FLAGSTAFF LOVE

Just like a scene from a Christmas postcard, that is how I can describe Flagstaff, Arizona.  It was one of those spontaneous trips that we did not really plan at all. I wanted to bring my mini-me somewhere interesting since she was home for Christmas break.  We did not even have thermal jackets or even snow boots. But one thing we knew for sure was that it would only be a day trip.  

And who would have thought that it snows in Arizona? This town is about 2 hours from where we live and yet it is perched atop a 7000ft elevation.  We arrived there at around 7:30 in the morning and our timing was just right. There was a recent snowstorm, a few days before we came. The road was a tad slippery but we were thankful that it did not warrant a need for snowchains. The hunby just drove more carefully. 

We arrived at the snow park really early mainly because we did not reserve any tickets online.  Luckily, there were a bunch of people like us who did not buy online tickets. To tell you the truth, it was dead cold.  It was 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit. We had to buy additional socks and snow gloves because I could not feel my hands anymore.

They did have a fire going and my mini-me grew an attachment to it. She was always by the firepit because she was shivering.  They actually wanted to go home after 2 hours of being there.  

We also explored the city afterwards, and true to my initial description, Flagstaff is a very quaint town. I like the small town vibe of it and I would have explored more if only it was not as freezing and windy.  We went to the famous Hotel Monte Vista and we were hoping to eat at their resto; get some warmth and hot soup but the resto was under renovations.

We ended up in a quirky local  ramen shop called Sosoba and their noodles were so amazing!  One of the unique ramen fusions I had.

Flagstaff is a cool place to visit mainly because it is a quick getaway from the Phoenix valley area. Just be sure that you are dressed for the weather.  The town, though small and rustic, has a lot to offer and if you just want a different scenery feom the desert mountain landscape of the lower valley, Flagstaff is a quick answer for a spontaneous family trip.

Below are some of our expenses for the trip

Gas: 80dollars (because my husband always make sure that our vehicle is fully tanked with gas and he does not want it to go below half whenever we are a little far from home) i think you can actually go back and forth from Gilbert in one full tank.

Tickets to Snow Park: 33 dollars (11 each)

Food: Sosoba  ramen 36 dollars (12 each)

Mini-me was cold but she was happy to see snow

Fascinated by snowflakes






Coat:Bebe; leather jacket underneath:Calvin Klein; jeans, bought online in China; bag:Kenneth Cole (gift from hubby); boots:Fergilicious by Fergie; eyewear:Aldo; hat:H&M








Ramen love at Sosoba

Arizona Goodness

A way back in early 2017, I was standing at the border of two states; in between Nevada and Arizona to be a tad more specific.  Fast forward to late 2018 and I found myself thriving somewhere I had never imagined I will be living; under the Arizona sun; the Phoenix valley.  Being a massive Twilight fan, it is a little bit exciting to live where Bella Swan spent the early part of her teen-age years. 

So what actually brought me to this unbelievable place? It all started with a work offer from a design build company. Yes, I currently work here now and have been enjoying it.  I did not even have an inkling that I will fall in love with this state because I was dead set on living in California where my relatives are.  I just went head over heels with the vast outdoors and panoramic landscape here which are just 10-15 minutes away from my doorstep.   It is living with the convenience of both the city lifestyle and nature.  Everywhere I look is just picturesque and being a photography hobbyist, of course, Arizona gives me that rush with all the natural beauty it has to offer.

Lake Saguaro

First day in Arizona


Exploring










Boots from Fergilicious; bag feom Calvin Klein; Jumper from Asos; eyewear feom Aldo; cap from H&M

MANHATTAN HUSTLE

The quintessential New York hustle is very evident in the streets of Manhattan.  The constant buzz of the vehicles around and the endless streams of people just make you notice that you are indeed in the city that never sleeps.  It was a very busy and rushed day for me as I hopped from different places to photograph every few hours.  I am still quite disappointed though that I was not able to visit the Flat Iron due to lack of time.  Manhattan made the city girl in me gushed like crazy.   It has that vibrant and distinct ambiance that can only be attributed to being NYC's hustle centre. The original skyscrapers like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler together with the affluent shops are right in the middle of the city.

For this day, I opted to wear a dress that I bought at Chicago a few years ago and then just put a cozy turtleneck sweater over it.  I wanted to be comfortable enough since I would be doing a lot of walking (walking made me miss California haha!) and photographing.  New York weather can be very erratic so I did not leave anything to chance and wore tights with the thigh high boots.

WHAT I WORE:

turtleneck off white jumper from WALMART (yup it is a clearance sale haul)

black dress used as a skirt from URBAN OUTFITTERS (CHICAGO)

thigh high boots from BOOTSIES

tights from H&M

eyewear from COTTON ON

charcoal gray tote bag from STEVE MADDEN

Below are some shots of me taken by my kiddo or Uncle as well as other shots I took using a Sony Mirrorless Camera and a Fisheye lens (my uncle's camera and which made me consider buying one just because it is very handy and light.)

PHOTO TAKEN BY MY UNCLE

well, I just had to try most of the food stalls.  Walking stresses me out.:-D

5th avenue

NEW YORK!

New York! The big apple or the city that never sleeps to some but for me, it is the home of my queens, S & B; the empire of Serena and Blair; the playground of Carrie Bradshaw,Samantha Jones. Charlotte York Goldenblatt and Miranda Hobbes; the home of Gossip Girl and Sex and the City.  I went for a quick trip (and when I said quick, I meant like a 3 days and 2 nights trip only) to visit my relatives here as well as have a brief look-see ( more like an amazing race) into the city.  I had so much in my itinerary but had so little time to go everywhere I had planned.  But I did make the most of my visit and you can watch out for all the amazing places in my future blog posts here.

I have always been told that New York is really cold so I actually came prepared.  But I was thankful that it was not snowing when I arrived or else, it would have been difficult to go to the places I had in mind.  And besides, cold weather and I don't really like each other.  So for this amazing race day 1, I picked a nice floral dress with a choker like neckline which is technically not for winter.  I carried a wool scarf in my bag just in case the temperature drops (and it did in the evening! and yeah I was still out that time dong skyline shots at Gantry park).  I paired the dress with black tights and mind you, I wore 2 tights and a pair of thigh high boots just to be sure.  It was a good thing because the sun was up most of the time so it kept us warm.

WHAT I WORE:

camel long coat from FOREVER 21

floral dress from H&M

thigh high boots from BOOTSIES

eyewear from COTTON ON

charcoal gray tote bag from STEVE MADDEN