NYC: A Student's Guide

For my 21st birthday me & my friend decided to go to New York for a week. My family all thought I was a bit insane, I finished uni a couple of weeks beforehand and had very little money to my name but I assure you it can be done! With my last ever instalment of my student loan (weep) I booked my flight to NYC with British Airways & my hotel through Expedia. I can 100% guarantee you it will be worth your while doing your own research when it comes to flights & hotels. Highstreet travel agents were offering me £1,200 for a direct flight & 3* hotel in Downtown Manhattan (not that great) but with a small amount of time trawling the internet I managed to bag us British Airways flights (which weren't direct but meh, who cares when the food & drink is unlimited on flight?!) & a 4* hotel right next to Central Park for roughly £1,200 per person. The best bit? I got to stay in Chuck Bass's hotel. I kid you not. I stayed in the Empire Hotel which features in the series Gossip Girl & I can confirm it was fabulous. 

Above: view from the top of the Empire State Building.

While there are a lot of tourist attractions in New York a surprising amount of them are free. We did however have to pay to go up the Empire State (despite my friend Jack assuming it was free). We paid the extra to go up to the 102nd floor as opposed to the lower outdoor viewing platform, which in hindsight was a bit of a waste of money but what can you do - my lesson has been learnt. Be prepared to use your elbows to get past people & be shocked by the sheer lack of manners from other nationalities. Us British are just too polite it would appear! 

Above: the lake at Central Park

Central Park is my favourite place in Manhattan without a doubt…and it's free. There is so much to do in this beautiful park you will never have time to do it all. There's a zoo! Yep, a zoo in the middle of the city that never sleeps. For a mid-city zoo it was reasonable but the recent death of their resident polar bear did make me a bit sad & I felt a tad sorry for the penguins but that might just be the 'Madagascar' effect. Damn, that's a good film. You've also got the famous Met Museum which you can get discount on entry if you show your student card. This place is full of so many pieces I've studied over the past few years it was a little surreal seeing it in person. A bit like the park itself the place is huge & it seems near impossible to get round in one day. Also, the cafe is daylight robbery - opt for one of the hotdog vans outside the Met steps!

Above: Central Park

So my Gossip Girl obsession did get out of hand, I admit it. But can you honestly say you would be able to control your inner fan girl/boy when you come across the exact location that Chuck & Blair got married (above)?! Well I couldn't & I'm not even ashamed to admit it! Just around the corner from this little beauty is The Loeb Boathouse Restaurant. The likes of the Made in Chelsea cast have been spotted having a spot of brunch here over the past few weeks so if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me! It's a pricer venue but the scenery & quality of food was definitely worth it, just be prepared to wait for a table. 

Above: pancakes at Sarabeth's

If it's one thing this nation can do it's pancakes. Eating out in New York is actually pretty reasonable, especially if you choose the diners. Just bare in mind tips are a big deal in this country. Waiters aren't paid well & often rely on their tips more than we can imagine. That's why the standard tipping amount is around 20%, but don't feel inclined to leave that much if the service wasn't up to scratch - you don't have to despite them making you feel like you do.

Above: the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island

This may come as a bit of a out-there comment but in my personal opinion the Statue of Liberty is a little overrated. This is the second time I've been lucky enough to visit New York & the second time I've seen the statue. But I'm still not sold. I can't explain it & I'm willing to listen to attempts to persuade me otherwise but it's just not my cup of tea. Just north of the ferries to Liberty Island is Ground Zero. The last time I visited the site of the Twin Towers they hadn't decided what to do with the site but on my return they have created an absolutely beautiful space to pay tribute to all those who lost their lives. The two huge fountains over the foundations were a perfect choice in my opinion, an amazing transformation. If you get the chance be sure to visit the church next to the site which survived the attacks unharmed & acted as a shelter for the thousands of volunteers in the months following the devastation - a really moving place that is enough to reduce anyone to tears. 

Above: Brooklyn Bridge

Sadly I didn't get the chance to go across to Brooklyn this time (next time, I've promised myself) but I did make it to the bridge before dragging myself to Little Italy for some pizza after walking about 8 miles that day. Despite having been twice now I'm already desperate to go back, there's so much more for me to see & any recommendations would be gratefully received! 

Kathy aka Alice xo

The City Break Essentials: New York

Packing for a city break can be a bit of a daughting task if you've never been there before and don't know what to expect so we've decided to share our essentials with you to help you along your way, specifically with summer in New York in mind...

Dainty Jewellery is a must for any city break. A chic look is easily achieved with a few simple peaces, there's no need to pack your entire jewellery box! I'll be packing my Pandora bracelets along with my beautiful new star bracelet from French Connection which has Swaroski infusions (A gorgeous gift from a lovely friend for my birthday). Of course I have to take my Statue of Liberty charm (another present - I'm so spoilt), it would be rude not to! Along with these I'll be taking a few pendant necklaces that will go with everything day or night.

A Selection of Sunglasses as believe me one pair will never be enough. If you're anything like me I'm constantly misplacing or losing mine so I find it best to take a cheaper pair (Top: Topshop, £16) as well as my more expensive Ray Bans. Sunglasses for every occasion I say!

Skincare in the sun is extremely important and often overlooked. I have ridiculously sensitive skin hence the kids suncream - honestly it's the way to go when protecting your skin from the summer heat in New York! I make sure I always carry a smaller suncream with me all day to reapply regularly. Also, when I'm on holiday I try to use BB cream to give my skin a chance to breath and enjoy the healthy benefits of the sun.

