Nolita
I took a taxi from JFK to Manhattan, all the while fearing for my life, and landed in the lobby of the über cool Nolitan Hotel. After checking in, I was asked if I'd like a glass of champagne - to which I replied, 'YESSSS.'
Why, hello there. Remember me? No, no, I didn't die. But thanks for all your e-mails and tweets asking me if I did. It's been a long time since we last spoke and I suppose I owe you a bit of an explanation for where I've been. Well, I went to America for quite a long time and only just recently got home. I did pack my laptop and had every intention of interacting with the world but when my eyes locked on those of my three little nieces and nephew I swore to not do any work and instead hurled myself down a rather dodgy slip-and-slide (you know, as you do). Can you blame me though? Rejecting the online world for an entire month is an amazing feat.
Anyway, let's rewind exactly one month to when I touched down in New York City.
I took a taxi from JFK to Manhattan, all the while fearing for my life, and landed in the lobby of the über cool Nolitan Hotel. After checking in, I was asked if I'd like a glass of champagne - to which I replied, 'YESSSS.' So there I was: squeezed onto the balcony of my hotel room overlooking a busy street, sipping on champagne and taking in the deafening (but glorious) sound of New York City traffic. Perfection.
I crawled onto the bed after exploring the wonders of the balcony and discovered that the sheets were the most indescribably soft things my skin had ever encountered. Honestly, they were amazing. I think the fibers were laced with cotton candy. That night we ventured around the corner to a little restaurant called Bread, as recommended by the hotel staff. It was delicious. Granted, my husband's eggplant parmigiana was way better than the meatballs I had... but still, it was well worth the visit.
The next morning we were feeling ambitious and full of life so decided to head down the street to 24 Hour Fitness where we engaged in a little early morning workout. On the way back, we stopped by The Butcher's Daughter for a little detoxifying juice. Much to my shock the little baby set me back $10 but, I've got to say, it was the best juice of my life.
Afterwards we headed out in search of food. I was craving eggs royale and after much wandering we finally stumbled into Cafe Select. It wasn't until we had already been seated that we noticed the bircher muesli on the menu and the Zurich themed posters on the wall... how, on earth, had we managed to come all the way from Switzerland and wind up in a Swiss themed restaurant on our first morning in New York? Oh well. The food was good and we enjoyed hissing over the hilarious exaggerated accents of the people at the table next to us. Post-breakfast we borrowed some bikes from the hotel (yes, they lend out bikes - so good) and we headed towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Through Chinatown we went and I promise I only screeched from fear of death once. It was an incredibly long and sweaty endeavour but the ride was, without a doubt, my favourite part of the entire trip to the city. If you're ever in town, man-up and ride a bike around. Just beware of impending traffic. There is obviously a lot of it.
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Little Italy. I've only been to New York a handful of times but I've got to say this was my favourite area of the city I've ever stayed in. There are loads of awesome shops and restaurants to explore. The best part is that it doesn't feel too touristy at all and amazingly it isn't that crowded. Also, if you happen to be in the area and need a sugar rush you can always pop into the Little Cupcake Bakeshop on Prince Street for some yummy treats...
A massive thank you to the Nolitan Hotel for having us for a few days while we were in town. xx
LIFE'S A PHOTO...
This past weekend I travelled to Berlin with Samsung to celebrate the completion of their 'Life's a Photo' campaign. They ran an online photo competition to discover which city is the most photogenic and Berlin won with the most votes. We travelled around the city checking out sites in the afternoon. It was absolutely freezing cold but so much fun. We were all given a Samsung Galaxy camera to play with for the day. You can go online with it and even upload photos straight to Instagram. The camera is super easy to use and really great if you want something small that you can take on the go. The photos are better quality than I can get with my phone which makes it a great alternative to using my iPhone plus it's way lighter than my dSLR. Definitely a winner in my books.
Massive thanks to Samsung and Jam for inviting me to the event.
Wearing: Gap coat, Muriee scarf, Jigsaw boots and Varg tote bag.
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
Wuudge...
As a non-Polish speaker, I've been walking around saying that I'm going to Polish Fashion Week in Lodz.. As it turns out, Łódź is pronounced more like Wuudge. Who would have guessed? Ah, mere rookie error.
Arriving into Poland for the first time was a bit surreal. The sky was entirely clear on the flight from Zurich and I got a bit lost in the intricate patterns of symmetrical blocks of shaded green farmland. I couldn't help but wonder whether the entire country was comprised of a jigsaw of potatoes and cabbage...
Later in the afternoon, after a train ride spent sitting on the floor with a box of macaroons, Kit, Shini and I were checked into Andel's Hotel Lodz. A seriously magnanimous building that used to house Poland's largest textile mill but is now home to both a hotel and an impressive conference facility. The hotel has been kind enough to sponsor our stay while in the city and I can't think of a better way to be welcomed to the country for the first time - it is beautiful.
After getting a little guided tour around the massive complex today, much of the time spent oogling at exposed original brick work and scouting out hidden pieces of art spray painted onto the walls, we headed out back to explore the wondrous delicacies that Lodz has in store. Strangely we wound up at a Mexican restaurant and then wandered the aisles of a grocery store looking for conditioner. Tomorrow the goals are to swim in the rooftop pool and make it over to see some shows at Polish Fashion Week.
Wearing: Ralph Lauren Zebra Havana sunglasses, Obakki Lily dress (HPR London), Paul & Joe bag (HPR London) and Madewell jacket.
Blurried journey...
It has taken forty-six hours to make the journey from London to Stockholm, which should only take two and half. Arriving at Heathrow at 5am yesterday to an airport that was bathed in a sense of destroyed chaos. Rows of passengers without flights laid in rows on the tile floors under aluminum blankets. Disheveled and distraught, they bore signs that chastised their airlines for mistreating and ignoring them. Security guards blocked entrances to the airport, refusing to allow people to enter the terminal, forcing them to stand outside in the freezing conditions without any explanation. By some miracle, our flight was one of the few that managed to leave Heathrow. Originally meant to depart at 7am, we sat in the terminal, bags checked, for nine hours watching the screens move forward while our flight stayed frozen at the top of the board: 'please wait' it read. The 'condition', as it was being called, had brought one of the world's busiest airports to a standstill and was largely due to 5 inches of snow that fell in one hour in London on Saturday. Despite what might sound like a negative tone, the trip actually wasn't too bad. Heathrow has free wifi and plenty of coffee shops, once we made it to Frankfurt we were put up in a lovely hotel, given taxi rides to and from the airport, and were provided with three meals. We might have arrived a little behind schedule but, to be honest, I haven't got much to complain about.
Wishing good luck to anyone having to travel this holiday season... hope you make it to your final destination quickly and safely.