Category: Lifestyle

NYC Diaries; An Afternoon Wandering The West Village

November 30, 2025

Our afternoon exploring the West Village started long before we ever set foot in its leafy streets.

On the way downtown, we made a quick stop at the iconic Grand Central Station to grab some shots.

That celestial ceiling and the constant ballet of travellers moving beneath it makes this place feel magical.

As another location where many films are shot, it almost felt like we were on set starring in our own movie.

From there, we hopped on the subway and made our way to the West Village in search of the Friends apartment building on Bedford Street.

As a longtime Friends show fan seeing it in person was surreal, like stepping straight into the TV screen I grew up watching on repeat.

It’s funny how a simple building can hold so much nostalgia.

Every corner of this neighbourhood looks like it has been pulled from a movie set; brownstones with perfectly worn stoops, tree-lined streets, tiny cafés with outdoor tables, and endless photo-worthy pockets of charm.

We didn’t manage to find Carrie Bradshaw’s actual apartment from Sex and the City, but we did stumble across a stoop that looked almost identical.

Naturally, I couldn’t resist getting a few fun outfit snaps.

I was even wearing a Carrie Bradshaw inspired fit: a chic shift dress, my favourite sand coloured long boot heels, my new Polène handbag, and classic YSL black sunnies to complete the look.

As the afternoon went on, we kept discovering more of the West Village’s character. Quiet pockets of calm, stylish locals walking their dogs, bookstores tucked into corners, and that unmistakable creative buzz that only New York seems to have.

There’s so much more to see and I can’t wait to wander those streets again on our next trip, latte in hand, camera at the ready, soaking in every inch of that West Village charm ❤

NYC Diaries; Roosevelt Island Sunset Magic

November 23, 2025

I didn’t expect Roosevelt Island to become one of my favorite New York memories, but that’s exactly what happened the evening we headed up to Panorama Room for sundown drinks.

Perched on the rooftop of the Graduate Hotel, it felt like the entire city was laid out just for us.

As the sun dipped lower, the skyline slowly shifted into that dreamy, golden haze that New York does so wonderfully.

From the balcony we could see from Billionaires’ Row stretching sleek and tall, the Empire State glowing a vivid purple at sundown, and all the way downtown to the Financial District where the World Trade Center rose confidently in the distance.

I ordered a margarita which was deliciously bright and zesty, the perfect match for a warm fall evening in NYC.

We paired our drinks with fries expecting a small snack… but in true American fashion, the portion was absolutely massive!

Once the sun finally slipped below the horizon and Manhattan began to sparkle, we wrapped up our rooftop moment and made our way to one of the most underrated experiences in the city; the Roosevelt Island Tramway.

For just $2.90, we floated high above the Hudson River towards the bright lights of Manhattan at dusk.

The city looked magical from up there and it was awesome to see so far down the blocks lit up at night as the tram lowered through the streets of Manhattan.

If you’re ever in New York, I can’t recommend this little adventure enough. A breathtaking sunset on Roosevelt Island, a cocktail in hand, and a picturesque tram ride back under the night sky.

It felt like we had discovered a hidden gem just out of the city complete with unforgettable views of Manhattan from a whole new angle ❤

NYC Diaries; One Afternoon Over Brooklyn Bridge

October 26, 2025

As one of the most photographed spots on Instagram in New York, walking over Brooklyn Bridge to get one of those iconic shots with Manhattan in the background is a must when visiting the city for the first time.

On the Monday afternoon we headed downtown and grabbed a slice at Joe’s Pizza for lunch.

Grabbing a slice of authentic American pizza was on my list of foodie experiences to do whilst in New York and it didn’t disappoint.

I opted for a spinach and ricotta topping whilst my boyfriend went for a classic slice of greasy pepperoni.

Fuelled up on pizza and we were ready for the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

It would seem the bridge is busy at most times of the day unless you were to come super early in the morning, but that didn’t effect our experience.

