April CityNotes 2020
Spring is Arriving
First & foremost please know that I send
Love, Health and Safety
to all of you and your families and friends. This has been a horribly difficult time for all.
However, those who know me, know that I try to always see the cup half full.
There are some small highlights , glimmers of hope and positives take aways which are coming out of this experience.
We can enjoy our families if they are near. We can spend time together. We appreciate the time together. We breath & take in all around us.
For this months CityNotes I have included whats on my list of experiences I want to share.
Movies! Documentaries!
I'm completely obsessed with a list of all the Art & Fashion Docs I would like to see once more OR that have been on my list "to do" for ages and I just haven't gotten around to see them for over the last 10 years because i was TOO BUSY! Its a pretty good list . Enjoy!
I also find that scent in my home is so important. Scent can uplift your mood, ground you or take you away from your current surroundings. Whether filling the house with flowers, or incense every morning before a meditation or yoga practice or distributing scented candles in different rooms. In our family this is a must! I've included some of my favorites.
Keeping your mind busy is also helpful. Whether you are doing a puzzle or a board game . if you have more time...try a Craft Kit. I've included some I felt that once again can help to relax your inner being.
Of course lastly but maybe most importantly is FOOD! The big discussion at every meal is the next meal. Or at least thats what my children say I do. I have tried to include some great go to cookbooks that are easy and resourceful. I understand there are a lot of people trying to make bread so I added one for that as well. Im sure in the next CItyNotes there will be more cookbooks.
Be Safe!
Be Healthy!
We Pray!
We Hope!
​​​​​​​and we look forward to being together again in a safe world.
Much Love,Patty
ART
NEW OPENINGS
HOCKNEY
Released in 2016. Hockney weaves together a portrait of the multifaceted artist from frank interviews with close friends and never before seen footage from his own personal archive. One of the great surviving icons of the 1960s, Hockney s career may have started with almost instant success but in private he has struggled with his art, relationships, and the tragedy of AIDS, making his optimism and sense of adventure truly uplifting. Hockney is funny, inspiring, bold and visionary.
KEHINDE WILEY-AN ECONOMY OF GRACE
Released in 2014. Over the past decade, artist Kehinde Wiley has created �larger-than-life paintings of black men in everyday culture. The Los Angeles native and Yale-educated portrait painter has captured everyone from men on the street to rapper LL Cool J (in the National Portrait Gallery). . But in 2012, he changed his focus to black women. Wiley recruited women off the streets of New York, draped them in flowing gowns and created the exhibition titled An Economy of Grace that was on view at the Sean Kelly Gallery in New York. The process was filmed and made into a documentary of the same name and has garnered recognition from the Toronto Reel Artists Film Festival and South By Southwest Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short.
EVA HESSE
Released 2016. In 1964, when Eva Hesse went to Germany on a fellowship with her husband, the sculptor Tom Doyle, she was a talented 28-year-old painter with a blue-chip education (Cooper Union and Yale) and a foothold in the art world. By the time of her death six years later, from brain cancer, she was widely recognized as a major artist, a maker of category-confounding forms abstract and visceral, minimalist and feminist, sculptural and painterly that have lost none of their power in the decades since.
ALICE NEEL
Alice Neel is a 2007 documentary film about the life of Alice Neel, the artist. The film explores the struggles she faced as a woman artist, a single mother, and a painter who defied convention. The documentary was directed by Neel's grandson, Andrew Neel.
Alice Neel premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in 2007.
COOK BOOKS
Yotam Ottolenghi is widely beloved in the food world for his beautiful, inspirational, and award-winning cookbooks, as well as his London delis and fine dining restaurant. And while he's known for his savory and vegetarian dishes, he actually started out his cooking career as a pastry chef. Sweet is entirely filled with delicious baked goods, desserts, and confections starring Ottolenghi's signature flavor profiles and ingredients including fig, rose petal, saffron, orange blossom, star anise, pistachio, almond, cardamom, and cinnamon. A baker's dream, Sweet features simple treats such as Chocolate, Banana, and Pecan cookies and Rosemary Olive Oil Orange Cake, alongside recipes for show stopping confections such as Cinnamon Pavlova with Praline Cream ( My favorite! Love a Pavlova!) and Fresh Figs and Flourless Chocolate Layer Cake with Coffee, Walnut, and Rosewater.
