24. hours. in. virginia. beach.

Sometimes you find inspiration in the most unlikely of places. I did just that during a recent trip to Virginia Beach that lasted slightly less than 24 hours. Though the architecture may have been unsightly, I found solace in all the eclectic colored walls and coastal-hued buildings that lined the boardwalk. While I’m admittedly not a fan of the beach (self-proclaimed city girl right here), it was certainly a change in scenery for me.
 
Because I was in town right after Hurricane Matthew had hit the area, the temps were definitely not cooperating (I’m not kidding when I say it felt like late November!). Thankfully, I decided to swap out my open-toed sandals for ankle boots and a field jacket just in case it wasn’t warm. Let it be known: That wind chill was brutal. Had it not been for how cold it was, I would’ve gotten an ice cream cone (or two) from one of the many Dairy Queens and local parlors that lined the boardwalk. Spoiler: I snagged a box of salt water taffy instead.
 
For some visual inspo, I’ve put together a Steller story documenting a few of my favorite snapshots. Take a look below (click to open) and let me know about your latest travels in the comments below!
 

xo,
A

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peace. love. summer.

I'm feeling very bittersweet today as we prepare to leave summer behind for the arrival of fall. (ICYMI: The first official day of fall is tomorrow, 9/23).  The funny thing is, I'm not even a fan of hot, humid 90-degree weather.  I prefer my days to be warm-ish + sunny with the possibility of an ice cream cone always on the horizon.

The thing that I love most about summer is the easy-going and free-spirited vibe that seems to accompany us from May through August (and some of September).  Oh, and the long nights when it doesn't get dark until around 9PM. Simply put: I equate summer with vacations (NYC over the beach any day), frozen treats (bomb pops, soft-serve ice cream and shaved ice), printed shorts + vibrant manis, endless nautical stripes, #navyornothing, July 4th (duh!), 7-Eleven Day, McAlister's Free Tea Day, carnival shenanigans and, most importantly, time spent outdoors soaking up the rays (while wearing SPF 100, of course).

While fall really isn't that bad — October is my birthday month after all and I will become accustomed to the chillier temps and added layers soon enough — I definitely find myself yearning more and more for summer as each year passes. In some ways, I guess you could say that it's become my favorite season.  In honor of the "official" end of of summer, I've put together a Steller story consisting of some of my favorite snapshots from the past few months.  Enjoy!

What will you most miss about summer?  Are you ready for fall?  Leave a comment below!

xo,
A

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the. high. line.

As promised, I've divided up my NYC trip into several recap posts (ICYMI: Check out my first installment here).  Today, I thought that I would share highlights from walking the High Line, an outdoor park that rises 30-feet above the streets.  If you've never visited the High Line before then I'd highly recommend it.  Pick a sunny day and head out before the pathway becomes inundated with too many tourists.  Tip:  Start from the northern most entrance (but avoid the entrance that's currently under construction!) and walk your way down to the southern end at Gansevoort Park (aka the Meatpacking District).  From my experience of trekking out on a Saturday morning, it's super refreshing being able to leisurely stroll along the High Line without crowds.  It also worked out perfectly, because I was able to finish my walk at the Whitney, which was already on my itinerary for the day anyway.

Instead of uploading all of my photos to this post, I put together a Steller story that highlights many of my favorite snapshots and video clips from the day.  While I think that I was fairly successful at capturing my High Line experience, there are a few things missing.  Notably, People's Pops, which I will talk more about in a later post consisting of all my dining + shopping recommendations.  Let's just say that no trip to the High Line (or NYC for that matter) is complete without a stop at People's Pops.  I got a shaved ice in the flavor Lime Thyme at the end of the High Line and came back for one more after leaving the Whitney. Yum!

Besides the beautiful gardens and natural landscape, the High Line is also known for the art community that it fosters through billboard commissions, murals and site-specific installations.  Speaking of which, I was able to get a glimpse of Olafur Eliasson's The Collectivity Project: "An installation of two tons of white LEGO bricks that features an imaginary cityscape conceived and designed by the public."  The "collectivity" component comes in as visitors are invited to help build the structures as they see fit.  So cool!  If you want to see the installation for yourself, then it'll be up through September 30th! 

In a nutshell, if you're in NYC, then you should totally check out the High Line.  As much as I love the hustle and bustle of the busy city, it's nice to able to seek refuge from it + see all the action from above.  Interested in learning more about The High Line?  This book, On The High Line written by Annik La Farge, is the ultimate guide chock-full of stunning photography, historical facts and fun tidbits.  It's definitely worth checking out at your local library or investing for your coffee table! 

Have you visited the High Line?  What are your favorite sights (or parks) in NYC?  Leave a comment below!

xo,

A

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introducing. steller.

Taking a break from my regularly scheduled fashion posts, today, I wanted to introduce you to a storytelling app called Steller.  (If you haven't heard of it yet, don't fret — it's still a relatively unknown app/social media network.)  In a nutshell, Steller allows you to combine photos, videos and text to convey your creative vision.  Here's where the creativity comes in:  A story can be as simple as a photo diary capturing a typical day at the park or it can be rooted in something more personal + meaningful to you.  Your story can be short or relatively long.  The sky's the limit!  

Upon initially downloading Steller, I distinctly remember feeling inspired by so many of the stories being uploaded by users.  I found the ones that incorporated video clips and stunning photography to be extra compelling.  Whereas the process of uploading a top-notch photo to Instagram is fairly seamless (capture, edit, filter, add a description and hashtags, upload!), Steller requires a little more story boarding prior to hitting publish.  But the end result is so worth it, in my opinion!  I'm constantly looking for new creative outlets and Steller just so happens to fulfill a unique niche that falls between Instagram and video apps like Vine. 

With all that being said, I finally (!) composed my first Steller story.  Last week, as per summer tradition, I went to a neighboring town's lawn party/carnival.  Side note: Personally, I LOVE carnivals — not only for the food (fries and funnel cakes FTW!), but all of the amazing photo ops.  While I didn't record any video clips this year, I did capture enough photos to share my carnival-going experience via Steller.  Considering that this was my first story, I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out.  I used the "Wander" theme which complemented the free-spirited vibe of my story perfectly.  Check it out below and let me know what you think!  

Will you be giving Steller a download?  Let me know in the comments below!  Feel free to share a link to your Steller profile, so that I can check out your stories!

xo,
A

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