GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!

The Chinese New Year began yesterday, February 18th. Because my San Francisco elementary school celebrated the Chinese New Year on our playground, this occasion has special meaning to me. I remember watching The Dragon Dance and The Lion Dance in awe.

Here in New York, I am blessed to live near Chinatown. Chinatown brings my senses alive. During the months leading up to the New Year, the shops - may of them open-air - are filled with special decorations and Hongbo, red envelopes that adults fill with money and give to young people for luck. The gentlman above is selling Hongbo to sidewalk passersby. I indulged in Snoopy- and Hello Kitty-themed envelopes.

The Chinese New Year is the first day of the lunar calendar, so it is also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. Records whow that the Chinese started to celebrate the New Year about 2000 BC, on the first day of the lunar calendar based on Emporer Wu Di's almanac of the Han Dynasty.

Chinese New Year celebrations include the following traditions:

1. One month prior to the Chinese New Year, participants clean and decorate their homes, buy new clothing, get haircuts, prepare food to last two weeks.

2. A New Year's Eve dinner.

3. Firecrckers, which signal getting rid of the old and welcoming in the new.

4. Hongbao - red packets filled with money to symbolize luck.

5. The Dragon and Lion Dances.

6. The Lantern Festival.

WHAT IZ A DREAM BINDER?

In years past, I've made Dream Collages or Treasure Maps. That's where you cut out magazine pictures which represent the things you want to bring into your life. You glue the pics down onto a large piece of posterboard and put the board in a place where you look often, like over your desk. The last couple of Dream Collages I made kept falling off the wall and took up a lot of space in my petite home office. Furthermore, they became like wallpaper - something I looked at so often that it faded into the background.

Last year, I decided to do something different; that something evolved into a Dream Binder. It's a 3-ring binder and in it I keep documents and mementos related to my goals for the year. I mostly use mag. photos or write notes on 3x5 cards to record what I want or what events occured that related to my dreams. OR I write something I want as if it has already occurred.

Quick Dream Binder tip: I use thin black paper covered by a thin plastic protector and designed for a 3-ring binder. This product makes it easy to slip in or glue down 3X5 cards or paper mementos.

Here's something interesting that happened in my dream binder last year: I cut out pictures of two things I wanted to win in the New York Public Library Sweepstakes. Although I did not win the spa vacation, I did win a gift certificate to a restaurant in Manhattan! In looking in Dream Binder 2006, I also see seeds of good things that have started to happen this year.

In summary, a Dream Binder is both a scrapbook and a crystal ball. You can look into it to see good things that happen along the way and to set your intentions for good things to come.

Try it! You'll like it!

( PS - The above photo of America Ferrera in her role of Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty is the cover of this year's Dream Binder. )

RODNEY ROTHMAN'S EARLY BIRD

What happens when a 28-year-old spends half a year living in a retirement community in Florida? Read Rodney Rothman’s Early Bird: a Memoir of Premature Retirement to find out! Last summer, when I was in a neighborhood bookstore, the cover of Early Bird caught my eye so I picked up a copy off a table and started reading different passages. Laughing out loud upon contact with the print meant this book was worth buying.

A former writer for The David Letterman Show, Rodney has a penchant for using humor, but never in a way that denigrates older adults. Through narrative, he describes his interactions with the retirees and their interactions with one another. He intersperses the stories with his research about the history and demographics of aging and the elderly in this country. The research is useful, because it provides a context for his anecdotes.

What appealed to me about this book? Why am I promoting it? As someone who prizes my relationships with older adults and treasures their wit and wisdom, I was encouraged to see that someone from my generation had slowed down enough to observe and record what it’s like to be an older adult this country. Because Rodney spent a full half year at Century Village and developed relationships with people there, he was able to document, in a meaningful way, both the strengths and the struggles of this population.

There’s something about the time Rodney took each day to talk with, observe, and interact with the elders that contradicts our normal inclination to rush through each day, to associate mostly with people from the same age or background, and to be as “productive” as possible. In this country, there is a huge emphasis on efficiency, productivity, and economic and geographic mobility. Within that emphasis, the possibilities for intergenerational connections are often lost. Elders and their life experiences are often pushed aside; they are segregated into communities where their contact with younger people is limited and vice versa. Aren’t our lives the richer for our relationships across lines of age? My own experiences and Rodney’s book tell me “Yes”.

