The Mall I Love Most

I feel very lucky that I am from Scottsdale, Arizona. It will always be HOME, even though New York City will also be HOME. :)
When I go home, I always go to Scottsdale Fashion Square. I've been going to this fantastic mall since I was 10 years old. I just love it. I love shopping, eating lunch and seeing movies there. I really can get around with my eyes closed.

A friend of mine recently "tweeted" an article about America's Most Profitable Malls. Guess which one was on the list!? The fabulous Fashion Square. Other malls on the list were in New York, San Francisco, Hawaii, San Diego, Vegas and New Jersey (Paramus & Short Hills--side note: I will always love The Mall at Short Hills for helping me find my Uggs).

Excerpted from the article:
Using data from Green Street Advisors, an investment research firm in Newport Beach, Calif., that specializes in publicly owned real estate companies, U.S. News identified malls in which the retail economy is relatively healthy. While bargain shopping is obviously popular, the nation's most profitable shopping centers generally don't rely on discounters. Instead, they tend to feature chains with a strong brand identity, like Nordstrom, Abercrombie & Fitch, Apple, and Anthropologie. Since it's all about real estate, location is vital: The best malls tend to be in densely populated areas or tourist hotspots. And it sure helps if local residents are affluent.

The data we analyzed includes sales, occupancy rates, and quality grades for about 650 of America's biggest shopping centers. All of these properties post average sales of about $420 per square foot, and the average occupancy rate is 92 percent. That earns an A- grade. The 10 malls at the top of the list perform much better, with sales well above $600 per square foot and occupancy rates of 94 percent or higher. And each earns an A+ from Green Street for its performance and the quality of its tenants. Here's where shoppers are still spending money:

Scottsdale Fashion Square, Scottsdale, Ariz. (95 percent; $618). When it's too hot to go outside—which is often—Arizonans shop, and Fashion Square has a number of stores, like Neiman-Marcus, Burberry, and Jimmy Choo, that are found nowhere else in the state. The housing bust has hammered Arizona, but Scottsdale is still one of the nation's fastest-growing cities, with high incomes to match. Barney's New York, coming to Scottsdale in the fall, will mark another first for Arizona.

Logan County Hamburgers

I can't say I was shocked when Katie Lee Joel and Billy Joel announced their split a couple weeks ago--however, I actually did like them together! Katie Lee Joel's cookbook is A-MAZING and we recently made her famous Logan County hamburgers for dinner. They were so, so good...like a cross between a burger and a grilled cheese. These are crave-worthy burgers and award-winning too (New York Burger Bash)!

INGREDIENTS (for 6 burgers--I made just 2)

1 pound ground beef (85% lean)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 medium yellow onion, half grated, the other half thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
12 slices white sandwich bread
12 slices American cheese, optional

PREPARATION

1. In a medium bowl, combine beef, egg, grated onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined. Form into thin patties.

2. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.

3. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook burgers about 3 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels. Drain grease from skillet.

4. In same skillet, place 6 slices bread, butter side down. Top each with a slice of cheese, if desired, some onion slices, and a burger. Top with remaining slices cheese, if using, and bread, butter side up. Cook each sandwich until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Serve with mustard, ketchup, pickles, or any other desired hamburger toppings.

THE AIR IS DIFFERENT UP HERE!

I had a great day in Seattle! I must say, it is fantastic exploring a city without also having to explain the history & culture to a group of 40 people :) I am staying at my dear friend Nola's house (unfortunately she had to go to the Middle East for work but I am returning in August to see her!). The weather was GORGEOUS today, so I took the ferry out to Bainbridge Island and ate lunch at Cafe Nola. The place itself was adorable, however, my waitress was a space cadet. She brought me a salmon sandwich after I ordered a veggie one and then charged me for jumbo prawns.
After the ferry, I walked around Pike Place Market, down Fourth Avenue, into the amazing Seattle Public Library & down to Pioneer Square. I went to Victrola Coffee in Capitol Hill & up to Kerry Park for one of the best views in Seattle. I also drove around the adorable town of Issaquah, which is very near to where I'm staying. This is my second visit to Seattle, but first time to do it on my own.
AND!!!!! I went to Edmonds, WA to visit the Rick Steves travel store (and decided to get my eyebrows waxed too). Rick Steves is one of my travel heroes...while I think it's best to hire a private guide in a new city at least for a few hours, Rick's walking tours are fun, easy and you really see a place. I'm going to start reading "Travel as a Political Act," his new book.

