a n h - m i n h . c o m

A while back, Meg put out a call for some helping hands for her fabulous Modern Economy sales. I couldn't make it to the SF event in April, but signed up for the Portland sale. It went down this weekend, which also marked my birthday. Initially, I was going to travel solo ... But then my sister wanted to join me, since her best friend lives up there. And then Jon decided to tag along as well.

So, in the end, I got to spend my birthday weekend with all sorts of great people. Which, of course, makes me one lucky lady. But on top of the awesome company I kept? I picked up some fantastic stuff at the sale. AND I enjoyed meals at Clyde Common and Saucebox. AND I met Lise (from Apartment Therapy) and Sally in person! AND I just had to squeeze in multiple trips to Stumptown Coffee.

Not only was the Stumptown coffee excellent, but they had these beautiful glass light fixtures. Pretty, pretty.

Posted at 08:07 AM | Link

Yikes. It's been about two months and I have yet to upload my photos from our trip to London and Paris. Terrible! But here are a few shots from one of my favorite shops, Liberty:

Posted at 02:36 PM | Link

A Cup of Jo linked earlier this week to Abbey's "staycation" post, and it got me thinking about taking a quick local retreat. Cavallo Point, which opens its doors next week, is definitely on my list of places to check out soon.

The property is situated in Fort Baker (Marin Headlands) and offers amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Of the two types of accomodations available — historic (top photo) or contemporary (bottom photo) — I would go with the former. The historic rooms are located in turn-of-the-century Colonial Revival buildings that were originally the Fort Baker Officers Residences.

I love that they're going to offer creative arts and culinary arts programs. Oh, and there's a spa for Jon as well.

Posted at 09:37 AM | Link

• The salted caramel hot chocolate at Amai — which absolutely hit the spot on a rainy Friday afternoon.
• Meeting some of my favorite bloggers in person.
• Pretty Mayle dresses that will be perfect for those days I have to wear grown-up clothes to work.
• The dessert sampler at Mercer Kitchen. Everything on the platter was seriously delicious.
• Celebrating Joy's birthday.
• Walking around Javits for NSS and ICFF with Jill.
• Finding out over breakfast at Norma's that a friend is 13 weeks pregnant.
• Drinks at the King Cole Bar in the St. Regis — just a few hours after watching that scene in "The Devil Wears Prada" where Andy gets the Harry Potter manuscript from Simon at that very bar.
• Dinner at Yakitori Totto, which is always good.

The biggest highlight of the trip was simply spending time with my sister/BFF. And, since Jon wasn't there, I had to pick up a few souvenirs for him:

The bicycle seat shower cap was a designboom Mart purchase that I couldn't resist — even though Jon doesn't really ride his bike in the rain. And the candy bars are from the Chocolate Bar. (The bottom one is illustrated by David Horvath of Ugly Dolls fame.)

Posted at 10:20 AM | Link

I just got back from four days in NYC filled with lots of yummy meals, meet-ups with good friends, some excellent shopping, and productive visits to the NSS and ICFF shows. More on the trip later ... Right now, I'm going to get outside and enjoy the sunshine!

Posted at 02:04 PM | Link

Over at decor8, I've written a post highlighting some of the houseware stores I visited in London. Below is the Barcelona chaise given the Tricia Guild treatment (with her fantastic textiles).

Posted at 07:04 AM | Link

Contrary to what its name implies, Leeds Castle is actually not in the city of Leeds in northern England.* Rather, it is in Kent — near a tiny village called Leeds — and it is an easy drive from London. Since my nephews, ages 5 and 6, really really really wanted to see a castle during our European vacation, we took a day-trip there.

When we arrived in Kent, there wasn't much snow to be seen. But just around lunchtime, it really started coming down. Of course, we had to take photos since we didn't think anyone would take our word for it that it was snowing:

Inside the castle — where it was nice and warm — I totally loved this bedroom:

There's so much color, texture and pattern in this room, yet it all works somehow.

* Thanks, Ian, for the clarification!

