Tuesday, October 17, 2017

A Savannah City Guide


I heard things move a little slower down south, but tbh that didn't include Shay and me. In a three day trip to Savannah over the summer we did so. many. things. This trip was planned, somewhat spontaneously, out of a coincidental desire to take a trip to Georgia. Shay had an artist friend giving a talk back at her exhibition opening at the Telfair Musuem and Savannah has long been on my list of places to visit. So we picked a weekend, booked our flights, found and Airbnb, and found ourselves in sunny Savannah at the end of July. 

I realize it's now October, and I'm bringing this to you quite later than anticipated, but you know how it goes. My main hurdle was getting through the hundreds of photos I took, and with a city as beautiful as Savannah, choosing which ones to include was next to impossible. Nearly three months, later here's what you get: just over 50 photos from our weekend in Savannah, with a guide to all of our new "old favorite" haunts. In just three short days I fell in love with Savannah, and I hope these photos capture some small part of that. 

P.S. Shay is a literal model in all of these. It's unreal. 







To Do and See

Forsyth Park

Shay and I visited Forsyth Park before we even checked into our Airbnb. This was honestly because our check in time wasn’t until 3:30pm, even though we got into the city around 10am. It’s the largest park in Savannah’s historic district and absolutely gorgeous. We relaxed on a bench by the famous fountain with all of our bags. Shay graciously guarded them while I took photos.

Trolly Tour

Just embrace your nerdy tourist life here, trolley tour sticker and all. Trust me, i’ll be fun... especially when costume clad characters like Forest Gump climb aboard to give a speech. I’m not joking. The older women sitting in front of us literally yelled “run Forrest!” There are two major trolley tours in the City but you’ll want to go for Old Savannah Tours. They’re the one that’s locally owned, and even though I’ve only been on it once, I’m fiercely loyal. Having purchased the “hop on hop off” tickets, Shay and I not only used it for learning about the city and napping (cough Shay cough), but we also used it to conveniently travel around the city’s major areas.








The Book Lady Bookstore

Seriously charming bookstore full of new and used books, there's also a little coffee bar attached where you can grab a latte before perusing the fiction section.  I ended up buying a used copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil here. It's set in Savannah, and we kept hearing about it on all of our tours because it's still the longest running New York Times best seller since being published in 1994. 

Ghost Tour

Savannah is crazy haunted. Everyone kept talking about it “being built on the bones of it’s own dead.” Naturally, I wanted to go on a ghost tour, but Shay was not about it at all. I talked her into it by promising it wouldn’t be super scary — That was such an empty promise though, because honesty how the hell would I know? We ended up doing a haunted pub crawl which was a ton of fun! You walk from bar to bar with a tour guide and stop in front of sites to talk about historic hauntings. Plus Savannah has no open container laws, so you can literally just carry your drink around with you. 

Bonaventure Cemetery

Over 170 years old, this gorgeous and historic cemetery is open to the public and owned by the city of Savannah. At nearly 103 acres, it seemingly goes on forever. Shay and I explored specifically in search of Gracie Watson, a young girl who was famously the subject of one of the city’s more well known ghost stories.






Saturday, August 5, 2017

Everlane's Dreamy Weekend Pop-Up


I live for brand pop-ups, especially when they mean I don't have to leave Brooklyn. This weekend, Everlane's Day Market is taking up real estate on Bedford Ave. I love Everlane for their classic style and commitment to transparency. This morning they opened shop with mini flower bouquets, popsicles and most importantly, their Day Collection (including their most coveted Day Heel). 



Since I live only a few subway stops away, I dropped by almost as soon as the pop-up opened, hoping it would be a little quieter if I beat the crowd. Of course, I was wrong. New York women love Everlane, and the tiny light-filled space was bursting at the seams from the minute the doors opened. 

It was well worth the visit however, because not only was everything beautifully merched, but after trying on a pair of gorgeous Day Heels in Citron Suede, I impulsively bought them. Honestly, I was taken in by the adorable color, comfortable fit and free flower boquet. Well played Everlane. 

