to be an NYC cool girl
5 things I can't stop thinking about from my weekend in NYC
When I can’t stop thinking about something, I’ll be sending unscheduled one-offs like this one.
Hope you don’t mind! Xo
This may be our busiest summer yet, but Dave found some cheap flights and asked if I wanted to do a weekend in NYC. Immediate yes.
It’s that magical time of year when the magnolias and cherry blossoms are framing the brown stones. It was the first warm weekend after a cold snap, so everyone was out for a cutesy spritz with the besties. It was just what we needed and I lived my best NYC cool girl dreams (except when that one host in Brooklyn gave me that rude dead stare that the actual cool girls & boys love to give, haha).
As we head back to PGH, here’s 5 things I can’t stop dreaming (and drooling) about.
Trench coats.
I had my Avec Les Filles trench laid out to be packed and cut it in favor of an old beat up denim jacket at the last minute. I immediately sat across from a women on the subway in the cutest outfit, layered with a trench, and knew I had made a mistake. Throughout the next 24 hours I saw trenches paired with sweatshirts, button downs, t shirts, sweaters, jeans, slacks, everything. It’s still a spring staple, the NYC cool girls confirmed that for me, and I’m incorporating it in any outfit I can from here on out.. or until I’m too hot for a jacket.
Asian Food.
Asian food of any kind has become one of my go-to priorities when heading to any big city. I love all of it- Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, etc- unfortunately variety and quality have been tough to come by in the last two places I lived, but I was spoiled growing up in the Bay Area, so a priority it is! I scoured NYC food blogs and the gram while getting ready for the trip and came across Win Son, a Taiwanese bakery that had me drooling. They opened their first Manhattan location a couple weeks ago and I pinned it for my Friday morn breakfast stop. I ended up arriving a few minutes before opening and hopped in line. While I generally HATE a line, I sucked it up for the experience and I am glad I did. I ordered the scallion pancake breakfast sandwich filled with egg and gooey havarti cheese, fan tuan which was a rice pocket filled with pork and a fried egg, and I sipped it all up with a black sesame latte. Other places on my list for the future include Mei Lai Wah for pork buns, Wu’s Wonton (BYOB spot suggested by a friend), and Nan Xiang for xiao long bao (who just opened a Pittsburgh location I’ll need to try now).
Jil Sanders T Strap Sandals.
We stayed right near the brand new Printemps, a beautiful French department store that says it’s not a department store? I had a few free minutes on Friday and crossed it off the todo wish list. The best part, they serve champagne at styled bars scattered throughout and the merchandising is on another level! The women’s shoe area is a sight to behold with each shoe resting on basically a sculpture?! Not sure if you’re meant to be in an under sea kelp garden or a poppy field, but I was mesmerized either way. This is where I came across these Jil Sanders Sandals I definitely can’t afford but can’t stop thinking about. As a tall girl, it’s so hard to find flats that make a statement beyond “comfort first”. These are the strappy sandal everyone wants without reminding me of the ones I wore to my 8th grade dances (even though I know the gen Z gals love those these days..). Maybe one day I will be able to afford $800 sandals, but until then I just happened upon a dupe.
Mortadella.
I will die on this hill, but I’m hoping you won’t make me. I love prosciutto and the oft sought after bresaola, but mortadella currently has my heart. I recently brought some home from the Italian deli and unlike other cold cuts, it didn’t overstay its welcome in the fridge. I admit I did google it’s protein content to see if I could excuse the obsession with ‘wellness’, but we’re gonna have come to peace with the fact that the joy this meat brings is a positive net outcome on my mental health, not waist line. Anyway, we headed out to Bushwick for pizza at Ops, with my girl Maya, and there on the menu was a pizza with mortadella and pickled peppers. I wavered for a moment, but decided to stick with my gut and thank god! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when this beautiful sourdough crust showed up literally blanketed in mortadella, I knew I made the right choice. Gonna need to figure out the perfect charcuterie board to feature this new love of mine…stay tuned.
Rectangle sunglasses.
If I was going to buy one thing from my NYC inspiration board, it would be these. I’ve somehow lost or scratched all my sunglasses and with the weather changing it’s becoming more and more challenging to make it through a day without a pair. I first tried on a pair of rectangle glasses a few weeks ago back home, then I tried on another pair at Printemps, then I tried on a couple pairs from a street vendor that were not quite right, and then I saw them on everyone’s heads. Now I must have them. They need to be that happy medium chunky and wide, but not oversized. Heavy, not light. The ones I’ve been falling in love with feel slightly more mature than the Prada ones everyone was wearing two years ago. Can’t quite put my finger on it, but I think it’s the heavy vs. light thing. Could also be that I’m just telling myself that and they’ve finally grown on my late to the party millennial ass. I’m going to buy some this week though, so stay tuned.
xoxo, a wannabe NYC cool girl.