OOTD: Seventies in the Snow

It's time for an outfit post! Outfit posts are how I started my blog, and I will always love doing them. However, without meaning to sound too #BloggerProblems, they are a pain to actually do; you need decent clothes, decent lighting, preferably a photographer and nice location, and most of all, time! Luckily, recently I've had these things, so I wanted to share some outfit snaps from my time in New York:

Coat: Asos. Pinafore: Urban Outfitters. Turtleneck: Matalan. Hat: Asos. Gloves: Tesco. Bag: Sainsbury's. Trainers: eBay.

First of all, isn't Central Park incredible in the snow? It may have thrown out the image quality of the photos, but I was so amazed by the weather, as I have already mentioned in my previous New York posts, and I couldn't resist getting some outfit snaps covered in snow. I picked up this pinafore style dress in the Urban Outfitters sale; my favourite sale as you always get such great bargains and they let you use your student discount on top. This dress was therefore just over £13, as opposed to its original price of £55. You can't wear it without anything underneath, thanks to its pinafore style cut, but I layered it with a turtleneck. They're my new favourite thing to way, as they are so easy to layer and keep you toasty and warm! I also love the sixties/seventies vibe which they create, without being too over the top.

I bought this floppy hat from Asos with a gold heart band and it has quickly become a favourite in my wardrobe. I never wear hats, but I like the style of this one and think it frames my face well. Furthermore, it was a complete must in the biting snow and wind, as it kept the snow off my face and eyes. I would definitely recommend a hat when visiting New York in the winter!

Another must is of course a coat, and I wanted something practical yet fashionable for the climate. This coat was of course from Asos, and of course, in the sale. I've wanted a classic camel-coloured coat for ages, if not only for the alliteration! It's chic and professional with my work clothes, but casual enough that is doesn't look odd with my trainers. You can just see the pink highlights underneath the collar and lining the top pocket and this adds something slightly different to coat.

The final thing I have to recommend for New York is trainers. We did a huge amount of walking and comfortable shoes are a must. I didn't have any 'fashionable' trainers so I picked up these Nike trainers off eBay for about £20. I loved how the pink matched with the pink detailing underneath the collar of my coat, hopefully making them fit in with my rather girly style.

What do you think of my New York look?

Jess

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Fitness Friday: My Realistic Week #1

So it's time for Fitness Friday! All the fitness bloggers I seem to follow are absolute inspirations - they eat clean, they train hard and they look incredible. I'm not pretending that I am anywhere in that league; I enjoy talking and writing about fitness but I am definitely no example! Sometimes this means that I find it hard to write my Fitness Friday posts, as there is a certain amount of pressure to be the demonstration of what I preach. I think it's easy to beat ourselves up, spending hours pouring over Instagram and Googling ridiculous diets in frustration, so today I wanted to share my weekly fitness routine. However there is a twist - not only am I sharing my planned routine, I'm also sharing what I really did!

Monday: 
The Plan:
Work an early shift at my local leisure centre until 1pm, then head straight to the gym.
The Reality:
I started off the week well and actually completed this. I completed an arms set, followed by some intense cardio on the stepper machine. I also got my body fat percentage checked, and although I have gained weight since my last record a few months ago, I have lost body fat and gained muscle, so I was really happy (not to mention surprised) by the results.

Tuesday:
The Plan:
A study day at university, followed by either a circuits or TRX class in the evening.
The Reality:
After a long yet unsuccessful study day, I headed home and promptly went to sleep. No exercise for me tonight! The only saving grace was the fact that I had opted for salad and dried fruit as study food rather than chocolate whilst studying.

Wednesday:
The Plan:
Work another 6am-1pm then head to spinning. A university lecture followed by my weekly adult ballet class.
The Reality:
I completed both ballet and spinning - hurrah! Working part-time in a leisure centre makes my gym routine much easier in many ways, because exercise is much harder to avoid if you are already in the gym! However, it can make you rather sick of the place, and working shift patterns means getting into a routine can be a nightmare.

Thursday:
The Plan:
Rest day: Internship all day then lectures until 8pm.
The Reality:
I always plan a rest days on Thursday as it's impossible to fit in any exercise. This Thursday was slightly different, because after my seminar I also had my cocktail masterclass at The Snug, which you can read about in my previous post. Let's just say that my diet went to pot this evening!

