A GUIDE TO NYC

Anytime I hear someone mention NYC I think of the song 'Welcome to New York' by Taylor Swift. From the bright lights to the hustle and bustle, I can confidently say that NYC is a pretty exciting place to visit (or live) and my first trip a few weeks ago was one for the books thanks to the hubs for gifting me the trip as an early birthday present! There is so much to see and do and we checked off most of the items on our itinerary. I quickly learned however that there is just SO much stuff to see and do that you can't possibly accomplish it all. No way Jose!  At the end of the day though, the trip was so much fun...plain and simple!

Below is a guide to some of my favorite things we did, places we went and recommendations I gathered from fellow bloggers, friends and family. Let me know if y'all have been checked out any of the items from the list or if there is anything I should add for future trips to the big apple!

Stay

The Pod Hotel 39 (Between 3rd Avenue and Lexington Avenue) - We stayed here the first night we arrived since we didn't land in New York until after 8:00 pm. The rooms are small but we didn't want to spend a lot of money since we only planned to stay for one night. While doing research, I saw that the hotel was in a great location and had a rooftop bar and restaurant called Salvation Taco that made this place all the more appealing.

Airbnb (We stayed here in the Lower East Side/Bowery area) - Will and I had previously stayed at an Airbnb when we went to Savannah, Georgia and had a great experience. You can read about that experience and see where we stayed here. I love the feeling of living like a local and wanted an authentic experience while in NYC so what better way then to do it again, this time in a different city. Our experience was wonderful and our host was so easy to work with. He gave us a tour of his place the day we arrived, told us about the area, recommended a few places for us to check out and was available by phone anytime we needed him.

See & Do

 

One World Observatory - The views! I'll be sharing more about our experience here in tomorrow's post along with a guide to Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Bridge!

Central Park - For obvious reasons...it's amazing. I wish we could have explored the entire park!

The Plaza Hotel -I've seen many photos of the Plaza Hotel and was excited to see it in person. Ahem, it's beautiful and really hard to leave! But to be honest, I was most excited to find Eloise! This was my birthday present after all so Will had to suck it up and deal with my little girl excitement haha...

 

Time Square - To be honest, Time Square was too touristy for me and way to crowded which I knew it would be. Granted we went at night when all the buildings were shining bright and ton's of people were stopping every few seconds to take photos. I did some research before our trip and found out that if you want to see panoramic views of Time Square, you can go to the cocktail bar called the R Lounge in the Renaissance Hotel (at 48th and 7th) which we did and that I don't regret! We even stayed awhile and ordered cookies and ice cream as a late night snack.

Birchbox in SoHo -A few years ago I subscribed to Birchbox so getting to visit in person was really fun. The store has a downstairs area for guys and for in-store services where you can get your hair and makeup done too.

Barney's, Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue and Century 21 - Our favorite department store was Bloomingdales! I got the Kate Spade hat I'm wearing in my photos from their and Will got a few things for himself as well. Our second favorite store we visited was Saks. I got a really pretty Rebecca Taylor cocktail dress (this one is very similar) to wear to Will's company Christmas party!

Brooklyn Bridge - We walked from the Brooklyn side back towards Manhattan and I'll go into more detail and include photos in tomorrows post.

Flatiron Building - For a good view head to Broadway and East 23rd Street.

Lord and Taylor Holiday Window Displays - A lot of stores hadn't finished setting up their holiday window displays but Lord and Taylor had and it was to die for! Everything was perfectly done and so beautiful.

Bonobos - We were able to go here for Will (it's mainly a men's clothing line) without making an appointment which was awesome! This is their flagship store where you view all their merchandise in person and work with a stylist to see what best suits you and then order online. I think Will had a great time and walked away with a herringbone wool blazer that arrived at our house within days!

Eat & Drink

 

Penelope - We went here for breakfast and I got the french toast which was so good! If you decide to go here, make sure to go first thing in the morning because there isn't much room once you are inside and they are always busy from what we were told. We got there before 9:00 am and as we were leaving there was already a long wait...and it was a weekday!

Tisserie - We stopped here for a quick pick-me-up coffee and pastry after shopping at Bloomingdale's and Barneys.

Catch- This restaurant is a MUST! The atmosphere is what caught my eye but the food is just as good. It's on the pricier side but worth every penny, I promise. Will got east coast oysters and the fresh catch of the day and I got the macaroni and lobster cream. For dessert we got the "Hit Me" chocolate cake.

The District - We went here for dinner one night and got burgers. It's pretty small on the inside but looked a lot bigger in the photos just a heads up.

Refinery Rooftop - The best rooftop bar we went! You had a great view of the Empire State Building and lot's of outdoor seating. It was cold outside the night we went but we sat outside anyways because they had the heaters turned on and the views were worth the frozen faces and hands.

The Bluebell Cafe - There was a line of people already waiting to be seated when we arrived here for breakfast but it went quick and the food was pretty good.

Rosa Mexicano - We went here for dinner and Will thinks they had the best guacamole he has ever had. One of his coworkers/friends told him about this place and Will made reservations for us before our trip and besides Catch, this was defiently a favorite food place for us. Who doesn't like Mexican food?! Oh and we went to the one near the Lincoln Center on Columbus Avenue.

