I may have overpacked

When we travel by car, all of the space available makes me a bit frivolous.

Four pairs of boots is not too many for a week, right?

I definitely need my Sorel boots for the snow.

And the Hunter wellies are a must too... it will be slushy or rainy, right?

And the Betsey Johnson black boots are a basic.  So they need to come along, of course.

And the Frye Melissa boots are just too pretty to leave home.  Maybe I'll only wear them in the house.


Other than that....


I only brought 2 other pairs of shoes.



So totally not overpacking.  Right?  Right????

NYC - Yesterdays

So I just spent a quick two days and two nights in New York for work.   I only had time to eat dinner out and be in meetings.

At least the view was good from our conference room...

On Tuesday night I did get to meet up with the lovely Midtown Girl but I have to photographic evidence.  We are bad bloggers, being more interested in our drinks and chit chat than in documenting.

Since I don't have any great photos and I didn't even get to pop into my favorite, Bergdorfs, I wanted to share this great archival footage of 1939 New York.  It's so colorful, I just love it.

I need a longer trip in the city. These 48 hour work trips are much less fun!

A Quick Journey West

SURPRISE!!!  

I've been traveling again!

Okay, maybe that's not a surprise given the fact that I've been all over the place lately but this time I was back to the west coast and my favorite city... San Fran!

I actually had an opportunity to see outside... heck I even had time to go outside.  I ate at the great vegan restaurant Millennium, which was delish.

I stayed at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins in Nob Hill, which was a great location.  I've stayed over by Golden Gate Park before but this was way more central... and totally stunning.

My room overlooked the front entrance and I could hear the cable cars pinging away, which was so fun.  If you have the chance, go to the top floor restaurant, Top of the Mark, for some of the best 360-views in the city.

 Shockingly, I did get the chance to have a bit of a day off, so a colleague and I drove over the bridge to see Muir Woods.

Most of the walking path is a boardwalk or paved, so it's an easy stroll but we felt that was not enough. We took the shortest "hike"path which was about two miles and very easy.  Of course I had not planned to be hiking on this trip so I got a few side eye looks the gold sequin flats I was hiking in.

 Afterwards we went to eat at San Rafael's delicious Sol Foods.  Well worth the drive and some of the best Puerto Rican food ever! I'm totally starving right now and wish I had more.

And a trip to San Francisco isn't complete without a bit of shopping.  We popped into the Union Square DSW and were greeted with a huge display of The Shoe Girl's Ce Ce L'amour shoes.  I was so excited to see them in real life!  They are just as cute as you'd imagine too.

 I ended up with two pairs of the tall version of my ruffly Betsey Johnson Llola boots.  The tall style is called Rallly and I had to get both the tan and the black pairs.

Then it was back home.  Whew!

By the way, when I wore the Chie Mihara Stratosphere mary janes, I got tons of compliments.  One lady came up to me twice and even had me write down the name and where I got them.  They were super comfortable for trudging through airports and walking throughout San Francisco too.

But, all said, I'm glad to be back!

MIA

Sorry I've been missing in action, everyone. Work has been busy. Now I'm on a number of trips for work (4 trips, 2 weeks, unknown number of plane rides) and so I was spending time outside before and between having to spend a lot of time inside. But I'll try to keep up with this and work! I will be on FB and Instagram though!!!

 - Poochie

Professional in Pink - The Travel Edition

Travel for work reasons may not be in your regular job description (as it is in mine) but it's something you may have to deal with.  I've mentioned before (in other "Professional" posts) that it's important to find a balance between your style and being appropriate.  But that doesn't mean you have to completely lose your identity.   Here are just a few words of advice from me to you about keeping your comfort and sanity when traveling for work.

1. Pack Light

This will be a laugh for anyone who knows and has traveled with me.  I can be a heavy packer.  I like to have options and outfits and shoes for every combination.  But that is only when I'm traveling for fun.  When it comes to work, I'm want to be dealing with as little as possible because usually I am with others and usually men.  So being able to keep mobile and keep up is important.

I can pack for overnight in a small duffel bag and for a week in a pilot case. And with all the hassles between security, luggage costs, limited space on the plane and the fact that everyone is trying to avoid the baggage claim area, it helps to have only a few bags.

This past trip to Atlanta I avoided a coat which made it way easier getting in and out of the security line, the plane and the group car.  I had just the small bag above so when the plane stopped letting pilot cases on, I was able to sail through.  If you do bring a pilot case, make it hard-sided, as small and light as possible and with 360-degree wheels.  I have a small case I never use because it actually weighs more than another pilot case I have that is twice the size.  And hard-sided is key.  Between baggage handlers and your suitcase sitting out in the rain, a cloth-sided case just won't do.  And don't forget the TSA approved lock!  I prefer combination ones so I don't have to worry about a key.

But how do you pack so lightly? Well, take a hard look at every single thing you are bringing - I didn't bring a curling iron or a bottle of shampoo. I even just brought my daily vitamin in a small piece of paper rather than bring the bottle. 

For clothes I did have another outfit but I only brought the one pair of shoes that I was wearing.  I wore a jacket and had new scarves and gloves to mix it up and keep warm.  I try to be somewhat neutrally professional with smaller personal style accents.

2. Skip the computer.

If you can avoid bringing your laptop, do so.  They're fragile and expensive and, while you may need them for a week, if you are just going overnight you can probably avoid it, especially if your phone or iPad can access the web, your work email and more.  Laptops are so much heavier that this saved me tons of effort.

