Category: Travel

Hey friends, it’s been a while. Fall has been so insanely busy- mainly because I was spending most of my time planning this trip and making the most out of using excel. Just kidding. Sort of…

Let’s jump right in shall we? Our plane left last Saturday afternoon and after having a few cocktails we flew 8 hours and woke up in Amsterdam. We then got on another 45-minute flight to Paris, where we spent the next 4 days.

Day 1- Arrival, Tour & Dinner Cruise

Upon arrival to the beautiful Hotel Napoleon, we changed, had lunch and took our tired butts on a city tour. Some people think city tours are lame, and they totally can be, but honestly how is one person supposed to see all of the main landmarks of a city they have never been to when they are only there for 4 days? Often times when we travel to a new city, we like to do a couple hour tour right upon arrival to see everything quickly and decide where we’d like to go spend some more time.

On the tour we saw the magical Eiffel Tower (I don’t care what anyone says, it is magical), Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe and le Champs-Élysées.

Afterwards, we jumped onto the Bateaux Parisiens dinner cruise and set off on the Seine River. Dinner was amazing, the views were fantastic and it was overall an awesome experience. Once the boat docked we walked to the Eiffel tower and hung out for a bit before we took a pedi cab back to the hotel and passed out hard from the jet lag.

Day 2- Eiffel Tower

On our first full day in Paris we headed to the Eiffel tower in the morning for breakfast. We got photos taken by a fantastic photographer, Bruno, and took in the beautiful sights.

For lunch, we went to the second floor of the Eiffel tower, which is 377 feet in the air, Le Jules Verne. We had a 3-course lunch, which finished with the most delicious chocolate soufflé I’ve ever had. It was amazing! After lunch, we took the elevator up to the top of the tower for some champagne and incredible views. Despite being quite crowded it was totally worth it and a must-see!

For dinner we went to a restaurant called Boeuf sur le Toit and had more chocolate soufflé. Don’t worry; I am aware I have a serious chocolate problem.

Day 3- Luxembourg Gardens, Pablo Picasso Museum & Montmartre

On our third day in the city of love, we tried to relax and have a slow day. We started the morning with cappuccinos and croissants at a café near Luxembourg Garden, where we went into afterwards. The garden is beautiful and I really enjoyed the palace. I’m still trying to figure out how I can move into one sometime soon? If anyone knows, let a girl know.

We then went to the Pablo Picasso Museum and explored the Erotic Year- seriously I could not make this up. It was actually very interesting. We congratulated ourselves for listening to the entire audio tour with drinks at a nearby café.

For dinner we went and explored the area of Montmartre. We ate fondue and drank rosé until late, paid 100 euros for an artist to draw a portrait that looked nothing like us, drank more rosé and walked back to our hotel.

(There’s a serious rosé theme to this trip).

Day 4- The Louvre, Chateau Versailles & Moulin Rouge

Once we saw the lengthy lines in front of Angelina’s on our tour and were told it was famous for its hot chocolate and macaroons, we knew we had to go. We took it upon ourselves to go decently early in hopes to skip the line and we were right. We had a fantastic breakfast and the extremely rich hot chocolate was totally worth it.

We then spent the rest of our morning touring the Louvre. This museum is so massive. Seriously, you would need days to see this whole thing. After walking for what felt like a year and seeing some of the classics (Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc.) we figured we needed some food and cocktails.

After lunch we went to the Palace of Versailles and honestly all I can say is WOW. It was so beautiful! I couldn’t have imagined in my mind how large, detailed or extravagant it was. Everything from the rooms to the grounds are so well detailed and maintained. I would highly recommend visiting this wonderful place!

At the end of our very long day, we went to eat dinner and see Moulin Rouge. It was absolutely incredible. The dinner was delicious and timed perfectly for the start of the show. I truthfully didn’t know what to expect or what the show was even going to be about but it completely blew me away. The show was much longer than expected (which was a plus), the costumes were insane and the performers were amazing.

