goodbye, brooklyn.

it's a day of epic sadness for us here at *~*. after two and a half faithful years as brooklynites (and nearly one year since beginning our venture here at the blog ooo hai i heart vintage lyke wot), we will officially abandon our favorite borough. williamsburg will be one hipster short after this afternoon, though somehow it must continue to thrive. we wish it the best of luck in finding other legging wearing, bang bearing, organic food loving, teal fierceness, and music obsessing loquitas. this will not prove to be difficult. in honor of this delightfully pretentious neighboorhood, here is a random list of our fave spots:

1. dumont - cait is well up on this shit. i personally don't pay more than $7 for anything at a restaurant, but she claims the food is worth it. cards still out.
2. sunac - all time favorite grocery store. natural food and open 24 hours -- the perfect combination for a late night out.
3. atlas cafe - the staff here are crazy (the chick who makes caps always makes one take note on how light and fluffy her pour was), but the italian ambiance is worth the stay. amazing paninis, pastries, and coffee aka kinda makes you wish you were italian (sike!).
4. pop - right around the corner for atlas. it's basically everything you can find on modcloth.com and more.
5. mine metal art - the fantastic metal creations and collectibles from welder kristina kozak. always interesting finds for your home and your sanity.
6. gimme coffee! - there cup sizes are ridiculously small, but their coffee is ridiculously amazing.
7. second stop cafe - obvi have to give a shout out to the place of our birth. love the ambiance, love the people, love the donuts.
8. beacon's closet - if you adhere to the mantra "never buy anything full price" then this is your store. essentially all my clothes are under $10 and come from here or...
9. buffalo exchange - less pretentious second hand selection than beacon + have found three pairs of jeans in two years there FTW.
10. pinkyotto - overpriced korean fashion on the streets of new york = too cute to resist, too expensive to buy, but still fun to look.
11. artist & fleas - a cheap mix of fashion, art, books, food, and designers melt together here. verameat often has a stand here that is ~ 50 percent off the shit she sells in stores or on the website. aka needs it always.
12. kellogg's diner - fucking awful food, but huge booths that you can lounge around in for hours. they also put whip cream on their cappuccinos, so that deserves a bonus point or two.
13. moto - i almost debated not putting them on here after so terribly bitchy service last time there, but the interior design is too good not to mention. it looks like a little french hole in the wall circa 1938 and the bathroom is very nautical. the food is pretty good and live music most nights of the week.
14. hugs - okay, so i've only been here one time and it was like two years ago, but it was epic. they have 90s night every second saturday or the month -- who doesn't want to listen to mister jones blasting?

this list could go on, but williamsburg is to be discovered so just come and see for yourself.

brooklyn, you have been wonderful + amazing + unforgettable.

thought of the moment (life of the tiger).

tomorrow is new
for we shall rip this city
much like black bean wind.

see you here tomorrow dressed like a wizard.

wisdom from the far east

there's no better way to help smooth digestion of your $10 chinese lunch (chicken fried rice and bubble tea) than reading your fortune while eating that cookie. icing on the cake.

it seems like the fortune-writing people got semi-legit lately with proper spelling and english grammar. it's almost been disappointing. but alas, my hope has been restored.

"Woman's intuition like feather on arrow. May help flight to truth."

truer words have been spoken, but this is poetic, non?

just in time for chinese new year, too. get ready for the year of the tiger! (someone's power animal?) it shall be fierce.

and if you're looking for a way to spread the good wishes and cheer for chinese new year, ponder a moment on sending an e-card to that culturally in-the-know person in your life.

a fave:

essex brunch: a new york tradition.

if you live in new york, then you know regardless of which borough you claim brunch is kind of a big deal. much like *~* -- but that's totes obvi.

as i'm packing up and selling all my worldly possessions, i've been trying to hit up my favorite spots around the city. for someone who hates spending money on meals (but moreso, tipping), essex continues to be one of the only places i'll throw down benjaminz. i love essex for the following reasons:

1. unlimited mimosas
2. unlimited mimosas
3. unlimited mimosas

of course the food is pretty diverse and the atmosphere chaotic, but when the pitchers of mimosas overflow like jesus and his loaves of bread, you cannot help but fall a little bit in love. in four hours, our party of three was treated to AT LEAST 10 glasses of that jus d'orange avec champagne, maybe for covertly tipping our bus boy juan gonzalez with dolla dolla billz.

