After a rainy day, there is an unusual sunset in midtown Manhattan from my view in west Soho.

Kind of sad to be leaving this gorgeous girl behind in NYC while I spend a couple days in Charleston.

Silly hotel isn’t pet-friendly.

She probably wont mind as she’ll be spending the weekend with her boyfriend, Pierre.

If you send a package of home baked cookies to Attention’s Fashion + Beauty Team (thanks Melanie’s Mom!), we will get together for a thank you photo with an invisible thank you sign.

New York Magazine released their “NYC’s 101 Best Restaurants” for 2012.  I’ve eaten at 7 of the top 10 restaurants and completely agree that they deserve their spot.

Last week I celebrated a birthday at Marea (#12 on the list), a seafood focused Italian restaurant on Central Park South.  Our waiter informed us that their squid would be the best we’d ever taste. They were 100% correct.

A sampling of what we ate (clockwise from top left): 

• SCAMPI langoustine
• FUSILLI red wine braised octopus, bone marrow
• ASTICE nova scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant al funghetto, basil 
• POLIPO grilled octopus, smoked potatoes, pickled red onion, radish, chilies, tonnato

CaseyCulture Rating: 9 out of 10

Perry Street is illuminated tonight.

Caught in the act.

Photo bomb. 

Yesterday I took advantage of restaurant week with lunch at Park Avenue Winter, the restaurant that goes through quarterly design and cuisine changes to ensure everything feels very “seasonal”.

For my appetizer, I had this Scallop (open-face) Sandwich, topped with potatoes, bacon and chives. This dish is what made the meal memorable.

I strongly recommend making a restaurant week reservation to at least try this.

Getting fit never looked so good.

Sunset workout from the 50th floor apartment in midtown Manhattan.

One reason why a small part of me sometimes misses home.

“A scenic 20-minute drive to the north of Baltimore is some of the finest countryside on the East Coast, good for hiking and other outdoor activities, some involving horses.” via Washington Post

After a visit from friends last weekend, I attempted to clean up and put away the guest/sofa bedding.

Turns out, this stack of sheets and pillows has become Lady’s favorite spot.

I guess putting it away is out of the question.

Less than two months left on the Upper West Side.

Time to make the most of it.

Getting in all the cuddling time I can before a week away from this one.