New York City, NY

New York Minute

Dec 7, 2017

 I really have got to get better about posting consistently because I was in NYC almost two weeks ago and this is finally getting on the blog. This past Thanksgiving break, my sister and I headed over to the East coast to visit a friend and soak in a real "fall" season. Every time we go here, we do the same thing: eat, shop, and eat more {and occasionally do some sightseeing}, but there is always so much to do - the possibilities are endless. That is probably one of the things I love the most about New York City. Here are the things we did in our short 2 1/2 days in the city.

1. Central Park
I never realized how large this park was. And during fall, oh. my. goodness. that place is gorgeous. Needless to say, choosing that time to break my boots in was definitely a bad idea.

2. Visit Brooklyn
While we were in New York this time, we did a lot of visiting other friends. In doing that, we crossed the bridge over to Brooklyn for a night. Having never been there, I found it exciting and new. It is definitely different {and I wouldn't say the safest} but fun! We obviously visited DUMBO and got the infamous blogger bridge picture, ate at Saraghina's {an Italian eatery}, and visited my friend's place. All in all, a cool new experience and one to check off my list.

3. 5th Avenue {and window shopping}
Saying going through Central Park is almost the same thing as visiting 5th avenue. And yes, emphasis on the window shopping. Typically, I love walking down this street, seeing the gorgeous department stores and the Plaza hotel, except this time it was nightmare-ish. The streets were filled with people trying to see window storefronts and just hell to get around. Tip: don't go during Black Friday.

4. Brooklyn Bridge
Last time I was in NY and we visited the bridge, it was pouring. You can only imagine how miserable it was. So this time, we made it a must on our list to see it again. It was crowded, but it was a weekend so I expected that. This time, the weather was absolute perfection. Lucky us!

 5. L'appartement Sezane in SoHo {more window shopping}
This was the top of my list. No, I can't afford anything in the store, but it was on my list to check out. I am a sucker for a cute store and everything on instagram screamed "visit me!". It was everything I expected and more. I only wish my wallet could accommodate. {Scroll down to see photos.}

6. Last but not least, a lot of eating!
I'll give you a list of a couple of things we tried this time around, but everything was so so good. My theory is that all the food trends get to New York before they come to our coast. So naturally, we just have to get to everything first before it gets to us.

{Joe's Shanghai} We've been here before, but I always love getting Chinese in Chinatown.
{Two Hands Cafe} Cute little brunch spot that you've got to try if you're in the area.
{Broken Coconut} I'm going to be honest: we definitely did this only for the gram. The cafe is super gram-worthy, but the coffee, not so much.
{Sweet Moment NYC} Peep the cute coffee cups with the faces below. If that's not enough reason to visit, then I don't know what is.
{Supermoon Bakehouse} If you love Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, you'll LOVE this place. I did.
{Mamann} Cutest little cafe. There are a couple locations, but we went to SoHo.
{La Pecora Bianca} Another cute Italian eatery. There were so many pasta selections and all of them so good. We went to the one in Midtown.
{The Smith} My friend called it the Cheesecake factory of NYC, but I thought it was way cuter. A good place to eat for cozy vibes.
{Halal Guys} I mean.. must I say more?

There are things I have always wanted to do in New York City like order Chinese take-out as SJP would approve of and visit the new Tiffany blue box cafe and have actual Breakfast at Tiffany's, but I guess that will just have to wait for next time.

Our view of the New York City skyline from Brooklyn. Gorgeous. 
The cutest lattes I have ever seen at Sweet Moment cafe.
Sezane: the store of my dreams. Please send free clothes, my wallet can't breathe.
The packaging at Supermoon Bakehouse is pure perfection.

Getting Cozy for Christmas

Dec 1, 2017

Can you believe that it's already December 1st? Where did the year go? Don't get me wrong, the holidays are my favorite time of year. Drinking cocoa, watching Christmas lights, listening to Christmas music, and most of all, wearing comfy clothes and doing absolutely nothing.

On my recent trip to New York City this past Thanksgiving, we stayed at the Sixty Lower East Side hotel. It was trendy, the perfect location, and simply everything we were looking for. But the best part of our stay {in my opinion because my sister would disagree} was the hotel robe. And I am not lying when I called to ask the lobby if they had extras I could purchase--they didn't. So naturally, that set me on the mission to find the perfect robe for this holiday season: something cozy and soft. While at that, I am sharing other things that are comfy and cozy or something that will facilitate your holiday laziness. So kick open the cocoa, turn on your Netflix and hit the couch.

Happy shopping napping!

1. Ugg Duffield Robe {here | also available at Nordstrom}
2. J. Crew Vintage pajama set {here, shorts version here}
3. Madewell Sweat Joggers {on sale!! for $39.99 here} - I recently ordered these!
4. J. Crew Sunday Double Knit Short Robe {here}
5. Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2017 Robe {here}
6. La Perla Black Silk Robe {similar here}
7. Ugg Aira Knit Slipper {here}


Mammoth Lakes, CA

Highway 395

Nov 29, 2017

I have been up and down the 395 highway countless times and always was it during the winter season to go skiing in Mammoth. I remember going as a child and thinking "why do we always have to drive so far and long to get there?" or how I so often dreaded it. As I got older, road trips got easier and became somewhat more enjoyable. Since I started working full-time, I found myself having less time to explore and go on vacation. I mean, if  that is what "adulting" really is, I want to go back to college. We often fell back on road trips because it became the perfect alternative when you only have a weekend to travel or can't quite hop on a plane to get somewhere far. If only we could teleport, right? Road trips became our perfect weekend escape when we felt the itch to explore or be creative. 

Hop forward to me stumbling on Instagram travel inspiration. I follow a good bunch of travel photographers and happened to see a photo of the Eastern Sierra mountains. Naturally, it was my first instinct to see where it was and how I can make this trip happen. I also happened to just get my iPhone 8+ and what better opportunity to check out my camera than a road trip? To my surprise, I have been doing this trip all my life. It probably just looked so different since the times I went, it is all covered in blankets of snow. So I forced Christina and Sami to come on this road trip with me and--voila!--we made it happen. It was a two-day road trip, but we saw so much on the way. We wandered out into Death Valley National Park {it was my first time}, through Alabama Hills, and slowly made our way up to Mammoth in search of snow. We visited the sand dunes, mobius arch, and tried to capture the night sky without a tripod. {See photo below.} Lesson learned: always bring a tripod--that isn't broken. We were manually trying to capture the photo all the while having our hands freeze off outside in 30-second intervals. But I will say, we did a pretty decent job.

All in all, if you get a chance to venture up the 395 highway and have a weekend to spare, get your butt out there and go explore! If you love to ski, it's an even better to reason to get out there now because Mammoth Mountain is officially open for ski season. There are also so many delicious places to eat on the way up. {See list below.} Until then, happy adventuring friends!

1. Copper Top BBQ for all your barbecue cravings. {read more about it here}
2. Mahogany Smoked Meats has literally the best beef jerky I have ever tasted.
3. Erick Schat's Bakery has the best sandwiches...and well, just everything.

Don't be fooled, the hike up the dunes was a real workout. Go early so you can beat the sun and the crowds!
The portrait mode on the iPhone 8+ is b e y o n d amazing. Best decision I've made thus far.
It isn't the best star photo, but definitely decent for not having a tripod and holding it ourselves out in the freezing weather. 

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