exploring the city
On January 10th, 2017 I traveled from Georgia to New York City (Astoria, Queens to be precise), with the intention to live here full time, but also wanting to wind down from college to make sure New York City was the place I wanted to begin my adult life. I graduated a semester early from college, so I felt that a month or so of freedom and a trial period in New York was well-deserved. Shortly after moving here I have decided that New York City is my new home. got the rest of my stuff from Georgia and I am all settled in.
I explored the city a lot when I first got settled in. I went to museums, famous restaurants, outdoor markets, coffee shops, bookstores, public events, anything and everything. Soon I became overwhelmed by all that New York has to offer and I decided to devise a more legitimate exploring plan. I wanted to prepare for my future adventures so that I wasn't roaming around the streets and wandering into stores asking for directions as my phone continues to die at a rapid rate, while still keeping it relatively spontaneous and laid back. The first part of any type of plan these days is to search online for the best places to see and visit.. resulting in the below list!
Last month I had one day off of work and I went to explore SoHo! I visited the Kylie Jenner Pop-Up Shop on a whim, just to go and take some photos. The shop was only open while supplies would last and it had just opened that week. It was a madhouse. Kylie Jenner happened to be making an appearance just minutes after I had turned onto the block. While I'm not personally a fan of hers, I was still amazed at the amount of people that were there! One police officer estimated that there were 3,000+ people waiting in the line. The line stretched around four blocks, people had been waiting all night, and they were only letting 10 people in the store at a time. I was lucky to be able to capture a few photos of Kylie Jenner walking up to some fans! It was cold, rainy, and beyond crowded, but it was really awesome to see the crowds and the hype around this special pop-up shop since her clothing and cosmetics are primarily sold online.
After the madness died down since she had left the location, I walked around the rest of SoHo and it was SO beautiful. The architecture in New York City always leaves me in awe. I went to Brandy Melville and American Apparel. All of the clothing stores up here always have the best decor and displays, not to mention most of them are more than one level so there's a TON of products showcased. (I wish I took more photos inside ugh)
After SoHo, I somehow ended up near Times Square which happens EVERY time I go out into the city because I love it so much. I walked around and captured all of my favorite buildings in the area.
This past Friday was my second day out where I had devised a plan of places to visit near Brooklyn. I visited Green Fingers Market (I had seen some photos of it on instagram) and it was breathtaking.
It was succulent HEAVEN. This plant shop even doubled as a thrift store and had a beautiful neon sign in the back! I'm obsessed with neon signs. I have seen so many since I've moved up here, but this one has been my favorite! The pointer finger moves, beckoning you closer.
Right down the street from this beautiful plant shop was the famous Mcnally Jackson Bookstore. There's nothing I love more than a bookstore with a cafe and this one was the most beautiful one that I have ever seen. It has books hanging on the lights and book pages on the walls. There is a top of the line printing press sitting in the lobby of the store where they have printed nearly 7,000 books on site!
My final stop of the day was in Union Square. I went to my absolute favorite place in all of New York City, no exaggeration. The Strand Bookstore. It has FOUR stories of beautiful new, used, rare and even signed books. I have been writing a lot of poetry recently and have always been fond of Rupi Kaur's work. She was in New York on Monday signing copies of her book Milk and Honey and I was devastated that I couldn't attend her event! Since there was a blizzard and The Strand was closed for a period of time, there were still signed copies of her book and I snagged one!
All in all it was an ordinary, yet extraordinary day in New York City. Every single day is a new adventure, as cliché as it sounds, it truly is accurate. Every day when I walk out the door I am inspired by what is around me. The possibilities are endless!
I am home.
- Lauren