Travel Archives - Darling Darleen | A Lifestyle Design Blog

What to Pack for New York City

What to Pack for New York City for Spring and Summer

We just had an amazing sisters weekend in New York City a couple of weekends ago. Playing NYC tour guide for my sisters and sister-in-laws was exhausting but so much fun. I always love showing off one of my favorite cities! Thank goodness they loved it and had a great time. Prior to the trip, my phone was going off with numerous text messages from all the sisters regarding what to pack for New York City. They wanted to make sure they came prepared and were dress appropriately for the weather and New York City day and nightlife. If you have never been to New York City before, than this guide to “What to Pack for New York City for Spring and Summer” will be so helpful.

If you a planning to trip to New York City to explore and do all the fun tourist things that the City has to offer, plan to bring comfortable and breathable clothing. There is a lot of walking and standing, and most newbies under estimate how exhausting it can be exploring the Big City. Your feet will be hurting by the end of the day. Also, plan to wear the same outfit all day long. Most of NYC traveling groups I have been with never have enough time to head back to the hotel to change from their casual day clothes to an evening outfit. There is simply too much to explore in a day! Also you may not be near your hotel to make the switch. So wear an outfit that is comfortable enough to walk the streets, but polish enough to walk into a broadway play or nice restaurant. If you really want to make an outfit switch, then carry a change of clothes in your day pack. But keep in mind, you can really get away with wearing whatever you want to broadway plays and restaurants in New York City because there are so many variety of people coming off the streets.

Also when packing for New York City, I also suggest to pack similar clothes with complementing colors so you can crossover outfits. In the spring, skinny jeans and cotton pants work great. In the hot summer months, avoid jeans because it can get quite humid. I love wearing shorts, skirts and dresses.

Here are some New York City Street smart clothes for Spring and Summer:

Top:

Bottoms:

Dresses and Jumpers:

Another thing I suggest when packing for New York City is good walking shoes. Ditch the heels and wedges, unless you have a planned event that requires you to dress up. Your feet will be hurting if you wore those. There are so many cute street style tennis shoes. Bring shoes that provide arch support and won’t fall apart. I wore my Nike tennis shoes all weekend, and they saved my feet! Also, I wore them with jeans, skirts and dresses. So yes! You can dress up a pair of tennis shoes. In the summer months, pack comfortable sandals that you can get mileage out of.

Here are a few street style tennis shoes.

Here are a few sandals

Bring a jacket or blazer even in the hot summer months! Remember New York City is on the coast and that ocean breeze can get cold during the evening. Also the City is unpredictable with weather and can change from day to day. When my sisters came, it was supposed to be in the high 70s and then dropped to the low 60s with rain. We were cold! But then the last two days it was in the 80s and sunny!

Here are a few jackets and blazers:

Since you will be on the road walking alot, carry your belongings in a small, stylish backpack, fanny pack or cross-over bag. Over the course of the long weekend, I wore my leather backpack the most because it could hold a bottle of water, umbrella, camera, snacks, makeup for touchup and a jacket.

Backpacks and Fanny Packs:

Crossover Bags:

Some other things you want to consider bringing in your backpack is portable chargers with cord–your phone will run out of batteries. Hand sanitizer because New York is filled with germs. An umbrella is definitely needed in the spring time and later summer with afternoon showers.

Beach Vacation Maxi Dresses

Curated collection of Maxi Dresses to Pack for the Perfect Beach Vacation

We are home from the beach! Coming back from Spring Break, it’s nice to jump back into the daily life, but I am already missing our favorite Florida beaches. I can’t wait to head back!! Or maybe we just need to permanently move there. When I pack for the beach or any fun beach getaway, I love to pack beach vacation maxi dresses that are comfortable and with a simple silhouette. I also look for dresses that lightweight cotton and easy to pack in a carry-on bag. Feminine ruffles and pom pom trim are pretty details that give the dress a modern bohemian style.

Palm Leaf from Alys Beach Florida wearing a tassel pom embroidery beach vacation maxi dress, beach look, what dress to pack || Darling Darleen

I used to be a shorts and t-shirt girl, which I still do love. But as I have gotten older, you will find me more in beach vacation maxi dresses while on vacation. They are timeless pieces that never really goes out of style. And lets just say it–they are comfortable in the heat with the breeze. It’s easy to say cool. Another thing I love is the convenience of going from beach to dinner, which we tend to do since we like to stay on the beach all day and then watch the sunset.

