I never like it when the holidays are over. It means that the best part of winter is over…and winter has just barely begun! So to hold on just a bit longer to the holidays, I leave you with this lovely post by Frank Cierpial from NYC.

By Frank Cierpail
The first time I went to Paris was in the winter of 2007. I was in High School and I had no idea what to expect. I cannot believe I am actually saying this now, but my mother said to me “make sure you go to le louvre!” and my gothic 17 year old self said “What’s that?” Well, I found out what that was and a lot more. I have spent many wonderful summers in Paris since then and the one thing that I love about it is the regularity. Whenever I left Paris, people, places, and things that I love have always been there the next summer, as if they have been waiting for me to come back. New York is the complete antithesis. Every time I return to New York from Paris something else is gone. For example, the summer of 2010 that I spent in Paris was the end of my favorite restaurant “Artepasta”. Artepasta was the perfect New York restaurant; it had the cutest waiters in the city and the best Italian Food for the best price. The city has not been the same since then. But, there are two things in New York that will never change. I started my walk down 5th avenue on 6th avenue between 50th street and 51rst Street at the legendary Radio City Music Hall to see the infamous Christmas tree and the display cases that linger around it. The first window that caught my eye was the window at J Crew. J Crew had a paper maché background with a wreath in the background and mannequins dressed in chic holiday outfits. Continue reading →