Barcelona: Style and Travel Guide

There are a few reasons why I visited Barcelona again: Because my best friend was traveling to another country for the first time; I had only been to Barcelona for one night last year with my family before we did a road trip through Spain (I only saw La Boqueria and Las Ramblas); and my husband and I have had to stay in Europe waiting for his Visa approval to move to the USA, so why not explore while I can?

The number one thing on my list to do this time was to visit

SAGRADA Família:

It was pouring raining when I got to this magnificent cathedral by architect Gaudi. My dress was a gift from Romwe and since it was white, my dress became see-through! I hid myself in a restaurant near by until the sun came out again, and by then my dress was dry.

All the details were as amazing as I thought they would be. Also there was very minimal refurbishing work done and so there were no construction cranes blocking the view like in recent months. This is an absolute must to visit for anyone visiting Barcelona or who lives there, it is the heart of the city.

W HOTEL: 

Above, here I’m at the 25th floor of the W Hotel, it’s been a dream to finally come stay here and experience it. I find the best deals through Expedia booking.

The best vibes for sure, instantly you feel lucky and luxurious at the same time to be at a place like this W Hotel Barcelona! It is certainly a landmark as the location and shape of the massive hotel can be seen from miles away, pictured below behind us at the beach.

BEACH & MARINA:

 

It was so amazing to spend time with my bestie again, I was so happy for her to get some international experience, and I could tell she loved the exploring. We walked through the beach area and also walked through the Marina as a group, with my best friend Teresa and her boyfriend Andre. The more you walk around the more you realize there are endless roads to take and there are new areas to discover, especially near the water. I’m wearing a denim Storets top and a NA-KD fashion dress in these photos. Along with my Gucci bag, Valentino flats and Converse shoes.

PARK GUELL (GAUDI):

It was absolutely amazing to see this park. Ever since I’ve seen people posting pictures with this amazing view and mosaic benches, I had to see it for myself! I wore my Iro dress from Blue&Cream, which had lots of colors in it to match the design of the park. The park is so unique with shapes like snakes and slithering animals, with themes of reptiles. It seemed closer to nature than most architecture is.

 

The view overlooks Barcelona and you can also see the water, not so well in my pictures. There were countless amounts of people but I had come in the final group and so I just waited for the park to start closing before I took my pictures.

HOTEL SB PLAZA EUROPA:

Not many hotels have rooftop pools in Barcelona, and when they do, they are not always the most attractive. But when I scrolled through this Hotel SB PLAZA EUROPA on Expedia, I knew it was the hotel I should stay at next. Since I was just getting a single room, it was the best price hotel for the most attractive amenities. It is further away from the city center, so either you have to do a lot of walking or you have to pay for taxis, which does add up. They have a bar on the rooftop also so I invited Teresa and her boyfriend to join me.

Below is the mall that was right next door, Gran Via 2, where they had an amazing restaurant area, a massive grocery store and many great fashion shops. 

FIRA BARCELONA: 

My taxi drove by Fira at night, and I was absolutely in love with the architecture and had to come see it the next day. Since I had moved hotels, I was getting sick of taking so many taxis around, so I just started to walk for 6 hours! It feels so great to do that in cities, because there is so much to see in small amount of space, so it is impossible to get bored. I’m wearing my Storets top, Chanel bag (with extra clothes inside) and my Gucci sneakers.

There is a shopping mall beneath this view but you can take an elevator up for 2 euros to see the 360 view of Fira and other parts of Barcelona. There were many restaurants up there and so I had a quick bite at the Japanese restaurant (I had already eaten so much Paella!). After a full time of exploring, seeing friends, and having some alone time, I felt I had seen plenty but will be back again for more. Early the next day I took my flight home, even though it was a last minute booking I still found the best price on Skyscanner. Till next time, Barcelona!

 

A Wedding in Hawaii

 

I have been anticipating my cousin’s wedding for quite some time, especially since it was in Kauai, Hawaii! It is such a beautiful island, just like my beautiful cousin Seiko! The reception was on a gorgeous piece of land that had the beach in the background and the party on the trim grass overlooking the paradise. There was definitely some difficulty in understanding exactly what someone wears to a wedding in a tropical place, especially if you are not sure if it is in the sand or not! Luckily, heels was an okay decision and so I wore my seasonal favorite from Via Spiga purchased at Bloomingdales, and then I somehow found this dress while shopping in SoHo right before leaving for my trip. I love it because I knew I could not wear white or black, but I definitely was not in the mood for a print, so nude all the way! The delicate sequins in the front also wrapped around the straps to the back, a nice detail that had me say “Yes to the Dress!”

Visiting Georgetown, Washington, DC.

Visiting my mother last weekend was not all green grass and trees, but in fact some really adorable cultural places as well as new restaurants, buildings and more. One of my favorite areas near where my mother just moved is Georgetown, Washington, DC. These photos do not exactly capture the adorable little streets but I was certainly happy to be walking around in my new Zara cow heide cheetah heels (I am obsessed with cheetah print!) and my Carol J navy leather handbag and my Forever21 dress which shrunk in the wash, haha oops!