Biking around Alys Beach in my yellow striped button up dress, what beach vacation maxi dress to pack || Darling Darleen

Biking around Alys Beach in my yellow striped button up dress, what beach vacation maxi dress to pack when at the beach, beach bike with basket || Darling Darleen

I searched through all the major fashion retailers to bring you what I think are the best beach vacation maxi dresses that are easy to pack, comfortable and have a pretty bohemian detail. Here is my curated collection of beach vacation maxi dresses:

Curated Collection of Beach Vacation Maxi Dresses to wear on your next trip to the beach. These dresses have a pretty details of pom pom and tassel and embroidery. || Darling Darleen

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |

Travel Guide to Hilton Head

Places to Eat, Shop and Visit while in Hilton Head, South Carolina

We call Hilton Head, South Carolina, our beach home– second to the Route 30A, Florida. So many wonderful summer time beach memories, and a place my children love to visit. Less than a four-hour drive from Atlanta, Georgia, Hilton Head was an easy family vacation spot. So, I am quite surprised that I haven’t done a travel guide yet, but better late than never! Although we have moved away from Atlanta, we are eager to continue our yearly visits to Hilton Head. Here is my Travel Guide to Hilton Head, South Carolina of places to eat, shop and visit.

One of the main attractions to Hilton Head is that the beaches are all open to the public. Hilton Head Island is about 12 miles long and are easily accessible and enjoyable to all. We love how wide the beaches are especially at low tide. The hard-packed sand on Hilton Head shoreline makes for an easy bike ride, and you have full access to 12 miles of beach front. We make sure to bring bikes and love to ride where we can find shells, marine life and washed up shark teeth.

Hilton Head Island is all about the beach. All.day.long! That is where you will usually find us. One thing we love about Hilton Head is that the shoreline is not lined with high-rise hotels. There are building codes and much of the natural elements are preserved, so you still feel like you are on an island. Spanish-moss trees, palm trees, sea marshes are all along the HH Island along with world-renowned golf courses.

To break up the beach, one place we love to visit and explore more of the HH island is Pickney Island National Wildlife Refuge . This is the perfect place to go on a morning or evening hike and see island wildlife. So many amazing birds that you won’t see anywhere else. If you are on a hunt for an alligator, this is the place to see them.

If you have little children, Lawton Stables is also a fun break from the beach. They have a small animal farm and pony rides. They also have horse-back riding travel guides around the island. My children love visiting Lawton Stables.

Harbor Town Lighthouse is a fun place to explore. We like to visit in the evening after a day at the beach and grab dinner around there. Although if you go in the morning, you may see dolphins near the piers. There is shopping and restaurants near the candy cane striped lighthouse, which is the center of Harbor Town. Climb to the top of the iconic Lighthouse to get a beautiful visit of the harbor.

There are a few shops we love to visit while in Hilton Head. We definitely make it a point to stop by these shops. Right across from Coligny Beach is a shopping center called Coligny Plaza this is located in the town’s center and a great place to walk from beach to shopping. We always stop by Quiet Storm to pick up any kind of items for our skimboards, surfboards and boogie boards. They have the best selection. I also like to pick up a new beach hat here and a cute tank top or see what sales they have on clothes. I love all of their selections. I also love to stop by Black Mineral Market to pick up stones and sliced agates for my jewelry shop. My kids always like to out a rock or two. They always have a great selection of rocks, minerals and shells at affordable prices. And the last shopping spot we always like to hit up while in Hilton Head is The Spice and Tea Exchange. They have exotic spices and recipes to use the spices. You can also find a wide range of olive oil and teas from around the world.

