Hi friends!! I didn’t mean to stay away for so long. Forgive me? Things have been busy, busy with work travel and family trips the past few months especially. It’s been a crazy whirlwind of airports and road trips, complete with all the intense post-trip catch up, but I’m back home now with no more trips planned through the new year and I’m not one bit sad about it! I’m feeling energized and excited to wrap up some of these really fun client projects we’ve been working on, but I’m most excited to start blogging regularly again! I have an enormous amount of photos and finished client projects to catch you up on. Also Michael and I are tackling the next phase of reno projects here at the house this fall/winter and I can’t wait to document the process!
The last trip I just got home from was a fast and furious long weekend in NYC. I had two quick work meetings that happily lined up with a girls weekend to celebrate my friend, Angie’s 40th. Angie is an amazing stylist and personal shopper now living in the Bay Area, but she was one of my dearest friends when we all lived in New York a few years ago. That was such a crazy time of my life. Looking back, it’s hard to wrap my mind around how we all survived. Many of us were launching our careers at the time and all of us were raising little ones in a city that can be tricky for kids, with spouses working at law firms or banks that required completely insane hours. We relied on each other for almost everything during those most precious, most intense years. Some of these ladies still live in the city, but many of us have moved away. It was SO fun to all meet up together and pick up right where we left off years ago. We ate all sorts of delicious food, danced our hearts out and slept WAY less than we should have. Love these sweet friends and love this beautiful city.
Even though it was a quick trip, we got to pack in some fun favorites. We stayed downtown all weekend and here were some of our stops:
Freedom Tower Observation Deck and then shopping in the Oculus (have you checked out COS?!)
Eataly – the new DT location is smaller and more manageable — and just as delicious.
Bar Pitti (don’t miss the burrata!)
Suteishi for sashimi and beautiful views of the Brooklyn Bridge
Century 21 (Angie and I had our kids in the same preschool back in the day and we spent many of those kid-free mornings combing through the racks on the 3rd floor Euro designer level. And now she makes a yearly trip to come see me in Arizona so we can go to Last Chance together. She is an amazing shopping buddy who can give the ruthless yet gentle feedback only the best personal shoppers can give!)
Bubby’s in TriBeCa for brunch (…really mostly just for the biscuits and the old-timey photo booth in the basement.)
10 Below and Big Gay for heart-breakingly good ice cream
Helen Ficalora jewelry- where my incredibly thoughtful friend Jenna got us the sweetest gift to celebrate Angie and NYC!
Candy Nails (mostly for nostalgia, but it’s a great and cheap mani/pedi!)
Tacombi (if for the corn alone!)
Chelsea, Brooklyn and Hells Kitchen Flea Markets
Any of the Housing Works Thrifts
ABC Home for special baubles and bits and inspiration galore
Citi bikes up and down the west side highway
Rock the Yacht for an amazing three hours of dancing with my best ladies in a tight, dude-free circle with the most breathtaking views of Lady Liberty and the skyline as our backdrop. :)
Right before coming home, I took the metro north up to Connecticut to see my friend Jenna and to walk through some houses. Check out this farmhouse! It was so, so pretty in person. I wish my quick photos did the spaces better justice!
This trip was honestly just what the doctor ordered. Even though I was out of town AGAIN, it felt like a palate cleanser and was somehow the perfect way to cap off what has been one of the most strange, unbalanced, travel-filled years of my life. Not going to lie, I’m ready for it to be over. I think we’re all feeling like 2016 has worn out its welcome. Mid-November seems like a perfectly reasonable time to call it quits and jump right to 2017, don’t you think? :) Here’s to fresh starts! Or at least to some great list-making planning sessions for those soon-to-come fresh starts!
How did I not know about the photo booth in the basement of Bubby’s? I was there in the summer. Gah! And I’m printing this post so I have your list of places to go in NYC. I’ll be taking the bus down the first weekend in December (I live in Boston). Thanks for sharing!
Ellen, I’ve been meaning to make a more comprehensive city guide! I’ll add that to my post ideas list! xo
I’m SO excited to see all your projects. I’ve been really missing your blog!!
So excited to read all your upcoming posts! I missed you!!
Yay!! So glad to have you back! You were definitely missed! You are such a source of inspiration. Looking forward to having my LGN fix again. :)
Thanks Joanna! I’ve missed it too! Excited to be back at it. xo
I so want to do a Rock The Boat party for a friend! I also am done with 2016 and hope 2017 has better days ahead. So good to have you back Jenny and glad you got to have some fun!
Sarah, it is SO fun if you have a big group with you. None of us are drinkers, so we mostly just came for the views and the dancing! :)
I’ve been missing LGN like crazy!!! So excited for you to bust out all of your recent project posts!
I MISS YOU girl! Is that baby out yet or what?! Let’s get together soon.
Welcome back! Can’t wait to see some of your client projects and any changes to your home!
I have been reading you since your DC days, I feel as though you are my “friend”. Glad you are planning to post, I have missed your updates.
Yay! This made my day to know you’re back! I’ve missed your lgn posts!
Can you link us to the listing for that farmhouse? Love it!
Hi Lauren,
I wish I could help out but I don’t have the address! Sorry about that!
I’m totally printing out this list too – headed to NYC for a girls trip with my mom and sisters this spring. Can’t wait to visit some of these places!
We will take you back anytime, Jenny! :)
I can’t tell you how excited I am to hear you will be blogging again!! Your style is like no other!!!!!
Where is your black blouse from in your first pics ? I LOVE the cut!
I’m so excited you’re back! You are my number one all time favorite, Jenny! No other blog quite compares to yours! I hope 2017 is the absolute best for you!
You are one of the most inspiring, thoughtful, talented voices on this here interwebs so however you come back is going to be AMAZE. YAY.
So glad you’re back and that all is well with you and yours! Love that young women can have good, clean fun together these days! Friends are wonderful aren’t they? I look forward to seeing and reading your future posts which always are honest and inspiring because of that. Just recently, I was urging my husband to try Bondo on a porch railing after remembering that huge project you did transforming your staircase. (I still can’t imagine your doing all that!) Thanks for sharing these trips and pics with us here.
Yay! You’re back. I can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to!
I know your life has been overflowing but I am so looking forward to your future posts. Hope your holidays are amazing!
Yay!! Glad you’re back! I know it’s an incredibly long long-shot, but I’m hoping you have a source (or an idea) on the island pendant lights in the farmhouse picture you posted?
Hi Brittany!
They are made by Arteriors. You can order them lots of places online, including Shopcandalabra.com. Hope that helps! xo
Ahh! So relieved! I was afraid you might have finally gotten too busy to keep blogging! I have been reading since 2013 and am completely addicted. There is simply no other design blog like yours. Love it!
Yay! Sooooo glad your back! LGN is my fave. Thank you for keeping your blog roll. Love to start here and meander through it.
I love your cubbies/lockers! How deep are they? Thanks!
After paying more attention, I guess they’re in the farm house…sorry! :)
The article has a lot of interesting information.