Photography

The Friday Five: Boston Architecture

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As Johanne pointed out earlier this week, I’ve recently gone on a bit of a tour of cities. My week of travel included a visit to Boston and, as always, I was on the lookout for white. While many of the buildings in this friendly city are constructed of red-brick, I did spot several beautiful white structures as I went about my explorations. Here are five white structures that caught my eye.

building with rounded corner on Huntington Ave.

mostly straight with a bit of curve, The Midtown Hotel on Huntington Ave.

This was the only white building I saw on the Harvard campus. Are there others?

Two Center Plaza – more curves here – on Cambridge St.

pretty doorway on Park St.

As you can see, Boston did not let me down. And red as an accent colour – I can probably approve that!

Photos by Jordana.

The Friday Five: New York Architecture

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I know I’ve posted a lot about NYC in recent weeks but I spent a good chunk of my Christmas holidays there and I’m eager to share some of the photos that I took. For today’s Friday Five I’m happy to share with you some of the very pretty houses I came across when my family and I hit the ‘burbs. (Yes, that’s right, we escaped Manhattan for a morning to explore the surrounding neighbourhoods.)

Photos by Jordana.

Travel: Scenes from New York

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First, let me take the time to wish you all a happy new year! I hope you celebrated the new year in style! As for me, well, I celebrated the arrival of 2012 in NYC! I know some of you might be expecting me to tell you about a wild night I had in the city but my New Year’s Eve was quite low-key. After my sister and I fed and bathed my cute little nephews and put them to bed, we changed into pjs, watched a movie, and listened to the party goers outside making their way to Times Square. We watched a bit of the Times Square coverage on tv which was bizarre (because it was only a few blocks from where we were) and at midnight I opened the window and listened to the sounds of people’s noise makers and cheers down on the street below. It was a great evening and I felt happy and lucky to have spent it in NYC with my family. I hope your night was just as you had wanted it to be.

As you may have noticed, I have been away from the blog for a few days – what with the holidays and travel and all that, I haven’t really had much of a chance to blog. Things will get back to normal soon, I promise. For now, I am happy to share with you some images of the things I’ve seen so far in New York City.

Vivian Maier exhibit at the Howard Greenberg Gallery

Vivian Maier exhibit at the Howard Greenberg Gallery

eyelash containers at Gaga’s Workshop; read my review here

stunning works of art at Bergdorf Goodman

gorgeous dresses at Bergdorf Goodman

Swarovski star at Rockefeller Center

cool lighting display at Anthropologie

The NYPD getting prepared on New Year’s Eve (p.s. the Starbucks was closed!)

I’m not the only one in my family who loves white…
my sister painted these massive works of art for her white kitchen

So – there you have it – a glimpse into my current adventures in NYC. I look forward to sharing more photos soon.

Before I sign off for a few more days, let me thank you once again for joining the White Cabana team on our daily exploration of white. We hope we can continue to inspire you in 2012!

Photos by Jordana.

The Friday Five: Memories of Switzerland

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Every fall I host a reunion with the people I worked with over various summers in Switzerland. The reunion is happening this weekend and I’m so excited to see all of my friends. In honour of the reunion, for today’s Friday Five I’m sharing some of my memories of Switzerland.

Bern, the capital, is a special place for a variety of reasons. The archways, for example, which fill the city’s historic treats are especially interesting to walk under. But Bern is not the only place you’ll find beautifully curved structures. Up on the mountain in Zermatt, there is a small church with an arched doorway. It’s such a pretty place to see.

archways, Zermatt and Bern

While eating out can be expensive in Switzerland, when you get to custom design your food (well, burgers & pizza), then it ends up being a really entertaining experience.

checklists of food (L: my burger toppings of choice, R: my friend’s pizza order – everything except capers, sardines & olives)

The trains in Switzerland run on time, they’re clean, and they get you to pretty much wherever you need to go. The system is like no other I’ve ever experienced. Tickets aren’t cheap but there are various passes available which lower the cost per trip.

The SBB

I’m pretty much a city girl but I absolutely love going for hikes in the mountains in Switzerland. At the beginning of my very first summer in Switzerland I was so clueless about following paths and knowing which direction to go. There was no need for me to worry as hiking trails in the mountains are very clearly marked. As long as you know what the markers mean you should be fine.

a wanderwag (walking path) marker; hay bails

(I know – you were probably expecting me to include a photo of mountains, but for this city girl, a stack of wrapped-in-white hay bails really interests me.)