Posted at 11:29 AM | Link

This blog has been a bit dormant lately because we just got back from ten days in London and Paris! What a difference a few days and a few hundred kilometers made:

Snow day: London's Hyde Park on Sunday, April 6

Poppies in bloom: Paris' Jardin des Plantes on Thursday, April 10

More on the trip later ...

Posted at 08:31 AM | Link

Relaxing by the pool in Hawaii for hours and hours is nice and all. But maybe not the best idea when you have a schmancy event to attend a week later. And you now have tan lines that will look ridiculous with the spaghetti-strapped dress you were planning to wear.

(Why didn't I choose a shady spot under an umbrella!?! At least for half of the time.)

So, Internet, I am now racking my brain trying to think of a different dress to wear to this function ... which is in three days.

Posted at 12:01 PM | Link

I hear the weather was lovely here this weekend in the Bay Area. But you know where it was even sunnier and warmer? Maui. Which is where Jon and I spent the past few days. All of that lying out by the pool can be tiring, I tell you! Or maybe it's the wailing babies and shaking rattles on the five-hour plane ride home last night that have got me feeling fatigued?

I need a nap to recover from our rather quick trip. Unfortunately, I think our company handbook explicitly prohibits sleeping at your desk.

Posted at 08:27 AM | Link

Yessss! Lara solicited reader suggestions for must-visit places in London, and the list is quite good. I am totally going to print it out and use this for my own trip later this year.

And this just in! IDEO has released travel books! Including one on London. Must get.

Posted at 08:36 AM | Link

We spent the weekend in Carmel, celebrating Jon's birthday. There were gifts (though sadly his big present requires a six-month wait). There was cake (tiramisu). There was a much-needed visit to the spa (him, not me). And, of course, a trip to the Big Sur Bakery (one of my favorite spots).

Posted at 10:18 AM | Link

I am insanely envious of people who can take great photos. Right now, I am really enjoying Alex's pictures from her (ongoing) trip to Europe. You can check them out in her Flickr photostream and follow along on her blog.

Oh, and I didn't realize this until recently, but she also has a site —"How She Sees the World" — that documents her travels in photographs.

Posted at 02:59 PM | Link

Although I don't think I want my own bedroom to be bright and bold, I can appreciate well-designed rooms that are. For just a couple of nights, it would be fun to stay in a room that looks like this:

Or this:

Photos from the Maison 140 Beverly Hills.

Posted at 01:03 PM | Link

While we were in Hayes Valley this weekend, we popped into Flight 001 (a store I love) and loaded up on Streetwise maps. These are my absolutely favorite. I also like the Moleskine City notebooks, which I carried with me in Prague and London last summer because they were small enough to fit into my pockets.

I'm excited about going to London again this year, but not excited about paying 30 USD for fish'n'chips. Stupid exchange rate.

Posted at 09:41 AM | Link

Although Jon and I were in Portland for less than 48 hours, we managed to cram in lots of food-related things, of course. Including: Clyde Common, Voodoo Doughnut, Pearl Bakery, Cava, Daily Cafe and Saint Cupcake. And we stayed at the Ace Hotel, which we loved — despite how noisy it was. (I guess that's the trade-off for staying in such a bustling part of town!) And we drank waaay too much Stumptown coffee this weekend.

I also enjoyed an outing with some very talented and design-savvy ladies from the Bay Area, Portland and Philly. Only this group would veto entering a shop because the company logo is so unsightly!

Posted at 12:41 PM | Link

Okay, I like the show, but I swear I'm not obsessed with it. (At least I don't think I am?) But in case there are other GG fans reading this site, I thought I'd share Gridskipper's GG Guide — detailing the real-life NYC settings for various scenes.

Posted at 09:36 AM | Link

Trying to make this a tradition now ... Same rule as last year: One or more nights must be spent in each city.

