Pretty Little Liars

This is currently a worldwide trending topic on twitter, so I thought I'd write a post about it, since I too absolutely love watching Pretty Little Liars atm.

Pretty Little Liars is a television series that recently premiered in the US. But before that, it was (or rather still is) a young adult fiction series of books written by Sara Shepard. The story centres around four girls who lose their best friend (and 'leader') Allison one summer, tearing their "tight-knit" group apart. Three years later, the girls begin receiving mysterious messages from someone called "A". This leads to a series of events which reveal deep, dark secrets that they believed had disappeared with Allison, and finds them in the path of danger as they come together to get to the bottom of the mystery that is "A".

I cannot remember how I came to first read Pretty Little Liars a couple of years ago, but once I did I was hooked. Sending me on a ruthless quest to track down all the novels in the series - since, rather unfortunately, only books 1-4 (and possibly now 5) are available in Australian bookstores. The series strikes a good balance of mystery and intrigue, and most certainly keeps you guessing whodunnit right until the final book (at least, I never could have guessed how it would end). What else I love about the series, is that these four young characters are stylish and fashion-forward, which translates very well in the television series. I definitely recommend the series for some light reading (my sister F, ever the book snob, even managed to enjoy reading them!)...or for the less patient check out the television show!

Bargain Shopping.

Today, after attending various appointments and running several errands, I stopped by the shops, as I usually do. However, unlike other times, as I stepped into the shopping centre it promised to be a rather boring uneventful visit - since I'm currently in the midst of a self-imposed shopping ban following a recent online shopping spree.

As I wandered around I stepped into one of my favourite bookstores and perused the shelves looking wistfully at all the books that are currently on my to-buy list. I tried my luck searching through the bargain bin and ended up buying this for $5:

From reading the back cover it appears to be a typical book from the chick-lit genre. Chick-lit books are one of my guilty pleasures, no matter how frivolous the tale...plus they make for good travel companions!

With my new purchase in hand and adrenaline pumping through my veins, I was on a mission to search for other bargains, which found me buying these:

While I'm not absolutely in love with the necklace or the bracelets I figured they would be useful in bringing some new life to my wardrobe, which won't be seeing any major new additions anytime soon (well, while I'm in frugal, saving-mode anyway). Plus they were only $2 each from $20-$30!!

Monday.

Today has been a fairly great day. It began with an exciting morning, which saw the arrival of our beautiful new fridge and oven (to replace our deceased fridge and currently dying oven).

Then I caught up with my lovely friend R (not to be confused with previously mentioned cousin R) and we hit up one of my regular haunts - the T2 Cafe. Today I had the Madagascan Vanilla tea. This is a delicious black tea blend that is flavoured (and scented) with a delicate hint of vanilla. In addition to their wonderful selection of teas, T2 seems to have expanded the range of food items offered in their cafe, and they now have a tasty Organic Pear and Raspberry Loaf (and for those with particular dietary requirements, it is also gluten free!).

The day was traveling well and after bidding farewell to R I tried my luck in tending to some University business at the Student Office. Big Mistake #1. The lines were unbelievably long and the staff really unhelpful (there is a major communication issue!).

After what seemed like an eternity I emerged from the Student Office, and another genius thought struck me. I decided to head to the bookstore and pick up my textbooks. Big Mistake #2. With all my books rounded up I was faced with a major dilemma, together they weigh several kilograms and with an umbrella in hand getting them to the car seemed near impossible.

Here is my stack of books (which have added fuel to my existent dislike for textbooks of all shapes and sizes).

I may have won the battle against the books this time, having successfully got them home, but now I'm faced with a far greater problem - getting them to and from classes. Wish me luck!

Alice in Wonderland

Today hosted the perfect weather for relaxing in front of the television watching movies, so that is exactly what I did. My movie of choice was Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

This re-imagination of Lewis Caroll's classic tale is fantastical, and like all of Burton's work is wonderfully unique. Tim Burton is a master of his art, and I truly appreciated the film that little bit more having gained some further insight into Burton's world (and mind) from my visit to the Tim Burton Exhibition during my recent trip to Melbourne.

This Exhibition, put together by The Museum of Modern Art in New York, is a must-see! It brings together a collection of drawings, photographs, paintings, costumes and films that highlight Burton's inspiring career - from his work inspired by his childhood growing up in Burbank, California to his most recent work of Alice in Wonderland.