Finally, the goats! As if I haven’t spent enough time talking about goats on this blog, right? But they’re white and they’re Swiss so what’s not to love?

Saanen goats

Have any of you been to Switzerland? Care to share a memory or two?

Photos by Jordana.

Photography: London, Ontario

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A few weeks ago I gave my photographer friend Joel the following challenge – to take photos of white things in London, Ontario. Nothing so complicated, right?

Joel accepted the challenge (even though he admitted that he doesn’t love white as much as I do) and he recently sent along this photo and title:

Advertising: White Cabana Style

photo by Joel Lopata

Clever, Joel, clever.

Photography: Joie de Vivre

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Canadian photographer Tina Beynen of Joie de Vivre has really got an eye for beauty. Based in London, Ontario, Tina’s catalogue of photos includes everything from London landmarks and seasonal landscapes to architectural elements from her travels.

photo by Tina, Joie de Vivre

If you’re in the London area and would like to see Tina’s work in person, stop by The Met downtown.

Photography: Istanbul by Joel Lopata

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Photographer (and PhD friend of mine) Joel Lopata‘s recent snapshots of Istanbul are so striking that it might just be time for me to add another location to my travel wish list.

photos by Joel Lopata

Although Joel’s travel photos are my personal favourites, his live music photos and wedding photos are also quite incredible. Have a peek into his portfolio here.

Photography: Making the Shoot Competition

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Calling all photographers!

Do you want a chance to win a photo shoot with a celebrity in LA? If yes, then enter the Making the Shoot photography competition hosted by The Lab Magazine and Photoculture. The grand prize is a fully financed celebrity photo shoot to take place in Los Angeles and to appear in Issue No. 5 of The Lab Magazine. Amazing, right?

This international juried competition is a great opportunity to show the world what you’ve got. Submit your best work by December 30th, 2011.

Visit Making the Shoot to read all the details about this competition.

Diana wore white

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This weekend I had the pleasure of being introduced to Diana, a royalty of sorts.

Born in the ’60s with a bargain price tag of about $1, the plastic Diana seemed like a bad idea out of Hong Kong’s Great Wall Plastics Factory. Perhaps she was ahead of her time: Diana’s charm lies in her unpredictably gritty and raw renditions of what glosses over the viewfinder. Diana’s film tells stories are sometimes blurry, colours saturated and dark shadows sometimes creep from the edges of the frame.

Well, well. Guess who rose to fame in her posthumous days as a cult fave now fully back in production?

Today Diana is still a steal with a starting price tag of a mere $59 for the Elderweiss model and comes in every colour, finish, and lens play you can think of- and then some. Might we recommend checking out what all the fancy Diana-toting peeps are doing with theirs? Those who have one are quite excited about it.

I really liked her in white at Toronto’s Lomography store. Here are a few pics of me and various Dianas taken on a non-Diana cam (but that may very well change-!).

 

 

 

Images courtesy of yours truly.

Travel: Greece

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My friend JZ recently sent over some pictures from his summer trip to Greece (more specifically, the Ionian Islands). I’m always envious of people who get to experience all the white scenery in Greece. I will make it there one day, that’s forsure, but for now, I’m happy to stare at these gorgeous photos…and dream.

photos by JZ

Many thanks to JZ for sharing these photos.

Vacation Update: Florida

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My mini tour of the United States continues to go well. Even though this is a Florida-related post, I’m actually posting from Manhattan where I’ll be spending a few days with family before I head back to “real life”.

The Florida portion of my vacation was the ultimate in terms of relaxation. I fully adopted Floridian ways and moved at a much slower pace than I’m used to. Loved every minute I spent at the pool, beach and shopping. Here are some photos from my trip.

best rental car ever, Ford Mustang (via Hertz)

The Mustang

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg

the dome roof at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg

the beach (that’s not me!)

white architecture, Madeira Beach

Photos by Jordana.

The Friday Five: Chicago

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Greetings from Florida! I thought I’d take a break from working on my tan (I know, hard work, right?) to post a vacation update.

