A slice of New York in London

Continuing with catching up on some of my activities during the festive season before we are in February. Lots of you commented on my obvious lack of New York adventure this year, and yes for the first time in a few years the annual trip to the Big Apple didn’t happen.  Rest assured I am already planning a return trip for 2017 along with a huge adventure on a boat!

To compensate for not going, I planned a New York inspired day in London with a friend on a day off in early December. My friend hasn’t been to New York and will be coming with me this year so this gave them a feel of what it would be like.

A perfect relaxed day in New York for me looks like the following:

Pancakes for Breakfast, a little Shopping and taking in the Christmas sights, a Walk through Central Park, Ice Skating, Cupcakes and Coffee and then a great Burger for eats.

So with a bit of a NY bucket list planned we started the day in Jackson & Rye – a cool eatery in Soho offering home cooked American style food, with pancakes on the menu for breakfast this was the perfect place to start. With an indulgent breakfast to walk off we headed along Piccadilly with a stop off at Fortnum’s to admire the Christmas décor and then a foray along Bond Street and a trip to Tiffany’s. Everywhere was beautifully decorated for Christmas – both Fortnum & Mason & Tiffany’s looked stunningly elegant.

Blessed with a beautiful crisp winter day we headed past The Ritz into Green Park and headed down to St James Park. This is my favourite park in the city and I was delighted to see so many of the parks legendary pelicans had left their island in the middle of the lake and were happily waddling around the grounds. We spent some time in park just enjoying the views and wildlife before we headed out past Buckingham Palace and into the side streets of Belgravia. Elegant wreaths festooned the doors of some of the townhouses along with a beautiful display at The Goring hotel. (added to 2017 bucket list for birthday afternoon tea)

When in Belgravia the only place to stop for coffee and cake is the gorgeous Peggy Porschen Parlour – beautifully decorated in her signature pastels, complete with Gingerbread castles, Cookie’s and Meringue kisses drip cakes – an instagrammers dream.

I can’t recommend this little slice of cupcake heaven enough – always a favourite treat.

Rested and fed we continued our travels through Belgravia towards the Kings Road where we walked and talked and took in the sights. What I loved about this area was the number of Christmas tree vendors that had taken up residency on street corners – not in the abundance of New York but certainly creating that feel and sight that you see everywhere there. After a peruse in Anthropologie and a quick stop by The Ivy Chelsea Garden to admire the stunning decorations ( again a Instagram favourite) we then headed to our final destination of the day – The Natural History Museum for a spot of ice-skating, followed by a great Burger at @Honest burgers.(worth the queue). Loved the rink at The Natural History museum – this was my first time to this rink and it had the feel similar to that of the one in Bryant Park.

Having clocked up 11k walk on the Fitbit and feeling a little weary it was time to head home and a relax on the sofa with a christmas movie.

DC for the Day.... Amtrak adventures

Time to share some more of my New York adventures from late last year, the rate that I am going I will still be blogging about it Christmas 2016 instead of Christmas 2015!.. when I started planning my trip last year I wanted to do things that I hadn't done before as well as some old favourites.
One of the things that I started to research was the option of travelling to Washington for the day and exploring some of the capital city. I visited Washington 18 years ago and looked forward to a return visit (especially with my current Scandal obsession!) I knew that I would have to plan my day well, but was confident to see some of the capitals landmarks.
After the idea took root, it was quite easy to plan the rest; the Amtrak train line from Penn Station was the route to take and I booked a return journey for $65. As an early riser I booked a 6am train arriving in DC at 9.30am.
Penn station was a short taxi ride from my hotel and like all mainline stations was still a hive of activity even at that early hour. I stopped at Zaro's; one of New York's famous bakeries for coffee, and breakfast muffin for the journey.
With multiple stops on route the train was busy, but with a reserved seat, and leg room and seats bigger than flying I was pleasantly surprised on the amenities on offer on the train; including complimentary wifi (which didn't dip for the entire journey) and power.

