A Week In New York

I absolutely loved my time in New York City. I wish I had a few more days there. Lets be fair can there ever be enough time? It's a strange town to visit as you iconically know all the big sights. I am not used to that when I travel. I found myself constantly recognising shots from favourite movies and television shows. Whilst we were in town we stumbled over a few film sets ourselves. I could see how the film industry could test the patience of the average New Yorker just trying to live.

As there was only a short amount of time to get a taste of New York life I realised that I couldn't do everything as much as I truly wanted to do. I've estimated that it would take at least a month to a few years for everything. I knew I would go a little crazy with that knowledge so before I left I set myself a small New York Challenge which I talked about here on the blog. Here is how I went!

• I did walk through a Shoe Department although I never found Barneys. I found myself lost in Macy's instead. 

• I rode a bike around Central Park. It was a glorious day for a ride and I swear all the Outdoor-loving New Yorkers were in the park frolicking in the sunshine.  

• My apartment where I was staying had a fabulous rooftop so we bought a bottle of champagne and watched the sunset over Manhattan from up close. 

• I took a quick stroll along the Highline. Quick meaning short unfortunately I didn't see the entire thing. 

• I did find a secret in the city. But it's not a secret if I share it with you now is it? I will say that I did get to play an 80s arcade game on my birthday and finding the secret was worth the effort.

I loved my time in New York. It was a place that energised my soul and gave me lots of inspiration. I will definitely go back in the near future. New York, you stole my heart along with my head.

We were lucky enough to be staying in a fabulous apartment right near the Highline. It meant we were up close and personal to everything. If you are looking to stay somewhere ahh-mazing I cannot rave enough about where we stayed. You can book the apartment here. 

A Personal Challenge Update

3 months ago I set myself a personal challenge to see if I could halve my current wardrobe. Well I did it! I learnt along the way a few tricks that helped me reach my goal.

Just do it
It sounds simple enough but I had to just bite the bullet and start. So many times before I have procrastinated and ended up doing the laundry/vacuuming/music playlists instead. I built up a lot of stress and pressure that this was going to be a hard process. It honestly was a lot easier and took a lot less time than I thought it would.

Small bites
I found if the inspiration had hit me hard like a hammer then not to try to do it all at once. I focused instead on working through it in 10 minute bursts or even just a particular small section - like my sock drawer - and if still inspired to go from there. Having simple quick wins along the way made me feel positive about letting go of my things.

Understanding its worth
Probably my hardest hurdle was coming to terms with the very expensive jacket that sat in my cupboard. Because it lived all day in my wardrobe it wasn't actually worth the expense because I had never used it. It was a waste. I realised that I'm not gaining any value to my life with it living in the wardrobe gathering dust. Keeping it was just keeping the guilt associated with the expense. An unexpected bonus of letting it go has meant I've been able to let go of that guilt.

Just in case
I knew I would freak out if I piled all of my donations into a car and took it to charity straight away. So I gave myself a mental buffer. I placed all of the items in a basket and put it in another room and agreed that I would donate them in 3 months time. If I didn't use the item over the last 3 months then it didn't deserve to be in my home.

Focus on the end goal
Whenever I found myself really struggling I would remember to focus on the end goal. My personal goal was being able to open my wardrobe and see only cherished, well used and loved items. I've heard of others focussing on a particular style like 'effortlessly chic' to help them with their clean-out. My taste is too eclectic for that so instead I chose to keep everything that looked great on me and that I loved to wear.

This has been a really big deal for me and I'm so happy that I stuck to my guns and finished this challenge. I am celebrating by looking at upgrading to a super organised wardrobe to pimp my Boudoir. A pretty and clearly labelled wardrobe for my well loved treasures.

Dreaming of New York

Next week I will be bouncing-off-the-walls excited as I will be boarding a plane and heading off to the US. It is my first trip to the States and I have no true idea what to expect. The city I'm most excited to visit is of course New York.

New York has been hiding in my dreams forever. It has felt like an angry itch that has been exponentially amplified. It was never should I visit but when and the time has finally arrived.

I find myself drawn to unique and non-touristy experiences usually when I am away. I am curious to see if I can find those though as New York looks to be quite the cliche. Here are some of the places and experiences that I am most looking forward to.


I am a huge art fan so of course, MoMA is high on my must-do list. I might not be able to visit the Rain Room Exhibition as the wait seems to make it not worth the effort but it is still MoMA and there will still be a mountain of work to see.

A walk through Barney's Shoe Department.

To find a secret in the city.

A Skate Party in Central Park. I have packed my roller skates!

A cocktail on a Manhattan Rooftop.

A stroll along the Highline.

I usually set myself a challenge for each new travel adventure and as yet I haven't found an appropriate one for New York. Maybe I will just commit myself to saying yes if a wonderful strange opportunity appears. Have you been? Is there something that a really should 'must do' whilst there?

A Personal Challenge

Earlier this year I completed a personal challenge to stop buying things just for the sake of buying them. 3 months on and I'm happy to say that I am still feeling comfortable making do with what I have & have been able to control the urges to shop. My focus these days are on experiences not possessions.

Before however if I took a fancy to something it was brought home. I have always had a bent for clothes that are retro inspired especially anything from the 70's or British Mod 60's. But to be honest I was a bower bird. If it was brightly coloured, sequined, patterned, feathered, fluffy, textural, shiny, fuzzy or just plain silly I'd buy it. I have a very large dress-up box full of bizarre eclectic creations.

I was chatting with a friend the other day and she told me a story of watching a largely over weight man eating a cream filled bun. She watched the man eating it and realised that he wasn't even enjoying the experience. Food meant nothing to him. I realised for a long time I used to be this way with shopping. It was something I just did to fill the void.

When I do purchase something to live in my wardrobe now it has to be spectacular, fit me perfectly and make me feel amazing. Now that I have those parameters in my mind when I do finally bring something into my wardrobe I know it will be there for a long time and get a lot of use.

In saying that I still have to live with the gluttony of my past excess. I'm not proud of it, but I currently have more clothes than I need or even use. I estimated that I could wear a new piece of clothing every day & never repeat any for more than 2 years. My clothes live in more than one room in my house. When I look at all the clothes I own I realise that I only wear a small percentage on a regular basis. Most just hang on their hangers looking pretty.

I've decided that I need to shed my old skin & embark on another challenge: to halve my current wardrobe. This is not going to be easy but if I chip away at it constantly it shouldn't be too daunting. For the pieces that I cherish but just never wear I'm hoping I can let go and donate or give away to loving homes. Hoping by the end of this challenge I can see the holes in my wardrobe more clearly and have promised to let myself splurge on some new treasures.

I'm looking forward to being able to look in my wardrobe and only see pieces that I love or need. Its time to banish the bad choices from my life and move on. In saying that I still don't think I can give away my canary yellow fur coat.

Any helpful hints and suggestions on how I can do this is more than welcome!