In the Navy

I had an amazing Memorial Day weekend. Three days with no work and great weather would be fabulous at any time, but this weekend was seriously one of the best I've ever had.
Friday
When I got off work on Friday, I met up with a friend from Northwestern who's also on her residency for a drink at a German bar where we discussed work and the surge of sailors to the city due to Fleet Week (more on that soon). Once we finished our mugs of beer (something I still don't have much of a taste for) we walked up 5th Ave and stopped in the American Girl Place to relive our childhoods a bit. Further up 5th, we wandered into Central Park and stopped to watch a little league game. Once the kids were done (I'm not really sure who won) we walked some more, coming out of the park on the Upper West Side to try and find some cheap pizza for dinner. Luckily we found a cute place next to Magnolia Bakery. We parted ways after that, going home to get some rest for the next three days.
Saturday
On Saturday, my friend and I decided to go into Hell's Kitchen to see if we could see the Navy ships. While we did see the ships though, the lines to go into them were hours long, so we decided to do something different. We took the subway to the Upper East Side for frozen yogurt at 16 Handles, which was delicious and completely dangerous. We walked down Lexington afterward to my apartment to rest our feet and plan the rest of our evening. We found a place only a couple blocks from me that had reasonably priced Mexican food (and cheap drinks) and met another Northwestern friend for dinner. After dinner, we walked to her apartment, stopping to pick up dessert in a grocery store. We picked up friend number two's roommate's dog to take for a walk and sat and ate our dessert across from a park in the East 40s.
Sunday
Sunday was moving day - goodbye Midtown East, hello downtown. I moved about half of my stuff (with the help of my wonderful weekend companion) into the dorm on Sunday afternoon before taking off to meet my friend's friend and her friend's friend (very complicated, I know). We met them in SoHo and got coffee (well, they got coffee, I got a delicious vanilla milkshake) before heading farther South to Canal St where we marveled at the sheer number of people hocking fake handbags. We ate dinner outside in Little Italy where I had fried calimari and some delightful sangria (my first time). We weren't ready to go anywhere else busy just yet, so we went back to Washington Square Park and sat on the grass for a little while before heading to Hell's Kitchen. We stopped at a restaurant for a drink before heading to a bar. There, we met some sailors who we spent most of the night talking to. They were all Riverines based out of Virginia beach and they of course had a lot of interesting Naval facts. Before we all left (they had to be back at their boat at 1) a tour was arranged for the next day.
Monday
What better way to spend Memorial Day than on a tour of the USS Iwo Jima, a gigantic aircraft carrier? I can't think of one. Early afternoon, we met back up with three of the sailors from the previous night who allowed us to skip the four-hour wait for a tour of the aircraft carrier. An aircraft carrier basically feels like a giant floating warehouse, I discovered. Inside they had all sorts of awesome military vehicles, with Navy men there to explain the purpose of each vehicle. We saw vehicles for land, water and both plus lots of weapons. We even got to go up on the flight deck to see what lands on the carrier. It was probably the coolest thing I've done since being here. I took some (cell phone) pics to capture the day, since I didn't want to lug around my big camera.

 

After the carrier, a walk up to Central Park capped off the social part of my day. Then I headed back downtown and got ready for the work week.

Blueside

Dress: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Aldo

I'm not sure that I've ever gotten more compliments on a pair of shoes than I do with these bright blue beauties. Seriously, they are positive attention magnets. And they should be: They're cute, comfy and colorful. Yesterday was humid-hot, so all I could muster was this little white dress - the perfect summer piece, if you ask me. Of course it's not summer yet, but it's beginning to feel like it. If I could have the heat without the humidity (and sweat, gross) it would be an ideal world.

25 for 25

First off, let me say that it is my big sister's 25th birthday (hence the title) and that I wish her the best birthday of all time (of all time!)(no I don't care how old that joke is!). She hasn't come to visit me yet, but when she does, it's on. We will celebrate both our birthdays and New York will never be the same.
You know what will also never be the same (other than your respect for my ability to write segues which has to be gone at this point)? The weather. Seriously though, it went from slightly chilly (Monday) to flat out hot (today).