The photo was taken from Kerry Park...what a fabulous view of Seattle!!

Next up is Whistler for two nights, Vancouver for two nights and back to Seattle for one (all with my mom).

Rambling on

I'm in the process of redeveloping my blog and website (it's really been too long)...not to mention my life and career! So, while I am planning and working on that, here is what's running through my mind:

~Rascal Flatts "Summer Nights" and Dave Matthews "You and Me" are providing some great background music...I love that DMB recorded most of the CD in New Orleans, the city of beautiful music.
~I'm loving the first season of Secret Life of the American Teenager
~Andy is fantastic. He has a newfound "like" of twitter...and yet his goal with any online networking site is to develop them into real relationships. He's soarin' and flyin' :)
~Overzealous Christians overuse the word "blessed" and I find it terribly amusing...might start a drinking game
~I'm home in New York City and am so 110% entirely sure of that
~I'm so excited for my Pacific Northwest trips...both June & August! My dear friend had to go to the Middle East for a great work opportunity in June so I'll spend 3 days at her house in Seattle, going to Orcas Island for one of them. Then I'll spend time with her in August. I'll be going with my mom to Vancouver and Whistler in June. I can't wait to see how much my mom loves Vancouver and neither of us has been to Whistler.
~I really like the friends I've been hanging with in Dallas and miss them...they are great people!
~I'm on my way to a semi-new, fresh career outlook and direction...and I'm not even that scared or nervous. I just know it's all going to work out. I had a "kick-ass woman" moment when I turned down work because they weren't going to pay me enough.
~I think Lady Antebellum's "I Run to You" has been on repeat more than any other song lately...it reminds me of my last trip to the Alps because I played it every night 700 times in my room
~Congratulations to my little sister Maggie for making the Scottsdale Honors Cotillion--my little sister will be a beautiful debutante! She left today for a 15 day trip to Spain, France and Italy. The rest of my family JUST got back from a trip to Germany, Switzerland, and Prague. We love Europe.
~Read "I Knew You Could" by Craig Dorfman especially if you're going through a tough time. This book changes my life every time I read it. Whoop for children's books!

A on a plane

Andy sitting comfortably on a plane...the most flexible person I know!

Hi from Gstaad!!

To remember

I just didn't want to forget two little moments that happened tonight in Innsbruck. I absolutely love Innsbruck. I feel like I can breathe when I'm here--because I know it so well and know what to do and where to go and can then pass that along to the questioners.
Tonight, as I was getting my Sacher Tea and Sacher Torte, a very nice elderly man walked in and started talking to me. We chatted for about five minutes, he asked where I was from and when I said "Arizona," his face lit up and he said "I wish I could go to the Grand Canyon. But I wish for a partner to go with me." Happy face to sad face. So I just wanted to remind myself to pray for and think of this nice man even in a few years...I hope he finds his partner!
Second thing is this fabulous couple on tour...at dinner tonight, the man ended up bringing me a cup of tea. He said "You have been serving us this whole week and I wanted to serve you in a small way." Wow! It made my week. My job can sound glamorous and exciting...but more often than not, I am sleeping for four hours a night because I'm up studying and worrying about the next day. And the fact that he noticed I was trying to help everyone this week? It just made my week. He also noticed I don't drink coffee--I drink tea. And he brought me it just how I liked it. What a gem.

Mistress & Maid

I love New York City museums. When it’s ten below in the winter or a humidity index of 99 in the summer, you can escape into any of the museums and just let the time pass. Today, I passed some time at The Frick Collection, housed in Henry Frick’s former home that he built to upstage Andrew Carnegie (aka gigantic, would-be-creepy-to-actually-live-in mansion on Fifth Avenue). I wanted to post this photo of a painting that really got my attention and see what you thought.
It’s by Vermeer and it’s called Mistress and Maid (1665-70). So has the mistress just finished writing the letter that the maid is holding? Is the maid delivering it? Which one of them knows the contents? Do either of them know? I know what I think but want to know what you think!