Stolen Perfume Bottles

So I came across these perfume bottles at some store in Chinatown last winter. They were utterly breathtaking. Much to my dismay, as soon as I whipped out my trusty camera, the ladies in the store just about had a heart attack. "No pictures." These ladies watch you like hawks. I want it stated for the record that I was not trying to commit a crime. And it's not like perfume bottles have souls. Or did they? Maybe that's what they hold. Maybe that's why I wasn't allowed to take pictures. That's besides the point.

So what a great discovery it was to find perfume bottles of the same sort at some other store today. Granted, this display was not as nice as the other one, but they were here. There bottles had to share a display with other items not as nice. And I whipped out my trusty camera and snapped to my heart's desire.

That first store had a bigger variety. They had the turtle on coral number above with red coral.
These bottles had their own display. There were also hand-held mirrors and jewelry boxes at that store.
But, hey, you just have to make it work.

I like dragonflies.

There was a jewelry store downtown. They had the most gorgeous jewelry stands of this like,
only much more gorgeous. They were in different period gowns.
I got the dreaded "No pictures." as multiple attendants swarmed at me.
This jewelry stand was at the same store as the perfume bottles.
This was the last picture I got before the lady in the store told me "No pictures."

I did NOT leave my heart in San Francisco

... but I'm sure some other people have! Like the creators of these hearts.
Here is a project called Hearts in San Francisco.

The goal? a 'unique hybrid of fund-raising, compassionate community involvement, and a positive nurturing of artistic expression.'

Anybody remember Cows on Parade? Ahem...
In Chicago?

On the back:
"What is love? For me, love is patience, unselfish deeds rendered to others, and an appreciation for just being who I am."

There are four hearts in Union Square. One for each corner.

There are over 130 hearts circulating. The project started in 2004. A bunch have been auctioned off, which I'm sure is how this heart ended up in someone's residence.

These are the hearts I've been able to spot without trying.

The Aortic Valve

Yes, we suck at updating. But there really is no point in posting on a blog intended to show each other things when we see each other everyday, is there?

Anyway, on our three(4?) short weeks together, we managed to lunch at one of our favorite spots. We love Cafe Aorta- partly because we discovered it shortly after studying the heart in AP Bio (yes, we're nerds and we love it) and partly because it was one of the cutest little places we had every seen! We sat outside which there sadly was kind of no point to. The view outside can be described as not quite dismal. Located at the corner of south 21st and Damen in Pilsen, the surrounding area isn't much to be excited about. There was only so much the flowers could do.

The inside is more quaint with local art hanging on the walls and baked goods lying around everywhere.

Some of the tables keep with the heart theme and the food is good too. The one on top is pasta with vegetarian meatballs with a side of their "kickass garlic bread." And the bottom one is an egg salad sandwich with a side of grilled veggies.

And here's a photo of the front with Papi Perez the owner (who also makes all the food behind the counter) in case you get lost trying to find it. I'm totally not saying this from personal experience.