Au Revoir, 2014

Well, 2014 is officially over (and I am finally getting back to blogging!). This time last year, I was saying good riddance to a pretty crummy 2013, but 2014 was one for the books, from my work life to friends, travel both near & far to time I spent getting to know my city (even) better. While I'm not wild about new years, the turn of the calendar (it's just the clock striking midnight for yet another day) or resolutions—more on that in another post to come—I do like that I have this little virtual diary to track what's happened so far, and I have another 73 days left until spring so I might as well reminisce about something.

I pulled a lot of the images for this post from my instagram feed in 2014, and looking over it reminded me of some of the amazing things that happened last year (gotta love virtual diaries, no?). Now, I know some of you are probably like, "I don't really care for yet another re-cap from another blogger about their year" (and I think Hitha wrote a great post on this here) but for me, this is more personal. It's a reminder of how far I've come and an inspiration to make the coming spring, summer & fall just as amazing! At the start of 2013, I was feeling unsatisfied in my job when my grandpa got very sick and passed later that spring. It was the first close family death I'd had to really deal with, and it hit me hard. I entered a pretty deep depression and my stressed, lowered immune system fell ill with a virus that wiped me out for months. Things finally started to turn around the last few months as I took on a new job and made an effort to get back out there, but it was really this past spring when I came back out of my shell and vowed to stop letting myself mope or make excuses and start living my life.

I tend to "hibernate" during January and most of February, fashion week and work obligations aside, taking the time to fully un-wind while the days are short (hence part of the reason I've been slow getting back to posting here) and spend as much time relaxing at home and biding my time til the temps warm up. Once they *finally* did this past year, I was on the go around NYC constantly, frequently packing two to three week stretches of time with plans every night and weekend. Picnics in the park, sprawling out with a book in the park, more brunch dates than I could possibly count, pool parties, colorful drinks in the sunshine, flea markets, farmer's markets, early weekend SoulCycle classes then wandering SoHo, happy hours and dinners and rooftops and museums and beaches and bright, warm Saturdays in Brooklyn—nothing was left off my agenda.

I crossed a lot of new things off my list, but also found myself back at my old favorites pretty often, too. Brunch at Joseph Leonard's is always a must, as is a day trip out to Jones Beach (SO much cleaner and nicer than Rockaways or Coney Island!). This summer was my first time on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum, and I can't wait to grab a drink up there next summer, too. I mixed some old favorites + new to-do's in this post, and am pretty proud that I managed to cross all of them off my list, the last one being a trip to the Glass House in Connecticut in early November.

For someone who'd been on a plane only once before college and about twice a year during college, this was definitely my most-traveled year yet. Most of my plane travel since moving to NYC has been to fly back home to see family and friends (a wedding in Mexico aside), but I've been making a conscious effort to see and do more while I'm young and unattached to much of anything. My first trip of the year was to Arizona to visit my very dearest friend, followed by a weekend in D.C. later that spring, a quick trip home (where I celebrated my 25th birthday and went to a wedding), several trips to various beaches and Long Island over the summer, a day trip upstate for horse races, finally capped off with another, longer trip home for my sister's wedding. September and October were a whirlwind at work, then I jumped on another plane for a last-minute trip to London.

So, needless to say, that skyline view was one I got used to this year (anyone else also try to spot their apartment/street from the plane every time they come in to land at home? That can't be just me. This picture is over Brooklyn, so my place is a bit further north!). I still love the feeling of flying in over the city, and will never forget the first time I looked out the window after my first trip back home in 2011  and thought, "This is home." That being said, after traveling so much this year—especially to Europe—I was reminded that New York City probably isn't my forever home. I'd love to live in Europe and was surprised by how much I enjoyed and appreciated London, even more so once I'd landed back on our soil. Now, before you get ahead of me, I have no idea when I will leave the city. It could be in a year, five years, a decade…it's not a plan, just an idea and a thought right now, and there's no reason to say I wouldn't come back after I lived in whatever my next city will be (because I do  really love this one, after all). 

There's a lot more I could say on 2014, but sometimes memories are best re-lived inside the head of the person they belong to because, truthfully, they're just not that interesting to someone who wasn't a part of them! I've got another post coming up (hopefully later this week) about what I'm now looking forward to, and some goals I've been working on and hope to make progress on over the next twelve months. I'll leave you with some of my favorite posts from 2014!