Leaving New York whilst still dark, one of the treats of the journey was tracking the images shot out of the window and watching the sunrise as we approached Philadelphia.
The sunrise was stunning. I loved watching the towns and cities begin to wake up as we sped along the tracks.

I arrived in DC at 9.30 into a stunning classical station, built in 1907 it is a beautiful building filled with arches and light.

The day was glorious and with beautiful blue skies as a backdrop to some of the worlds most iconic buildings; I set off to explore this political famous city.

Pop back tomorrow for more adventures.... featuring lincoln, landmarks, cupcakes and presidents!

Across the Hudson.....

Earlier this month I started to share my New York adventures from December, here I shared my first experience of staying within the meatpacking district. This area has seen a huge regeneration over the last 15 years and Sex and the City fans will remember it from being the location that Samantha lived. Bordering Greenwich Village is really is quite a fabulous location to be and I will be seeking stays there in future trips.

The area is predominately residential and with cobble lines streets and glorious brownstones, it’s a cool place to just wander and capture the experience of village life within New York. My hotel on the corner of Jane Street and offered views across the Hudson river to New Jersey / Hoboken an area which I had never visited.

When researching and planning for the trip (yes I still plan lots even though I have visited too many times now to count!) a must for me is a trip to Target. Target is a huge supermarket/store similarour Tesco and full of fabulous things. In previous years I have travelled up into East Harlem to do my Target shopping, however this wouldn’t be a straightforward in the location that I was staying. I did find that there was a Target located in the Newport/Hoboken area, practically opposite my hotel (separated only by the Hudson river).

Further research led to me finding that the PATH trainline was a short walk from my hotel which would transport me under the river to the state of Jersey. The Patch train was accessible from Christopher Street 

The station entrance is in its own free-standing building, with a restored marquee displaying the original "Hudson Tunnels" name adorning the entrance way. Passengers descend a narrow stairway with a number of curves before arriving at the southwest end of the narrow center island platform.Biff Elrod's mural "Ascent-Descent" (showing images of users of the PATH trains, ascending or descending the stairs) originally painted on site in August 1986 as a temporary installation for the Public Art Fund, and later purchased by PATH/Port Authority of NY&NJ, was restored in 1999 just before the incidents of 9/11.
I loved this station , with its beautiful murals, a real old glamour of new york, Hard to believe that this little station was used by more than 7,400 people per day post 9/11 as this was the furthest south path train to the world trade centre that still commuted passengers from the Jersey districts. 

Hoboken station is as equally picturesque, and I really did feel like I had fallen into a movie or a bygone era of New York. The station has been used for film shoots, including  Funny Girl and Julia & Julia.The large main waiting room, with its floral and Greek Revival motifs in tiled stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany,is generally considered one of the finest in the U.S. aesthetically. The terminal exterior extends to over four stories and has a distinguished copper-clad façade with ornate detailing. The terminal, houses trains and ferry's and even though the day was overcast and drizzly it still was a beautiful building to explore.

On a clear day the views onto Manhattan are glorious, alas on the morning I was there the views were shrouded with mist. As this was the beginning of my visit, I hoped to return just to enjoy the view. Along the river adjacent to the station sits a simple memorial to 9/11 as a large number of Hoboken / Newport  residents lost their life on that day.
After a walk along the river side, I crossed into the residential park space and walked a short walk to a very big Target.

Here I stocked up on lots of holiday candy, home treats and paper goodies. With Star Wars imminent for release there was lots of stockfiller finds go in the trolley. Alas I couldn't take the baileys milkshakes home, but I did try one there which was amazing. Favourite finds were Gingerbrread Santa twix, candy cane oreos, crispy M&M's, Almond, Plain & milk chocolate mini snickers.

Later in the week on my last morning I managed to pop back across the water, and snap some images of the New York skyline against a backdrop of a beautiful blue sky. Hoboken is definitely somewhere that I would like to explore more, and will be adding it to my To Do list for future visits.

