New York: Day 2 {Saturday}

Saturday morning we woke up and headed to one of Ashley's favorite breakfast spots, Cafe Gitane.

I'd read on Yelp that they had an amazing avocado toast -- lemon juice, olive oil, avocado, and red chili flakes on wheat toast.  Of course I ordered it and of course it was life-changing.

I think I know what we're having at home for breakfast this weekend.

After breakfast, we knocked out some Soho shopping.  First stop: the ever anticipated C. Wonder!

From home decor to handbags to clothes to jewelry to accessories... they had it all!

We went to the dressing room armed with stacks of clothes to try.  My favorite part?  This digital menu in each dressing room lets you control the music, the volume, and best of all, the lighting!  How ingenious.  Want to see how that orange cardigan will look in your brightly-lit office conference room?  Or how a tailored little blue dress will look at a dimly-lit dinner?  Done.

I was almost tempted to leave with some new bangles or some new tortoise-rimmed sunglasses, but I walked away empty-handed.  My girlfriends did not; they scored some fabulous finds.

After a Bloomingdales trip, we worked up an appetite.  We stopped in at Rice to Riches, which has so many flavors of rice pudding.

I went with pecan pie.  Kerry chose the marscapone and Ashley took the blue ribbon with her choice of french toast rice pudding topped with tart cherries.

My pecan pie rice pudding in all its glory.

After a quick trip back to the hotel, we refreshed and made our way back to Bloomingdale's for makeup appointments.  Ash and Ker were beautified by the Bobbi Brown girls, and I scored an appointment at the Chanel counter.

Freshly made up and with new makeup goodies in hand, we walked to Haute Air where we had appointments to have our hair blown out.

Here's the before pic -- makeup looks good, hair is ready for some magic!

We sipped champagne and took turns having our hair washed and styled with Bumble & Bumble products by the talented Haute Air staff.

I loved how mine turned out and the girls were equally as pleased with theirs!

On the walk back to the hotel, we shielded our tresses from the wind as best we could.  We slipped into our dresses for the night, sipped on some wine, and got ready for a great dinner out.

We arrived at Beauty and Essex for our dinner reservations.  As you walk in, it appears you are in a pawn shop.

And then an unsuspicious door at the back opens and leads you into the restaurant.

The food was phenomenal, the cocktails very inspired, and the dancing upstairs was a blast.  Time with these girls is always the best.



Find Me at C'est Si Bon

I have been invited by the beautiful Kristen at C'est Si Bon to guest post today!
Won't you be a dear and visit me?

Here's a little clue about the topic of my post:

If you are intrigued, please pay a visit and leave me some lovin' on C'est Si Bon, which just happens to be one of my super favorite blogs.  And I think you will love it just as much as I do!

PS - If you are a bride-to-be or just someone who is enamored by weddings ... make sure to check out Kristen's wedding recaps.  Her love-filled day was one of the prettiest I've seen.

New York: Day 1 {Friday}

So, how much fun is it to wake up at 5:30am to start getting ready for your early morning flight only to see that you missed a call from the airline at 4am letting you know that the 2nd flight that day from DC to NYC has been cancelled?

Not too much fun.

But how much fun is it to call said airline, and after being a combination of polite yet fussy and firm, get your wish granted to be on the same direct flight as your best girlfriend?

BAM!  Kerry was originally set to land more than an hour before I would while I connected in DC.  Being on the same flight was such an awesome surprise.  We even had time for her to get a quick polish change in the airport before our friend Ashley arrived in on her flight from Miami.

We shuttled over to Ashley's arriving terminal and all hopped a cab to the hotel.  Kerry and I see each other often, but it has been 10 months since we've seen Ashley.  We are always those girls when we reunite.

After dropping our bags off at the hotel and freshening up, we headed to our lunch reservations at the Boathouse in Central Park.  The weather was a little dreary but we still enjoyed our view right out the window.

Is it just me, or is it not really a vacation unless you order a glass of sauv blanc with lunch?! 

After our delicious lunch, we did some shopping on Madison Avenue.  First stop: Milly.

We three always share a dressing room when we can.  We're all right around the same size so we just try on the same items.  Definitely a fun bunch to shop with!

My favorite was this precious dress.  I didn't leave with it, but you can bet that I'll be watching it like a hawk to go on sale.  (Or even better, for it to turn up on Rent The Runway.)

Ashley tried it on after I did and it looked great on her too.  Kerry ended up purchasing a really cute black dress with large black sequin polka dots on it.

Next up was Tory Burch -- three levels of beautiful clothes, handbags, and shoes.  The design of that store is just breathtaking.

After shopping a bit more, we popped in to Dean and Deluca to pick up a few blocks of cheese to snack on that night.  As could be expected, they have simply stunning florals.

And after picking up a bottle of red and a bottle of white, we headed back to the room to get ready for pre-dinner cocktails with some special people.  Ashley's brother-in-law and his girlfriend stopped by the pretty bar in our hotel, and my Manhattanite sister Sarah also joined us.

Sister Sarah and me

We had 9:30 dinner reservations at Marc Forgione and were really impressed with the menu, the service, and the delicious food.  Ohhhh, the halibut with the "Proposal Sauce" -- aptly named because its deliciousness caused some women to propose to the chef.

It was late when we wrapped up dinner, but come on -- it was our first night to be reunited together!  We rallied and headed down the street to Mr. Chow where we had one more nightcap.

A quick cab ride back to the Mondrian and into our comfy beds we went.  We had a big day ahead of us Saturday filled with ... you guessed it ... shopping!

Back from NYC!

I'm back from the most amazing trip to New York with my girlfriends. 

Kerry, Ashley, and me in the super gorgeous lobby.

The trip, which my friend Kerry won through the snazzy Greenville-based Town magazine, included the most fabulous stay at the Mondrian Soho.  If you've ever stayed in Manhattan, you know that hotel rooms aren't known to be spacious.  This one was not only spacious, but it was insanely beautiful.  And being on the 10th floor, we had a stellar view.

All white and blue, the design featured many mirrored elements, crystal accents, and a spoil-you-rotten white marble bathroom. 

And did I mention the cut crystal?  We quickly found a wine shop around the corner and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to sip vino out of beautiful stemware.  Sayonara, thin styrofoam coffee cups -- we've upgraded!

I have so much to post and share throughout the next few days!

Dinner with Neighbors

Last night we invited our neighbors over for dinner.  They are the same age as our parents, and we just love being around them.  Jon is the type of person that will just come over and help Ian if he sees him working in the yard.  Monika was the first person to stop over to our home after we moved in with a plate of German sweets. 

We sat out on the patio and chatted before dinner.  Jon and Monika are just filled with so much wisdom.  They really encouraged us to take as much vacation time as we could from work to spend time together and have fun adventures.  Seems like a no-brainer, but this is something we could definitely improve upon.  They love life and they take a month vacation to Europe each summer.  I totally see the correlation.

We kept dinner quick and easy because I wanted to spend more time chatting with them than slaving away over the stovetop.  I marinated chicken in a Greek vinaigrette that Ian grilled outside.  Before work yesterday, I made the sauce that we love to top the grilled chicken with -- lemon juice, plain Greek yogurt, feta cheese, and herbs.

We had a green jacket salad (I really need to share that recipe) and this bean dish which Jon raved about.  It was super easy -- just rinse cans of garbanzo beans and cannelini beans, toss them with halved kalamata olives, herbs, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.  I added some diced celery for crunch.

Monika brought dessert -- a sopapilla cherry cheesecake that was out of this world. 

We loved our mid-week dinner with neighbors and can't wait to have them over again soon.