Weekend Snapshots: Life Lately

Hello hello to anyone who is still following along:) It feels a bit strange to be writing a post because it feels like forever (which sounds like a long time) since I last wrote one. In fact, because I haven't logged in since April, it took a couple of attempts to remember my password. Fail.

My apologies for abruptly putting a stop to the blog and not giving any notice about that. Truth be told, I was feeling a bit uninspired and more focused in transitioning into my new job and the new hours (can't believe it's been 6 months already!) which contributed to me being a huge supporter of after work power naps. I also wanted to prioritize more on my personal life so decided to take a long summer hiatus, if you can call it that and told myself that when I start to miss blogging and sharing snippets of my food/fashion life with you I will start again. Those feelings have emerged. All the feels.

The past several months have been all about new adjustments both professionally and personally, newfound relationships with awesome people that have been in my life or entered my life, being more self-aware with how I process situations/people (thanks to training classes via work), checking things off my summer bucket list, and going blonde(!!!) Another big change that occurred was that my sister decided to move from NYC to San Diego a couple of months ago to further her professional growth and if you have been following along with me over the years I would visit her quite often (every 3-4 months or so) in NYC for the past 3 years. With that said, I developed a mental list of my favorite places to eat/shop in the city and let's be honest, the energy in that city is electric like no other. I'm not sure if it's the combination of the people that live there along with the plethora of amazing food places and it also being the fashion mecca, but there is no place in the world like it. More importantly though, was that my sis would be further away which was a huge adjustment since her and I are extremely close. The memories her and I shared during the times I visited her in NYC will always be special. 

San Diego is gorgeous. The weather is the one thing that can't be beat but it's an unusual place to get used to if you're from the east coast. It's such a relaxed environment with a slower placed vibe and the fact that beach is a 20 min drive away is strange to me. However, I am making another trip out there next month to visit her and am looking forward to getting to know the city more. Any suggestions on places to check out are welcome!

Please bear with me as I start to get my feet wet again into posting regularly. Can you believe September is already here? It's a bit daunting to realize how time flies by and heading into a new season makes me feel bittersweet especially because I love summer. But I'm looking forward to what changes are in the horizon for me.

Hope you enjoy the pictures I've collected the past several months up until now.

Have a great week. Xo.

Image via LA Cool & chic

Spring time in NYC where the weather is just starting to warm up is the best. 

From East coast to West coast

Sunset Cliff

Carne Asada french fries are a thing in San Diego. Glorious. 

California love

Stand up paddle boarding. Done and done.

So many burrito/taco places in San Diego. My idea of heaven. 

Picking up fresh blooms at the weekly farmers market that is a 4 min walk from my sister's place.

Selfie at the rose garden in Balboa Park. 

Cheese, charcuterie, drinks, and memorable conversations. These are a few of my favorite things.

Eating my weights worth in peaches this summer. 

Same thing applied to steamed crabs. Old bay seasoning ftw.

Still continuing to eat my way through the DMV area

Blonde ambition

Bidding adieu to the last bits of summer with a seafood boil. Thanks for hosting Mel.

This gets me exited for Fall. Image via LA Cool & Chic

Wanderlust: Paris

Traveling to Paris the second time around was a different experience for me. On my first trip which was around 6 years ago, I did the typical tourist things such as going to the Louvre, spending the day at Versaille, climbing the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, and buying sandwiches for take away to eat and people watch at Luxemburg Garden. The itinerary was packed because I wasn't sure when the next time I'd be coming back. Since I was visiting my friend Mel this time around who was there for a month, and already conquering all those must see/do tourist  things, this was a much more relaxed and go with the flow kind of trip. Good times and missing Paris already. If you've never been, I highly recommend visiting, but during the warmer season. Enjoy the pics!

Taking in the city views of Pont Neuf and Philippe Starck chairs from the top floor of KONG bar/restaurant (same place in the SATC episode when Carrie met Aleksandr Petrovsky's ex-wife). View is amazing but cocktails are overpriced and the food was mediocre. 

Making a couple of trips to the Goyard flagship store to buy gifts for myself and loved ones;) The store is beyond chic and I highly recommend coming here if ever interested in Goyard products (or just to window shop) because the prices in Paris are way cheaper vs the US. Post on that coming soon. 