Let the NY adventure begin.....

It's no secret that new York holds my heart and with visits now in double figures + I get asked often am I not bored of it?...... so in reply to that question the honest answer is No! I do honestly believe that at the point that I'm tired of New York I really would be tired of life!

I am over the coming few weeks share my Christmas adventure in the city that doesn't sleep.

My trip in 2015 was really planned on a bit of a budget and I struck lucky with a flight and hotel in December for £500. This was a huge bargain and I didn't have huge expectations of anything but was really impressed with hotel & location. With any trip to the states I have learnt to maximise my time there by the flight times, flying outbound I book the earliest flight out of Heathrow and I opt for a late/night flight back (arriving first thing the following day) This takes advantage of the time differences and helps me manage the jet lag!

 So my adventure started with Taylor and I taking a trip in the early morning, zipping through London to Heathrow. As it was the 1^st of December it was the perfect time for some Christmas songs and to enjoy some of the festive sights in the city.

With Taylor dropped off at parking it was time to check-in to Terminal 3 for my flight across the Atlantic, the terminal was festooned in pink with a funky christmas tree.  I off loaded my bag and passed through security quickly, browsed duty free before grabbing a quick breakfast before boarding.

Sitting near the window I captured take-off and the ascent into the clouds, which saw a gloomy damp December morning get brighter the higher we rose into a beautiful cloud filled blue sky, it was like we were flying on puffy clouds of cotton wool. With an uneventful flight across the pond the gloom soon re-appeared as we descended into JFK across Long Island and The Hamptons.

 Having a 'live' esta visa allowed me to fly through immigration and I had collected baggage, cleared customs and was on the Air train within 35 minutes of the plane landing (any of you that travel stateside frequently will know that this is a fantastic time, especially New York in December) Last year was my first Air train adventure and I am now a convert!

This year I had booked to stay down in the Meatpacking District and my hotel was a short walk from the subway, which was ideal for my travels. Although I had explored this area, this was a first for me staying there and was a little apprehensive, however I had nothing to fear as I loved the location and would definitely stay there again.

I stayed at The Jane Hotel on Jane Street and my first impression was it was a cross between Disney's Terror Towers and a hotel from the Grand Budapest Hotel, complete  with bus-boys with  gold trim hats! The hotel was a hive of activity on arrival as they were filming "John Wick 2" with Keanu Reeves in the lounge and  lobby. (this wasn’t my only celebrity spot of the week!) It seemed that my hotel lounge was an 'on-trend' space to hangout. The hotel has an amazing history; Completed in 1908, the American Seaman's Friend Society Sailors' Home and Institute was designed by William A. Boring, the architect renowned for Ellis Island’s immigrant station. 

Originally built as a hotel for sailors with cabin-like rooms, the landmarked hotel was lovingly restored on its centennial in 2008. In 1912, the survivors of the Titanic stayed at the hotel until the end of the American Inquiry into the ship’s sinking.  The surviving crew held a memorial service at the hotel four days after the ship sank. 

The rooms are tiny – very reminiscent of old ships cabins / train sleeper carriages, however they maximise the space with mirrors, good storage and lighting. The room was clean, good quality bed linen and complimentary robe, slippers for the bathroom facilities. If you can deal with shared bathroom (I never queued once for shower / bathroom facilities in the 5 days I was there) and tiny room, this hotel is amazing value for money. Fabulous location, great staff and a very cool eclectic hotel. I rarely stay in the same hotel twice when travelling to New York, but I would definitely come back to The Jane.

Having dumped my bags it was time to explore the neighbourhood!.... pop back later in the week when I share some more of my New York adventures.

2015 Insta Love - best 9

At the end of 2015 Instagram feeds were full of #2015bestnine and having shared my instagram festive favourites earlier in the month I thought I would share my insta9's before January passes.