THE JOY OF COOKING​​​​​​​
The Joy of Cooking was originally printed in 1936 by Irma Rombauer. This book has been in print continuously since then and remains one of the best selling cookbooks ever. This book has sold over 18 million copies. This a is good go to for basics and I continue to refer to its classic recommendations.
(ORDERS NEED TO GO THROUGH AMAZON)
​​​​​​​I find a lot of people with time on their hands are attempting to cook different kinds of bread right now. I felt that Tartine is one of the best cookbooks to peruse.....Tartine - A bread bible for the home baker or professional breadmaker It comes from Chad Robertson, a man many consider to be the best bread baker in the United States, and co-owner with Elizabeth Prueitt of San Francisco's Tartine Bakery. The bread at San Francisco's legendary Tartine Bakery sells out within an hour almost every day.​​​​​​​
(ORDERS NEED TO GO THROUGH AMAZON)
​​​​​​​I find a lot of people with time on their hands are attempting to cook different kinds of bread right now. I felt that Tartine is one of the best cookbooks to peruse.....Tartine - A bread bible for the home baker or professional breadmaker It comes from Chad Robertson, a man many consider to be the best bread baker in the United States, and co-owner with Elizabeth Prueitt of San Francisco's Tartine Bakery. The bread at San Francisco's legendary Tartine Bakery sells out within an hour almost every day.
HOME FRAGRANCES ARE SO IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW
TORY BURCH DODIE CANDLE
​​​​​​​$78.00Z​​​​​​
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​​​​​​​I love the Westerly scent as well as the beautiful Dodie Thayer vessel it comes in. The Westerly candle was created with Dodie Thayer, the famous collectible potter from the 60's. The Westerly scent is jasmine, gardenia and pink pepper blend. Total burn time: 55 hours. The Dodie Thayer vessel may be repurposed for your kitchen or dressing table after burning the candle.
JO MALONE GRAPEFRUIT​​​​​​​
$67.00
I adore this fresh scent in my home. The abundance of grapefruit groves are reminiscent of coastal Spain. There are extra notes of rosemary, peppermint and pimento. The scent feels so refreshing and clean.
​​​​​​​Candle burn time is 45 hours
DIPTYQUE BAIES​​​​​​​
$67.00
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I adore this fresh scent in my home. The abundance of grapefruit groves are reminiscent of coastal Spain. There are extra notes of rosemary, peppermint and pimento. The scent feels so refreshing and clean.
​​​​​​​Candle burn time is 45 hours
HOME FRAGRANCE INCENSE WITHIN THE HOME INSTEAD OF ARCHITECTURE!
BODHA INCENSE
Bodha is the newest in incense. This is a fairly young company which is revered by both Vogue & Goop.
Their gentle fragrances & smokeless burn are made in Japan using traditional methods from the finest organic woods and essential oils. Choose from four therapeutic scents - Refresh, Ground, Calm and Purify.
Their Ritual Incense holder is hand-cast from pure brass by a 100-year-old Japanese foundry.
SONG OF INDIA INCENSE
Song of India Temple Incense fills your home with the most beautiful fragrance you can imagine! Each stick is rolled by hand in India - Hand made from Sandalwood powder, aromatic roots, resins and herbs with natural flower oils. The mystic aroma smells like temples in India. One 20 gram pack.
NAG CHAMPA INCENSE
SATYA SAI BABA Nag Champa Incense Sticks (100gm.)
Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa Incense is made from mixture of herbs, floral extracts and oils, which are hand rolled onto a bamboo stick.
This distinguished scent can bring you to the zen of a yoga class as well as depths of Santa Fe.
CRAFT KITS
SHIBOURI KIT
GRAHAM KEEGAN INDIGO & SHIBORI NATURAL DYE KIT
For a sophisticated take on the tie-dye trend, try this natural indigo shibori kit. All you need is a bucket of hot water and something to stir it with, and the kit will provide the rest, including a blank bandana for you to test your technique before moving on to your own garments.
