walking wonders.

"english girls approximately": ryan adams

waking up to the sounds of the rumbling city outside my window have been quite the effective alarm clock to make me actually want to start the day. however, this weekend was used to catch up on lack of sleep & to give my feet ample time to recover from the day's many long walks.

we walk everywhere.

{and occasionally sit on rocks}

up 5th avenue, through central park, getting lost in soho, wandering around looking at restaurants, oogling pretty window boxes & dreaming about future apartments on 10th street.

which is why we tend to excuse our meals at the end of the day.

for instance, this 1/2 pound burger from the coffee shop in union square.

rumor has it, the coffee shop is notorious for hiring gazelle-like models to trapse around serving food & looking fabulously thin. rumor also has it that eating a 1/2 pound cheeseburger in front of a starving model is the best tongue-in-cheek revenge an average girl can get.

after a nearly 5 mile walk around town today, i'd say we earned a 1/2 pound burger with a side of fries & sly revenge. after full tummys & blistered feet, we also justified a $5 cab ride home.

well deserved.

sex & the greatest city.

after years of seeing new york city through the strappy stilettos of ms. carrie bradshaw, yesterday we experienced NY bradshaw-style, first hand {minus the manolos}. our 3.5 hour, sex & the city themed tour departed from central park & ended a few cosmos later in bryant park.

our day practically revolved around fabulous people, starting with these huge celebrity prints outside the oak room at the plaza hotel.

jackie o, the beatles, bridget bardot, marilyn monroe.

our first pit-stop: the pleasure chest, home of the rabbit {charlotte's notorious play toy in season one}. i was extremely surprised at how many middle-aged women walked out with bags in hand!

next field trip: buddakan

the restaurant where the big/bradshaw rehearsal dinner took place. more importantly, the scene of "the laaaast single girl kiss" before big screwed it all up.

round 3: magnolia bakery. these cupcakes could probably cure cancer {which is why we just had to go back for seconds, of course}

heaven on bleecker street.

tile door outside of the bakery. our cupcakes were reserved, but the line is usually an hour long & there's even a cupcake bouncer. a small price to pay for 45 seconds of pure bliss.

beautiful day in the neighborhood.

"lisztomania": phoenix

day 5 in the city. last night, mary & i ventured to chelsea for a stand-up comedy show at the upright citizens brigade theatre. for $5 we got to watch an hour of completely improvised funny business staring some guy from "30 rock" & a woman from conan o'brien.

walking from washington square to chelsea in heels, however, was nothing funny. lesson learned. i've also never seen so much pabst blue ribbon in my life.


in class, we developed our first role of film. shocker, mine had a few blips of negatives with no pictures {must have been distracted by our donald trumph sighting}

we also managed to make a some new friends, even getting invited to a birthday party/picnic along the hudson river on tuesday. of course, i volunteered to bring something baked {even if this means spending an afternoon in our meth lab of a basement kitchen}.

after class, mary decided that she just couldn't go another day without purchasing the most adorable, high-waisted shorts from urban outfitters. BORROW PLEASE!

while attempting to resist the turqoise romper i'd fallen in love with, i decided to thumb through a few of the books by the cash register. "young, broke & beautiful: a guide to new york" provided this ironic excerpt from its bar-hopping section. {read closely} a special shout-out to all my uga girls.

later we walked towards the next new york site i've been wanting to see since we've been here, the flatiron building.

another lovely thing about this place {i think i'm starting to sound redundant}: walking around aimlessly is never really just walking around aimlessly.

when we finally arrived in the flatiron district, we also realized we'd stumbled upon madison square park & all of it's blooming greenery.

while taking a quick breather, mary found $20 on a park bench. oh, happy day.

click, click, click, FLASH

after the torrential downpour, wind & chill that was yesterday, i've come to realize that a southern girl packing for new york city is like a blind person trying to paint the mona lisa. it just ain't gonna happen right. no rainboots, no tennis shoes, no jackets, no sweaters. people walking down the street are still sporting scarves, leather boots & tights in late may.

this is how i know i stand out in a yankee crowd.

this is also the reason that when i found a taupe "leather" jacket in urban outfitters for $20, i had to rationalize my purchase.

song in my head ALL day: "click, flash" by ciara. {SO cliche, but it's catchy & appropriate}

after a short retail distraction, we ventured uptown looking for the new york public library. our mission for the day: use an entire roll of film for class tomorrow. hard life we lead, taking photographs around new york city for class, right?

oddly enough, one of the most gratifying sounds is the click of one of the heavy nikon cameras we have to use.

subway mosaics inside of the 5th ave. & 42nd st. stop


shopping on 5th=tempation central.


um, outside bryant park. {only the place where NY fashion week happens}

and with my spiffy camera.

adorable little boy playing in the bryant park fountain.

{just another example of my fascination with small children}

the park was so beautiful we decided to stay for a quick lunch.

bryant park grill.

mary's fried egg sandwich from wichcraft .

one of the best things about the city? it changes everyday. no two days are exactly the same. like the street art in washington square park we stumbled upon on our way home. this eccentric design is going to cover more than 15 feet & is made entirely out of colored sand. crazy stuff.

settling in

day two in the big apple & still so much to do. i feel like my eyeballs are on overload when we walk down the streets, finding new things to do & places to go along the way. yesterday, we managed to walk 30 blocks {no big deal} to get our camera supplies for class, were mistaken for locals twice {not sure how that happened}, scoped out the dining hall & ate a scrumptious dinner at a cute little underground italian restaurant. all in all, a nice morning after the arrival.

spotted this clever shoe store on our hour-long walk.

washington square park again.

my new ride.

piadina ristorante.

friendly staff, cool artwork, romantic atmosphere. if only mary were a boy.

my mussels in a white-wine & garlic broth with lemon. YUM. if only i had the nerve to order a class of wine with it {one.more.month.}

new york, i love you already.

waking up this morning felt like waking up from one of those dreams where you just don't want to get out of bed it's so good.

yesterday, i arrived in the big apple to begin my 6-week stay at NYU for a photography class in the coolest city in america. what luck. as my plane descended into laguardia airport, i looked out the window to see the statue of liberty welcoming me into the city & literally had to pinch myself.

my dorm is a rock-throw away from the beautiful washington square park & a hop, skip & a jump from all the other lovely things new york has to offer.

like competitive chess players in washington square park.

washington square south. my temporary home.

what better way to kick off the beginning of this adventure than with mexican food {rosa mexicano} & "mama mia" on broadway?

winter garden theatre at night :)

let the wild rumpus begin!

warmth of the sand

YES. my favorite season is officially beginning. one week in savannah to squeeze in all the joys of home before my extended 6-week stay in NYC. so much to take in: beach, boat, fresh seafood, broughton street, time with old friends, dive bars, time with family, my back porch, boiled peanuts, long talks with mom, third-wheeling it with my parents on their 'date-nights' :o)

nothing compares to home.

especially when a good sunset is only ten minutes & 2 bridges down the road.

everything just seems easier in the summer. no makeup is necessary, thanks to sun-kissed skin. getting dressed requires throwing a dress over your head & your life in a beach-bag. one of the best feelings in the world? the salt that's left on your skin after a long day out in the boat or on the beach & the cold shower you take after to cool a sunburn. yes, odd i know. but that's what home feels like to me.

image via: nina leen & rockstar diaries & audrey hepburn complex