Friday:
The Plan:
Body Blitz class at 9:30, followed by lunch with a friend.
The Reality:
I woke up with a sore head from last night's cocktails and couldn't face jumping around for an hour. I definitely couldn't have coped with 'blitzing' my body. I weighed myself for the week and had miraculously lost two pounds - so I obviously headed to meet my friend and ate a packet of triple chocolate biscuits and three chocolate rice crispy cakes. Oops!

Saturday:
The Plan:
TRX class at 9:30, followed by a day of studying.
The Reality:
However well I start the week, it all seems to go to pot once I get to the weekend! I didn't get out of bed in time, so I instead spent my day watching the Six Nations on TV, accompanied by a gin and tonic, rather than doing any exercise myself!

Sunday:
The Plan:
Nothing specific, because I have accepted that I am a lazy sod on Sundays and there is little chance of me doing anything!
The Reality:
I got called into work last minute in the afternoon, which promptly gave me an excuse not to bother with any exercise for the day. I promised myself I would get up early tomorrow for the gym and start the week afresh. (Did it happen? Of course it didn't...)

So what have I learnt?
I actually quite enjoyed logging what I planned to do vs what I actually did this week. I've learnt that I start the week well then seem to get worse towards the weekend. This week, I exercised three times, over the space of two days, which isn't too terrible for such a busy week and I don't feel too disappointed in myself.
The main change I'm going to make is to weigh myself on Monday. This will hopefully stop me from overindulging too much over the weekends, as I know that I will need to step on the scales on Monday morning. I've also started Yoga with Adrienne's 30 day challenge, in an attempt to complete some form of exercise every day; I'll let you know how I get on!

Do your weekly fitness routines go to plan? Or are you more like me? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Jess

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Cocktail Masterclass at The Snug

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I love a good cocktail. As well as drinking them, I also enjoy making them, so when The Snug Bar got in touch about a Blogger Cocktail Masterclass, I was more than happy to accept their invitation:

We learnt how to make three cocktails throughout the evening; a Mojito, an Espresso Martini and a 'Snugasm.' Firstly, we learnt the art of free pouring, which I had tried once before when I went to a Cocktail Masterclass at The Botanist in Leeds. We used this to make our Mojito, filled with ice, rum, sugar syrup, soda and an added fruit flavour. I chose lime to make my drink extra-citrusy, although the raspberry version was also delicious!

We then made the Espresso Martini, which I think was everyone's favourite of the night. We combined Vodka, Kahlua, sugar and a double espresso, which we then shook over ice until cooled. We then poured out the amazing coffee cocktail through a strainer to create a dark coffee cocktail with delicious frothy foam. I dusted mine with rather a lot of chocolate powder, and carefully topped it off with coffee beans. This cocktail was strong, rich and a must for any coffee lovers!

Finally, we created a Snugism, which involved simply combining and stirring ingredients - no fancy shaking here! We combined Bailey's, Kahlua, Vodka and Amaretto with milk and cream; this wasn't a healthy one at all but it was very tasty! We were also provided with some amazing platters of food to share. I was impressed with the variety on the boards, including sausages, chicken skewers, jacket potatoes, onion rings and some delicious olives. The food was tasty and definitely makes me want to return for a proper meal at The Snug soon.

If you want to learn how to become a cocktail making pro, just like me, then the Snug Cocktail Masterclass starts at £35 per person. You get your own personal bartender for the night, a reserved area and food platters to share - as well as of course learning how to make (then drink) three unique cocktails.

Jess

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New York: Day Three

I hope you've been enjoying my New York posts, as I've enjoyed reminiscing about our four day trip. Today I wanted to share the details of our final full day, before we had to catch our flight home in the evening back to the UK. I know it's supposed to be Fitness Friday, but today we are talking travel!

We started the morning by heading to Junior's for some all American pancakes with bacon and maple syrup. I enjoyed the accompanying stewed apples, raisins and cinnamon and the gigantic vat of coffee to give me my caffeine fix. They weren't the most exciting pancakes I've ever tried, but the diner was close to our hotel and ticked off my wish for pancakes in the States! After breakfast, we headed back to Times Square to spend some of our remaining dollars - and this meant Sephora. I don't normally buy high end beauty, but the staff were so friendly here and I couldn't resist treating myself. I was offered a 15 minute 'beauty tutorial' so I decided to be shown contouring. My makeup artist was so friendly and showed me a really simple way of contouring, which resulted in me buying the Sephora brushes which he had used. I'm glad I did because they are amazing!

