Poshdeluxe

amber and i danced to this song constantly during our freshman year

gah, even *i* can’t believe that i’ve still got more to write about… amber and i really did it up to the max, yeah? i guess that’s just how we roll, yo.

SATURDAY

after lots of fancy fountains and gorgeous gardens, we decided to indulge in our own, more modern form of materialism, shopping. but later in the day, we visited my favorite art spot in paris, the palais de tokyo. you may remember this place from my last trip, when amber and i played in the playground bar maze. i like it cos it’s super cool but quiet (v. few tourists) and you usually get to interact with the art, which is my fave.

this place is so hip,� i expected to run into the lead singer from canseir de ser sexy or something.

so, apparently, the current show involved some sort of jungle/vegetation theme. all i know is, THEY HAD LILY PAD PILLOWS!!!!!

i would like my living room to look like that, please. and i mean business.

that is my businesswoman pose, which takes a lot of effort. that’s why i’m in grad school.

another part of the show involved a recreation of the topography of a US bombing range in puerto rico. i know the artists were trying to make a political statement, but my main reaction was: THIS FLOOR IS SO COOL.

ok, so from far away, it looks blah, right?

BUT LOOK!!!!!!

it looks like the floor is going cray cray, even though it’s flat. also i like the fact that my finger appears to be pulling up the floor. if only i could alter the property of matter in real life… my first priority would be to remove calories from cookies, and then possibly turn water into wine. oh and help people.

in another part of the museum, there was a horizontal forest. whoah.

i have to say, this is a fantastic idea. and since the trees are sideways, you can easily play in the leaves like you’re a little wood nymph!

or A SCARY MONSTER!!!!! RAAAAR!!!!

seriously, i don’t think any of the hipsters at the palais had as much fun as we did, and that’s cos we know how to appreciate art by playing in it and making ridiculous faces. what else are you supposed to do?

in the evening, amber presented me with a (belated) birthday surprise– tickets to the alvin ailey american dance theater show!!!! holy crap!! so we met up with jenna at the national archives and sat in this outdoor theater with a tent roof and hedges for walls (v. v. cool). the dance show was phenomenal, and i especially enjoyed the fact that this group combines all sorts of styles– ballet, jazz and HELLO DISCO. one of the pieces was set to music from earth, wind & fire. i mean, THAT IS AWESOME.

but there was still another surpise coming… after the show, amber took me to the ritz (!!!!) for a drink at the hemingway bar (!!!!!!!) which was the most POSH THING I HAVE EVER DONE. i mean, it put the posh in poshdeluxe, for sure.

first, we had to walk down this hallway of luxury goods, which i admit was kind weird and sort of sci-fi-feeling.

on the door of the bar, there’s a sign that informs you of the dress code and instructs you to turn off all cell phones (and put away yr cameras… hemeh). the bar itself is really only two small rooms with about 15 tables; the polished wooden paneled walls boast pictures of hemingway (he used to hang out here a lot, and i can see why), and the bar is filled with business conversation, cigar smoke and the tinkling of glasses. guys, i have NEVER BEEN AROUND SO MANY RICH PEOPLE IN MY LIFE. it was sooo surreal; i felt like any minute, amber and i would get kicked out of the bar for being too poor.

i ordered a mint julep, and it cost 24 euros.

seriously. sweet fancy moses on buttered toast!!!!

and it was THE BEST FREAKING DRINK I HAVE EVER HAD.

i wish i knew what kind of whiskey they used, cos it made me feel all warm and happy and v. v. wealthy inside.

amber and i sipped our drinks and attempted to surpress our giggles over, say, the couple across from us that ordered a 300 euro bottle of champers.

i know i’m a silly girl, but, you guys, it was one of the coolest things i’ve ever done.

afterwards we went downstairs and used the bathroom, cos we knew it’d be P to the OSH.

oh, i love us.

SUNDAY

on sunday we took to train to LONDON! and the first thing we did:

eat at wagamama.

wagamama is a tasty tasty chain of noodlehouses that apparently have something against the united states cos they won’t open a frickin’ restaurant over here! even though i have sent multiple emails to their website. hmph.

we ordered the chocolate cake with wasabi sauce. because we had to.

afterwards, we checked into our super sweet hotel, myhotel chelsea. this place is so awesome and a little ridiculous– exhibit A: the big pink power crystal in the lobby (really). they’re all into well-being and feng shui and aromatherapy (the hotel smells reeeeeally good). they are also into ultra comfy beds:

later, we met up with amber’s friend becky, who is a british journalist in south africa. based on that sentence alone, you know that becky is a total badass. plus she’s v. colorful, which i think is important.

we drank coffee, wandered around, then drank a pimm’s at a nearby pub. have you guys heard of pimm’s? it’s this british alcohol that is all spicy and citrus-y (and also gin-based, according to wikipedia). i like pimm’s, cos it tastes like you’re drinking a regular soda (which could definitely get me into lots of trouble, so it’s a good thing we don’t have it here in the states).

i think the main reason i like pimm’s is cos the name is fun to say. and v. british-sounding. pimm’s pimm’s pimm’s!!! try it.

by this time i was staaaaaaarving, so we stopped at sushi place where it’s “all you can eat” for two hours. HOLY HELL. two hours?!! of non-stop sushi?!!!!! i felt my american values of consumption rejoicing. plus, you get to sit on the ground when you eat.

look how fast amber grabs her sushi. that’s incredible.

i really love london at night– its heart beats with the bustling of people and lights and sounds. and also, totally marvy pink feather umbrellas:

if i ever have a place with a patio, i am getting one of those. don’t let me forget.

london, i’ve missed you!

when we got back to our room, they had turned down our beds and left us two little yummy muffins!!!!!!!!!!

how can i get my apartment to work like this?

we decided to have a little girlie slumber party and watch “emma” on our sweet room television. amber was armed and ready:

as our voices faded into slumber, i looked over at amber in her bed and thought about our bunked beds in the powersuite… all of the nights when we slept with our heads a mere two feet apart. i marvel at how our lives have changed– how did we get here? all i know is, i’m so glad we arrived at this moment together.

[one more post and then it's done]