MEETING EVA ZEISEL

I first learned about Eva Zeisel during a June 2006 episode of CBS News Sunday Morning. She was born in 1906 to a Jewish family in Hungary, and, over the course of her life, has designed roughly 100,000 glass and ceramic objects. As a young adult, she was made Director of Glass and China for the USSR. A year later, she was arrested and imprisoned for 16 months in Moscow on suspicion of plotting to assassinate Stalin (!). Twelve of those months she spent in solitary confinement. She was released for reasons unknown to her.

Shortly after her release from prison, Eva and her husband Hans came to New York with $64. She established the first American course teaching ceramics as industrial design at Pratt University. She also opened a design studio in the basement of her apartment building on Riverside Drive. In 1963, she created her last design for 20 years. After resuming activity in 1983, she designed metal dishes, crystal vases, lamps, office interiors, tea sets and martini glasses. She was the first person to design an all-white Modernist dinner service in the United States.

Five months after viewing Eva on television, I learned through newspaper articles and a Crate and Barrel ad that she was about to turn 100. I also saw that we shared the same birthday! That’s when I decided to pursue an in-person interview with her. My hands were shaking as I dialed Eva Zeisel’s telephone number. I was, after all, calling one of the biggest influences on 20th Century design who had just turned 100 years told.

“Who are you?” Eva asked in her Eastern European accent.

“Eleanor Traubman,” Ms. Zeisel. “I write a publication called Creative Times. I used to live in your neighborhood and I went to Bank Street [a grad school near her home]. We have the same birthday.”

Sweat was now running down my back as I stumbled to communicate the purpose of my call. “Ms. Zeisel, I would love an opportunity to interview you for my newsletter.”

I guess the spirit behind my call, certainly not my eloquence, came through because Ms. Zeisel eventually put her assistant on the phone with me. A few minutes later, I had successfully set up a time to visit with Eva in her home.

Shortly after I’d celebrated my 37th birthday and Eva her 100th, I came to her apartment for our visit. The first thing I noticed is that she was surrounded by dozens of floral arrangements people had sent to her. Eva wasn’t feeling well that day, so we kept the chatting to a minimum. She enjoyed sitting close and holding hands. At the end of the visit, with tears in my eyes, I thanked her for creating so much beauty and inspiration.

I will always be grateful that I had the chance to learn about and meet Eva Zeisel, the woman who has committed her life to the “playful search for beauty.”

Many thanks to you, Eva. With Love, Eleanor

For more information about Eva:
Eva Zeisel by Lucie Young
News article in Boston Globe
Eva Zeisel Forum

DRIVER OF THE PINK TRUCK

MAGIC PINK SOAP TRUCK

While on the outskirts of Chinatown, I spied this fabulous Pink Magic S & S Soap Company truck. The driver of the truck saw me from across the street and put his hands on his hips, like "What are you doing?" I crossed over, told him how much I loved his truck, and asked him if I could take a picture of him standing in front of it. He said "No" but then decided I could take a picture of him after he got behind the steering wheel.

BOOKS TO KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR

Dare to Dream is the name of the workshop I lead each January. The workshop, which focuses on inspired goal-setting, is for women who take part in a monthly gathering called How to Succeed Without Selling Out. We explore ways we can live our lives in accordance with our own values.

In preparation for the workshop, and to give my own self some inspiration for setting goals for 2007, I read and recommend these three books:

1. This Year I Will...............: How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True. Written by M.J. Ryan.

2. The Energy Addict: 101 Physical, Mental & Spiritual Ways to Energize Your Life. Written by John Gordon.

3. Comfort Secrets for Busy Women: Finding Your Way When Your Life is Overflowing. Written by Jennifer Louden.

Happy Reading!

RAINBOW CITY

RAINBOW XYLOPHONE REVISITED

When I was in second grade, my classmate Toby's father got in front of our whole class to play the guitar and sing. I was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, right next to his feet. He was wearing sandles and had toenails deformed by a fungal infection. I remember looking down at those feet, but also up at the peaceful, beaming face of The Singing Dad. That image has stayed with me to this day.

