The Accidental 15-Mile Walk

Today I went for what I thought was going to be a quick little walk along the Schuykill. I went armed with my camera and less-than-great walking shoes. Big mistake. I was moseying along the river trail, convinced the bridge was nearby that I needed to cross. Fail. I walked, and walked, and walked. I keyed in my location in my iPhone and it said it was 7.2 miles from home. Then I had to continue a bit further, cross the river, then walk back. My legs and hips and shoulders were all in pain.
But I did take some great pictures along the way, in fact I took over 125 of them!

I did find this fabulous Saab 900 Turbo in town that I desperately want. Oh, so pretty.

Before and After

I went to my favorite thrift store to look for a lamp to clean up, or repaint. But instead I came across this great little mirror with two sconces attached. I already had the green paint (Behr Limeade S-G-420) from my chair project, and since they are in the same room, I thought they would look great together.
I added some glitz and glam utilizing old chandelier crystals that I got from my parents' old chandelier that made its way to the trash. I've had the glass sitting in a box for about a year, waiting for a project that would show them off.

Not too shabby for $15 bucks.

Happy Veteran's Day

Photo 1: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Philadelphia, PA

Photo 2: WWII Memorial, Washington, DC

Photo 3: WWII Memorial, Washington, DC

Empire Gold: New York Introduces New License Plate... And It's Retro

It looks like my home-state of New York is finally ditching the horribly boring white license plates that were rolled out about 10 years ago. The retro blue and yellow remind me of the old plates from when I was a kid, that went out in 1986. As always, there are going to be plenty of people who will protest the change (and the costs that go along with it). But I am a fan.

The current plate replaced the Lady Liberty plate, which was introduced in 1986 - the 100th Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.

Before and After - Living Room

A little fresh paint goes a long way. Orange is my favorite color, but I came to the realization that it's a tiring color to live with. When I moved into this apartment, the walls were all builder-grade off white. And they still are, but now with a funky twist. I used a photo I took in Italy as my inspiration (Perfectly Parked Vintage Mini Cooper in Lucca, Italy). I pulled two shades of green from the picture and created a great stripe that runs the perimeter of the room. The top stripe is about 28 inches, the lower is 10 inches. 

On the two walls that jut out from the rest of the room, that hide the tiny kitchen, are painted floor to ceiling with an incredible turquoise that compliment the greens, and the dark hardwood floors.


The only remaining things to do now are to find some new throw pillows for the sofa, new bright curtains, and create some sort of chandelier for over the dining table. There is no electrical socket and I really don't want to deal with those pesky Ikea-like lights that plug into a regular outlet. 
I am thinking of getting these from cb2.  I think five or six hung randomly over the table by fishing line would make a great cost-effective solution to fill the empty space.

Walking Tour of Saratoga Springs, NY

Saratoga Springs is a great little city, home to Saratoga Race Course and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. The Saratoga State Park is home to the Saratoga Automobile Museum, the Hall of Springs, and the Gideon Putnam hotel. It's a great park with tennis, golf, trails, pools, and natural beauty, including the Avenue of the Pines.

Walking on North Broadway exposes you to some of the grandest homes in all of Saratoga. North Broadway not only provides a showcase of some of the most significant residential architecture in Saratoga Springs, but also provides a retrospective on the life and times of the city during the late 19th century.

Accredited to Gideon Putnam, all of Broadway was laid out 120 ft wide, tree lined, and North to South.

Since the birth of the cities most popular street, North Broadway has been restored and still eminates Victorian styled-beauty.

A walk this afternoon through Old City had me snapping shots of some of the sad, neglected buildings that are in so many neighborhoods. Some of these amazing buildings are just a block or two from Constitution Hall. Sadly these former beauties show no signs of rejuvenation.

I walked back to my neighborhood where there is constant progress and gentrification (sometimes to buildings and houses that look next to perfect before the work begins). It makes me sad to see some blocks fade as others thrive.