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.   

Boxing Day

The Brits celebrate Boxing Day (bank holiday after Christmas) with sales on sales on sales.

Whilst more civilized (naturally) than Black Friday, it was still a bit much - calling for multiple breaks.

Break No. 1.  Laduree, for tea and dessert.  Always worth the hype and really the only dessert place for me. 

Break No. 2: Dorchester Hotel Bar, for their specialty cocktail Martinez and some extra dirty martinis. 

Break No. 3: Dukes, for more (which ended up being too many) extra dirty martinis (but this time specially made on a martini cart at your table!)

Shades of Grey

What better way to end the year than to revive a blog, or to spend the holidays in London!  This year, I am especially grateful for my family, friends, the ability to travel, and for amazingly diverse metropolitan cities like London and New York.

I'm also grateful for:

Winter gear...

including fuzzy coats...

comfortable booties...

and warm beanies.

Oh, and presents...

and festive decorations. 

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Christmas from across the pond.  Cheers to 2014 and getting back to capturing outfits and memories in 2015! 

Zara coat, Rag & Bone Margot Boots (on sale), AG Stevie Ankle Jeans (similar here), Tory Burch cashmere scarf, Vince over sized ribbed sweater, beanie my sister bought me from a stand in Copenhagen.