NEW YORK CITY!

My Kodak Moments

Friends and acquaintances alike warned me against doing all the typical tourist-type activities whilst in New York, but being the obstinate character that I am, I decided to ignore this advice and sample all the tourist attractions I could physically fit in - in terms of time and budget. You see, I like to try things out for myself and form my own opinion; so in no particular order of preference, let me introduce to you some of what I got up to during my NY city-break.

TIMES SQUARE

I know a lot of people, particularly residing New Yorkers, try to avoid this area because of the bustling atmosphere created by a bunch of excitable tourists trying to capture the perfect Kodak moment, but I thought it would be rather pretentious of me to do this, so against my better judgement, I booked my hotel right in the centre of Times Square! The photo below is of the view from my window on the 28^th floor.

I thought Times Square looked its best at night when the bright LED lights really showed off its true brilliance and justified why it is one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions. During the day, it can look a bit tired and hackneyed, especially if the weather isn't great.

You'll feel safe in Times Square

You'll never go hungry in Times Square.

Just minutes from Times Square, I chanced upon a lovely little spot called Bryant Park - a beautiful retreat after a long day to do some people-watching and ponder over the day’s events. It was just at the back of the hotel, which was convenient; my tired feet appreciated its location. So don't despair if you have booked a Times Square hotel, sitting in this place, day or night, will make you forget about the 'chaos' happening over on the next block.

There were a number of office blocks, again just minutes from Times Square and I debated for a while whether I would want to work so close to the thick of the action. The area was very pretty, with lots of food vendors and very close to Bryant Park, so I could be easily swayed.

CITY TOUR BUS

In my opinion, if you haven’t been to New York before, the tour buses are an excellent way to see the city’s popular sites as the route covers Downtown, Uptown, Brooklyn and the Bronx. They offer a hop on – hop off service so if on your sightseeing journey you stumble upon an area or site that interests you, you can just hop off the bus and then hop on the next bus (usually every 10 minutes) when you are finished. You can purchase a 48 hour all-loop/route tour for  $59. I thought that was a bargain when you consider what you get for it.

The downtown loop pretty much covered the length of Broadway – probably the most popular and definitely the longest street (15 miles/24 km) running through the borough of Manhattan.

I chuckled when I saw this; most of you will know that my two passions are fashion and nutrition, so how ironic to see this together – ‘Kodak Moment’!

A sea of yellow cabs - they sure like honking their horns, for no apparent reason may I add.

Most people we spoke to recommended that we don't use taxis because they rip you off, so guess what I did......yep I hailed a taxi and took a short ride in the iconic vehicle. I didn't find them to be any more expensive than a British black cab. The very chatty taxi driver informed us that he was from Russia where he used to be a teacher; he decided to move to New York for personal reasons and after realizing he couldn't get a job, he became a taxi driver.

We spent most of our time getting from place to place on the tour bus though. The patriotic tour guide (yep the one carrying the mic) was hilarious, always cracking a joke or two - the New York drawl made the jokes even funnier.

Macy’s aaahhh, but no shopping, ooh except a concealer stick, but I don’t think that counts does it?

The Flatiron Building -  truly exemplifies art deco and renaissance architecture. It's a functioning office building as well as a tourist hot-spot. I thought to myself that it must be highly amusing for the employees inside to see people taking snaps of where they work. 

A glimpse of the skyscraper that is...The Chrysler Building: the tallest brick building in the world, so I'm told.

The Headquarters of the United Nations - our tour guide advised us that there were no windows down the side to block out the view of the slaughter house that once occupied the space to the side of the building.

Greenwich Village -  a largely residential neighbourhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan.

Little Italy

Chinatown

This was interesting -  a Chinese – Spanish cuisine? I wonder who does the actual cooking? I won’t tell you what the tour guide said.

The Waldorf Astoria Hotel
One of my favourite comedy movies is Coming to America (1988) starring Eddie Murphy, which featured the prestigious Waldorf Astoria Hotel, so I just had to take a peek. It’s a very palatial establishment with a wealth (excuse the pun) of history behind it. It’s also a favourite among celebrities and VIP’s - presidents, United Nations’ officials, Marilyn Monroe and Paris Hilton to name a notable few. I'll be staying here next time I think........