• Hilton Head Island, SC
• Providenciales, Turks & Caicos
• Carmel Valley, CA
• The Sea Ranch, CA
• New York, NY
• Berkeley, CA
• Moscow, Russia
• Prague, Czech Republic
• Bucharest, Romania
• London, England
• St. Andrew's, Scotland
• Inverness, Scotland
• Edinburgh, Scotland
• Napa, CA
• Los Cabos, Mexico
• Saratoga, CA
• San Francisco, CA

BTW, I know some folks include their own hometown in their list, but my friend Nick and I agreed not to. In fact, our tally system calls for excluding any cities within your home county. (Which I guess doesn't really matter for him since San Francisco is a county of one city.)

Posted at 10:12 AM | Link

So how did we end up spending Thanksgiving in Mexico?

Earlier this year, my dad put in a request for a family vacation to Los Cabos. Now, this is a man who doesn't ask for much. Which means that when he does ask for something, everyone pays attention. But with the kids' school schedules and other vacation plans already on the calendar, the only time we could all travel together was Thanksgiving week. So off we went — 12 of us — down to Mexico last Tuesday.

While we still managed to have turkey for Thanksgiving dinner (well, everyone except my brother, who opted for a grouper entree), it was the empanadas, the churros, the hot chocolate (good in the evenings), the fish tacos, the chile rellenos, the mango smoothies and the buñuelos that I have the fondest memories of. Food-wise, that is.

In terms of quality family-time, there was plenty of that as well. In addition to days (and I do mean entire days) spent at the beach or pool, there was a dolphin outing and a fishing excursion (we've got the mahi mahi sitting in our freezer as a souvenir). My brother's family took the bulk of the photos, but here are a few from my camera:

The view from our beachfront balcony.

Continue reading "Thanksgiving Travels" »

Posted at 08:17 PM | Link

Good times. Jon and I spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Mexico with my side of the family. We've been back in California for less than five hours and I'm already going through churro and chile relleno withdrawal.

Photos and more travel notes to come.

Posted at 07:53 PM | Link

Spotted in the Co-Op at Barneys on Madison this weekend: A dresser that was made over with a funky paint job. Seems like an easy pattern to freehand.

At the Anthropologie in Soho, I loved these gallon jugs that were transformed into pendant lamps. A great, affordable DIY project perhaps?

I liked the way this scarf was displayed at the Hermès store. Apologies for the poor photo quality. It's the best I could do before one of the sales associates sicced the security guard on me. (The things I do to have something to blog about!)

Posted at 03:02 PM | Link

I spent the weekend in NYC and although I was not running the marathon, I am still tired. Very tired. I don't tend to take many photos when I travel there — perhaps in part because lots of stores reprimand you for snapping pictures (even without a flash). But I did manage to get this photo of the sixth floor (the Children's Department) at Takashimaya. I love the tree-roots effect, especially the shadows on the ceiling:

By the way, if you're making a trip to the store, be sure to hit the lowest level — home to the Tea Box Café. It's such a nice respite from the bustle of the city, especially on a chilly fall day. I am a big fan of the East-West Afternoon Tea, as well as the Japanese snacks available in the adjacent shop area.

Posted at 10:50 AM | Link

Over at AT:SF, I wrote a post today about the Covent Garden Hotel, which is one of my favorite hotels. Aside from a great location and superb service, I'm crazy about the use of color and pattern in the place. Firmdale — the company behind the Covent Garden Hotel — is responsible for several other London hotels that also feature lovely decor:

Haymarket Hotel

Soho Hotel

Drawing Room at Number Sixteen

Posted at 10:11 AM | Link

Since our anniversary fell on a Tuesday this year, we put off our anniverary trip a few days and headed up to Napa on Friday afternoon. Every year, around our anniversary, we take a trip somewhere. Somewhere close, somewhere far — doesn't matter. The only rule is that it can't be a destination where we've already stayed overnight together. We're supposed to alternate planning the trip, so it's a surprise to the other person. But I blew it this year so Jon knew in advance that we were heading to the Wine Country.

