Austin Top 10

Because I loved it so much, I wanted to do something cool to summarize my trip to Austin the other weekend for one of my best friend's bachelorette celebration. Obviously I didn't come up with anything ground-breaking but have narrowed it down to these top 10 photos that serve to summarize what we did, where we went and others that remain on my to-do list for when I am able to return. At the conclusion of this post I've bucketed it into where to stay, eat, drink etc. in case you are going to Austin soon. And if you aren't, you should. It's awesome.

{Lunching at Lamberts Barbecue}

{Sunday Brunch at Franks}

{Big Top Candy Shop}

{Home Slice Pizza}

{Amy's Ice Cream}

{Hey Cupcake!}

{Live music everywhere}

{Drinks at the Driskill Hotel}

{Beers at Easy Tiger...}

{...on an awesome outdoor patio}

Hotels:
- The W: Where we stayed, very centrally located and quite swanky...just try not to wake up on your hotel balcony if you have one.
- The Driskill: Historic and charming with an antiquey-feel.

Brunch:
- Snack Bar
- Franks (Sundays only)

Lunch:
- Lamberts Barbecue
- Home Slice Pizza

Dinner:
- Bess Bistro (a must)
- La Condesa

Seafood/Sushi:
- Perla's
- Uchi

Drinks:
- Rainy Street (street of abandoned houses turned really cool bars): Lustre Pearl, Icenhauer's, really any of them.
- Easy Tiger (bake shop & beer garden...yes, please)
- Peché (mixology bar)

Sweets:
- Amy's Ice Creams
- Hey Cupcake!
- Big Top Candy Shop

Country Bar:
- Broken Spoke
- Rebel's Honkey Tonk

Live Music:
- Continental Club
- Speakeasy
- The Stage

Coffee:
- Jo's
- Mozarts

Late Night Eats:
- 24 Diner
- Max's Wine Dive

Shopping:
- Uncommon Objects and other antique/vintage stores on South Congress
- Etcetera, Etc. and other 2nd St. Boutiques

Other:
- Barton Springs: 1,000-foot-long natural spring-fed pool
- Lady Bird Lake: kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding

Compiled from A Cup of Joe I and II, Cupcakes and Cashmere, Immaculate Infatuation, and extensive recommendations from locals including the always-sweet Ms. Alex. I would be more than happy to shoot you our 3-day itinerary in an email if you are interested as well. 

Summer Stripes

Urban Outfitters Dress | Espadrilles | H&M Hat (similar)

I saw a girl wearing this dress at the pool of our hotel in Austin the other weekend and went immediately to Urban Outfitters to make it mine. You can do the same here and there's even free shipping right now through Wednesday. I paired it with these espadrilles and a straw hat from H&M (similar here) this weekend for the Belmont Stakes. The lightweight material and open back of the dress were perfect for a steamy day at the tracks. Also, the ombre tan look on my back can be achieved by never taking your swimsuit cover up off, in case you were wondering.

Weekend Update - 6/12/2012

{pretty hats and ruffly dresses at the Belmont Stakes}

Sincere apologies for yet another blogging hiatus. Really need to pin down one of those Time Warner Cable guys to get my internet set up but just haven't made the time. Anywho, will post my Austin pics later this week but here are a few from this weekend which started out with rooftop drinks on a pristine Friday night, the Belmont Stakes on Saturday and brunch at Paradou (super cute back patio in the Meatpacking district) followed by dinner at Randolph's (amazing burger and huge beer selection) Sunday. Busy, busy work week up ahead with a three-day trip to Boston. Have a good one!

{Union Rags for the win}

{$15 H&M hats fit the bill}

{view from the train window on the ride back to the city}

{outdoor chandeliers on the back patio of Paradou}

{Sunday night dinner & an apple beer at Randolph Beer}

May Flowers

{ASOS Dress | Marc Fischer Sandals | Zara Bag}

Wore this dress Friday night to dinner at Pierre's and over to a friends house in the Hamptons. Recognizing I'm about 10 years behind,  this is the first item I've ever bought off ASOS and I'm obsessed. Have a feeling there will be many more where that came from...

Weekend Update - 5/29/2012

{beers on the beach at sunset}

Ahh...is there anything better than a 3-day weekend? Although belated, I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to honor and thank the fallen who made the ultimate sacrifice defending all of our freedom. After three full days of 80° sun, I'm back from the Hamptons for a couple days before heading out to Austin Friday for one of my best friend's bachelorette parties. For any of you that have been or live there, any last minute must-do's would be much appreciated. Hope you had a great Memorial Day!

p.s. Pop on over to the lovely Miss Kiley's blog where I shared some of my favorite trends as of recent in a guest post last Friday!

{late afternoon nap with a summer breeze spreading this diptyque paris candle}

{my favorite part of summer...the grill}

{early morning coffee on the back porch}

{vibrant flowers everywhere}

Long Walks on the Beach

Forever 21 Dress (similar here) & Necklace | Madewell and H&M bracelets

I had been doing really good not going to Forever 21 but I had 15 minutes to kill before a dinner last Friday and ended up walking out with this little guy. Crochet, maxi...don't mind if I do. I didn't waste any time and wore it for a long walk on the beach Sunday evening in Glen Cove.

Hi-Low

Necessary Clothing Dress (similar here) | Nine West Heels | H&M belt | Necklace as bracelet (unknown)

I try to stay out of stores like Necessary Clothing because I typically buy a bunch of cheap / unnecessary items and never end up removing the tags. This dress, however, does not fit in that category. I loved the rich coral color and paired it with a turquoise necklace-worn-as-bracelet for a late Spring / early summer look at a party in Soho Saturday night.

Weekend Update - 5/21/2012

{Sunday evening walk along the beach in Glen Cove}

Another 75° / sunny weekend called for cramming as much as possible into the 48 hours I had to work with. Saturday was spent at the Great Googa Mooga food / beer / wine / live music festival in Brooklyn before a party at Desiron gallery in Soho that night. A Sunday afternoon road trip lead to lobster along the water in Long Island and finally Sunday night dinner back in the city at Alta (highly, highly recommend). Hope you had a great weekend!

{wine tasting tents with different sections for red, white, rose and sherry}

{love the serving tables made out of old wine boxes}

{brisket tacos}

{foie gras doughnuts}

{wild boar sloppy joes}

{cute little family fun}

{supermodel servers}

{one last dose of live entertainment in Grand Army Plaza} 

{closing out the weekend with a cold one along the water}