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What are your favorite memories of 2014? Anything you're really looking forward to trying out (or doing again) in 2015? 

all photos copyright Rose Mayo for Blonde in this City

Link Love

TGIF! Like many of the weeks preceding, this week seems to have felt impossibly long, likely because I've been counting down to this weekend in my head pretty much since I got back to London. 

Why, you might ask? Because I'm heading home for the holidays on (a very very early flight) Sunday morning, which means three things—sleep, LOTS of Netflix, and cuddling with my dog. Most of the adults in my family, a.k.a. everyone but my cousin who's in college, are in serious relationships/married/with children, leaving me to be the lone single adult in the family (obviously my response is "Yeah but I live in New York City"). This means it's totally excusable for me to barely get dressed over the week I'm home except to hit up old haunts at night with friends in town—and I totally own it.  

My theoretical plans include getting some more things together for this little blog, as I've got some thoughts and reflections on 2014 along with goals and things I'm looking forward to in 2015. But, first, I'm going to set no alarms for a few days and have already booked an end-of-year massage at a favorite little spa in Des Moines as a treat to myself! We'll see how far I get on all of that, but I'm looking forward to hitting the *reset* button after a great but long year. Now, for the good stuff—links to browse, read and shop while you're procrastinating at work (because hey, it's Friday, and it's almost Christmas).

I could totally relate to Victoria's post on real life vs. instagram—many of my feelings are the same!

If you're a total last-minute gift shopper but hate going to the store...Zappos has free two-day shipping! Confession: I purchased several gifts from my family from their pretty amazing selection.

Did you watch How It's made in college? It was a procrastination favorite of mine...this is a great read on How It's Made is made.

I'm moving bedrooms in my apartment soon (doubling my space!), so I'm pinning TONS of interior inspiration right now.

I recently discovered The Financial Diet and spent an afternoon reading every. single. post. If you're a 20-something who needs to get your financial sh*t together (*raises hand*), it'll be like a friend cheering you on—and giving you a serious wake-up call. 

Jonathan Adler just added tons of new markdowns to their sale section (up to 50% off!). Great gifts & little pick-me-ups galore.

I've made it a goal to read more this year, especially classic literature I missed out on growing up (I just finished a George Orwell book and am currently in the midst of some Hemingway!). The NY Times also released their 100 Notable Books of 2014—I only made it to a handful! How many did you read? 

Feeling inspired by emerald hues right now.

A really cool read on the artist who draws her daughter's outfits.

Anthropologie is offering 20% off selected gifts right now—including that heavily 'grammed monogram mug.

Hallie celebrated a birthday recently and shared some great reflections...wisdom much-needed since I'm rapidly approaching my late 20's (seriously, how is my ten-year high school reunion in just over a year?).

I usually find these posts pretty sappy, but this one's worth a share: why you should move to a city where you don't know anyone.

Hitha always has the best travel tips, and this is one to bookmark—eating healthy while traveling! I always pack snacks, especially since it can be tough to track down relatively healthy veggie-friendly meals in airports.

*images 1,2 4 via image 3 via

Photo Diary: The Glass House

Early last month, a friend and I took the train up to New Canaan, Connecticut to see Philip Johnson's Glass House with Fujiko Nakaya's fog installation, Veil.

I first spotted the house & the installation on Whitney Hayes' instagram feed (an incredible one to follow, if you don't already!) over the summer, when The Glass House arranged for an amazing group of instagram photographers to tour the grounds—search #emptypjglasshouse on instagram to see all the photos. I made it a priority (which I talked about here) to make it there before the installation ended in late November and they closed up for winter. Naturally, things kept coming up weekend after weekend—this year was a busy one—and we finally settled on the first weekend of November.

As luck would have it, the day we picked ended up being cold and rainy, but it also made for a serene visit. We did a guided tour despite first wanting to do the self-guided tour, where you get about an hour more to wander the grounds as you please (all of those were sold out—they're only offered about twice a month, and only once on a weekend). In retrospect, the guided tour is a great idea if you've never visited and especially if you're only vaguely or not at all familiar with the grounds, as we were. 

The train from NYC out of Grand Central takes just over an hour and drops you on the main street of New Canaan, right across from the visitor center for the Glass House. Once you check in, they give you a little time to wander the visitor center, where they have a selection of mid-century modern home goods for sale, along with architecture books, and a wall of digital photos showing the Glass House at various times of year over its 65 year history, before a small bus takes you on a short scenic trip to the grounds (make sure to look out the windows on the way over—there are a lot of amazing houses in New Canann, including several more minimalist, modern home from the 50's and 60's.)

