More Than A City Girl

Holidays in the City: Winter Wonderland

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 16:51:00 +0000

WOOHOO I’m officially on winter break! Phew…that was a long semester. I’m so happy I get to be home for a couple of weeks and experience the winter wonderland that the city becomes during the holiday season, despite the unusually warm weather this year. Though no matter the weather, once I see all the trees wrapped in fairy lights my mood is instantly lifted!

After sleeping for about 14 hours once I got home I was ready to roam the city.

The Swarovski Star hanging above 5th avenue was one of the first things on my list! It was just as bright and beautiful as I remembered it from last year. Plus having the Tiffany’s building glowing in the background was a big bonus!

Two of my favorite traditions are window shopping along 5^th Avenue with my mom and shopping at Bloomingdales the day after Christmas with my grandmamma! Remember, when admiring the holiday window displays around the city, if you don’t have time to view alllllll of them (there are A LOT), stick to the three B’s: Bareneys, Bergdorf Goodman, and Bloomingdale’s! The window displays are always out of the world.

This year Barneys went above and beyond all other holiday window displays and converted three of their windows into actual freezers with two of them holiday real ice castles and the third held carved ice animals with professional ice carvers working on them in the window—full of penguins and Santa’s!

However, if you’re looking for the sparkles and pizazz that define the holiday season, head on over to Bergdorf Goodman’s! There each window is its own world, you can walk from an undersea sparkly mermaid scene over to a psychics reading room with a wheel of fortune

Last but not least, Bloomingdale’s! While personally I would say their window displays have gone a bit down ill in the past years, turning more digital, the real treasures are inside when you look up! The ceilings are adorned with huge ornaments hanging from the ceiling that resemble disco balls, sparkling beads and stars, and just an overall festive atmosphere that’s infectious.

Do you have a favorite holiday window display? Have you ever been to New York City in the winter? Let me know!

~ Monique ~

Henna Hands: An Art Form

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 01:02:00 +0000

I love love henna and henna designs. The flower designs are my personal favorite, but in reality they are all beautiful. Henna is a great expression of creativity and beautiful combinations of patters; it is truly an art form. It’s both crazy and amazing how just a simple combination of different lines and dots can make something that spectacular and intricate. I mean, if you love drawing and flowers you will most likely like henna. If not love. Plus they’re temporary so you don’t have to worry about making any big life decisions.

I have had henna done a bunch of times before but had never done it myself or on another person until last weekend! My friend got the Namaste Treasures Henna Kit from the Namaste Collective in Australia (they can be found at @namaste_collective and namastecollective.com) so we had a chance to experiment with different designs. This particular henna also happened to be all natural and vegan, double bonus!

The application of the henna turned out to be pretty easy, all you need is a steady hand and a design to follow. However, choosing just one or two designs is the hard part! Just scrolling through the Namaste Collective’s Instagram makes you basically want to try all of the designs! Once we had finally chosen our designs and applied the henna I think I spent the next hour just staring at the flower on my arm in awe and thinking how cool it would be to have henna everyday. Yep, that’s how my mind works. It is sad to say that the henna flower is starting to wear away from me washing my hands, but I’m excited to try a new design next time!

Do you have a favorite henna design? Let me know!

~ Monique ~

7 Songs to Boost Your Mood!

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 01:42:00 +0000

Happy December! Where did the time go? Well, don’t ask me because I really don’t know. So much can change in a few months; September feels like yesterday but also like a lifetime ago all at the same time!

The great thing about music is that it follows you through time, giving you a soundtrack to certain parts of your life. The songs I was obsessed with at the beginning of this year are certainly different then the ones I have on repeat now (though I still love the old ones!).

Here are seven of my favorite songs at the moment, and I hope they will become your favorites too!

I Miss You- Adele

Lost Boy- Troye Sivan

Love Yourself- Justin Bieber

I Know What You Did Last Summer- Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello

Here- Alessia Cara

Touch and Go- Ed Sheeran

New Normal- Louisa Wendorff

What songs have been on your December soundtrack?

Let me know what you think!

~ Monique ~

Edinburgh, Scotland Highlights Guide

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 19:52:00 +0000

Welcome all of you to Edinburgh, Scotland, the place that stole my heart in a second! A city full of cute bookstores, beautiful buildings and architecture, an abundance of history and culture, lots of hot chocolate, and the nicest taxi drivers!

I had just spent the summer in Oxford on a study aboard program for my college and was on vacation with my parents in London (we’ll get to those stories later, for some reason I’m working backwards…don’t ask. I blame it on finals week, so join me in my crazy town will you) when we left for the weekend to visit Scotland! I had wanted to go to Scotland for forever so this was super exciting! Exciting I tell you!

We took the train and I literally spent the whole ride gawking at the beautiful scenery as it passed by my window. And at all the cows and the sheep we passed of course! I remember arriving and walking out of the train station right into the middle of the city and the bustling people. It was overwhelming to say the least, but in a good way.

I literally felt like I had stepped into another world, a better world, a fairy tale. There was so much to take in, including the immediate view of a park surrounded by beautiful olden buildings and Edinburgh’s Big Festival Wheel. I was so excited I didn’t know what to do with myself. I tried to take pictures but I can tell you with all certainly that all pictures I took in the first hour of being there were a blurred mess because I just couldn’t stand still long enough to focus on them.

When we arrived at the hotel we were met by a charming building with a grand sweeping staircase and it’s own library that looks like it just came out of an olden movie set. Photo-shoot in the library anyone?

SO what exactly did we do in Edinburgh, you ask? Good question! Well I got a new winter coat…but I doubt shopping is what you were referring to, so on to the sightseeing we go!

Our first, and most obvious, stop was the 11^th century Edinburgh Castle! It’s literally a castle on a hill with the most breathtaking views and architectural structures and history and I could go on and on. I love history so had a mini freak out walking around the castle and took pictures of just about every sign that had the slightest bit of historical information so I could go back and read them later. This also happens to be the sight of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo but we didn’t have enough time to attend, but a reason to go back!

After leaving Edinburgh Castle we walked the Royal Mile, which is about a one-mile long walk through the old town of Edinburgh that runs from Edinburgh Castle to the Holyrood Palace. This was definitely one of my favorite parts (but who’s kidding, I can’t choose, everything was my favorite). I loved walking down the streets and getting to pretend that I wasn’t a tourist but in fact just a native taking a stroll around the town. We passed so many shops, stopped for some seriously good hot chocolate, and had the best time exploring the city by foot.

On our second day we were still on a castle kick so went to visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Holyrood Abbey ruins. It was love at first site. The palace itself is amazing but it was the Abbey’s ruins that really got me. There was something so beautiful and eerie about standing in the crumbing Abbey. Just thing about how much had taken place there, how many people had stood in that same place over the years. The great outlines remains of used to be a huge stained glass window was my favorite part. People don’t build that way anymore, with so much intricate detail; they should start again.

That night we had tickets to see a musical at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and stopped at Jamie’s Italian restaurant for dinner before the show. I can say without a doubt that we basically ate half our meals in Scotland at Jamie’s and it was beyond delicious…ugh take me back.