Feeding a family of six can get quite expensive, so we like to find friendly family restaurants that are really good and well priced. If you like seafood, the beach is the best place to find restaurants that have fresh fish and seafood. We tend to go where the locals like to go. Kenny B’s Cajun Seafood Hut is so good with the taste of New Orleans with a Southern style. The gumbo is amazing and barbecue shrimp. Get there early because there is usually a long line around 5 p.m! Another similar casual dining restaurant where diners arrive around before dinner is Sea Shack. This restaurant is HH best seafood secret. They have picnic tables outside the restaurant, and best seafood options you can get for a reasonable price. If you are looking for entertainment and a place for your kids to hang, the Salty Dog Cafe is a great place to go and HH’s famous restaurant. We love how it is right on the water and they have live music. Looking for pizza? Giuseppi’s Pizza and Pasta has the best pizza made with homemade dough. I use to recommend the French Kiss Bakery, which has the most amazing almond croissant. But we had the worst, horrible customer service experience the last few times we went that I vowed never to return. However, I hear they have new owners so I’m hoping they have change the negative attitude around.

Check out our family bike adventure video in Hilton Head:

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Travel Guide to Hilton Head, South Carolina: Our favorite Places to Eat, Shop and Visit while in Hilton Head, South Carolina || Darling Darleen #hiltonhead #familybeachtrip #summerbeach #hiltonhead #southcarolina

Darling Travels: Winter in Vermont

Wanderlust to Vermont for the perfect winter getaway!

We took our wanderlust this past holiday and traveled up to Vermont for a magical winter wonderland. Winter in Vermont may be so cold, but it is beautiful and quite charming. The quaint mountain towns are lined with red barns, old colonial homes and white chapels snuggled up against wintery rolling hills. You escape all the cares of your every day and go back in time a little bit when you spend winter in Vermont. The scenery has a feeling of nostalgic old times with it’s turn-of-the century homes, covered bridges and horse-drawn carriages. We were quite smitten by it.

To feel true winter in Vermont, we headed as north as we could that had good skiing, so we picked Stowe Vermont. We did all of our skiing at Smuggler’s Notch because the amount of snow they had was more than Stowe. All the mountain towns in that region though have tiny shops, gourmet restaurants and town squares. However, we did spend some time in Stowe Vermont and fell in love with it!

Here are our favorite things to do in and around Stowe Vermont in winter!

Go Skiing! Hit the mountains and enjoy a ski day. There are many options like Smuggler’s Notch and Stowe Ski Resort. It’s the best way to enjoy winter in Vermont.
Bundle up and get your hiking boots on or snow shoes or cross country skis and hit Stowe’s Recreation Path! This is one of the favorite things we did during our visit to Stowe. During the warm months, the path is paved but during the winter in Vermont, it comes a great place to get your skis on or snow shoes and you can go from miles and miles during the valley of Stowe. But the snow does get packed down, so hiking shoes works great too.
Visit the covered bridges around Stowe Vermont. Did you know that Vermont has almost 100 covered bridges? Yup! And a few of them are in Stowe. One of the bridges we saw called Emily’s Bridge is said to be haunted so my older kids had fun with that!
Take a horse-drawn sleigh ride with Gentle Giants or Trapp Family Lodge
Visit Trapp Family Lodge for more cross country skiing, snowshoeing and to get a little Austria in Vermont.
Pick up fresh Vermont maple syrup at Shaw’s General Store and then visit the rest of Stowe’s town square for dining and more small town shopping.

What To Do In Downtown Denver

What To Do in Downtown Denver

This past weekend I headed to Denver for a family wedding, which was so beautiful! I took my oldest daughter, and we had the best mommy/daughter girls trip seeing family and the beautiful union of my nephew and his bride. I made sure that the weekend was a long one, so we could spend quality time hanging out with family after the wedding. We spent a beautiful fall day in Downtown Denver, and the weather was so gorgeous and sunny in the high 60s. I fell in love with the vibrant, walkable downtown area of Denver with yummy eatery and eclectic shops. The last time I was in Downtown Denver I don’t remember it being this urban, cool gathering place of art galleries, boutiques and the best farm-to-table restaurants. Perhaps I missed it, but I was truly impressed this last trip!

We started off in Downtown Denver walking around Larimar Square and checking out all the specialty boutiques. Many of the shops have a distinctive fashion style from modern to bohemian to punk. All the shops are housed in Victorian-style buildings and the street is lined with light strings that hang across the main road. I hear the best time to visit is at night when the lights are on.