Cafe Lalo (dessert) - You guys...this place is like a dreamy slice of Paris and was featured in the movie You've Got Mail. Inside there are tons of French posters, marble tables to dine at and twinkly lights both inside and outside. We went pretty late at night and decided to get dessert to go.

Photo Op's!

Kelsey Montague's "What Lifts You" Mural on the corner of Kenmore Street and Mott Street in the NoLita area.

West 10th Street in Greenwich Village has beautiful townhouses and elegant architecture.

Another street with well-kept townhouses is known as "The Beautiful Block" on East 19th Street between Irving Place and 3rd Avenue.

There is a waterfall tunnel on 48th Street between 6th and 7th Street, along with a large waterfall display at Paley Park on 53rd between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue.

I didn't check this one out but I hear if you want a photo that has a magical feel to it then there is a tunnel of vines that are intertwined with lots of twinkling lights that can be found near Perry Street.

Eat & Drink (for our next visit) 

 

Serendipity for a sweet treat.

Drinks at Tipsy Parson.

Cafe Cluny - I hear it feels like you are being transported to a small french town and the waiters wear breton stripes.

The Spotted Pig.

Two Hands and Happy Bones for coffee.

Hamilton's Soda Fountain.

Levain Bakery - I hear they have amazing cookies.

Island Adventures

Y'all, brace yourselves! Today's post is a lengthy one. Part of the reason is because I wanted to include every.single.photo that Will and I took while in St. Lucia. The other half has to do with the fact that I can't help but rave about all there is to do.

If your seriously looking to travel somewhere for your next getaway and are up for suggestions, then I highly recommend considering St. Lucia. You can even check out the two previous blog posts I did. One on the resort we stayed at; Cap Maison, and another re-capping Part 1 of our honeymoon.

Today, I'm sharing all there is to do (both on land and sea) while visiting this beautiful island! Something to note however...there is SO much to do in St. Lucia and there is a number of excursions and activities to choose from, but you can't go wrong with whatever you decide to go with.

1. Explore your resort's property. Take full advantage of all that is offered. Order room service. And go to any events or social hours that your resort or hotel has planned.

If you want my opinion, you would take my advice and explore the property and it's surroundings as soon as your arrive. That's exactly what Will and I did when we were dropped off at our resort and it was one of the best decisions we made. Cap Maison is fairly small but some resorts and hotels can be extremely overwhelming. After Will and I checked in and put our bags in our room, we ventured back out and explored the resort and got familiar with where everything was. It was helpful because it made me feel safer better knowing that I wouldn't have to worry about getting lost if I was by myself.

And take advantage of services and activities that are offered at the resort or hotel you are staying at. Even if you are one who never spends much time on the property, try to make time for even just a few things that are offered such as ordering room service for breakfast, catching some sun by the pool, eating a meal at one of the on-property restaurants (if there is one) or settle down and read a book and watch the sunset on the beach at the end of the day. 

If your resort has any of these amenities, services or activities and if they are complimentary, then why not get what you paid for and utilize them! Will and I got an all-inclusive package when we stayed at Cap Maison so we were able to dine at the two restaurants on the property DAILY, and spent a few days afternoons snorkeling, kayaking and learning to paddle board.

2. Check out the island and take part in a land or sea excursion.

Will and I aren't individuals that are satisfied with laying on the beach all day. Don't get me wrong, we love relaxing and having nothing to do, but we get bored easily just laying around for hours at a time. Will and I knew we wanted to spend a day seeing the rest of the island, and cruising along the Caribbean ocean sounded like fun so that's were the Sunlink Catamaran Cruise came into the picture.

Imagine spending a whole day, half on land and half on sea, learning all about a new place, trying new things and making new friends. Sounds great right? That's exactly what we did on our Catamaran Cruise! We departed bright and early one morning and headed by bus to Rodney Bay from Gros Islet where Cap Maison is located. From Rodney Bay, we hopped on the Catamaran and found a nice spot near the front of the boat and prepared for our journey to Soufriere (on the west coast side of the island) with rum punch in hand. Besides the beautiful views from the boat, one of the highlights was being able to see The Pitons up close and personal. The Pitons are two large volcanic plugs and one of St. Lucia's most well-known attractions. They are also the islands most photographic landmark and it's easy to see why...they are HUGE.

When we arrived at the dock in Soufriere our land excursion began. I'll share more about that in a bit. After a few hours passed by, our land excursion ended and we headed back to the catamaran, but not before we stopped to play some soccer with a group of school kids! We saw them playing and we spontaneously joined them and I have to say that it was one of the best parts of our day for sure. When we finally got back on board, we set sail, and made our way to a nearby beach to go swimming and snorkel before making our way to Marigot Bay for a quick pass through and heading back "home".