Day 5- Bord’Eau Tasting Menu, Heineken Experience & Dinner Cruise

Thursday morning we woke up and jumped on a flight back to Amsterdam. Once we arrived to the most gorgeous Hotel de L’Europe, we headed to the restaurant Bord’Eau for an insane 6-course (lunch) tasting menu. The food was absolutely incredible and after we ate dessert they literally brought over a 3-foot tree made entirely of chocolate and gave us “mushrooms” and “acorns” with our coffee, all made of chocolate. It was so over the top and so cool.

Once we were so full we couldn’t move, we walked to the Heineken Brewery where we toured the original building and tasted 5 different kinds of beer paired with cheese. I am not a huge beer girl, but anything mixed with cheese is great in my books.

After drinking all the beer and eating all the cheese we went on our second dinner cruise of the trip. This one, the Jewel Cruise, was much more intimate with just a few tables. We sat near the captain and he educated us about Amsterdam and showed us landmarks and areas that we were passing by as we floated through the canals.

Day 6- Tour, Vondelpark & The Duchess

On our last day in Amsterdam we started the morning off with pancakes and a city tour. This was a walking tour through the streets where we learned about the history of Amsterdam and saw many hidden gems. We went to the Red Light District and it is definitely something to see, I will leave it at that.

After our tour we went for a walk through Vondelpark and then ended our day eating a delicious dinner at The Duchess.

Overall, I had a fabulous time on this trip. Paris was beautiful and the Eiffel tower was just what I had dreamt of. Amsterdam was nothing like I expected but I really enjoyed the overall vibe and the people.

Have you been to Paris or Amsterdam? If so, what was your favourite thing?

Where should we go next?

Thank you for reading!

xo

 

Ok fine, I am a liar.

Have you ever been to New York City? It’s quite small, but on every other level besides actual size, it is massive. No seriously. I am not sure you could see everything in this city if you lived here for 20 years. But still, hear me out alright?

When I began planning this trip, I knew there were a lot of things that I wanted to do… like about a thousand, but we were going to be there for 5 days so I knew I had to come up with a plan in order to do and see everything on my list.

After many spreadsheets and lists (you probably think I am kidding…), I came up with 4 mostly full days of activities, sights to see and places to eat. Obviously we did not see everything in Manhattan as I honestly don’t think you could do this even if you lived there- we had a great time and thought we experienced the city in a great way.

Day 1- Get yo butt to NYC

Our travel day was going to be pretty long, with the time change and 4+ hour flight, we knew we would arrive late at night. After a thunderstorm delayed us 2 more hours we arrived at the fabulous Parker Meridien Hotel and basically ran (no, seriously) into Burger Joint, located in the lobby. A cool, 90’s vibe, hole in the wall where you order at the counter and get a deal on beer and wine had the BEST BURGERS EVER.

The view from our hotel room at The Parker Meridien.

Day 2- Midtown, Central Park & Tao

Our first full day was spent touring midtown Manhattan- this included 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Centre, Central Park and Times Square. Lucky enough for us (also, due to my intense planning), our hotel was within walking distance to all of these attractions.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s! Dress: Aritzia, Sunglasses: Gucci, Purse: Chanel, Shoes: Converse

We went to Rockefeller Centre and to the Top of The Rock. If you go here I highly suggest purchasing tickets beforehand with the VIP option as the lines are insanely long. Seriously I cannot stress the VIP option enough- we literally got to walk by tons and tons of people and get first dibs on the elevators to the top. The whole process probably took 15 minutes to get to the top.

View from the Top of The Rock

Next was Central Park, where we got on a pedicab and were toured around by a local. We saw the Friends fountain (apparently also called Cherry Hill Fountain to normal people), the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain (AKA where Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf got married) and the John Lennon memorial Strawberry fields. We also saw the gorgeous buildings and residences of the upper east and west sides and were hopeful that one day we could live there until our tour guide told us that most apartments are over $20 million dollars and you must be approved by the co-op boards. Apparently Mariah Carey and Madonna have been turned down…. but yeah, they would probably accept me, so I will keep that in my dreams (once I win $20+ million dollars and can, you know, afford it?).

