NY: shopping guide

Passion, addiction, therapy. Whatever you call it, it's a love of many of us girls (and guys) out there, and as an Australian in 'the big apple' I was in shopping heaven. Below are a few of my favourite places to shop in the big city. 

Uniqlo

We have recently opened up a few Uniqlo stores in Australia, though naturally everything is still cheaper in the US. Uniqlo was great for basics, and I'll be sure to visit one of the Aussie stores when i need to stock up on high quality basics at reasonable prices. 

Brandy Melville 

A brand that I'd heard raved about on YouTube and various blogs, Brandy Melville may just be the home of the softest and most comfortable clothes I've ever felt. Cute designs, lots of stripes (always a favourite of mine) and incredibly affordable prices led to leaving with about 20 new bits of clothing & jewellery. Sounds all too good to be true? The one catch is their 'one size fits all' sizing system. Most of their clothing is oversized and slouchy, which gives leeway for AU sizes 6-10, however it does cut out a huge range of customers - and would leave girls outside of that size range leaving disappointed.  

Sephora

Sephora had to be my most anticipated store to shop at, and whilst I'm not usually that adventurous in the makeup I jumped at the chance to stock up on brands that cost an arm and a leg in Australia and also try a few that are not stocked in Australian stores. I would have looked like a bit of a hoarder carrying my incredible Sephora bag around the city, but no amount of weird looks could have stopped my need for ALL of the makeup. Sydney-siders would know that our own Sephora has recently opened, but since seeing what America had to offer I was somewhat disappointed. If you have the chance to shop in their stores abroad I would jump at it - the low prices and range of products far surpass what is currently on offer in the Sydney branch. 

Footlocker 

I have only recently gotten into the sport luxe trend, and my arms are open wide to accept wearing sneakers as a fashionable accessory. My first buy was a pair of Nike Air Max Thea's for the bargain price of $89.95. Not to mention the pair of baby Air Force One's I picked up for a friend who has recently had a child - they may just be the cutest things I've ever seen. If you're a footwear fanatic Footlocker will be your one stop shop for bagging a bargain on your next pair of sneakers. 

Woodbury Commons 

Ahh Woodbury Commons, the piece de resistance. Upon first researching shopping outlets in the New York area, the US$40 return trip to Woodbury commons seemed a bit steep, but upon high recommendations we decided to take the plunge. The cost covered the return bus trip and a booklet of coupons full of extra discounts. These discounts were so good we left with far more than we could have imagined and my mum even bought a new suitcase which we brought all our new purchases back to the city in. The highlight of my day was purchasing a classic black Burberry trench coat for approximately AUS$700 after tax. Need I say 'living the dream?'

Happy shopping! 

-Melissa 

NY: food guide

If I've hinted at anything about food throughout this blog thus far it's that I'm eating obsessed! I had been told that it would be difficult to find 'good' food in America, but not only was I totally up for the challenge, I was headed to New York City which made everything far easier in regards to choice. Here's a few of my food favourites from my time in New York.

Asian
I was expecting to see more Asian food in the city, but after noticing a lack of it in our travels I ended up doing a bit of research and finding Vanessa's dumpling house at Union Square on East 14th street. There are two other locations, one in Chinatown and the other in Williamsburg. I enjoyed this place way too much, and I definitely over ordered (I had been deprived of dumplings for almost a month - torturous!) but despite struggling through my excessive meal it sure lived up to the online hype. Not to mention the extremely reasonable prices - you can get 4 pan fried dumplings for US$1.59!

Dessert
There happened to be a Momofuku Milk Bar location just around the corner from the aforementioned dumpling house, and despite eating far too much I couldn't pass up an opportunity to try the infamous crack pie. Generally, I'm not a big pie person, but boy oh boy did this change my mind! I've recently discovered that the recipe for this culinary masterpiece is available for free online, which is both excellent for my my tastebuds and worrying for my waistline.

Pizza
Grimaldi's wins the prize for best pizza I've tasted outside of Italy. We stumbled upon the Coney Island pizzeria on our last day in New York and opted for the 'make your own' pizza. We went for the large regular pizza with Italian sausage, feta cheese, spinach and oven roasted sweet red peppers. The three of us shared the large, and despite initial worries that it wouldn't be enough we barely got through the incredibly sized pizza.

Fast food
America, home of fast food. I was devastated to discover that there were none of the iconic In-N-Out burger locations in New York, but my sadness didn't last too long as I discovered Shake Shack. This has got to be one of the best fast food places I've visited yet - think classic burgers, hotdogs, crinkle cut fries and milkshakes updated with beer, wine and even doggy treats for your four legged friends. My favourites were the Shack-cago dog, their amazing fries, classic vanilla shake & the weekly special of their Shack-made blueberry lemonade. It's safe to say I was a return customer!

Healthy eats
Despite enjoying the multitude of deliciously unhealthy foods available in America, it got to the point where I was craving my diet staples of fresh fruit, cous cous and oatmeal. When in need of health food? To Wholefoods! A haven of delicious and healthy alternatives right by Central Park, Wholefoods had just about everything I could have ever wanted. We stocked up on healthy snacks to keep in our hotel room and got a delicious soup and DIY salad to eat whilst we were there.