I snapped a few photos to share while I was shopping. 














The Day Market is at 190 Bedford Ave until tomorrow.
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Sunday, April 23, 2017

A Los Angeles City Guide

"Where have you been?" Good question. The answer is, "lots of places." Most of them wearing overalls. 

"Why haven't you blogged?" Another good question. "Busy" is an obvious answer, but I can literally hear your eyes roll at that one. More truthfully, I haven't been feeling overly inspired lately. But, as Hugh Grant says in Music and Lyrics, "inspiration is for amateurs." So, I need to get over it. I apologize if my hiatus upset you, (hayyy Alexandra).

Now to zee good stuff. Recently I took a quick trip to LA to visit my fabulous friend Shay. If that name sounds familiar, you may have read her professional posse profile. I had an insane list of things I wanted to do in the City of Angels, and Shay seriously took me everywhere because she's a gemstone. She showed me cool rooftop bars, museums, shops, restaurants, and beaches, all while playing the La La Land soundtrack in the car. She even hosted me for an extra day -- shout out to winter storm Stella for that fun flight cancellation. 

And so, with all my infinite knowledge of LA (after 4 days with the best tour guide ever), I bring you my second ever Whale & Wishbone City Guide. Enjoy xx





To Do: 

The Broad

The coolest museum displaying the Broad family's private collection. The whole time, you'll be thinking... "will the Broad family adopt me?"

Griffith Observatory

Live your best La La Land life here -- Although, you def won't have the place to yourself, or float up to the ceiling a la Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. There will be a killer view of the Hollywood sign, however.

I wish I had had more time here, but thanks to my poor planning I arrived about 30 minutes before closing. It's well worth a visit though, and the current Urban Light outdoor installation is beautiful.

Huge warehouses full of flowers -- Get there early to explore and/or pick out your wedding flowers. Then have breakfast at Poppy and Rose (see "to Eat").

The Los Angeles Public Library

Worth visiting for the gift shop alone. 

The Now Massage Boutique

Relaxing, affordable -- I went on my last day and it was a dream.








To See: 

Angel's Flight

Although currently shut down, it's still worth seeing -- Also, the crew of La La Land are rule breakers... a fun fact I learned courtesy of Shay. 

Explore and pretend you're a celeb! Also great for breakfast (see "to Eat").

The Hollywood Sign

Rodeo Drive 

I would put this one under "to Shop"... but I'm guessing you're not a millionaire.




To Shop: 

Abbot Kinney Blvd

Street in Venice with lots of great shops -- my favorite was Urbanic Paper Boutique.

The Apartment by The Line

Gorgeous apartments turned into shops -- You can even walk out on the balcony and pretend you just moved in. 

Sooo cute -- Shay took me here for ice cream on my first night, but since it was so late, we could only window shop as we walked around. 

The Grove

Huge outdoor mall -- I shamelessly looked around the American Girl store. 

Helms Bakery District

A collection of mostly gigantic home furnishing stores -- My mom would be super into it. 

A huge bookstore with a gorgeous gallery wall plus some boutique shops -- Also, the crime section is in a bank vault which is fun.

Tenoversix

Artsy clothing and home goods store -- The dog wandering around is an added bonus. 

Classic shopping with all your faves (aka Madewell)




To Eat: 

Commissary at the Line

It's like eating in a gorgeous boozy greenhouse.

Fountain Room at The Beverly Hills Hotel

Classic counter breakfast -- You'll be eating alongside robe-clad guests. 

Grand Central Market

Gigantic food market with everything imaginable

In-N-Out

You gotta see what the fuss is about-- I still say Shake Shack is better, but to each her own.  

Joan's on Third

Cafe/ market place -- We ate outside and Shay did not steer me wrong with a pulled pork sandwich and arnold palmer. 

Italian to share -- Without a res we squeezed in at the bar and split some seriously good food. 

Mexican food with amazing guac -- It's named for Tom Petty and Johnny Cash. 

Poppy + Rose

Adorable brunch place that's actually connected to the flower markets