Tag Archives: H&M

Look of the Day: Central Park and More

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I can’t think of a better way to spend a beautiful Sunday than to hang out in Central Park, and that’s exactly what we did when we were in New York. After having a nice little brunch on the Upper East Side, we arrived to the park and spend a few hours there. I love everything about this landmark. Bethesda Fountain and the Literary walk are two of my favorite spots within the park, not to mention all the lovely tunnels and bridges. I of course visit the park every time I’m in the city, but this time I got to do another first, take a carriage ride around the park, which was lovely.

After the park, I decided I wanted to check out the iconic Plaza Hotel, and so we did. It is be-a-u-tiful. I can only imagine what staying there and having a room with such a view of Central Park would be like. We got there just in time for tea, and I would’ve loved to sit there for an hour sipping on tea, eating tea sandwiches and scones, but that’s not precisely at the top of the list for a 13 year old boy, so I decided to leave ‘tea at the Plaza’ as something to look forward to on my next trip.

Then we hopped in the car and headed south to downtown and Wall Street area. Because it was a holiday weekend, and so many New Yorkers flee to the beach to say goodbye to summertime, the city didn’t feel as crowded as usual and traffic wasn’t terrible. However Soho was buzzing, there were people everywhere, coming and going and shopping and eating. Chinatown was pretty busy too, but Wall Street area was understandably mostly dead. Except for this tiny corner of the actual Wall Street where there was a movie shooting with none other than hottie Chris Pine. The movie crew obviously didn’t allow people to get close to the scene or the actors, but I did manage to take a picture from across the street showing a glimpse of his good looking face.

Next we headed to South Street Seaport because I was determined to get a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge. I had seen it before and even drove on it on my past trips, but surprisingly I never took a picture of it. South Street Seaport provides a pretty good view of it, and I snapped away as many pictures as I could, because it takes many for me to find one or two that I’m happy with. We hanged out there for a little while, and sat at one of the cafes for a snack, but the food was terrible.

Finally we ended our day right where we started it, in the Upper East Side. We had planned to have dinner at the famous Serendipity 3, but I was so naive as to think I could just walk in and get a table. Turns out you better make a reservation or you might end up waiting over an hour and a half. Which was our actual wait, although we decided to put our names on the list and then walked to a little brasserie on the corner to have dinner there, and we got back just in time to get our table at Serendipity 3 if only just to have one of their infamous desserts. I can see why this place has become so popular, it is quite charming and their desserts are a sight in themselves. I am not particularly a fan of such a sugar overdose but it was nice just to sit there, and enjoy a few bites with loved ones.

As usual, I leave you with the pictures of the day, outfit included. Enjoy!

 

In Central Park
Literary Walk

My actual smile

Favorite sunnies

New statement necklace

Bridge in the park

Saxophone player in tunnel

Light at the end of the tunnel

Bethesda Fountain

New Yorkers at the park

The Plaza Hotel

Flatiron Building

Washington Square Arch

NYSE

Cutie Chris Pine

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge from the FDR

What I wore
Top: H&M
Skirt: vintage
Belt: H&M
Statement necklace: from Macy's
Neon bracelets: Target and Charming Charlie
Yellow handbag: H&M
Black flats: Crocs
Sunnies: $5 from street vendor in Mexico City

Look of the Day: Top of the Rock

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Finally I get a chance to tell you about day 2 in NY, which we spend doing a few things I had been dying to do but didn’t have time for in any of my past trips.
First on our itinerary for the day was a tour of the NBC studios located inside the Rockefeller Center. I attempted to take this tour on my trip last year, but failed miserably as I didn’t book tickets in advance and they happened to be sold out the only day I had time for it. Luckily this time, we didn’t have that issue. We got to do the 1.5 hr tour, and they showed us around the studios where they record The Dr. Oz Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and Saturday Night Live, as well as some other interesting things around. Of course you get a lot of fun facts and trivia questions as well as a little bit of history about the network, so it’s quite a fun and interesting experience.
After the tour, we went to the Top of the Rock. I obviously had been to the Rockefeller Center before, in fact my first trip to NY was in December 2002, so I got to see the wonderful Christmas tree and ice skating ring that are a tradition in the Rockefeller Plaza. However, I never made it to the top until now. It is a breathtaking sight up there! You get the most amazing 360˚view of the city, but of course my favorite side is the one where you can see Central Park, and really begin to grasp its grandness and what a true haven in the middle of the Manhattan chaos it truly is. I even recommend this view over the Empire State building one, which sure it’s good, but you don’t get the view of Central Park, plus the top is all caged in so it’s just not the same feeling of openess and certainly not great for pictures like the Top of the Rock is.
Then, we moved on to another place I couldn’t wait to visit and was so bummed I missed on my last trip, Chelsea Market. As you know I’m a self proclaimed foodie, and this place is foodies’ heaven! It is basically a building housing several little restaurants and a few market shops, and they all look so good it’s easy to end up running around in circles like a headless chicken not knowing where to start. We went up and down the hall a few times before deciding to have lunch at The Green Table, a restaurant with a farm to table concept. Due to some health issues, I’ve been needing to stick to a pretty restrictive healthy diet and they had plenty of options there for me. My stepson had their gourmet mac & cheese, my husband decided on the sausage & lentils, and I ordered their vegetarian mushroom pot pie since it was made with a honey wheat crust. Because of my condition I’m required to stay away from white flour and I didn’t think I would ever be able to have a pot pie again, so it was quite a treat to find this on their menu. All 3 choices were delicious (in my family we always share!), but my favorite was the sausage & lentils… such a simple meal, elevated to a whole other level, and I just love it when a recipe can do that. For dessert, we decided to try another location there, so we ended up at Sarabeth’s bakery. Though I should avoid desserts (my condition also requires me to stay away from sugar and processed food as much as possible), this is one point where I can’t obliged 100%. You see, I have the sweetest tooth ever, and my life just wouldn’t be complete nor happy without the occasional sweet tooth indulgence. So, I ordered a piece of plain good ol’ New York cheesecake to share, and it was creamy perfection.
Next on our itinerary, we decided to go downtown and try to visit the 9/11 Memorial site. It’s just a coincidence I’m writing about this on this date, the eleventh anniversary of the tragedy, I really didn’t plan it this way, but what better way to remember those who were lost in the horror, the heroes that saved so many lives that day, and the grief of this beloved nation. We ended up not going into the Memorial, we didn’t know we would need tickets, the line was long and we were tired, but just standing there knowing that it is the place where it all happened can overwhelm anyone with emotion. To think of the horror of that day is still shocking and sickening to me, but I choose to focus on the fact that sometimes the worst in the world can bring out the best in us, as so many brave New Yorkers showed us on that tragic day. A prayer thinking of all of them goes out with love today and always.
After hanging out downtown I was just exhausted and went back to the hotel to take a much needed break, while the boys decided to go back to Times Square for a bit. It had been another hot day, and I was ready for a low-key evening, so I just ended up going out to a late dinner with my sweetheart. Of course we stayed within walking distance from our hotel and our cell phones within reach at all times, since my stepson stayed back in the room (as a teen, he now gets the privilege and responsibility of staying by himself occasionally for short periods of time).
So there you have it, another hectic yet lovely day in the big apple. Here are the pictures of my outfit for the day, what I wore to dinner, and some others. Hope you are all having a marvelous week.