We stayed at the fantastic Carneros Inn, which I *loved*. I've been wanting to check out this place for years, and it did not disappoint. At all. Food highlights included dinner at FARM, lunch at Bistro Jeanty (the tomato soup in puff pastry is excellent), and dinner at Ad Hoc. Of course, we enjoyed a few tastings (Joseph Phelps, Twomey and Silver Oak). Here are some photos from the weekend — taken despite the fact that I dropped/broke our camera:*

Among the grapes at Clos Pegase, which features architecture by Michael Graves.

Eh. We weren't that impressed really.

Our cottage at the Carneros Inn.

Mmmm ... Yummy wood fence post.

* Jon is always harassing me about using the wrist-strap when I'm taking pictures. This just further proves that I really should listen to him more often.

Posted at 06:04 PM | Link

Until three years ago, I lived a passport-free existence. I was finally prompted to apply for a passport when Jon and I planned our honeymoon to Europe. Since then, I've been fortunate enough to go on some truly fantastic trips. I'm taking a lot of photos around the house these days, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite travel keepsakes:

Coincidentally, today's "Room to Improve" column in the NY Times asks: How can I display travel souvenirs without making my house look too messy?

* Prague is known for its beautiful glass and porcelain products. But you know what else you can find EVERYWHERE in Prague? Puppets! So one of our souvenirs from Prague is a Harry Potter puppet. Yeah, that's right.

Posted at 07:59 AM | Link

Any guesses as to which hip dining establishment is shown below?

This is the McDonald's just off Pushkin Square in Moscow. I'm slightly embarassed to admit that our first meal in Russia was here. But isn't it THE nicest McDonald's you've ever laid eyes on?

Let me back up a bit and explain: Our flight landed in Moscow at 6pm and we had 8:30 reservations that evening at a perfectly good restaurant (Turandot). We took our position in one of the half dozen or so passport lines and were fairly confident we'd be able to get out of the airport, check into our hotel, change our attire, and walk from the hotel to the restaurant in 2.5 hours.

We were wrong. The passport control area became insanely busy as more flights arrived. And what did the powers that be decide to do? SHUT DOWN two lines. Seriously. "Welcome to Russia!" people joked. But no one was laughing. Especially those poor people who were in the two lines that were suddenly closed. And yes, two of those poor people were named Jon and Anh-Minh.

Two hours into the experience, we finally got to The Booth. The lady in The Booth seemed to have a problem with my passport, as she motioned for me to step back and wait. And that was all the information I was given for the next 20 minutes. (At least Jon got through without incident and was able to secure our luggage.) My mystery situation was eventually resolved, so we went off to meet our car service. Which was no where to be found. One story was that the driver went to the car to get something and would be back soon. Another story was that he gave up on us and left and was stuck in traffic and wasn't sure how long it would take for him to return. We finally connected with him (after $40 worth of cell phone calls!) around 9pm.

Which meant that 8:30 dinner wasn't happening.

By the time we checked in and the hotel did whatever 30-minute thing they needed to do with our passports, we were starving. In the car ride between the airport and hotel, we had spotted a McDonald's. And we knew for sure that, no matter what language the person behind the counter spoke, s/he would understand a few magical words: Happy Meal. Big Mac.

So at 11pm, we walked into the very crowded McDonald's and had ourselves a good ol' American fast food meal.

Welcome to Russia!

P.S. In the photo above, there are no lines at the registers because this is one of two register areas in this McDonald's. The other set of registers was packed, even though the restaurant was closing at 11:30pm.

Posted at 09:03 PM | Link

Then you may want to check out the Kiosk Book on Germany. The folks at Kiosk — which is a site/shop that I love — have put together 120 pages of resources for fellow travelers.

In case you're not familiar with Kiosk: Every few months, they launch a new collection that is based on their finds in a specific country. First there was Japan, then Sweden, then Mexico, and now Germany. (I think Finland is next!) More books will follow, which is great because I'm always struggling to find a good, comprehensive guide to the cities that I visit. I usually end up putting together info that I gather from magazines, guidebooks, the Internet, friends, etc.

If I ever open up a boutique, I may have to borrow from Kiosk's model. What an awesome excuse to travel AND shop! Oh, and then write a little book, too? Those are almost all of my favorite hobbies combined!

