City Lights

There are lots of interesting places to visit in San Francisco, yet I always end up at this bookstore...


City Lights is the cradle of the Beat Generation, and I could spend hours browsing the shelves. On Tuesday evening, Silicon Valley visionary Jaron Lanier was at the store discussing his new book, You Are Not A Gadget, a manifesto on how technology is changing our culture. The author was greeted by a standing-room-only crowd. (Of course, I had to buy his book, along with five others.)

Books are so heavy to lug home from a trip, but I can't help myself. I love Strand Bookstore in NYC, and then there's the Tattered Cover in Denver. Every time I went home to visit my parents in Albuquerque, NM, I would stop in Salt of the Earth books on Central Avenue. (Like so many independent booksellers, the store is unfortunately now closed.)

Books --and the stores where they're sold -- feed the soul. So here I am, books in tow...

What's your favorite bookstore?

Thursday Giveaway: Gorgeous Green Opera Purse

Hello my dears, this was another one of my Paris flea market finds. I had it listed in my eBay store, but I'm clearing out the Paris inventory to make way for treasures from San Francisco.

Would you like to have it? It's lovely: made of silk with a green glass bead handle. The latch looks like an green jeweled antique brooch. It's large enough for lipstick, a few euros and tickets to the opera!

Please leave a comment to enter! The winner will be announced Monday. Thank you! Meanwhile, I'm off to explore more of San Francisco...xoxo

San Francisco Polaroids

Under a balmy blue sky

It felt like summer today...

You could smell incense in the warm air as the city's large Chinese community welcomed the new year with shrines to Buddha and prayers
for good luck..

As usual, I was distracted by all the architectural details...

The buildings are so European.

But the weather and vibe is pure California...

At the moment, the huge bay windows in my hotel room are propped open and I'm listening to the city life outside: that ringing trolley bell and all those squeaky breaks, worn from climbing all those hills.

And I understand why many hearts are left here.

(Photos taken with a 1970s Polaroid OneStep Flash camera.)

Chinatown Markets

Fruit, firecrackers, Chinese newspapers, cookies and candied ginger...



Such a colorful melange of things on display along the sidewalks of SF's Chinatown today.

Happy Year of the Tiger, everyone! Goodbye damn tough Ox.

Is San Francisco the most beautiful US city?

To kick off my week of blogging in SF, I wanted to ask...


...do you think San Francisco is the most beautiful US city? When I was growing up, my dad used to joke that he was going to quit the rat race to work as a trolley car operator. He loved SF above all other cities (including Santa Fe)....

I love NYC and the Garden District in New Orleans is amazing...but SF has my heart...

Searching for Something Light and Bright

My dears, we're packing now to head up to San Francisco to visit relatives for the week. I'm excited to go to Chinatown (with Polaroid camera) for Chinese New Year!

When we return, we're going to begin the search for a new place to live. We've been in our house for more than 12 years and we'd like (rather, need) to downsize. Maybe a loft? I don't care if it's small, I just want something light and bright!

Photo from Apartment Therapy.

The Weekend

Happy Friday everyone! This weekend I'm having lunch with my friend Elaine in Beverly Hills and I'm packing for a trip to San Francisco, where I will be taking lots of Polaroids and blogging next week! I'm putting together a list of great flea markets and thrift stores in SF...Any suggestions!?

What are you up to?


Photo above taken with my iPhone on my recent trip to Paris.

Style Muse: Margherita Missoni

I love these photos taken by Juergen Teller at the Missoni estate in Sumirago, where even the couches and chairs are covered in Missoni knits...


Margherita looks so effortlessly chic, with her charm necklace...



Bracelets, rings and red nails...



From the March issue of Bazaar...

Thursday Giveaway: Paris Flea Market Treasure Box

A beautiful vintage box found at the Porte de Vanves Flea Market in Paris....


Painted on both sides....


And just large enough to hide an old love note...

It's small, about the size of a deck of cards!...I'm not sure how old it is, but it's very special.

Leave a comment to enter! Winner picked on Monday!

Today I'm hibernating...

It's rainy and cold. And I just want to stay in and read. Don DeLillo: "She used the old dented kettle instead of the new one she'd just bought because -- she didn't know why. It was an old frame house that had many rooms and working fireplaces..."

Will be back tomorrow...


(Photo by Pretty Random.)

Is there hope for Polaroid?

Polaroid fans had so much hope last year when Urban Outfitters teamed up with the Impossible Project to restart the production of Polaroid film. But today, project officials sent out a cryptic email saying the effort hit a snag. They had set Feb. 22 as their deadline. It's now been pushed back to March 22.

Anyone out there know what's going on? Are you guys still using Polaroid film? I was very upset to read recently that even Jen at My Polaroid Blog was struggling to find film...I have six packets of 600 left in my refrigerator. I thought I had a new source on eBay, but so far nothing...

