The Giant's Causeway

Just before Christmas, Himself and I decided to head up North for a few days, staying in a couple of really beautiful country house bed and breakfasts along the way. We also spent a day at the Belfast Continental Christmas market, which was lovely and very festive before then driving on to County Antrim, to the Giant's Causeway. 

I had never been before so was excited to see the natural wonder for myself! The area is comprised of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption, giving it its distinctive "stepping stone' appearance. Because it's by the sea, we were afraid we wouldn't get there on time as daylight was reclusive in the last two weeks of December but luckily we got there with plenty of light left and so strolled from the visitors centre to the Causeway, with stunning sea views to our left.

There is a bus that drives to and from the visitors centre, which we got on the way back as it was dark and windy by then but the walk down is quite pleasant and you can listen to your audio guide along the way.

Me there on the left, standing precariously close to the edge..(Bono was around there somewhere too...come on, it's a classic!!)

And so, we left the Giant sleeping and got the bus back to warm up from the cold wintry weather. In spite of the bitter, blustery day, I feel like we really saw the Causeway at its best. The high winds added to the rough nature of the place and made it more atmospheric. 

That's not to say I wouldn't rather have had a bit of sunshine, in fact, we most likely will take another trip up in the Summertime. 

Anyone else been to the Giant's Causeway and loved it?!

To the comments!

XX

New England Road Trip: Rhode Island, Newport & Connecticut; the Highlights!

And so begins my series of blog posts on our road trip in the states from last year. I kept putting this off because we enjoyed it so much that every time I thought about writing this, I felt all gloomy that it was over.
Now that we've booked trips away to Iceland and the South of France within the next five months however, I can finally revisit our glorious stay in New England. 

After we left Boston (post on that HERE) we stopped into Wrentham Village, a premium outlet centre stocking such brands as All Saints, Aldo, American Eagle Outfitters, Gap, Bare Minerals, Barneys New York, Coach, Guess, Converse, DKNY, Karen Millen, Michael Kors, several make-up and perfume stores and of course, my favourite; Kate Spade, where I bought a lovely dress, earrings and a bag at a huge discount. We ended up spending almost an entire day here without realising it- the place is vast and it's easy to get absorbed in the bargain shopping so I would suggest setting aside some time here if you are interested in saving a bit on your premium brands. 

My beloved rose gold bag. 

Our next stop was Narragansett, Rhode Island. We stayed in the Tower House b&b, which has a whole load of positive reviews on Trip Advisor (HERE) and definitely lived up to them- the house itself was stunning and our room was decorated beautifully and thankfully, included air conditioning. Cool drinks were also provided in our own fridge (and badly needed as it was very humid at the time!)
Mary Beth greeted us warmly, like we were family really and provided welcome drinks and nibbles.

Click the bottom right to enlarge!

We sat out on the porch, listened to the crickets around us and felt our shoulders drop as we sipped our beer and wine. We realised at that stage how full on New York and to a lesser extent Boston was and we were really delighted to begin the more relaxing part of our trip.

Later that evening, we went for a great meal by the sea in The Coast Guard House, the top-rated restaurant in the area. We enjoyed seafood and cocktails and sat outside afterwards to digest our all-American blueberry pie while the waves bashed against the coast:

The following morning we were treated to a delicious breakfast that included this baked French toast, dripping in brown sugar syrup. 

I'm still thinking about it, several months afterwards..

Once we were well fed we headed out into the oncoming storm to Newport, where we spent the day hiding from the torrential rain in The Breakers, a Vanderbilt palatial mansion that has been restored and opens for tourists. We weren't allowed take photos, so sadly I can't blind you with how very gilded it is,  so these are courtesy of their wikipedia page:

The audio tour is really interesting and it was fascinating learning about how the very wealthy lived and Summered (100% keeping that phrase for future reference) back in 1895. We didn't stay the night in Newport but instead, headed on towards Connecticut where we had been briefly while staying in New York to visit family, but took the time to return to sightsee.