The next day we were leaving, but still had time for a morning excision! We ended up taking the bus (with some of the cast of the musical we had seen the night before I may add—like, what????) to the North Sea where we walked to Cramond Island, a small island about one mile off the shore of Cramond beach that you can only walk to when the tide is out. The water was so clear! Even though we got tired walking half way to the island in some pretty intense winds it was worth it.

Soooo since after writing all that we’re just gonna pretend like we’re back in Scotland right now because the nostalgia is strong, okay? There are still so many places I want to explore in Scotland, especially the Highlands!!

Have you ever been to Scotland or want to go? Where’d ya go because I’d love to know!

~ Monique ~

Exciting News! All Things Trend

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 21:07:00 +0000

(pc: @aerie)

Hello again, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Today I have a special blog post for you because I have news that I’m so excited to share! A few weeks ago I became a contributing blogger to Trend Magazine! I am beyond excited to be working with so many other talented and inspiring people and to be a part of the positive Trend community! You should totally go check them out at allthignstrend.org and follow along with the blog at http://allthingstrend.org/blogs/the-blog

(pc: @ktnewms)

I’m looking forward to getting to share my love of writing and connecting to people J So far I have written two blogs about living and décor, “Mixing School with Style- 4 Ways to an Organized Dorm Room!” (http://allthingstrend.org/blogs/the-blog/78611910-mixing-school-with-style-4-ways-to-an-organized-dorm-room) and “Embracing Fall in Your Office Space” (http://allthingstrend.org/blogs/the-blog/78607558-embracing-fall-in-your-office-space). I hope they inspire your own decorating style or even encourage you to start writing!

Let me know what you think!

~ Monique ~

Get Up and Dance: Autumn Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 13:14:00 +0000

"Hello. It's me..."

I feel like in the last month so much good music has come out that I can’t contain my excitement! AND there’s still so much to look forward to, including Adele’s new album this Friday! I love when new albums from some of my favorite artists are released because that means it’s time for a new soundtrack! Time to learn all the new lyrics, learn the stories that the songs tell, sing along at the top of your lungs in the car, and make new lip-syncing video memories with friends!

Here’ are some of the songs I’ve been listening to on repeat the last few weeks:

Hello- Adele

Youth- Troye Sivan

Army- Ellie Goulding

Can’t Sleep Love- Pentatonix

Cake By The Ocean- DNCE

Alive- SIA

Perfect- One Direction

What’s on your playlist? Let me know what you’ve been listening too!

~Monique~

Travel Inspiration: World of Wanderlust

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 20:49:00 +0000

Did I ever tell you what inspired me to start blogging?

Well, it was a combination of a bunch of different factors, but one particular was that last year I discovered the World of Wanderlust blog run by Brooke Saward. I initially found her through Instagram (@worldwanderlust) and then started to follow her blog (www.worldofwanderlust.com) and YouTube channel.

I have to confess when I first discovered the World of Wanderlust Instagram account I think I sent a good hour just scrolling back through every single picture and dreaming in awe of all the places Brooke’s travelled to. This is when I seriously considered taking up blogging. I have so many travel stories and photos from past adventures that I wanted a platform to share them on!

I still remember sitting on the subway, a few months after I had first discovered World of Wanderlust, telling my mom about how I just wanted to take a year off and travel, taking a leaf out of Brooke’s book.

I had always loved photography and taking pictures, but had never really thought of it as part of a profession, never considered the fact that being a travel blogger/travel writer was an actual real life job until I found the World of Wanderlust blog. And let me tell you, I was blown away impressed, particularly that Brooke is not much older than me (only a few years!), the she has built her own brand and travelled to so many places I myself want to one day visit! So until I get the chance, I will be living vicariously though Brooke’s photos and stories.

So thank you, Brooke, for inspiring me to want to share my adventures and go make more; for showing me that being a solo traveller is okay and can change your life. I truly believe that you have to travel to find yourself, and that is what I intend on doing (shhh just don’t tell anyone ;))

In the mean time I have been trying to share and write down my own stories from past travels to London, Oxford, Scotland, Paris, Berlin, and all around Italy!

There are still so many places on my list! Amsterdam, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Iceland, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, Greece, other cities in England and Germany, Israel, this list goes on and on!

“I’ve left my heart in so many places” is a quote that I feel I connect with on a deep level. Every time I travel somewhere, specifically London and Berlin, I feel as if a part of me belongs there and once I’m back home I feel as if I have left part of myself behind. As much as it hurts to leave and I want to keep going back to the same places I have to push myself to go to new places so that I can keep checking places off my list!

What’s on your travel list? If you could travel to one place that you’ve never been before where would it be?

Let me know!

~ Monique ~

November Goals

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 21:24:00 +0000

Happy November everyone! It’s the first week of a new month and that means time for a fresh start and new beginnings!

I always have mixed feeling about the start of a new month because I’m excited about having four whole new weeks of possibilities and watching the seasons change but I tend to get that nagging feeling of “no, how did this happen?” and “where did the time go!” As it’s my senior year of college I’ve been quite consumed by the latter and trying to slow down time as much as possible. So this month I decided to make some “November Goals” to get excited about the new month a head!

Here are my November Goals and hopefully they’ll inspire your own:

Take more pictures!

I love looking back at old pictures that remind you of certain memories. This month one of my goals is to take more pictures and document even random silly moment so that I can look back at them later.

Try something new

This relates to the Eleanor Roosevelt quote, “do one thing everyday that scares.” As much as I love this quote I hardly follow it. Lately I’ve been trying to step out of my comfort zone and do new things. This could be as simple as cooking something new or raising your hand in class to trying out a new club or taking up a hobby.

Take more “me” time

With the overload of school work all my daily “me time” practices have just about gone out the window. These include daily meditation and stretches, reading for fun, taking study breaks, and just doing something purely for the fun of it! This month my goals is to get back to that balance between relaxation and school work.

Social media detox

Working on my computer and using the Internet is inevitable for school, but I have noticed that I have been spending more time on different social media platforms that usual. Therefore I’m setting a goal to go until at least lunch time before I check any social media…I’ll have to get back to you on how that one works out

Get in the Thanksgiving sprit!

This one is actually really important to me as silly as it sounds! So many people go straight from Halloween to Christmas/Hanukkah/ and the “winter” holidays that Thanksgiving seems to get skipped over. Like, seriously! There are people who have already been listening to Christmas music for a few weeks now! As much as I love holiday spirit I do think that’s a bit early and that Thanksgiving deserves more than being skipped over. Plus there’s so much to look forward to, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Let me know what your November goals are!

~ Monique ~

Last Minute Halloween Costumes

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 19:42:00 +0000

If you’re bad at planning in advance for Halloween costumes like me here are some easy last minute costume ideas!

Now don’t get me wrong, just because I didn’t plan a costume doesn’t mean I don’t love Halloween, because Halloween is for sure one of my favorite holidays! Okay, maybe not the scary haunted house spooky ghost side of Halloween (it has been proven that if you take me into a haunted house be prepared for me to squeeze your hand so tight in terror that it will feel broken), but I sure do love the more magical and, well, kid-friendly version. Not forgetting that Halloween means it ‘s finally socially acceptable to watch the best movie of all time, Hocus Pocus! Plus the chocolate. Always the chocolate.

