Today Winter Storm Jonas turned New York City into a whole new place. The blizzard gave New Yorkers a true day off and transformed Manhattan into a traffic-free Winter Wonderland. If only every day could be a snow day!
I’ve lived in New York for about six years now and I’ve never seen it the way I saw it during the Jonas blizzard. Instead of being the fast and busy place it always is, New York became relaxed and whimsical as the snowstorm blasted over Manhattan. With no non emergency vehicles allowed on the roads, everyone who was out on the empty streets of the city was there to play. Since there was no traffic, you could even walk and make snow angels in the middle of the street.
As I walked through the snowy city, I saw people making snowmen in Times Square, cross country skiing through the streets and enjoying the bliss of having nowhere they needed to be. If there’s anything I learned from this monumental blizzard it’s that New Yorkers need more snow days (we got around two feet of snow today) and that everyone needs a good North Face jacket. I’ve had mine for 10 years and it’s still going strong.
This week the world was shocked by the surprising death of David Bowie. When a celebrity who always seemed larger than life dies, it’s easy to start contemplating your own mortality. While none of us are immune to death, David Bowie’s passing has reminded me just how important it is to leave a legacy.
There is no doubt that David Bowie left behind a powerful, colorful and meaningful legacy. As a musician, producer, painter and actor, he showed us all that we were meant to stand out. Every day so many of us feel the pressure to fit in or do exactly what we’re expected to do when all we really want to do is color outside the lines. Thanks to Bowie, it’s okay to keep coloring.
I never knew it before, but it turns out that David Bowie lived just two blocks away from my office in Soho. All week fans have been lining up outside his apartment to leave flowers and pay their respects. It’s amazing to see just how many people Bowie influenced without ever having met them. I guess that’s the real power of art.
Happy New Year Socialites! A few days before New Year’s Eve, I came back to New York City around 6 a.m. on the train after spending Christmas in my hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. A few miles outside of the city, I saw a stunning sunrise over Manhattan and began to think about the year I’ve had and what’s ahead for 2016.
2015 was a great year for me. I took on New York Fashion Week, traveled to Seattle, grew my Instagram following, discovered my inner geek, hiked in New Hampshire, became a bridesmaid, got in the best shape I’ve been in for years using Classpass and shot some amazing new looks. With everything I’ve learned and achieved this year, I hope to grow my blog, my income and become an even more well-rounded and accomplished person in 2016.
New Year’s Resolutions
In order to make 2016 the best year ever, my New Year’s Resolution is to email one person a day who I’d like to meet or whom I could partner with on my blog. Together I hope that my new connections and I can lift each other into new and exciting successes. I feel like people across all walks of life often have amazing ideas or see people that they want to reach out to, but something stops them from doing so. Well, I can only imagine what a better place the world would be if we all reached out to people we admire or acted on our ideas. For me, 2016 is the year that I do just that.
Since I love being in front of the camera, I also plan on taking acting lessons this year. While I have no expectations whatsoever for my potential acting career, I think it could be a lot of fun to give acting a shot if only to have somewhere else to channel my drama aside from my boyfriend.
2016 Predictions
With 2016 being an election year obviously politics and the future of this country will be at the forefront of news and pop culture. While this is to be expected, I can see this election year getting especially heated. Knowing first-hand just how difficult it is to make it as a college graduate in this country, I hope that we will elect someone who will actually follow through with their promise to help the middle class because at the end of the day it’s the middle class that has taken the biggest hit. Therefore, they need the most help recovering and rediscovering upward mobility.
I predict that more Indie Films will go mainstream and end up in theaters. According to what I saw at Fashion Week, bold eyeshadows will be popular in beauty this spring. With everything being mass produced in China, I see street fashion trends staying pretty much the same in 2016.
With all the excitement around what’s to come, I forgot to mention how I spent New Year’s Eve. My boyfriend and I had originally planned on having a couple people over for a low key night at our place. But, when they bailed I got even more lazy and stayed in my yoga pants all day after coming home from my fitness class. At the last minute my boyfriend and I decided to ring in the New Year at the Central Park fireworks with his family. It was a beautiful fireworks display and Central Park was super crowded. While no one can really know what the next year will bring, I hope that 2016 brings me more spontaneous brunches, trips to the West Coast, beach days and relaxing nights in with my boyfriend.
Most of all, I wish you a beautiful and prosperous 2016!
Everyone in New York is talking about a newly iconic museum and it isn’t the MoMa. It’s the Museum of Feelings – essentially a living mood ring located in Battery Park whose vivid colors reflect the ever changing mood of New York City.
Inside there are several rooms each representing distinct feelings through lights and mood altering scents provided by Glade. The aromas chosen were absolutely perfect and even altered by mood faster and better than the uniquely beautiful surroundings.
This interactive pop up is open until Dec. 15th and best of all it’s free. However, expect to wait in line. I got to the museum 15 minutes before it opened on Sunday December 6th and still waited just under two hours to get in. If you can swing it, the best time to go is around 11am on a weekday when most people are at work. Though there will be a wait, I can tell you that it’s worth it. As soon as you enter the Museum of Feelings, your mind clears, everyday stress is left behind and you immediately begin to feel joyful and whimsical once again.
Last weekend I spontaneously hit up a Rebecca Minkoff sample sale and got this beautiful Rebecca Minkoff Crossbody Exclusive Love with Gunmetal bag for a steal. While it normally retails for $295, I only paid $75! Here’s what I learned while navigating through this very fabulous sample sale.
Believe it or not, this was one of my first sample sales. I usually avoid them due to my lack of funds (a girl has to pay rent). However, when my friend Joel told me about it on our way out of pilates, I couldn’t resist taking a peak. I got an amazing new bag and learned a ton about sample sale strategy.
Know when to go
The best times to go to a sample sale are on the first day and the last day. The first day has the best selection while the last day has the lowest prices. I personally prefer to go on the last day because it’s really the only day where these high end items are affordable. Plus you’ll watch the prices go down before your eyes as they keep lowering them throughout the day. If you go on any day that isn’t the first or the last day, you’ll get neither the lowest prices nor the best selection of products so shoot for prime times.
Stay focused
When you walk into a sample sale, it’s easy for your mind to go all over the place. Between all the people running around frantically and the tables piled high with designer deals, it’s hard to focus on finding the best deals for you. Just take a deep breath and focus on going through one table or rack at a time. Don’t move on to the next until you’re done going through the first rack. That way you get a good look at everything.
Only buy if you’re in love
One of the biggest mistakes people make at sample sales is buying things just because. If you love the brand, it’s tempting to buy designer items just because they’re cheap or discounted. I mean who wouldn’t want a Marc Jacobs bag for $50? However, if you wouldn’t pay full price for it, you shouldn’t buy it on sale either because you’re never going to use it. There’s nothing wrong with leaving a sample sale empty handed. So don’t settle for anything less than true love.
Accept defeat
Chances are there’s going to be a moment where someone else snags an item that you’re absolutely head over heels for. Accept the loss and move on. You can’t beat yourself up over your first love.
Go at it alone
While you may have gone to the sample sale with friends, there’s no need to remain attached at the hip while searching for deals. You’ll never be able to concentrate if you’re chatting. Separate and talk about your finds over coffee after.
There’s always sample sales coming up in NYC. Find more upcoming sales here.
