*For those who have been asking, the polka dot one-piece bathing suit is from ModCloth
Phewf. NYC recapped, if you have any specific questions please don’t hesitate to ask 🙂
but what really stuck with me when it came to new york street style, was how much of it there was. growing up casual west coast, i’m not accustomed to so many stylish people in one city. don’t get me wrong, vancouver has come leaps and bounds in the last few years, but we are still a very casual culture. if i wear heels in the day, a hat, or something deemed as “out there” i get the major stares. and i don’t think it’s right that i’m the odd man out because i’m not wearing jeans and a tee. there were so many people in nyc rocking awesome personal style that adam and i left our vacation completely inspired; motivated to stay true to who we are and what we want to wear. i often succumb to the pressure of fitting into the vancouver scene, but after our travels i say bring on the side eye looks! i think that there’s something incredibly special about seeing someone with a look that is very true to them. and we all know that when you look good, you feel good!
how about you? what’s the street style like in your hometown?
We then cabbed over to Williamsburg and spent the day shopping and sitting at McCarren Park watching a squirrel hang upside down, two overlapping baseball games, and general BK life. We had happy hour drinks and the most deeelicious meal at Allswell on Bedford Ave. They change their menu daily, which means you’re getting a fresh, local meal. Highlights were the spicy fried chick peas and vegetarian flatbread. Their patio is small, but definitely worth trying to score a spot on. Easily took the L train back home to refresh and have some late night drinks. It was a Saturday night on vacation after all!
{Day 1 NYC Recommendations}
two years later, i found myself on the last day of our second family vacation to new york city. and though i was two years older and wiser, i was once again in nyc to do a little soul searching (or perhaps i’m just a drama queen. nah, boys are just the worst). i call this particular day the best day ever in nyc. and though it might not sound that special to you, it’s a day that i often think of and smile.
i spent the best day ever in nyc alone, which was a rarity on a family trip with 19 others (how do the duggars do it?). it was not to be wasted, and i was on a very specific mission; i was to act only as new yorkers do for the entire day while on a quest to find the spot where sally drops off harry at the beginning of when harry met sally. my favourite movie and my favourite city. with the sun shining and coldplay on my ipod shuffle for nostalgia, i set off.
my observations led me to walk as fast as i could like i was in a big hurry to something super duper important. this was both fun and great exercise. i also stood on the closest possible edge of the sidewalk or on the street itself when waiting for a moment to cross. and of course, i took the subway with ease to my memorized directions to washington square park (a real new yorker wouldn’t carry a map with them). i even pretended to check my phone at times, though international roaming made it impossible to actually use.
i was asked for directions 3 separate times by tourists on the way to the park. twice on the subway platform and once while walking. “people actually think that I’M a new yorker”, i thought and i was even able to correctly answer their questions. found my own way to washington square park and sat to read a magazine and people watch. i then made my way over to the washington arch, snapped the above picture, and then stood in awe for a good 10 minutes. felt an indescribable sense of happiness that i’d set off on a journey, though such a small one, and completed it. nothing could ruin my mood.
took my time wandering around the city, getting lost in its beauty. stopped in a coffee shop to rest my feet, shopped in any decent looking boutiques. snapped a few more city pictures, with my favourite songs still playing in my ears. and just when i thought this simple nyc day couldn’t get ANY better, i heard someone yelling through my head phones.
“hey, you! hey, girl with the sunglasses, slow down!” they were yelling at me. thinking i’d maybe dropped something or worse, that i had toilet paper stuck to my sandal or something, i stopped in my tracks and took my ear phones out. i swivelled around to find myself face to face with an incredibly handsome man in a suit. “i’m sorry,” he said, “but i was having lunch with my co-workers and saw you walking past. i just had to come talk to you.”
was this a joke? this kind of thing NEVER happens to me, and certainly not in vancouver. i stood frozen, unable to say anything at all in return. “i just ran this whole block to catch up to you, you sure do walk fast,” he said, breaking the silence. after explaining that i was from out of town, and him admitting that he was actually from new jersey (pffft) i believe we even exchanged numbers despite the fact that i was seeing someone back home. for all his flattery, the least i could do was give him my phone number, right?
we never saw each other again and to be honest, i don’t even remember his name. but in a moment of time when i desperately needed something good to happen, new york pulled through for me. it was then that i realized that i’m a city girl. not because some stranger hit on me (but really, i wouldn’t complain if it happened often lol), but because before this day, i would have never gone to a coffee shop, eaten lunch, or wandered around downtown alone. i wouldn’t have dreamed of having an adventure myself. the best day ever in nyc opened up my eyes to a world of possibility.
i moved to vancouver soon after and i’m still with that guy i was seeing. if you happen to still be reading, i’m so excited to announce that in exactly a week, we’re headed to new york city for a much needed vacation together!!! but we need your help. we’re looking for your expert new york recommendations, for anything from restaurants, shopping, sight seeing, must-visit neighbourhoods, cool things to-do etc. your suggestions are much appreciated, thank you lovelies!