MOMA ART KIT
ART MAKING WITH MOMA: ACTION PAINTING KIT
​​​​​​​MoMAs action painting kit is technically for ages 6 and up, but what adult doesnt want to let out their frustration in the form of Jackson Pollock splatter art? Each kit comes complete with canvas fabric, a four-color paint set, and multiple tools for brushing, dripping, and of course, splattering.
EMBROIDERY KIT
APPRVL DIY LEARN EMBROIDERY KIT
​​​​​​​After multiple consecutive weeks of daily wear, your favorite grungy stay-at-home jeans could use a little zhuzhing; Look no further than APPRVLs embroidery kit for beginners, which provides everything from transfer paper to sewing scissors, plus scraps of the studios recycled denim and linen for you to test out your skills before taking the needle to your own pieces.
BEADING KIT
LIZZIE FORTUNATO SMALL FORTUNES DIY JEWELRY KIT
Lizzie and Kathryn Fortunato, the twin sister team behind their chic namesake brand, are also answering avid customer demands for an at-home jewelry kit of their own design, which features a gorgeous assortment of limited edition glass, wood, bone, and one-of-a-kind porcelain beads from the Lizzie Fortunato studio archives.
FASHION MOVIES & DOCUMENTARIES
MARC JACOBS & LOUIS VUITTON
In 2007 the Marc Jacobs Documentary was launched. This film highlights Marc Jacobs and his relationship with LV .From Japan to America, the LV sign dominates the fashion scene. And, one man alone designs the Louis Vuitton creations the exceptional Marc Jacobs. With unprecedented access to one of the world's hottest and busiest designers, Loïc Prigent offers an intimate and revealing portrait of the reclusive Marc Jacobs and the world of haute couture. Whether in the offices and workrooms of Paris and New York, the back of his car, or backstage at a fashion show, we see a genius at work. Jacobs endures unimaginable pressure to chart new paths in fashion as he straddles the demands of the Louis Vuitton conglomerate and his own Marc Jacobs label.
PEGGY GUGGENHEIM ART ADDICT
Lisa Immordino Vreelansd follows up her acclaimed debut of Diana Vreeland with PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT. A colorful charachter who was not only ahead of her time but helped to define it. Peggy Guggenheim was na heiress to her family fortune who became a central figure in the Modern Art movement. She collected not only art but artists as well. Her colorful personal history included such figures as Samuel Beckett, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollack , Calder, Duchamp as well as countless others. While fighting through personal tragedy she maintained her vision to build one of the most important collections of Modern Art.
DIANA VREELAND -THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL
The Diana Documentary was produced in 2011. One of the leading figures in fashion for decades, Diana Vreeland's life is presented from her beginnings in Paris, to her work as a columnist and magazine editor, and to her role as a curator of a fashion museum.
Market Report
Manhattan co-op and condo sales more than doubled year over year as the housing market was the last in the region to boom. As a result, median sales price rose to its second-highest level in thirty-two years of tracking. Listing inventory fell sharply year over year but was consistent with the two-decade average. The market was moving at its fastest pace since 2015 due to surging sales and falling listing inventory. Over the decade, the number of four+ bedrooms sales rose at twice the rate, or higher, ofany other size category. Since 2012, the median sales price rose the most of all size categories. Low mortgage rates and strong economic conditions for homebuyers fueled unusually heavy demand.
Record low listing inventory in Hamptons and North Fork held back potential sales throughout 2021 as demand remained elevated. As a result, Hamptons average sales price rose to a new high as median sales price reached the second-highest on record. With the skew to the Hamptons high-end, total sales dollars rose to a new record, exceeding the year-ago high watermark. Nearly one out of four Hamptons sales went to a bidding war, nearly double the prior year’s record.
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North Fork's median and average sales price rose to new highs while sales slipped from the prior-year high to the second-highest on record. North Fork listing inventory fell sharply to a new low, overpowered by demand. Nearly four out of ten North Fork sales went to a bidding war, nearly double the prior year’s record.
The demand momentum across the regions was unprecedented in the fourth quarter, continuing to be fueled by low mortgage rates, a low tax environment, and the potential opportunities created by remote work. However, listing inventory declines are accelerating, unable to keep pace with heavy demand. As a result, potential sales have been restrained by lower supply, driving housing prices higher.
