HOW TO SPEND ONE DAY IN NYC...
A stay in New York City isn't quite complete without a few key things: street food, a deli, museums, coffee and, I think, a night spent at the Crosby Street Hotel. This super gorgeous and ultra luxe little gem is situated in Soho and provides the perfect base for exploring the city's coolest neighborhood. While there we ate the world's yummiest eggs royal (my favourite) and explored some of the best things the city has to offer. It was perfect.
Read on to discover, what I think is, the perfect way to spend a day in NYC...
Wandering around NYC provides ample time to gaze at buildings (those fire escapes are so iconic). I know that looking up while you're walking around is the easiest way show off that you're a tourist... but when you are a tourist what's wrong with looking like one? Personally I don't mind. Slow down your walking so you can take in everything around you. There is plenty of good art to be found and lots of delicious street food to devour: hot dogs, pretzels and ice-cream are my personal favourites.
Hit up the New Museum (it's small but good) and be sure to visit the observation deck on the top floor - it has got great views of the city. Also, definitely check out the MoMA. It's crazy busy (an 8 hour line to get into the Rain Room?!) but well worth pushing your way through the crowds to get a glimpse at an entire wall covered in Andy Warhol's soup cans. Make sure to make time for lunch at Katz Delicatessen. They have the most enormous pastrami sandwiches (split one with a friend) and bring you a massive plate of pickles before you meal comes out. Iced coffee is always a must and I think Dean & Deluca do it best. They also serve donut muffins, which will undoubtedly rock your world.
For dinner, head over to Hell's Kitchen and try out Ardesia wine bar. They have a great selection of drinks and do delicious little nibbles. We had pretzels and ricotta crostinis and they were both seriously tasty - well worth the cab ride to get there.
IF YOU'RE EVER IN ZURICH...
Henrici cafe in Niederdorf Zurich
If you're ever in Zurich you must do two things. #1: Tweet at me so we can hang out. #2: Skip over to Henricis in Niederdorf for a caffeine injection. Cafe Henrici is my favourite - they have the best coffee around and the most amazing frappes ever. Frappes are like frappuccinos only without all the sugar and added flavours. They are heavenly and you'll be addicted to them after your first sip. Trust.
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Whenever I am at Henrici I am happy.
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After you're done, wander through Niederdorf and down to the lake. While there you can dangle your feet above the water and tempt fate by seeing how close you can get your toes to the swans.
Wearing my all time favourite Laura Ashley dress, Converse and J.Crew x Timex Andros watch.
xx
AND I NEVER WANTED TO GO BACK HOME...
It's been nearly two weeks since I got back from the south of France. Going back through these old Instagram photos gave me a much-needed dose of nostalgia. We left rainy cold Zurich on a Saturday morning and came back a week later... a week wasn't enough time though. I'm already ready to go back and explore the area more. We visited Nice, Cannes and St Paul - all a short drive from the flat we stayed at in Vence. I ate so much good food - loads of cake and ice cream, plenty of salmon and steak tartare, plus lots of rose to wash it all down. Each evening was spent sitting on the balcony overlooking the water and rolling hills. I've made a mental note to go back in October, autumn can't come soon enough*.
* Just joking. Summer is my favourite season and I wouldn't wish it away for anything.
GET YOURSELF ONTO VINE...
Are you guys on Vine yet?
I've had it for a week and I'm totally addicted. It's like Twitter but with video. You can string together little snippets of video and loop them together into a GIF like creation. It's so fun and, now that I have it, Instagram feels so passé. I've made dorky Vine videos of me looking at myself in the mirror, getting dressed, and eating pizza. I'm really looking forward to using it during fashion week to capture all the action and street style. If you aren't on it already I'd urge you to hop to it immediately. You can find me under 'stylecrusader.' If you're on it already please leave me your username in the comments. I'm looking for new people to follow.
p.s. this weekend I'm switching over my blog to a new layout so apologies in advance if it's a bit wonky during the change over.
AN AMERICAN PHOTO DIARY...
I spent three weeks in the US recently. It was awesome. I ate a lot of food and got to spend lots of quality time with my family who I've sorely missed this past year. My parents bought a new house which we played in and I became best friends with their new miniature dog named Minnie. It was board games every night and early mornings, thanks to my sister's four kids and their early starts. I already can't wait for the summer when we get to go back again.
p.s. wherever you are I hope you're still feeling the holiday cheer.
HI FROM SWEDEN...
After spending three great weeks in the US I've just arrived to Sweden for Christmas. I spent the day wandering around Uppsala, shivering in the cold. It's minus 5 here and apparently it's 'not that bad'. While my hosts assure me that some years it's really cold (minus 25), I'll be spending the next two weeks in so many layers that I can hardly move.