We had such a brilliant time the first time we were there, we both felt that overall this was one of the highlights of the trip for us! Plus, is there anything better than that sign, made by my very cute cousins-in-law? *heart eye emoji*

We stayed in a B&B at Taylor's Corner (Trip Advisor reviews HERE), a farmhouse from the 1700's that had that authentic old-timey feel to it but with all mod cons, thankfully. This was one of my favourite places that we stayed in. The owners left us to our own devices and we almost felt like we had the whole house to ourselves out in the countryside. It was so peaceful outside, while the house itself was cosy and welcoming.

We ate in Woodstock that night, a nearby town but I've no recollection of the name of the place…apologies. I really should have taken notes!

The following morning we were again treated to a great breakfast and made friends with the owner's cats while we made our plans for the day.

Taylor Brooke Winery is just around the corner and had a free tour on that day, so we of course took part! 

Although most of the fruit had been picked for the season, there were still some grapes left on the vines and so we got to see them being put through the machinery and afterwards taste some "ones we made earlier". 

It was a lovely way to spend the morning and we learnt something too (mostly what we learnt is that wine is delicious but we already knew that much..)

And that's the end of part one! 

I know I've crammed a lot in here but that's exactly what our trip was like; we wanted to see as much as possible, which we did! If I gave each place a separate post, we'd be here forever so these really are just  the highlights. 

See you in Massachusetts! 

XX

Let's Stop Comparing Women, For The Sake Of My Sanity

I haven't ranted about anything for a good while now but that's not to say there hasn't been plenty of things bothering me. First up, is this particular meme that has been doing the rounds lately, mostly on the Instagram accounts of beauty bloggers. 

While I'm generally of the opinion that people can post whatever the hell they want on their own social media (and if you don't like it, unfollow!), I've noticed that so many people I follow and am friends with have been passing this particular one around that I can't even ignore it anymore. It annoys me.

Here's why.

The media just LOVES pitting women against other women and does so regularly with magazines and newspapers devoting column inches to "who wore it better" segments (read about Amy Schumer's disgust at this HERE) but at least those are straight up blatant in what they're doing. They are literally comparing and contrasting the appearance of women. 

In the general scheme of things, this isn't the biggest issue in the world right now but it contributes to the objectification of women; often by other women and young girls, to view each other as only the sum of their parts and nothing more. That is dangerous and doesn't acknowledge anything about that particular woman beyond the very superficial- how she looks next to other women. 

On to the Princess Diana meme though. This surprisingly isn't the work of the Daily Mail but seems to have spawned from the depths of the Internet. Probably Tumblr or such like. 

Firstly let me say this; I am not a fan of the Kardashian/Jenners. I know little about them as I've never seen their TV show, I don't click into (the many) articles about them and I don't read magazines so I have successfully managed to avoid them for the most part. 

Having said that, I also have no desire to denigrate them. 

It often feels like a woman in the spotlight has to represent her entire sex, not just herself. How many "In a world full of Kanyes, be Prince William" memes have you seen? None? That's not surprising. Men aren't held up to the same standard that women are and are never expected to be the absolute best man they can be at all times. 

Fine, the Kardashians might not be considered to be the greatest role models for young women but why express that by remarking on their failure to be a dead princess? It makes no sense. 

This is also similarly vexing:

and:

and elicited this epic response from journalist and feminist Lindy West:

"THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE GIRL. ALL GIRLS FIGHT TO THE DEATH. "

Source

Why do these two women need to be compared? They are famous for very different things. The life of one should have no impact on the other. Amazingly, women can choose to read about or look up to or admire or ignore a whole multitude of women and men, depending on their personal preference. Sharing things like this online is just perpetuating the belief that women have to be deemed to be perfect by some arbitrary system of judgement for them to deserve public attention and admiration. 

Even if you agree with the opinion that more focus should be placed on Malala Yousafzai instead of Kylie Jenner, what can be achieved by pointing this out? Are you going to make people consume less reality TV and pick up Malala's autobiography instead? I find that to be a bit misguided and bringing one woman down to raise up another is a pretty negative concept when you really think about it.

Lastly, there are plenty of people who like the Kardashian/Jenners and enjoy being entertained by their lives and that's fine too. Why should you care either way? There's a place for everyone and as the mighty Amy Poehler says:

What do you think?

