Big City Inspiration

I always leave big cities feeling inspired and revved up creatively, and New York was no exception! I traveled there last weekend with my husband’s mom and two sisters and I’m already itching to go back. Everywhere I turned there was something new I wanted to stop and photograph. A random wall, a cool door, you name it. Just thought I’d share a few highlights! All of these photos were taken with my phone- pardon the quality!

 

We arrived on a Friday and spent the afternoon walking through China Town and Soho. If you can get past the smell of raw meat for sale, it’s actually a character-filled area:) Color was around every corner, and you know how I feel about color!

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, we were total tourists and took a double decker bus for a short spin!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday night we met up with cousins who came in from Connecticut for dinner. This is one of my favorite couples! Priscilla (far right) is my spirit animal and owns an art studio called The Studio in Fairfield, CT. If you’re in the area, check it out!

 

 

Here’s a shot of the restaurant’s cool decor…

 

 

And some Time Square walking…

 

 

 

Everywhere we turned there was someone dressed as something trying to get money from photos with them. I kept thinking about how glad I was that my kids weren’t with me! We’re talking naked girls with body paint! 

 

 

Now if that’s not the most demented version of Elmo I don’t know what is. But hey, he matched my shoes.

 

 

That pic could be captioned, “Hey! Come back and give us your money!” Not sure what I’m doing here. Probably saying, “Dude, you are one scary looking Elmo.”

 

And some late night shopping at Forever 21 never hurt anybody…

 

 Yes, I’m a total dork

 

The next morning we found THE cutest bakery/cafe! Such a great cappuccino!

 

 

 

 

 

So cute!

 

Next, we walked the Brooklyn Bridge. Totally had a Sex & the City moment on here…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Aw, New York. You’re cute.

 

 

 

 

Then we took a horse and carriage ride through Central Park:) Loved it! It was fun getting the history of the park from the “driver” while we went through. It was a beautiful, late summer day.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the fountain you may have seen in You’ve Got Mail, Friends With Benefits (one of my faves) or Enchanted. I’m sure there’s tons more. 

 

 

 

And now for one of my highlights. And you’ll laugh because it’s just the inside of a hotel. But it’s the PLAZA hotel! I was drooling! Just beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This view is into the Plaza book store. I honestly could’ve spent all day in this little nook of the hotel. It was all design/art/fashion books. My loves in a nutshell. And look at this limited edition copy of The Impossible Collection of Design. It’s huge and absolutely stunning, and it better be for the $875 price tag!

 

 

 

 

Eventually I got a text saying everyone was waiting for me out front so I was dragged out of there. Lol. Wandered around that area and eventually ended up at Rockefeller Center for lunch. I didn’t realize that an outdoor restaurant sat in the same spot as the famous ice rink in the summer! 

 

 

 

More roaming…

 

 

 

After some shopping, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for Les Mis! We were super pressed for time and we were told it was starting at 8pm sharp and if you arrive any later they won’t let you in. Yikes! Of course our cab was at a standstill in traffic and 8pm was fast approaching, so we made a last second decision to hop out of the cab and run the rest of the way! It was pretty hysterical running in this tight dress and heels, but we made it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The show was incredible! Here’s another late night snap of Time Square..

 

 

And here’s the shot I put on Instagram. My sister-in-law took this and we didn’t even notice the photobomber until after. Lol!

 

 

The next morning was our last day, and we ended the trip visiting the 9/11 memorial. There are no words for this, so I’ll just leave you with photos of it. It’s a tribute so beautifully and thoughtfully done. I was mesmerized, awestruck, and just plain sad:( But I’m so glad we went.

 

 

 

They place a rose on the name of someone who has a birthday that day. They really thought of everything. 

 

 

I was bummed to see the trip come to an end, but so incredibly thankful to have such a fun opportunity to wrap up the summer! As the kids go back to school, new projects are starting around my house, so to have a weekend full of inspiration was just what I needed! Here’s one last pic before we headed to the airport, taken by our super flirty doorman:) If you every stay at the Millenium Hilton, be sure to stop and say hi to Bobby! 🙂

 

 

Cheers,

Haneen

 

 

 

 

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