We did quite a bit of walking around Downtown Denver but these mules were so comfortable! My feet did not hurt. Truth is there is a lot of walk, so if you have sensitive feet wear comfortable shoes around Downtown Denver. However, there is quite a bit of parking lots around the area. After hanging out in Larimar, we walked up to Union Station, which is located in the heart of Downtown Denver. Union Station is a renovated 100-year-old train station with chef-owned restaurants, a hotel and numerous boutiques. I had the best homemade gingersnap and banana pudding ice cream at Milkbox Ice Creamery. And my brother loved his vegan Oreo cookie ice cream. You can play shuffle board, pool, chess or just read a book in the common area. It a great place to gather with friends.

Our last stop was just a short walk up to the Dairy Block, another historic block with tastemaker restaurants, a chic hotel and quirky boutiques. I loved the casual cafeteria style of eating with open communal tables. The alley way is the perfect spot to snap a picture or play bean toss games.

Here are a few of my items I packed for my trip to Denver in the Fall.

Casual Fall City Outfits:

Sporty Fall City Outfits:

Travel: Cruising to the Bahamas

Cruising to the Bahamas

Oh Bahamas. Take me back to Paradise! Looking through these pictures brings back so many good memories that my friends and I created on this glorious birthday girls weekend. I miss my friends, and I love them for loving me and celebrating my big 4-0 with a surprise cruise trip to the Bahamas. It was exciting! It was magical. And it was the perfect escape from reality weekend. Don’t you love it when a trip goes as perfectly planned? It truly is the best! Cruising to the Bahamas was on our agenda, and it was the first time I had ever been to the Bahamas. I definitely don’t want it to be my last. I would say that I’m not much of a cruise girl. This was my second cruise that I have ever been on. It turned out to be a great experience. We all agreed that going on a cruise with girlfriends is the way to travel to a Caribbean island. We had such a blast just lounging around, eat whatever, karaoke, comedy club and our favorite dancing! Our cruising to the Bahamas trip was short and quick and worked well with our busy mom life. We went on a 4-day cruise trip and it was the perfect time and didn’t put too much strain on our families.

When we arrived, after cruising to the Bahamas, we headed to the local tourist spots and book a private charter boat to the islands around the Bahamas. That is the best way to see the turquoise waters, snorkel and have a beach to yourself. The water was amazing! So warm and blue. Our charter boat took us to a reef to snorkel and then to a island with white sand. We had it all to ourselves. It was magical! After our boat trip, we headed to the streets of Nassau for shopping and the search for fresh conch salad. We found a local food stand making conch salad and it was seriously one of the best seafood salad I had ever have. So yummy! I am definitely planning to return to this beautiful island and do more exploring!

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The Ultimate Guide to 30A Florida

The Ultimate Guide to 30A Florida

When we lived up in Connecticut, we were obsessed with Cape Cod and it’s islands and visited the area multiple times a year. When I found out we were moving to the South, my heart ached because I knew our summer times at Cape Cod were coming to an end. But since we have moved to Atlanta, the Florida Panhandle, specifically the 30A, has become a new beach favorite and a replacement for our beloved Cape Cod. Just a short 5 hour drive and we are at the world’s most beautiful beaches. We visit the 30A quite a bit every year, that by request from so many of you, I put together the Ultimate Guide to 30A Florida–broken up by beaches of where to stay, eat and shop. Before I give you a breakdown of the 30A, so many have asked what exactly is the 30A. Well it is short beach highway, called 30A, located between Destin and Panama City. It’s quaint and quiet with charming chic beach towns that line the crystal emerald blue waters and white sandy beaches. The beach communities on the 30A have strict commercial and residential codes that prohibits high-rises and hotels to be built and construction to adhere to architectural details and codes. This keeps the charm of towns and keeps the large hotels out! The beach towns are very laid back and perfect for families. It’s not a place for beach clubbing and nightlife which is found in Destin or Panama City. So please stay away partygoers! 🙂 Check out The Ultimate Guide to 30A Florida!

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When is the best time to visit 30A Florida? Well, anytime is good, of course! But we LOVE love love going in September/October. The ocean water is amazing at this time. So calm and the perfect temperature. I love to take out my paddle board in the morning, and you see the most amazing marine life because there is usually no waves in the water and the water is so clear you can see right down to the bottom. Also, the beach towns are much quieter with less tourists. This year, I was lucky enough to have my sister Christine and her family came out to visit us in Seaside, Florida, and they loved it so much they are scheduling another visit next year at the same time.

