Last week, I finally had the opportunity to hop on a helicopter with Fly Nyon and capture some images of my favorite city from above.
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New York
On the anniversary of 09/11 my friend Gerry and I decided to go on an adventure in Financial District to see the tribute lights and take some photographs.
The farm to table cuisine movement has been around for a while now, but there always seems to be room for another entry and Cafe Clover is no exception. I've eaten here for brunch and dinner and was impressed by the level of flavor in every dish, not to mention the attention to detail, especially when it comes to interior design. During the weekend you might even struggle with getting a table, as seemingly all of New York's foodies congregate here. My personal favorites include the avocado toast, granola and hemp biscuits (I can never say no to a good biscuit with butter and jam) on the brunch menu and the risotto and the burrata on the dinner menu.
Find them here:
For their first event, NYC GO (New York City's Board of Tourism) decided to take us to the Brooklyn Public Library. We were allowed behind the scenes access to the archives (which included a matchbox collection and old album covers) and the rooftop of the building. Situated on a corner between Prospect Park and the Grand Army Plaza we had stunning views from the rooftop of the library. We could even see Manhattan and One World Trade in the distance. I also had the chance to meet the beautiful Natalie (@misshattan) and shoot some portraits on the roof. It's moments like these, watching the sun set over this stunning city, that make me so grateful to be fortunate enough to live here.
If you guys have been following along for while, you might remember this post about Spot Dessert Bar. Last week, they invited us in to taste and photograph some of their classics along with some upcoming specials that will be featured on their summer menu. And who in their right mind says no to free dessert? They work closely with Ian Kittichai from Iron Chef Thailand to develop new and creative dessert tapas year round. I also decided to include some behind the scenes photos here, because I'm so impressed at the effort that goes into each of their dessert creations. You already know how much I love food, but you might not know that I currently work in the food industry. If you're interested in behind the scenes from food photo shoots, NYC restaurants and locations and of course my travels, follow me on snap chat: sophiesvob (for more professional photos, as always, instagram). Keep scrolling for more precise descriptions of these desserts! Thank you for reading as always!
The classics: Green Tea chocolate lava cake and golden french toast with vanilla ice cream (my personal favorite).
Pistachio dusted chocolate mousse cake.
Coconut smoke infused coconut truffle.
Lychee Panna Cotta with raspberry sorbet, chocolate caviar and edible flowers.
A couple of weeks ago I received an exciting email from New York City's official board of tourism, asking me to be one of their ambassadors for their summer campaign. I was especially interested in working with them, because they want to highlight boroughs of New York aside from Manhattan. After spending my first year in New York really getting to know Manhattan, I wanted to make an effort to explore the outer boroughs a bit more, especially Brooklyn (I have a guide to eating in Williamsburg coming up for you guys this week!). I'm excited for the first event in Brooklyn this coming week and to share secret, behind the scenes locations with you all this summer.
I shot these photos last week from the Empire State Building (can you believe it was my very first time up there?). All the employees kept warning me that the visibility was incredibly limited, but I just smiled and made my way to the top. The ambiance was incredible with less than 10 people and a thick blanket of fog covering most of Manhattan.
I know what you're thinking. But before you get all judgemental and eye rolling on me, remember that I am in college and I just went through exam week. Essentially, I'm happy I'm even still alive, but now that it's summer I'm ready to leave all the stress behind and focus on my internship, traveling, spending time with good people and creating awesome content for you guys. Now that New York has finally warmed up to the extent that we alternate between spring and summer from one day to the next, I've been trying to spend as much time outside as possible (whenever I wasn't studying, naturally). The farmer's market on Union Square is such a lovely way to find a spot of calm in the city along with great fresh produce and beautiful flowers. I've been told Wednesdays and Saturdays are the best days to go, but regardless you should definitely make the trip over at some point.
What do you say when one of your close friends invites you to wander through one of the world's most famous museums before opening hours? You say yes. Within seconds. Then you spend the next week not being able to sleep at night. When the day of the tour finally arrived, I walked through the museum left speechless and as if for the very first time. I wish you could all experience the Met while empty, but for now these pictures will have to suffice.
This semester of college, I made it my mission to stop being lazy and get out of my Manhattan comfort zone to explore Brooklyn in all its hipster glory. So far I haven't been disappointed once and I've actually managed to take the subway to Williamsburg every single weekend to try a new cafe, bakery or restaurant. I know this sounds cheesy, but in many ways just making that effort to explore new areas of this vibrant city I'm lucky enough to call home and keep putting myself out there and meeting new creatives has changed my view on life and encouraged me to become happier, more passionate and more content with everything I have.
As soon as I walked through the door of 12 Chairs Cafe with my dear friend Sam, I was struck by how grateful I am to be in a city that values design, good food and passionate entrepreneurs so much. 12 Chairs had incredible Mediterranean inspired food (including some of the best hummus I've had in NYC thus far) along with a passion for locally sourced ingredients and attention to detail. You can tell they love what they do with heart and soul the moment you taste the food, leaving me inspired to keep improving the quality of my own food and photography in turn.