Do you agree with these memes? If you think I'm way off base here and am missing a hidden message of positivity then do let me know in the comments!

XX

Unique Christmas Present Ideas With PhotoBox.ie!

For the last couple of years my sister-in-law has made us a calendar from Photobox.ie for the year ahead using some of our favourite photos. It's a really lovely, personal gift that we always appreciate- it's something you can actually use and be reminded of happy times simultaneously!
I was delighted then when I was asked if I'd like to try out the website for the blog and immediately took up the offer to pick out some things myself! I'm not gonna lie, there's a lot of options to choose from and I got a bit flustered trying to decide but I had himself on hand and together we came up with these:

I'm an Instagram addict so it's really no surprise that the Retro Prints were high on my want-list and they did not disappoint. Your photo is printed onto textured paper with a varnish gloss added over the top and a black photo negative on the back of the print for that Polaroid feeling! Speaking of Polaroid, look at the case they come in! Love it! You can choose between 12, 24 or 36 prints.

I went for 12 but I can easily see myself getting more. We decided to go for photos strictly from our recent trip to the states and although I haven't displayed them very well here, once I find the perfect twine and mini close pegs, they'll be livening up a very boring wall in our bedroom. 

I think it's going to be so lovely to wake up every day to some of our most treasured holiday memories and the fact that they're printed like this makes them that bit more special.

Another thing that I love about these is the option to add your own text to your print, as you would with a real polaroid too (except that you can choose your own font here)! 

If you can't decide what you want to write at the time of ordering (if it's a gift for someone else for instance) then you can add your message later on at home too. Clever eh?

Also great is that the retro prints are eco-friendly. They're non-toxic, recyclable and the production process contains no volatile compounds like traditional photo printing systems do. Bonus!

I really love these. I have fond memories of my family having a Polaroid camera when I was a little'un and this is like that but much cheaper. 

12 prints set me back €12.99 only. For that, I have a lovely decoration and I think something like this would make a fantastic birthday, Christmas or anniversary present.

And speaking of presents, I thought a personalised mug would be a fun gift for my Mum for Christmas this year. That's me there in New Hampshire, loving life, surrounded by all the gorgeous scenery. The photo came out crystal clear and is printed on one side only with an option for a personalised message on the other:

You could really do anything you wanted with this. I'd also suggest it as a Secret Santa gift as it's fun and would make the recipient smile every time they had their cup of tea in the morning! At only €7 too, it's not going to break the bank. 

Lastly then is this photo himself took on our New England road trip. This was one of my favourite photos from that holiday and we thought it'd look spectacular on a larger scale. I can't even tell you how mesmerised I was by the Autumn leaves over there; the colours are just outstanding and I love the contrast of that red/pink/orange against the blue sky. Again, the clarity in the print is perfect too. 

We went for a wrap canvas which means the edges are part of the print, which looks great. This is a Canvas Lite, 61cm x 40.6 cm. I'd say it's an average size; it's big enough to make an impression but not so big that it takes over a wall entirely if that makes sense! 

There's loads of sizes and shapes available though so you'll be spoilt for choice. I do really like the idea of creating a wall of these with different canvas sizes, it's very Pinteresty but always looks so cool!

We love this canvas, like its retro print friends it'll be going up in our bedroom and will add a nice flash of colour to an otherwise bland cream wall. This is your ideal gift for a loved one I think; pick out their favourite family, wedding or celebratory photo, a shot of their kids or pets and get it masterfully recreated onto a canvas print. Perfect! 

Overall I thought our order was pretty cost effective. I was given credit by the company to try some of the products for myself but I ended up spending my own money too, purely because I wanted more! The original cost of delivery was pricey because the canvas was coming from outside of the EU but there was also a pretty generous discount on the site the same day (30% off orders over €40-that's over tomorrow!) so we saved a lot. I'd say to keep an eye out on the site for discounts as they do seem to be quite generous. There's Black Friday offers on at the moment too that finish tomorrow so definitely a good idea to check it out now if you're interested! 

If you're eager for more gift ideas like this, you should really check out the site, HERE. You can personalise cards, diaries, cushions, snow globes, key rings, Christmas tree baubles, coasters, mouse mats, placemats, fridge magnets, teddy bears, iPhone and iPad cases and even create your own jigsaw!