Whilst it was an overcast day it was still quite warm at about 23 degrees, so the perfect weather for a pleasant stroll over the bridge in shorts and a light jacket.

A few stops for photos along the way and we finally made our way over to DUMBO.

DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is another very famous neighbourhood known for its picturesque streets and trendy art scene.

We found ourselves on Washington Street, the most popular street in DUMBO for that iconic view of the Manhattan Bridge framed by the cobblestone street and red-brick buildings.  

As expected it was very busy during the afternoon, so we got the shot and continued exploring the area.

From the bridge we had spotted an awesome looking rooftop bar overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline, so we headed there for an early evening cocktail.

Located on top of the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, Harriet’s Rooftop is a stylish bar serving lovely cocktails to enjoy whilst taking in those unbeatable views of the city.

I had a classic Paloma cocktail whilst my boyfriend had a local Brooklyn pilsner beer.

As you can imagine it was very pricey, but we couldn’t complain given the brilliant views we got to soak up whilst enjoying our drinks.

It was soon time to make our way back over the bridge and with the early evening drawing in and the city lighting up, the skyline became even more photogenic.

I can see why so many people love this part of New York; there’s a certain romantic quality about it that makes you feel like the main character in a movie.

Once we reached the other side of the bridge we caught a cab back to the hotel and on our drive through Manhattan, there was the most beautiful sunset of purple and pink hues.

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge over to DUMBO was one of my favourite experiences during our visit to New York, and I’m super keen to see more of this trendy neighbourhood on our next trip to NYC ❤

NYC Diaries; Sunday On Fifth

October 12, 2025

When in New York shopping on Fifth Avenue is a must and with our hotel just around the corner, it was the first thing on our agenda on day one of our trip.

I had the perfect outfit planned for our first outing in New York featuring my killer new boots.

I paired my suede mini skirt from Bershka with a high-neck cream singlet from Pull & Bear, then completed the look with a classic baker boy hat, my sand suede long boots and my trusty Coach monogram handbag with the cross body strap.

With it being the end of September the weather was still quite warm particularly on our first day, so a jacket wasn’t even needed.

Our first stop was a cafe called Scoop which we found on a quieter street just of Fifth Avenue to grab a bite to eat for breakfast.

We shared a yoghurt with granola, some watermelon, a coffee and a freshly made smoothie we could have blended with our choice of ingredients.

There was a lovely little courtyard with seating called Paley Park right next to the cafe where we sat and enjoyed our brekky.

It was like an oasis nestled amongst the city with a gorgeous water feature wall and lots of trees looking glorious in the sunshine.

We then walked further up Fifth Avenue and got some fabulous photos of me crossing the street with the hustle and bustle of the city around me.

There were lots of stores to browse and there was some great pieces in Zara, but I wanted to buy from places we don’t have in the UK, so I found myself picking up lots of bits at Aritzia.

I tried on this awesome vegan leather oversized bomber in a deep chocolate brown, but I didn’t get it as I was looking for a similar style but in a suede material.

An impulse purchase was this gorgeous shift dress which was giving Carrie Bradshaw vibes and I simply couldn’t resist.

The athleisure wear in Aritzia is also really nice, so I got this dark green sports top with the flattering white border detail.

The dress was $149 and the sports top $40 which I thought was a good price for the quality of these pieces.

I couldn’t not have a look in Victoria’s Secret and they were doing five panties for $25 dollars, so naturally I had to stock up on some cute undies.

Coach was another must visit store for me and the flagship one on Fifth Avenue is quite impressive, they even had a dinosaur statue made of handbag cuttings.

I’ve always loved the Tabby style and so this one in the dark animal print caught my eye.

I was very tempted as this would make a brilliant statement winter handbag, however I was saving myself for a Polene bag I’ve had on my wishlist for ages and they have a store in SoHo New York.

After well over ten thousand steps in my high heel boots, we were ready to head back to the hotel for a rest and some lunch.