Okay below is the Ultimate Guide to 30A Florida broken up by beach towns. As far as where to stay, here are some recommended websites. Since there are not a lot of hotels on the 30A, we usually book a beach house. In addition to Homeaway and Airbnb, here are some other websites we have used that manages many of the rental homes on the 30A. You can search by beach town:

Seaside, Florida

Fun fact: The Truman Show was filmed here!

My favorite things to do in Seaside is stroll the charming beach entrances. A great place to take pictures and watch the sunset. Look up the town events to see what is happening in the Square like the Farmer’s Market and Movie Night.

Where to Eat: Seaside Square is the place to be for good eats and yummy desserts. My friend recently told me to eat here but there are so many great restaurants that I’m not sure where to try first! The food in Florida is amazing!!

The Great Southern Cafe–we eat here every time we visit. Fresh fish and seafood with a southern flair. We love the open-air casual seating. It gets quite busy but worth the wait.
The Food Trucks at the Square–lined with numerous little food trucks, we like to get lunch here and frozen treats. I like to stop by and grab a smoothie in the morning and grilled cheese sandwich in the afternoon. And we are so excited they added a shaved ice and bakery.
Dawson Yogurt & Heavenly’s Shortcakes–two great choices for frozen yummy treats. We love to bike over to the Square just to get a ice-cream from Dawson or a strawberry shortcake from Heavenly’s.

Where to Shop: head to Seaside Square to find outdoor shops and restaurants

Perspicasity–a popular open-air clothing bazaar and a great place to find a beach cover up, flip flops or straw hat
Sundog Books–I love strolling and look through their unique books, prints, artwork and postcards
Modica Market–a gourmet grocery store with pre-made food, deli sandwiches and desserts. A quirky store with a lot of random knick knacks. I like to buy their spices.
The Seaside Style–pickup a Seaside t-shirt for the family. They also have the cutest children’s swimsuits.
Deja Vu–trendy dresses and tops and hats.
Duckies–a fun toy store that even attracts adults! My kids love this place.

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Watercolor, Florida

Watercolor is located right next to Seaside Florida

My favorite thing to do in Watercolor is bike to the park then take the bike trails over to Western Lake and watch the sunset. Biking around the charming neighborhoods to see the homes is also a favorite thing to do.

Where to stay:

Watercolor Inn— a luxury inn with great amenities and located right on the beach.

Where to Eat:

Fish Out of Water–over looking the beach and located in the Watercolor Inn, chic cafe with southern style seafood dishes
The Wine Bar–located right on the main drag, they have an extensive wine list but we like to go for the gourmet dishes.

Where to Shop:

The Blue Giraffe–find local art and gifts at this gallery
Fuss Boutique--casual, stylish clothes and shoes
Beachfolly–need a bathing suit? Head to Beachfolly!

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Alys Beach, Florida

Alys Beach is a fairly new luxury beach town with stark white homes with architectural details of angles and curves similar to the same architecture-style of Bermuda. The town’s stunning bright white buildings is a dramatic beautiful contrast against the emerald blue ocean. The town is fairly quiet since its mostly residential. Furture plans are in the works to bring in more shops and restaurants.

Where to Eat

George’s at Alys Beach Locally sourced and organic, George’s is a great place to stop for lunch or an early dinner.
Fonville Press–the local coffee shop that serves pastries and cafe-type food. Also pick up a good book to read.
Charlie’s Donuts–Get there early to grab homemade, freshly baked donuts
Piper’s Kitchen–a great place to grab a quick bite as you head to the beach

Where to Shop

Alys Shoppe–pick up a local t-shirt or a hat before you head to the beach

If you love architect, you can spend the day strolling through the neighborhoods admiring all the details.

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Seagrove, Florida (Watersound)

We love staying in Seagrove because beach houses are a little more cheaper and because the beaches are a little more flatter than Seaside…and that’s important if your husband and boys are into skim boarding!

