As you know from my recent Instagram posts, I went to San Diego a couple weekends ago with my friend Adam. This was my first time visiting San Diego, and it was such an amazing city. Looking back now, I’m so grateful for the timing of this trip because things with the Coronavirus escalated so quickly after we returned. Here is a recap of our days, everywhere we ate, drank and shopped.

Day 1:
When we arrived in San Diego it was lunch time and we were starving, so we took an Uber downtown to La Puerta, a Mexican restaurant with walls covered in celebrity mug shots and  a bathroom dedicated to Jim Morrison. It was a cool vibe and the food was solid too. I had a margarita and cheese quesadilla. We walked around the downtown area a bit before jumping in another Uber to The Kings Inn where we were staying. You can read my post all about our stay here.

After checking in and taking some photos by the pool, we took another Uber back downtown. We wanted to do happy hour at The Pearl, another hotel with a bar/restaurant, but unfortunately they were closed for renovations. So instead we got back into an Uber and went back downtown to Trailer Park After Dark, a dive bar decorated kitschy with mobile homes inside. After grabbing a $5 well drink, we got some food at Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers before calling it a night and heading back to the hotel. It was pretty much a sports bar, but the food was solid and they did have some vintage decor, which I of course appreciated.

Day 2:
The next day we were up bright and early (thanks time difference) and headed to Rudford’s for breakfast. Rudford’s is a classic diner which has been open since 1949. We learned there is even a famous photo of JFK in front of the historic diner from when he drove by in a motorcade on his way to give a commencement speech at a local college. I got pancakes and they were delicious. 

After breakfast we took an Uber to South Park to meet my friend Amanda. Amanda and I have been Instagram friends for years now, so it was so great to finally meet her in real life and have her as our tour guide. The first store we went at was Bad Madge, which was so adorably curated and had a mix of vintage clothes, jewelry, home decor and knickknacks for both men and women. There is also a super cute record store called Vinyl Junkies a few stores down, so we stopped in there as well, but they only sell new, modern records, no used, vintage records.

After South Park, Amanda was kind enough to drive us to North Park. The first store we went into was The Girl Can’t Help It, which had amazing vintage pieces for both men and women, but was very expensive. Next we went into another store called Mila, a women’s wear store that was a mix of modern and vintage women's wear that was also pricey. Last, we went into Hunt and Gather, which was funkier and more affordable with mostly 80’s, 90’s and modern pieces.

After North Park, it was back in the car to the Normal Heights neighborhood. We went to La Loupe, which was definitely one of my favorite vintage stores of the day because it was very well curated and super affordable. I found an amazing red handbag that was in almost perfect condition for only $24. There is also a super cute record store next door called Nickelodeon Records.

After shopping we went to Soda and Swine for some food. We all ordered Coke floats and mac and cheese. The food was really tasty and affordable and they also have an amazingly priced happy hour for food and drinks. Soda and Swine is sort of a speakeasy because it connects to a cocktail bar called Polite Provisions. This is my one regret of the trip not having a drink here because it looked adorable and you can even order food from Soda and Swine and have it next door at Polite Provisions.

After lunch, Amanda had to go to work, so Adam and I continued on our own. We walked to Zack’s Attic and did some more shopping here, where I found 2 Coca-Cola thimbles. Next we walked to Frock You! and I’m so glad we did because they were having a huge sale. The pieces in the store were a bit on the pricey side, but outside they had pieces that were very affordable. I got 2 dresses, a belt and sunglasses here. Down the street from Frock You!, La Loupe has another location which we went to next. I didn’t find anything here, but like their other location, it was still very well curated and affordable.

After shopping, we decided to grab a drink at Sycamore Den. This bar was super cozy with a fireplace and ‘70s decor. They also had skee ball machines as well. After a drink, we went next door to Nozaru for ramen, which was delicious, and probably one of my favorite ramen places I’ve even been to.