I bet Toby's Dad would be shocked to know that more than 30 years later, someone remembers that day and the way his face looked when he played the guitar. Most of us, myself included, never realize the extent to which we inspire people - loved ones and strangers alike - with our words, our art, our acts of humor and kindness - things we don't think twice about, don't think much of at all.

As the author of this blog, I hit pockets where I think it doesn't matter that I write Creative Times. Even if the statistics shows that folks are reading it, the way I filter that information is "I don't know if this blog means anything to the people who read it. It's one of millions of blogs and maybe they forget it about it the next day."

This past week, I got off a plane in Santa Ana, 3,000 miles away from my home in New York. My boyfriend picked me up and drove me to a party hosted by his parents' best friends, Ron and Joanne. I had met Joanne a couple of years ago and she had sent some kind emails about my blog. I had forgotten about the emails.

Joanne came up to me at the party and said "I've really enjoyed your blog. I loved reading about the rainbow xylophone. And I did decide to sign up for the writing course." I then recalled that over the summer, she had been deliberating over signing up for the course, feeling like she had nothing to say. I had sent emails to encourage her to take the course, saying she had plenty to say.

Anyway, it sort of blew my mind that Joanne in sunny Orange County liked reading about the rainbow xylophone I had purchased at a stoop sale 3,000 miles away in Brooklyn, New York.

After the incident with Joanne, I started thinking about Toby's dad and how he left a mark in my mind that's stayed all these years. That's when I started to think about how every move we make has such incredible staying power, such capacity to move and inspire people around us. I began to entertain the idea that there might be other Joannes out there who have been impacted in some way by things I have written. Just because I'll never see or hear from those folks doesn't make my writing less important.

So I'm trying to remember - and maybe you could, too - that we each make a difference to people just by being who we are. Whether we know it or not, we do. Toby's dad, if you're out there listening, thanks for reminding me of this essential truth.

Art Credit: Michael Sorgatz

NEED I SAY MORE?

Credit: Studio Dog Cards
by David walker
Recycled Paper Greetings

GOOD NEWS, SCORPIOS!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Talent hits a target no one else can hit," said German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. "Genius hits a target no one else can see." That could and should apply to you, Scorpio, at least during the month of November. I believe that you have a heightened ability to access special talents that have been partially dormant up till now. If you summon the gall to be almost crazily confident, you'll soon be scoring bull's-eyes on targets that no one else can see, let alone hit.

- Taken from Free Will Astrology with permission of Rob Brezyny, www.freewillastrology.com

HOT PINK PARKA

Since the dawn of the Barbie Town House, pink and purple have been my favorite colors. So imagine my delight when, home sick, I opened a package from my mom and found a hot pink puffy parka. Putting it on and zipping it up, I felt my spirits lift in spite of my crummy cold.

Pink, pink, how I love it so . Here are some other Hot Pink Moments:

• * A few years ago, my dear friend Isabelle sent a gift tucked into a hot pink gift bag adorned with a furry hot pink handle. I kept the bag around for months just so I could look at it.
  
• * For three years, I dressed as a Disco Fairy for Halloween. Ensemble included hot pink chiffon dress from early 1970s, complete with fake jewel-encrusted collar and sheer cape-like attachment.
  

* A bunch of years ago, I bought a hot pink stuffed animal monkey and named it Pink Monkey. The twin boys that I did childcare for loved Pink Monkey so much that I gave it to them. Last week, I was perusing a Brooklyn shop for children and found a smaller version of Pink Monkey. Brought it home where it sits on a shelf next to hippos George and Martha and the rest of the animal gang.

LONG LIVE HOT PINK!

CELESTIAL PUMPKIN

My friend Meghan suggested that we get together to carve pumpkins. "Great idea," I said. "I haven't done that in years." I went to the corner store, bought two bright orange beauties, and schlepped them home with my laundry. Covered the kitchen table with newspaper, got out an assortment of knives and spoons, and welcomed Meghan as she walked in the door.

The sun shone onto the little square table where we sketched out our design plans. We cut off the tops and scooped out the seed-strewn innards. "Let's toast the seeds," I suggested, and proceeded to separate the seeds from the cold orange goo. Sprinkled the seeds with salt and oil and put them on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees.