Instagram has firmly become my favourite social media platform and I have chosen my 9 for many different reasons and no surprises there are as many from New York as there is in the UK.

Claridges Hotel - this gorgeous hotel's instagram feed allows you to step inside the revolving doors without a trip to London. No surprises that their Christmas décor was some of their most liked images for 2015, along with Dame Maggie Smith having afternoon tea and their image of Selfridges on Oxford Street.

DanTVusa is a british  TV and cameraman working in the US, predominately within the New York area. Dan was one of my first favourites on Instagram and his images of the city are quite stunning. His Best 9 are just fabulous and capture some of the best and most iconic scenes of New York City. From Manhattenhenge to Fireworks over Lady Liberty, day or night Dan's images are fabulous.

David Gandy Official
Those that know me well, would know that a favourite instagram compilation would always include the gorgeous David Gandy. As he features monthly in my social media favourites I couldn't ignore him at the end of the year! ... obviously no explanation need!!

London View Points is run y Michael and he shares some of the ordinary and extraordinary views of London from above and at street level. Love the London eye and Tower Bridge bathed in natural and spotlights.









Most of my likes have been views and places, however a home favourite of mine is from Tink72x
Tracey shares life inside and outside her home on the beautiful Isle of Wight. I have fond memories of the IOW as a child and love her images, along with having complete kitchen envy within her house

Empirestate bldg shares both images that people have taken of their iconic statue in New York, but also shares a few of their fabulous visitors each year.

Whether bathed in sunlight, at dawn, dusk ans under the stars one of the most recognisable buildings of the city looks stunning.

Forest _ldn is the rooftop restaurant at Selfridges which is of course where I work. With the entrance a magical festive woodland and gorgeous food and hot choctails being served it was always going to get a lot of likes. my favourite aside from the hot chocolate are the rooftop winter chalets, complete with fur throws, blankets and cushions. Perfect for drinks and fun.

Pretty City London is an instagram feed where Siobhaise shares the most gorgeous images of London when shared on the ~ pretty city london. Inside or out the feed really does share the best of London. doorways, wreaths, mew's fabulous cars, & pink are all regular features. Love them all.

and finally Grand Central nyc - my favourite building in NYC had to feature in my favourite 9 from 2015. This grand old dame is just stunning both inside and out and whether in snowy conditions or bathed in sunlight always looks stunning.
The only railway station that makes commuting look like a huge choreographed ballet.

Thankyou to all for sharing such gorgeous images during 2015... I look forward to seeing what fabulous photo's 2016 brings.

Festive Insta Love...

Last year saw me add some new features to the blog and regular posts. One of my most favourite and popular was sharing my social media loves from the previous month. December passed in a blur hence why I am now sharing what I was 'hearting' and liking on Instagram over the festive period.

With a trip across the pond early December I have 9 from New York, 9 from London and 9 festive favourites.... 

London:

1. j_r_photography - love this image of the London Eye and river bridges during the festive season.
2. levanterman - stunning shot of Tower bridge and the artistic christmas tree by city hall.
3. the connaught - twinkly tree and lights at The Connaught hotel - old school christmas glamour
4. elensham - loved elena's instagram feed during December, mixing the ordinary with festive sites in London - this shot in Leadenhall market is glorious.
5. aurelien_le_roch - stunning shot of the new years fireworks .
6. geminatrix - heathers photography around London is stunning - clean lines and stunning skylines  this shot of regent street is fabulous.
7. paulafitzherbert - love Paula's image of the carriages outside Claridges Christmas morning.. this is being added to my bucketlist!
8. in_and_outside_london - love this image from inside Duant books in Marylebone from Cecilia - christmas tree & books a perfect combination.
9. neiljamescartwright - lovely shot from the Sky Garden's seasonal decoration  from Neil.

Christmas & New Year - festive posts from some of my favourite instagrammers of 2015.