Day 3:
The next day, Amanda came to meet us at our hotel to have breakfast at The Waffle Spot, located right in The Kings Inn. The waffles were really good, I got a plain waffle with whipped cream and strawberries. 

After the antique mall, we drove to Ocean Beach. Ocean Beach is super hippy and reminded me a lot of Venice Beach. We went into Ocean Beach Antique Mall here as well, where I found a pin. The owners had two dogs that hung out at the counter too, so that made me really happy to see. After shopping, we walked to the beach and took some polaroids.

After Ocean Beach, Adam and I had to check into the Airbnb we were staying at for the remainder of the trip. We stayed in one in the North Park area, so Amanda was nice enough to drive us and drop us off. After checking in, we went to Ranchos, a Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood. It was a no fuss, authentic type of place, which was just what we wanted after a long day of shopping and walking. I got the cheese enchiladas with rice and beans, which were solid, and a sangria. Their sangria and margaritas are both only $5 all day long. After dinner we hopped in an Uber and went downtown to False Idol, a tiki bar, which did not disappoint. I had The Painkiller, which is usually my tiki drink of choice.

Day 4:
The next day we started with breakfast at Snooze, a mid century modern style eatery. The food was super good, I had the huevos rancheros and the vibe was cute too. After breakfast, we coincidentally walked by Flashbacks, the last vintage store on our list. This one was also super affordable and was a mix of vintage, but also costumes and accessories too. I found a skirt for only $10 here. 

We continued our walk to Balboa Park. The park is gorgeous and has so much beautiful architecture, it almost feels like being in Europe. We went to the San Diego Zoo first since we knew this would take up most of the day. Since the zoo is huge, we were a bit overwhelmed when first arriving, so an employee suggested we take a bus tour, included in admission. The bus tour took about 30 minutes and covers the majority of the zoo. You don’t get off the bus, but you can see animals from the bus and it will help you decide which areas you want to go back and see on foot. After the bus we walked around and saw more of the animals. We spent a little over 3 hours here, but you could easily spend all day here. Admission for a standard adult ticket is $58.

After the zoo, we checked out the carousel which is right nearby. Of course we decided to ride it, and a ride costs $3 per rider. Next we walked to the San Diego Automotive Museum. They have classic cars and artifacts on display, but I really wanted to go to because they currently have a 1970’s exhibit on display. It was a really cool museum and admission is only $12.

After a long day of walking through the park, we went back to North Park for dinner. We settled on a bar called Working Class with solid burgers (I had a beyond burger) and beers. After dinner, we walked to get ice cream at Hammond's Gourmet Ice Cream.

Day 5:
We only had about half a day on our last day in San Diego, so we woke up early and went to Donut Bar. I went to their Vegas location a couple years ago and have been dreaming about their donuts ever since. After breakfast we went to the Maritime Museum because Adam wanted to check it out. They have several boats you can go on, one of the boats that acts as more of the museum. It was cool to see and admission was only $20. 

If you made it to the end of this post, thank you! I hope you enjoyed this recap of the trip. If you have any other questions about any of the places I mentioned, feel free to ask! 

I’m sure it’s no surprise that I wanted to find a retro hotel to stay at while in San Diego. When I came across The Kings Inn, I immediately fell in love with the mid century modern vibes. It looked adorable and seemed super affordable as well. After doing more research on Yelp, I found mixed reviews so I became more hesitant to book it. I spoke to my friend Amanda who is a local and knows people who have stayed there. She assured me it was a good motel, so we decided to take our chances. For some reason every hotel we looked at was booked on Sunday night, so we decided to book The Kings Inn for 2 nights then find an Airbnb for the remainder of the trip.


While we did love the Airbnb, I’m glad we decided to stay at The Kings Inn for a couple nights. It’s definitely not a luxury hotel, but it is a good value for the cost. The rooms were small, but renovated and clean. The pool area was cute and kitschy (although the pool itself was heated, it was still a bit too cool to go swimming). They also have 2 places to eat on the hotel property, The Amigo Spot, a Mexican restaurant, and The Waffle Spot, a breakfast place. We didn’t try the Mexican place, but we did have breakfast at The Waffle Spot one morning and it was delicious. They also give you a discount on your food if you’re a hotel guest. My only complaint is that the walls were very thin and we were woken up by our very loud neighbors one night.


