What would you do if you had 24 hours in New York? Well, that recently happened to me, and it just so happened to be my birthday that day, too. Being a person born two days after Christmas isn't always the most fun, but it does have it's perks. Perks include: everything being decked out and festive, fun Christmas/ New Years things to do, and snow. The cons include places like Bryant park ice skating rink being SUPER packed, everyone traveling/ being out of town, and snow. I put snow as a pro and a con because while I love it, not everyone does. So here's what we did given those points. Come along on a day in New York with me!

To start, we decided we wanted to explore a new part of the city I hadn't seen before, so we headed to Brooklyn. The day started with a coffee from Sweat Shop, the cutest little coffee shop a stone's throw from the main drag in Williamsburg. 

Wall art at Sweatshop NYC

The Avocado Toast with fried egg and bacon at Sweatshop NYC - amazing for post-birthday celebration hangovers!

Hot coffee and a pink beanie will warm up even the chilliest of New York days.

Backpack, from Tictail

I decided to wear all pink on my birthday, because it's my favorite color right now and I'm really into monochrome dressing at the moment! Why wouldn't you wear all pink when given the choice, am I right? I actually wasn't cold during the day at all with a beanie and second layer under the sweater, and over the knee boots are surprisingly practical for walking around the city and keeping your legs warm. A backpack is a great way to carry more stuff than a cross body will hold while still being portable and chic. 

After coffee I changed into jeans and a long camel coat, because this California girl was getting COLD. Our friends Cole and Caroline then took us over to Dumbo, which was another first for me. If you've never been, for sure go to this area to check out the views! 

The Dumbo Bridge

We also stopped into a few shops, one of them was an awesome vintage store where I swooped a 1970's silk scarf and tried on these 80's french sunglasses.

Flower marts in NYC are the best, and they're at basically every corner.

After we explored Dumbo, we headed to Manhattan for some more site seeing and dinner. First we (attempted) Bryant Park for outdoor ice skating, but it was wayyyy too busy. We had to settle for sipping on a whisky on their patio while watching the ice skaters instead of participating, which was obviously totally fine. 

View of The Chrysler Building from Bryant Park

After taking in the ice skaters at Bryant Park it was time for dinner, and we headed for Bill's Townhouse, an upscale French style dining experience I will NEVER forget. To say our meal was decadent would be an understatement. We were truly spoiled and everything was absolutely incredible. We noshed on everything from oysters to lobster and steak. SO GOOD! I can't wait to go back. 

The private upstairs dining room at Bill's Townhouse, NYC. 

We sipped on Old Fashions while we perused the menu. 

The rest of the evening consisted of bouncing around some of New York's awesome bars and enjoying the evening with friends, much of which is a little fuzzy and I don't have the greatest pics of, ha! That being said, I could not have asked for a better day in New York, and can't wait to be back! All in all, it was a great success. We ate, we drank, we shopped, and it was perfect. 

What are some of your favorite things to do in the Big Apple? I'd love to hear for my next trip!

xx, Genevieve

All images in this post courtesy of Brian Gove for The Style Sauce, copyright 2017.

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There's a reason there's so many songs written about it. Fall in New York is indescribable. I already knew New York was my favorite city, but this time around being there during October really made me fall in love (no pun intended ;)) I'm not sure if it's the incredible food and coffee, the briskness in the air, the orange and yellow leaves, football and baseball on TV, or a combination of all of these things, but New York is absolutely amazing in Autumn. When we took the photos in this post I had literally walked all over the city- roughly 10 miles- exploring different burroughs by foot. While downtown Soho/ Tribeca/ Nolita area is my favorite, we ended our day in Central Park after walking up the High Line (definitely something all visitors to NYC should do!). Us Southern Californians have a shortage of leaves changing color and it was worth the trip up town to see.  By the end of the day I was physically exhausted but mentally exhilarated, an affect that this city just always seems to have on you. Actually, I am so stricken and in love with New York that I plan to move there within the next year, so that's something I'm really looking forward to! 

As for what I'm wearing in this post, when I was preparing myself for a day turned to night in New York, layers were the answer. It was pretty mild during the day but got cool at night. I had flat boots on to walk the city but changed into the heeled Sam Edelman ones you see here to meet friends for drinks that evening. It's the kind of thing that's very Uptown meets Downtown depending on the shoe you have on and maybe the amount of eyeliner, ha. Also, this cape/poncho/whateveryouwanttocallit- it's from last Fall, but such a classic and I'm still seeing them all over for this year's shopping. I love feeling like I can wear pieces like this year after year and still be fashion forward and put together. It's a great feeling when you don't have to throw away a favorite from last year, isn't it? I'm putting some similar ones in the shop gallery below if any of you are looking for something similar to purchase now. I'd highly recommend a piece like this especially in a tartan or plaid which is so timeless and classic. 

What are some of your places to go and shop in New York? I would love to hear for next time I'm in the Big Apple.  I could go on and on about New York's fashion and my favorite places there,  but I'll save that until I actually make the move from West Coast to East- stay tuned ;)

Xo,

The Style Sauce

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