One of the most unexpected memorable meals I had in Paris at La Creperie de Josselin. I'm not a crepe fan by any means but Mel told me we should try this famous place she heard about from a French couple she sat next to on the plane that was known for their crepes. The menu boasts both savory and sweet crepes and the savory ones are called galettes because they're made of buckwheat flour so the edges are crispier and darker in color.  Apparently it's appropriate to eat crepes with apple cider so obviously we had to follow tradition even in the early afternoon;) We tried the sweet crepe as well and my feelings still haven't changed how I feel about it-still not the biggest fan of the thin soggy texture. I would come back for the galettes. Prepare to wait. Recommended by David Lebovitz which I'm sure helps with the popularity. 

Walking back to the flat and passing this ol' thing in the evening all lit up in its beauty. Casual.

If you're a macaron fan, definitely make stop at Maison Laudaree. A cup of hot chocolate and macarons totally hit the spot after a long day of walking around in the chilly weather. Do the macarons taste different from the ones at the US location? Nope--still delicious but no difference in my opinion. I also tried the macarons from Pierre Herme and taste wise, they were on the same level as Laudaree. 

Having steak and frites, obviously.

As well as indulging in many meals that involved escargot that were appropriately doused in butter and garlic. Delicious. 

I ate so much duck on this trip because…Paris.

Looking around and seeing these Paris flats. The view never gets old. So lovely.

Waking up and smelling fresh bread and pastries from boulangerie patisseries in every corner. Literally.

Picking up the gorgeous Japanese flavored (green tea, black sesame, etc) pastries from Sadaharu Aoki.

Feeling the love at Pont des Arts and admiring all the padlocks and engravings on the bridge.

Hope you enjoyed these little snippets from my Paris adventure. Pictures from London will be coming soon. Xo.

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I…

1. Woke up to leftover Georgetown cupcakes from the previous day so I had it for breakfast, naturally. Not pictured are the crumbs from the 4 other cupcakes I devoured the day before. Oops.

2. Had Spring on my mind when I received the prettiest bouquet of tulips for Valentine's Day. This frigid weather we've been having for the past couple of days has got me in serious hibernation mode.

3. Dined at Little Serow (sorry for the blurry pic but it's extremely dim lit inside). It's been a year since I've eaten here and once again, this place did not disappoint with their Thai dishes.

4. Started to organize some neglected travel photos from my phone and DSLR that I haven't had time to get around but will hopefully upload on the blog soon (picture taken from my Japan trip in April '14).


How was your weekend?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I….


1. Got back from my two week trip from Paris/London. Already missing the city of love, fashion, and art.

2.  Went to dinner at Crane and Turtle, a fairly new French-Japanese fusion restaurant that opened up in the Petworth area in Washington, DC. It's a small restaurant that probably seats around 25 people with an open kitchen where you can see the chefs prep your meal. We ordered the tuni and hamachi tatataki, scallops, pork belly salad, duck schezuan style and a savory dessert of petit pont-l'eveque. The stand out dishes of the evening were the tuni and hamachi and the dessert which was melted pony-l'eveque and gougere stuffed with pear mostrada (I could've easily eaten another one of these dishes). The service was attentive and top notch and when our server asked us how our dishes were as they came out, I mentioned to her that the pork belly salad was a bit too salty for me and found out later she took it off our bill. I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed at her gesture.

3. Added this Caudlie elixir to my skincare routine after picking it up in Paris. This is a French brand that's also sold in the states at Sephora and Nordstrom. I've been spraying it on my face before my serum every morning and it's extremely refreshing and hydrating.

4. Was unpacking my suitcase from the trip and wanted to share my favorite Uniqlo down jacket I brought with my on my travel. Because we were walking around everywhere, we would have to be out in the cold all day so bundling up was a must. Though this down jacket feels ultra thin, it keeps you extremely warm--I would even say that it's on par with North Face jackets. The great thing about this coat is you can easily pack it for travel because it comes with a pouch so anything that saves space in my suitcase is a win for me. I bought it for $89.90 several months ago but it's currently reduced in price to $39.90(!!!) so if you're looking for an affordable down jacket that will keep you warm, I highly recommend this one. Melanie ended up buying one at the Uniqlo in Paris after she saw how warm it kept me.

How was your weekend?

As of Late

Took a silks class for the first time which made me realize how weak my upper body is but was fun, nonetheless.