Amazing!

This post was just to give you an idea of what they do but have you tried anything from Photobox yourself? 

Anything here catching your eye?

XX

*this is not a sponsored post but some items were provided for the purpose of reviewing the website. All opinions my own, as always!

Boston: Highlights & Tips!

I shared my New York highlights HERE, now it's Boston's turn! We were only there for a couple of days but as is our way (I say our but really it's down to my husband's remarkable planning skills) we packed in loads! 

We took a train from New York to get there which was comfortable and quick. We stayed in the Hotel Buckminster which was only a ten minute walk from Fenway Park, close to a "T" station (Boston underground) and near to shops, restaurants and bars. The decor of the hotel could probably do with a revamp but it was a comfortable stay and although there's no kitchen services within the hotel, we were given vouchers for breakfast for one of the days to eat in the attached restaurant next door. 

Boston has a very different vibe to New York; obviously the population is a lot less but even still, it's all just a bit calmer. The pace is more relaxed and everything feels a lot…older. Because it is! Boston is a historic city; it's where the American Revolution was plotted. Because of that and its British connections, it feels much more European so it's easy to feel at home. 

Fenway Park

Back to our first day there! After we checked in we headed off to Fenway Park, a 100+ year old baseball stadium and the place to be in Boston when the Red Sox are playing. This was actually a highlight of the trip for us; it was just a wonderfully American experience; hot dogs, cold beer, the national anthem, various baseball chants, dedicated fans and of course; the game itself, which is like a super long-winded version of rounders (so definitely something the Irish can get behind). 

There's an awesome atmosphere at the game; the camera zooms in on the crowd loads and it feels like a community affair with all the little kid Red Sox fans dancing to the music and getting super excited when they see they're on camera! 

Amazingly; there was a proposal on the big screen too! Like being in a sitcom! If you're going to Boston, this is high on the to-do list!

Little Italy

That night we were peckish and had heard great things about Little Italy so we hopped on a T and began the lengthy struggle to try and pick just one restaurant! The area is full of good quality and highly rated places to eat; most of them will be busy and it's hard to find anything to set them apart from each other so in the end we just picked one at random! Thankfully it was lovely but honestly, you could eat in any of them and be happy! The quarter itself is aesthetically quite beautiful; it's old with a lot of the Freedom Trail running through it (I'll get to that later) and the streets are cobbled with nice little shops in lovely buildings. A top tip; skip dessert in whatever restaurant you're in and go and queue in Mike's Pastry. The line will be out the door but it moves fast and it's worth the wait. Their cannoli are famous and it was easy to see why! Delicious and authentic, they were a real treat but if that's not your thing, they have all sorts of cakes and pastries too!

Duck Tour

As we didn't have long in the city we thought a sight-seeing tour was the way to go and it was! While we were shown all of the city's most prominent monuments and learnt lots of history we were also kept entertained by Flo, our very cool driver! There's lots of tours in the city but the official duck tour was great and we obviously got on the water too which was lovely. 

Boston Public Library

After the duck tour we popped into the Boston Public Library, which like the NYPL, is just a stunning feat of architecture and worth a look for the book nerd. There was a Revolutionary war exhibition on there that we had a look at too. 

Freedom Trail & Boston Common.

I'm putting these together because they're all about the walking! The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile self guided walking tour (you can pay for a walking tour but get a map and be grand!), that leads you to 16 historically significant sites via a red-lined brick pavement, so you can't really go wrong! 

Boston Common is actually the oldest park in America and again, has historical significance as well as being a lovely area to get a fresh lemonade (I mention that cause we found a lemonade stall there and it was DAMN GOOD) and wander around happily!

Faneuil Hall & Quincy Market

These are also right beside each other; Faneuil Hall is another very historic building that you'll no doubt see at some stage if you're in the city and Quincy Market is a great spot for getting a quick bite to eat. There's stalls of every possible food imaginable in here as well as jewellery, gifts, some clothing and other knick knacks. The market is also surrounded by lots of nice stores if you're looking for somewhere to shop. We found a super nerdy shop where we were in our element. As in, we bought Jaws slippers and an Archer t-shirt. Good times!

