Urban Booty at NYC Flea

On my final Saturday morning in New York City I was ready to go on one more exhilarating adventure, so I rented a bicycle. In a bird's eye view we must look like small two-wheeled ants hustling through cracks of a constantly moving yellow brick road.


It only took a few blocks of dodging the ubiquitous yellow cab flying down Eighth Street, nearly moving into Madison Square Garden, before I ditched down 39th. Preparing for my next move I could see that 39th ended with what looked like stalls and a flea market. Score! Turns out I stumbled my way into Hell's Kitchen Flea Market, aka. HKFM.


Located in the Chelsea neighborhood of west Manhattan, the flea market is a nice walk through the High Line from the south side of the island, and even has a shuttle that runs to a sister trove on 25th. The High Line is a gorgeous upcycled elevated rail line, boasting gardens, unique views, pop-up bars and food trucks hidden amongst the concrete jungle.





HKFM fills Thirty-Ninth with both spruced up and still dilapidated treasures of all sorts, 'urban booty', a trove that seems long as the river Nile floating you by bits and pieces of world history.


In 2007 HKFM was listed as one of the Top Ten Shopping Streets in the World by National Geographic. Other markets I've been to that are included in the list are:

Plaza Dorrego, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Portobello Road, London, England
Temple Street Night Market, Hong Kong, China

If you get to the Plaza in Buenos Aires, walk around the corner to the San Telmo market. Stop at the always packed grill stand just outside for a Choripán.









The market's blog Fleaspeech includes announcements, new vendor introductions, latest finds and news. Follow HKFM on Pinterest where organizers frequently post photos of inspiring fashion - celebrities, designers, models, artists, singers, dancers - and interior decor. The Hell's Kitchen Flea Market pinterest board is appropriately called Market Muse.


After meandering through the stalls (one kind keeper watched my bike while I browsed his vintage clothing, pin, jewelry and purse collection), my pedals and slender seat carried me into Central Park...



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Milwaukee connection to Buenos Aires & a very special place

Buenos Aires boasts a cousin bridge to Milwaukee's Art Museum and bridge designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava. The bridge, known as the ' Puente de la Mujer' or Point of a Woman, is in the Puerto Madero district.






















Milwaukee's Calatrava





This up and coming urban area is lined with factory buildings-turned-fancy flats, some fantastic restaurants like Cabaña Las Lilas owned by my favorite Sao Paulo-based restaurant group Rubaiyat (and chains like Hooters and TGIFridays which spoil it's potential some), and fantastic modern business buildings and high-end hotels. The area's much like Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward.



Anyone who enjoys getting lost in a book store must make the time to see El Ateneo in this European-like, Latin-hip city. This is positively the most beautiful bookstore that I have ever seen.



Housed within an early 20th century theatre, the balconies are lined with best sellers, children's books, Argentine thrillers and private nooks to dig into a few of them. I picked up a copy of 'Asi Cocinan los Argentinos' or How Argentina Cooks which offers detail in both Spanish and English. This will help me bring the dazzling flavors of Argentine cuisine home to Wisconsin.






It's been listed as one of the world's best bookstores, but it is not number one. Looks like a visit to this Dutch book shop housed in an 800 year old church is one to add to the bucket list. Incredible transformations!

Buenos Aires streetshot

In Porteño land...



Upon stepping into the Buenos Aires night for the first time I near instantly felt I liked the place. The drive from the airport to Palermo passed many street vendors grilling Argentine meats, the smokey scent lingering through my nostrils, driving my taste buds to dance. A couple of dogs stood in the line of the fragrance; you could almost see the pooches dancing tango as the scent boomed its rapid beat in their tastebuds. It's a dog-friendly city I soon found out.






Cafe Tortoni is the country's oldest cafe and can be found on the main drag of Avenida de Mayo. It's rich in history, proven by its well-preserved wooden beams, stained glass ceiling and photographs of the country's famous authors and intellectuals. It's a bit touristy but the step back in time is worth it.








This main street, and the city as a whole really, is an architectural dream lined with fantastic structures mimicking Paris in a clear way.









Street Art has its own place in Buenos Aires. Colorful, artistic murals depicting a variety of scenes are throughout the city. Stenciled political slogans and other messages are found on sides of buildings, national landmarks, the street. This rainbow clearly links the city and its people together in a extraño way. On our Saturday, a large group of people were working together to repaint murals on one of the main street walls that draws the line between Palermo & Palermo Soho - the boho chic area of the city.













Still, while many are quite beautiful, the consistent splattering throughout the city can often appear more chaotic than poetic.