Visiting my Mother in Maryland

Very rarely am I in a suburban town where all there is to venture to by foot is the park across the street. I love pairing sneakers with dresses and so I threw on one of my mother’s dresses and paired them with my Nike sneakers, or rather “tennies”. I have been living in a concrete jungle for 5 years and it does feel nice for my mind and body to be somewhere more quaint. Inside her house we leave the windows open and beautiful chirps from birdies are everywhere, and the sound of wind whistling by. I am happy to take this time in Maryland near Washington DC to have mother-daughter time in a place that is peaceful. I am happy she just moved here.

Maybe Love Fades like Clothing

There is an adorably beautiful home right next to my apartment building on the Upper East Side, and I just had to take a picture in front of it on my way to Vella, a wine bar that I love. I’m a firm believer in moving on from any dating situation if you are not happy anymore, so this top seemed to mean something a little more to me when I put it on and hence my title of this post. I liked mixing these pieces together that I would normally not do, layering the long sleeve faded denim top under my Vince blazer and my Via Spiga Snakeskin mules to lighten the bottom of the outfit. Let things fade but keep moving on to wherever you’re going in life!

The Cat’s Eyes Were Green With Envy

Here I was passing through the Diamond District in Midtown Manhattan. There are so many people trying to gather your attention to reel you into their stores to buy diamonds or for you to sell. It is extremely overwhelming normally, but I found a time in the mid-afternoon to stop and take a pose. Here I am wearing perfect patent leather shoes from Bianca Di, and I found them online here at Keito, an online shop that also has a boutique in SoHo. My bag was a gift from an ex-boyfriend for my college graduation, it was very nice of him and he likes to call me Cat, so a cat-purse was needed. I actually sadly do not remember the place where he got it but he said he was shopping on Newbury St. when he went to visit his mother in Boston. My sequins top is from Zara, and I fell in love with it instantly at an end of season sale. The top had originally been about $200 since it was a special designer collection but I think I purchased it for $40. My mock suit is from Ann Taylor. I loved mixing the unexpected together and making a fun, yet polished outfit.

Manhattan Bridge & My Favorite Spring Jacket

On a drizzly day I had made plans to take some photos with photographer Erick Hercules, and my mother was in town so she came to join! We had a nice walk through Chinatown and Erick gave us a nice brief history of the streets we were walking in and how they have become so popular to take photos of. We got to the Manhattan bridge and I was happy to be wearing one of my favorite Korean designer brands TRY-ME, I have two Jackets from them which I absolutely adore because they both have metallic fabric which catches the eye. I am also wearing Zara Suede Boots. I really think Zara has a fabulous shoe selection and constantly bring designer looks and streamlined designs. I was impressed with how my outfit seemed to go perfectly with the setting, and I loved how the photos came out. Erick, the photographer, was born in Ecuador and moved to NYC with his parents to pursue his talent in Opera. He went to The Fame high school that Netflix has as a documentary about high schoolers pursuing their passions. Not only did he find success in his singing but also his new found love for photography over the last couple years. I think it is safe to say that he puts so much effort into his art no matter what that may be. My mother took us out to lunch after and we shared more stories of childhood dreams that we all are chasing now.

Outfit for Mid Afternoon Lunch at Jones Wood Foundry

 

Well today was just a lovely afternoon as I celebrated yet another friend’s Aries birthday. The restaurant Jones Wood Foundry is a lovely wine and beer bar on the Upper East Side with a beautiful restaurant in the back which has multiple rooms with different character feel in each. We were one of the first to be sitting in the outdoor seating since it finally just started to get warmer. We had Sancerre, the Fish n Chips and the Salmon Burger. I’m wearing a Vince white blazer, and H&M Blue Dress and MIA snakeskin heels which I think are a fabulous design.

These Boots are Made for Walking

This outfit I wore to an Instagram meet up about a couple weeks ago. It was amazing to meet so many talented photographers who are also interested in a social media platform that has had continuous growth. It was actually quite windy on the East River in Manhattan as we walked from the Manhattan Bridge to the Brooklyn Bridge taking photos of different subjects as we went along. The photographer which can be found @canhatam, a Boston based photographer originally from Turkey has been blowing up on Instagram with his beautiful photos using the hashtag #discoveraround. My Burberry jacket was envied by many since I seemed to have the warmest one on, however, my short dress underneath for the after party was not helping with the under draft. My Sam Edelman boots definitely helped keep my legs warmer and they were not painful at all throughout the walk.

Natural Tones at a Townhouse in Chelsea, Manhattan

 

I love Chelsea for its charm, dining, speakeasy’s and the overall artistic vibe. I appreciate when business owners try to be unique, different and classy, and so many entrepreneurs have done just that to make this a great neighborhood. Although I live on the Upper East Side, my outfit seemed to do me well as an understated blend of “look at me if you want to notice” instead of “LOOK AT ME”. I find it funny that whenever I have a guy take my photos they don’t take the full body of my feet, but you get a little peak at my shoes. I’m wearing one of my favorite BCBG Maxazria blazers mixed with my grandmother’s silk pink button up top, brown corduroys and strappy leather and brown platforms.