Maybe mid-year will bring new hope?

Hello Monday + Buttons & Glass

Hello my dears, thank you for all your amazing stories about why you started blogging! I'm so happy to meet you & blog with you. You are a wonderful bunch and I am so lucky to know you....

It's Monday morning here in LA. It's finally stopped raining and the sun is out. It's beautiful, actually. I'm trying to restock my little eBay store with more treasures from Paris. (See above and below.) If you're interested, you can check out the store {here}. I hope to have more listed this afternoon!

Have a lovely Monday.

PS: Tina Tarnoff is the winner of the travel diary!

Why did you start your blog?

I started English Muse a little over a year ago to help deal with the sadness and hopelessness I felt watching so many of my friends lose their jobs at the Los Angeles Times. After so many years working at the paper, I felt like a refugee there, searching for a community where I belonged. I had no idea then that my friends here would be the ones who would help me the most after my own layoff from the LAT in October.

So I'm wondering, if you'll please tell me, why did you start your blog?



(Photo from Yay!Everyday)

Sad Robot + Rain

It's pouring rain in Los Angeles tonight and I have this song by the band Stars stuck in my head. It's called Sad Robot. Have you heard it?

The lyrics are in French but it's about this robot who is left out in the rain. And he's scared his heart is going to rust.

Goes like this:

Il pleut
Je pleure

J'ai peur que je vais roullier ce soir

J'ai peur que mon temps soit expiree,
J'espere que vous viendrez me secher
J'espere que vous pouvez me reperer
J'ai peur que je vais roullier ce soir
Mon coeur,
Changera de l'acier a la poussiere

Translation:

It rains
I cry

I'm afraid that I'm going to rust tonight

I'm afraid that my time has expired,
I hope that you will come dry me,
I hope that you can repair me,
I'm afraid that I'm going to rust tonight
My heart,
Will change from steel to dust


If you, too, would like this song stuck in your head, you can listen to it {here}. The very cute robot, above, is from the etsy store, Reclaim2Fame.

Where is everyone today, by the way? I feel like I'm all alone on my blog tonight...And so I'm writing random posts about robots...

Happy Weekend

Happy weekend lovies! Here are some of the things I've been reading/obsessing over on the web this week:

Christian Dior's yummy couture confections.

The New York Times review of the new Warren Beatty book,
Star, by Peter Biskind.

Is it always best when it snows at night?

Steve Job's secret dinner with NYT execs: Can the iPad help save newspapers?

The best lingerie stores in LA. (Our girls from Frou Frou Fashionista made the list!)

Meanwhile, here's some of my freelance work on the Internet this week:
An essay for Los Angeles Magazine on why I started English Muse.
And a book party for Mika Brzezinski at Arianna Huffington's house.


Hope you have a wonderful weekend!! What do you have planned?


(Photo by Lisa Sparks.)

Thursday Giveaway: Charming Henri Bendel Travel Journal

This charming new travel journal (a $58 value) features a list of the hottest shops in London, Paris & Milan, along with maps on how to get there. (It also includes a number of maps of Europe along with useful travel information and lots of room to write about your beautiful finds.)

It's bound in red satin and edged with gold. It was purchased especially for some lovely reader of the English Muse at the Henri Bendel store in NYC. Please leave a comment to enter. A winner will be chosen on Monday!

Thank you!
xo

Tina

UPDATE: The winner of this giveaway is Tina Tarnoff!

Julianne Moore's Boudoir

Ever since I saw Tom Ford's debut movie, A Single Man, I've been obsessed with finding photos of Julianne Moore's gorgeous 1960s boudoir. Finally, the February issue of Paris Vogue delivers a nice big picture showing all the beautiful details: bamboo screens, a sheep-skin covered chair, an inlaid mirror, a small settee, curtains with thick white tasseled tiebacks, a can of Spray Net.

I uploaded it full size on my flickr page. Click the picture to see!

The Most Beautiful View of LA

I love these paintings of Los Angeles by artist Peter Alexander. The top one is my favorite. There is only one way to get this view: Taking off out over the ocean from LAX, sitting on the right side of the plane. You can see for miles up the Pacific Coast, past Pt. Dume. Pure beauty.

Returning home is lovely too:


More on Alexander here...

Sofia Coppola Inspiration Board

From French Vogue 2005. I adore all things Sofia...

I hope you're having a lovely Tuesday. I'm meeting friend for lunch in Chinatown, which I think will help get me over these blues. Thank you again for all your beautiful comments on my post about the loss of our dog Murphy. Sending you virtual hugs...

Thank You...

I so deeply appreciate all your kind words today. You are so dear to me. Thank you.


(Photo from here.)