NYC: Eat

I love that you can visit New York City, on any budget, and still eat better than you would in most other cities. Michelin star restaurant or Octopus ball street vendor, I love it all. This last trip, I enjoyed a mish mash of different cuisines, on actually a pretty reasonable budget. Reasonable budget equals, more money for shopping. Win. Win. 

We had....Breakfast salmon bagels at Russ and Daughters, almond pastries in Central Park at Petrossian, Ramen at my favorite Ippudo, which is almost at 4000 yelp reviews! Tako yaki (Japanese Octopus balls), Bento box (Japanese) at the Japanese bookstore by Bryant Park, Kinokuniya, snacks at Dean and Deluca while shopping in Soho, pizza at Eatlaty, a 50,000 sq ft market of Italian goodies and sit-down eateries. 

I can't wait to go back!

 

Autumnal Equinox

I'm not even quite sure where to start with this "here's how my summer vacations were" entry as summer passed by just as quickly as my tan faded and I only had the time and patience to write less than a dozen posts. But considering Autumnal Equinox is right around the corner, it only feels appropriate to try and squeeze in everything about summer before the official date is here. I said it. Autumnal Equinox.

So I guess I will start with a summary, work backwards and post each detailed account because it was definitely a world wind. Literally.

Mid June: NYC
Agenda: Wedding & girls weekend with mom

End of June: Hawaii
Agenda: Wedding & soak up as much Maui Babe as possible

August: Italy-Capri and Rome
Agenda: Wedding 

As you can see-it is obvious what brought me and Sean to all of these wonderful destinations. The W word!

Up next: NYC Agenda

Italy Instagram

Sneak peak/result of post vaca laziness Italy Instagram photos. Had so much fun seeing the sights-the Colosseum, Vatican, Via Condotti...And spending quality time with good people-the wedding in Capri was absolutely the highlight! 

More detailed accounts to come....

Up In the Air

We leave for Italy today and I have been obsessing over planning and packing. Planning came easily, but with packing I had to employ some strategy as I'm only packing a carry on, yes, only a carry on for my 8 day trip. I'll be damned if I give the airlines any more of my money. You're also punishing yourself if you don't pack light because think of all the walking and stair climbing you may have to do from airport to train to hotel etc. For this time around I'm lucky that it's summer though, so nothing extremely bulky, except for a long dress for the wedding, will be packed in my bag.

Some tips-

1. Lay out all of your outfits that you want to bring and then take away 1/4 of the clothes - chances are you won't wear most of them
2. Take a look at your scheduled list of events and the weather to plan each outfit accordingly
3. Roll up as many pieces of clothing - this also helps against wrinkles
4. Wear your heaviest pieces of clothing on the plane - I'll be wearing my converse, which take up the most space
5. Evenly lay out any long pieces of clothing like jeans or maxi dresses on the bottom of your suitcase
6. Stuff any large pieces of jewelery, socks, undergarments in purses or clutches - this will also help retain the shape of the bags
7. Pack each pair of shoes in their own individual plastic bag so that you can stuff them in open crevices in the suitcase

So with this I fit....2 maxis, 3 dresses, 2 skirts, 4 pairs of shorts, 8 shirts, 3 undershirts, dopt kit, 4 pairs of sandals, 1 pair of heeled sandals, all undergarments, bathing suits, straightener, brushes.

I didn't even have to use the extender on my suitcase, which will leave some space for souvenirs. Did I hear someone say Celine luggage tote?

CIAO!

Self

Some recent photos Sean took of me on his SLR, which I should really learn how to use....

.......but it's much easier to just let him do all the work while I have all the fun. And go right back to my amateur point and shoot skills. These are all unedited too, so Sean the photographer would probably prefer to stay anonymous =) Oopsie. 

At Home

We've been making a few little home updates here and there in the apartment with the help of Voluspa, Colonial Antique Mall, an antique mall in the north west suburb Woodstock, and trusty ol' West Elm. It's all in the details and doesn't have to cost a lot to make a big impact!

On sale still here

Summer In the City

Summer in the City is my favorite Regina Spektor song, so it's only appropriate to talk about my favorite time in my city Chicago. Summer has been filled with bike riding and exploring the city (Sean bought me a bike for my birthday and called it the "gift of the city" ha!), outdoor dining for birthdays, Farmer's Markets and suburban baby showers. Biking around the city is probably my new favorite activity as we've been able to cover tens of miles of the city and randomly stop and enjoy the scenery. I am a ham for the camera and luckily Sean loves to take photos with his fancy camera, so we can document along the way.

T minus 2 weeks until we leave for Italy and I plan to squeeze every ounce of fun of the city until then!