Just a few minutes from the Waldorf was this restaurant -  Smith and Wollensky. The tour guide said it was one of the most famous steak houses in New York. I didn't eat there, I'm not much of a steak and chop person, in fact I had a tasty pizza just round the corner instead!

Anyway I will leave it there for now to give your eyes a break, but there are more snaps to come, if you're interested, from Central Park, Statue of Liberty, SoHo, The Bridges, The Sex and the City tour and views from the skyscrapers and Ground Zero.

Thanks for reading/skimming.

Later x

AU REVOIR.......BON VOYAGE

Why am I writing in French? I'm going to New York!

Tick-tock; the time is nigh… in just over 48 hours, I will be temporarily dwelling in one of the fashion capitals of the world - New York! My excitement is beyond words. The people I've told have immediately responded with some pun or suggestion about shopping, which is understandable; I do proclaim to be a self-confessed ‘shopaholic’ and fashion enthusiast. The truth is, I've vetoed the idea of spending my time in clothes shops and outlets, and instead I will be making the most of the city’s sites and the excursions on offer.

If any of you have been before and would like to offer any recommendations about where to go and where to eat, they would be gratefully received. It’s been a long time since I was last in the Big Apple.

Tee  River Island

Leather-look jeans Oasis

Tee River Island

Sandals  Steve Madden for New Look

Hat  Zara

When people go away on a city-break or holiday, some go with the intention, expectation and acceptance of gaining a few (or more) pounds (lbs), however others want to make a conscious effort not to put on any weight at all. If you are among the latter, and you’re off on your travels this summer, why not skim over some of my top tips for managing your weight whilst away:

SALADS

Salads are a popular choice when we’re in sunny, warmer climates. They are refreshing, light, healthy and seemingly low calorie, but beware of the salad dressings which can be a calorie trap. Ask for creamy/sugary dressings to be put on the side so that you can be in control of how much you consume. Balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of fresh lemon are low calorie/fat alternatives.

ALCOHOL

I’m not a party-pooper, so there’s no way I would tell you to avoid alcohol, I would just suggest that you moderate your intake and use strategies that can help reduce your overall calorie intake, such as having mixers with diet drinks (e.g. gin and slimline tonic, wine spritzer), opting for single measures instead of double and drinking water in between drinks. I did a whole post on reducing calories from alcohol at Christmas- check it out here.

FAST FOODS

Without naming any obvious brands, they are convenient and “tasty”, but LADEN with fat and calories. Eat fast food and take-aways as a treat, rather than every day whilst you are away.

SUGARY DRINKS

All that sightseeing, sun, sea and sand can of course leave you feeling parched, but be mindful of the calorie content of an average can of regular soda -140 calories! Considering how many times we need a drink throughout the day, opting for water or diet drinks would be a better choice.

PORTION CONTROL

Sampling the delicious cuisine is a ‘must’ when you are in a foreign country, but eating unnecessarily large portions isn't. You can still get a taste for the yummy food on offer, without going overboard with the quantity. Practice portion control techniques to offset some of the calories such as using smaller plates or sharing meals, sides or desserts with whoever is accompanying you. In addition, don’t be afraid to ask for smaller portions, or leave food on the plate if it is far too much.

BREAKFAST

Try to have a breakfast every day, this will usually prevent you picking at all the wrong unhealthy foods throughout the morning, and it will also give you the energy you need to tackle your day of fun and adventure.

SNACKS

We all love to indulge in snacks whilst we are away - think ice cream, donuts, chocolates, milkshakes.... now think calories, calories, calories. Try to limit your intake of high calorie snacks when you are out on your day trips, and perhaps plan ahead and take your own snack such as fruit, nuts, oatcakes and even a few squares of dark chocolate.

EXERCISE

I’m not suggesting you locate the nearest gym on arrival, I certainly don’t, but why not incorporate some holiday activities and excursions that really burn some calories - walking, cycling, swimming, rock climbing etc.-  rather than just relaxing on a beach all day, although that does sound tempting!

