As Kathleen, Kevin, Sunny, and I were wandering around NYC trying to figure out where to hit up next, we passed by strangers who seemed to be facing the same dilemma as we were: “Should we eat next or shop next?”

There is so much going on in NYC, but after having visited so many times, there isn’t much left I feel like doing there, except for visiting specific museum exhibits or watching specific Broadway shows. The first trip to NYC is when you do all the tourist-y stuff, Times Square and the whole shebang. (Then never go to Times Square ever again.) The second and third trips are when you experience the real city and find the hidden spots. But after that, there’s just too many people everywhere and it’s so draining to navigate through the throng.

To eat or to shop? The two main activities, both of which you could do anywhere. But maybe it isn’t about where we go, but about how we get there. So, upon arrival, we walked 80+ blocks of NYC. Honestly, that’s the way to go.

Walking around NYC with a bag of flowers is just one of those things you gotta do.

We hit up Koreatown three times in three days. Can I just say that the USA’s 21+ law is so dumb?? I mean, I don’t care for drinking, but it’s so hard to find a karaoke bar when you’re under 21! I just want to badly sing to bad music!! Let me live!!!

NYC is overflowing with Christmas storefronts, but Lord & Taylor wins them all.

After 80+ blocks, we finally made it to Georgina’s house. Her parents were so kind to host us for the second year in a row! To see more around the house, check out last year’s post.

You know how Thanksgiving dinners go.

I am honestly so in love with the picture below. On Black Friday, Kathleen, Kevin, Sunny, and I went thrifting and succumbed to the hipsters deep in ourselves. Yes to oversized dad jackets. I also found a beret in a beautiful shade of green that I got quite attached to and wore around the store, but I couldn’t see myself wearing it often (yet?) and it wasn’t on sale, so I left it behind. I did pick up a pair of new shoes 50% off from DSW though (similars: one two three).

After thrifting for most of the day, we made our way to St. Mark’s Place for dinner. This was the first time I’d been to St. Mark’s Place, and it was my favourite. It reminded me so much of Bar Street back home in Beijing, and it felt extra special to experience it with my Beijing buddies.

On Saturday morning, I woke up early and headed out myself to Uptown Roasters to grab breakfast, edit some photos, and get some work done. I’d been craving a croissant for the longest time. Croissants (and just pastries in general) are not something I eat very often, so it felt like such a treat, especially with a hot cuppa coffee!

We decided to spend our last day in NYC at Union Square’s Holiday Market to do some Christmas shopping. Usually I don’t buy anything at these artisan markets because things are pricey and not absolutely necessary, but y’all know that I’m now making a better effort with supporting artists and creatives I love! I’m so in love with everything I bought (all gifts!) and am bursting to share them with you, but the recepients of these gifts read my blog, so I’m gonna have to keep it on the down low. Instead, I’ll just share with you some of my favourite vendors:

Eve Devore // “Humanizing owls and owilizing humans.” Intricate illustrations full of personality that are sure to be a hit at the [Bryn] Mawr.

Avigail Adam // The delicate gold crowns and wreaths are the perfect thing to accessorise with for May Day.

Real. Weird. Art. // Completely obsessed. Spent a good 20+ minutes here. Impossible situations shared in quirky illustrations that come all together with captions that explain everything.

Three Bluebirds // Eco-friendly, reusable Swedish dishcloths with the cutest prints.

Catching the subway from Union Station, we stumbled upon the Subway Therapy Anti-Trump wall of post-its.

There are lots of emotions. We’re heartbroken. We’re scared. We’re angry. It’s all valid. There were several post-it’s with hilariously rude and satisfying remarks and illustrations of Ivanka’s dad, but I’m so tired of negative energy. I just want to end this post in Thanksgiving spirit with love and grace, so these are the few that I am sharing here.

Happy Holidays! Only 25 days until Christmas!

PS: Thanksgiving 2015 @ NYC, Thanksgiving 2014 @ SF, Fall Break 2014 @ NYC