The evening before we also made a stop outside Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue because I was wearing my Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly inspired dress and had to get a photo outside the store where Breakfast at Tiffany’s was filmed.

I’m a big Hepburn fan and love her in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so this was a special moment for me ❤

We only touched the surface of the shops on Fifth, but we’d done enough shopping for one day and I was super happy with my purchases. Being just on the doorstep of our hotel, we were going to be visiting Fifth Avenue a number of times during our trip and I wasn’t mad about it!

A Week In The Big Apple

October 5, 2025

After a weekend back in the English countryside, we are still on a high from our fabulous holiday exploring the very best of the one and only, City of New York.

It really is a city packed with so much to do and although we ticked a lot off our list of things to see, we’re already wanting to go back to experience more of this awesome concrete jungle.

Our hotel for the duration of our vacation was The Park Lane Hotel located on the very South end of Central Park.

The location was ideal as we were in the centre of the city with the beautiful green expanse of Central Park on our doorstep.

Darling Rooftop bar sits on the very top of the hotel where we enjoyed a specular breakfast on the Monday morning of our stay.

Like everything in New York the breakfast buffet came at a pricey cost of $75 per person, but with this experience only open to hotel guests, we couldn’t pass up this incredible opportunity.

We also dined in their A La Carte restaurant Calvert’s on Sunday evening as everywhere else nearby was closing early that night.

I had the asparagus radish chickpea salad and my boyfriend had a tomato ragu pasta. Both dishes were delicious complimented with friendly service, something we discovered was unfortunately not always guaranteed even at the most premium restaurants in the city.

Our room was a good size with a super comfy bed, stylish interiors and a cool city view.

I especially liked the stylish bathroom with striped tiling.

Overall we were very pleased with our stay at Park Lane Hotel and would recommend to anyone visiting New York for the first time wanting to be amongst the hustle and bustle of the city.

We packed a lot into our seven days in NYC and made some incredible memories together whilst taking in the spectacle of The Big Apple.

With such a brilliant list of things to share including famous landmarks, iconic photo spots, scenic rooftop bars and our favourite restaurants, I thought I’d focus separately on each area we visited and what we did there in a series of posts called ‘The NYC Diaries’.

So be sure to subscribe to my blog to get notified for a very exciting series of posts to come about our trip of dreams to New York City ❤

Pack With Me For NYC

September 21, 2025

A trip to New York has long been on my bucket list and I’m super excited to be going there for the first time with my boyfriend next week. As soon as we booked the trip I couldn’t wait to get outfit planning and using Pinterest to create my mood board of NYC iconic aesthetic, delicious foodie inspo and of course cool street style.

I was in my element filming this vlog as I got to layout all of the clothes and accessories I want to take to New York, as well as try on some cute fall fits I had envisioned in my mind, before sorting them into my trusty packing cubes and slotting them into my suitcase. Needless to say, organising and planning makes me very happy indeed and when it comes to styling and having fun with fashion, NYC really is the perfect place for it. I hope this vlog inspires you for your own autumn wardrobe and gives you some useful tips for when it comes to packing for a city break. Next time I see you guys we’ll be in New York, so be sure to subscribe to see the NYC Diaries on my channel here soon ❤

English Country Pub Fine Dining; The Mutton

September 14, 2025

Since opening a few years ago, The Mutton at Hazeley Heath has been a firm favourite local pub for Friday drinks as well as their award winning menu of traditional pub dishes done to a five star standard.

So this Saturday we decided to book a table in the restaurant for date night and as always enjoyed a delectable meal complete with top service.

Now we are well into September, it felt like the last weekend I could get away with white jeans and mules, so I wore my Topshop white slim fit jeans paired with a ruched detail backless top, my gorgeous Senso pink satin mules and a Cult Gia dupe mini box bag.