Wrentham Village

Speaking of shopping, I'm including this premium outlet centre in here as it's just a short drive from Boston. It is absolutely huge. I'll leave the link HERE if you want to see all the shops there but highlights for me were Kate Spade (although the manager was quite rude to be honest), All Saints. Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Beauty Outlet Stores and Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth. Himself did well here too in some of the athletic stores. You can get some really good discounts and there's places to eat and take a break from the deluge of shops but be careful; we ended up spending way longer here than we expected!

I have no photos of Wrentham Village for you because, well, it's just shops etc. Instead, there's this; I think this photo nicely captures the city and its mix of old and new!

We loved Boston! It was a great stop after the intensity of New York but was still full of life and was a beautiful and historic place to walk around. I'm not sure we would have needed more than the two days there to be honest but that might just be down to himself's Turbo Planning! 

Next Stop; the start of our New England Road Trip!!

XX

Vita Coco, Movember & Moga!

Today I bring you news of a pretty nifty initiative for this years Movember. Traditionally known as a time of year that men grow facial hair to raise awareness and funds for a global men's health charity (in partnership with the Irish Cancer Society), this year Vita Coco, the delicious Coconut Water folks, have joined forces with Movember for something us ladies can join in too (unless you want to grow some facial hair....you do you)! 

Moga is part of a new initiative; MOVE, a 30 day fitness challenge. Moga has been set up as a way to encourage men and women to get fit and healthy by joining a yoga course. The good news is that this month over 25 yoga studios around the country will be participating and donating 50% of the cost of each 8 week course directly to Movember. 

Vita Coco will be available at each of the 25 yoga studios to keep participants hydrated! Clever, eh? I think this is ideal for anyone who wants to take part in Movember but can't or doesn't want to grow a moustache. You can get fit and help out a good cause! Hurrah! I'll leave a list of participating yoga studios at the end. 

On a similar note, you'll probably be aware of Vita Coco Coconut Water by now but did you know they also make Extra Virgin, 100% Raw, Coconut Oil? Cause I didn't and I'm very happy about it! I've been using coconut oil for a while now and am always happy to have more brand choice. Obviously it's fantastic to use as a hair mask but I'm loving it for cooking and baking also. I now use it in most of my cooking; it's great for curries and Chinese dishes as well as roasting vegetables. 

You might also have spotted this apple, blackberry and maple crumble I popped up on Facebook the other day but it's well worth trying yourself. A healthy Autumnal dessert and using the aforementioned tasty Coconut oil! You can get the recipe from the Deliciously Ella website HERE.

Yoga studios taking part:

Dublin: Yoga Lounge Raheny, Yoga Hub Dublin, Elbow Room (Smithfield), Innit (Grand Canal Dock), The Yoga Room (Merrion Road), Hush Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga Blackrock, Bikram Yoga Dublin.

Clare: Ennis Yoga

Galway: Yoga Shala

Cork: Yoga Loft, Yoga Zone (Carrigalane), Himalayan Vallley Centre, Bikram Cork, Yoga Worx.

Limerick: Bikram Limerick, Satayoga.

Waterford: House of Yoga.

Meath: Yoga Boann (Duleek).

Wexford: Earthwise Yoga (Bree)

Laois: Blackhill Woods Retreat (Abbeyleix)

Westmeath: Bikram Yoga Athlone

Wicklow: Greystones Yoga, Wicklow Yoga, Yoga Sacred Space. 

You can find out more HERE.

Are you a Coconut Oil convert too? Will you be getting on your yoga pants for Movember?!

XX

*This post is not sponsored but does contain press samples. All opinions my own, as always.

NYC- Highlights & Top Tips!

I'm back! I took three weeks off there for the holiday of a lifetime. Himself and I went Stateside and explored New York, Boston and as much of New England as we could fit in. This was actually a second honeymoon for us as when we got married I was too ill to leave the country and although we very much made up for it by staying in some of the most beautiful destinations in Ireland, we felt now was a good time to do something BIG to belatedly celebrate our nuptials. 