I've been having loads of fun lately playing with a new little toy I got for my iPhone. It's an attachment that does fisheye and wide angle shots. I was afraid the quality would be rubbish but it actually works really well. It's perfect for capturing colder than cold environments.
I hope wherever you are your getting into the Christmas feeling! xx
SMOOTHIES WITH HATS FOR THE BIG KNIT...
Every year Innocent smoothies hold the Big Knit where they pop little wooly hats on their bottles to raise money to help keep old people warm in winter. So far they've raised over a million pounds for Age UK. This year they asked me if I'd design a hat to go on one of the bottles and I jumped at the opportunity. I made a little bear with a mustache and a read bandana over it's eyes. The hats hit shelves in stores next Wednesday so if you see one be sure to snatch it up. 25p from each bottle sold go directly to Age UK.
A JAMAICAN PHOTO DIARY...
I'm sitting in a cafe in Zurich watching the rain come pelting down. It's cold and winter is clearly on its way. Despite the frosty weather I've been thinking back to the trip I took to Jamaica a couple of months ago. I couldn't resist reliving it through this post. I had such an incredible time - lying on the beach all day reading books and drinking strawberry daiquiris. It was absolute perfection.
A LITTLE VISUAL DIARY FROM BERLIN...
I can't wait to show you some of the photos from my weekend in Berlin with Muriee but until I get them here's a little visual diary. We stayed in an incredible loft, ate lots of food and played dress up with all the cashmere pieces from the brands new collection. It was loads of fun and I'm already excited for next season when we can do it again!
HI FROM BERLIN...
I've just spent the entire day walking around Berlin with the lovely people behind cashmere brand Muriee. We're here in Germany shooting the look book and doing street style photography for their autumn/winter campaign. It's absolutely freezing and the whole city looks incredibly autumnal with red and yellow leaves covering the streets.
I hope wherever you are you're having a beautiful weekend. xx
SANDALS ROYAL PLANTATION...
I've just returned home from a week spent in Jamaica at Sandals Royal Plantation. Looking back it feels like a dream. Was I really just in the Caribbean for a week? Everything was so perfect and idyllic that it doesn't seem real.
I spent each day lying on the beach drinking piña coladas and strawberry daiquiris. In the afternoon, when I'd worked up a bit of energy, we'd go sailing or snorkeling. I've never been on a resort style holiday before this trip or had an all inclusive experience. Being able to eat and drink as much as I wanted meant I did exactly that... I'm definitely packing a slightly squishier middle section now. It was totally worth it though - the food was delicious. The real highlight of the trip has to be the fact that we had our very own butler for the week. When we arrived we were given a cell phone that we could reach him on. Now that I'm back home I'm totally craving that phone. Nothing equates to luxury quite like white sand beaches and your very own butler. Sandals, I miss you already.
Wearing: Varley belmont bikini, River Island leopard print shorts, Zoe Karssen T-shirt, and 3.1 Phillip Lim dress.
Massive thank you to Sarah at Sandals for organizing the trip.
FRESH FRUIT ON MY SHIRT...
I'm here in Jamaica and it is so beautiful.
I'm waking up at the crack of dawn to a view of the sun rising over a big expanse of ocean. We're staying at Sandals Royal Plantation resort. This is the first time I've gone on a resort style vacation and so far it has totally blown my expectations. Yesterday I accidentally broke a pair of the sandals I brought with me. I was trying to sew the leather back together and I left the shoes sitting on the desk in the room. When I came back in the evening they had been mended. I didn't even ask, they just found them and fixed them. Seriously, that is crazy amazing service.
Wearing: Equipment shirt from My Wardrobe, MiH jean shorts and Topshop sandals.
LET THE SUN SHINE...
Hello there.
Summer is slowly coming to a close but I'm determined to suck out every last ounce of sunshine that comes my way. For this reason I'm ditching cold and rainy Europe for Jamaica. That's right baby, as we speak I'm on a flight headed for the Caribbean. See you soon. xx
SUNDAYS WERE MADE FOR FLOWER MARKETS...
I love being in London on a Sunday.
Whenever I am I make sure to hop over to Columbia Road for the flower market. It has the absolute best atmosphere and the most insanely priced flowers I've ever seen. If I lived in London I'd be filling my flat with them every week. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. xx
Wearing: American Apparel tri-blend tank top, Whistles skirt, Converse and Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses.
WE WILL RESUME REGULAR PROGRAMMING ON AUGUST 15TH...
I've decided to take a little blogging break.
I'll be back on August 15th with a weeks worth of giveaways to celebrate the three-year birthday of the Style Crusader. xx