Blush pink hues for date night is a timeless classic and I would’ve worn my pearls to complete the look, but with a nigh neck top on I opted for statement gold drop earrings which I recently got from Na-kd.

With 8:15pm reservations, we arrived at The Mutton for 8pm to have an aperitif. I sipped a classic Dirty Martini which was delightful; I felt very Carrie Bradshaw from Sex & The City ❤

The interiors at The Mutton are very classic countryside chic with a subtle modern twist, and the low lighting in the restaurant makes for the perfect sophisticated evening atmosphere.

To start we shared the sourdough bread with charcoal butter and homemade spicy pickles which were divine.

For main course I ordered the chargrilled sea bream, crushed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and white wine sauce with a side salad, whilst my boyfriend had the sirloin steak with nduja butter, fries, pickled shallot, parmesan and rocket salad.

I had a glass of the Gyotaku, Christophe Mittnacht Alsace, French white wine upon recommendation from the waitress as a pairing to my fish dish.

As always it was a 10/10 meal presented beautifully, cooked to perfection and full of incredible flavour.

We savoured every last bite and with clean plates all round, we left very satisfied indeed.

The bill came to just under £150 so its certainly on the pricier side for a meal out, but definitely worth it for a special occasion or a treat for date night.

The Mutton at Hazeley Heath remains our top spot for fine dining in Hampshire, so be sure to try it for yourself if you’re in the area – https://themuttonathazeleyheath.co.uk

Fall Fashion; Boots & Shorts Season

September 7, 2025

Whilst I’m never ready to say goodbye to Summer, I do love the transitional period for fashion as we can re-introduce layers and start tapping into the autumnal trends like suede jackets and rich chocolate brown tones.

But as we find ourselves in this sort of limbo between summer and fall, it’s a great opportunity to style cute shorts, skirts and dresses with boots.

I’ve been waiting for the right moment to style my Stradivarius Cowboy boots with my Tommy Hilfiger boyfriend jean shorts, so this Saturday’s date night was the perfect opportunity with the weather still mild enough to have my legs out in the evening.

I paired the shorts with a new babydoll style top I got from Zara recently. The feminine shape of the top with backless bow detail balanced out the boyish silhouette of the bottom half to create that countryside chic aesthetic.

To complete the outfit I took out my new US Polo Assn saddle style handbag in rich chocolate brown; another nod to autumn and the cute countryside look.

We went for post dinner cocktails at the Bel & The Dragon in Odiham where the interiors were also giving classic countryside chic.

I had a refreshing Hugo Spritz which was delightful. I can’t believe I hadn’t tried one before, it’s definitely a new fave cocktail for me.

I’m now on the lookout for a pair of long suede block heel boots in either a light sand colour or rich chocolate brown.

A killer pair of boots styled with shorts or a skirt and an oversized knit or jacket is such a vibe and looks so effortless yet chic.

I’m thinking for New York this kind of look for daytime will tick all the boxes , I just need to find the perfect pair of boots now!

A Day In London; Afternoon Tea, Selfridges & Seven Dials

August 31, 2025

Nothing is more typically English than going for Afternoon Tea in London followed by a shopping trip to Selfridges, then finishing the evening in Covent Garden at Seven Dials Market. We only live an hour train ride from London Waterloo, so a day trip into the city is always a fun way to spend a Saturday.

Our Afternoon Tea was booked for 3pm at The Bloomsbury Hotel on their gorgeously aesthetic Dalloway Terrace.

We met my colleague and his partner as this occasion was kindly gifted from the hotel following a number of events we have hosted there previously .

All of us opted for the Champagne Afternoon Tea menu and so we started with a lovely glass of Champagne to kick things off.

We also chose our tea and I went for the classic English Breakfast blend, because nothing beats a proper brew from a silverware teapot and cute teacup with saucer.

They then brought out the finger sandwich selection which was a classic mix of smoked salmon with mascarpone, coronation chicken, cucumber with cream cheese, devilled egg mayonnaise and toasted emmental cheese with tomato chutney.

