How To :: Plan a Trip to New York City

When my mom and Aunt told my cousin and I that they wanted to gift us a girls trip for our 30th birthdays, it didn't take long for us to unanimously vote for an extended weekend in New York City. I've been lucky enough to travel to NYC quite a few times and learned early on from my dad that trip planning is crucial when visiting the Big Apple. You all know I am type-A as can be, but when traveling to a GIANT city like New York this often annoying trait really does come in handy. Because Manhattan is so huge, if you don't have your trip planned out, you'll waste so much time commuting from place to place. It really is in your best interest to have a trip mapped about before you hit the subway stenched streets running. And so, today, I bring you my tips for planning a trip to New York City. 

1. Make a list. I know, shocking that I am telling you to make a list! But seriously, the best way to start is by making a list of all the things you want to see and do. Depending on the length of your stay, you'll likely have to narrow down your list, but start by getting everything down on paper. 

2. Find a place to rest your head. I'm a firm believer that a hotel in midtown is the best place to stay in NYC. But if you have friends or family or a hookup - by all means take it! Hotels in NYC are spendy, so stay where you are able and then you'll plan your trip accordingly. 

3. Map it out. Google Maps just became your new best friend. I spend an inappropriate amount of time on Google Maps looking at Manhattan but it really helps to take a look at your list and find out where everything is in relation to your hotel and each other. 

4. Make plans by location. Once you see where everything you want to do is located, you can start grouping plans and restaurants by location. Manhattan is enormous so grouping things together geographically will not only save you TONS of travel time but also TONS of money - cabs are expensive! For example, if you want to take a stroll through Central Park, visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art and have a glass of champagne at The Plaza Hotel - do those all together because they are all within steps of each other! Want to visit the 9/11 Museum, have lunch in Greenwich Village and go on the Statue of Liberty Ferry? Plan all these the same day because they are all waaaaay downtown. Picking up what I'm throwing down?

5. Narrow it down. There is so much to do and see, you can't possibly fit everything in. So once you see what is near each other and convenient, narrow down your list and pick your must-do activities. Piece of advice - the Double Decker bus tours, while incredibly nerdy, are in my opinion the absolute best way to see the city! They allow you to hop-on and hop-off the bus so you can use it like a mapped out taxi service. You get a guided tour of the city and will see things and learn about things you never would when in a cab, or even when walking. 

6. Plan transportation. If it were up to me, I'd walk absolutely everywhere. I love to walk and would much rather be on the streets amidst the hustle and bustle than in a stinky cab. However, sometimes walking is just not an option {whether it be due to weather, distance or simply your choice of footwear} so figure out the best mode of transportation. Approximately 20 New York City blocks equal a mile, so if I'm wearing the right shoes and something is within a 20 block radius, I'll walk. If it's slightly more than that, I'll cab it as the fare won't be too outrageous. If I'm traveling to the opposite side of town, I'll hit up the Subway - it's the cheapest way to go the furthest distance. 

7. Leave extra time for EVERYTHING. Whether there's more traffic than usual, a train is delayed or you just need a little extra time in Tiffany's & Co. plan for extra time. While an itinerary is super helpful, you don't want to miss out something that may come up as you go! So leave yourself plenty of wiggle room for unexpected delays.

8. Make reservations. Again, there's nothing I hate more than wasting time in NYC waiting. I want to get the most out of my time when I'm there so I always make dinner reservations. You never know when a restaurant will be packed and have a long wait - so plan ahead and make sure you can get right in. ESPECIALLY if you're eating in the Theater District, restaurants are jammed before showtime so be sure you have your spot reserved. 

9. Live it up. You're in NYC! The greatest city in the world! Go crazy! Have a blast! And don't waste your time sleeping, the city doesn't sleep and neither should you! Utilize every single second you have in the Big Apple. 

Stock the Bar Couples Shower

This September my best friend in all the land will be walking down the aisle and marrying the love of her life. Libby was my Maid of Honor and when she asked me to return the favor I was honored, excited and knew I had big shoes to fill. Duty 1 as MOH was planning a shower! Lib's didn't want a traditional shower and so we instead decided to do one big party for her and soon-to-be-hubby, Nathan. I decided doing a "Stock the Bar" theme at a bar was a perfect way to include all of their guests and celebrate both Libby & Nathan together. I mean, everyone likes booze!

You all know by now that invitations are the part of the party I spend most time on, they set the tone for the event after all! I knew these had to be something special so the guests knew this event was meant to be super fun and not your "typical" bridal shower. Enter my dear friend Sara Jayne who helped me bring my vision to life with her masterful design skills and fancy crafting toys! We spent HOURS on these invites but it was worth every second in the end.

