Three months on and I'm still dreaming about New York. After such a whirlwind adventure, it was straight back to reality with University and work but I've enjoyed taking some time out of the daily grind to go through and edit my photos and remember what a fantastic time it was. I also bought several things whilst in New York that will always remind me of my wonderful trip, and thought it would be nice to share exactly what I bought and where. I hope you enjoy. A x Now, as much as New York is iconic for it’s museums and attractions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Brooklyn Bridge, it is also known for it’s shopping! And whilst I may not travel to shop, I definitely do still enjoy it! So I took advantage of the variety of shops in New York, which offered much better prices than those here in Australia. As I was travelling though, suitcase space (and more so weight) did limit me a fair bit - which I think my purse was grateful for! But I’m really happy with everything I bought. assouline publishersBeing a big lover of ‘coffee table’ books, I visited a few bookstores including Assouline Publishers at the Plaza Hotel and Rizzoli Books on Broadway. Unfortunately, as beautiful as all the books were, they were also very heavy! For this reason, I gave myself a limit before I even stepped onto the crowded sidewalks of New York - I was limited to two books I have been searching for for the better part of two years. These were the Chanel and Dior 3 book slipcases from Assouline. I have only ever been able to find them in Australia once and they were just over twice the price! So these were coming home with me no matter what! Even if together they weighed about 2.5 kilos!! The boutique at the Plaza Hotel had the Chanel set in stock and were luckily able to call in one of the last Dior sets from head office before we left. Unfortunately the Dior set is a little damaged on one corner, mostly just the slipcase and not the books thankfully. bergdorf goodmanAfter enjoying lunch at BG Restaurant in Bergdorf Goodman, I found the book Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf Goodman. Too me, this tribute to an iconic New York store, is the perfect 'reading book' meets 'coffee table book' with fabulous and humorous anecdotes on the stores history and customers. It is a delightful little book which includes contributions from designers (including Christian Louboutin and Micheal Kors), comedians and personalities (Joan Rivers), and of course, veteran staff of the store. And in Bergdorf's classic purple it was the perfect memento. I haven't had a chance to fully read through the book yet but I love it already. fossilI have been searching for a classic watch for quite a while and I found a Fossil watch here in Australia at MYER last year. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the same array of colours and metals on offer as the international stores so I hoped to find what I was looking for in New York. And I did, in the store in Times Square! The sales assistant was helpful and lovely, even offering me complimentary engraving. I love this watch because it's simple and classic, and I'm thrilled to finally have found the leather and metal I was after. kate spade new yorkI wasn't sure if I should buy this Daisy Place Ring Dish and after going into the Kate Spade store in Rockefeller Plaza to find they had none in stock, I figured it wasn't meant to be. But with quite a few US dollars left before leaving, when I spotted another store in Soho, I thought I would give it another chance. And luckily I did because they had a couple left in stock. The sales assistant was super lovely, packaging it up very nicely to ensure it's safety on the flights home and the box perfectly fit into the last corner of space in my suitcase! Although I prefer silver over gold, I love the small detail on the ring dish and it sits perfectly on my dresser with a couple other gold details. macy'sI love perfume! And having heard that some brands were significantly cheaper in New York compared to the Australian department stores, I was thrilled. I purchased two Dior perfumes, both of which I have loved for some time now. The first was J’adore and the second was Poison Girl. Both are very different scents but just as beautiful. I also picked up a new scent, Emporio Armani's Because It's You, which I hadn't ever heard of before but tried at Melbourne airport as we flew out. I could still smell it when we landed in New York so when I came across it in Macy's I was thrilled and I absolutely love it. At Macy's, I also bought a MAC lipstick and lip pencil as a set together. I picked up the duo in a classic red; Ruby Woo. I have never tried MAC before but have heard so many good things about their lipsticks and I love a classic red lip. I also picked up a lip scrub. I was after the raspberry but they didn't have any left so I got the vanilla instead, which is still just as delicious. swarovskiOn each of my previous two trips, I bought a simple ring as a memento for myself. Not only are they a simple reminder of my adventure but they are great talking pieces - especially the amber ring from Poland. But I was conflicted this time because I wanted something from Tiffany's yet none of their rings really appealed to me. Then one evening, Mum and I ducked in Swarovski where she found a couple of bracelets and earrings for herself and I stumbled across this simple ring. This Frisson Ring in Rhodium Plating is delicate, feminine and easy-to-wear with a simple band and five perfectly set crystals. I love it, by it self or with my other two rings. tiffany & co.What would a trip to New York be without a visit to the Tiffany & Co.’s Fifth avenue store?! Every since I first watched ‘Breakfast at Tiffany's’ at the age of ten, I have dreamed of standing in front of Tiffany’s but even better was stepping through that revolving door! It really was magical and I easily spent a hour or two here. But I had done my research and was after a few things in particular. First I picked up my first Tiffany diamond, purchasing the Diamonds By The Yard pendant! I chose the smallest diamond because I liked how simple and subtle it was, especially sitting on my collarbone - I did need to get it shortened to this length which they did complimentary on the sixth floor. Next, we went down to the newly decorate home wares floor. Again, I knew what I was looking for, but I still took time to browse the new collection. But after a lap or two of the third floor, I hadn't found what I was after, so I asked the staff who told me they had sold out! I told myself it okay, I had come with multiple options - after all it's Tiffany's, I absolutely love just about everything! But then the kindest sales assistant said, actually, one got returned yesterday. So luckily I was able to purchase a pair of Tiffany Bone China Paper Cups. I love the iconic blue and simple design and since returning home, I like to use them as a little vase and keep some flowers in them as a pop of colour on my dresser.