Posted at 08:31 AM | Link

So here's the deal: Jon's grad school program ended with a big International Study Trip. This year, it was decided that the itinerary would include Moscow, Prague, Bucharest and London. (We added a few days in Scotland on our own — so Jon could practice his left-side-of-the-road driving in a zillion crazy traffic circles.) Of the four cities, there are two I probably would never have thought to visit on my own. Just guess which ones.

A few things I remember about the trip:

* In case you're wondering what a $25 glass of mango juice looks like, here you go:

Posted at 06:35 PM | Link

So last month, when I mentioned that Jon and I would be taking some time off to hang out, I left out one detail: The hanging out would be done in Europe.

EUROPE!

St. Basil's Cathedral, which is right along the Red Square in Moscow.

Frank Gehry's "Fred and Ginger" building in Prague.

A covered alley in Bucharest's old town.

That behind us? Centre Court at the All England Club! (We endured several Wimbledon rain delays to watch Henin and Serena Williams win their matches.)

The birthplace of golf: St. Andrew's (specifically, the Old Course's Swilcan Bridge).

The crazy thing is: We were in Europe for 2.5 weeks and NEVER had any Euros in our wallets. None of the countries we visited use Euros as their main currency.

We had a fantastic time, but it sure feels good to be back home. More on the trip later ...

Posted at 06:17 AM | Link

Phew! Where to begin?! The trip to NYC (with my sister) was a whirlwind. I took so few pictures because we were just so crazed, running around all over the place from early in the morning until late in the evening. Some of the highlights:

• Lunch at The Modern
• Shopping, of course
• Crossing paths with Rod Stewart in our hotel lobby
• Dinner at Yakitori Totto
• Center-orchestra seats at Wicked
• Brunch at Pastis
• More shopping
• Cupcakes from Magnolia (they actually aren't my favorite, but my sister had never had them)
• Discovering designer Cindy Lee
• Dinner at Per Se
• ICFF + NSS in one morning = sore. feet.
• Cooper-Hewitt (including lunch in the lovely garden there)
• Finally! I visited ABC Carpet & Home
• And other shops
• Shake Shack
• Leftover truffles and macarons from Per Se
• Dinner at Nobu 57

As you can see, there was a lot of good eating. Make that: GREAT eating. My stomach is happy. My wallet? Not so much.

Posted at 11:28 PM | Link

In the handbag department, a conversation between sales associates:
Girl #1: He looks like a bald eagle!
Girl #2: Well, he's only nine months old.

In the children's department (where, by the way, I picked up an adorable red jacket), several sales associates were discussing how hot J.Crew's clothing collection is these days. One of them remarks: "Yeah, I always tell people, 'Have you heard of this new designer, jah-cru?'" (It's going to be the new tar-zhay!)

Posted at 03:18 PM | Link

I just got back from NYC ... More on that later — when I'm a bit more rested ... While I was gone, the SF Chronicle ran a story I wrote about renters who spend their own time and money fixing up their places.

(I must say: One of the downsides of being a freelancer is not knowing when an article is scheduled to run!)

Posted at 08:21 PM | Link

So I completely forgot to take any pictures last Saturday — even though I was all psyched to participate in "24 Hours of Flickr." At least Evo had her camera by her side ...

Look at all the pretty colors!

Notice how ridiculously large that chocolate cake is. We managed to drive that beast from SF all the way to The Sea Ranch without much damage to the towering chocolate pieces. What can I say? My husband knows how to work those windy roads when there's a two-foot cake in a cooler in the way back of the car. (Apparently, all of that extra-careful driving made him really hungry.)

My feet are the ones that look like they belong to a seven-year-old. (I wear a size 2 in children's shoes.)

I like this picture because I look really tall. Thank goodness for big rocks to stand on.

One last look:

Posted at 03:26 PM | Link

We spent the weekend down at Sea Ranch, where the coastal breezes were quite welcome. We grilled lots of yummy meats, walked down to the beach, caught up on magazine reading, relaxed on the deck, stayed up way past our usual bedtime, and barely made a dent in a chocolate cake the size of my torso (we were there celebrating Phill's birthday).

