Wherever You Go, There You Are

Sad in the sun with great company

I need to start off with a massive thank you for your responses to last week’s newsletter (ICYMI). I was met with so much kindness and was reminded how universal heartbreak is. I know time is the thing that will help the most but hearing about other people going through this pain to end up in a much better place was very encouraging and much needed.

I’m writing to you from sunny Los Angeles where I’m still sad and angry and not sleeping well. It’s not all bad though—I’m getting quality time with loved ones, walks in the sunshine, palm trees, and really good food. The depth of long term friendships has been a godsend over the past few weeks. I got to christen Clare’s new fridge with a Topo Chico, Molly scooped us up for a hike to the Baldwin Hills overlook (stunning and more like a walk, which I prefer). The change of scenery has been really nice and I’m glad I’m here so I can walk down the street and listen to new Haim. This time next week, I’ll be moving back into my apartment in Brooklyn. I am overwhelmed by the logistics and things I have to buy (breakups are incredibly expensive, my god).

Now, let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

Angela made blueberry muffins for the office!

deb perelman

has the best recipe and you can use fresh or frozen blueberries.

Alicia and I went to yoga on Monday (pigeon pose is really hitting these days, hip openers are not for the faint of heart) and I came home to a lovely farro with blistered tomatoes that Leah and Erika made. It’s mostly a one pot meal and was very good.

Look at these colors!

I stayed with my parents before my flight and they made so many of my favorite things: cheesy rice, black beans and roasted cauliflower, served with flour tortillas and salsa from Mi Rancho (I shared my PR package with my parents).

Leaving LAX is always an experience so by the time I got to Anajli’s, a snack was in order. She made Cabbages World kimchi dip with greek yogurt and it was so good with chips and crudité. Will be making once I’m settled. She also made mini frittatas for breakfast and Mathew was an excellent barista.

Grandma, Kaitlin, Don and I had dinner in Newport before the White Lotus finale (I’m scheduling this before it airs so hopefully it was good). She made an eggplant dip with pita bread as a starter, which we had alongside cheese and crackers outside. For dinner, we had a pea and pistachio salad (so springy) and a cheesy Italian vegetable stew that you bake in the oven. All the recipes are cut out from magazines on index cards—the stew is from a 1981 Bon Appetit cookbook. Sitting in her backyard with a snack is one of my happy places.

Love a backyard appetizer (and these plates!)

Something to order:

We celebrated Tilden’s birthday at Bunny, which is so cozy. Loved the lentils and bitter sweet salad and the borek.

Teal snagged a Friday night res at Gjelina that Clare and I joined and it was so good. I love the veg centered menu and the pizzas are really good. I especially loved the roasted carrots, the oyster mushrooms and the anchovy pizza. We got the butterscotch dessert which reminded me of the Barbuzzo budino, IYKYK.

I love the little plate of pizza toppings

I can’t visit LA without having a breakfast burrito and I got a veggie one at Farmshop while hanging with Brooke, Jon and my sweet baby cousins (who are no longer babies). Ice cream comes after any good breakfast so we had to go to Sweet Rose Creamery.

Sam and I caught up over breakfast at Bluey’s, where I got a very LA veggie bowl with a fried egg. Last time we were together was in Sri Lanka so the setting was a little less picturesque, but it was so nice to see her!

Something to read:

Someone sent me this from

Cry Baby Club

after last week’s newsletter and I loved it

Really related to Taylor Swift’s intro to red: the world is a different place for the heartbroken. Whether it’s heartbreak or another form of grief, everyone is going through something and we often have no idea.

Gen Z is falling in love and hate with Glee

Where do I begin with the tariffs? They will devastate so many small businesses—here’s how my favorite spice company Burlap & Barrel is handling them. Burlap & Barrel is also having a sale right now if you need any spices at up to 20% off. This video from

Charlotte Palermino

, the woman behind my favorite moisturizer, is another helpful explainer.

On my flight, I watched an episode of Nadiya’s American Adventure, which aired in 2020. Nadiya is Bangladeshi-British and her interactions with the immigrant communities of California are incredible to watch—she approaches everything with such a personal connection. She also got to try pupusas for the first time which was such a fun moment to watch. I highly recommend watching if you can and I also love her Netflix show, Time to Eat, which I wrote about here.

Goodbye to Marlow & Sons from

Jason Diamond

Free versions of the things you’re being advertised from

Totally Recommend

. Recession core is here.

Relevant to my interests as I never heat style my hair: Olsen twin air dry lore from

Emily Morello

As someone who just ordered a bed frame and nearly went into a full spiral (shoutout to my mom for forcing me to make a decision), this

Culture Study

piece on getting a bed assembled and why jobs are bad now (and therefore people are bad at them) hit close to home.

Tilden gave me a travel size of this Victoria Beckham perfume and I love it so much, especially in LA. I need to switch out my fragrances and am eyeing a full size bottle.

Teal and I watched Sliding Doors this weekend (I have never seen it) and I loved this conversation with the writer-director, 20 years after it came out. GP is so good in the movie.

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Thank you for being here and I hope you’re hanging in.

xo, Abigail