Three of my best gfs are getting married over the next three months, and June was the month of bachelorette celebrations! We kicked if off in Vegas for Sally and Amy‘s joint party at the Cosmopolitan, and finished it off at the Trump Soho for Kristi in NYC. What can I say? We fancy. I grew up with these girls, and it was such a treat to have our big group of friends from across the country all together TWICE in one month. I didn’t bring my camera to Vegas, but I did snap this amazing view of the strip from our balcony on my iphone. Then I fly to NYC a week later, and this is the view from our room at the Trump Soho! I couldn’t get over it. I was obsessed with spotting all the secret rooftop gardens. 
Staying in Soho felt like such a luxury–obviously a favorite neighborhood, and so wonderful to be able to walk everywhere from our hotel. 
^The bachelorette, Kristi, her sister-in-law, and sister. 
^Fun to see citi bikes all over! 
^Brunch on the roof of Hotel Chantelle was so festive. They had 92 cent cocktails and half way through our meal an amazing jazz band started up! I loved the vibe (and the food) there. 
^They had bocce ball by the pool. Why are things on rooftops more fun than on the ground? 
Congrats to all my brides-to-be! I love you girls.
allumette
I’m thrilled to share these photos! I had such a wonderful time shooting some of Allumette‘s gorgeous dishes and drinks. Chef Miles Thompson’s plating is such a treat to photograph, as is capturing Serena in action behind the bar. These images really speak for themselves.
Allumette | Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90026
the whaling club VII
Thank you to all who joined us in May for The Whaling Club! Dan’s tequila cocktails were, once again, a total hit. The Cherry Caipirita was refreshing and beautiful. I loved photographing it on our porch as much as I loved drinking it. A classic La Paloma followed, and Dan revealed that rather than salt the rim, he took the advice of a well known bartender and threw a pinch of salt right in the drink. The final drink was the Rio Bravo which, as one of our guests wrote to us, was “a real eye-opener in terms of the range of such a spirit in more ‘classic’ cocktails that are typically associated with different liquors.” Special thanks to Free Range for helping us celebrate the beginning of summer at The Whaling Club!
Follow us on instagram @thewhalingclub, and check out some recent features on InsideHook, Details Style Network, and Rundown LA!
Logo and artwork by Sarah Mullin for The Whaling Club.
bridesmaids
During my trip to New York, I did a little preliminary wedding dress shopping with my mom and three best gals. Dan and I are having a small wedding party, and my bridesmaids happen to all live in New York at the moment. I knew this trip was my chance to ask them all in person, but I also wanted to create a little something that reflected how long we’ve known each other. Getting married is definitely in the adulthood category, and these girls have been there for me since I was a kid (college included). Before we tried on dresses at Gabriella, I gave them each a double photos frame. On one side was a photo of us from childhood or college, and on the other side was a card I designed that said “Will you be my bridesmaid?” My dear and talented friend, Sarah Mullin (who does all the drawings and logo work for The Whaling Club), created the strung lights and flower clusters. The girls opened them all at the same time, and their reaction to the photos was were PRICELESS. I almost pulled out my camera right before, but I was too excited and didn’t want to miss their faces. We all laughed, and there were a few happy tears.
^^Caitlin and I sharing a coconut on her back step.
^^Emilie and I on the first day of fourth grade. I am rocking those Tevas, and Emilie is super cool with the one shoulder backpack!
Haha! Sara’s photo is slightly different than adorable childhood photos, but it sums us up so much. She always bring out the wild and fun side of myself. This is on Halloween our sophomore year of college.