My top 4 favourite Burton films (since I can't decide on just one absolute favourite) would have to be Batman Returns, Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland.

I cannot wait to see what Burton has in store for us next. I'm most looking forward his take on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty, which will centre around the story of Maleficent the "Mistress of All Evil".

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Let's start with the good...

This is my new Longchamp handbag from the Le Pliage range. I acquired it yesterday, and I'm absolutely in love with it! While this bag has never been at the top of my must-have list, I have on occasion admired their practicality. It is made from nylon and leather, and folds out making it both cute AND compact.

It can be used as a handbag, a shopping bag, a travel tote...or in my case a bag to cart around my seemingly infinite number of books at University.

Now there is a story behind my bag. It all began with a gift of leather gloves that I was given for my birthday. Now I really do appreciate the generosity of the gift-giver but in all practicality the gloves would never have been worn (and while I love luxury items, in this case the fact that they were $145 gloves kind of alarmed me...plus they didn't fit) so I exchanged them for this fabulous bag. While I do feel a twinge of guilt about doing so, I do not regret it one bit.

Now to the bad...

Today has been a rather miserable day. I spent the majority of it returning to my second job, working at a bookstore. To sum it up my legs, feet and back ache more than they ever have (okay, well maybe not ever but the most they have in a very long time). I had forgotten how painful carting textbooks (and I'm talking 500+ page business and law textbooks) around the shop could be. While I love books I DO NOT love textbooks. It definitely makes me appreciate my theatre job.

And now the ugly...

For the past hour I've been recovering from the disgust and shock I experienced watching Jamie's Food Revolution - USA. In this series the lovely Jamie Oliver is attempting to make Americans see the error of their ways in consuming copious amounts of processed, fatty foods. The amount of fat the parents are putting into not only their own bodies, but that of their children was truly sickening. To make it worse they accept and think it's fine.

The saddest part of all was that the young children are oblivious to all things vegetables. They didn't know that their beloved fries were from potatoes, or how to use a fork and knife!!

I was sitting in front of the television gripping the remote in disbelief. It sure makes me appreciate the healthy lifestyle and values instilled in me by my parents from a young age.

Inception

Tonight I went to see Inception and to put it simply, it is a brilliant movie. The cast were absolutely fantastic and the story is simply genius. Christopher Nolan sure knows how to make a great movie and this most certainly is one of them. I could rave on and on about how amazing this movie, but there is simply no way to sum it up and do it justice. You just have to see it for yourself to know what I'm talking about. (I know I'll be going to see it again!)

I must say a big thank you to my sister's friend N, who invited me along to watch the film. My sister and N made for wonderful movie-appreciating company. We had a fabulous pre-movie dinner at Cafe Dante in Sydney's Mid-City Centre. The food was delicious, so much so that I have forgiven them for the unfortunate Chai incident from a couple of weeks ago.

Tonight was also the first time the three of us have tried out Event Cinema's Gold Class, and I must say I liked it very much. The setting is smaller and as a result makes for a much more peaceful and enjoyable environment to watch a movie.

Well, it's time for me to go off into my own world of dreams. Night!

From Vampires to Fallen Angels, and everything in between...

Like many people out there I enjoy reading a good book. I'm not usually picky about the genre but with the rise of the Twilight series in recent years I must admit that I've become a sceptic where Twilight-esque books are concerned. These books almost always follow a particular formula with a dangerous, "bad boy" vampire/werewolf/fallen angel and a naive female lead who is somehow inextricably linked to this dangerous (sometimes strange) paranormal world...and of course it wouldn't be a story without the girl falling head-over-heels in "love" with the "bad boy".

My good friend S agrees with me when it comes to Twilight, about how it has spawned a crazy culture - encouraging an almost laughable idea of what "love" is amongst the teenage target audience - but she is willing to give other books in the genre a try. Having weeded out the inherently weak stories from the few good ones, S has been telling me for months that I should give them a read. I trust S so, thanks to her recommendations (and incredible library of books) I am giving the genre a go.

First up on my to-read list: Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.

Ladies who Lunch.

Amongst all the misery of yesterday, it's easy to forget all the great things in my life, and the wonderful people in my life.

So this post is dedicated to my wonderful friends. They remind me that for every negative person there are several great individuals in this world.