Anyways, back to the whole no costume situation. I love hearing what other people are going to be for Halloween because there are some really creative costumes out there that I would never be able to think of. Additionally, Halloween costumes are a way for your humor and personality to shine, and so it’s always interesting to see what people come up with!

In the past I have dressed up as a witch multiple times (because obviously…and Hocus Pocus), a ballerina (when I was really little), a genie (one of my favorites!), and a cat. Once I even wore all purple and told people I was a grape…not my best idea in retrospect. Since I dressed up as a cat last year and still have the cat ear headband I was considering being a cat again (since it’s pretty easy, all you need is some black clothes, black eyeliner to draw whiskers on your cheeks, and red lipstick if you want to get fancy), but I still wanted to keep my options open so I turned to Google and Pinterest. By golly there are a lot of Halloween costume options!

Here were some of my favorite finds:

The Queen of Hearts:

All you have to do is wear a plain outfit, preferably black, and cut out red and pink hearts to stick all over you. Add a crown and voilà, you’re done!

Eloise at The Plaza:

This one is a personal favorite just because I loved the Eloise books and movies. To complete this costume you simply need a white shirt, black skirt, black suspenders and a red ribbon to tie in your hair as a headband.

A Flower Child:

Another personal favorite (I can’t choose, they’re all too good!) just wear a flower crown, big earrings, and a long flower skirt/shirt combo or dress, and maybe even some face paint.

A Tourist:

Ah who wouldn’t want to dress up as the stereotypical tourist for Halloween? Just grab some socks and sandals, a big hat, fanny pack, Hawaiian shirt, a map held upside-down, and a camera to hand around your neck and you’re all set!

Where’s Waldo:

I think this has got to be one of the easiest costumes since all you really need to wear is blue jeans, a red and white stripped shirt, a red hat and some glasses.

These ideas came from some of my googling finds last night and website articles on easy and creative Halloween costumes, so I’ll paste them down below in case you wanted to check them out!

11 Punny Halloween Costumes:

http://www.hercampus.com/life/11-punny-halloween-costumes

10 Homemade Halloween Costumes You Can Make From Things You Already Have:

http://www.hercampus.com/diy/beauty-style-tips/10-homemade-halloween-costumes-you-can-make-things-you-already-have

10 Easy Halloween Costumes You Can Make With Things You Already Own:

http://www.hercampus.com/diy/beauty-style-tips/10-easy-halloween-costumes-you-can-make-things-you-already-own

Lauren Conrad: Hocus Pocus:

http://laurenconrad.com/blog/2014/10/hocus-pocus-my-mermaid-halloween-costume/

31 Halloween Costumes that Require Absolutely No Skill:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinalan/how-do-you-use-scissors?crlt.pid=camp.Bt89z7hBia5e#.sra2z4l0e1

Let me know what you end up dressing up as this Halloween!

~ Monique ~

Half the Story

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Hello again and happy Sunday! This past week has been swamped with midterms and I didn’t get a chance to sit down a write this until now. While this post is a little bit on the somber side I’m going to try and keep it as positive as possible! Today I wanted to touch the topic of positive uses of social media, which is quite a hot topic at the moment but also very important to me.

I’ve spent the last week writing papers on eating disorders and Body Dimorphic Disorder, and while I won’t go all psychology student out on you all I will say that media plays a huge role in influencing these disorders and even simpler every day things, such as how we view ourselves and others. This day in age when we all have multiple accounts of different social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., and are bombarded with other peoples ideas on what the ideal life is, it is important to stay true to yourself. This is especially true on Instagram where based on peoples photo galleries it seems as if everyone has a perfect life. However, here it important to remember that the pictures people post have been chosen, carefully selected to create an image of perfection and sometimes even follow a color scheme.

People share what they want to be seen. For instance, if you’re looking at a picture of someone traveling what you don’t see is all the behind the scenes events that went on that day and the feelings that are not being shared. This is good if used in a positive light, but if abused can create feelings of jealousy for others seemingly perfect lives.

If this sounds at all familiar it is because breaking through that social media wall has recently been taking flight in the form of the #halfthestory project. Blogger and Instagrammer @Livinlikelarz recently founded @halfthestory (more can be read on their website: www.halfthestoryproject.com). There is a quote by Larz taken from the website that I would like to share because it encompasses the campaign excellently, Half the Story is a “a social media campaign showcasing the stories we don’t tell,” promoting “social storytelling.”

Personally, I think this is a wonderful project, and so here is my half the story:

What you don’t see in this picture is all the bloopers it took to actually find the “perfect” picture and the fact that it only looked good in black and white, even though my original purpose for taking the picture was to showcase the beyond beautiful color of the leaves (which I’ll post a color picture of below).

What you don’t see is the hard week I was just coming down from, the need for sleep in my eyes, and the fact that my hands were still cold from being outside. What I hope you do see and feel from looking at the picture is the joy in my heart I had from walking around outside by myself, listening to Adele’s new song, and finding these marvelous leaves. I wanted this picture to exude the happiness I feel towards the little things in life, such as acting like a little kid and picking up leaves! Hopefully it rubs off on those who look at it.

What’s your #halfthestory? Let me know!

~ Monique ~

October Motivation Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 15:12:00 +0000

T W I R L A N D D A N C E

With midterms in full swing school has basically consumed my life with studying for tests and papers.

However, it’s always important to take study breaks and dance around for fun! And what’s a dance party without some good music?! Usually when I am studying I tend to pick a song of the day and just play it on repeat until it becomes background noise as I study.

I know, I know, studies have shown that studying in silence is better than with music, but sometimes I just need some music in the background to motivate me, and my grades are pretty good if I do say so myself :) I remember there was one day last semester when I listened to Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” 129 times while writing a paper because I just had it on repeat!

Since I’m always looking for new songs to add to my playlist I thought I’d share some of my currents favorites with you today!

Here are the songs I’ve been listening to on repeat recently:

Something In The Way You Move; On My Mind- Ellie Goulding

Downtown-Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Confident-Demi Lovato

Fools- Troye Sivan

Ghost- Halsey

Sober-Selena Gomez

Let me know what you current favorite songs are!

~ Monique ~

What Art Means to Me

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 16:26:00 +0000

For those of you who have been following my More Than A City Girl blog and Instagram account from the beginning this will come as no surprise, I am a big fan of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Having grown up in New York City going to the MET was a staple in my life. This included numerous fieldtrips, art class homework assignments, and weekend visits for pure enjoyment! I remember I actually asked my mom once in Middle School if I could skip school that day and just do something fun. And that fun thing I wanted to do? It was go to the MET to see the Temple of Dendur.

I love art and I love history, these two combined can transport you to another world, open to your own interpretations. Finding that one painting or piece of art that speaks to you is so special in the fact that you can go back time and time again to re visit that piece or art at different times in your life and be transported back to a single moment in time, not unlike listening to music.