Where to Eat

The Perfect Pig–tasty yummy chic bistro that serves breakfast and lunch with a focus on ham and bacon
Steamboat Grill–a good place to grab a burger or fried seafood
Cowgirl Kitchen–great atmosphere. Love the wraps and salads
Angelina’s–if you are wanting Italian food or homemade pizza, Angelina’s is the place to head.
The Hub at the 30A–definitely stop by The Hub which is lined with restaurants, shopping and entertainment

We like to go to Goatfeathers in Seagrove to pick up fresh seafood if we plan to do a low country boil, which we do frequently when we head to the beach.

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Rosemary Beach, Florida (Seacrest Beach)

Where to Stay:

The Pearl–chic and hip and with the cutest black and white striped awnings and most recognizable building in Rosemary
Rosemary Beach Inn–quaint and small, but charming boutique hotel right in the heart of Rosemary
Rosemary Cottage Rentals–the town has their own beach rental site for cottages

Where to Eat:

Sugar Shak–get your sugar fix here with ice cream and candy
Havana Beach Bar & Grill–located in The Pearl and has a Cuban and Spanish flare. Head there for brunch!
La Crema Tapas & Chocolate–inspired by the cafes of Barcelona with small and grand tapas. Its the perfect spot for people watching right on Main Street
Restaurant Paradis–country-chic seafood restaurant
Amavida Coffee and Tea--if you like tea like I do this place has some fun brews. Also pick up a yummy pastry.

Where to Shop:

Rosemary Beach Trading Co–cute gift shop with clothes to local finds. Definitely a place to stop.
Patchouli’s–fun shop with a great selection of candles, makeup and skincare items.
Ophelia–really cute swimwear with top of the line brands

Check out these previous beach posts on the 30A or search Florida

Exploring Savannah Georgia

Exploring Savannah Georgia

Where to go on a quick weekend trip from Atlanta? Savannah Georgia of course! We have been to Savannah before, and I loved the charm of the town, but we were there for just a couple of hours so we didn’t do much exploring. So this past Labor Day weekend we took a day for exploring Savannah Georgia. The historic town reminded me a lot of Charleston. The geography is quite similar to it being right on the coastline and the ocean and river nearby. Savannah and Charleston are both port cities with a preserved historic Southern district. Moss-covered trees line the streets and horse-drawn carriage rides wind through the colorful colonial-style houses. So many stories to tell in both cities! We had so much fun exploring Savannah Georgia and squeezed in as much as we could in one day. If we had the money, we’d be looking into an Alpharetta moving company and getting ourselves packed up and to this beautiful city! It’s one of the cutest cities I’ve been to. If you have one day for exploring Savannah Georgia (and doing it with kids), here are a few suggestions on where to go:

Exploring Savannah Georgia:

River Street— Located along the Savannah River, River Street is lined with antique shops, art galleries, charming boutiques and brew pubs with the view of the river. Many of the antique shops are located in renovated cotton warehouses. It’s perfect for window shopping!
Forsyth Park— a 30-acre park right in the middle of Savannah, we had the children let some energy out but also take a rest from walking. There is a huge fountain in the middle of the park that resembles the grand fountain in Paris.
Squares of Savannah–there are about 22 green park squares (about a block around). They are surrounded by historic churches, charming homes, statues and museums. Live oak trees with Spanish moss line the walk ways. We had so much fun exploring the squares of Savannah. So much history and they kept the city alive!
Leopold’s Ice Cream— after walking around Savannah take break and grab some Leopold Ice Cream. Yum Yum! Your kids will be happy and same with you! Homemade ice cream, this place is worth the wait.
City Market— is a courtyard filled with shops and restaurants. You can grab a bite to eat here while listening to live music.
Trolley Tour— Take a trolley tour to sightsee about the city. We didn’t take one but saw a lot of trolleys around Savannah and my kids really want to jump on one for the ride.
The Pirates’ House–be sure to make reservations for dinner at The Pirates’ House. It’s one of the oldest buildings in Georgia. The ambiance is fun and the kids are intrigued. A fun place to grab a bite of dinner.

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Shop The Fix Shoes from Amazon Fashion! These sliders were the best walking around the city.

