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FROM KIMBERLY

There is something so enchanting about dining al fresco, surrounded by trees, flowers and the open sky. This is easy to do in Santa Barbara, even if that means wearing a down sweater and UGG boots for an evening supper.! Not long ago I met a friend for dinner near her apartment at Gramercy Park.  We dined at Gramercy Tavern. It's a classic and has been around a long time but I had never been before. I  loved the ambiance the moment we walked in. Huge plate glass windows, high ceilings and larger than life floral arrangements with tree branches and flowers greeted us. A sideboard, pictured here, was layered with masses of roses, daisies, mounds of squash, piles of miniature clay pots and a large glorious cheese board.  Our table had tiny vases filled with rosemary arranged in a wooden tray and even the "toilette" was festooned with numerous floral arrangements. A city style al fresco experience in the heart of New York!

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FROM KIMBERLY

There is a beautiful movement in design combining natural organic elements with sleek simplicity and geometric proportions. Pictured here is a perfect example of this 21st century aesthetic, the "Hypar Pavilion" - a superbly sculptural park/restaurant called Lincoln, at Lincoln Center. It's one of my favorite under the radar spots to dine in all of NY, designed as part of the Lincoln Centers 2010 remodel, brilliantly imagined by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. A stroll through Lincoln Center, whether attending the opera, ballet, theatre (or not) is an uplifting experience; the glowing buildings, the open terraces, the grand fountain, the reflecting pool with Henry Moore sculpture, is always breathtaking. The creation of Lincoln Center was the vision of John D. Rockefeller III; he engaged Wallace Harrison (instrumental in designing Rockefeller Center) to design the master plan, as well the Metropolitan Opera House. Numerous architects including Eero Saarinen and Philip Johnson designed buildings for the center as well.