I’d definitely recommend The Kings Inn if you’re looking for a cute and affordable spot to stay in San Diego. You can check out their website here. 

​A few weeks back I went back to the TWA hotel. It was pouring in NYC that day, so what better place to spend the day indoors. When I first arrived, I took some photos in my first look of the day, then headed up to the Paris Cafe for lunch. I ordered the pizza again with a Coke. My friend Daffny happened to be there the same day, so after lunch I met up with her. I changed into my second look, then took some photos in the living room area. The last time I was there I didn't realize this, but they actually have dresses, sweaters and robes you can slip over your clothes to help make your photo look more authentic! I changed into another look then took some more photos in the red chairs upstairs by the flight attendant uniforms. By the end of the day, the rain finally subsided so we headed out to The Connie for a drink. Overall, another fun day at the TWA!

I'm back with another edition of a style diary for January 2020. Now that winter is really here, it's harder to shoot outfit photos. I tend to only get 1 or 2 good photos of an outfit this time of year, so I figured I'd combine a few into one post. This month I found myself drawn to a more neutral version of my color palette, which seems fitting for how my mood was this month. On my first day back at work after the holidays, I received some disappointing news, which had me in a bit of a funk. I felt like I couldn't get motivated to start the year and was having very negative thoughts about myself. One thing I want to work on this year is to try and be more present in the moment, and stop wishing away time. I want to keep in mind that whenever I'm going through a rough patch in my life that it's just a phase and it will pass soon enough. Here's to more cheerful color palettes and thoughts in 2020. ​

There's a new diner in town, The Soho Diner, located at the Soho Grand Hotel to be exact. This new spot is close to where I work, so my friend GG and I came to check it out one morning a couple weeks ago. I decided to wear this vintage set I recently thrifted. It was originally below knee length, but I hemmed it to make it look more modern and to have more of a Clueless vibe. I thought this new vintage diner with a modern twist would be the perfect backdrop for this look. Luckily because we went early in the morning on a weekday, it wasn't crowded, so we were easily able to get some pictures. The decor is absolutely adorable, the only negative is the lighting is VERY warm, so not ideal for taking photos. When it came time to order, I went with the pancakes. They were cooked a bit more than I usually like, but they were still good. The prices are on the higher side, but not too outrageous for Manhattan. I'll definitely come back again and would recommend! 

Playing catch up and finally getting around to putting up a blog post about my visit to the TWA back in December. My long time Instagram friends, Jenna and Cortney, also known as A Whimsy Wonderland, were coming to visit from LA, and they wanted to check out the TWA hotel, so we made a day out of it with our friend Katie. This was my first time meeting Jenna and Cortney but it felt so natural to be hanging out together. It's so magical when you finally meet people from social media and it feels like you've been real life friends for years. 

This was my third time at the TWA hotel and there were a lot of new additions since the last time I was there over the summer. Upon arriving, I noticed some new vintage cars parked out front, including this groovy VW van. There were also a few new photo opportunity spots, like the Twister room, pictured here, a 60's style living room, and a photo booth. Since it was Jenna and Cort's first time though, we stuck to a lot of the classics, like grabbing a drink on The Connie. We also ate at the Jean George restaurant, The Paris Cafe. The cafe has been open since the beginning, but this was my first time dining here. I was actually pleasantly surprised, I ordered the margarita pizza, which was very good and decently priced, and the vodka thyme lemonade which was also delicious. Overall, it was another marvelous and magical day at the TWA!  