Playing Tourist in New York City

I just got back from a long weekend in New York City and Connecticut meeting up with family and seeing old friends. Hitting up all the tourist stops with family is like playing tourist in New York City. Unless you’ve been following along with a while, many people don’t know that I used to live in Connecticut and use to work in Manhattan. Whenever I feel like a tourist in a new city or country, I reminds me of the time when I went to Costa Rica. There was so much to see and I was amazed by everything. If you ever plan to visit this country, I would recommend that you check out the best excursions in Guanacaste by Buena Vista Del Rincon before you get there. This way, you’ll at least have an idea of what you want to see. You won’t regret it. No matter where you go, you’re going to feel like a tourist, even if it is the next city from you. For me, feeling like a tourist was back in the day before children. So I have a lot of great memories of New York City and the life back then. It’s always fun playing tourist in New York City with family. This trip was especially fun because I got to see family and then I would take the train up to Connecticut and spent some time with dear friends. My friend got the Moovit times on her phone, so public transport was really easy around the city. It was a great trip. The best of both worlds. Also, New York City during the summer time is just so perfect! If you’re looking for a place to stay while you visit this beautiful city, try some place like the Crowne Plaza hotel near Times Square and experience the Big Apple in style.

Wore this white cotton dress with a wide belt when we explored lower manhattan | sandals | earrings | bag

Freedom Towers in Lower Manhattan. Such a tender spirit there. First time visiting this sacred monument.

We spent one day in upper Manhattan and rented bikes to explore the area and also cover a lot of Central Park. Bike riding is the best to see all the best spot of Central Park. It was simply amazing. You even forget how big it is when you are cycling around as you are just completely mesmerized by your surroundings. That is one thing that I would love if we ever moved here, living near all of these stunning upper west side parks. There would be so much for you to see and do, but at least you would have all the time in the world to see it. The surprises didn’t stop at the bike ride around Central Park though.With all the riding, we also felt justified to stuff our face with yummy desserts! To many to count. But we hit up Laduree, Dominique Ansel Bakery and Levain Bakery. We hit a day were the weather was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold.

I wore these comfy jeggings with this pink blouse and slides for our biking day.

The red ruffle shirt was another day spent at Central Park.

Can’t beat an evening in Connecticut especially when you are surrounded by girlfriends who are close like sisters. Attended a beautiful dinner at my friend Tiffany’s charming home on the Long Island Sound with a tropical theme. How beautiful is this dinner? And how gorgeous are my friends? Loved getting all dressed up for the event.

Got to always hit up Brooklyn Bridge when you are playing tourist in New York City. This is the best place to get a good view of lower Manhattan!

Wearing Copper Theory ruffle blouse and white jeans (white is not recommendable in NYC! ;)) | Sneakers | sunglasses

Where is your favorite spots to visit in New York City? I listed a few of my favorite in this New York City Guide post.

Here are a few favorite pieces to take a long with your travel to New York City:

Traveling to Cancun Mexico

Traveling to Cancun Mexico

My husband and I just got back from an awesome, much-needed and long-overdue couple’s trip. This past weekend, we traveled to Cancun Mexico and met up with some of our dear friends from Connecticut. Traveling to Cancun Mexico and leaving four children behind and a new puppy was no easy feat. We don’t live near any family, and there were so many silly obstacles to overcome to make it happen. I seriously was about to throw in the towel when I found out my passport expired two days after we got back (Mexico has a 2-month expiration passport request), but somehow I got everything taken care of and we stuck with our plans of traveling to Cancun Mexico! So glad we made it happen! It was so nice to spend time with my husband and laugh and chat about things that had nothing to do with the kids or house or financial obligations. And even better to see good friends we haven’t seen in quite some time. While planning our vacation, we started looking at mexico rentals and found some amazing places that we could enjoy.

If you have future plans of traveling to Cancun Mexico, I highly recommend staying at the Secrets Silversands Resort. It is all-inclusive and adults-only resort about 20 minutes from the Cancun airport. The resort grounds are so beautiful and the food was amazing! You can eat whenever, and they have multiple restaurants, and they have fresh seafood all day long. Our room was so nice with a modern style and a jacuzzi in the middle of the room. My only complaint was the beach was not my favorite. There was coral in the shallow part of the water so you couldn’t walk in without hurting you feet! But the ocean view was so beautiful with that turquoise Mexico water. For those of you who also want to travel to this amazing place, it is advised that you book vaccinations for mexico so you can go with the confidence that you will be protected against disease and enjoy your holiday without complication.