Two of my absolute favorite paintings in the MET are by the same French painter, Pierre-Auguste Cot. The Storm, 1880 and Springtime, 1873 are the two paintings that I always seek out to visit. Maybe it’s their magical quality or aspects of fantastical realism and detail that draw me in. Or let’s be real, maybe it's just the fairy aspect. Either way these two will always hold a special place in my heart.

You know that feeling you get when you walk into an empty room at a museum, when it’s just you and the art? I can’t end this post without at least mentioning that feeling because even if the galleries are full of people I find the museum finds a way to keep that feeling, that kind of personalization to it.

Another way to make visiting a museum personal is to make a game out of looking at the art! One of my favorite games it trying to recreate the images or facial expressions of portraits or sculptures. I promise, it’s fun! And even funner with friends!

What’s you favorite museum or part of going to a museum?

Let me know, I’d love to hear your comments!

~Monique~

PINspiration: Falling for Fall

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:01:00 +0000

Rabbit! Happy October everyone! Even though fall officially begins on September 23rd it doesn’t truly feel like all until October for me.

The leaves are finally starting to change and show some color here, and while I’m sad to see summer go I’m looking forward to cozy sweater weather and hot chocolate!

As you may know, I’m also addicted to Pinterest. Since I’ve been recently scrolling down through things fall related I thought I’d share some with you today on the blog to get everyone in a fall festive mood!

Here are a few of my favorite images that get me excited about fall instead of dreading the cold winter ahead!

Sweaters and a plaid shirt or scarf is a must once the weather cools down. While I love wearing summer dresses I have to admit I missed my riding boots and three quarter sleeve shirts!

Hot chocolate is a must when it comes to autumn…especially if there is foam involved!

Leaves changing color! Watching the leaves go from green to yellow and red is one of my favorite things. I am still amazed every year at the incredible beauty.

This picture is from Cambridge, England, some place I would love to eventually experience in fall!

Crafts! When the weather gets colder all I want to do is stay inside wrapped in a warm blanket, and what better to do inside than arts and crafts! I love this idea of sparkly leaves to decorate the walls.

Last but not least, Gilmore Girls! For some reason I always have a craving to re-watch all of Gilmore Girls when it turns fall…maybe because they make Stars Hallow looks so pretty when it turn fall in the show and watching all the town fall festivity antics. Any way, if you need me I’ll be catching up with Lorelai and Rory!

A few other things not pictures, but that are on my fall bucket list including going to a pumpkin patch, apple picking, corn mazes, and visiting Letchworth State Park to see the leaves change!

What’s your favorite thing about fall? Any special fall traditions?

Let me know!

~ Monique ~

The High Line: A New York City Treasure

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 19:14:00 +0000

Ahh the High Line, converted old train tacks that are now a highlight to any NYC guidebook. For those of you who haven’t visited to the High Line the best way to describe it is like a secret, elevated park that doubles as a walkway and sightseeing spot. There are entrances and exits all along the railway from 14^th to 34^th Street, so you can come and go as you please.

I remember the first time I visited the High Line was right when it opened in 2009. I was in high school at the time and was spending the day with my parents and cousins just walking around and people watching (one of the best pass times). Since it was summertime there were tons of people out and multiple local food carts filed with artisan flavor ice pops amongst other food groups.

I remember being amazed by all the green trees, the grass, the view, and just the general architecture design of it all. For starters, the fact that these abandoned train tacks got turned into a park is pretty remarkable. With the various areas filled with benches the High Line is a great place to meet friends or take a late afternoon walk to admire the art/graffiti/murals that adorn the sides of passing buildings.

One thing I love about the High Line is how when you’re up there walking you are still in the city but you also feel very removed from it at the same time, not unlike the feeling you get when walking through Central Park. In all honesty I could probably spend a good couple of hours there just looking out at the water (YES, you heard that right, the water! You can see the river from the High Line! Raise your hand if you’re sold already cause I know I am) and just watch life go one down below me. Evidently the designers of the High Line knew how people like you and me think and they created a whole little section where you can actually sit over the street and watch the traffic below you through a plexiglass window!

Another bonus is that if you visit multiple times a year you can watch the season’s change in the flowers that are planted and bloom between the tracks! I love doing this

However, what you will see on the High Line is not limited to nature. Sometimes you’ll be luck enough to see performances, such as the one time my mom and I passed a solo dance performance that was being videoed and photographed in one of the little bench alcove area.

You really never know what you may find!

Have any of you ever been to the High Line or want to go? If so, let me know and what you liked most about it!

Ps. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a post, I’d really appreciate it! J

~ Monique ~

My Italy Adventure: Part II, Venice

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 15:36:00 +0000

“We’ll always have Venice” Wait…you mean to tell me that’s not the quote? Oh, it’s, “We’ll always have Paris”? Well, Paris is pretty cool too I guess, but have you ever been to Venice?!

When I was studying abroad in Italy for a month two summers ago I was lucky enough to spend my first weekend on a whirlwind trip to Venice with some girls in my group! I was pretty hesitant at first about going because this was my first time traveling abroad with only people my age…and now I was going to leave the city into which I had just landed for another city a four hour train ride away. However hesitant I was at the time I am so glad I went through with the trip.

I remember falling asleep on the train to Venice, trying so hard to keep my eyes open and failing miserably. Yet, the second I caught my first glance of Venice as we arrived in the station along the water I was immediately awake and alert for the day! Venice is truly the city of water and bridges.

The first thing we did was buy a day Vaporetto water bus pass, and it’s a good thing we did because that was truly the only way we got around. As far as public transportation goes, and I’m from NYC so I think I know a little something about public transport, this was pretty good. I mean you’re on a boat with an amazing view in all directions as you go from one end of the city to the other, what could be better than that!

As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I love architecture, especially that of older buildings, and Venice is the perfect place to find this. Everywhere I turned, every building I looked at was adorned with structural detail I couldn’t take enough pictures. They just don’t make buildings like that anymore.

Unfortunately the weekend we were there it was chilly and there was always impending rain, so all my pictures have a cloudy overtone, but I wouldn’t have changed it.

One of my favorite memories is of walking down a street filled with shops and really feeling like I was in a small town. There were hand crafted chocolate and pastry shops, trinket shops, and of course, ones filled with Venetian masks. I even had my first real Italian gelato in Venice :)

Although I only spent a whirlwind two days in Venice we covered A LOT!

Here were my favorite highlights from the trip:

Saint Mark’s Basilica

Piazza San Marco

The Grand Canal

Bridge of Sighs (a must see!)

Rialto Bridge

Ca’ d’Oro

Have any of you been to Venice before or want to go? What was your favorite part? Comment and let me know!

Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a post, I’d really appreciate it!

~ Monique ~

Sunday FUNday: Sunflower Fields

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 19:52:00 +0000

Last weekend was our first free time since being back at college and we had a long Labor Day weekend! One of the things I love and really appreciate about going to school upstate is that there is so much countryside and trees around me compared to at home in the city. If I were in NYC it would take up hours of driving to reach a sunflower, but up here there's one only half an hour away! Plus, we get to pass horses and cows on the drive!