Finally dined at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn. This restaurant has been on my restaurant bucket list forever and I finally made it out to this Michelin rated steakhouse. The steak definitely lives up to the hype but I still think the best steak I ever had was in Argentina and Japan (Peter Luger comes next). I found it hilarious and awesome that they had bacon as an appetizer…just pure, unadulterated slabs of glorious bacon. Naturally, I had to order it. After cleaning our plates like the true gluttons we are (waiter was impressed), I noticed that several people were ordering dessert. At this point my jean buttons were about to pop but I ordered one anyway and let me tell you about this whipped cream that came out with the key lime pie. It was the BEST WHIPPED CREAM I EVER HAD. I don't even like whipped cream but I couldn't stop eating this by the spoonful and when I asked the waiter what was in it, he said it was a secret and that they had a designated person in charge of making it!! WHAT?! I asked twice for the recipe and was denied both times. Persistence didn't work that night. Oh and we saw Kate Upton and her bf dining a couple tables away from us that night!

Trying the lox and cream cheese on an everything bagel at Ess-A-Bagel. There really isn't anything I can say bad about this dreamy sandwich--a generous spread of cream cheese and velvety slices of lox in between a perfectly chewy, soft bagel with a slightly crispy coating. Next time I'm in the city I want to try the famous bagels from Russ and Daughters. I also couldn't leave with out a stop by Levain Bakery who makes the best oatmeal raisin cookies. Ever. Some people swear by their famous chocolate chip walnut cookie but I personally think their oatmeal raisin cookie tops it. I also got lucky and picked up the last sticky bun they had for the weekend (they're only made on the weekends) for my sister since she likes morning buns. She seemed to enjoy it although I felt indifferent about them. I'm not impressed with them as I am with their cookies. Ugh so good.

Temperatures are dropping which means sweater weather and wearing warm accessories such as cozy, blanket scarves. Both are recent (within a month) purchases from Zara.

Recently colored my hair a medium to dark brown shade. No more ombre...for now. But now that my hair has been colored and processed I am paranoid that it's damaged to the point where it will break off. My colorist swears by this nourishing oil by Kerastase and recommended it to me so I've been using it recently and have noticed that it definitely has helped put moisture back to my strands. I've always been a huge fan of Kerastase products...just not the price.

Still trying to organize all my travel photos from my DSLR camera and camera phone. This iPhone picture was taken from The Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong island. My selfie stick would've come in handy while I was up here but I bought it the day after!! This view though...

Recently bought this shift dress from Ann Taylor and it has been a favorite Fall layering piece. I wear it with a button down or a fitted 3/4 sleeve underneath and is a great work appropriate piece or to wear for a night out. Love the faux leather pocket panels and it's currently on sale for an additional 60% off right now.

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I….

1. Took a 2 day trip to Philly. The primary reason for going was to check out Morimoto restaurant, owned by Iron Chef Morimoto and decided to optimize that time to explore the city. The first stop was walking around Penns Landing which reminded me of Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD and Spruce Street Harbor Park. It is a pop up that features a hammock garden and boardwalk.

2. Also checked out the huge LED display of Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water at the Comcast Center. The wall changes into a video display and Im not sure how often the themes change but currently what is showing is Falling Water. It's a great visual experience and best of all, it's free!

3. Did the Omakase at Morimoto Restaurant. It is an 8 course chefs choice menu which is a mix of cooked and raw dishes. all of which were incredible. My least favorite dish of the night was the lobster dish which was heavenly seasoned with Old Bay. I love Old Bay seasoning but if that's all you can taste on a lobster then that's a problem; however one mediocre dish out of all the other fantastic dishes presented is not enough for me to state that it's not worth the experience. I highly recommend doing the Omakase option. This would fall under my top 5 favorite restaurants. Be aware though that it is pricey so this would be great place to dine for a special occasion.

4. Wanted to check out High Street On Market since Bon Appetit recently ranked it no. 2 as one of the best new restaurants of 2014. I went here for lunch and ordered their popular pastrami sandwich and a side of their artisanal breads which they are known for. The breads were excellent but the sandwich was nothing to rave about. They are generous with thick slices of well seasoned pastrami which is in between thick slices of soft bread with crispy edges but I would not deem it as the best pastrami sandwich I've ever had. However, I would come back to check out their dinner menu.

5. Had some downtime after getting back from the trip and relaxed with the September issue of one of my favorite fashion magazines. This definitely gets me excited for Fall fashion.


How was your weekend?