NYC Part 5: This Place Has A Hold On Me

On Monday my sister and I took a ferry to Staten Island just to enjoy the breeze and take in a breathtaking view of the Statue of Liberty and New York City itself. We now can say that we have explored the city by foot, subway, and even water. After the ride, we decided to stop by the famous Wall Street since we were nearby and then took a nap in a nearby graveyard (sounds creepy yes, but everyone else was doing so, too). For some reason, Wall Street made me think of Europe with its pretty architecture and stone streets. And because we've been waiting all week to do so, we finally hit up the Brooklyn Bridge and walked its entire length to Brooklyn Heights. The bridge was a beautiful web of architectural wonderment. The design of its cables took my breath away and the view of the city from it made me long to someday call New York City my home. I don't even remember what it's like to live in California anymore, I must say. Life back home just seems so boring in comparison to here. NYC just has this hold on my sister and I, and we both now that our future lies here. We leave to go home on Saturday morning and I don't even want to think about it, but I know something will bring us back soon for good!

NYC Part 4: Keeping Things Simple

NYC Part 3: From Brooklyn to Manhattan

More from New York. Central Park is my new favorite place in Manhattan. I could sit on the big rocks and just take in the green around me all day long and be totally at ease. We walked its entire length and are looking forward to doing so once again. Good for the soul and good for the body. Now it's time to hit up some museums. Live to both dream and learn.

Also, my sister and I ran into a reader of our blogs on Spring Street in Soho a few days ago. She was so sweet but rushed off quickly after saying that she loved our blogs and wishing us a great stay in NYC. If you are reading this dear reader, let me know who you are and whether you have a blog or not!

NYC Part 2: Downtown Girl

Hello once again from New York City! Even though I am always exhausted from sightseeing by the end of the day (I am out like a light as soon as my head hits the pillow each night), I am having a ball during each and every second that I am here. Here are some pics from the past few days from Chinatown, Greenwich Village, and Rockefeller Center. I love all the tree-line streets in the village. They are especially whimsical and picturesque in the evenings. I can just imagine how beautiful they would be in the middle of fall or winter. Actually, I can imagine how beautiful the ENTIRE city would be during this time. I snapped even more street pics today and they will be up soon. We stopped by Magnolia Bakery again today on Bleecker Street for their famously delicious cupcakes. Aren't they cute? We love eating them at the park across the street to relax and people watch while everyone else around is doing the exact same thing. I don't even want to think about leaving this place! At least I've still got the rest of this month to enjoy it all. And living in an apartment makes us feel like real New Yorkers. We're getting the full on experience this way and it feels just right.

NYC Part 1: I Heart New York City

Today is the beginning of our 3rd full day in New York City. The magic of this city that never sleeps is pulling me in with such a strength. I think I could live here forever and ever. We've been traveling all by foot and subway, exploring every nook and cranny and discovering new places by surprise at every corner. It is never boring here. Yesterday we started the day off with breakfast at the famous Balthazar restaurant on Spring Street with the Hudson Jeans PR people (they are too cool). The sour cream hazelnut waffles are the best! After that we went shopping in Soho and people watching. All this got us hungry so we headed off to Chinatown for dinner. Any Chinatown always feels like home to me. I will tell you the name of a really great Vietnamese place to go to once I remember it. The last shot is from Little Italy. This quaint little street is really such a sight. From there we traveled to the hustling and bustling Union Square to end the night. We keep seeming to end our nights here.

I still have so many more pictures to go through and they will be up soon. Anyone with a job offer in the city for a tall Californian who loves fashion, I'm your girl!

Philadelphia!!

Tank Top - Forever 21, Skirt - vintage from Ramona West, Belt - vintage, Gladiators - Cole Haan

Sorry that I haven't updated in FOREVER. I am blogging from NYC right now. My sister Natalie and I just wrapped up our collaboration with Free People in Philadelphia. I photographed her for the October Free People catalog. We just looked at the shots and helped create the layout today with the graphic designer and everything is fabulous. I think we totally captured the Free People aesthetic with our shots, and I got to help with a lot of the styling which was so much fun, especially since the clothes are all so magically beautiful. And Natalie looked so stunning . . . I couldn't ask for a better model. Mmmm, maybe either photography or styling is in my future? We'll see.

Anyways, the Free People crew is just amazing; so much fun to work with. Seriously the coolest people ever with the most jaw-droppingly colorful office space ever. They've got it going on. They made our trip so comfortable and easy. We had nightly dinners at the most delicious places where we also got to meet Rumi Neely from Fashion Toast and her boyfriend Colin, as well as another British blogger named Georgia from Dora's Fur. Everyone was just super nice, and I cannot wait to see the catalog in its final form. This whole opportunity has been a wonderful whirlwind, as well as one of the greatest creative learning experiences ever.

Here are some shots from the trip that we took during our time off exploring Philadelphia. We walked around the bustling center of the city outside our hotel and visited the Old City Cultural District, which is full of quaint brick buildings and pretty cobblestone streets. We walked down Elfreth's Alley, which is the oldest street in the U.S. It was adorable! Despite the extreme humidity and the terrible blisters on the back of my heels, the trip made for a nice little mini vacation. I love discovering new places that are so different from what I know. Philly is full of history and is like a mini New York City, yet it still seems to have a more chill vibe that makes you feel at home. Plus, there are lots of cute guys on bikes here!

Thanks Free People! We hope to work with you guys again!