For the past two years my friends and I have taken an adventure day to visit the huge sunflower field in Pittsford, New York, and this year was no different. We started the day with a scenic drive on the way to the sunflower field, which once we reached then turned into a ‘fun frolicking through sunflowers and taking loads of pictures’ time. I absolutely love sunflowers, their bright yellow color makes me happy with one glance and the sweet memories of my childhood summers that they evoke make me smile without trying. Thus, in my book any picture taken with an abundance of sunflowers is a good picture….even though the fact that the sun was in our eyes half the time made for some pretty funny photo outtakes. Unfortunately since it has been so hot lately a bunch of the sunflowers were already wilted semi-dead but we still managed to find a bunch that were alive and well just waiting for us!

Next we made our way to the near by Chipotle from which we ordered takeout to eat while we sat by the Pittsford Erie Canal. We found a picnic table to sit on and then spent a good hour watching the water go by, the seagulls swarming a single piece of food, and even some people in kayaks go by. While the canal is no match for the ocean water, there is still something so peaceful and calming about being close to water.

On the way home I was in for a surprise when we stopped by Trader Joes. There was a red English telephone booth in the parking lot! Obviously I had to be the dorky person who asks to stop so she can take a picture with it. I was so excited because I thought I would have to wait until I went back to England to see a telephone booth (side note: London is one of my favorite cities and I love everything British…including their telephone booths)!

After that excitement settled we headed inside and to my surprise (again) we were greeted by a flower display of, you guessed it, MORE SUNFLOWERS! All in all it was a day for the memory books and I hope we’ll be able to keep our sunflower field tradition alive after graduation!

I'm not ready for summertime to leave and take all the beautiful colorful flowers with it!

What did you Labor Day adventures include? What’s your favorite type of flower?

~Monique~

Here's to Senior Year: Dorm Decor Edition

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 03:15:00 +0000

All moved back in at college and ready to take on senior year! Packing and moving into my dorm room the past three years has been a pretty stressful ordeal and I never seem to feel at home until my room is complete with wall decorations. This year I have the pleasure to live in a house with four other of my close friends, and bonus, we each got our own room! Thus, this time around I have more wall space to fill and can rearrange all the furniture. Before even arriving I had a vision in my head of what I wanted my room to look like, and this was basically centered on the theme of “butterfly fairy world” with some twinkle lights thrown in. Basing my decorations around the colors of my room, which include purple, pink, and aquamarine, I decided to get some new wall hangings and pile together all of my old cards, postcards, and pictures to hang up (à la Pinterest style).

In addition, I already had the flags I had made from my old Lilly Pulitzer planner. These flags were actually the first things I hung up, and they went on my door.

Next I turned to the blank wall next to my bed and here I arranged my fairy calendar from Barnes and Nobel, two wall canvases I had gotten from Francesca's over the summer, a print from Paper Source(a stationary and paper store that I just discovered and am IN LOVE with!) and a pair of butterfly wings I’ve had for years. Little side note here: I popped into a Paper Source store two days before coming back to school and I literally wanted everything in the store. I had piles of notebooks, prints, and mugs in my hand, and finally settled on sparkly gold wall flags and a print. But let me tell, you, it was a hard decision. Anyways, back to what I was saying…I love the way this came together to create the vibe of my room! The colors compliment each other beautiful and I feel as if my room is a great representation of my personality, bubbly, bright, happy, and colorful..and full of quotes!

I even happened to find on of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes, "Why fit in when you were born to stand out" on a wall canvas at Francesca's! I love seeing this right when I wake up as it gives me motivation for the day.

While there is no way I can choose a favorite section of my decorations, I have to say that the part over my desk holds a special place in my heart.

What’s your dorm room décor style? How do you like to decorate?

~ Monique ~

Fun at the Farmers Markets

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 13:26:00 +0000

One of my favorite things to do in the summer and early fall is head to local farmers markets! I know that whenever my family goes on vacation outside the city the first thing we do is find the farmers market to stock up on goodies, but there are actually a lot of good markets right here in the city! Some of these are pretty well known, like the Union Square Greenmarket, while others are a bit lower key and secret, such as the Marcus Garvey Park HERBan Farmers’ Market in Harlem (bonus points for the punny name).

Since the Union Square Greenmarket is probably the most famous, we’ll start there. I remember going to this market when I was in elementary school because we used to live close by downtown. Even if we didn’t but anything I loved to look at all the colors of the fresh flowers in the summer, the smell of the local strawberries and the look of those big homemade pretzels (every kids dream). Located on E 17^th Street &Union Square W the market is open Friday, Saturday, Monday and Wednesday generally from 8am-5pm (although for special days and times I recommends checking out their website)

Just going by the name of this next farmers market, The Tucker Square Thursday Greenmarket, I wouldn’t recognize it. However it seems so obvious when you mention its located on 66^th & Columbus Avenue right by Lincoln Center! I cant even count how many times I’ve passed this market, admiring the veggies, stopping to look at handmade clothes, and even picking up some fruit for an on the go snack. You know how there are certain things that are a constant in your life, when you see it there it is just normal and reassuring, well when I walk in this neighborhood and see this market, that’s how I feel.

Moving on to the Grand Central Market, on 42^nd between Lexington and Park, we are now inside. While I consider this a market since there is always a fresh flower stand and fresh fruits and veggies, it really looks more like a grocery store. This is a great place to go for fresh food when in midtown, a place you probably wouldn’t think to look!

Lastly, the Marcus Garvey Park HERBan Farmers’ Market in Harlem, located on West 124^th and 5^th Avenue and open Saturdays 9-5, is another one of my favorites and definitely the farthest one up town! I think this is a great location for a farmers market because it brings fresh and local produce to the neighborhood where it is scarce otherwise, brings the community together, and livens up the park! I remember a couple of years ago when we had just gotten back from London and we jet lagged I walked over there with my parents to get some peaches!

I can’t wait to start going to the one up by my school again!

What’s you favorite thing to get at farmers markets? Do you have a favorite farmers market?

~ Monique ~

Montréal Highlights Guide

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 16:29:00 +0000

O Canada! Montreal will always partially be my home because I have so much family there. I love to visit and recently got the chance. This trip we got around the city and had the change to got to amazing museums, eat some spectacular food, shop until we drop, and walk through some beautiful parts of town, including Old Montreal! Since I had a great time I thought I would put together a little guide of the highlights of the trip for anyone interested of planning to go there themselves.

Museums

Museums are always first on my list, and in my time in Montreal we had the opportunity to go to two of the best!

First up was the McCord Museum to see the “Horst: Photographer of Style” exhibition which runs from May 14^th-August 23^rd, 2015 and was organized by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Unfortunately there was no photography allowed in the exhibit, otherwise I would have bored you with an endless amount of pictures to scroll through. As I’ve mentioned before I am a huge fan of fashion photography, and that’s exactly what this show was about. Horst was one of the most well known German-American fashion photographers for Vogue’s Paris office throughout most of his life. Horst captured photographs in black & white and color photographs, with particular emphasis on the element of shadows. Some of my favorite photos included Jean Patchett, Coco Chanel, and Gloria Vanderbilt. In addition, I was blown away at the room full of covers of Vogue, it was truly fascinating to walk the timeline and see how fashion and photography changed over the years.

