California here we come!

Happy Monday Friends! 

First and foremost I must apologise for my un-intentional absence last week. Work + family birthday + babysitting for friends + apartment hinting = no free time. But I'm back at it and blogging this week. 

Today I'm asking for advice. Today we are talking California. I have recently booked a trip to the States to visit family and have a little vacation and will be spending most of my time in beautiful California. 

I have been several times before but this time we are going to try and see more than Disney world and the rest of tourist central 😂

So I want to know what you would recommend? What are your favourites places to visit, road trip paths, national parks, hikes, wineries. What ever you love to do in California I would love to know! 

Second, where do you stay in LA. We usually opt for Santa Monica and have always loved it but I'm open to suggestions. Please share your stories, knowledge and advice. 

Thank you! 

Lou 

xxx

Sydney Getaway

Happy Monday Friends! 

I'm back from my mini getaway and ready to dive into another busy week. A little break with friends was well overdue and Sydney never disappoints. I say it all the time but I'am so very lucky to live in this beautiful country 😊

Today I'm sharing  a few of my favourite places to shop, eat and see when visiting Sydney. Enjoy! 

Shop 

The Strand Arcade

*Which looks particularly beautiful this time of year! 

Queen Victoria Building

CBD Westfield 

Burnt Orange - Mosman 

The many many gift stores and florists on Queen Street, Woolahra 

Eat

Charlie Burger Co. 

Hacienda

The Opera Bar

Ripples - Milsons Point 

Luxe - Woollahra 

The Boat Shed - Balmoral Beach

Hugos - Manly Ferry Terminal  

*With amazing cocktails, great view and even better company :) 

See

Apart from all the main tourist spots i.e. the Harbour bridge, Royal Botanic Gardens etc.

Balmoral Beach is at the top of my to-do list every time I visit. Just 30 minutes from the city centre this beach is a hidden gem, with amazing food and beautiful atmosphere.

If you are headed to this gorgeous city I can highly recommend all these spots. If you are considering a holiday to Oz I can't adequately put into words the beauty, culture, food, history and landscape this country has to offer!

Have a wonderful day friends!

Lou
xxx

Attention Sydney Go-ers

Morning Friends! 

Over this past (very busy weekend) a few girlfriends and I decided to plan an impromptu girls getaway to Sydney! The three of us have been friends since primary school and now all live in different states, so cordinating three days away is a mighty effort. 

But its happening and in only two weeks eekk! Although I spent a whole lot of my childhood in this gorgeous city, i'm always looking for new and exciting things to see, do and eat when in town so please share your recommendations with me! 

I can't wait for a mini break, but until then its business as usual. 

Have a fantastic day friends! 

Lou 

xxx

Girls Weekend!

Happy Monday Friends! 

I have just arrived home from a gorgeous girls weekend away! Ah... so relaxing, so much fun and far too much sun! We are all exhausted and a little burnt haha but it was well worth it. 

Just two Yankees off to the beach 

We headed to the beach on Friday afternoon to make the most of the weekend and enjoy the AMAZING weather! There where 7 of us ladies, so it was a very loud, funny and chaotic beach house! 

We ate 

We drank 

We spent a lot of time soaking up this view

And enjoying the beach! 

I say it all the time but I'm so very lucky to have such a wonderful ground of girlfriends in my life. Friends who are smart, funny, supportive and caring - I love them all so much! 

I hope you all had a great weekend friends. Thanks for stopping by today! 

Lou 

xxx

NYC Hotels

Morning Friends! 

During our recent trip to New York my family and I stayed in three different hotels. My mother and younger sister stayed down town, whilst my sister and I where uptown and then in the Flatiron district. Every time we visit New York we try a new hotel just to mix it up! Today I'm sharing the three recent hotels we enjoyed. 

Empire Hotel 

This hotel is in a fabulous location only two blocks from Central Park and four from Columbus Circle . The rooms were tiny but clean and newly renovated. However the service was less than impressive. Overall we loved the location but where a little disappointed in the hotel and its staff :( 

The Evelyn 

This boutique hotel was fantastic. A truly central location with funky new rooms and an old world charm. The staff were very helpful and the hotel is near completion of the hotel overall. We booked a king superior and found it gave us plenty of space to spread out! I would definitely return to this hotel and certainly recommend it!  