During the course of celebrating my birthday this week, I was taken out to lunch by my lovely friends. Making for one of the most fun Fridays I've had in a very long time. We ventured away from our usual haunt, the Max Brenner cafe, and tried a new place called Sahara Restuarant. The food here was surprisingly good, the portions from the "light lunch" menu were decently sized (nice and hearty). It was great catching up with the girls :) Though I did miss our friend B, who is currently in Italy.

Upon returning home from the fabulous lunch, I went to visit my cousin R who has finally returned home after a long stint in hospital. I took some cake to cheer her up as, let's face it, who doesn't smile at the thought of a slice of delicious cake. Plus, we're currently drowning in left over birthday cake at my house. Apparently during her time at the hospital (or "asylum" as she has aptly named it) she snuck out to go shopping, and after conspiring with my sister bought me this beautiful necklace for my birthday.

Despite the negativity that was yesterday, I must say I have been absolutely spoilt this past week. So a big thank you to my family and friends, I'm so lucky to have you all in my life :)

The Beginning of the End

The celebrating continued on Sunday, with a high tea at Crossroads Bar @ The Swissotel. Unfortunately the day started off on a bad note, and what was supposed to be a fun day out with my sister and a friend only proceeded to get worse.

Our beloved high tea has changed drastically with the service and quality here dropping considerably. It seems that they have attempted to squash more people into the bar, increase the prices and serve rather sub-standard food. Since I absolutely love all things sweet and have expectations of a certain level of deliciousness, I was not happy.

(A pic from the good old days. These delicious treats were nowhere to be found)

To make it even worse, yesterday marked the beginning of the end of my friendship with this particular friend. It was bittersweet. I've known it was a long time coming, I guess yesterday was the final straw.

The 2 hours were so uncomfortable. This person has made me so miserable over the years and despite my attempts to pretend like it's not that bad, sadly, things will never change. So like the other people that have slowly disappeared out of my life, it would seem another one bites the dust :(

Saturdays.

The weekend marked the end of my week of birthday celebrations.

Saturday was spent indulging at a wonderful seafood buffet at Cafe Opera @ The Intercontinental Hotel, Sydney. Desserts are what make or break any restuarant experience for me, and I must say the desserts here were divine!

To make it even more fabulous, the waitstaff were incredibly attentive and nice, and having found out that we were celebrating birthdays they brought me out a special little cake.

We followed lunch with a much needed walk to work off all the sugar, and as usual (when my mother, sister and I are together) the walk led us straight to the shops. Surprisingly, I was quite restrained and avoided spending too much money, but we couldn't resist one big splurge...

It's a Panasonic Lumix and I love it! It makes my old camera look so ancient, and makes me wonder why an upgrade was not sought sooner.

With great food, great company and a side of shopping, I could not have asked for a better way to celebrate.

The Cake.

Okay so here it is, my version of Magnolia Bakery's popular three-layer Red Velvet cake. It tastes delicious (even if I do say so myself :P) and my dad was suitably surprised :) He didn't expect a cake this year with my injured hand and all, so it definitely made all the time and effort worth it.

I must say it's definitely not an everyday cake. It has so much sugar and butter that I can still feel my arteries reeling in shock.

The frosting is by far my favourite part of the cake (aside from the beautiful red colour). It's a butter roux frosting, where you cook flour in milk and then add it to an incredibly large amount of butter. Was a bit hesitant to try it as I always go with a standard butter cream icing but I will definitely be icing more of my cakes with this. Love it!

Done.

Finally finished the cake after starting many, many hours ago. The icing looks a tad dodgy as I had to rush to get it done before my dad walked in and ruined the surprise.

The good news is that he loves it! (Well, the look of it anyway)

Pictures to come...

Let Them Eat Cake continued...

So the cakes are finally in the oven. Preparing the batter took me longer than expected, using a hand-held mixer with one hand and attempting to grip the bowl with the injured other hand is harder than I thought it would be. Then, I had to contend with the red food colouring which went EVERYWHERE...just finished mopping up the mess!

The batter is looking good. It's smooth, super red and velvety :)

Let Them Eat Cake.

Today, as "Birthday Week" continues, my family is celebrating my dad's birthday. Being that I haven't worked for the past month and am strapped for cash, I've decided to take charge of organising a cake.

Since I absolutely love baking I'm thinking this will be fun (even though my right hand is still out of action for the most part). So after consulting my extensive library of cookbooks I've settled on a classic all-American recipe from Magnolia Bakery.

