blue on the bridge

No matter how many times I've done it, I never get sick of walking the Brooklyn Bridge. I've worn out the majority of New York's tourist attractions but for some odd reason, this never feels touristy to me (no matter how crowded it is).
I walked it this past Sunday with a few friends. It was hotter out than it has been these last few weeks so I opted for white jeans and a breezy navy top. After the bridge, we walked around downtown for a bit before heading back. It was the perfect way to end a hectic first week in the city.

 {Top: The Dressing Room; Jeans: BDG; Sandals: Pelle Moda; Bag: Michael Kors; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (similar pair here)}

noms: the melt shop

If you've ever heard me talk about Ms. Cheezious, the gourmet grilled cheese food truck in Miami, you know how much I love when a piece of cheese is pressed between two slices of bread. It's magical, really. Especially when it's fancy cheese.

I met up with my cousin, Sarah, for lunch recently and she introduced me my New York replacement for the sandwiches I'd grown to love back home. The Melt Shop is an adorable little place on Lex and 53rd that features an amazing selection of sandwiches. I was staring at their menu for what felt like hours before I finally decided on the Smokehouse Turkey Club.

 {their seemingly endless menu - I'm planning on giving the Truffle Melt a try on my next visit}

{the adorable Melt Shop kiosk}

 {bite.chew.melt}

 {my amazing Smokehouse Turkey Club topped with creamy gouda, applewood smoked bacon and house-made barbeque sauce}

{instead of fries, Melt Shop serves tots covered in Parmesan cheese which is totally fine by me}

wanted: when life gives you lemons

When it comes to integrating color into my wardrobe this year, I've managed to pick up something in almost every color under the sun (no pun intended) except for yellow. After a quick stop by J.Crew last week though, I knew I had to have something in this punchy hue. 

From tops and bottoms to dresses and accessories, I'm a bit obsessed with finding the perfect yellow piece that looks modern but still classic.

 {Bubble Bauble $150}

{Blythe Silk Button Down $98}

{Cafe Capri $89}

 {Lucille Lace Dress $188}

cupcake tour {week one} baked by melissa

Now that I'm back in New York, I couldn't be more excited to start my cupcake tour of the city. With countless bakeries to try I'm starting things off with my personal favorite, Baked by Melissa. Yes, I love it because my name is in the title but they also have the greatest minis I've ever tasted.

We stopped by their Soho location (on Spring street just off of Broadway) yesterday after some exploring in the neighborhood. Their amazing selection makes narrowing down which ones to buy pretty difficult but the fact that they're all minis makes it perfectly acceptable to buy a bunch.

 {from top left: red velvet, tie-dye (just a pretty vanilla), wedding (their mini of the month), cookie dough, cookies n' cream and cinnamon}

 {wall of cupcakes}

Our cupcake list is definitely far from finalized so leave me some suggestions and stay tuned for next week's bakery!

view from the top

This first weekend back in New York has been a complete whirlwind. Between events to attend, meeting new people and general settling in, I haven't really had much of a chance to breathe. As if I wasn't already lacking some oxygen, I arrive to my first day of work on Madison Avenue today and see this breathtaking view from my office. Yes, that is the Empire State Building. No, I can't believe it either.

Greetings from the Big Apple! More soon :)

carry-on essentials

With all the traveling I've been doing lately, I've developed a pretty consistent formula for my carry-on must-haves. Though the flight over to New York yesterday was a short one, these things make a situation that can sometimes get stressful and exhausting just a bit easier.

*iPad: I was lucky enough to have wifi on this last flight so I spent it catching up on Magic City, my new favorite show. When there's no internet though, it makes light work of carrying an assortment of reading material for the flight.
*iPod: From Dave Matthews to Jay-Z, Alejandro Sanz to Adele, I have music for every mood.
*Makeup Bag: I keep mine stocked with things like concealer, a mirror and hand sanitizer (a definite essential for the airport because you touch things... a lot)
*Over-sized Pashmina: I picked this beauty up in Spain a few years back and it's great for when I get cold on planes because seriously, who likes airplane blankets? Ick.
*Eye Cover: Because I literally cannot sleep with light in my eyes. Ever.
*Enormous Bottle of Water: Gotta hydrate
*I also keep my phone an wallet handy, but those are always essentials.

weekend and wanted wrap-up

This week has been insanely hectic, to say the least. I leave for New York in 2 days (I know, I can't believe it's already here either) so I've split my time between packing or hanging out with friends and family before I leave. Here are a few snippets of my weekend, which included my cousins graduation, heading to the beach and dinner at Crave, a new restaurant in Village of Merrick Park.

 {accidentally matching with my not-so-little cousin at her graduation lunch}

 {homemade artichoke, tomato and mint tart}

 {beach with the babe}

 {crave menu}

{my amazing angry dragon martini from crave}

Since today's also supposed to be a Wanted Wednesday, and the only thing I really want right now is to be done packing I thought I'd share some of my purchases from recent posts instead.

 {iPad Case: I found the DVF case I had been eyeing in this print and fell in love}

 {Wallet: I chose the Michael Kors Saffiano in teal, the pink version I posted just wasn't "me"}

{Sandals: I went for the Vince Camuto's after finding an amazing deal on them over at Piperlime}