One Fine (Instagram) Day-San Juan

Avenida Ashford. Transcaribeña

La Concha

Laguna

San Pedro coffee

San Jose, Old San Juan

Carlitos Colon

When in San Juan...just let it be. This is not Rome and certainly, this is NOT New York, but this city is the love of my life, this is home. Every other weekend I come here and I make an effort to "decompress" from the big city. But even if I've done this for about a year or so, I still feel the adjustment bureau  kicking in. I have to repeat myself, You're not in Kansas anymore--more than once.
But then you see the beach, that amazing beach- and that's it, you're in love, again.


When I'm here, I'm a completely different person. It's not that I work more or less, because I'm a workaholic- but to start with, I wear flip flops most of the time and if I don't watch what I eat, I can easily gain 30 pounds in a heartbeat, because let me tell you, these Puerto Ricans eat, like seriously.
Not salads like New Yorkers, no, our thing is rice and beans and the whole nine yards...

So, how do I survive the trip? Well, over the weekends, I start with a homemade apple-ginger-carrot juice, then I hit Hacienda San Pedro for my single shot latte (an embarrassment, an insult for these heavy coffee maniacs but I don't care) and finally I run to my new passion, spinning in Cardio Zone.
I hate spinning but I love that they play Ricky Martin and Chayanne!
If the sun is on my side, I go to the beach of course, which is (ejem) 2 blocks away from my place.
For lunch, there's Pure & Natural, Kasalta and Pelayo. If you're watching carbs, stay away from Kasalta.
Every afternoon I walk around the lagoon and Santurce. I love spotting new cafes, old houses and urban graffiti. Actually, this past week I discovered, Carlitos (Atangana) Colón, the wrestler champion on display. This is why I now have an Iphone! Cause I don't wanna miss a thing!
In the evenings, we all gather at La Placita de Santurce for a beer (or three), eat at José Enrique (if you're lucky) and dance salsa. Otherwise, there's always Old San Juan. I can't get enough of it's beauty.
I've seen it probably 10,000 times but is just so gorgeous.
But the best thing here is hanging with your friends just to make fun of the politicians that run the country. True, we don't agree on many things but on that, we're all on the same page.

XOXO La Gerente

My Fantastic Four

Taylor Tomasi Hill

Julia, Photo Courtesy of Essence

Elisa Salin, courtesy of All The Pretty Birds blog

Shala, photo courtesy of Essence

Fashion girls are everywhere. Just look around. But New York City, Milan, Sao Paulo and Paris are like a sanctuary for these endangered species. 
I can spend an entire afternoon at Cafe Gitane just spotting pretty & rare birds.
Here, everyone has a different idea of what an it girl should look like.
Some live and die for SJP,  I can totally get it-Sex & the City forever. 
Some girls prefer that old Hollywood glam and worship Rachel Zoe, totes cool too. 
Others go for the Kardashians extravaganza-and you know what, its all good.
Me? Well, I in particular, follow street style. That's it. The new runway is the sidewalk.
Its like a hobby!
It is so entertaining that it makes it almost impossible to pick my favorites...
I mean- don't get me wrong, there is no one like Giovanna Battaglia, or Carine Roitfeld. They're icons, period.  
I do love young souls like Joan Smalls and Hanneli Mustaparta- they're always killing me softly.
But, ay Dios mio, when I see Julia Sarr Jamois, Shala Monroque, Taylor Tomassi Hill and Elisa Nalin, my heart beats faster.
There is something about them. I get that je ne sais quoi feeling I can't explain-lets just say they make it all easy, easy like Sunday morning. They're so chic, they're fun, they're smart, street smart that is.
The jeans, the Chanel flats, the hair, the turbans, the necklaces, the experimenting, the color surprises...they just get it--and I just can't get enough of them!!!
If there's such thing like a genie in a bottle I would die to get a sneak peak or their beauty bodegas...
Don't you, don't you???


XOXO
La Gerente

ONE FINE DAY Series...Lower East Side, NYC

La Colombe

McNallyRobinson

Peonies at Dean & Deluca

St. Patrick's Old Cathedral 

Ina Consignment

The best thing about living in NY is having a little place in LES, because--when I happen to be in town, I can stop and smell the flowers (literally at Dean and Deluca), and the coffee (from La Colombe), and the pizza (at RubiRosa) and so on and so forth.
This is only because everything is conveniently located downtown, steps away from me. 
And-like The Backstreet Boys--I want it that way. I'm not good friends with commuting, I must confess. These shoes are made for walking...


People, Puerto Ricans in particular, ask me every time what do I do when I'm off .  
Well, every day is different obviously but lets take today for example. Today was one of those lovely easy peasy December Saturdays when you walk out the door singing out loud "tiiiiiiime is on my siiiiide, yes it is."


Usually my day starts with an iced latte at La Colombe(lacolombe.com), then I hit Juice Generation (juicegeneration.com) for my apple-ginger-kale-beet regular and I finish in RubiRosa (rubirosanyc.com) with their outstanding meatballs. Cliche, but all my favorite spots are 'round here.

I have no excuses when it comes to exercise being so close from Equinox(equinox.com) and when it comes to mode I always get the best & the latest stuff at Ina on Prince. Now you know where I got my Celine nude ballerina flats...

In Puerto Rico is very hard to find fresh flowers, but here is nice and easy. With that said, I try to have fresh flowers always, white peonies to be precise. However, if I know I'll be traveling like crazy I just stop at Dean & Deluca (deandeluca.com) for 5 minutes to say hi. Yes, you can talk to flowers. They're alive. Although I pretty much can talk to everything.


If I'm not working on a strategy I can spend hours in McNally Robinson (macnallyrobinson.com) going thru The Gentlewoman ,V, I.D. and you name it, like I did today.
The icing on the cake was watching completely unexpected (and free of course) the rehearsal of St Patrick's Old Cathedral choir front row. Amazing is an understatement. 
Late at night I hit Sunshine Theater for whatever indie film they're showing.


I mean, how could I ever get bored in this wonderland??? And I'm not even talking about celebrity spotting, that my friends, is another story. I'll just tell you I once lived VERY close to David Bowie.


So, I really don't understand why everyone is dying to move to the UES if downtown hast it all, attitude and everything. In fact, we're oh- so fly. So, now you know that, 'til the day I die, my New York tiny heart belongs to the Lower East Side.


XOXO La gerente de la bodega.
J

A RED HOT MUSEUM...just for VALENTINO

Photo courtesy of Valentino

Valentino's virtual museum is not red, is RED HOT. He's the last Emperor for a reason...
Thanks to technology, you and me and everyone can take a peak at his work NOW, yes, NOW.
You will not be dissapointed. It's like the mother of beauty bodegas.
Take this classic for example, my all time favorite by the way, unembellished, with character and presence, in other words: with Valentino Garavani written all over...so beautiful...
Not kidding, in fact, here's the link.

http://www.valentino-garavani-archives.org/

XOXO, La gerente

A gift from Richard Burton

Courtesy of Christie's Images LTD-A gift from Richard Burton, 1968

We all know Elizabeth Taylor collected both diamonds and love stories.  I really think she said the go big or go home thing before anybody else. Out of respect for this lady and, of course, serious budget issues, I would never be able to sport any of these babies...but if there is such thing as a Fairy Godmother, Cinderella style...and I could pick my favorite piece of the collection available at Christie's, it would have to be this rocking rock, only because Richard Burton gave it to her. And he was her rock.
Enjoy the view ladies...

Forever Elizabeth. The most beautiful.

XOXO La Gerente