Magnolia Bakery is somewhat of an institution in NYC. They make the most divine Vanilla Cupcakes and Breakfast Buns!

The recipe I've chosen to recreate is a classic Red Velvet Cake with a Creamy Vanilla Icing, and can be found in The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey.

Hopefully it will taste good and look like this:

Wish me luck!

Before I Forget...

Happy Bastille Day!

This year, due to the many injuries that have befallen my family I haven't celebrated as we have in the past with a visit to one of the many French restuarants and cafes in Sydney.

My favourite place is the Botanica Brasserie at the Sheraton Hotel. The spread usually consists of wonderful French dishes, but best of all the pastry chef sure knows how to honour Bastille day with the greatest and tastiest Croquembouche tower.

Oh well, next year...

"Birthday Week" begins.

Although there are only two birthdays in my family during this week of July (my dad's and my own), we inevitably spend an entire week celebrating with various lunches, dinners and cake-cuttings.

Yesterday I was absolutely spoilt, so a big thank you to all my lovely friends and family for all their birthday wishes :)

One of the highlights of my day was receiving this box:

Without fail Tiffany & Co.'s tiny blue boxes always fill me with a sense of indescribable excitement. In this case I must admit I had a tiny clue that they contained a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings (what I didn't know is that my parents had been harbouring it for 6 months!!). So thanks Mum and Dad!

I also got a beautiful Cellini ring, DL clutch and a sky's-the-limit shopping spree at Sephora from my sister. But the best present of all is my Academy Award for being the "World's Best Sister". I don't know how true that is but I'll take it :P

This is particularly special as it comes from Disney's Hollywood Studios and was somehow purchased and smuggled back home without my knowledge (but now explains why I was constantly getting snapped at when I offered to carry or open F's bags). So thank you F, it certainly made my day!

And with that "birthday week" has officially begun...

Chai Tea

I took a break from blogging over the weekend. My right arm and hand were out of action thanks to my pierced finger and the pain inducing tetanus shot. The good news is I can now kind of lift my arm up again without severe pangs of pain.

To make myself feel better while recovering I drank a lot of Chai Tea.

When made right I find this drink infinitely comforting (and tasty). I think back to the years when I refused to even try Chai and wonder how I survived. I might add that I've grown up in a culture where tea is not your average cup of black tea (for example, an English Breakfast or Earl Grey blend) but in fact one that is incredibly aromatic and infused with a rich spice-blend of sorts.

These days I'm particular about the balance between the spices, and especially hate it when the cinnamon is overpowering. Unfortunately, this was the case at the new cafe I tried at Sydney's 'Mid-City Centre'. I was baffled as to how the delicate Chai Tea blend available from T2 could be brewed (or rather massacred) to smell and taste so disgusting, but alas it was :(

After giving my throat what I deemed a sufficient break to recover from the burning sensation induced by that fateful cup of tea, I treated myself to one of my favourite versions of the Chai. The Max Brenner White Chocolate Chai. The chocolate in this wonderful concoction takes Chai tea to another level of greatness that I previously thought impossible.

Chocolate AND Chai. What more could you want?

Important Lessons I Learnt Today

I am sitting here writing this blog with one hand, and while it is taking me twice as long to type out words, I think the two lessons I learnt today are very important and should be used as a warning to others to not follow in my foot steps.

Lesson #1

DO NOT store glass bottles on the edges of shelves. They WILL be knocked over eventually and not only can you potentially get cut by the shards of glass, you will lose the contents of the bottle (which in today's case were of great value) and cleaning up glass is simply annoying.

Lesson #2

Now the incident from which I learnt this invaluable lesson is one that has caused me excruciating pain, though typing this blog one-handed is challenging enough to distract me from the pain, even if only for a brief moment.

This lesson is also a reminder of why one should never attempt DIY projects, even if a manual gives seemingly clear instructions and instills a previously non-existent sense of self-confidence in oneself.

After unpacking an early birthday present from my parents - a lovely new Emporio Armani watch - I decided the diagrams illustrating how to adjust and remove the metal links from the watch seemed simple enough. Only now do I realise how wrong I was.

Out came the screw drivers and I set about tapping the metal pins out of the links, it seemed easy enough. Success. Removing the links from one side was complete.

So on I continued. And that was when disaster struck. Battling with a particularly stubborn pin I tapped and tapped and tapped. The pin finally relented. Oh, how it relented. It came out the other side and pierced straight into my right index finger. It was at that precise moment I realised why there are professional watch repair people in the world.