1. Love this porch picture from Sally @ gettingstuffdoneinheels the picture postcard cottage christmas... could have been lifted straight out of an enid blyton!... love it.. I absolutely want to move into her house. 
2. Could Crate & Barrel's Christmas table scream the holiday season anymore!... egg-nog, gingerbread, cake & bakers twine....soooo many of my favourites.
3. The Berkeley's rooftop holiday cinema looked just glorious and has been added to my Christmas bucket-list... anywhere that shows Miracle on 34th Street is a win for me.
4. Emily's Christmas eve table, sums up everything lovely about Emily and her make-light studio, the cookie cutters are my favourite..
5. Love Lou from The little green shed 's festive kitchen activity is delightful. Another kitchen that I am coveting!.
6. Valerie's chalkboard egg nog recipe is a firm favourite of mine and the calendar was in a lot of the stockings that I gave this year... lovely
7. For someone that has been practically tee-total for 10 years the Jack Daniels instagram account is a tempting treat and nothing more so than the Jack Daniels Egg Nog recipe!... do love a mason jar & egg nog....mmmm
8. The lovely Kitty from the PS team at work shared the most delicious treat table in the personal shopping suite at work.. hoe fab does this look.
9. New Year cranberry mimosa toasts from Tifforelie is lovely, a perfect way to toast and see in 2016.

New York:

1. The Empire State Building's New Year lights are captured spectacularly by jennifer, her images from the city are just stunning.
2. The Plaza Hotel's Christmas tree festooned with baubles, lit by twinkling lights under a fabulous chandelier brings christmas to life in this iconic hotel.
3. Love the everyday that Johnny captures in New York, the vintage subway is a hidden gem on the NY subways during the holiday season and having stood on a platform when one pulled in I can say its as exciting as The Polar Express!!.
4. The Peninsula's canopy is worth checking out if you are in the city during the holiday's, a fab little treat tucked down a side street off of 5th avenue. Captured fabulously by Rosemary.
5. The Tavern on the Green's christmas tree was a festive delight under a canopy of lights sitting in Central Park, magical.
6. This image of the NYPD on the sidewalk of Times Square on News Year is as powerful as it is humbling... on duty ready to patrol and protect those celebrating the NY festivities in the square. fantastic shot from Elena of pictures_of_newyork
7. This close-up of the christmas tree outside the New York stock exchange is beautiful from javan, his images of the city are stunning.
8. Love this image of the Rockefeller Christmas tree in a bauble from Craig, a new instagram discovery. His images of the city are strikingly beautiful, look forward to more from him in 2016.
9. Kelly's images of the city capture the everday and the ordinary fabulously. This of the One World tower nestled among the evergreen is perfect... thankyou, another new favourite.

Thankyou to all for sharing such glorious images through the festive season. I have loved them all. For more of my Social Media favourites from 2015, check out previous posts here.
Later this week I will share my favourite  "2015 nine from 9 "

Goodbye December....

Before we close our doors to 2015 and embark on a new adventure in 2016 its time to look back on my highlights from December. Spending the 1st week of the month in New York was just fabulous and was one of the best weeks that I had had there. (no week is anything other than great, but somehow this year was just fabulous)
The build up to Christmas was energetic, fast and full of fun things and will share more in January when the nights are long and cold and my diary is bare! Here's some of my instagram snaps from the month of favourite things.....
1. December Daily / Journal your Christmas - for the past 5 years I have documented and scrapbooked my December via prompts from the talented Shimelle; this year I am looking forward to doing the same and then crafting in the new year. Here is my album from 2014.
2. Duran Duran took to the stage at the O2 in December for an amazing gig where they absolutely rocked the roof off!..no Christmas songs, but lots of happy middle aged ladies!
3. Christmas songs - love getting the Christmas CD's and playlist on the ipod for trips in the car & tube.
4 & 5 Planning and wrapping are 2 of my christmas moments - every year a new theme; this year black, gold, silver & white. Loved this years themes.
6. Taylors 1st Christmas - boot filled with yellow bags and commuting to and from work singing along to Christmas tunes and decked with fairy lights!
7. Team night out involved Shake Shack and Somerset House for a night of Skate & Shack.
8. Christmas morning breakfast with Nans legendary sausage rolls.
9.Remembering loved ones passed during the festive season with holly wreaths and roses.