Although my friend Shannon and I are in Florida at the moment, our US tour actually began in Chicago. We spent four amazing days eating our way through the city. We also saw some incredible art and made time for shopping too (of course!). This was my second time in Chicago and I’m happy to say that I loved it as much as I did the first time around. The city has so much to offer and the people are so friendly.

Today I thought I’d share five of my favourite photos from the trip.

Chicago flower art

The Lion House at the Lincoln Park Zoo

Marilyn Monroe statue

The Rookery building – by Frank Lloyd Wright

Monument with Standing Beast by Jean Dubuffet

As always, thanks for reading White Cabana!

Happy Birthday Dad!

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Today is my Dad’s birthday and since he is White Cabana’s number one fan (and even made appearances here and here), I thought I’d help celebrate his birthday by sharing some cute photos from his childhood.

Pretty stylin’ for a little guy who grew up in the smallest of small mountain villages in Italy, right? Don’t you just love his little bow tie and sunglasses?

In this photo of Dad, it looks like he went on a bit of a hike…in a suit. As if that would happen these days!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Photographer Spotlight: Vivian Maier

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My uncle recently introduced me to the work of Vivian Maier, an American amateur street photographer whose photos date between the 1950s and 1990s. Countless rolls of undeveloped film along with thousands of negatives and prints were discovered at auction just a few years ago. It’s been too hard for me to choose just a few favourite photos so here’s a full selection that caught my attention.

Aren’t these photos stunning?

Read more about Vivian Maier and her work here, here and here.

Update: The new Vivian Maier website was revealed on April 22: http://www.vivianmaier.com/

Friday Five: New Orleans Food & Flowers

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If you’ve been following me on Twitter then you already know that I was in New Orleans last week. I’m looking forward to sharing some of my photos with you over the next little while. Today it’s all about some of the food and flowers that I came across in this über-lively city.

Flowers in the French Quarter, New Orleans

Beignets (ben-yay) at Cafe du Monde, New Orleans

A popcorn snack at Hermes bar, New Orleans

Photos by Jordana

Washington: The White House

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This month I will be going to Washington, DC for five days. I can’t wait to see all the sites, especially the White House.

The White House, a 19th century engraving

North lawn of the White House, 2007, photo by Scott Ableman

I’ll make sure to take a picture just like my mom did in 1984 so that one day my kids can do the same.

My mom at the White House, 1984

-Mackenzie

Update: Mackenzie is back from her trip to Washington and look – she recreated the photo of her mom. Isn’t it amazing? Like mother, like daughter.

Mackenzie at the White House, 2011

Chicago

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I recently had the opportunity to visit Chicago for the first time. Oh, wow! What an absolutely amazing city! If you like art, architecture, food and fashion (or any combination of these things), then a visit to Chicago is a must! Chicago also offers plenty of comedic and musical entertainment. Although my five-day stay was work-related, I did manage to play tourist in between work obligations.

Although Chicago is often referred to as the windy city, I much prefer its other name, the white city. There are plenty of white buildings, doors and art around the city. You can imagine how happy I was to be surrounded by all of this white!

One of the highlights on this trip was the 75-minute architecture tour boat some of us took over a lunch break. We listened to the history of many (if not all!) buildings on either side of the river. Another amazing experience was eating tiramisu (yum) on the 96th floor of the John Hancock tower. The view from here was absolutely incredible (and just a tad scary).

What Katie Ate

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I really feel like I’m the last person to find out about What Katie Ate, a most amazing food blog based in Australia and written by the talented Katie Quinn Davies. The recipes are delicious as can be and they are complimented by beautiful photographs. This is one site that shouldn’t be missed.


Most recently, What Katie Ate published an absolutely gorgeous Christmas magazine (free for all of us to read!). It features beautiful menus, delicious recipes, and a food tour around Sydney, New York and elsewhere. Drizzled in are giveaways, gift ideas, and plenty of chocolate goodness! This issue should definitely be on your Christmas reading list!

We do love coffee art here on White Cabana and what would go well with coffee? Nutella cookies, I’d say. (My sister is probably drooling right now.)

If cranberries are more your thing – maybe you’d like to try out these macadamia beauties.

