bakery. I was surprised how soft the cookie was (like it was right out of the oven as its in a warmer before it’s served. I had my cookie with almond milk because I discovered was a lactose intolerant on this trip.

 

Levain
Dominique Ansel
Fat Cat Kitchen

Being a huge matcha fan, I appreciated how many matcha options there were in NYC.

 

I spent most of my day eating in NYC because there were so many options and I wanted to try everything! These are just a few of the foods I tried.

 

Another place I wanted to visit was the Package Free shop in Brooklyn. A few years ago I listened to a Ted talk by Lauren Singer about how she could fit 3 years of trash into to a mason jar. I learned about zero waste and even make my own toothpaste and deodorant to this day. She opened Package Free shop to make zero waste goods available to others. Although the items there were quite pricey it was interesting to see all the options available. I did buy the deodorant by Meow Meow Tweet in Grapefruit. It works surprisingly well and doesn’t irritate your skin because it’s baking soda free.

 

I stayed at a Workaway in New Jersery City and took the Path train to NYC. It was a laid back Workaway Airbnb and the hosts were so kind. I’m glad I got to do another Workaway again after 2 years! I met two volunteers there–one from Chicago and another from Japan.

After NYC I headed to Washington DC and stayed my last 2 nights in Alexandria, Virginia where it was surprisingly hot and humid. A big contrast in weather because NY was rainy and cold when I arrived. Overall it was such a fun trip and I missed traveling so I was glad I had the opportunity to go.