It wasn't just me that had lots of fun at Christmas - the kits had bundles of fun along with lazy sleeps too!
Fitz definitely the most inquisitive of the 2, or the one that got caught the most; whether sneaking kisses, exploring gift bags and even inside the tree he explored lots!  Darcy liked the holiday duvet lots and was often found asleep there or curled up with his brother on my lap or by the fire. He did find a parcel that he thought was his! With there own stocking from their fur buddies Jax & Roxy, they were not left out.

After much deliberation the Christmas tree went up late in T's terrace. From the many decorations that I have, I selected the black, gold, white and silver decorations to compliment my theme. I was really pleased with how it all came out.
The kits definitely seemed to like it and it was the first year with the kits that it remained upright for the holiday period!

Boxing Day was spent as in previous years at work. Driving into London, the streets were desolate until you hit the big department stores, were Q's snaked around the block.
Busy day all round and welcomed the sofa in the evening for a rest.

Early morning breakfast's in glorious surroundings were spent in December. Claridges in Christmas week was just magical and then the Sky Garden pre New Year watching the sun rise was equally as magical.
Detailed posts to follow.








As you can see December was busy and hard to believe how quick that it and 2015 have flown by. With the New Year approaching its time for a blog overhaul, with so much to share from Christmas I am going to keep the blog Christmassy until the 12th night when the decorations come down...
29 days ago I was standing in Times Square looking at the big silver ball that would drop on New Years Eve...

12 favourites from New York...

With 12 days to go until the big day and having been back from New York a week, I thought it was time to share some holiday favourites for from across the pond for the season.
I had some a wonderful time this year in the city that doesn't sleep and will be sharing my adventures well into the New Year as there are lots!

1. Rockefeller Christmas Tree - THE christmas tree of the City, I cant tell you what that little sparkle of excitement feels like when you catch the first glimpse of its sparkling wonder from 5th avenue. Flanked by harking angels it is just beautiful.
2. Rockefeller Drummers and Pipers, staged around the Rockefeller centre during the holiday season are huge drummers and pipers which guard the area.
3. Saks - 5th avenue - every year Saks host a magical music and light show onto their 5th avenue façade, this year the magic and wonder of The Winter Palace came to life.

4.Christmas tree lots on corners and sidewalks.... the smell of spruce, fir and christmas hangs in the air from every side-walk, along with jingling bells and Samaritans dancing and singing.
5. Hotel canopy's are festooned with christmas decorations and kitsch in glorious splendour.

6. The Woolman Rink opens in Central Park, bathed in glorious winter sunshine this is a magical place to people watch, drink hot chocolate and eat hot dogs!
7. 5th avenue comes alive with holiday shoppers, and store facades come alive... the bejewelled Tiffany;s sparkling with twinkling diamonds in its windows.
8. Tiffany blue boxes are always magical, but look even more special on the christmas trees that become the signature look for this special store on 5th.

9. Miracle on 34th Street bought to life at Macy's on 34th street; Believe and huge Santa post boxes; its hard not to believe in Santa when spending time in the store.
10. Macy's may own the Miracle, but my absolute favourite Santa this year was the one at The Plaza. so jolly and so much fun...
11. Love the simplicity of holiday decorating in NY and nowhere does it better than the brownstones in the Greenwich Village areas.... just gorgeous.
12. Even the Firehouses decorate for the holidays... one of my favourites being Engine co 10 at the World Trade Centre, complete with festooned fire truck.
 As you can see NY looked exceptionally magical this year and could spend hours blogging about it, but with Christmas 12 days away I really need to get organised!... have a lovely day and hope that your holiday plans are happy and a little bit more organised than mine!

