Fire Island

On my flight to NYC, I chatted with a man who was from the city.
When I asked him the one thing I couldn't miss this summer,
he said, "Fire Island".

Turned out he was right.

It's absolutely worth the long trip.
The little town is adorable,
and the fact that there are no cars allowed on the island
guarantees it to be a relaxing day.

boats

It's funny,
while I'm in New York, I don't feel like I'm anywhere near an ocean.
Let alone cool ships.
And then I happen upon them,
and it's a pleasant surprise.

someone had a bubble machine in Soho

it was like magic.

a happy fourth

I got to watch the NYC fireworks from the rooftop of Martha Stewart's studio.
Lucky me, having friends who are interning for her!
These are some shots of the beautiful rooftop.

settling in

Got here yesterday...
settled in and spent today exploring Greenwich Village.
Crumbs Bake Shop was delicious and has well designed packaging. Love that.

Notice the Moleskine notebook—it's the NYC Moleskine city notebook and it's amazing. Full of detailed maps and notes to write down your favorite finds/daily plans. Get one for whatever city you're visiting. Much less conspicuous than those oversized city metro maps.

Brooklyn Bridge

I liked Brooklyn Bridge.
A lot.
I would recommend going. The bridge is gorgeous, and so is the view. The best part about it? The wooden slats that you're walking on. Beautiful.

some of the defining moments

The first glimpse.


Chatting while waiting for the subway.


Beautiful light.


Squiggly trees.


Vintage ribbon from Tinsel Trading Company.


Stunning brick and rusty water towers.


The breezy ferry ride to Staten Island.


Finally meeting Lady Liberty.


Being disappointed with the hot dogs,


but delighted with Kee's chocolate.

first things first.

My trip started out wonderfully before I even left because of my incredibly thoughtful friends. First off, Megan gave me a new memory card for my camera. (thank you!!) It was so sweet of her. I've been needing one for a very long time, and it was so nice having a card that would hold a bajillion pictures. I went crazy and now have 7 bajillion pictures to sort through, since I would download them every night and start afresh each day.

Krystyna gave me a present which had the instructions "to be opened on the plane". I just love surprises, and this one left me in awe—a book for my trip full of ideas, notes, and thoughts of what I should do in New York. Everyone else in my group was jealous.





These were my favorite spreads, but there were many, many more with suggestions such as: buy a New York Times newspaper off the streets of NY, take a picture with a policeman on a horse, feed the pigeons in times square, squeeze a NY fireman's bicep, and create your own graffiti. She even gave me money to give to the homeless people. How thoughtful is that?

i'm back and can't wait to go back

I'm speechless. I loved it. Have you ever been to New York City? I have so much to share about my trip, and the big city. Coming soon.

image of the empire state building taken from my hotel window

New York, New York

heart NYC

Look at what Katie did!

Put a little paper-heart-cutout on her camera lens,


and turned the lights of NYC into hearts! So cute. I have a feeling that if I did that, it wouldn't turn out quite as amazing, but I want to try it anyway...and maybe I will...because guess what??? I'm heading to NYC in the morning! yay hooray! I'm so excited. I'll be there for one week, I've never been and I just love new adventures. :)