new york, new york

When June comes around, I always think about visiting NY. Before I set up littlenestbox, I was the bag and accessory buyer at net-a-porter. I travelled to NY (as well as Rome, Paris and Milan) 3 times a year.

June was my favourite time because it was Cruise market (a sort of holiday/vacation collection which would arrive on the site in October), and New York was my favourite trip. Some of my favourite buying appointments were in NY... Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs, DVF and Alexander Wang.

The Cruise buying trip was way more relaxed than normal. We would have a bit more time for each appointment, and I always managed to squeeze in a trip to some shops, Central Park or a couple of art galleries.

credit: Gustav Klimt (detail) and unknown

credit: Edgar Degas and Georges-Pierre Seurat (detail)

credit: Jasper Johns

credit: Big Bambu by the Starn Brothers, installation above the Met Gallery

My very favourite NY hotel was The Bowery Hotel. It was perfect! Great rooms, amazing views and walking distance to soho! The restaurant and bar are lovely too.

We also stayed at the Standard Hotel. I didn't love the location as much, but it was still a pretty nice hotel! The hotel was next to the High Line, a park built on an old rail line. The mini bar was pretty special. The view wasn't bad either!

Time does fly, doesn't it. I left my job 2 years ago. There are things I miss and things I don't. I miss visiting Paris and New York, my appointments and that staff discount! I don't miss the constant travelling, the pressure and the flights (oh so many flights). I feel much more settled now, and am enjoying the roller coaster ride of setting up my own business! I would like to go to NY again though, so I might have to start saving up!

art and chips by the sea

Turner Contemporary by Andy Tuohy

On Saturday we drove the hour or so over to Margate to check out Turner Contemporary. Currently the main exhibition is Tracey Emin, She Lay Down Deep Beneath the Sea. I don't think I've seen Emin's work in person since she won the Turner prize. There were a couple of rooms of drawings, but my favourites were the tapestries and blue embroideries as I thought the textures and colours were really interesting. Rodin's The Kiss was also in the gallery.

After that we took a wander around Margate. It felt like so many other seaside towns in the UK. Traditional with fish and chips, arcades, seafood stalls and closed down shops in the centre. Obviously we had to eat some chips by the sea! 

Walking back to the car, we stumbled across a mini village with lots of independent art galleries, vintage shops and cafes. I particularly liked the Margate Gallery, which had an exhibition by Andy Tuohy. I also really liked these stenciled graffiti designs by Stewy, scattered around the town.

On the way back, we stopped off in Herne Bay where I wandered between the beach huts. After we stopped in Whitstable. I always take a look in Frank, an independent shop with lots of lovely prints and books. 

our wedding - part 2

The day after our wedding, we headed to Suffolk for the weekend. We stayed at Tuddenham Mill, a converted 17th Century water mill. Our room was one of the mill rooms, with exposed beams and a view overlooking the stream, it was so peaceful!

The working parts of the mill were on display in the restaurant, and the hotel served the most amazing breakfasts.

We went to Thetford Forest, and on the way back home stopped in Cambridge. We walked along the canal and had a nose at the beautiful university buildings.