Rocking the Season....

The magic and sparkle of Christmas and the Holiday season is evident on every street corner in New York City, but never more than on 5th Avenue and the Rockefeller Centre.
The Rockefeller centre is the home of the most iconic New York Christmas tree. Today in the city the Swarovski Star was lifted into place with the help of fashion model Miranda Kerr and filmed by the Today show. This beautiful 6-ft spruce will be lit when I am in the city next month and will look forward to visiting whilst there.

From the ice-skating in the plaza below to the stunning tree; this square block really brings the magic of the holiday season alive.

The promenade walkway leading down from 5th avenue to the centre is flanked by trumpet & cornet wielding angels in glorious white lights. 

Looking down from the Tree towards 5th avenue you look directly onto the equally iconic 5th avenue store of Saks.

Saks has always been known for its holiday windows, but in recent years they have transformed the front of their store to showcase the holiday season and the city in visual & cinematic sound.

as you can see it really it quite magical and I have yet to find something in London that comes close to the entertainment and wonder that this creates on the faces of the families watching.

The Rockefeller Centre and its surrounding streets are a must for any visit to New York during December and even at its busiest times it really is worth the queueing and jostling for that perfect picture. The tree really does sprinkle its own dusting of magic among the needles, I've seen proposals, big family reunions and 1st dates under the branches, spreading lots of christmas cheer.

Here's to a magical 2015 Rocking the holiday season.

Seasonal sights on the Lower West side...

Eeek halfway through November and the New York planning has stepped up a gear. I do feel a little disorganised this year but I am sure I will get everything done on my list and in my head!

This year I am staying down in the meatpacking / greenwich village location, which is new for me; I've always stayed in and around either the mid-town / central park location,  looking forward to exploring this area in a little more detail.
Last year when visiting and walking around the village it was lovely to see some of the houses still in Thanksgiving / Autumn mode and others that had decorated for Christmas.

Pumpkins and cabbages are a lovely way to decorate the steps and porches of the village during thanksgiving week, which then moves into door wreaths and mini trees and lots of lovely fairy lights.

My last 2 visits to New York I have made sure that I visit the Highline; The Highline is park / recreation area that stretches several blocks along the river elevated on an old disused railway track.
Here it is on a previous visit. I'm thrilled that my hotel is a couple of streets from this glorious space and I'm sure that I will spend some time here on my forthcoming visit.
One of the many things that I love about New York during the Holiday Season is the Christmas tree sites that pop up on the corner of streets.

As you can see the Lower west side of New York has lots to offer and I can't wait to get there to explore!....

Capturing the Ordinary

Continuing with my Countdown to New York and my blogging every day in November challenge I am sharing some photography fun today. I've always been a 'visual' person and over the last couple of years my camera and I are never far from each other. I am a point and click person and with the advancement of iphone technology over the years, a good camera is always within my reach.

A big part of my travels is enjoying the day to day ordinary, however the day to day ordinary in New York can feel like the extra -ordinary. Whilst there last year I captured some images of the street life and whilst wandering I even stumbled on a model shoot by the Flatiron building. It was fascinating to stand and observe...

With a backdrop of the architecture of such a city I am sure any model shoot is a joy. The Flatiron is one of my favourite buildings located opposite Madison Square park.

Yellow taxis are also one of my other favourite things to capture on the streets of NY.
They encapsulate so much that is iconic with the city and they instantly bring a smile to face.
Even with the blur of the rain the taxi stands out in amongst the gloom and grey of a winter morning.

Last year I took over 1,500 photo's and much of January is spent sorting and collaging!... Here's some previous new york posts sharing some other images taken.
To assist with my technical and styling I have also enjoyed a couple of workshops with photographer Emily Quinton which has boosted my confidence considerably and have a good grasp of the basics. I also post a monthly blog post of Instagram favourites of images that I have liked that month... posts here.