Winter is Real

Who knew NY is so much colder than London?  Not me.  How it went: return home, complain, rock Canada Goose jacket (which I initially refused to wear because I couldn't accept spending that much on an unflattering, down coat), admit defeat, run around town with a visiting friend, and take photos.

Be a tourist at home.  Happy sigh.

Canada Goose coat (navy).  Madewell flannel ex-boyfriend top. Zara pants. Isabel Marant Beckett shoes. Club Monaco beanie.

Amsterdam

First weekend trip of 2015?  One of the most beautiful and underrated cities!  Amsterdam for 36 hours.  

Notable highlights:

     

The canals. Day and night. 

The museums. Seriously, there is a museum for everything.  We opted for the Van Gogh (one of my new favorites) and Rijksmuseum, and decided on Stedelijk and the Diamond Museum for next time.

The food!  Dutch pancakes (photographed), Rijsttafel (aka, an Indonesian feast), Surinamese food, and street food (fries in a cone, bitterballen, poffertjes, stroopwafels and sausage).  Who knew. 

The architecture.  The Eye Film Institute and the Nemo Science Center, as seen while on a canal cruise.

Large 'I amsterdam' signs - one in front of the Rijksmuseum and another spotted on our canal ride. 

My failed attempt at climbing the giant letters.  The struggle is real.

Tulips.  In all forms and in all seasons.

In sum, the city gets a bad rap from the drugs and red light district, and while they certainly contribute to the wonders of Amsterdam, there is so much more.  Described as the city of dykes, bikes, waterways and cycleways, and as a city that is at once formal and liberal, I could not have chosen a better one to kick off 2015.

Greener Pastures

While it has not rained much, London has been true to form.  Grey with short days.  As a fake New Yorker whose roots are really California-based, I'm not quite used to it.

What I could get used to though:

The need for tea all the time,

The strong coat game I see when wandering the streets.

Club Monaco Rylie coat; Rag & Bone skinny ripped jeans; Rag & Bone Harrow boots; Club Monaco beanie. 

Auld Lang Syne

Farewell, 2014.  It's been a hell of a year. It has probably been the year with the most change in the last decade, and for that I am extremely grateful.

At this time last year, I thought I would be living in San Francisco; instead, I ended up in New York.  I thought things were getting boring; instead, they were just getting interesting.  Thank you, London and my wonderful hostesses!

This year, I was at a fabulous dinner party...

Eating goose for the first time.

Poppin' bottles. 

Admiring Christmas trees.

Telling 2014 to kick rocks in Manolos.

Watching Jules Holland, the way the Brits do.

Celebrating under London's beautiful fireworks and singing Auld Lang Syne with the rest of the UK. 

Topshop top (on sale), Zara skirt (similar here), Jewelry: Hermes and Kate Spade bracelets, Shoes: Manolos.