And THAT pretty much sums up my east coast week. I think. Can’t promise 🙂
These are a cute idea!
east coast, part 2
After a a few days in NYC, my parents and I drove out to New Canaan, CT to spend time with my Grandmom and see my aunt and uncle. I’ve always loved my Grandmom’s house. I remember swinging in the yellow plastic swing that used to be in the backyard, and feeling a little crushed when I returned and it had been taken down. I traveled and flew by myself on a plane for the first time going to visit my Grandmom. It was around Easter, and she left candy under my pillow every night before I went to bed–like the chocolate coconut nests with candy eggs in the middle? And we took the train to NYC and went on a tour of Radio City Hall, and I was soooo excited to meet a real Rockette! I got my first and only lava lamp for Christmas in that house, and broke a ceramic duck by accident and sobbed in that house, and got ready with my Aunt Amy in that house before her wedding. Basically, it’s a really special place. And so is the lady who lives there 🙂
I love all the ’60s style–like that green carpet! After a few days of relaxing and shopping at the New Canaan J.Crew (major sale and way better selection than most), I went back to the city for a night out with friends. Dinner at The Meatball Shop was followed by dive drinks with some of the most special people EVER, and the night ended with a giant slice of Artichoke pizza in the East Village. It was perfect. Literally my heart swells for all my friends who came out that night. Reunited and it FELT SO GOOD. Really just the most delightful and loving people. Also, fake eyelashes happened (thank you, Danny). The next morning, Dan’s parents, my parents, and Willyman all met us at Walter Foods for a big family brunch to celebrate our engagement! 
I was exhausted when I got back to LA, but so so happy. AND I was upgraded to business class on the flight home. So, yeah, that didn’t suck. See you soon, New York!
east coast, part 1
I hadn’t been to NYC in a year and it felt so good! That may not seem like a long time, but I used to visit pretty much every other month when Dan and I were long distance, so I got used to seeing all my east coast friends more regularly. The trip was planned to see my brother’s grad school showcase. He’s a composer in NYU Tisch’s Musical Theatre Writing grad program, and he’s spent the last year working on a musical with his writing partner. I had heard bits and pieces of the process from my brother and via my mom, and I’m so thrilled I was there with my parents to see his gorgeous work. Communicating how people feel and love with humor through music is so mature and wise. AND he’s only 25!! The audience was clearly moved by his show, and I couldn’t have been more proud to be his sister. I’m always in awe.
I dragged my family all over downtown for dinner and cocktails. Freemans is a favorite spot that Dan and I fell in love with on an impromptu date years ago in NYC. I love how each room is different, and it always feels comforting and hip. Mission Chinese totally lived up to all the awesome things I had heard! The front looks like a classic, hole in the wall, Chinese joint, but in the back is a full restaurant. Flavor explosion! My friend Aubrey (we worked together at Son of a Gun in LA) is the manager there. It was such a delight to see him, and we tried so many yummy dishes including the thrice cooked bacon with rice cakes, and super spicy chonqing chicken wings. I was so full, but I couldn’t stop eating. Then we all walked down to Painkiller, a tiki bar on the LES. My mom was ready to kill me when we showed up to an unmarked door with only a bouncer. Sorry, Mom!
How gorgeous are all those blooming trees? I had the most delightful coffee catch up with my dear friend, Jeremy, in the West Village before heading back up to see a matinee of Matilda. I adored the show! The kids in the show were incredible, so committed and strong. Super funny. 
Amazing, so far, right? And that’s only half way through! Part 2 coming up.
decadent dinner
As someone who often reminisces about being a kid and the ease of childhood, there are a few great things (besides discovering wine and coffee) about being an adult. One of those things is dinner parties. Especially when it’s a Decadent Dinner hosted by our friends Jay and Hannah in their gorgeous new home, and Hannah is killing it with dishes like scallop and foie gras carpaccio, bone marrow risotto, and crack pie. Yup, CRACK PIE. Did I mention one my favorite desserts of all time is Momofuku’s Crack Pie? Okay, now you know. I always accept payment in the form of crack pie. K, thanks, bye. Also, there are no pictures of the crack pie because I ate mine before I remembered to take a photo. The Whaling Club joined in the fun, and Dan put together a delicious bourbon and rum punch with a hand cut ice block to get the party started as guests arrived and sat down to dinner. 