Next up were the sweet treats including a strawberry & lemon tart, blueberry & vanilla choux, dark chocolate ganache, rum punch baba and blackcurrant madeleines.

Served on the classic cake tower they were wonderfully presented and tasted amazing, but it was a lot of sugar to manage in one go, so I had a taste of everything but couldn’t finish them.

And not forgetting the iconic scones which were served warm at the bottom of the cake tower complete with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time together and it was nice to do something different as I’m not a big Afternoon Tea person, but it is a nice treat every once in a while.

After finishing up at The Bloomsbury, we hopped on the bus down Oxford Street to Selfridges for some early evening retail therapy.

I love going to Selfridges with my boyfriend as there’s so much to explore for both of us from the designer clothes and shoes, to the fancy food hall and lower ground tech section.

My boyfriend bought his Dad an awesome Hugo Boss X Aston Martin t-shirt for his birthday, whilst I resisted buying more Celine jewellery. Of course a Celine handbag is always high on my wish-list but that needs some real thought on which style to go for, as it would be a timeless piece I’d have in my wardrobe forever.

We then found ourselves having a glass of Champagne at The Fount Bar nestled amongst the designer bags on the ground floor of Selfridges.

What a chic location for a glass of Champagne, I was in heaven!

To finish our day we headed on the Tube over to Covent Garden where we went to the Seven Dials food market.

It was buzzing on a Saturday evening so we got a drink from the bar and wandered around to choose from the wide variety of street food vendors.

We were still quite full from the Afternoon Tea, so my boyfriend ordered a Thai Penang Curry with rice and prawn crackers which we shared.

Before we knew it it had already gone 9pm and it was time to get the train back, so I grabbed a mini bottle of vino and a fruit pot from M&S at Waterloo Station and we caught the 9:42 back home.

We had a wonderful afternoon and evening in London and whilst it is exhausting spending a day in the city, there is so much to do there and it’s always an exciting day out ❤

New Opening; The Third Monkey Farnham

August 25, 2025

Having opened earlier this year, The Third Monkey is a new independently owned gastropub and cocktail bar located in the heart of Farnham. So on Saturday we went for a pre-dinner aperitif on their picturesque terrace to welcome in the long back holiday weekend.

Despite the clouds coming over for sunset, the setting was still lovely with views of Farnham church and a buzzing atmosphere as the bar and restaurant filled up on a weekend evening.

I wore my low back leopard print body from Zara with a pair of flared white Mango jeans, my Sol Concept ruffle mules from Bali and the cutest square hard shell evening bag from Amazon.

This bag is giving Cult Gia vibes and one of the waitresses even complimented me on it; what a winner bargain purchase!

With an extensive wine list I couldn’t resist a glass of vino, so I chose a Vermentino white from Puglia Italy which was deliciously crisp, mineral and refreshing.

My boyfriend went for an unusual tropical style cocktail made of coconut tequila, lychee, pisco and pandan. It was nice but not quite up to standard for its £16 price tag.

I was making dinner at home but my boyfriend was peckish, so he ordered the buttermilk chicken, house hot sauce and chive crème fraiche. A tasty dish and beautifully presented, but at £9 it was a very small portion and could’ve been served with some sort of garnish or small salad.

There were lots of couples on date night and girlfriends out for drinks which made for a perfectly chill yet buzzing atmosphere.

The decor inside was very aesthetic too with the glamorous upstairs cocktail bar complete with an opulent chandelier feature over the stairs.

We enjoyed our experience at The Third Monkey but it would seem they are still finding their feet with their standard of service and the quality of the food and cocktails.

We would be keen to go again in the winter season to experience their downstairs restaurant which was giving cool London or New York cosmopolitan vibes.

If you live in the area The Third Monkey is one to add to the list for a special date night or glam cocktails with the girls – https://thirdmonkeyfarnham.com/#menus