OH VACATION

I'm back from a four day romp in NYC! Two friends from out of town were visiting over New Years and we had a big NYC adventure planned. Good times were had by all. I really enjoyed shopping in Brooklyn. Thrift stores are your friend! Brooklyn was my favorite part. We only spent the one day in Brooklyn which I was sad about. If I decided to go to NYC for graduate school I'll want to live in Brooklyn for sure. It's (mostly) more affordable and I like the atmosphere better. The streets are wider, the buildings shorter, less crowded. You're not constantly getting bumped into by tourists who can't walk and stare at the big buildings at the same time. Brooklyn is the place for me!

Manhattan was cool too, don't get me wrong. You can't MOVE though. People are always standing around in the middle of the side walk, gaping at things or yelling on their cell phones. There's always someone in your way in Manhattan. At least in the parts we were walking around. There are probably more mellow parts of the island but we didn't find any of them.

Next time I go I just want to explore. There's so much to discover in New York! The city is designed to take a lot of money from people who don't know any better and we sure didn't! I want to find the good places to shop/eat/play that don't cost an arm and a leg. I know there are lots because people do have to live in the city on budgets. There are lots of poor, low income, and middle class people who live in New York. I want to find the places they do their every day things. Mostly I want to experience what it's like to live there for myself.

I was hoping to see more weirdos! Maybe the cold keeps them covered up in their wool coats. I know I was bundled up and couldn't show my true colors until I found an awesome mustard yellow and red plaid coat for $18.50 at Buffalo Exchange! The first two days in the city were spent wearing my grandmother's old coat. It's nice and warm but it's totally shapeless. There are trash bags out there with more shape to them! I was really excited to find the new coat because it has a shape to it! I felt much sassier in my new coat! I just don't feel myself if I'm not wearing something bold and colorful. As much as I get annoyed when people stare at me I would feel much more uncomfortable if I wore all black and grey. I would rather deal with ignorant people who can't appreciate bright colors and bold patterns than dress to disappear.

ANYWAY! I really liked being in the city. We had good times, we ate AWESOME pizza and Thai food (Tom Yum noodle soup!) and did some very fun shopping. I got a new tube of Urban Decay Primer Potion (which I love) because my old tube was all dried out and almost totally empty. Very glad to have that particular beauty basic. Wearing eyeshadow before having the PP was such a waste!

This post is such a mishmash. I'll make another one in the next few days about some items I've received in the mail that will really change the look of my Etsy shop for the better! I'm still waiting on a few items to arrive but I have enough to get started and I can't wait to get back to work! I have so many ideas floating around in the ol' head. There's so much more to come!