Summer Prints are an absolute must in New York. This is one of the places you can get away with wearing pretty much anything you want and I love embracing their summertime culture. I'm taking a selection of Topshop, Zara and Reiss.

Hand Luggage is extremely important. My Michael Kors is perfect as it's deceivingly large with has plenty of pockets inside to hold my passport, phone and all other travel essentials. As well as this it has a over the shoulder strap which is useful for when you're rushing for a subway. Again, it goes with everything so there's no need to pack a ton of different bags.

The Highwaisted Bikini is my best friend at the moment. If you're like me then you perhaps didn't get your bikini body ready for summer in time! I've mixed and matched my set; the top is from H&M and the bottoms are from Topshop. If you're lucky enough to have a pool in your Manhattan hotel then this is a must!

Trainers are key. In New York you walk everywhere, and I mean everywhere, which is part of the beauty of the city. Having said this it does take it's toll on your feet and a comfortable and reliable pair of trainers are going to get you a long way, for me this is my much loved pair of New Balance.

Have you got any tips for New York?! We'd love to hear from you!

Alice & Grace xo

God bless the music industry: The Pierces are glorious

At the weekend Ryan and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary and made our way to bonnie Scotland to see boho duo The Pierces live in Glasgow. I've been a long time fan of the girls so I felt my review of their show might be (slightly) biased so I've asked Ryan to give a separate review. His music taste ranges from hard core rap to...err harder core rap, so the melodic harmonies of The Pierces aren't exactly his 'thing' (the things you do for love ey). 

Bex:

When I heard 'Secret' on the TV I fell in love,  I youtube'd the song immediately and from that moment I was entranced by The Pierce sisters, their perfect harmonies and mystical music. I have always loved old school music especially Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell and The Kinks and I found The Pierces' vintage vibes refreshing. I had been dying to see them for years and when I heard they were coming to the UK I (ever so subtly) hinted to Ryan and it worked because he bought me tickets! 

The gig was held at the Oran Mor, a converted church meaning 'great melody of life'. This was the perfect location to show off the sisters sublime voices and also small and intimate so you felt they were singing just for you. 

I could bang on all day about how beautiful Allison and Catherine are because they are truly breath taking. Catherine, the younger of the two, looks like she could be an Andy Warhol muse and Allison is how I imagine Aphrodite might have looked (I have a degree in ancient history & archaeology, did you really expect me not to make a reference!?) But it was how the girls interacted with the audience that really blew me away; they chit chatted with members of the crowd and have the type of sarcastic humour only appreciated by the Brits. It was a close, muggy day in Scotland but the girls embraced the sweat and only stopped a couple of times to wipe their face- They are very far from the 'untouchable celebrity' and I imagine they would just as easily join you down the pub for a pint. 

The music was something else, they played old favourites 'Glorious', 'It will not be forgotten and 'You'll be mine' as well as a vast selection of songs from their soon to be released album 'Creation' and if the tasters are anything to go by it's going to be a-frickin-mazing! Simon & Garfunkel are a hard act to top but when The Pierces sang 'Kathy's Song' acapella only the hardest of hearts could fail to be moved-This was my personal highlight of a glorious evening. 

Ryan: 

When I first bought tickets to see the Pierces for our anniversary I genuinely thought that it would result in an hour of me folding my ears while Bex had the time of her life! So as the event drew closer, the fear began to set in. ‘I am going to hate this’. ‘I like rap and rock, what is this hippy vibe going to do for me?’ ‘Maybe I can escape to the bar area and drink until this escapade is complete?’ Every question resulted in a whole cloud of negativity and doubt. I powered through regardless however, as I knew that Bex was going to love it. The weekend was for her after all! It didn’t help though that I had to leave my food behind so we could make it for the opening of the doors! Oh what I would give to get that last piece of chicken back…

Anyway, the show went on and, I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. When they first entered the stage I was gobsmacked. These girls were hot, maybe I could get through this after all. But it wasn’t just that they were spectacular to look at, they were bloody spectacular to listen to. I had underestimated The Pierces, in more ways than one. An awesome mixture of fast paced soft rock in some parts and deep and meaningful A capella suddenly had me singing along to songs I didn’t know the words too (I made them up, but still it counts!) The sisters were so perfectly in sync; they kind of made you listen to every single word they sang. You could tell that their music meant something to them. I even asked Bex if we could go and see them again on their next tour (this has nothing to do with seeing Catherine again, I swear…) The duo is releasing an album in September this year and I honestly cannot wait to listen to it. It just goes to show that you could be missing out on amazing music if you don’t give other genres a chance. I for one have certainly learnt my lesson. 

    

Summer Wish List Edit

With my better half Bex (aka Grace) already on her post third year de-stress holiday & mine just around the corner the Summertime wish list is getting slightly out of control. I've picked out some of my favourites to share with you that will definitely be in my suitcase when I jet off to New York in just two weeks!

Lolli Flor Draped Swimsuit ~ £139 @ asos

Kensington Passage Gel Effect Polish ~ £14 @ Nails inc.

Son of a Beach Towel by Ashish ~ £45 @ Topshop

Navvy Sandals (also in white & silver) ~ £48 @ Topshop

Printed Jumpsuit ~ £25.99 @ Zara

Alice xo