Mexican
I'm a huge Mexican food fan, and when my friend Angela told me I had to check out Chipotle for a quick and reasonably priced meal, I happily obliged.  I visited one of the Lower Manhattan locations, and despite it being incredibly busy of a lunch time, the staff were incredibly friendly and efficient, and it was great to see the food being prepared in front of you. Great for a quick bite if you're craving fresh Mexican food.

Street food 
New York is undeniably the king of street food. Hot dogs, kebabs, bagels, pretzels - you name it, they do it! I was won over by the bagels in America, especially when served with cream cheese. Prior to New York I don't think I've ever tasted a bagel that I've enjoyed, so if you're anything like my in your general dislike of them I encourage you to give them a chance here - you may well have a very pleasant surprise! My favourite street food however was the hot dogs. The one below is from a stall in the middle of Central park, and although I hadn't been expecting much it was surprisingly delicious! Go for one with the lot, you won't regret it.

Buon Appetito!

-Melissa

New York, New York!

For my first time in North America, New York was an amazing introduction! I spent eight days in the city eating, seeing all of the sights and spending pretty much all of my money. Staying just minutes from Times Square which was incredibly convenient, giving us access to all the biggest shops, restaurants and most importantly (in my opinion) the incredible talents of Broadway. Check out some of the photos from my New York visit below. 

-Melissa 

Dream Conditioner

My incredibly talented cousin Fabian Faraone opened his first solo exhibition at The Corner Cooperative  this past thursday, and that's definitely worth veering from my regular content to share a few words and pictures. Dream Conditioner is the result of winning the people's choice award at the galleries 'Silverscreen' exhibition in 2014, exploring the subconscious using various mediums and drawing from the inspiration of animation and toy culture. As ever I am amazed at the detail and intricacies of Fabian's work. It has been a privilege to see his art develop over the years and this exhibition is proof of how talented an artist he has become. Check out some of the photos from his opening night below. 

'Fly on the Wall'

'Major Kong Rides the Bomb'

'Everybody's Doing Something'

'Super Christ Jesus Star'

'Turtle Soup' 

The exhibition is only on display until the 20th of January at The Corner Cooperative, located at 116 Abercrombie street Chippendale. Opening hours are from 10am to 4pm. If you have the chance I could not recommend it highly enough! You can also keep up with Fabian's designs on his website. 

-Melissa

Conte D'Antares

For one week in Sicily I'm ashamed to say I took a ridiculous amount of photos, the majority of which were taken of the wedding, my cousins gorgeous daughter Piccola Grazia, and last but not least - the food! It's almost taunting to look back at the photos of all of the delicious food I ate in Sicily, but if there's any that I feel I have to share it's of the family run restaurant in Allume, Conte D'Antares. It is run by the family of my cousin's new husband (which I promise doesn't affect my opinion of the food whatsoever) and it has to be some of the best Italian food I've eaten in my entire life.

We were lucky enough to have the entire restaurant to ourselves one lunchtime during our Sicily visit, and I guarantee the photos will have you drooling over your computer screens. It's a long shot but if you ever happen to be on the east coast of Sicily it's well worth checking out, your tastebuds will thank you for it!

Buon appetito!

-Melissa 

The Sicilian Road Trip

The best way for a bit of family bonding? A road trip of course! 

We headed off on a 2 day adventure after the wedding visiting Agrigento, Scali dei Turchi, Agate, Marzamemi and Note. Typically it was full of food and the boys crazy antics, which proved to be as entertaining as ever! Check out some of the photos I took along the way. 

Ciao for now! 

-Melissa 

The Wedding Saga

The whole trip was leading up to this moment - the day when my beautiful cousin got married! The whole affair began fashionably late (a.k.a. typical Italian time), with the ceremony happening at a beautiful local church before the reception at the infamous city of the godfather Savoca. The whole experience was like nothing I'd ever seen, with the whole night spanning from approximately five o'clock until the early hours of following morning. The food was probably the most notable (I'm talking 8 courses), with numerous antipastos, pastas, main dishes and then dessert which I can't even begin to explain! It was a great night with all of the cousins both from Australia and Italy, full of food, bad jokes and staged bouquet/garter toss photos (because we're a bit special). Not to mention the Australian cousins (myself included) ended up under the table, wine glasses in hand, when it started to rain on our poolside set up. In the end our obviously very classy night ended at around three in the morning, because Italian wedding.

The beautiful bride

Garter toss

The church

Bouquet toss

Fireworks at the end of the night

Moral of the story - if you get invited to a wedding in Italy, SAY YES! 

-Melissa

Ciao Sicilia!

After a quick reunion with my mother and aunt in Rome, the three of us hopped on a plane down to Catania and soon enough we had arrived in the town our family live by the beach and had quickly made ourselves at home. A day in the life included granita with brioche for breakfast, lying on the beach of a morning, eating excessive amounts of carbs and all things delicious, all around lots of family catch ups. 

The beach was within metres of our apartment and we got straight into the task of becoming a more Sicilian acceptable colour, because due to my fathers Irish heritage I get lots of teasing about my paleness (all in good fun). Despite the beach visits (which were frequent) we naturally made the most of the Sicilian coastal views, one of my favourite places being Taormina, which I would recommend a visit to for anyone travelling to Sicily. 

Spiaggia Furci Siculo

Photos of Nonna outside the local church

The view from Taormina

So overall, a week of eating in one of (some personal bias here) the most beautiful places in the world? Heaven! 

-Melissa