TRAVEL « Fourth Floor Walk Up

Take a trip to Boston

on January 9th, 2012%

The Rubbish Bin

This weekend we headed to Boston for a short birthday trip. Since my birthday was on January 2nd and most of the museums were still closed from the holidays, we decided to wait until this weekend to celebrate. I booked a room at the Ames Hotel, which is a luxury boutique hotel that opened in 2009 after renovating the historic Ames skyscraper. Usually, we wouldn’t be able to afford such a room, but thanks to Living Social we stayed in the Deluxe One Bedroom Suite (room #303).

Upon entering the room you are presented with a light filled open space. The arched windows are floor-to-ceiling, and the decor of the room is crisp, chic and grand. I especially loved the juxtaposition of the 19th century architectural details with the modern furnishings. Even though I typically am drawn to more traditional spaces, this design of this space provided an opportunity for me to really feel like I was on a vacation. The hotel room in itself would have been a terrific birthday gift in itself. But to make our trip worth while, we took to the streets to visit museums, soak up some history and window shop.

The Living Space

The Bedroom and Bathroom - Loved that Tub!

I gathered a list of places of interest and we weren’t able to see them all but these were a few of my favorites.

The Newly Acquired Chihuly Piece & An American Art Gallery

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston has always been a great destination in Boston. It’s a gorgeous museum with a wonderful collection from all over the world as well as outstanding exhibitions. This weekend we went to the Degas and the Nude exhibition.

Hermes Windows in Boston designed by: Aux Armes

The Hermes in Boston is always a treat because they carry the saddles. There’s nothing like a beautiful saddle and I can only imagine how it must feel to ride with an Hermes. I believe it was retailing for around $6,300.00. They also always have standout window displays.

The Old State House

The Old State House was built in 1713 (!) this building is where Samuel Adams, James Otis, John Hancock, and John Adams debated the future of the British colonies. The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed from the balcony to the citizens of Boston in 1776 and it was the site of what is known as the the Boston Massacre.

Bodega- interior photo credits: kicksonfire.com and thebostonbazaarculture.wordpress.com

The Last stop is Bodega, a men’s urban clothing and shoe boutique. Worth a visit because it’s actually disguised as a New York City style bodega (deli in spanish). When you enter into the front room, also merchandised as an NYC style deli – the miscellaneous items are real that aline the shelves. We actually thought we had the wrong store at until one of the staff members directed us to the soda machine, which slid open to expose the shop.

In addition to the typical touristy stuff, I wanted to revisit my family history and discover my mother’s Boston. Having spent much of her childhood and young adulthood in this city I ventured to the buildings she once called home and photographed some the streets that she herself used to walk. In my next post I’ll describe this part of our trip in more detail.

For more pictures, make sure to check out my Istagrams page, I uploaded a lot pictures over the weekend. Is there anything that I may have missed? Please tell me because I’d love to visit more the next time I go Boston.

So you want to visit New York City? Here’s a guide on what to wear: The Winter Addition

on January 3rd, 2012%

1. Funnel Scarf - Uniqlo 2. Coat- Zara 3. Knit - Uniqlo 4. Dark Skinny Jeans - Uniqlo 5. Lace-up Boots - Nine West 6. Leather Satchel - Zara 7. Driving Gloves - Madewell - Fashionable Looks - Uniqlo

I know I’m a bit late for the height of NYC’s tourist season since Christmas and New Years just passed. The famous tree at Rockerfeller Center will soon be coming down along with the beautiful window displays on Fifth Avenue. Even so, I felt it necessary to write this post because I’ve been seeing a lot of tourist that look either un-chicly comfortable or trying to be chic and very uncomfortable. This post is for anyone who wants to visit the city and feel a little less like an outsider, because whenever I travel I always try to ‘dress like the locals’ or as the saying goes . . ”Do as the Roman’s do.”

For starters the greatest NYC tourist fashion faux pas in my opinion are:

Under dressed girls/women- ie. short shorts, short skirts too thin leggings (no one wants to see through to your underpants)
Crocs even in winter, the worst is when they’re paired with socks!
Lots and lots of fleece
Extremely over sized accessories that included backpacks, camera bags and umbrellas
Ugg boots

*Please note: if anyone is offended by that list, you probably do not have the same fashion taste as me, so don’t keep reading.

Photo credit: The Sartorialist

At the very least I think anyone visiting New York should to do the following when planning their wardrobe, no matter the season:

Wear layers, even on the coldest day many thin layers is the best. You’ll often be going in and out of stores, museums and restaurants and you’ll want to be able to remove some when you’re inside.
Carry a medium to large handbag (ladies) or messenger bag (gentlemen), one with a shoulder strap is best. New Yorkers live and die with their bags, bags are they’re own little vehicles because as a NYer you have to have something that can hold everything that your day will entail. That often includes, along the usual essentials sometimes: make-up for after work happy hours, gym clothes, a camera for inspiration, IPads & Kindles, a pair of flats and maybe the last layer.
Good looking, comfortable shoes – which can include the right heels.
A scarf, because it’s a great addition to any outfit for any season.

If you’re coming here for the winter specifically there are some extra details that I’d like to touch upon. Including the list above there are a few tips that I think will help, and these are pulled from well dressed individuals who have been snapped by the top fashion bloggers, ie. The Sartorialist and Bill Cunningham.

photo credit: Sydney Wasserman

via: The Street Comber

Don’t be afraid to layer even more and the trick is to have a great oversized coat that can cover all of those layers. But, when going big on top, make sure you balance your body out with skinny fit jeans and boots.