Told ya I wasn't done with the neon/gray color combo
Top of the Rock
Vintage camera at NBC Studios
Neon necklace
Rockefeller Center
Self-explanatory
Rockefeller façade
My favorite view from the top of the Rock
View of the Empire State Building
At Chelsea Market
Ready to enjoy a dinner date

What I wore
Polka dot dress worn as a skirt: Merona for Target
Gray t-shirt: Nordstrom Rack
Studded belt: from Marshall's
Neon necklace: H&M
Yellow bag: H&M
Black top: from Marshall's
Straight leg jeans: GAP
Sequined belt: H&M
Gold necklace: Francesca's
Taupe clutch: H&M
Black flats: Crocs

Look of the Day: Turn Off the Dark

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Continuing with my New York tour, and like I mentioned on the previous post, we were able to get a great deal for a Broadway show at the TKTS booth on South Street Seaport. So that’s what we did our first night in the city. The show we decided to watch, since it seemed like a good one for a 13 year old’s first experience with a musical, was Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. We got wonderful, right in the middle, orchestra seats for $100/ea. When we’re seating there waiting for the show to start, we overheard someone behind us saying he paid $300 for his ticket, so not too shabby.

My quick review about the show is that it’s not the best. At least, definitely not my favorite (side note, Wicked happens to be my favorite, looooved it with all my heart). The special effects are extraordinary, no doubt about that. Visually, they did a really good job of truly making it like if you were watching a comic book come to life, and the story is pretty similar to the 2002 movie version, but it’s still lacking something. Maybe it all comes down to the score. The music and lyrics were written by Bono and The Edge (in case you’ve been living under a rock, they are the lead singer and guitarist of U2) which created high expectations for me… and were unfortunately not met. The score is just flat, that’s the best way I can describe it; it didn’t touch me or move me or created a single emotion in me at all. Correction, it actually did create one emotion in me, disappointment! So sad to think the most expensive production in Broadway’s history ends up being a ‘just okay’ show. Despite deserving 5 stars in some categories, like special effects, overall, as a whole, I would give this show 2.5 stars, maybe 3 if I’m feeling generous.

After the show, we spent some time in Times Square, admiring the light show that it really is as well as some of the famous street performers. Then, we walked around for a bit, and I was surprised to notice 5th avenue is kind of dead at night; it makes sense when I think about it, since it’s mostly a shopping district and those stores are not open late, but being such a popular NY destination, I figured there would be something to keep it alive after-hours and there really isn’t. So we made our way to Avenue of the Americas, took my stepson over to see Radio City Music Hall, and ended up our evening with a delicious cupcake from Magnolia Bakery. In case you haven’t heard, Magnolia Bakery is a very famous dessert destination in NY; it’s been featured in TV shows and movies, like Sex and the City, Saturday Night Live, The Devil Wears Prada, among others. It’s also credited with starting the “cupcake craze”, and let me tell you, they are every bit as good as they say… great, now I have a craving for a moist, sweetly balanced, and perfectly iced chocolate Magnolia cupcake. Oh well, I’ll just have to wait until my next visit.

So here I leave you with a few pictures from that night, including of course the pictures of my outfit. I’m wearing my snake print heels in the pictures because that’s how I really like this outfit to be styled, but in reality, to walk around I wore it with my black flats. What can I say, sometimes you just gotta put comfort and practicality over fashion, but never over style. Even when being comfortable and practical, you can do it in style, and this outfit still look pretty cute with black flats (if I do say so myself).

 

 

What I wore
Top: H&M
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: Guess
Belt: H&M
Earrings: Nordstrom Rack
Cuff: Vintage
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