newly inherited shades...

I just wanted to introduce you guys to these Persols that have been passed down to me from a very dear family friend.

I'm completely, totally obsessed and in love with them.

You like?

{accessory to the crime} big black cat...

I was lucky enough to have my parents finally come visit me out here this past weekend. It was a trip almost two years coming - and I can't express how excited I was to show them around my New York and see them for the first time since Christmas.

We had a great weekend - a perfect balance of their uptown, upscale Manhattan of past visits, and my downtown day-to-day life. All the things we did piece together like a pretty great guide to wining and dining with a dash of culture and shopping from Soho to the Upper East Side:


{We dined.}

• Gotham Grill: White table clothes, amazing seafood and a very 90s New York vibe, like Gramercy Tavern and totally delicious (the seafood salad is unreal)
• The Modern: minimalist, fancy and contemporary - just like the museum (amazing duck confit)
• db Bistro Moderne: fancy and delicious
  
• The Standard Grill: great spot for an early breakfast al fresco
  
• Public: trendy, brunch-y, delicious lentil salad and great drinks
• La Piscine: on the roof of Hotel Americano; lots of delicious fried seafood with a side of DJ
  
• Brasserie Julienne: cute little french joint on 2nd Ave in the 80s, live jazz with your moules frites
  
• Morandi: loud, busy and seriously great Italian fare on Waverly and 7th Ave
  

{We drank.}

• La Piscine: Before dinner every night we had cocktails on the roof with an amazing view of the city
  
• Kingswood: After dinner at db, I brought my parents to meet up with friends and see one of my favorite West Village bars
  
• Public: a dirty martini for Mom, a bourbon iced tea for me and the Bloody Maria for Dad
  

{We saw.}

• The MoMA:the Cindy Sherman exhibit was cool and creepy, but the permanent exhibits are always refreshing and unmissable
  
• The East River Ferry: A fun and unique way to get between Manhattan and Brooklyn - especially on a warm day; we took it to and from 34th street to the flea market 
• Brooklyn Flea (Williamsburg): people watching, antique-ing and artisianal everything - of course
  
• The Met: My favorite museum in Manhattan, and the Steins Collection and Shiaparelli and Prada exhibit were crowded but truly wonderful (unfortunately the Cloud City exhibit on the roof was closed for weather)

{We shopped.}

• Uniqlo @ 53rd & 5th: picked up 4 shirts for my dad, but the crazy atmosphere and sheer amount of clothes is a little too much
  
• Treasure & Bond: cool, well-curated jewelry, gifts and apparel on lower West Broadway in Soho
  
• MoMA Design Store: so many unique and useful knick-knacks, and perfectly sized art prints for $10

the white jeans uniform...

I was lucky enough to have my parents finally come visit me out here this past weekend. It was a trip almost two years coming - and I can't express how excited I was to show them around my New York and see them for the first time since Christmas.

We had a great weekend - a perfect balance of their uptown, upscale Manhattan of past visits, and my downtown day-to-day life. All the things we did piece together like a pretty great guide to wining and dining with a dash of culture and shopping from Soho to the Upper East Side:


{We dined.}

• Gotham Grill: White table clothes, amazing seafood and a very 90s New York vibe, like Gramercy Tavern and totally delicious (the seafood salad is unreal)
• The Modern: minimalist, fancy and contemporary - just like the museum (amazing duck confit)
• db Bistro Moderne: fancy and delicious
  
• The Standard Grill: great spot for an early breakfast al fresco
  
• Public: trendy, brunch-y, delicious lentil salad and great drinks
• La Piscine: on the roof of Hotel Americano; lots of delicious fried seafood with a side of DJ
  
• Brasserie Julienne: cute little french joint on 2nd Ave in the 80s, live jazz with your moules frites
  
• Morandi: loud, busy and seriously great Italian fare on Waverly and 7th Ave
  

{We drank.}

• La Piscine: Before dinner every night we had cocktails on the roof with an amazing view of the city
  
• Kingswood: After dinner at db, I brought my parents to meet up with friends and see one of my favorite West Village bars
  
• Public: a dirty martini for Mom, a bourbon iced tea for me and the Bloody Maria for Dad
  

{We saw.}

• The MoMA:the Cindy Sherman exhibit was cool and creepy, but the permanent exhibits are always refreshing and unmissable
  
• The East River Ferry: A fun and unique way to get between Manhattan and Brooklyn - especially on a warm day; we took it to and from 34th street to the flea market 
• Brooklyn Flea (Williamsburg): people watching, antique-ing and artisianal everything - of course
  
• The Met: My favorite museum in Manhattan, and the Steins Collection and Shiaparelli and Prada exhibit were crowded but truly wonderful (unfortunately the Cloud City exhibit on the roof was closed for weather)

{We shopped.}

• Uniqlo @ 53rd & 5th: picked up 4 shirts for my dad, but the crazy atmosphere and sheer amount of clothes is a little too much
  
• Treasure & Bond: cool, well-curated jewelry, gifts and apparel on lower West Broadway in Soho
  
• MoMA Design Store: so many unique and useful knick-knacks, and perfectly sized art prints for $10

{wallet warning} Cutler & Gross shades...

Cutler & Gross sunglasses, via J. Crew, $420.

Hello, gorgeous. 

You are the most beautiful and offensively expensive sunglasses I have ever laid eyes on. You're British and Old Hollywood and glamorous and tortoise and I love you. Seeing you all over the J. Crew catalog on the faces of really darling, well-dressed brunettes with side-parted hair and low ponytails has caused me to contemplate what I would have to give up to make you mine:

1. Cold-pressed coffee

2. Most foods and cocktails

3. My half of a bedroom in Chelsea

Ugh, life is unfair. Am I right? 

Actually, let's be real for a second. It's true that this is a classic, elegant pair of sunglasses that were hand-crafted in Italy. They could last a lifetime. I could pass them down to my daughter (really, she would pry them from my cold, dead, hands). Maybe the luxurious creation process is deserving of the nearly $500 price tag. 

However (and this is the big however), it's just not necessary to splurge this wildly on a face accessory that is not made of gold and/or diamonds. At least, not at age 25 whilst job-searching in New York City. It is absolutely possible to pay $30, $50 or even $150 on a pair of shades that look excellent, protect your peepers and deserve to be worn on a vacation you can afford because you did not pay $420 plus shipping for the most gorgeous sunglasses ever.

Later in life, when I am a fabulous power lady, I will spend this much green on sunglasses. Then, I will send Jenna Lyons a hand-written thank you note for single-handedly skewing my perception of what is and is not an acceptable amount of money to spend on sunglasses. In the meantime though, let's enjoy more pictures of the undeniable beauty of Cutler and Gross #0930:

 *Seriously, J. Crew has this aspirational styling thing down to a science. You see the girl in the sunglasses, you see the car, the man, the hair, the smile. You think to yourself, me + these sunglasses = that life, no problem! Rawr.

{summer staple} that aviator lens...

Then. Now. Always.
Words can't really express how much I love this picture of my parents.
Summer officially arrives this weekend.
Let's do this.