NYC made this happen – Page 2

Coachella Vibes

Although I have never actually been to the widely known Coachella music festival, I absolutely love when H&M decided to release a Coachella collection. The pieces easily become some of your favorites and I love the inspired festival looks. They are very fashionable and summery. Pictured here I have a nice patterned black and white cropped top paired with high waist black denim shorts. The pieces they put out are definitely fitting for the festival of course but can also be worn anytime during the summer too. This ensemble came together nicely with the black open toe booties I’m wearing as well. Hopefully, I can make it to Indio, California to conquer the heat and experience Coachella very soon. Until then, I hope H&M continues to release trendy collections each year with fun, fashionable pieces to add to my summer wardrobe.

Tribeca eats

My little sister decided to come up and celebrate her birthday here in New York. Of course I created a nice itinerary which included great places to eat, touristy things like visit Times Square and Central Park and picked a handful of nightlife events. One of the main requests she gave me was to have an awesome dinner, preferably at a steakhouse. Since I enjoy food so much and live for trying new places to dine, my quest to find the perfect place for dinner started about 2 weeks prior to her visit. The choice for the evening is none other than American Cut. This is a modern steakhouse in the Tribeca area serving some of the best steaks I’ve had so far.

You walk in to such a beautiful decor with the dim lighting and such a simple yet elegant table setting. To start, we went with their rendition of the wedge salad called ‘Black Knife Wedge’ which is your typical iceberg lettuce, blue cheese and bacon. Too fancy it up a bit theirs also had sun-dried tomatoes and croutons which were a nice touch. For the entree, I decided to have the filet mignon and the dry aged potatoes with bacon and mushrooms. The filet literally melted in my mouth and the roasted potatoes were simply amazing. My sister went with the restaurant’s staple steak choice, the New York City cut, which was also very delicious as its cooked with pastrami spices and smoked to perfection. You can also add different sauces or butter if you like but I stuck with the special made steak sauce that’s made in house. Delectable is an understatement when trying to describe the dinner here at American Cut. The restaurant choice was a hit for the birthday celebration and I will definitely be back to dine here again! Check out pics of some our food choices below.

Summer 16′ Must Haves

It’s finally warming up in NYC and I am completely overjoyed. It took quite some time this year seeing that it’s now June but I can live with that. Rompers and comfy shoes are must haves when living in New York. You want something quick and cute to throw on and if you’re going to do a bit of walking, which is expected here, comfort is key. I purchased this romper at Urban Outfitters a couple of years ago. Being a huge fan of animal print since way back when definitely worked in my favor. The shoes I’m wearing are mules that I happened to find at Old Navy. These shoes have to be some of the most comfortable sandals I’ve owned. I conquered a full day in NYC in these with no problem and to top of it off, they were only $10.99. Definitely a steal! In my opinion, rompers and a nice comfy sandal are must haves for this summer. More full outfit pics below.

The Motto: Own it

Own the Day. These 3 simple words mean so much and definitely represent my motto in life. Designed by Brooklyn-based company WCIBF, the white Champion sweatshirt with the black writing compliments my denim dad hat so well. I think I’m officially obsessed with the new dad hat trend but that’s okay. Urban Outfitters made it so easy once they made this ‘Babe’ hat. There was no second guessing the purchase of this. I’m also wearing the oh so popular NMDs, which can be seen in the other pictures below. Be sure to ‘Own It’! Each and everyday we have 24 hours to make something happen that we want to happen. Let’s do this!

Rhythm & Blues

On last Friday, I was able to see a live performance from Kenneth Whalum at Rockville Live. Shameless to say, I never heard of him until recently when the word spread about the show. It was a very intimate setting; definitely reminded me of a scene out of Love Jones with the rhythmic jazz softly playing in the background while the saxophone echoed as Kenneth played along with his band. The only thing missing was a charming poet and a few finger snaps. I was only able to catch half of the show but from what I did see, this guy is pretty talented and I can’t wait to hear more from him in the near future. Check out the video to get a glimpse of what I was able to capture during his performance.

