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12 Sep '11

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I'm a New York native who left my home to explore the world slowly and thoroughly. I’m just a little obsessed with photography, scuba diving, and reading guidebooks to countries I have no immediate plans to visit.

It was cozy season 🍁 Spent yesterday on a flig

It was cozy season 🍁

Spent yesterday on a flight booking bonanza and looking back at this period where I didn’t get on a plane for months and how nice it was to have a big travel day mean going to Uptown Manhattan.

Would you reno a rental? 🔨 I see this debate c

Would you reno a rental? 🔨

I see this debate come up a lot and I feel like I have a unique perspective on it now that I have two residences, one I own (@villakerangsue in Bali) and one I rent (my lil Disco Loft in a shared home in Brooklyn!)

This upgrade cost $817! I could have done cheaper but I splurged on a few elements that I really love and could take with me or sell in the future.

The breakdown:

🪩 Hardware: $201 (hooks, faucet, flusher, toilet paper holder, cabinet pulls)
🪩 Mirror: $150
🪩 Paint: $145 (also used metallic spray paint to give new life to a bunch of accessories and switch plate covers)
🪩 Light bulbs: $20
🪩 Frames: $153 (I already had the prints by the talented @greenblanky from each and every @wanderwomenretreats!)
🪩 Disco balls: $38
🪩 Toilet brush + trash bin: $40
🪩 Storage: $70 ($20 shelves and $50 rolling cart)

While everyone told me not to, I may experiment with painting the tile or covering it in vinyl when I’m back!

Things that were sneaky hard AKA I wasn’t expecting them to be were like, figuring out where to hang hooks, finding functional storage for such a small bathroom (though I’m forever trying to cut down on the number of products I have, they just seem to reappear!), and repairing walls. I learned a lot!

And wow now it’s so much more functional! The old shelves were falling down, the medicine cabinet slanted so everything fell out of that too, I didn’t have enough hooks, the faucet was so low I couldn’t fill bottles or kettles, there were no bulbs in the over sink lighting, and there was a door handle missing.

And I smile every time I open the door! I am super affected by my environment, so for me… worth it. Just as much as it would be in my own house.

Also — I know a lot of people don’t feel this way and I’m super lucky — I actually love my landlord (a dear friend) and I’m so grateful to him for providing us with this gorgeous space in a city that would otherwise be quite inaccessible, I don’t mind putting in some love to upgrade it.

What do you think! 🪩 Would you invest in some rental renovations?

PS: All products linked in my Disco Loft highlight!

But also it’s legally your birthday for approxim

But also it’s legally your birthday for approximately one full week — or month depending on proximity to a milestone year — so you also get a fun night out in the city over the weekend. I don’t make the rules.

Loved:

🥂 Champagne flights — yes, I love all kinds of flights — at @champerssocialclub with @e.tanner. They even have designer jello shots flights! It’s a whole bar! Dedicated to champagne! I freaking love it here.

🪩 Disco ball giggles at @cherrycomedynyc with the crew. Every time I go to live comedy, I think to myself, I really need to see more live comedy.

✨ Opening night at @hero_nyc. People in this city are just so gosh darn creative.  So that was turning 34! This is a good reminder that the next big one is coming up in seven months and I do have big ideas for it. Time to get moving and grooving!  Are you big birthday celebrators? What do you have planned for the next one?

Spa-ahhhhhhh 🧖🏼‍♀️ Calling all New Yo

Spa-ahhhhhhh 🧖🏼‍♀️

Calling all New York spa addicts — you need to add @qcspa to your list. Opened in 2022 after five years of restoring the old military baracks on @governorsisland, today it’s a year-round oasis.

BEST PART ALERT! On your birthday, you can visit for free with a full paying friend! So kind of half of for both. You can collect this any time Monday-Friday during your birthday month. And I wouldn’t sleep on this, since their website states this could be discontinued at any time… so, this is your year. And while it can’t be combined with other offers, @collectiveretreats guest do also get 10% off — see my last post for why you’re going to want to do both!

A few favorite features:

💧 There are 30 min massages available if you want to book a treatment on a budget — though there’s so much to do here, you could easily fill the day without one.

💧 This is not a silent spa! You can take photos, use your phone, and speak in spa-friendly voices. In fact, the bartender told us it can get littttttt in here on summer weekends haha. While I do sometimes love a true screen detox, being able to use our phones was fun… we took cute photos and I texted with friends sending birthday wishes from around the world.

💧There are two cute cafes and a bar onsite! We had great salads for lunch, and toasted with fun cocktails.

And yes, in addition to the stunning outdoor pools overlooking the lower Manhattan skyline, they also have various saunas, steamrooms, and all the other usual suspects. They also have fun features like classic music playing underwater in the pool (now I want this for The Little Mermaid soundtrack at @villakerangsue, haha!) different labeled scents in each room, and fancy lotion bars in the lockers.

Waking up on at Collective Retreats, splashing around at a spa, and falling asleep in my own Brooklyn bed? It was a beautiful start to 34.

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