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Never having been to New York before, I had quite a long list of what I wanted to see and do. Afterall, New York is iconic for so many things including its museums, attractions and of course shopping. Out of sheer excitement and organization, I planned the basics before we left just to make our trip easier and more enjoyable. One way I did this was by purchasing the New York CityPASS, which gave us access to six attractions for one great price (about 40% off what we would have paid for each thing individually!). Honestly, the pass was fantastic as because we already had all of our tickets and more often than not didn't have to wait or que at all. (The New York CityPASS costed $160 Australian dollars - about $125 US dollars.) Below, I’ve provided a bit more of an insight into what we saw and what we did, including a few photos! empire state buildingI have wanted to visit the Empire State Building since before I can remember and this was one of the very first things I added to the itinerary. We ended up going as close as possible to opening (8am) on a Sunday morning, mainly because I figured the earlier we went, the less crowded it would be. Our CityPASS gave us general admission to the 80th and 86th floor observatories as well as the opportunity to come back that same night between 8pm and close. I'm glad we got the opportunity to visit the observation deck twice, but if we only had the one ticket, I would have chosen the morning over night time viewing. Overall, the Empire State Observatory was my favorite observatory by far. It's an icon and I loved reading about how it was built and it's history on the 80th floor. We didn't have to wait at all on either visit. We spent about 1-2 hours here each visit. metropolitan museum of artOur CityPASS gave us ‘skip-the-line’ admission, access to all exhibitions at The Met, and same day admission to The Met Breuer and The Met Cloister. I don't have many regrets at all about New York, it was an absolutely amazing trip, however I am disappointed that we didn't visit The Met Breuer and The Met Cloister as well but I still absolutely loved The Met Museum. It's such a large museum with a great range of exhibitions and we tried to see as much as we could. In particular, I enjoyed the American Wing which featured a collection of stained glass pieces by Louis C. Tiffany. We didn't have to wait with our CityPASS. We spent about 4-5 hours here. american museum of natural historyWe visited the Museum of Natural History on a public holiday so it was mayhem! On top of the chaos, this museum just wasn't what I expected. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed this Museum, but I thought it would be better than the Met as most people said they had spent more time here. Personally though, I could have spent a whole day at the Met, and I wasn't too keen on exploring more of the Natural History Museum after being there for about three hours. I enjoyed the exhibitions on the Mammals of Africa and North America though and the Rose Center for Earth and Space blew my mind. I enjoyed how it showed the scale of the universe. Our CityPASS gave us general admission to the Museum as well as the Rose Center for Earth and Space, plus a Space Show. We waited for about 10 minutes. We spent about 3-4 hours here. top of the rockThis attraction was a choice between Top of the Rock Observation Deck or the Guggenheim Museum. The best thing about The Top of the Rock, and the one thing the Empire State Building is missing, is that from here, you actually have the perfect view of the Empire State Building! Aside from the view though, I felt as if there was nothing else here. We watched a short film before riding up to the observation levels, but other than that, I felt as if there wasn't any information on the history the building. We did have access to the interior and exterior observation decks on the top three floors though so got a great opportunity to view the city. We waited for about 20 minutes. We spent about 1-2 hours here. 9/11 memorialThe 9/11 Museum was an option between the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum or the 9/11 Museum. However, the memorial pools are an open space and require no ticket at all. It truly was humbling to be able to learn about such a devastating event in history, and the impact it has had on not only New York but the world. I'm glad I took the time to walk around each memorial pool, looking over the names of the people that lost their lives. I think it's a nice gesture of the memorial to place a rose in the names of people who would have been celebrating a birthday that day. I also found the room in the Museum with the photos of each victim on the wall to be truly touching. Overall, both the memorial and museum are well worth a visit. museum of modern art (MoMA)As well as the New York CityPASS, I also purchased tickets