Art by Skye Ferrante

Whenever we go to New York City, we spend a lot of time in SoHo, The Village, and Fifth Avenue. We also make a point to visit a few art galleries. You never know what you will find.

It was on one of those adventures of ours that we ran into Skye Ferrante, who is not only a great artist, but also a very charming man. Fortunately, he was present at the art gallery when we were there and was kind enough to chat with us showing his work to us and explaining how he comes up with ideas and how he makes his art pieces. He basically takes a piece of wire and then makes magic happen by molding it into shapes that tell a beautiful story.

What fascinated Lorena and myself, apart from his artistic talent, is his story (he was a ballet dancer). He literally started on the streets of New York selling his art to tourists for amounts that had only two digits. Just to give you an idea, the pieces that we liked from his collection on sale were all in four digits.

What we continue to ask ourselves is How many Skye Ferrantes are selling their art on streets? When will they be discovered?

Street art in Soho, New York

When you are in New York, you never know what you will see: particularly, art. A favorite neighborhood of ours is Soho. There are things to admire not just in the boutiques and galleries but also right on the streets. Opposite the Dolce & Gabbana boutique was parked this truck and on top of it was this massive metal structure. Take a look.

Are you serious about chocolate?

Considering her Latin roots, Lorena and I use a lot of chocolate, not just for munching but also for fondue or in our mole sauce or for a late night drink with kahlua. Most of the time we consume very dark chocolate for our recipes.

Apparently a place called Max Brenner is popular among Hollywood celebrities so during this trip to New York, which included a meal at the nearby Union Square Rose Mexicano restaurant, we showed up at the famous chocolate restaurant for our afternoon snack. The place is a madhouse and there was no way we could find a place to sit anytime soon. Luckily, there is a small bar area, where if you are lucky, you can find room to stand or even sit down, as we eventually did.

What do we think?

Well, it is a great place to drink a quick cup of chocolate or indulge on some exotic chocolate foods, but if you are really serious about chocolate, try MarieBelle on Broome Street in Soho. Designed by a former fashion designer, Maribel Lieberman, and graphics designer husband Jacques, the recipes at this tiny restaurant are incredible.