Nomo Soho 

Now I didn't stay in this hotel however my mother and younger sister did. This meant I snuck upstairs to check it out and wow was it impressive! The rooms and views are out of this world with panoramic   views of lower manhattan. Set in a terrific location within Soho and home to a fantastic restaurant (we ate there twice) Nomo Soho is a must see! 

So there you have it, three very different hotels within one amazing city. These three vary in price however there are usually sales at the end of each season so keep your eyes pealed! If you are headed to NYC soon or contemplating a trip be sure to check out my two recent NYC posts here and here!

Have a wonderful day sweet friends! 

Lou 

xxx

NYC Trip continued!

Morning Friends!

I hope you all had a splendid weekend. I;m finally getting on top of the mountain of washing and work catchup. But I'm thankful for a quite weekend filled with lots of sleep and Netflix! Total bliss! Today I'm sharing days four, five and six of our holiday to NYC! 

Day Four 

 We started day four with a slow stroll down town towards Greenwich Village. If I was to live in New York this is where you would find me. Beautiful brownstones, tones of amazing cafes, young families, this is my place! 

After a wonder through the village and a little real-estate shopping ;) It was time for brunch at By Chloe!

This place has to be the best Vegan cafe I have ever stumbled upon. The food is amazing and well worth the wait! 

After lunch we headed uptown to Top of the Rock for a little tourist activity. We checked out the amazing view and soaked it all in. 

A little sister selfie high in the sky! 

After Top of the Rock it was time for a quick coffee break before we headed to MOMA. 

If you haven't already been to MOMA I can not recommend it enough. As an art nerd this place is my mecca but I defy anyone not to like it or enjoy the space. 

Including the famous outdoor sculpture garden which is pretty darn special! 

After MOMA we where utterly exhausted so scraped our dinner plans and instead opted for a night in! 

Day Five 

Day five saw us heading down to Soho where we enjoyed a sugar filled breakfast at the Dominique Ansel Bakery, this place is famous for inventing the Cronut and trust me they are well worth the calories. 

Holy moly, I'm still dreaming about it! 

After a walk and shop through soho, where I took no pictures. #bloggerfail We headed down to the financial district to check out the new One World Tower, Westfield shopping centre and the 9/11 memorial. 

Some seriously  amazing architecture there! 

After a very somber tour of the new 9/11 memorial which is truly breathtaking. We took a moment to relax and have a snack at Brookfield Place. A shopping complex across from One World Tower, directly along the water front. 

After a little rest, river side we changed hotels and had a nap! We switched to the Evelyn Hotel just above madison square park and the flatiron building. 

For dinner we headed back down to Soho to meet my mum and sister for dinner at their hotel. The stayed at Nomo Soho and the restaurant is simply spectacular! 

Day Six 

My travel / action/ forgetful brain was in full swing at this point and I forgot to photograph breakfast and the cafe we ate at. However you can trust me when I say the Penelope in Mid town East is Fantastic! The food is great and the cafe is super cute! 

Day six was all about the museums. I'm an art junkie so I was super excited for both the Met and the Guggenheim. 

 We started off with some modern art at the Guggenheim and took in the amazing architecture as well :) 

After a good look around we headed further up 5th Ave to explore the Met and sink our teeth into some couture.  

The Manus X Machina exhibition was truly incredible! Like breathtaking! These outfits really art masterpieces! 

After collecting ourselves post couture overload, it was back down to Soho and straight to Joe and the Juice for lunch! *Probably the best fresh juice in town +  multiple locations = must do ! 

Another stroll and shop through Soho before a restaurant repeat at Nomo Soho! 

What can I say? The food is fantastic and the fit out is dream like! 

Day Seven 

The next morning I was up bright and early packing, before heading to Balthazar's for a quick breakfast. This is an iconic restaurant and my favourite spot in NYC for breakfast! 

Then it was off to the airport and home bound. 

Our trip was short and sweet and filled with memories I know I will have forever. So grateful I get to spend special time traveling with my sisters! If you are heading to NYC soon be sure to check out my previous post. And if you have any questions about this trip or any NYC related queries please comment or message me! 

Have a wonderful Monday friends! 

Lou 

xxx