As the seeds toasted, we carved our pumpkin faces. Meghan made a cat and I made a moon and a star to represent each eye. I named mine "Celeste" for the celestial theme. We each placed a white votive candle in a condiment dish and then into the bottom of the pumpkin. Magic! Celeste and The Cat glowed from within up as we munched on the salty seeds.

Felt great to do a hands-on project. Invigorating and relaxing at the same time. Must do this again next year!

ANN MORRIS, AUTHOR OF CHILDREN' S BOOKS

Holy Cow! Ann Morris has written more than 100 picture books for children! I met Ann at a workshop for teachers at the Guggenheim Museum and instantly wanted to get to know her. Ann graciously welcomed a visit from me in her lovely apartment in the upper west side of Manhattan. There, she shared the path that led to her rich and rewarding career as a children’s book author.

Originally a teacher of young children and a teacher of teachers, Ann went on to a 13-year stint at Scholastic as the head of the early childhood department. In that position, she oversaw the production of the magazine Let’s Find Out, various sound filmstrips, and other audio-visual materials. When Ann decided that she wanted to develop her own educational materials, she sold her book ideas quickly. She met Ken Heyman, Margaret Mead’s photographer, and initiated collaboration with him on some of her books. Currently, much of Ann's work is done with Peter Linenthal, whom she calls "a talented artist,photographer, sculptor and creative partner in all ways."

In books such as Bread, Bread, Bread and Shoes, Shoes, Shoes, you can see that Anne is the master of taking a single concept and depicting it, through words and photographs, across a multitude of cultures around the globe. Young people get to see similarities and differences in a visual way. In the back of the concept books, Ann tells where each picture was taken.

The global nature of Ann’s books is fed by her life-long love of travel. Indeed, Ann will testify to the high number of adventures connected to the making of her books. She travels to do research, to interview people. She travels with different photographers.

Currently, Ann volunteers for Learning Leaders in their Authors Read-a-Loud program. She visits various school classrooms to share her books and book-making processes with young people. She also conducts multicultural grandparent/parent/child book-making workshops which tie in with her series What Was It Like, Grandma? This collection includes books that look at the lives of grandmothers of seven different heritages: Latina, Arab, Chinese, African, Native American, British and Jewish.

One thing I admire and respect about Ann is how she keeps her life big and interesting through her genuine love for people and curiosity about the world around her. Her office bulletin board is full of photographs of the people she’s met and kept in touch with; her home is full of keepsakes from her travels. Being in her apartment feels like being in a smaller, more intimate version of a museum.

Ann Morris is a woman with a thousand stories to tell. Fortunately for us, she continues to tell them through her beautiful, well-crafted books.

If you’d like to know more about Ann and her work, you can visit her website at http://www.annmorrisbooks.com/

GEORGE AND MARTHA

What can I say? I love the children’s book characters George and Martha. I remember their picture books from long ago and was thrilled to find the video George and Martha: Best Friends in the Donnell Library. The video, featuring the voices of Nathan Lane and Andrea Martin, animates four stories – The Book, The Acting Class, The Misunderstanding, and The Secret Club.

After viewing Best Friends with Mike, I turned to him and said “George and Martha are a lot like us, aren’t they?” Mike laughed and agreed. We’re best friends who quibble sometimes but mostly enjoy the simple pleasures of daily life together.

Soon after renting the movie, I found stuffed animal versions of George and Martha at The Corner Bookstore and gifted them to Mike on Valentine’s Day. We particularly like the red tulip tucked behind Martha’s left ear and the gold tooth hanging over George’s chin. G and M are easy on the eye. They also serve as convenient scapegoats for unexplainable acts of mischief. When Mike asks questions like “Where’s the rest of my sorbet?” Or “Why are there cookie crumbs all over the futon?” or “Why is my hairdryer broken?” I simply avert eye contact and say “I dunno. Ask George and Martha.”

This morning, I had George, Martha, and a small hand-knit, toothbrush-carrying walrus performing a dance to my version of Justin Timberlake’s SexyBack. “Do you think it’s weird that we’re adults who have stuffed animals around?” Mike asked. “No!” I exclaimed. “Every literary household has stuffed animals. It means we’re reading the good books!” That being settled, George and Martha let out a collective sigh of relief.