Now we're back at home — where it's 80+ degrees in the house. Yep, it's around that time of year when we start wishing we had a/c in the house.

Posted at 08:59 PM | Link

Moleskine is releasing its City Notebooks for U.S. cities this year (starting with Boston, NYC, SF and Washington, DC, next month)! Guides are already available for about a dozen European cities, and several more U.S. ones will be in stores in the fall.

From the Bluelines post about the notebooks:

There are blank pages with tabs, maps, perforated note pages, and stickers to mark galleries, markets, museums, hotels, even gestures and words. There's also tracing paper that lets you mark a path or route -- but there are absolutely no recommendations. Those are up to you, and your fellow travelers, to find.

I usually compile manila folders full of maps, restaurant print-outs, shopping notes, etc. So I love this idea. (BTW, you can easily buy the City Notebooks on Amazon.)

Posted at 12:25 PM | Link

Last week was insane. It was my first week back in the office after vacation, and it included visits from auditors and accountants (no fun!). Plus, I was working on three freelance articles that entailed lots of driving around the Peninsula.

Thank goodness for three-day weekends!

We spent ours in Carmel Valley, where I caught up on some sleep and some crafting. And, I made more progress on the writing. And we rooted for Tom Brady (local boy) and the New England Patriots. And we ate a lot of excellent food. And we celebrated my sister's birthday.

Even though I keep a separate food blog, I can't resist writing about the weekend's culinary highlights here as well — because it was so, so special. Jon and I joined my sister and her husband at the Chef's Table at Marinus. This was our first visit to the restaurant. I don't know what the dining room experience is like, but the booth in the kitchen was amazing. Pictures and descriptions of our Marinus meal — as well as our stop at one of my favorite spots, Big Sur Bakery — are here.

Posted at 09:22 PM | Link

Posting has been light lately because I was enjoying a winter vacation that didn't feel very wintery. First stop: Hilton Head Island, SC, where it was tank-top-and-shorts weather. Second stop: Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, where we spent our days at the beach, by the pool or on boats.

Sunset on Day 1 in Turks


View of the pools + beach at The Somerset


Jon sailing in Grace Bay

Posted at 09:05 PM | Link

I wish I had done this last year (as many others did), but better late than never ... Here's a list of cities visited in 2006, the only rule being: One or more nights were spent in each.

• San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico
• Carmel, CA
• Hilton Head Island, SC
• Charleston, SC
• Chicago, IL
• Pismo Beach, CA
• New York, NY
• Boston, MA
• Los Angeles, CA
• Inverness, CA

Posted at 09:11 AM | Link

So the other day, I was searching for a clutch that I purchased in Chicago back in July, but had never used. I was rummaging through all sorts of luggage (I have a small collection of carry-on bags) and came across some dirty t-shirts. Still in my bag. Left over from our trip to Boston. Which was in August. FOUR months ago. Rather than being disgusted by my total inability to unpack/clean up/launder my clothes after a vacation, I thought to myself: "Wow. It's been far too long since I've used this bag/gone on a trip!" I think Jon would like to implement some kind of rule where you can't go on a new trip until you've unpacked from the previous one. Too bad our house is a democracy and I would veto such a legislation, for sure.

Oh! And not that I need any more luggage ... But how cool is this Ro trolley? The leaf design comes in several bag styles and two colors. And AT:NY has a special 40% discount code, good for the entire Ro site.

Posted at 02:27 PM | Link

Jon is returning today from a trip to the Pacific Northwest. A trip that included a visit to the Nike headquarters, and a one-hour shopping spree at the employee store there. Jon and the rest of his classmates were even granted the usual employee discount (I think it's 40%). And what did my husband buy me?

Nothing.

In a giant shoe store. Where great deals were to be had.

Zero.

But I still love him. (Because I realize that I can be difficult to shop for.)

Posted at 09:23 AM | Link