It’s always a delight to be surrounded by new and old friends who appreciate cooking, food, and cocktails. You know you’ve really hit the jackpot when someone pulls out a bottle of Fernet Branca at the end. Props to Will for that one!
Thank you so much to Jay and Hannah for having us! And now that summer has hit LA, I’m looking forward to BBQs, beach lounging, and shaken mint daquiris. What are you most looking forward to this summer?
portraits
Pinterest is my personal black hole. Once I enter, I can get lost for many many minutes. Dan has made up a song that he sings when he catches me on Pinterest. Luckily he’s not around to sing it when he’s at work, slash, when I do the majority of my pinning. What can I say? I like to look at things! Most recently I’ve been looking at portrait photography. I started seeing the world for the first time through a camera lens when I was abroad in London during college. Shooting street photography portraits was my favorite at the time. Hanging in our apartment living room is a black and white photo I took at Borough Market. The photo is of the farmer who sells eggs. He’s wearing a hat that makes his head round like an egg and he’s placing his eggs into a carton. If you look closely, you can spot a broken shell. I love little details and secrets in a photo like that. I only have a print copy. In the photos above, I love the way light is such an important part of the portrait. How it falls or illuminates a face is part of the story and can make a simple photo so much more interesting. Which is your favorite?
(images found via Pinterest)
the whaling club VI
Since April is the beginning of Spring, Dan chose cocktails that highlighted floral and fresh notes for The Whaling Club this month. The Croquet Cup was the perfect easy drinking cocktail to start the night with mint, cucumber, and Pimm’s No. 1. Plus, it’s gorgeous to look at. The Royal Daiquiri featured creme de violette, which is floral in taste and color. And the grapefruit and Peychaud’s bitters in an otherwise classic gin rickey added just the right about of bitterness and rounded out the drink. It was my favorite blush color and looked beautiful over Dan’s hand cut ice spears.
Chef Frank Anderson killed it again by shucking oysters, and brought it to the next level with chilled mussels, aioli, and breadcrumbs. Addictive! I love how Frank prepped three mussels (and oysters) for us to cheers to before everyone arrived (he also saved me a few oysters for the end–what a guy). 
Such a fun a night! We loved having a bunch of new guests, and celebrating the simple but perfect things we love about The Whaling Club. How awesome is that whale? We found it at New Stone Age and knew we had it to have it for the bar! It lives on our mantel in between. And did you catch us on Eater LA? So cool! Special thanks to Kat Odell for that! 
To join our mailing list and receive invites for future events, email reservations@thewhalingclub.com.
The Whaling Club on Instagram.
(Menu logo and artwork by Sarah Mullin.)
weekends
A few weeks ago, the day before my birthday to be exact, I left my day job to pursue my photography and general happiness full time. It’s a leap of faith, and I’m figuring out whether it’s really going to all be possible, but you have no idea the joy that sweeps over me around 4pm every day when I realize I can keep working on what I’m doing at that moment! Again, I must emphasize that I don’t know if this can continue forever, but for the time being, I’ve given myself some creative space. That means more blogging, more photography, and more acting for pleasure and growth. So if you know anyone who is looking for a photographer, I’m available for headshots, portraits, food press, engagements, and parties! One of the best parts of making my own schedule, is being able to match my days off with Dan’s, and have a real weekend together. We spent Saturday exploring our neighborhood by bike. I’m in love with Rolling Greens Nursery. The store is so well curated and styled! Can I move in? Slash, can I have my wedding there? Not kidding, I’ve inquired. Just down the street, Jonathan Wright & Co. was having a sidewalk sale, and we picked up these cute cocktails notecards for half off. They’ll be perfect for The Whaling Club thank you notes. 
Have any of you ever left your day job to go freelance or start a totally new career path? I’d love to hear your story! Some great blog posts and inspiration about taking the leap here, here, and here!
a cozy boat 