PS - The original George and Martha books were written by James Marshall and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. The illustration above is from www.hbofamily.com

HALIMA AND RACHIDA

I met Halima (left) and Rachida (right) in 2005 when I trained them and other parents at Roosevelt Island’s Public School 217 to be volunteers in the school. I remember thinking at the time how they defied every crummy stereotype about Muslim women. They were funny, open, outspoken, and asked good questions. They shared from personal experiences of coming to the US, learning English, and navigating our culture. Through their talk, I learned that Halima and Rachida shared a strong friendship.

When I returned to PS 217 in the spring of 2006 to lead a workshop about parenting adolescents, Halima and Rachida came into the room together to participate. “Do you want any treats before you sit down?” I asked. There were coffee and sweet rolls on a nearby table. “No thanks,” they replied, “we just had breakfast together.” Something about that response caught my attention, maybe the fact that two friends started the day by sharing a meal. You don’t hear a lot of stories about moms, or anyone, doing that. I pried a bit and found out that Halima and Rachida’s breakfast together is a near-daily event. At 8:30 a.m., they drop off their children at school and head to Trellis, the only sit-down restaurant on Roosevelt Island.

The following month, after the school held a Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast, I pulled Halima and Rachida aside and asked if I could interview them for Creative Times. “Sure,” they said. And this is what they shared:

Halima came to the U.S. in 1995 and Rachida came in 2002. They met here at a children’s birthday party. They are both Moroccan, both Muslim, and both speak French, all commonalities which contributed to the original connection they made at the celebration. They also both shared a focus on education when it came to raising their young ones.

At the party, the two women exchanged information and continued to build their friendship in different ways. Before Rachida knew a lot of English, for example, Halima would do some translation for her at doctor appointments.

“What do you like about each other?” I asked them.

Halima’s reply: “Rachida is funny, sensitive, and she is a good mom.”
Rachida’s reply: “Halima is open-minded, sincere, and confident in the information she shares about parenting.”

Halima and Rachida’s families get together sometimes, but it is their morning breakfasts that are the bedrock of their friendship. “The breakfasts last hours sometimes,” they share, “and the time goes by quickly.”

PS – Halima is now the PTA President at PS 217. Rachida is teaching French at the United Nations International School.

WEED YOUR OFFICE

When I was a full-time professional organizer, I saw a lot of folks whose file cabinets were stuffed with papers that they never looked at or used. Meanwhile, the papers that came in everyday - bills, school stuff, medical stuff, stuff related to work, passionate pursuits, and daily life – piled up on desks, beds, window sills and bookshelves. Yikes!

An office is a lot like a garden: You’ve got to weed it to keep it in good shape. Remove whatever is excess, old, no longer relevant, and you’ve got yourself more room – physical and mental – to grow beautiful, new ideas, projects, and relationships.

At least three times a year, I go through all my files. I take out one file at a time, look at the contents, and ask myself if they are truly important to my life right now. If a single paper or an entire file doesn't fit that bill, into recycling it goes.

Sometimes, I create whole new categories of files based on a life change or on a new priority. I have one now called Brooklyn Life. It includes folders called Home Ideas, Park Slope Food Coop, and Goals.

The idea of going through your files may sound like a complete drag. But let me tell you, there are some rewarding and even pleasurable aspects to it. For me, it’s like taking an inventory of my life, past and present. I get to take a walk down memory lane and then figure out which of these memories are worth preserving. Sometimes I come across papers that remind me of something I want to write about, some idea I want to pursue. Or I realize that whatever that paper represents is no longer important to me in my life right now.

When I’m done with the whole process (which, by the way, is easier if broken up into one- or two-hour chunks of time over the course of a weekend), my file system is easier to use. It’s more reflective of how my life actually is. I have the immense satisfaction of recycling one or two large bags of paper. My office has a whole new, shiny, light look and feel.

If you have an office inside or outside the home, enter it with the discerning eye of a gardener. Pluck out what hinders growth, make room for the new.

CECILIA ANDRE, LOCAL HERO

I met Cecilia Andre through a women's organization called The Crystal Quilt. She came to my apartment on the night that I led an evening of goal-setting for a group of Crystal Quilt women, and afterward sent me a thank you note featuring animal stickers surrounded by her own sketches. I was intrigued.