After speaking to the lovely medical professionals on the Health Direct Australia hotline, the bleeding has finally stopped. And tomorrow before I can begin all the fun things I had planned, I'll be waiting at my doctor's office for a tetanus shot.

So people heed my warning: DO NOT attempt to DIY where metal objects are concerned. Do not even think about it!! Even when there is a diagram that makes it all look so simple.

The Best of Both Worlds

Since I love all things food and books it's only logical that I absolutely adore cookbooks - a sure combination of the best of both these worlds.

Over the years my sister (who shares my love of baking) and I have acquired quite the collection of cookbooks. On our recent trip to the USA we spent a great deal of time in Barnes and Noble, and even tipped our luggage over the weight limit in our efforts to acquire hard to source cookbooks.

On rainy days, like today, I like to review our collection and search for new recipes to try. Today I chose a book by one of my absolute favourite cooks, Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa).

While Nigella Lawson is most commonly referred to as embodying the "domestic goddess", I beg to differ and think that Ina's style of cooking and entertaining is far more admirable. Having tried countless Barefoot Contessa recipes and she has never once let me down.

Back to Basics, Ina's most recent book is by far my favourite from her collection. It offers recipes that are simple and unpretentious, yet full of great flavour. Best of all, they are easily replicated by your average home cook (like myself!) :)

Disney Adventures Part III

Magic Kingdom is home to the iconic Disney castle (well one of the castles as they feature at every Disney theme park, but this is by far my favourite). This theme park is where everyone's inner child comes out to play. It's all about the fairy tales and princes/princesses.

The catchphrase at Disney World is "Celebrate Today" at that's exactly what you feel like doing in this particular park. It's hard not to get caught up in all the excitement. The parade and fireworks are the main attraction and here are just a few (well, my favourites) of the characters that we got to "celebrate" the day with.

The costumes and floats were amazing with all their detail (but that's Disney for you, they never do anything by halves!). Though I must admit that during the parade I was distracted...the ever critical me was thinking about how creepy it is to "meet" the Disney characters - ultimately it's just a person inside a costume hugging random people, and for me that was just a tad unsettling.

On our final day at Disney we went on safari and, in all honesty, I love Disney's version of Africa so much so that I can't see myself wanting to go to Africa. It was incredible and once again proved that Disney World isn't just for children and full of rides, there is so much to see, do and experience. I think I'll sum up the safari experience through some of the amazing pics we were able to take (the animals were so close!)

(I am not kidding when I say this rhino nearly charged out safari van because of the camera's flash)

That brings me to the end of the tale about my Disney adventures, so I thought I'd finish with a final pic and a fun fact.

This is the 'Tree of Life'. It is the crowning jewel of the Animal Kingdom theme park and, of course, like much of Disney World is man-made. But strangely enough the interior structure is actually a modified oil rig.

Disney Adventures Part II

So, on day two of our great Disney adventure we ventured off to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Once again, all my assumptions of Disney being mainly for children were wrong. Hollywood Studios is a theme park dedicated to the behind-the-scenes and making of Disney movies -cartoons and feature films alike.

The main attraction is the tour of the Disney backlot, which takes you through the costume and prop warehouses (both storage and manufacturing).

This is the sewing room, where the majority of Disney movie costumes are made.

With my love of all things fashion, this was by far the most exciting part of the tour, we were fortunate enough to see costumes from some of my favourite films, including Confessions of a Shopaholic, Enchanted and Pirates of the Caribbean.

(The evil queen costume from Enchanted)

(Captain Barbossa costume from Pirates of the Caribbean)

In addition to the costumes and props, you get to see the stunt areas and even "experience" what it's like to be part of a stunt. This particular stunt involved an earthquake, flood and explosion.

While Hollywood Studios is undoubtedly all about the Disney movies, my love of food meant that the top of my favourites list for this theme park is not a ride or park "experience" but in fact a restuarant. We dined at Mama Melrose's Ristorante, and my gosh was it good. Admittedly, we were starved from all the walking but this place had some great Italian, in large American-sized portions (which you definitely appreciate when you're absolutely famished).

Oh, and did I mention the desserts were divine!

All in all, with great attractions and great food Hollywood Studios is a must see.

The Happiest Place on Earth...

Well, so Walt Disney World claims to be.