We then returned to our rooms to check out. Row NYC allowed us to leave our suitcases with the concierge until we left for the airport, and this was so useful as it allowed us to spend the day exploring without dragging our suitcases with us. Our next destination was the Rockefeller Centre and the Top of the Rock. In 43 seconds, we had climbed 67 floors and headed out to the wonderful New York views. I loved seeing Central Park covered in the remaining snow and seeing the Empire State Building, rather than standing on it. I opted for the Premier Pass, which for an extra $5 meant that I got a map of the skyline, pointing out all the various buildings for you, and a digital photo taken by a professional photographer. It was worth it for the map alone, which is now on my wall above my desk! I would definitely recommend it over the Empire State Building, as it is cheaper and there are less queues.

We treated ourselves to Five Guys for lunch. I know that this chain has now even reached Cambridge, but we wanted somewhere quick and easy for lunch. Five Guys was cheaper than Shakeshack, which we had tried the day before, and also better. I love that you can choose all the unlimited toppings you want, although I am not entirely sure what I chucked on my Little Cheeseburger as a result! The skin on fries were really tasty and I got very excited about that drinks machine, full of all the different fruit-flavoured fizzy drinks you can think of.

After filling our bellies, we headed down to 5th Avenue to indulge in a little more shopping. It felt very much like Oxford Street, but we enjoyed exploring the shops and of course visiting Macy's. We also checked out the front of the Rockefeller Centre, with the ice rink and statues. The snow started to fall again as we headed into New York Public Library. Isn't it crazy that this beautiful building is New York citizen's library?

Finally, we collected our bags from Row NYC and headed to the airport, although this wasn't as simple as we had hoped. A snowstorm hit and a 30 minute taxi drive actually took us two and a half hours, to then discover our flight had been cancelled. The staff at both American Airlines and British Airways were fantastic and luckily we managed to catch a different flight at 11pm, not much later than originally planned. The lesson is to make sure you have travel insurance!

Have you been to New York? We are already planning our trip back to the Big Apple and have definitely caught the bug! Where are your favourite places to visit?

Read Day One here

Read Day Two here

Jess

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New York: Day Two

You will hopefully have seen my last post about my first day in New York, and today I want to tell you all about the second day of our trip. The heavy snow from the day before had been cleared away and the sun was shining as we headed out for the day:

We started our day with a trip to Carlo's Bake Shop, the bakery owned by Carlo from the TV show Cake Boss. I opted for an Oreo cupcake with my coffee, and it was much better than Magnolia Bakery - the cake was moist and chocolaty, and the icing was a much better ratio to cake. We caught the subway to Grand Central Station, where I was amazed by the stunning architecture and the locals walking past without a glance at the surroundings. We saw the Chrysler Building then popped over to Bath and Body Works, where I picked up five miniature hand sanitisers for just $5.

We then headed to well-known Katz's Delicatessen for lunch, where I was excited to try a Reuben Sandwich. I was surprised with how quickly we were served and the size of the place, as I had been envisaging queues to try their famous sandwiches. The sandwich was packed full of corned beef, Swiss cheese, Russian and Sauerkraut, and it was pretty hard to eat! It was definitely one of those places where you can just dig in and get messy, which I quickly did. I enjoyed the meaty cheesey contents, especially once I added some of the delicious Katz's mustard. My only criticisms would be the slightly fatty meat, and the bread was rather uninteresting for such tasty contents.

After we had stuffed ourselves, we headed to the Staten Island Ferry which you can catch for free and takes you past the Statue of Liberty. I get childishly excited by ferry rides and I loved standing in the freezing wind and staring back as we left New York behind. We were lucky with the day we had chosen, as the sky was so clear and bright, especially in comparison to the snowstorm the day before - although you can still see all the ice left behind! The ferry runs every half an hour from both sides, so we waited and caught the next ferry back to New York straight away, then continued with our travels for the day.