Next was the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to see the “Metamorphoses: In Rodin’s Studio” exhibition. This was a treat because the had the room set up with so many of Rodin’s sculptures and plaster studies that it felt as if you walked into his work studio. Here we were allowed to take pictures! My favorite sculptures were “The Kiss,” 1889 and “Eternal Spring,” 1884.

Eats

Who doesn’t love a good meal?! Well I had more than my fair share in Montreal, I almost felt as if all I did was eat the whole trip. There were my top three favorite places!

Aux Vivres (located on 4631 Boul St-Laurent) is a vegan restaurant that I went to with my grandmama on a granddaughter-grandmother date. Everything on the menu looked amazing which made it hard to choose a single dish. We settled on both getting the Buddha bowl, which consisted of a rice base and tons of broccoli, shredded carrots, cucumber, toasted sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds and grilled tofu piled on top. For an after dinner snack we shared a mango lassi (made with mangos, coconut milk, apple juice, agave, lime). On top of the fact that I LOVE magno lassis, this smoothis was certified heavenly and I’m sure any of the other smoothies on the menu would have been equally as good. Since by this time we both were so full our food babies were bursting we decided to take dessert to-go and eat it later (because you can’t just go to a vegan restaurant and not order dessert). We got the chocolate banana pie (which, bonus, was gluten free) to take home and I’m still dreaming about this creamy pie it was so good.

Jardin Nelson (located on 407 Place Jacques-Cartier) in Old Montreal was another one of my favorites! Walking through Old Montreal itself feels as if you’ve traveled back in time to some little town in Europe, but when you walk into Jardin Nelson it feels as if you really could be sitting in a café in Europe. The openness of the restaurant with umbrellas at each table, twinkle lights on all the tree trunks, surrounded by flowers and live music makes you so happy, it’s a must try for a good day out.

Lastly, Kosher Sushi Yakimono (located on 4210 Boulevard Décarie) was another treat! Although the restaurant it small the food is delicious. I am a big fan of sushi, even though I only really eat the vegetarian ones. I went with my family and shared a seaweed salad, “crab” salad and then each got our own roll (I got avocado and cucumber—delish!)

Shopping

Since there was a little bit of a heat wave when we were in Montreal we headed to Rockland Centre Mall to cool off and walk around in some air-conditioning. Here there are stores galore, just like in the U.S.

Walking

Every morning we took a little walk around the neighborhood, my two favorite routes were through the McGill campus and down Rue Sherbrooke. McGill Campus is beautiful to walk through and marvel at the architecture. Since classes hadn’t started yet it was quiet and peaceful to walk through and just observe. Then Rue Sherbrooke is a long long street that is a good walk for window-shopping and people watching!

Have any of you been to Montreal or any of these places? What’s your favorite thing to do when you visit an new city?

~ Monique ~

Blue & White Back to School Outfit Details

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 13:11:00 +0000

As I go back to school shopping I try not to think about the fact that summer is coming to an end and focus on the fact that I now have the chance to add some much needed pieces of clothing to my wardrobe! If you take a peek into my closet you will see that most of my clothes revolve around blue and white. I mean, there are many different shades of blue and white so I’m not completely boring! Recently I’ve been pretty obsessed with aquamarine blue since it reminds me of the ocean. In my closet I have pure white and off-white tank tops (I am a HUGE fan of pretty tanks and wear them year round), an obsessive amount of tops with white lace, and about three different colors of blue jeans and even some blue yoga pants and pajama shorts. Plus sweaters. So many sweaters. Point being you can never go wring with blue and white, and they just so happen to be the colors of my college! Thus, I thought I would out together a back to school outfit post (sporting my school colors).

When picking an outfit for the first day of school it is super important to make sure you feel comfortable and confident. There have been so many times where I’ll pick out my back to school outfit and regret it the second I walk through the doors. In this case I would recommend wearing something that you know you look good in and feel good in. I do this by usually wearing my default outfit of the summer, something I’ve wore before but no one from school has seen me in yet.

This year that happens to be a pair of light blue jeans and a white lace tank top. Where I go to school it gets very hot at the end of August during the first day of classes so wearing anything more then sleeveless is not real an option. I choose this lacy white tank top because it is casual but at the same time very feminine and elegant. I love wearing light colors in the summer because it makes me feel more free and happy, compared to wearing black all winter.

(American Eagle Shirt- on clearance)

As for my bottoms, I choose these light colored jeans because they compliment the white top and are easy to move in. Pants are a no brainer and let me feel more comfortable when moving around, instead of worrying if my dress is going to blow up in the wind or that I can’t sit down cross legged in the grass, especially since you never know what to expect on the first day.

(American Eagle Jeans)

Add on some accessories and your good to go! This year I opted for American Eagle sunglasses and a flowy pair of gold leaf earrings from Francesca’s

(Similar Earrings) (Sunglasses)

The bag I am wearing in these photos is not something I would typically wear at school or even bring to school seeing that it is tiny and wouldn’t even fit my planner! However, I got this Rebecca Minkoff “Mini MAC” Convertible Cross body bag for my birthday this year and have been loving it all summer! I though it looked good with this outfit which is why it’s in the photos! Plus, this outfit can be worn not only on the first day of school but also in more of a party setting, in which case this bag would work perfectly!

(Purse)

Now you’re all set to rock your first day at school!

Let me know what your go-to first day of school outfit is! Was this post helpful? Has anyone else got a blue & white obsession?

~ Monique ~

Ps. Please remember to subscribe so your always up to date on new posts! I'd really appreciate it :)

Getting Crafty: Dorm Room Wall Décor

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 15:54:00 +0000

Senior year here I come! I honestly can’t believe I’m going to be a senior; it’s crazy how fast the past three years have flown by.

The past few days I have started to get all my school supplies and dorm things ready to pack so that I’ll be ready to move in. The past three years my dorm room wall décor has pretty much stayed that same, full of pictures of family, friends, and inspiring quotes on my wall, a black and white poster at the head of my bed, and to tie it all together some purple butterfly wings next to my desk. This year I have my own room and therefore I have more room to decorate. I want to jazz up my walls a bit and try something new!

The other day I was browsing one of my favorite blogs, Bowtiful Life, and came across Megan’s “Colorful Sophomore Dorm.” I instantly fell in love with the Lilly Pulitzer print flag banner that draped the wall above her bed. The colors lit up the room and make it look really cheerful!

Since I was already feeling crafty I decided to start right away and make my own! It’s pretty simple. All you need is a pair of scissors, a ruler, a pencil, and an old Lilly Pulitzer planner. If you do not have an old Lilly Pulitzer planner on hand (I’ve only ever had one, so that’s what I used) you can substitute the printed planner pages for magazine pages, design paper, old calendar pictures, etc.…really anything with a pattern that you like and are not bothered by cutting up).

I started by ripping out the print pages from my planner. These tend to be the pages that act as month dividers and are full print design. Once I had my pile I began with a trial where I used my ruler and pencil to sketch an even triangle. I then cut the triangle out using my scissors and proceeded to use that one as a base stencil for making the rest of the triangles for the flag banner! Once I had cut all the flags I tried to organize them in color order so I would be ready to hang them on my dorm room wall in a couple of weeks!

