Bertha/Bambi and I just said our last goodbye. A friend of a friend is very interested in adopting her, so fingers crossed! Oh, just to let you know, my smile turned upside down as soon as I handed the little one over. And there was another round of water works.

Enjoyed after dinner drinks and a pitiful game of pool at Almond.

I love when wine is served with a mini carafe/pitcher.

Enjoyed the above last night along with an assortment of cheeses and meats at Maialino, Danny Meyer’s new restaurant at the Gramercy Park Hotel.

A couple months ago, I said au revoir to the comments section on CaseyCulture.  I never gave a reason why, but Sea of Shoes just removed her comments, too, and while our blogs are very different, the reasons are quite similar….see below.

And as she said, if you have something to share, you can always shoot me an email at CaseyCulture@gmail.com!

“I’m turning my comment section off for now…
It’s not that negative comments get under my skin..besides, the majority of my comments come from very nice readers, some of them other bloggers I admire. But it’s creepy to think that a few real people pour so much energy into investigating my personal life and spinning it into something negative.”

Please take note of the uber cute Marc Jacobs Mouse Flats my boss is sporting today.  They’re a couple years old, but I found them online here.  With whiskers, ears and embroidered tail to boot, how can you resist these quirky flats?

The new Beaujolais wine has arrived!

Tonight, wine lovers and Francophiles everywhere will partake in one of the world’s most favorite drinking rituals….celebrating the annual crop of Beaujolais! Festivities are being planned all over the globe, so whether you pop open a bottle chez vous or check out one of the many fetes around town (New Yorkers can attend the celebration at Alliance Francais or at L’Express), now is the time to enjoy the smooth, fruity taste of Beaujolais.

Bertha/Annie/Bambi is now 10 weeks old and in full teething mode.  Her teething object of choice?  Her feet.

It’s about that time….

They’re setting up the Union Square Holiday Market! This euro-style spot is perfect for holiday trinkets, winter accessories and a festive stroll.

So excited for the holidays!

I was just emailing my good friend Lauren, who has lived in London since graduation.  She lives with her British boyfriend and now has a British Masters degree and basically….I think she’ll be a Brit for life.  Good thing she’s coming to visit in a few weeks…..!!!!!

Anyway, our email was about the holidays, which of course led me to think of Love Actually, the ultimate holiday movie that happens to take place in London.  As a New Yorker, I guess I should feel lucky to enjoy all the beautiful decorations that take over my city, but part of me is tres jealous of Christmas in London (or Paris!)

Regardless, my weekend plans will revolve around watching this gem of a film and getting into the holiday groove.

Last night I was invited to a friend’s apartment for dinner.  Not wanting to show up empty handed, I decided to bring the ultimate dessert pleaser, cupcakes.  I’m only a fan of the mini versions (they stay moist inside) and I happened to be in SoHo, so I picked up a dozen from Baked by Melissa, the famous mini-cupcake emporium.  These bite-sized, stuffed cupcakes tickle the taste buds with flavors like cookie dough, red velvet, s’mores, cookies & cream, pb&j, peanut butter cup, and tie-dye. 

It’s actually a pretty genius idea.  You know the feeling when you’re surrounded by sweets and want to try each one, but know that doing so would result in a binge fest?  Well, Baked by Melissa’s cupcakes are not much bigger than a quarter and allow you to taste an assortment of flavors and indulge your sweet tooth without the post-dessert guilt trip.  Added bonus?  They’re only $1 each and $10 for a dozen!

Cupcake Mission Accomplished.