I'm mad at myself for not getting a better photo of the invitations, but I am SO excited about how they turned out.

We held the "shower party" at Urban Eatery in Calhoun Beach Club {for you locals} and it couldn't have worked any better. Everyone at Urban Eatery was so helpful in putting this event together and the space worked out perfectly for our large group. We reserved the whole bar area and it provided the perfect backdrop for a bar themed party. 

Because the bar is so pretty, we didn't really need to do much in the way of decor. Urban Eatery added some nice black linens to each of the tables along with a candle, so all we did was add some spray painted wine bottles. 

Big shout out to my father-in-law who did all the spray painting! He's like ridiculously good at spray painting, I am not. 

We provided buffet style appetizers for the guests which were DELICIOUS! Again, Urban Eatery did a fantastic job. 

I enlisted the help of some very talented friends to help me with the desserts. My friend Natalie made ADORABLE custom cookies complete with the groom's favorite beer. And don't be fooled, while the cookies are super cute, they are equally super delicious. These cookies ended up being my favorite detail of the shower! My sister's dance teammate whipped up the cute little olive cake pops for me. I'm so happy with how the sweets table turned out and love so much that we were able to find desserts that matched our theme. 

Instead of doing a traditional guest book, I decided to do a custom GIANT bottle of wine for all of the guests to sign. I figured it was a perfect way for Libby & Nathan to remember this party with their family and friends. 

For favors, I made little wine glass charms for each of the guests to take home and am pretty in love with how they turned out! 

Other than that, all we did was balloons. You should all know by now I can't possibly throw a party without a trip to see my friends at The Corner Balloon Shoppe {the best in the balloon business, I'm so obsessed}.

And of course I had to give a fun bar-themed gift! So I gave L&N a bottle of champagne for each of life's exciting milestones {wedding night, first anny, baby and a box of House Wine for the new house they just bought}.

This night could not have gone any better! Everyone had so much fun and all the plans and prep went off without a hitch. As with any good party, it's all about the people who attend and spending the evening with my favorites is what made it so very special! 

Ranch Life

I am a city girl, there is no doubt about it. However, I love spending time at my in-law's ranch. There is something so relaxing about being away from the hustle and bustle of every day life. Plus, I don't care who you are, looking out the kitchen window and seeing horses roaming the backyard is pretty stinkin' cool. While the ranch is relaxing for me, it is a world of fun and wonder for Kenley. We spent two of our April weekends on the ranch and Kenley had the time of her life. She got to have a Easter Egg hunt...

...and then was gifted her very own baby chicks. Yup, my 2.5 year old is the proud owner of 6 {well, now 5, we had a loss} baby chicks. 

Those of you who know me in real life are probably cracking up laughing because you know I am beyond terrified of birds. For a hot minute my in-laws thought we were going to bring the 6 soon-to-be-full-grown-chickens home with us....me, with 6 pet farm birds. I'd move out. 

Yep, I held one. Take a good look...it will NEVER happen again. Also, baby chicks are not scary when they're 5 days old {pictured}. When they're 2 weeks old, they are officially terrifying. 

As Kenley has quickly learned, life on the ranch isn't all fun and games. There is much to do and K is put to work. Our little ranch hand LOVES helping her Papa with all the chores, like feeding the chickens and finding eggs...

...heading to the barn to feed the cats and get hay for the horses...

...but it's kind of a hike for a teeny little kid, so it's best to drive...

...then the horses need to be fed.

All the hard work is totally worth it when you can bring your bestie to help.

While I am a city girl at heart, I think my little love might just prefer life on the ranch. 

2nd Annual AZ Girls Trip

The end of March, Kenley and I took our second annual trip to Scottsdale to spend the week with my mom. When planning our trip I requested that we do very little - a week of laying around in the sun was really all that I wanted. And so, we spent the majority of our time in the backyard eating, drinking, swimming, lounging, and bonfire-ing.

While laying low was the ultimate agenda we did squeeze in some other fun, such as modeling golf clothes and enjoying dinner at Grimaldi's with my mama's lifelong bestie, my Auntie Sherri. We also sat on a giant Wildcat which we feel confident was lucky and contributed to the Arizona Wildcats success in March Madness.

I was also able to cross off one my 31 in 31 to-do's by climbing a mountain! 

And, Kenley got to experience a couple of exciting firsts! Like her first ice cream cone and her first trip to the zoo, both of which she really really really loved. 

 Thanks to the Phoenix zoo, Kenley's favorite animal is now a rhino. Why she was so enamoured with that thing, I have no idea. 

And, like any good trip, it was complete with tons of snapchats to our friends at home in the cold. 

It was another amazing week in Scottsdale and I love that we have the opportunity to spend this quality time with my mama! I'm already looking forward to next year!