It's A New York Affair

Life has a great way of giving you what you need when you don't even know it...
And I needed New York badly. 

The frenetic vibe, the cold December air, all the gorgeous people rushing on 5th avenue, the frozen winter touch over Central Park... Gotta confess, I am passionately in love with this city. ♡

New York is like a lover you always return to because it keeps you entertained and gets your blood rushing every time you see it.
You might say I had a beautiful Christmas affair and I am about to tell you all about it. ;)

We started with a late breakfast (more like brunch) at Ellen's Stardust Diner where the waiters are wanna be Broadway actors and they put on quite a show for their guests. Talking about entertainment...  Some of them are crazy talented... The food, however was heavy and greasy, typical American. But the cheesecake is worth trying. 

Then we headed to Central Park with big ice skating plans. I could feel the fear all over my body because I haven't done this since I was 14 years old. Luckily being surrounded by lovely and supportive people was enough to gadder my courage and step on the ice skating ring. My fear was instantly replaced by pure happiness when I realized I still got the moves... 

And then I didn't wanna stop. ^_^

Once we got tired we had this fabulous idea of going to The Plaza Hotel for cocktails. So up we go... Unfortunately their lounge was only opening half an hour later so we decided to trade the fancy hotel experience for an Irish Pub with a strong and hot Irish coffee. 

After getting all warmed up we continued our journey to the exclusive Gramercy Park for some Christmas caroling. Apparently we were in the right place at the right time because this park only opens to public once a year. I suddenly felt special and extremely lucky. ^_^  

People were singing like angels next to a wonderful Christmas tree, couples were hugging lovingly and magic was floating in the air. Looking around I was thinking there are only a few things that would make this moment more perfect... 

But the day was not over...Our next stop was yet another Irish Pub we randomly found called Shades of Green.  I loved it so much because of the excessive Christmas decorations and the good vibes that dominated the place. 

We ended tour adventure with a quick visit at the Rockefeller Center (for the obvious reasons) and a slice of Ray's Pizza on the way to the hotel. 

I went to bed with my heart full of happiness and the feeling that the day was lived. ♡

XOXO

2017's Highlights

It's becoming sort of a tradition for me to take a break from the dolling up process before the new year's party and write a last post on the blog. 

I love New Year even though I am not the type of person who makes lists and resolutions, I just fancy the idea of cycle. 

It's been a hell of a year with ups and downs as life goes on... Some ups were so high I felt I could touch the sky and never wanted to come back... The downs were very shaky, like a severe turbulence :)), but probably necessary as a wake up call. 

You know how they say "Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn". Hopefully I learned. :))

I am quite happy I had the opportunity to visit a few new places of my list and explore more of those I already know and love. 

As always, the best part of my year was meeting inspiring and kind people and bonding with some old dear friends. I am grateful for each and every one of them for making my life wonderful and putting up with my occasional craziness. ^_^

As I write this, my mind is running through this year's major events, adventures and beautiful surprises. I can honestly say I lived all of them to the fullest from canyoneering in the 

Philippines to sunset drinks in New York or from late night walks in San Francisco to chilling on the couch with a glass of wine. This reminds me of a quote I randomly found without an author: "It is both a blessing and a curse to feel everything so deeply". True story ^_^

Ending this with a beautiful song that goes with happy mood and today's events.

Have a fantastic new year, beautiful people!

Take me back to... Stockholm

I shall play my "throwback” card and tell you a little bit about my trip to Sweden from two months ago.

Since I have this fascination with Nordic countries Stockholm was one of the cities I was dying to visit. Somehow I knew I would love it... And I was right. I was charmed not only by the beauty of the Swed capital but by the  crazy gorgeous people. I came to learn that fashion is a major thing in Stockholm and the residents do a great job showing it. No wonder it's the home of  famous brands like Acne Studios, H&M along their luxury branch COS. For the first time I had to double check if my outfit was up to standards when I went outside. Seriously, their sense of style is impeccable no matter if they are going to work, grab a coffee, dinner or simply riding their cool bicycles around the city... 

In terms of entertainment Stockholm has plenty to offer. You can have a delightful walk around the Old Town, get lost on the cute little streets until you reach The Royal Palace. And there, if you are lucky, you might get to see the change of the guards... or the prince... depends how your luck is that day, ha ha. 

Since I am a coffee lover, the first thing I look for in a new place is a cool local coffee shop. And in Stockholm I found quite a few. On top of my list were Cafe Saturnus, Cafe Pascal and Mahalo Hälsocafet  but, due to lack of time, I only got to check out the first one.  I am hoping there will be a next time for the other two along with a visit to The Vasa Museum which was highly recommend.

A tasty dinner with a delicious glass of wine helps me end the day in a happy mood. Therefor I was pleased to discover two very charming restaurants. 

First one was the cozy and very Scandinavian Nomad. I loved the chilled, casual and young vibe I got here. 

And the second one, my personal favorite so far, Riche. It was weekend so the place was packed, but we were lucky enough to find a table and enjoy the vibrating atmosphere. 

That's it for now. Stay tuned for more stories. 

Until then have a magical Christmas!