We stopped off for a quick drink at The Dead Rabbit, a trendy tiny bar located just off Wall Street. I opted for the Sweet Jane; gin, Dolin Blanc, apple, lemon, pink gratefruit, anise and bitters. It was wonderfully tart and refreshing, and prepared us nicely for the walk ahead. We had planned a walk which passed the Charging Bull Statue, the New York Stock Exchange and the rest of Wall Street. This then took us to Trinity Church and finally the 9/11 Memorial. In total, the walk took about forty-five minutes, as well as time to take photographs and explore, and ticked off some must-see sights. The final destination of the 9/11 Memorial was actually extremely emotional and I would urge you to include it in any trip to New York.

We caught the subway to the Brooklyn side of Brooklyn Bridge and then walked back over the Manhattan. We timed this to coincide with sunset and it was simply perfect. It's hard to describe how stunning the New York skyline looked as night fell and it lit up. I would definitely recommend it!

I'm going to talk about dinner at Don Antonio in another post, as it was lovely and deserves its own write-up (and this post is long enough!) We then finished our final evening in New York with some beers at the well-known dive bar Rudy's Bar and Grill. It cost us just $8 for a pitcher of 4 pints of beer and I loved the friendly atmosphere. I'm sure it would have been much busier on a weekend, but I enjoyed spending our Tuesday evening people-watching and soaking in the chilled, slightly rock-and-roll atmosphere to see out our final night in New York.

Read Day One here

Read Day Three here

Jess

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New York: Day One

One month ago, I got a text from a friend and fellow blogger Sammie from Little Blonde Life. "British Airways has a January sale," it read, "want to go to New York?" 24 hours later, in a fit of impulsiveness which is very unlike me, the flights and hotel were booked - we were off to New York for four days! Last weekend, we set off to the Big Apple and I wanted to share where we went and what we did, day by day, with you all:

We actually landed on the Saturday, but this day consisted of travelling and a wonderful meal at Buddakan which I will review separately at a later date. For our first whole day, we started by exploring Times Square. Our hotel, Row NYC, was a great location, just a couple of minutes from Times Square, yet not to noisy or cramped. I should have taken photos, but you can check out their website! Our room was clean and well-designed, including a safe, a huge full length mirror and 'blackout' blinds to ensure a good night's sleep. The staff were very helpful and friendly and it was a great base to explore the city. I would definitely stay there again as it was so affordable too.

After exploring Times Square, and indulging in some goodies from Forever 21 and Sephora, we caught the subway to Central Park. We bought a 7 day Metro Travelcard for $31 and I would definitely recommend it, it made travelling so much more convenient as you didn't have to queue each time. We quickly discovered a Mexican restaurant called Cafe Frida and decided on brunch. We ordered the guacamole to start, which was huge and amazingly presented along with corn chips, although it could have been spicier as it was a little bland. Then I ordered the Huevos Rancheros O Divorciados; it may be one of the ugliest dishes I have photographed but it was delicious! I really enjoyed the green tomato sauce in particular and it was an enjoyable unplanned find.

We were so lucky with the weather and as we headed back to Central Park, the snow was crazy. It meant that we couldn't see some of the sights like Strawberry Fields, but the atmosphere was incredible. I have an outfit post on its way! Next, we headed to the Museum of Modern Art to explore some amazing art, including Van Gogh's The Starry Night and Andy Warhol's famous printed soup cans. It's worth noting that if you are a student, bring your student card as entry is then just $14 rather than $25.

We walked back to the hotel, which allowed us time to see the entrance to The Tonight Show and try a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery. This was admittedly a disappointment - the cake was dry and there was far too much icing for my tastes, but it was something which we had wanted to try. We then got to explore Times Square at nighttime, with the amazing lights and displays, and we may have been distracted by the Disney store!

Finally, we headed to the Shake Shack across the road from our hotel. I was itching to try this chain and the queues which we had seen outside every store only fueled my need to eat there. Unfortunately, I really don't understand what the fuss is about. After paying almost $20 for a burger, cheesy chips and their famous milkshake, I was met with a cold, greasy burger in a bun similar to those in McDonalds. The cheese sauce was 'plastic-y' and cheap tasting and I was generally underwhelmed. The only part of the meal I enjoyed was the Vanilla frozen custard shake, which was tasty and moreish, and something different to a cheaper fast food chain. All in all, if I want a burger I think I will stick to Byron Hamburgers - a similar price, but a sit down meal and much better food! However, Shake Shack is somewhere I have wanted to try for a long time now, so I was happy to 'tick it off' my list of restaurants to try and where better to try it than New York?