Later, Cecilia showed up when I trained a group of parents at her daughter's school to be Learning Leaders - that is, to provide one-on-one assistance to public school students who needed extra help with math, reading, and writing. Cecilia agreed to be the Lead Volunteer of Learning Leaders at the school, and proceeded to help lead one of the most dynamic and well-organized group of parent and community volunteers that the school has ever seen. Going above and beyond her weekly duties as a tutor, Cecilia organized other volunteers and school staff to turn a dumpy, depressing teacher lounge into a chic, comfortable hang-out spot via donations of paint, furniture, window treatments and her very own artwork.

Which brings me to Cecilia, the artist. Cecilia has been making art since she was a young person growing up in Brazil. Currently, she has her own studio in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. There, she paints, hosts small studio classes and throws parties. She shows her work in locations around the city and is excited about the upcoming Painting is a Dinosaur. The show will run from Oct.4 to Oct.29 at Gallery Onetwentyeight. Go to 128 Rivington Street between Essex and Norfolk. Take the F Train to Delancey and you'll be on the corner of Essex, just one block away from the gallery. Hours: Wed. - Sat. 1:00 - 7:00; Sunday 1:00 - 5:00. Cecilia will be there each Sunday.

Here's what I love about Cecilia:

She so warmly invites people of all walks of life into her own life and into her family's life. As a result, Cecilia's life is rich with a diverse array of friends and her children get to grow up in an extended network of people who care about them.

As an artist, mom, and a leader, Cecilia powerfully models for her daughters and for other females that there are no limits for women. She prioritizes the well-being of her family without losing sight of her many additional interests and talents. Case in point: she has kept her identity and work as an artist front and center.

Cecilia is as busy as anyone else I know, yet leaves room in her life and her family's life for spontaneity and unstructured time. There is a sense of generosity there and a sense of playfulness in how she views and lives in time.

Thanks, Cecilia, for modeling what it means to live life fully and passionately!

To contact Cecilia about her artwork or studio classes, email: arteny@msn.com or phone: (917) 892-6705

GRATITUDE JOURNAL

I'd read and heard about keeping a gratitude journal and wrote it off as being corny. The thing is, I have a little habit of focusing on "problems" rather than giving my attention to what's going well in life. So I finally started to keep a gratitude journal, first in an actual paper journal and then in a computer file. At the end of each day, I list ten simple things that I feel grateful for. It's a great way to end the day and gets my attention on what's going well.

Here's one of my lists:

Finding greeting card with Quentin Blake illustration
(see above image)
Finding Brenda Ueland's If You Want to Write for $2.oo
Nice chat with middle school principal
Hugging Carol, the security guard at PS 6
Rearranging the office
Buying palm tree/hula girl earrings for my friend's birthday
Wearing new terrycloth flip-flops
Spotting two red dachsunds the size of baby seals
Listening to Missy Elliott while working out
Watching Project Runway with my sweetie
Getting advice from fellow co-op shopper about best cheese to buy for pizza
Making pizza at home

LE PETIT CAFE = HEAVEN ON EARTH

If I could spend the night anywhere besides my apartment, it would be in the garden seating area of Le Petit Cafe. Just push a couple of tables aside, pop up an Aerobed, and I would be in Heaven. You might be, too. Co-owners Jose Segundo (left) and Tommy Perez (right) have created one of the most magical environments in Brooklyn. Prior to opening Le Petit in 1999, Tommy had spent a good deal of time at Connecticut Muffins. He noticed how much he enjoyed being outside with his neighbors and decided to create a place of his own where local residents could hang out together. A few years after opening his restaurant, Tommy brought Jose on board and eventually made him Co-Owner. You can tell by the good vibe in Le P. that these guys work well as a team.

Le Petit boasts these features: skylight; soothing sounds of two waterfalls; pleasant wait staff; stone floor; and two tree-shaped tree sculptures made of sheet metal, one which pours water the other which holds votive candles. Everywhere you look, there is something pleasing to the eye - a color, a texture, a small sculpture or plant. Still, it never feels overdone.

Whenever I need time away from the hustle and cement of the city, I head off to Le Petit. An hour of reading, writing, eating, and soaking in the beauty fills me with the quiet inspiration I need.

Le Petit is located at 502 Court Street between Luquer and Nelson. You can get there by taking the F or G train to Carroll Street. Their website is http://www.lepetitcafe.us/