I recently found another bowling shirt while I was vintage shopping, so what better excuse to go back to The Gutter for a photoshoot. The Gutter is my favorite place to bowl in the city because it's super divey and vintage. It's a great place to spend a Saturday, especially during the day, as it usually gets super crowded in the evening. I went with my friend Emily again after a nice brunch in Greenpoint, then we headed over to bowl and enjoy a beer. It was funny because a few people came up to us and asked if we were in a bowling league because of the shirt I was wearing! 

Joanie Clothing was kind enough to send me this sweater from their latest collection. As soon as I received it, I knew I wanted to pay homage to the 1960's and the West Village. The West Village here in NYC is one of my favorite neighborhoods and was home to bohemians and beatniks back in the 1960's. I decided to take these photos specifically at The Music Inn, a record store that opened in 1958. Being inside still feels like being back in the 60's. They even shot a few scenes of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel here. You may remember it from Season 1, when Susie brings Midge here, and again when Joel stops in and overhears a recording of Midge's standup.

With the new season of Mrs Maisel only a week away, I decided to write a blog post with locations from the show you can visit in real life. I wrote a similar blog post last year, with spots from Season 1. You can check out that post here:

For locations from Season 2, check out the following spots: 

McSorley's: 
15 E 7th Street (Astor Place/East Village)
Although it is referred to as a different bar in the show, McSorley's is where Benjamin and Midge grab a drink and meet artist Declan Howell. McSorley's is one of the oldest and most historic bars in NYC. There are vintage photos and antiques decorating the bar. They only serve 2 kinds of draft beer here (light and dark) no wine or cocktails. Even if you're not a big beer drinker, it's still a cool place to check out for the history and vintage vibe.

Old Town Bar:
45 E 18th Street (Flatiron)
Another historic bar that dates back to the Prohibition era and appears in Season 2. Joel and Archie come here to drink together. It has a similar aesthetic to McSorley's, but a wider selection of alcohol if beer isn't your thing. 

Albanese Meats & Poultry:
238 Elizabeth Street (Nolita)
We got the rabbi! This is the butcher shop where Midge and her mom shop for Yom Kippur in season 2. The interior looks a bit different on the show, but the exterior is instantly recognizable. In real life, the shop is run by the cutest 95 year old man named Moe. 

Who else is excited to binge season 3?

PS: You can shop my sweater (that is currently on sale) here: 

Sweater: c/o Joanie Clothing
Hat: vintage; Skirt: May 68; Shoes: Eastland Shoe
​Location: Music Inn (West Village, Manhattan) 
​ 

Earlier in the fall I made the trip out to Jackson Hole in Queens. It was a bit of a trek from Manhattan, I had to take an uber from the subway. It was well worth it though, between both the vintage vibes and tasty diner food. I bought two outfits to wear there because there was just too much to photograph. For the outside, I shot photos in this tartan dress from Lindy Bop. If you'd like to shop it, you can find it here. 


Dress: c/o Lindy Bop
Beret: old; Necklace and Purse: vintage; Saddle Shoes: Eastland Shoe
Location: Jackson Hole (Queens, New York)
​

With Halloween coming up, I decided to put together a little tutorial for Twiggy inspired makeup. Read on to see how to get the look. 

I use Ardell lashes and Duo lash glue. You can find both of these brands at your local drugstore. I picked up both of these at CVS. 

The lashes came as a set of 2, but I trimmed on of the pairs to be about 1/4" of an inch from end to end for the bottom pair. 

Start with your makeup completely done, the lashes will be the last step. For the rest of my makeup, I'm wearing concealer under my eyes, blush on my cheeks, a cat eye with using liquid eyeliner, and mascara on my lashes. 

Add the glue to the lashes. Wait a couple seconds for the glue to get tacky before adding the lash to your lid. 

For the top lashes, I apply the falsies over my real lashes, along my lash line. For the bottom lashes, I apply the falsies under my real lashes, along my lash line. Don't worry if you have excess glue, it will dry clear. 

When it's time to remove the lashes, take a q-tip and dip it in eye makeup remover. Rub the q-tip along your lash line. It helps to soften the glue so it's way less painful to remove them!