Now, for a little bit about the house...Philip Johnson was an architect who first studied at Harvard after high school and became best known for his post-modern work, particularly with glass, in the 40's and 50's. He built the Glass House as a weekend and summer retreat for himself and his partner, David Whitney (yes, from that family) and spent much of his time here. What I loved most about visiting was how comfortable the house felt, despite its minimalist vibes. It doesn't feel like you're visiting a museum, but rather a home where the owner has maybe just stepped out for a bit. It's obvious how much he loved the property and the home, which he called his pavilion for viewing nature (and what a view there is!). Frequent summer guests included renowned artists, dancers and musicians—Andy Warhol was a close friend, and some of his work is on display in the Painting Gallery.

Over the 50 or so years he spent there (Johnson passed in 2005), he purchased surrounding land and added on—first with an all-brick guest house not far from The Glass House, along with a Pond Pavilion,  the aforementioned Painting Gallery, Sculpture Gallery, Study, and very surreal-looking property at the front called Da Monsta (it reminded me of Beetlejuice—I didn't get any great pictures of it, though!). Several art installations are scattered about, too, but our tour didn't cover the full grounds so I only spotted them from afar. There are low-lying stone walls throughout the property and at the front near the road, many of which date back to the 1800's. There's also an old farmhouse (pictured up top) that Johnson restored and used for laundry, storage and a few other amenities. These days it's been converted in office and storage for events and the like, but it stands in sharp contrast to the other buildings on the 40+ acres.

Post-tour, we decided to hang out in New Canaan a little longer, so we wandered down the main road to Elm, a cute restaurant with a solid brunch menu, and clearly inspired by the postmodern reputation about town (they've also catered several of the parties that take place the the Glass House over the summer!). The main drag had a cozy, comforting feel, and had it not been raining and we hadn't had plans in the city that night, we probably would have stayed a while and wandered around. Regardless, I'm already planning to bring my mom up next summer when she visits.

Now, about the fog...unfortunately, the installation was just for this year—though I wish they'd make it permanent. There's a nice video from the opening here that gives you a better idea of the layout of the property and effects of the fog when you're visiting. It was pretty easy to get completely lost in! Melissa Hope also has some amazing photos up from shortly before I visited.

The Glass House re-opens on May 1 next year.

*all photos shot by Rose Mayo for Blonde in this City

Young & Able

Last month, Rachel over at The Style Line reached out to see if I'd like to participate in a project with Young & Able, an online shop that supports emerging designers and currently has a pop-up in NYC at 345 Broome Street in SoHo.

I was happy to say yes, since one of the things that first drew me to blogging was the ability to discover all things new and exciting, from designers to shops to artists and more. They paired myself and a few other bloggers up with some of the designers, asking us to style a piece from their collection for the season. Mind you, it was a tad bit warmer out when we took these photos in November, so I shunned tights (I've since caved, but I'd like to take this moment for a PSA: spring is only 98 days away). It's also a little weird to look at these photos and realize just how long my hair got this year—I had about five inches chopped off last weekend!

The first designer was Nicole Lenzen, who makes beautiful, simple and incredibly flattering pieces that I could see myself wearing just about anywhere, from the office to drinks to holiday parties and into spring. It should come as no surprise that I gravitated towards a pretty blue silk number, which paired up pretty perfectly with my velvet Bionda Castana boots I scored at 70% off a few months ago (you can find 'em almost as cheap here).

Fun fact: we shot these photos right outside my apartment in Queens! That's my building on the left in the photo below—we're up on the second floor.

wearing: Banana Republic trench coat || Nicole Lenzen Erin dress || Bionda Castana boots 

The other designer I paired up with was Shana Luther, a Brooklyn-based leather goods designer. I particularly liked her cross-body bag, a style I've been drawn to lately as I look to downsize the amount of sh*t I'm carrying around daily (at minimum, I always have my wallet, phone, keys, a small makeup bag with hair ties, hand cream, lip balm, an eyeliner and lipstick, a book to read and a notebook to jot things down in, plus headphones and a charger cord). Cross-body bags are becoming a favorite because I've also found they lessen the strain on my shoulders...I carry my purse on the right side, and my neck/shoulder are always, always stiff and sore.

This is my "Am I doing weird things with my feet?" look. Cute, no? 

Make sure to check out the full project over on The Style Line, and stop by the Young & Able pop-up at 345 Broome in NYC if you're in town! 

wearing: Acne Dania sweater || COS wool skirt || Vince slip-on sneakers (size down 1/2 size!)

Photos: Christina Emilie