Kenneth Whalum at Rockwood Live (NYC) from Lifeofacitygal on Vimeo.

Feeling like Pablo

Last weekend while doing some much unneeded shopping in the Soho, I decided to stop in the DASH store. For those of you who may not know, the DASH store was founded by Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian. They often have some cute pieces so I figured hey, why not. It must have been my lucky day because I notice this bright royal blue tee with writing that looks oh so similar to that of the “I Feel Like Pablo” tee that circulated during the Season 3 fashion show hosted by Kanye West. It is the Pablo tee!! The associates eagerly said ” Grab something now if you want it. We posted this to instagram about an hour ago and not many things are left”. To go back just a bit for you guys, Kanye West held a pop up in the Soho about a month ago and the line was just way too long to even remotely think about getting merch unless you camped out the night before or just woke up and immediately went to stand in line around sunrise. Without a question, I grabbed the only medium size left and left with an unexpected treat for the weekend. Soho adventures never disappoint and I’m glad I decided to stop in.

Views

One of the most highly anticipated albums of 2016, Views, has finally arrived and in my opinion, met its expectations. Views is coming from the one and only Drake and to add to the hype of this album, he decided to do several pop-ups before its actual release on 4.29.16. New York was the location for the first pop-up store sponsored by Beats by Dre. Fans like myself were able to pick up the tee pictured above complimentary to show his appreciation and also keep focus and high energy on the long awaited album. Nothing too fancy on the inside of the store; just a ton of Views tees on clothing racks with either the black or white background. Fortunately, I was able to get a black one. Although some may say Views has just too much singing and gives more of an R&B feel, the melodic tunes, music samples and production are just a few things that I happen to love about this album. It definitely takes me back to how I felt once Take Care came out and gives a similar vibe and tone to me. To say the least, Drake continues to stay on top of the game. OVO definitely keeps him busy and I am looking forward to the Summer Sixteen Tour which was also made available for ticket purchase on the day of the release.

LA meets NY

East Village, NY has to have some of the best restaurants in New York City. I stumbled upon this gem in search of a good happy hour in the area. Unfortunately it ended at 7pm here so I missed the happy hour but boy did they make that up with the delectable dishes they have here. The guacamole was so fresh along with the chips and the brisket tacos were simply amazing. Rosie’s gave me an LA vibe when I dined there, especially since it was a 70-degree day in the city so all of the side doors were open to let the fresh air trickle in. This will definitely be a good spot in the summer. Check it out if you’re in the area and want tasty Mexican.

Trey Day

There are often times I cannot keep up with all of the things that go on in New York City but when I heard about Trey Songz doing a NYC takeover, I had to get involved. Last Friday after leaving work I decided to stop by the event where Trey is making an appearance to promote SX Liquors. I have been a fan of this guy for years so I went a few stops up on the train from my job to check this out. There was a good selection of SX Liquors to chose from and they actually taste pretty good. It was a pleasure to meet Trey Songz and he was one of the nicest people I’ve met so far. A true Friyayyy moment pictured below.

Brunchin’ It

Brunch has become a very very big deal. It’s the best of both worlds. A bit of breakfast mixed with lunch dishes is a pretty good combo. Here in New York we often add a DJ and groups of about 6-8 people per reservation to make brunch that much better. Since most places offer a variety of dishes, I have quite a few that are my go to for a good brunch. Cornerstone Cafe in East Village, NY has a brunch that you can’t pass up. The french toast is to die for. I had to order something to go with it so I ordered a side of bacon and eggs. Sidebar, the eggs come with breakfast potatoes and a mixed green salad. The pancakes with the strawberry compote are equally as good. To top it off, the finishing touches are accompanied with a refreshing mimosa. You cannot have a solid brunch without a mimosa! Cornerstone Cafe is definitely a must try, if you’re ever in the area. The Prohibition Bakery was another hidden gem I stumbled across while waiting for my table reservation. They have mini cupcakes infused with liquor. Since the cupcake box made a cameo, I figured I would give them a mention too.