In addition to recipes, What Katie Ate featured a few chocolate shops in this issue and took us on a tour of some beautiful food stores and restaurants. Yum! Yum!

I just love how polenta is on this list of cupboard items. I thought only my family ate polenta.

Honestly – the 495 pages in this issue are stunning and well worth your time. Let me know what you think!

Happy cooking. Happy baking. Happy eating!

All images courtesy of What Katie Ate.

Snow Days

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We’re experiencing our second heavy snowfall today here in London. The whole city has basically shut down – the university is closed, shops are closed, and public transportation is only running for half of the day.

This afternoon I put on my Hunter boots and fleece liners (amazing!), wore layers of clothing, sported my furry chapeau and I braved the winter weather. Here is what (a mostly white) downtown London looks like today:

Victoria park is covered in snow

Snow covered trees in Victoria Park

St. Peter's Cathedral with a dusting of snow

St. Peter's Cathedral in white

p.s. For those of you who are curious – yes, I absolutely adore white. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I love the snow. It’s great to look at but it’s really not for me.

Images by Jordana.

The Friday Five: Coffee

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Ahh…coffee. I love the smell, the taste and the look. I love the feeling of drinking a coffee at my local café. I love meeting a friend and catching up on gossip at a new café or sitting alone on a patio with a cup in hand and watching the world go by.

I’m a fan of any kind of coffee…my choice usually depends on the time of day, the occasion and the café. I like a latte or cappuccino in the morning or as a mid-morning break. I enjoy a nice espresso after a good meal or as an afternoon pick-me-up.

And yes – sometimes the coffee I drink is so special, it deserves a photo! I’m happy to welcome you to today’s caffeine-filled Friday Five!

1. I was in Ascoli with my aunt, uncle and father. We stopped in at Caffe Meletti before hitting the farmer’s market. The Barista wrote me a special message in my little espresso. Sweet, right?

An espresso in Ascoli, Italy

2. I was in Gstaad with my good friend Shannon. Going to Early Beck easily became an afternoon routine for us. We shared many laughs and gossiped for hours.

A cappuccino & croissant in Gstaad, Switzerland

3. On one of my trips to Paris, I stopped in at a restaurant near the Palais Royale to write postcards and get re-energized!

An espresso and tarte in Paris, France

4. I’ll never forget the morning adventure my good friend Boba and I had in Montreal. It was pouring rain outside but we were determined to have breakfast at La Croissanterie Figaro, which came highly recommended by a friend. Even though we were exhausted after a busy work week in Montreal, we stuck it out and we were rewarded with a beautiful breakfast and a couple of delicious cappuccinos.

A cappuccino with a mountain of foam in Montreal, Quebec

5. I was on a 5-day vacation with Shannon (yes, the same friend) in Budapest and we stopped in for a coffee and strudel at the First Studel House of Pest. Our food and drinks were delish!

Latte at the First Strudel House of Pest, Budapest

How about you? What are your coffee drinking routines or memories?

Photos by Jordana.

The Friday Five: Giving Thanks

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It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada so I thought it appropriate to make a list of five things I’m thankful for this year (besides health, family, friends,  work, and the food in my fridge):

1. My black Hunters. They keep me and my feet happy.

Hunter rainboots

2. My 1/2 marathon medal. Ah – the sweet precious medal.

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2010 Finishers Medal

3. My MacBook. I had no idea I would love it this much!

Mac keys light up for action.

4. My sewing machine. I got it for Christmas last year and adore it. I just wish I had more time for all the sewing projects I have in mind!

My Singer is a mighty fine machine!

5. My new 2011 agenda book (from Paris!). It has a list of text talk acronyms which is going to help me stay in-the-know.

Ready to text

Wishing all you Canadian readers a very Happy Thanksgiving! And wishing all White Cabana readers a very happy weekend!

Photos by me.

Vogue Magazine: The Search for a Street Chic Photo Blogger

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Vogue magazine is searching for the next street style fashion blogger and I’m overjoyed that Michelle Bobb-Parris has made the short list!

White + suspenders, photo by Michelle Bobb-Parris

A friend from my university days, Michelle has a great talent for capturing beautiful things on film. Wishing you much luck Michelle (and I’m sure our White Cabana readers are as well)!

Click here to see Michelle’s Vogue.com profile and click here to visit her blog.

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