Shirt: GapKids, Skirt: Zara, Shoes: Sperry

I'm not sure I've gotten as much wear out of a skirt in this short a period of time as this red skirt from Zara (though my floral skirts may give it a run for its money). I love the shape and the color, and because it's solid, it goes with just about anything and provides a welcome wallop of color. This was actually yesterday, the start of hot weather - the boys' shirt is perfect for warmer weather. Since it's not as fitted, it gives me a little more breathing room for when I'm walking home.

In My Makeup Bag

As I've thrown myself into the working world (yes, I'm an intern, but I work full time) I've started to wear more makeup on a day-to-day basis. At school, I wear whatever I feel like if I have time - more makeup when I go out and often nothing at all when going to class. Working though, unless it's the weekend, I've got some kind of makeup on. While I've been here, my makeup collection has also grown (though luckily at minimal harm to my wallet). I thought I'd explore my makeup here for something different and fun.

I don't wear lipstick everyday, but if I want to put some color on my face for work, this is how I do it. Usually I'm more of an eye makeup girl, but going to work, I feel as though I shouldn't go crazy with eyeliner or shadow as much as I would at school. Luckily, lipstick provides a wide range of colors that, even if they're bright, don't look too out there. Here's what it's in my bag:

On Thursday, I was wearing the Raspberry Estee Lauder lipstick - one of my new favorites. Usually I go a little more subdued though, and a swipe of Cover Girl's Dazzle does the trick for a nice sheer pink. Putting on makeup each morning may be a bit of a hassle for a non-morning person (like me), but when the colors are this pretty, it's a bit more palatable.

A Trip Uptown

 During the week, I mostly feel like a hermit because I stay in and sit on my computer after work, as though I'm hiding from the world. I like weekends to be a different story though. Yesterday, to remedy a week spent indoors, I headed uptown with a couple of friends to the Cloisters.

The Cloisters, located in Fort Tryon park, are a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that were built to showcase Medieval artwork and architecture - not just with artwork on the walls or in cases but doorways and other building elements from the time period. It also features some gorgeous gardens and a view of the Hudson. A warm, sunny day was the perfect time to head up there.

People who think that New York isn't beautiful...well, they just aren't looking hard enough.

Eight Weeks

Sweater: Ralph Lauren, Skirt: Target, Shoes: Sperry

Dressing for cool-ish possibly rainy weather is difficult. Do you dress for the rain? Or the temperature? Or both? Or neither? My strategy is to throw on whatever I feel like wearing and use my accessories to deal with the elements. I had a waterproof pair of shoes and an umbrella in my bag and threw a denim jacket on over the sweater to combat chills and I was off. I can't believe I've been in New York for eight weeks already. I'm so happy that I get to be here for summer and continue my love affair. There's so much to see and I have so much to do!

Punch of Pink

Dress: Forever 21, Top: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Target, Necklace: Forever 21

When I first bought this strapless top, this was one of the ways I envisioned wearing it. I hadn't pictured it with this dress specifically, but as I was manically trying to figure out what to wear on Thursday morning, it seemed like the perfect remedy to my dressing dilemmas. I like it a lot with this dress, actually - it streamlines the shape of it and makes it more visually interesting. Also visually interesting? The awesome bright lipstick that I was wearing. I'm trying to put together some posts that are a little bit more fun, including one on my current lipstick fiendery (yeah, fiendery. Fiendishness? Whatever) I love how it just gives the outfit (which was lacking a bit for color) just a punch of excitement.