Himself actually planned the trip given his propensity for organisation so I can take zero credit for all the amazing things we did. Also, we spent a full week in New York and did some pretty cool stuff, which I could surely write several blog posts on but instead I'm condensing it into one. There'll be posts on Boston and New England to follow plus some beauty hauls (I *may have gone slightly mad in Sephora).

Statue of Liberty

I know this is an obvious one but she's such an iconic figure of the Big Apple that I couldn't wait to get to her! We booked our tickets for the ferry beforehand, HERE. There's usually fairly substantial amounts of people queuing for this and it was no exception for us but the line does move quickly. The boat stops at Liberty Island first, where you can either roam about the island, get to the podium or climb up into the crown (all dependant on which ticket you've booked. Bear in mind that if you want to book the crown you'll need to have organised it several months in advance). We booked the podium only and while we really enjoyed it, I'm not sure it added a huge amount to the experience. Being on the island alone would probably have been enough. It's a self-guided tour but audio guides are also available for no extra charge. The museum was interesting and overall, we absolutely loved seeing the statue. You can then wait for the next boat to either bring you to Ellis Island or back to the docks at Battery Park. 

The Highline
We actually did this as soon as we arrived and were settled into our apartment. The High Line is a public park, built on a historic freight line elevated above the streets of Manhattan's West Side. It's very cool. You get great views of the city as you walk through, with places to sit while looking at works of art along the way, food stalls and interactive exhibitions (we loved a lego exhibition that was full of people adding their own creations- check out ours below!). As it's a public park, it's free and is a great way to get some fresh air and see a different side of the city. I would 100% recommend this!

Central Park & The American Museum of Natural History

I'm putting these two together because they are right beside each other and it's easy to do both at the same time! Central Park is beautiful and is full of life; stalls, street performers, joggers, people with their kids, tourists etc but it still feels a bit calmer than the rest of the city and is a lovely place to relax. I've also included a photo of the John Lennon memorial, which is in Strawberry Fields.

We ended up spending most of a day in the Museum which was really interesting; there were current exhibitions of live tropical butterflies, spiders (shudder) and the secret ocean as well as the permanent exhibition….DINOSAURS!!!! You can see me below there cowering in fear. Ahem.
Admission starts at $22 (see HERE) but can be more expensive depending on what other things you want to see. I'd avoid the restaurant if you can; the food was fine but it was quite pricy for what it was.

MoMA

We've both been to MoMA before but it's definitely worth a second visit. It's $25 each for entry but is free in between the hours of 4-8 on Friday afternoons (more of that below). MoMA is one of the best modern art museums either of use have ever been to and as well as the well known works from the likes of Picasso, Monet, Warhol, Hopper, Rothko, Dali, Kahlo, Lichtenstein and Pollock, you'll also find some more obscure contemporary art also. It is again, self-guided but there's really quite brilliant audio guides (you can see it in the photo below beside my gin cocktail!) 

You could easily spend a whole day here over the various floors and the gift shop is well worth a look too! Oh and the restaurant is excellent with a great view overlooking the garden. 

Plus, delish cocktails!

The Book of Mormon & Fool For Love

If you can, try and fit in a Broadway show. We went to two, a musical (The Book of Mormon is hilarious) and a play, just to get the full New York theatre experience! Fool For Love was a brilliant Sam Shepard play, starring Sam Rockwell (of 7 Psychopaths fame). We loved them both- money well spent. After The Book of Mormon we went and searched out a Speakeasy bar in Chelsea, Bathtub Gin, which had been recommended to us (thanks again Áine!) where we had a great meal and delicious (but lethal drinks). Such a good night. 

30 Rock & Brooklyn Bridge

I'm putting these two together because if you're looking for stunning views of the city, this is where you want to be. I had on a previous visit to New York been to the Empire State building but we decided to go with 30 Rock as you can see the Empire State from its roof! Again, we booked online first and as I've mentioned below in the tips section- be prepared for queues! 

To get to the bridge, we took the subway to Brooklyn, walked for a couple of blocks and then crossed back to Manhattan. We went at nighttime so got some great views of the city all lit up but the bridge itself is architecturally quite beautiful so would be a great walk any time of the day really. Just make sure you stay out of the bicycle lane- I saw some tourists having their heads bitten off by angry cyclists!)