John Lennon’s memorial in Central Park, Strawberry Fields

After this, we strolled down to Times Square and were intensely overwhelmed by the crowds of people and intense heat and humidity. It was really cool to see once, but I would suggest not spending a ton of time here and definitely not eating here. Most of the restaurants are chains and are quite overpriced.

I am a self-proclaimed foodie, so I scoped out all of the places I wanted to go beforehand. For our first “real” dinner we went to Tao Uptown. It was within walking distance from our hotel and the food was amazing. If you ever go in either NYC, LA or Vegas get the pad Thai and the duck for 2. Seriously, just do it, I promise it’s amazing.

Dinner outfit to Tao. Dress: Fashion Nova, Purse: Gucci, Shoes: Steve Madden

Day 3- 9/11 Memorial, Financial District & Pool Day

We started our day by visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. This morning it was rainy and gloomy and we basically sunk into a depression by visiting the museum. I learned so much and got quite emotional going through and reading about everything and all of the individuals involved and all of the innocent people who’s lives were taken far too soon. I would highly recommend visiting.

Afterwards, we walked to the Financial district where we saw the Charging Bull, The NYSE and Wall Street. We had lunch at one of the oldest restaurants in New York, Delmonico’s, which was amazing.

Wall Street outfit. Dress: Rag & Bone, Purse: Chanel, Sunglasses: Gucci

After all of the walking we did, we decided to hit up the rooftop pool at our hotel. Let’s just say space is small in Manhattan but things can still have quite the impact. The pool is indoors which is nice for colder months. There is then an outdoor terrace to sunbathe in the warmer months with an amazing view.

Sunbathing on the 41st floor rooftop terrace

For dinner we went to the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park. Seriously, this was so beautiful. The service and food were amazing. We then got a gondola ride around the lake afterwards which was basically the most romantic and adorable thing ever. Being in the park surrounded by sky scrapers and lights is such a different feeling.

Dress: Simon’s, Shoes: Michael Kors, Purse: GucciView from our gondola ride around the lake

Day 4- Upper West Side & Phantom of the Opera

We spend the morning strolling through the upper west side, visiting classic Seinfeld landmarks and eventually eating brunch at this amazing placed called The Mermaid Inn. If you know me, you should know I am a mermaid, so this made my day pretty damn great. We also waited in line at Levain Bakery for about 20 minutes to get the tastiest cookies we had ever tried. So delicious and so worth it.

Mermaid Morgan happier than ever
Brunch at the Mermaid InnBrunch outfit. Dress: Simons, Purse: Gucci, Shoes: Jimmy ChooThe best cookie ever at Levain Bakery

At night, we had rooftop cocktails and snacks at Haven before heading to see Phantom of the Opera on broadway. It was fantastic and I loved it!

Phantom of the Opera outfit. Dress: Fashion Nova, Purse & Shoes: Saint Laurent

Day 5- Grand Central Station, Bagels & Hudson River Dinner Cruise

During our last day we strolled through Grand Central Station and I made every single Gossip Girl joke ever. If you don’t remember that the beginning of the series starts with Serena coming back to NYC after running away and is seen in Grand Central then you probably have a life and are most likely nowhere near as big of a nerd as me.

We then stood in line at Ess-a-Bagel for 45 minutes (there is obviously a theme here)  before getting some old-fashioned bagel sandwiches. Honestly, it was worth it. I am 400 lbs at heart.

Bacon, egg and cheese bagel. Not pictured: dunking it into homemade jalapeño cream cheesePretending I am Serena Van der Woodsen in Grand Central Station. Romper: Self Portrait, Purse: Gucci

Our last night was definitely my favourite. We set sail on a Hudson River Dinner Cruise and got to watch the sun set against Manhattan. We also saw the Statue of Liberty up close while enjoying a delicious three course meal with wine pairings. The whole evening was amazingly romantic and beautiful. I highly recommend this!

Watching the sunset. Dress: BCBG, Purse: Saint LaurentFrist course: tuna tartar and goat cheese tarts with a rosé pairingLady LibertyStatue of Liberty at Sunset

New York City was amazing and a total blast! Let me know where you want to visit in NYC or what your favourite thing was when you visited!

Thank you for reading my first blog post!

xo