to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). I am a museum girl and the MoMA is a New York Icon. I went at opening on a Sunday morning and it was surprisingly busy. I loved the MoMA and I didn't at the same time but everyone has different tastes in art - I'm more of a traditionalist. I worked my way down from the top floor where a fashion exhibition was on. This was one of my favourites! I then explored the collection galleries where I found some famous pieces including works from Van Gogh, Monet, and my favourite, Pollock. I also enjoyed an exhibition on the photographer Stephen Shore, who I had never heard of before but to see the development of his work over five decades was incredible. I waited for about 10 minutes. I spent about 2-3 hours here. On top of all of these paid attractions, we also did some of the classic New York ones that are totally free! This included visiting Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge as well as wandering around little pockets of Manhattan such as Soho. My only one true regret about everything we saw and did during our time in New York was the carriage ride through Central Park. I really think it was a waste of time and money, especially seeing as we had the chance to walk through the park at another point in the week. But even if you're only in New York for a couple of days, and only have a hour to see the park, I would suggest walking through the southern end of the park. At least that way you can enjoy a stroll along some of the classic pathways and you can stop and take as many photos as you want. Hopefully I have my photo diary up soon but in the mean time, to see some more of my photos from my time in New York, take a look at my Instagram @barber_twin_01. I hope you enjoyed this post. A x
Please Note : This post is NOT sponsored in any way. This trip has been a dream of mine for more than four years and a reality for just over one! And the countdown had finally reached single digit numbers! YAY! Next Thursday, on the 11th, I'll be travelling with QANTAS from Melbourne to New York, via Los Angeles. I will be spending a whole twelve days in the city that never sleeps, before going on to Canada for a week. On my return, I will complete a full blog post of everything I see and do in New York but before I leave, I've put together a small sample of some of the things I will be taking with me. So, without further delay, the highlights of my packing list. cameraAfter taking two overseas trips in the past two years and only using an iPhone, I decided a proper camera was needed. I purchased the Olympus Pen E-PL8 for this trip and am super excited about it. I have been testing it out the past couple of months so that I’m fully comfortable and ready to go. The camera is a great size, easy to use and looks cute as well. My favourite feature is the built in wi-fi which makes uploading my photos to my phone super easy - and means I can post everything I'm seeing and doing on social media! travel walletI am also taking my Kikki.K leather travel wallet which was a gift from my parents for my last trip overseas when I went to Poland. It is a fantastic travel organizer and I wouldn't think of getting on the plane to New York without it! Although I find it slightly chunky for a normal wallet, it’s perfect for travelling as it literally has space for everything! Seriously, everything from your passport and boarding pass to your departure and customs forms - I even keep a pen tucked in there! It also comes with a removable wristlet which makes it super easy as I'm not worried about losing it or having to keep pulling it in and out of my luggage as I make my way from check in to my gate (via duty free of course!). blanket scarfI’ll be taking my ‘Blanket Scarf’ which is my best friend no matter the occasion, but especially when traveling. This scarf is super soft cotton, really comfortable, and, like the name suggests, it’s also practically a blanket! If needed, it folds out to be quite large which is perfect for keeping warm on the plane. Then, seeing as it will be winter in New York, I'll be using this scarf throughout my trip also. knitsBeing January, it's obviously going to be very cold in New York - especially for me as I fly out of summer here in Australia! So I'm packing plenty of knits as well as a few items from UNIQLO's HEATTECH range. Most of my knits are new as I've never needed thick wool jumpers but I picked them up in the spring sales which was great. I chose grey's and cream's because when travelling, I like to stick to more neutral colours; I'm not big on colour as it is, but neutrals give more mix-and-match outfit options which is essential when travelling. So there you have it, a little preview of my trip to New York! I am really looking forward to this adventure and plan on taking plenty of photos to share when I return. In the meantime, keep an eye on my Instagram, @barber_twin_01.
A x |