We then crashed in our hotel room, one day down. If you plan, you can fit so much into a short time in New York and we allowed ourselves plenty of time to enjoy wandering around Central Park and the MoMA. One of my highlights of the trip was Central Park in the snow; it didn't feel real, it was so picturesque and atmospheric and truly 'New York.'

Read Day Two here

Read Day Three here

Jess

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Fitness Friday: Deep Tissue Massage

It's time for Fitness Friday! Phew, these weekly features seem to come by fast don't they! Last week, I was treated to a deep tissue massage at Cambridge Complementary Health Centre*. Having never enjoyed a massage before, I was excited to treat myself to a spot of pampering so I headed into Cambridge city centre for some relaxation:

This topic isn't strictly fitness related but for me, I was particularly keen to try a deep tissue massage as a result of my various injuries. I have struggled with a shoulder injury for a few years now, initially as a result of whiplash, then made worse when I cleverly electrocuted myself at university! I explained this to Rachel and she quickly recommended that she focus on my back and shoulders during our half hour session.

I kept my bottom half clothed but took off my top for the massage. Rachel was extremely professional, so although there wasn't a huge amount of chit-chat, I really didn't mind; I hate awkward small talk. I was more than happy to relax to the classical music playing subtlety in the background as Rachel massaged all my knots and tension away. She particularly focused on my injured left shoulder, so it was reassuring that she could obviously tell there were some problems. The massage was firm but wasn't painful; I could feel the pressure working away the knots in my shoulders and back. After the massage, I felt instantly lifted and sat straighter as the pain had greatly reduced and I immediately felt much more mobile.

Total Health Clinics have centres in Cambridge, Peterborough, Spalding, Stamford, Huntingdon and Kinds Lynn. They offer a huge variety of massages, which you can read about on their website; they range from the deep tissue massage I tried, to acupuncture, reiki and various other styles of massage. They start at £25 for 30 mins, which I think is great value for the difference which I experienced in just one session. Rachel recommended that I return every 4-6 weeks if I wanted to make the most of the results and I am certainly planning on treating myself again soon.

Have you had a deep tissue massage? Have you tried Total Health Clinics? 

Jess

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Day Trippin'

As I'm sure you know if you are following me on Twitter and Instagram, I am currently in New York! However today I want to talk about the UK original, York, which is one of my favourite places after living there for three years whilst at university. I recently received a box of goodies from CityConnect and was challenged to test out their new free WiFi in the city. Obviously, I couldn't resist a chance to revisit one of my favourites cities so I headed back to my beloved Yorkshire:

CityConnect WiFi is a great new service for free WiFi throughout the city centre. When I visit York, I normally use The Cloud where I can but it doesn't provide great coverage everywhere. To use CityConnect, you have to set up an account linked to a social media page - I used my Twitter - and then provide some basic information, including your date of birth, postcode and an email. Once this is set up, which only takes a few moments, you have an account. The WiFi wasn't infallible and I did have to sign back in a few times, after it dropped out, but free WiFi is nothing to be sniffed at! I also thought it was great that after signing in, you were taken straight to the Visit York website - a huge positive for any tourists visiting the city.

I spent the day visiting some of my favourite places and showing off the city to my friend who had never visited York before. We wandered around the streets, browsed the local shops and couldn't resist nosying at the Easter themed window at Bettys! However, I knew where I wanted to go for lunch - my absolute favourite place in York, Mannion and Co. They offer the most delicious, gigantic deli board you have ever seen, full of great quality local produce. Their staff are so friendly, the cakes are unbelievably tasty and they also offer a huge selection of quality teas served in cast iron teapots. We then took a trip down the Shambles and circled back round to gaze at the impressive York Minster. Finally, we ended our day trip with a couple of cocktails in Evil Eye Lounge - another must-visit for any tourists in York. It's allegedly Johnny Depp's favourite English pub and offers an extensive range of tasty cocktails; one of my favourites being the Evil Spring Punch. 

Where are your 'must-sees' in York? Have you tried CityConnect WiFi?

Jess

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