May 4, 2020: Art, travel + food

Today I took a short virtual tour of the current exhibition at Tierra del Sol Gallery, an art space housed in LA's Chinatown with a mission to empower people with disabilities to fulfill their potential and be seen for their many contributions to our society. Artist Michael LeVell, who is legally blind, has been working with the gallery and studios for 30 years! I'm loving his ceramics. Thanks Happy for this discovery!

Every time I book a trip to a Spanish-speaking country, I tell myself I should learn a few phrases. Do I? No. (Well, except for "I'm severely allergic to dairy.") With extra time on my hands and a nudge from the New York Times travel section, I'm in my second week of using Duolingo to use basic Spanish. What I appreciate is that you don't have to dedicate hours to it, although I'm learning that keeping up a daily practice is super helpful!

Last week I listened to a long-form article / audio piece by Gabrielle Hamilton, the owner/operator of Prune in New York. I've been to Prune exactly twice, most memorably for my 10-year Coro reunion, at which we had custom menus and were seated at the only table on the lower level of the restaurant. In the piece, Hamilton writes about opening her restaurant 20 years ago when so much was different -- the East Village, the restaurant business, the real estate market, and the food scene, among others. By sharing what she loved about meals at Prune, Hamilton hopes you'll consider your favorite restaurant -- what it feels like to be there and why you keep going back.