Do you have any other tips?

Happy travels for anyone else going away and I will look forward to catching up with all your blog posts on my return!

Later x

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NONCONFORMIST

Although it depends how you look at it.....

Although I consider myself to be a fashion enthusiast, I don’t generally tend to conform to fashion trends, however every now and again a new trend emerges that inspires me to experiment with my wardrobe apparel. One such trend is the denim-on denim trend. Some of you guys will know from my previous post that I didn't follow through 100% with the denim-on-denim ensemble – denim top and denim bottoms – and instead played it safe by just incorporating a denim bag. Well, I have been challenged by a couple of readers and this is the result.

Without sounding self-deprecating, you are forgiven in advance for not holding back with your opinions; denim-on-denim does take a bit of getting used to!

Denim shirt Zara

Jeans Dorothy Perkins

Booties ASOS

Bag Zatchels

Another custom that I haven’t fully conformed to is the Liebster award concept. Some of you will know that I was awarded a Liebster (see here) by the lovely Naomi who writes the witty and informative blog Coulda ShouldaWoulda. Despite the fact I enjoyed accepting the award, for my own personal reasons I haven’t followed the Liebster ‘rule’ of nominating another collection of bloggers (I hope that doesn’t render my award null and void??), however, if I had, these are some of the questions I would have asked:

1. If money were no object for 48 hours, what one thing would you do or buy?

2. What is your favourite accessory in your wardrobe e.g. bag, shoes, scarf?

3. What job would you be doing if you were living the dream?

4. What and where is your favourite restaurant?

5. Have you ever considered giving up blogging and why?

6. What are your favourite movies?

7. Name one thing in life that you wish you had done differently

8. Who would be or is your fashion Muse?

9. What one thing would people be surprised to know about you?

10. If you haven’t liked my FACEBOOK page yet, why not? Ha ha

If you decide to leave a comment, it would be great to see your answers to just one or two of the above questions as well. I sometimes find out about other great bloggers just by the comments they leave on other blogs.

Later x

DENIM-ON-DENIM

hhhmm, not quite

Blouse Boohoo.com

Jeans Warehouse

Bag/satchel Zatchels

Whoop! According to industry style experts, it’s out with the skinny jeans and in with the flares. Being a woman with an ample thigh and buttock, coupled with athletic calf muscles, skinny jeans have always been a squeeze to get on, a struggle to pull off and an effort to wear; so why the hell do I wear ‘skinnies’ you ask, the simple answer to that is: I don’t know, habit maybe? But what I can tell you is that I’m happy to hear flares are having another revival!

Skinny jeans are a common piece in denim collections and have become a wardrobe staple for most women for many years, from teenagers to those approaching pension age; it certainly hasn't been a short-lived trend. Flares, on the other hand, originally inspired by 1970’s collections by Marc Jacobs and Gucci (and not to be confused with boot-cut, in my opinion anyway) are less ubiquitous and tend to duck in and out of fashion. It’s a shame, because although they can be a little fitted on the hip and thigh area, the overall style of flares makes them quite forgiving for people who aren't particularly proud of their pins. As a rule of thumb, a pair of flares has to be worn with a wedge or tall heel to really carry off the effect, and that’s really the only disadvantage, unless you have a comfortable wedge or heel of course.

I've recently bought a denim shirt from Zara and toyed with the idea of donning ‘Denim-On-Denim’ a trend that has historically being a no-no among fashion insiders, but I am seeing it more and more in the blogosphere with mixed opinion, but I haven’t plucked up the courage to do it myself yet. Instead, I cheated a little and went with ‘Denim-And-Denim by pairing my denim flares with my new denim satchel.

I forget sometimes how beautiful parts of Birmingham can be - this is Victoria Square in the city centre, home to both the Town Hall and Council House and named in honour of Queen Victoria in 1901, hence the statue, which was erected just 12 days before she died.

What's your favourite denim piece in your wardrobe?

Later x