One of the perks of living in northern land is that New York City is an (if planned well) easy four hour road trip from my house. Another fun way of travel is by train, I hear. So when I had a weekend off I decided to drag my brother and momma with me to the city. We didn't really have anything planned, because that's how my family rolls when traveling. Although, we did have a few things on our bucket lists. Three of them being, a boat ride in Central Park, a trip by the Kate Spade on Madison Avenue, and grabbing a milkshake at Black Tap. Oh and excuse the poor quality of the photos, I didn't feel like lugging around the good camera around the city haha!

We arrived in the city around lunch time.

 One of the hardest things I have found the past few times I have been to NYC is finding a good convenient restaurant.

 While standing there not wanting to fight the GPS and our hunger any longer, we walked across the street to the Trador Joe's. We grabbed some wraps and fruit and headed to Central Park to rest on the rocks for a second and eat. 

Educational point: Central Park reminded me a lot of of The Biltmore. Well it just so happens that the same guy, Frederick Law Olmsted, was the designer for both the grounds!

By momma and I were just about in tears when we walked through the tunnel with a violinist playing and a family playing/singing by the Bethesda Fountain. Don't judge us. It was quite a (few) moments.

Also, can we just take a second to realize that half the price of these macaroons goes to the boxing. In my eyes, it was pretty worth it for my first trip to the french bakery. Oh, and the highlight quote of our trip was over hearing two boys out front of the bakery, "Woah, are those covered Oreos?"

 "No fool, they're macaroons! Have you never had a macaroon before?"

The boat ride was our absolute favorite! It's only $15 (but bring an extra $20 for a deposit) for an hour ride, which in my opinion is a great price for the experience you get. It's located right next to the famous little restaurant on the water that quite a few movies have been filmed at. 

Oh.my.gosh. The Kate Spade. Y'all, it was pure magic. Especially for a merchandiser wanna be. All four stories of it, not to mention the little balcony was just the icing on the cake!

Lastly was the oh so dreamed of milkshake stop that also happens to be a burger restaurant. Needless to say, they were oh so dreamed of by so many people that it was going to be a good three hour wait in line. At that point, after you've had such a confusing time with the subway and you are just plain hungry it's just not worth it. So we decided to ask the merchant at the convenient store next store to find us another hearty burger place. Luckily it was right down the street. 

Ken's Broome Street Bar seated us right by the window which was perfect for people watching while they served us one of their burgers on pita bread. I was hesitant at first about the bun option but it turned out to be quite delicious!

It turned out to be a good quick trip even if there were moments of mixed navigation and empty stomachs. As always for the crew, it turned out to be a scouting trip to bring the whole family next time! 

Thanks for reading, y'all! xo

Fall Staples

Top- Francesca's

Denim- Forever 21

Shoes- Old, similar

Earrings- Old, similar

Bag- Kate Spade, similar

The easiest way to achieve that "fall look" is to throw on a flannel, dark wash denim, a pair of booties, and a dark neutral handbag. I would size up for your flannel as well that way you can wear it with leggings as well, plus it adds to the comfort. 

Speaking of fall, did you hear that Starbucks brought back their famous Pumpkin Spice Latte yesterday? I feel like summer just started here in New England so I decided to be a rebellious white girl and go with my mocha coconut frappe instead.

Thanks for reading! xo

Ruffle & Mesh Sleeves

Top- Pink Pineapple; similar here & here

Denim- Anthropologie

Shoes- Old, similar

Bag- Francesca's; similar

Earrings- Kate Spade

Bracelets- Altar'd State; A gift (similar)

Ring- Charming Charlie

I'm pretty sure the reason I bought this top was solely because of the sleeves. The detail is so unique and something I have never seen before. I got it at a boutique in Newport, RI and they don't have it online at all (it may not even be in the store either). However, I did link a few similar tops below.

Can someone please explain to me how today is the last day of July for 2015?! I swear this year has gone by like no other and I absolutely hate it. There are just not enough hours in the day; that may be cliche but goodness gracious is it true.

Happy Fri-yay, y'all! Thanks for reading, xo

Altar'd State Crushin'

Dress- Altar'd State

Sandals- Shop Dress Up [similar]

Bag- Kate Spade

Earrings- Old, similar

Bracelets- Charming Charlie; Altar'd State

Ring- Charming Charlie

First off, I just want to point out that yes, there are a lot of pictures in this post. Believe it or not I actually have more that I had to hold myself back from posting. My mom is just that good at photography people! 

Second of all, I am crushing hard on Altar'd State! I found out they opened a store in Columbia, SC last year but I wasn't able to stop by. But thankfully I was able to in May #PTL. They are a Christian store and one of their main focuses is to give back; you can read more about that here. Therefore, I am all about supporting them. I don't know what's more of a win than supporting a great company and getting amazing clothes out of it!

This dress is a little too short for my liking, so I just changed it to a "long tunic" style with white shorts underneath. It's amazing for those burning hot, sweaty days, because it's loose and flowy and won't stick to you. 

Thanks for reading, y'all! xo

*Disclaimer: Altar'd State did not sponsor this post. I want to share brands that I love and shop at with my readers.

Shopping Cart via Pinterest

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I recently created a board on Pinterest devoted to items I have my eye on or in my shopping cart. I never realized that I really only pin things from Anthropologie or Kate Spade, oopsies haha. But really, have you seen Kate Spade's new arrivals?! It's all about flamingos; yet another reason why I will work for Kate Spade one day. Anyway, today I am just showing you my top favorites at the moment. If you want to check out the rest of my board or my Pinterest in general you can head over here.

Thanks for reading, y'all! xo

Floral Kimono

Kimono- Forever 21 [similar here, here & here]

Tee- Gap

Denim- Forever 21

Shoes- DSW

Bag- Kate Spade

Earrings- Old, similar

Bracelets- similar; Susie Raine

It was like all of a sudden there was green everywhere, and I have only one word for that, hallelujah!! I wanted to pull out spring in my closet, and this kimono fit the bill with pastels and the floral print. It was something I pulled off a rack in Forever 21 last year, and usually they don't restock. But, I did find some similar floral kimonos for y'all. 

My grandparents are in town for a few days, and it should be really fun considering things are starting to open up here on the Cape. Wahoo!

Thanks for reading! xo