newayz, if you want a good time and a guaranteed recipe for a party, then essex is your shiz. THOUGH i have changed my mind about that shithole the dark room after a bad experience with the beatles mantra"let it be" and total lack of dance party on sunday night. fuck the haters and cheers to the good stuff!

sadness in *~*land

dear everyone,
today is a sad day. *~* is packing up it's last home base in billyburg, hipsterville, and moving on to other things. the furniture is being sold off one by one and spread all over craigslist, the polar bear is in the trash and the chandelier decal is being scraped off.

have no fear. we are going on to bigger and better things and will be officially international. (new jersey counts as another country, non?)

in any case, this will only make us fiercer. after almost a year of *~* in billyburg, it's time for some fresh perspectives. so for nostalgic reasons, we're heading back to where it all began almost a year ago. (stay tuned for a 1 year anniversary partaaaay.) k still has a couple weeks yet so make sure to help here live the dream here before she starts her new life doing the tango on the plaza de mayo.

thought for the day:

word on the ice.

for those of you still suffering kristina yamaguchi complex, have no fear bryant park is here!

the pond (proudly presented to you by citibank aka holder of my paycheck praise be to this fine institution) is open until this sunday, january 24th. if you have your own skatez, this shit is FREE. if not, you pay $12 to rent and then $10 to hold your goods while you're out landing triple salchows as the laymen wipe out and break their teeth.

this is the perfect opportunity to warm up in the winter, a great excuse to drink hot chocolate, and the best way to heat up sexual tension if you're on a date (come on, you're both falling down/onto each other/constantly holding hands to stay up -- sounds steamy cold).

do yourself a favor and unleash your inner ice queen tonight.

peace.

good deeds make the world go round.

in light of so much tragedy in the caribbean over the past week, it seems appropriate to talk on about volunteering and donations. before i start on what you can do at home in the city, if you have some spare cash please look into giving to one of these organizations. also, if you're a music fan and have $200 to donate, check out an intense set at city winery tonight with the antlers. all proceeds go to haiti disaster relief.

back to another island: for those of us who want to spread the love here in nueva york, housing works is a great place to start. the 411 be:

Housing Works is committed to ending the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness. We believe that all people have the right to a rich and empowering life. Since 1990, we have provided the highest quality services for homeless men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS in New York City and beyond.

you can drop by its location in soho at 126 crosby street to donate books, videos, dvds, music, or simply your time. it's bookstore has the best vibe i've felt anywhere in the city and .83 cents of every dollar you spend goes towards helping those afflicted by aids. every item for sale has been donated and most everyone who works there is a volunteer, so shiz is 4real. they also have a sweet ass cafe and while the brownies were a disappointment, le cappuccino was extraordinaire! do a good thing today:

1.) remember all the great things in your vida
2.) donate a little bit to those who need it
3.) drink a glass of champagne
4.) volunteer
5.) continue living the dream.

feel the power in 2k10

dear all, welkom to 2k10!
whether you believe this is the last year of the last decade or first year of the new decade, a new year is always a reason to celebrate. we're pretty proud we've made it this far, especially since this will be our big quarter century celebration. (stay tuned for more of that this spring.)

NEWAYZ, we've made no new year's resolutions since we are perfect, besides the obvious "keep it fierce para siempre" that we reiterate every year.

for those of you that could use some help, remember to reconnect with your power animal in the enchanted forest and connect with your power color. to help you with this, pantone has finally released their color of 2010, get ready, it's TURQUOISE AKA TEAL aka signature color of *~* for years already. another example of why we are so *~*ahead of the game*~*.

in their words, Turquoise Transports Us to an Exciting, Tropical Paradise While Offering a Sense of Protection and Healing in Stressful Times. we couldn't agree more. so remember to think turquoise and may your power animal watch over you for a fierce 2010.

a photo from our own turquoise archive:
and don't forget, if you want to celebrate the year of the turquoise and buy us an appropriate gift, etsy let's you shop by color.

just sayin'.