Bright White

Shirt: Aerie, Skirt: Zara, Shoes: Aerosoles, Blazer: Forever 21, Jacket: Old Navy

This would have gone up yesterday, but I decided to be social instead of sitting in my room like a hermit, like I usually do. After some internal debate, I finally bought this white skirt at Zara last week with some birthday money. I didn't have a white skirt, and it's kind of a summer staple, at least for someone who dresses like I do. I wore it yesterday in an effort to brighten up my outlook on the week - overcast and humid is not really my thing. I decided that I wanted to prep it up a little and landed on this shirt - actually a pajama shirt - as the perfect complement. A pair of sandals to keep me cool and a blazer for work and I was ready to head out the door. Well, almost. The forecast made the blue jacket necessary. I've realized that the reason I get so many funny looks while wearing it is that often I look like I'm not wearing any pants.
One of my favorite things about my outfit was my wrist - I'm loving this Kiel James Patrick bracelet.

Greener with the scenery

Shirt: Target, Skirt: Zara, Blazer: Forever 21, Shoes: LL Bean

It would seem that every time I've worn this skirt I've been too lazy/tired/ill to record it. No more! My obsession with the brightly (solid) colored skirts at Zara this spring continued with this purchase, which I made back in April. It's a different shape for me - it has very straight lines, which don't tend to suit me as well - but so far I've been happy to use it under longer tops. I'll tuck a shirt into it one of these days, and I promise not to be lazy on that day. The weather continues to be underwhelming, making it feel more like early spring than mid(!)-May. It's a bit shocking that I've been here for seven weeks already - the quarter is done in three and a half weeks and then I'll be moving on to my summer internship. I'm so glad that I have the summer in the city as well - there's so much that I want to do still!
If you're curious about my work environment, check out this great Q&A with the assistant to the editor-in-chief of SELF!

Rainy Day playlist

When I saw that this whole week was going to be rainy, I must admit, I felt a little depressed. I'm not a big fan of having to run around in the rain, especially when it involves having to get into crowded subway cars. I decided not to let negativity reign (oh yes, pun intended) and make something of the rainy weather. Thus, a rainy day playlist.

I put this together to form how I'd like a rainy day (without work) to go. The first group of songs is reflective of the feeling I have when waking up on a cloudy, dreary morning. The teeny cluster of rat pack songs is coffee time - I believe those songs are made for warmish rainy days and cold snowy days and drinking coffee and getting dressed fabulously. Then the playlist goes into late morning, early afternoon which is spent looking out at the rain, reading books and writing in a journal - perhaps baking or cooking something delicious and dancing around the apartment/house/wherever. The last group of songs is for the end of the day when the rain is a bit tiresome, but the steady beat of drops hitting window panes or sills is soothing enough that you don't care. I only wish I had a day off to just sit inside, drink coffee, write (on paper or at my computer) and curl up in nice, comfy clothes.

Heads Up

Shirt: H&M, Jeans: Forever 21, Hat: H&M

I greet you today, with my giant head. No, but really. The hat, in fact, is a result of my giant headedness. My senior year of high school I went to Chicago on an orchestra trip and while in H&M with some friends, I plunked this hat from the men's section down on my friend Alex's head. It was too big on him. But he put it on my head and of course it fit perfectly. Because of my large head. To this day I have a hard time finding hats in the women's section of H&M that fit me, but wander over into the men's...
My nails were chipping this weekend and instead of touch them up with the same color or remove the polish completely, I decided to cover over the chipping and some non-chipping spots with a glittery gold polish. It's more fun this way, I think. It looks like I've dipped my hands into something gilded. It reminds me of frosting - or perhaps it's like all my nails have little crowns.
This whole week is supposed to be the same - gray and rainy, but with a slightly warming trend. I can't say I'm a fan. Facing pouring rain upon stepping out the door is not the way to start a Monday morning (but it does explain the hat). But I've decided I'll make the most of the rain - drinking lots of coffee, maybe doing a little bit of writing. And hopefully coming up with some blog posts that have me doing something other than taking a picture of myself. But then, it's all up to my energy for the week. We'll see if I can sustain it.