Ground Zero
This is a unique and striking memorial to those who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks. I feel like this is a completely personal choice for whether to visit it or not but as we were nearby for the Satute of Liberty ferry anyway so we were able to see this also. Truthfully, this is a very moving and poignant place and reading all of the names of the deceased is upsetting; I left teary-eyed but was glad we had gone.

New York Public Library & Grand Central Station
Being book nerds there's no way we could have gone to New York and not visited their stunning library. This is free in and is well worth scouting out for the architecture alone. There's also a pretty cool little gift shop for those of us who adore books and their associated paraphernalia (I got my gorgeous copy of Breakfast at Tiffany's here. Love) as well as a quite moving photography exhibition downstairs (I cried in public for about the 70th time this year. Thanks, NYPL). Oh and on the path to the library there's the Library Walk, a celebration of the world's greatest literature-plaques depicting beautiful literary quotes.
Grand Central Station was just around the corner and we actually did get a train from there but it's also worth a look, purely for the architecture again. I was keeping an eye out for Serena Van Der Woodsen but no joy.

Sorry for all the library shots (not sorry at all)

Tips!

• Book as much as you can in advance to cut down on queues. This can be a risk weather-wise but generally it was worth it to save disappointment. Obviously some things are easier to book in advance- the theatre etc. We looked into buying New York Pass tickets but it actually worked out cheaper for us not to get them because of our schedule. They do seem to be quite cost effective in general though, so check them out before you go.
• Look into Airbnb for accommodation. The city of New York is currently cracking down on illegal Airbnb rentals but there's still up to 25,000 available rentals and it is seriously cheaper than staying in any of the city's hotels, which are awfully expensive. The place we stayed in was clean, nicely decorated with all mod cons and close to a subway station, restaurants, grocery shops, bars etc.
• Buy a weekly Metrocard for the Subway. We ended up using it a few times a day and it's a handy way to get about the city for a lot less than taxis and you'll be saving your feet!
• Bring a hand sanitizer with you-you'll need it on the subway!
• MoMA is free in on Friday afternoons but it didn't suit us time-wise. As we were leaving MoMA on Friday it was just time for the free admissions and it was already getting jammers. Uncomfortably so. If you like to have a bit of space to look at your art properly, it might be worth  not going for the free option!
• There are often free events on in Times Square. One time we passed through they were broadcasting the opening night of the Met (with an operatic version of Othello) with lots of chairs out for people to sit down and take it in. 
• Speaking of Times Square, avoid eating around there as it tends to be pricier and at times less of a unique dining experience.
• Bring ID with you to bars. I'm on the dodgy side of 30 and still needed it. Grr.
• The pre-made coffee in deli/gorcery stores is horrendous. Avoid.
• You'll find your food options will involve a lot of meat, cheese and fried goods. Just embrace it, it's delicious. Also, NYC is expensive, for food and drink (in comparison to everywhere else we were on the East coast)
• Prepare to queue to get to the top of 30 Rock- we had pre-booked tickets and were going out afterwards but thought we'd be fine time-wise. Wrong! The queues to get up and back down were impressive enough- this is especially true for peak times; sunset, night time etc.
• As for beauty and clothing, because there's tax on everything you're better off buying things you can't get at home. This is hard for us beauty addicts in Sephora but it'll save you money in the long run!
• On the topic of Sephora- make sure and get your loyalty card; you get gifts back when you spend a certain amount and you get a birthday gift! Hurrah!
• It's still very warm at this time of year (that was two weeks ago, this will obviously be changeable) and if you're going in early Autumn, make sure and bring a light jacket/scarf with you for the evening. Bearing in mind you won't need it for the subway, which is like the 7th circle of hell, heat-wise.
• Speaking of heat, try and stay down-wind of the bins on the street corners. They smell vile. 

An that's that! So while I could go on at length I'm going to leave it at there. Make sure and keep an eye on the blog for more American shenanigans! Who else LOVES New York as much as me?!

XX

*I definitely did. There's no "may" about it.