When the planning for our trip first began my sister was adamant that we go to Disney World (this being the one in Orlando, FL - not to be confused with Disney Land in California). I, however, was skeptical. As a child I most certainly would have loved to visit a Disney theme park, but as an adult I couldn't help but wonder whether it would have anything of interest to me. As I eventually discovered when we stepped off the Disney Magical Express, I was wrong (and I owe my sister an apology for doubting her. Sorry F!)

The first thing you notice when entering the Disney property aboard the Disney Magical Express bus is how incredibly big this place is. In fact my assumptions of all the individual theme parks being within walking distance of one another could not have been more wrong! Each park is a good 10 or so minute drive from each other, and have their own attached resort areas. We quickly realised a hire car was needed ASAP!

We had the great pleasure of staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. F had spent months raving about how great this place was going to be, all African themed with native African wildlife roaming around on the trails behind the hotel. I, of course being a skeptic, did not believe her and was not remotely looking forward to our stay. But I was so wrong...

From the beautiful African wood carvings and the cosy, warm fire pit in the hotel lobby, to the wonderful staff - many of whom are originally from Africa and so well equipped to explain and introduce their wonderful culture to guests - this place is absolutely incredible!

This is how incredible the staff are, housekeeping make little animals out of wash cloths!

In case I needed any further proof that Disney World can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike, we spent our first day at Epcot.

This theme park brings together cultures from around the world, and has little "tastes" of different countries. There was Canada:

And the United Kingdom:

As well as Italy, France, Japan, Germany, Morocco, China, Norway and Mexico. Unfortunately our pictures of these areas didn't quite turn out due to human error.

Epcot is a park that not only has a world showcase but brings to life Walt Disney's vision of a "future world". The greatest thing about this theme park is that it is all about the food and experiencing the different cultures (even the immigration officer that processed us at LAX agrees). As such it is very much a theme park for adults (with hardly any "kiddie" rides in sight!). I only wish there had been more hours in the day... you can truly get lost in this place.

The Big Apple

Okay so while the thrill and intrigue of blogging is still fresh I thought I'd start out by posting about one of my absolute favourite places in the world..

This year has by far been one of the most exciting of my life, and it all began with an unforgettable trip to the USA. Whilst the entire adventure was strewn with many highlights (and the occasional scary travel moment - which of course make for great and funny stories after the fact) the place that will forever hold a place in my heart is New York City.

There are not enough words to describe how exciting and brilliant this eclectic haven of a city is. So instead of rambling and repeating myself, I thought I'd share some of my pics.

I begin with a picture of the wondrous snowfall that I had the great fortune of experiencing, and made my time in the City absolutely magical. While the locals no doubt would think it crazy to say that walking around in a blizzard was fun, it was something I have never experienced...so yes it was fun :)

This picture is a beautiful view overlooking Manhattan and featuring the Empire State Building. The droves of tourists typically flock to the Empire State Building observation decks, but I personally think the Top of the Rock (30 Rockefeller Centre) is the place to be. Not only do you get magnificent views which include the iconic Empire State Building, there are significantly lesser crowds, which make for a more enjoyable and relaxing experience.

With NYC being one of the fashion capitals of the world I cannot express how excited I was to be able to be in the City during New York fashion week. Admittedly, fashion week makes it harder to get around town as you can NEVER get a taxi, but the buzz the fashion crowds create make it so much fun, and with my love of all things fashion I was happy to have experienced NYC during this crazy, crazy week. The above pic is of Bryant Park (and a small glimpse of the craziness and crowds of fashion week). Sadly, from next year fashion week will have a new home, away from Bryant Park :(

Then there was the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which we had the crazy idea of walking to and for us ended up being a trek across the entire island of Manhattan (not joking). It was worth it though. I must admit a small part of me couldn't help but think of Gossip Girl, no matter how hard I tried not to.

Times Square. There's not much to say except this place is ALWAYS busy. There are people everywhere, all the time.

Leaving the best experience I had during my time in NYC for last is my visit to Liberty Island. Lady Liberty is enormous, and seeing this icon that just screams NEW YORK!! was absolutely breathtakingly incredible. We had the great fortune of securing tickets to climb the 354 steps up to the Crown. And while my feet and legs ached later that day it was worth it!! Sometimes I think I dreamt the trip to the Statue of Liberty it was so surreal.

My trip to New York is something I'll never forget, and I can now truly understand why it has captured the hearts of millions. There is quite frankly no other city in the world quite like it :)