new york

New York City has never really been at the top of my list of places I want to visit. I had been once before when I was about seven years old for the Macy's Day Parade + I suppose thought it would just be hard to top that trip. Or maybe it was the fact that I live in a pretty great city of my own that I wasn't dying to to go to a bigger, smellier version of my home.

When my favorite male artist (Jamie xx) + my favorite female artist (Maya Jane Coles) announced a show together in Brooklyn it seemed like as good of a reason as any to revisit this monster of a city for one quick weekend.

We arrived early on Saturday + headed straight to Central Park on one very beautiful day.

From there we wandered through Times Square which was a pretty awful experience. The Naked Cowboy got uncomfortably close to me so it is safe to say that I never need to go back there again in my life.

After a quick siesta we headed to a wonderful Portuguese restaurant called Lupulo in K-Town. We went early enough that it wasn't hard to get in + the food was really really great. If you're in a major city + unsure where to eat just check out Eater. The Chicago version is always spot on so I figured the same would be true for New York + it was.

After dinner we headed to a rooftop bar called 230 Fifth with phenomenal views + a mediocre crowd. Not necessarily a place I would go to all the time but the view is totally worth it for out-of-towners. From there we wandered over to the Meatpacking District/Highline area which was clearly the place to be on a Saturday night. I would've liked to see more of that neighborhood in day time.

Day two brought us to Brooklyn which was my personal fav. Every bar, shop, nook, + cranny was just inherently cool. I've never had a desire to live in New York City but Williamsburg changed my mind just a little bit. I would easily go back to NYC + spend all of my time in Williamsburg.

...Next season on Vice...

I wish I could say how much I loved Jamie xx + Maya Jane Coles but I had a tummy ache + the music was just okay. More on that HERE.

Outside of those highlights we mostly just walked + walked + ate pizza. And then walked more.

There were some cool neighborhoods that I would like to go back + visit some day but one of my favorite things about this trip was the very cool AirBnB we stayed in in East Villiage. Some Italian photographer + his artist girlfriend lived there + there apartment was just so interesting + filled with light.

And there were fun things for me to play with, like this fencing mask...

To top it off (literally), it had this giant rooftop with a beautiful view of the city. Definitely a selling point.

That's about NYC for me in a nutshell. It was a good little getaway but I was glad to head home with Chromatics playing on repeat through my headphones. It just felt right.

My one souvenir that I'll leave you with is this accidental selfie of my RBF (resting bitch face) that I'm actually kind of a fan of.

Peace out, New York.