If anyone else has wanted to make a flag banner this is a really simple way to do it and recycle/reuse paper at the same time. Let me know if any of you have done this before or will try it now!

Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a post, I’d really appreciate it!

~Monique~

The Healthy Snack Attack

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 13:24:00 +0000

Summer in New York City is hot, and so whenever I’m out and about all day I make sure to stop midway for a cool snack to rebalance my body temperature. Since I’ve been out a lot lately, which means a lot of snacks, I always make sure to find one that is healthy! In addition, since I am gluten-free I always have to check that there is no wheat or gluten in what ever I am eating. This summer I have been on a quest to find the best smoothie or smoothie bowl and I have found more than one that lives up to my expectations!

Here is my top four:

Juice Press

On the way around town last week I walked passed Juice Press, and having been in there only once before I decided to go in a try something new! I have now been there three times would recommend just about everything in the store. The Juice Press is all organic with so many gluten-free and vegan options it’s hard to choose just one, including smoothies, cold juice press and raw foods.

I had the “Heaven on Earth” smoothie and, true to it’s name, was in heaven from one sip. This smoothie is a combination of almond milk, bananas, dates, almond butter, and cacao, amongst other raw ingredients all blended into a yummy bundle of goodness.

The second time I hit the store I got the “Vital Force Acai Parfait” (pictured blow), which was different but equally as good. The third time I got the “Superfood Acçai Nut Mix” which I will deem as my favorite of the three. The “Superfood Açai Nut Mix” was like an intense, rich, açai-chocolate pudding with a buckwheat and almond crust. It was a midday dessert treat!

Organic Avenue

The second I walked into Organic Avenue I loves the atmosphere. The workers were so friendly and helpful, even making the Symphony Smoothie Bowl fresh for me right on the spot!

Juice Generation

I have only been to Juice Generation once, but I would certainly go back. Since I had never been their before I didn’t know what to expect but there was a long line and so I assumed that was a good thing and meant it was worth the wait. It was a hard decision but I ended up getting the Aloha Açai Bowl that was topped with pineapple, bee pollen, and hemp granola.

Jamba Juice

I remember when I was younger I used to always think smoothies from Jamba Juice were the biggest treat, especially because they were so thick and filling! I hadn’t been there for a couple of years but saw a sign that they had new energy bowls and so decided to give it a go. I got the Açai Priomo Bowl that came topped with fruit and was a very cold and refreshing treat in the heat.

Last but not least is a place that is not on this list because I haven’t had the chance to try it yet! I’ve heard such good things about Liquiteria that it’s only a matter of time until I go give it a try!

Have you tried any of these places? What’s your favorite summertime snack?

Let me know what you think and please subscribe if you liked this!

~Monique ~

Flower Power: My Everyday Style

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 15:02:00 +0000

Happy Tuesday everyone!

To kick off this week I’ve decided to share my first style posts! Blogging about fashion and style has been something I have been thinking about for a while and am so excited to share it with all of you. Some of my favorite blogs that I follow have to do with fashion and I’m so happy to start contributing to that side of the blogging world.

What first drew me to the fashion and style side of blogging was the photography. I am a huge admirer of fashion photography and think it is so creative. Each picture tells a story and transports you to another place, just like every outfit a person wears tells you a little bit about them and what they’re feeling. Everyone’s style is unique and is an expression of who they are and how they want to be seen. It is a magical thing because just by putting on a different outfit or changing your dress you can feel like a completely different person. I feel that by sharing my style with you all I’ll be sharing a little bit more of myself!

Thus, for my first style post I’m sharing my go-to everyday look. This Old Navy flower dress is my summer staple! I’ve literally worn it at least once a week for the past three month because it’s just so comfortable!

(Similar Dress: Old Navy)

I also don’t go anywhere with out my Sam Edelman sandals. These guys have gotten me around the world for two years and never let me down. Most people always look at my feet when I’m wearing these sandals (which is everyday to be honest) and ask me if my feet hurt or do they have enough support, and my answer is always no, my feet never hurt, and yes, they have a great deal of support. Yes they do, like no other sandal I’ve had before!

(Similar Sandals: Sam Edelman)

Turning to my everyday accessories I have two favorites. One is my Links of London silver charm bracelet with a heart charm that was a gift for my 17^th birthday. Anyone who knows me knows that it is a part of me and I don’t go anywhere without it. I even went though a phase for a few weeks were I would wear it to sleep (I’ve grown out of that now and it lives on my bed side table at night haha). I love this bracelet because it is light, delicate and elegant. It can be dressed up and worn to a fancy event such as a wedding or worn everyday in a causal setting paired with some jeans.

(Links of London)

Number two of my everyday accessories is my blue opal Nikki Hamsa necklace from The Neshama Project. I fell in love with this necklace the instant I saw someone else wearing it in the street and had to ask them wear they got it. The blue opal, although synthetically made, glows and brings out the light it you. A Hamsa is a hand symbol and keeps away the evil spirits. Easy to pair with every outfit, I’ve been wearing mine nonstop. In addition, I love what The Neshama Project stands for, promoting whole body, mind, and soul healing and the soulful journey. If you haven't heard of them I highly recommend you check them out!

(The Neshama Project)

I hope you all enjoyed this first style post! What’s you’re favorite everyday piece?

Don’t forget to subscribe and let me know what you think, I’d really appreciate it!

~ Monique ~

Tips and Tricks to De-Stress and Relax

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 20:03:00 +0000

Today I’m writing about something a little more on the personal side and branching out more into the lifestyle side of my blog; today I will be talking about the perils of anxiety and ways to de-stress and relax.

Going from a high stress high school situation to a high stress college meant that I always had to be “on” and always had a long list of things to do with not a lot of time. I’m a very perfectionistic person and I am known to put more pressure on myself than anyone else puts on me, thus creating anxiety and even more stress. Over the years I have learned that the most important thing is to take time for yourself! Whether this means twenty minutes alone time while you’re eating breakfast or writing in a journal before bed, to just listening to music and jamming out as you walk to class. For me, this summer has played a very important part in my road to healing and exploration of doing fun and relaxing things that have nothing to do with school for once!

Here is a list of the things that I do to de-stress:

Exercise

As Elle Woods once said, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” This is probably one of my most quoted movie lines (and keep in mind I quote movies in every day conversation like it’s my job) and so I’ve finally taken its advice! When I was in high school I had a routine where I would go to the gym everyday school for about 45 minutes. While sometimes it felt like a waste of time because I could have been getting a head start in my homework in reality it boosted my energy so that I would got my work done faster when I worked out before hand. It also made me happy! Fast forward to college where I considered working out just walking to class and up my dorms stairs. So this summer I knew that had to be remedied and I have taken up Pilates. I have made a routine were I’ll take my yoga mat into my room and go through about two or three of Blogilates YouTube videos. I would definitely recommend them to a friend!

Read for fun

Lately reading had become more of a chore for school rather than a fun activity so this summer I’ve looked back at my bookshelf and started re-reading some of my favorite books. I love doing this because since I already know the story line I don’t have to focus so hard on the details and an just relax as I read and make the characters come to life in my imaginations.