3. Visit the Diamond Botanical Gardens, Mineral Baths and Waterfalls in Soufriere.

On our land excursion, we were able to visit the Diamond Botanical Gardens which is part of the Soufriere Estate. Our guide was amazing, very informative and the flowers were so beautiful. It was a very peaceful tour to say the least. Near the gardens there are mineral baths and hot springs that are fed from the Soufriere Volcano, which is said to be the only drive-in volcano in the world and is locally known as the Sulpher Springs. At the springs, we were able to stand underneath a waterfall and take a mud bath which was something I wasn't sure I would do because I hate getting dirty and the sulpher smells like rotten eggs. I'm glad I did it though because my skin felt so smooth afterwards and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I'll have memories about for years to come!

4. Visit Pigeon Island National Park and go for a hike.

Pigeon Island is a historic site that consists of a number of forts and in the 18th century, the British built a fort that they named Fort Rodney (hence the name of the nearby Rodney Bay area) that was used to spy on French ships that were coming in from Martinique. There are also two small beaches, a restaurant, and picnic areas scattered across the grounds. While exploring the island, you can see ruins of military buildings that were used during the battles between the French and British along with catching some breathtaking views of the Northwest coastline. It was so much fun getting a bit of a history lesson while visiting this national landmark with Will and also turned out to be a good workout climbing to the top of the forts!

5. Go shopping at Castries Market and Point Seraphine.

Heaps of fresh produce, hand-crafted souvenirs, and bright colored fabrics are some of the most popular items you can get at Castries Market. We've heard that the market is most lively on Saturday mornings when locals bring their produce and spices into town. Pointe Seraphine on the other hand is a duty-free shopping complex on the north side of Castries Harbour and has more than 20 shops in the complex. I wasn't aware of what duty-free meant before coming to St. Lucia but for those who don't know, it means they do not apply local or national taxes on purchases you make. It's also a popular place and conveniently located near the cruise ship ports, so many travelers can easily fit in a few hours of shopping when visiting St. Lucia! Point Seraphine is where we got most of our souvenirs but Castries Market is a must just for the experience itself...especially if you want to engage in a conversation with some locals!

A St. Lucia Honeymoon

If you've been following along recently, you already know that Will and I spent a week honeymooning in St. Lucia and it was an absolute dream! Before we ventured overseas, I wrote a blog post offering an inside peek into the resort we would be staying at. And let me just say that I was quite 'photo-happy' while Will and I were in St. Lucia, trying to capture all of the colorful buildings, the architectural details and all of mother nature's goodness...especially everything at our resort; Cap Maison. Because we were in St. Lucia for a week, I have tons of photos and information I could share but don't want to overwhelm anyone so I'll do my best to keep my St. Lucia posts as brief as possible, while still giving lot's of details and helpful information!

Two weeks ago on a Monday morning, Will and I woke up excited like little kids on Christmas morning, boarded our plane at the Charlotte International Airport and made the four hour trip overseas to our beautiful destination. We landed at the Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux Fort, went through customs and then waited for a van to pick us up and take us to the "heli-pad" where we took a helicopter to the George F.L. Charles Airport in Castries.

There are only two airports on the island, the main one (Hewanorra) being on the South side and our resort on the far north. They are pretty much on opposite ends of each other which meant Will and I had two options. We could take a taxi from Hewanorra to our resort which would be about an hour and fourty-five minute drive OR we could take a fifteen minute helicopter trip to the second airport and catch a taxi that would take us to our resort. We looked at the pros and cons of both options and decided to go with the helicopter for our arrival and a taxi on our last day. That way we got to see all of Saint Lucia from both land and air on our trip. Plus, we wanted to ride along with a local to learn more about the island and it's history which is something Will and I both are fascinated with.

But back to the story...neither of us had flown in a helicopter, and knew it would be a neat experience and would get us to our resort much faster. The only downfall was that the weather when we arrived was rainy and cloudy and made seeing everything a bit difficult and kind of scary. It was so worth it though and we would be willing to do it again, on a more clear and sunny day.

After all of our traveling, we finally made it to Cap Maison and were in awe of what we saw. As soon as we were dropped off, we were greeted by staff and offered refreshments and a cold cloth to use to cool down from the humidity that the afternoon's storm had brought in. Once checked in, we were taken to our room. We stayed in Room 8 which was a Junior Suite and just what we were looking for. If you ever have the opportunity to visit St. Lucia and decide to stay at this resort, we highly recommend Room 8 because of the ocean views, the specious balcony and cozy interior. From the balcony we could see the resorts main pool area, and the main restaurant. It was really nice being located so close to everything and was perfect for people watching!

After about an hour or so of unpacking our bags and relaxing, the weather started to clear up and we were able to venture out and explore the property. One of the things I personally loved most about the property was the Spanish Caribbean design and the fact the resort had it's own private beach and beach bar called The Naked Fishermen. 

After leisurely strolling around the resort and checking everything out, we made reservations and enjoyed our first of MANY delicious meals at The Cliff at Cap Restaurant. We watched the sunset, popped a bottle of champagne and toasted to a week in paradise before calling it a night. Our first day was a success and we were a happily married couple.

Later this week I'll be sharing more photos and recaps from our honeymoon and I'm really excited to tell you about my favorite things that we did. You can expect my next honeymoon post to be focused on all of the land and sea activities that we took part in. Until next time...orevwa (which is goodbye in Creole and one of the many words we learned on our trip)!