Some of my favorite books to read are, of course, all the Harry Potter books series by JK Rowling, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and basically any book written by Ally Carter (although I do have a soft spot for I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You).

Yoga Stretches

I used to detest doing yoga because I never felt like it relaxed me but rather made me antsy, however this summer that changed. I’ve made it a practice to do about a twenty-minute routine of yoga stretches in the morning right after I wake up to get my day started.

Some of my favorite movies include the child’s pose, down ward facing dog, and the happy baby pose.

Pinterest

Now this may seem weird, go on the internet to relax when usually the computer awakens your senses. However, I have found that going on Pinterest actually helps me relax quite a bit. I love to look at pictures of things that I love! Usually I’ll search either pretty flowers, inspiring quotes, the beach, really anything happy that just puts me in a good mood.

Write, draw, and doodle you’re heart out

I’m a big fan of doodling and drawing. More often than not I’ll just pick up a mechanical pencil and some plain white copy paper and start to draw one thing that inspires me. I love to focus on detail, so usually my drawings are of roses and rose pedals or architectural details of my favorite buildings! Recently I discovered that in front of the New York Public Library’s biggest branch, the Stephan A. Schwarzman Building on 5^th Avenue and 42^nd street right by Bryant Park there is a Bryant Park Art Cart! Right outside the library there is a cluster of tables and chairs set up with different kinds of art supplies and an abundance of paper. Anyone can walk right up and sit down and star drawing. As an advocator for the arts I love this idea and hope everyone in the city takes advantage of it! The other day I was walking by in-between appointments and sat and drew the details of the library building for about half an hour. Being outside and drawing is very relaxing for me and really made me feel more at ease the rest of the day because I had done something that I loved!

The same goes for writing, I’ve learned to always keep a little journal in my purse just incase I want to write something down. When was younger I always wanted to keep a diary and be the kind of person that diligently write down the contents of their day every night but I was never good and it and got bored to quickly. Thus, but keeping a journal with you there is no pressure and you have the freedom to jot down thoughts wherever they come to mind. I have found that just writing things out can reduce anxiety because it then feels like you have control over the situation.

Have a Dance Party

I have recently re-read Sarah Dessen’s novel Along for the Ride and was reminded of the fact that some of the characters in the book who all work together have a nightly 9 o’clock dance party! I thought this was a great idea to bring back! Having a little dance party, even if it is by yourself in your room, can be a great way to de-stress and get your energy up. Pick a song, put it on loud and just jump around, jam out, and sing your heart out for a few minutes! If I were in charge I would make this a mandatory part of everyone’s day :)

Let me know which one of these relaxation tricks worked for you and don’t forget to subscribe, I’d really appreciate it!

~ Monique ~

My Italy Adventure: Part I

noreply@blogger.com (More Than A City Girl) — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 20:19:00 +0000

Taking a trip down memory lane in honor of Throw back Thursday today! Spent a good couple of hours today looking back at all my pictures from when I studied abroad in Rome, Italy two years ago! Wow how time flies!

The thing I love about traveling is that I feel as if I am living my life to the fullest when I am exploring a new city! When your traveling every day counts, every minute you spend wandering new corners of the city and being out and about is a memory in the making and paints a story to tell later. It’s tiring, but exciting; a huge contrast to my recent days where I’ve slept late and spent my days on the computer and not leaving the house.

So let’s start at the beginning. Although I went to Italy with a group it was my first time traveling abroad by myself (without my parents that is)—a big step for a homebody like me. Since I was going to another country where I didn’t speak the language we always travelled in groups. When we first arrived I would never have imagined being able to navigate the city by myself. However, a month later on our last days in Rome I had two days all to myself. And guess what, they turned out to be my favorite days of the whole trip! I finally had the chance to explore the beautiful city and do just what I wanted, not what other people in the group wanted to see! In doing what I wanted I started to find myself, going through the old part of Rome with the cobble stone streets, seeing grand architecture, museums, and of course seeing some of the ruins. So here's my message to you: don't be afraid of trying something new! More often than not it will be the best things that's ever happened to you :)

My favorite parts of the days included going to Piazza Navona! The Piazza is a huge open area, lined by cafes and filled with fountains and street art vendors. It also happened to be right near Grom, a gelato store :) I may have had gelato twice that day, once being for breakfast hehe. Well, when in Rome right?! I sat there for a good couple of hours watching the people go by and reading in the sun.

From Piazza Navona I walked to the Trevi Fountain and made a wish while throwing a coin in the water (à la The Lizzie McGuire Movie obviously ;)). Although I had seen pictures of the Trevi fountain nothing really prepared me for seeing it in person. The sculpture! The clear blue water! It is truly a masterpiece; and a crowded place to be, so I didn’t stick around too long. But I didn’t leave without getting gelato #2 of the day and eating it while I watched the fountain!

Next I walked over to the Spanish Steps located in Piazza di Spagna. One of my favorite Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck movies is Roman Holiday and since I felt as if I was having my own little Roman Holiday seeing the Spanish Steps was a must since it is one of the places Audrey’s character goes first in the film! While walking up the steps felt as if I could have been walking up stairs anywhere it was the view from the top that really got me. The whole city right there! I don’t know how long I stood there admiring the view…and taking pictures!

The next day I woke up early and headed over the open-air market in Piazza Campo de’Fiori. There I found an abundance of fresh fruit & veggies, dried fruit, homemade pasta, fresh orange juice, and much, much more. Everywhere you look you see color, and the best part is it's all natural.

After all that shopping I was hungry, so what could cure that, gelato of course! The other day I had passed by a huge gelato place and decided to head back to try it. Turns out I had found on of the most famous gelato stores in Rome! Della Palma Gelato di Roma (located at Via della Maddalena, 19-23, Roma, Italy—incase you wanted to go) has 150 flavors and more! Walking in all you see are cases and cases of gelato spanning the walls and lines of people just waiting to try a new flavor! I ended up treating myself and getting three scoops—chocolate, hazelnut, and strawberry—double yum!

And that’s all I did for two days! Simple and sweet, but perfect.

Over the course of the month as a class we visited so many other things in the city and had weekend trips to Venice, Florence, and Pompeii, which I’ll write about in another post. All of them were special in their own way, although visiting Florence has a special place in my heart!

While in Rome here were a couple of my other favorite spots:

The Victor Emmanuel II Monument (aka the Altare della Patria) located in Piazza Venezia

The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill located at Via di San Gregorio, 00193 Roma, Italy.

Here I specifically remember I could feel the history of the spot where we stood, and all the people who stood there before me.

The Vatican

I think it goes without saying that if you are going to visit Rome you are going to visit the Vatican. I was lucky enough to be able to tour the Vatican museum with my class and I think I took over one hundred pictures there alone. The ceilings and walls are adorned with paintings that you can’t pass up the opportunity to see. My favorite thing about the Vatican museum was the attention to detail on every little corner of everything you laid eyes on from the door handles to the windows to the artwork itself.

St. Peter’s Basilica (located at Piaza San Pietro, Vatican city) and the Dome

The Colosseum

Have any of you been to Rome before? Do you have a favorite place to travel? Let me know!

~ Monique ~