3. Collapsible water bottle

Cheaper and easier and lighter - enough said.

4. Bigger purse

I use an open tote style purse that can easily get into when it's under the seat in front of you and that is big enough to carry your water, iPad (and or book), headphones, a wrap and whatever else you end up shoving in there as you move from gate to plane and back again.

5. Flexible shoes

I don't mean folding flats (although I do throw a pair in my bag).  Instead I mean shoes that can take you from morning to night, airport to client dinner, in rain or not and won't leave you a cripple by the end of the night. 

The shoe I pick 9 times out of 10?  My Aerosole buckle heel shoes.  I've worn these walking all over New York during Fashion Week and I just wore them last week.   I've had these shoes at least 12 years and they are still looking good.  I am not sure what I'm going to do if they ever have a major problem my cobbler can't fix.  These heels look dressy enough for suits but fine with heels and have stood up to rainstorms and airport running.  They are around 3" high so comfortable for walking.

If you have a pair that meets all of these criteria... buy two pairs!  I have this same heel in a claret color.  I wish I had second pair of the black.

6. Sleep on the plane

I don't care what anyone else is doing.  If you can, sleep on the plane.  It can be awkward if you are sitting next to a co-worker to do this.  If you can, get in separate rows, ideally behind them.  I prefer the aisle too.

7. Entertain yourself

I always prefer to read on the plane and with book and game apps on phone and tablets, it's easy to do so even while you seem to be working.  I find travel distracting and disconcerting enough, trying to work on a plane is next to impossible for me.  One thing to note: on the last flight I was on they made you turn off your phones completely, not just into airplane mode. I was very glad I had brought an actual book with me. My iPad battery was low and I wouldn't have had music or movies to play either.


8. A good soak

Not all hotels have fluffy robes or great ambiance but almost all of them have a tub.  And a hot bath with a bath bomb is a great way to finally relax and unwind after a stressful trip.  Pack one or grab one in the hotel gift shop if you have that option.  It may even help you sleep when you are in the strange bed without your favorite spouse/pillows/pets.

Last but not least, no matter how annoying everyone is, remember to smile and say thank you.  I get a way easier time when I give people a smile. 

Big Banding and Swinging the Night Away

I just got back from yet another trip. This one was pure fun.  My favorite hotel, the Grove Park Inn, was having it's Annual Big Band Weekend.  We had never gone but we got a great rate and we love Asheville and it was a chance to dress up, so heck yeah.

Being January, it was great to snuggle in front of the Great Hall fireplace for a while.

This even was so much fun.  It's a formal event and the Saturday night dance has the Glenn Miller orchestra playing.  So amazing music in a beautiful setting. It is tied in with the USO which really added to the feeling of stepping back in time a bit.

And, there were some serious outfits and some seriously good dancers.  Of course, the age range skewed mostly older but these people know what they are doing on a dance floor.  (Fun Fact: I grew up traveling on cruise ships and have done a fair amount of dancing to Big Band over my life).

The fashion was formal but was interpreted all along the Big Band/Swing timeline.  I saw some great 40s fashion, beautiful ball gowns and some slinky backless numbers.  I went a bit more 1920s inspired in a beaded Vivinne Tam dress, while the husband wore his tux, red plaid bow tie and vintage owl cufflinks that I found for him.

I wore my Oh, Deer! Jamocha art deco-y t-straps along with black fishnets.

Here are some better shots of the shoes and dress details.

I definetly want to go back next year, but I think we need to take a few dance lessons first.  I did not get to dance nearly as much as I would have liked to.  I also think I want to go for more of a long swirly dress next time.  They played a number of waltzes and I think the music and a long 30s "Thin Man" era dress would be great.

And while our trip was brief, we did manage to eat at two of our favorite places in Asheville.  For lunch on Saturday we ate at Chai Pani, which is this casual India street food (or chaat) restaurant.  It is a savory paradise.  We got samosas, an uttapam with masala potatoes, okra fries and bhel puri (a snack mix with puffed rice, cilantro, onions, tamarind and more).

Then for dinner we went to Plant, our new favorite restaurant in the world.  I'm totally serious.  It's amazing and so good we were back there 15 hours later for brunch. Between the pumpkin seed crusted seitan, the amazing soup (always get the soup), the best cinnamon roll I've ever had and a cannoli, I'm stuffed. 

Oh.  In addition to getting a huge scramble and home fries (SL got the biscuits with homemade sausage and gravy) I got a big bowl of cheese grits. And did I mention that all of this is vegan.  Yeah.  It's amazing.

So now it's time to unpack and meals we have to make ourselves.

A Visit to the Lowcountry

As I mentioned before, my grandmother (who was just about to turn 91) passed away last week.  She lived in an area of South Carolina near Hilton Head.  This is where my Dad's whole side of the family lives and where we went often for family trips when I was growing up.

Known as the Lowcountry, coastal South Carolina is so different from where I grew up in Miami and even other parts of the state.  And even though just a few hundred miles away from where we are in NC, it has a totally different personality.

The city she lived in used to be so small and sleepy but, due to it's beauty and history, has really grown over the last 20 years.  Tons of films have been shot here and the population has shot up, as has the number of businesses and traffic.

My Dad, though, lives on one of the many islands that makes up the area and when you are there, right on the water, it's very peaceful.  We spent much of our quick visit hanging around the house, playing with the cats and enjoying the view.  Here's a few quick pics -

The front of the house...

The Kitchen...

The lovely porch...

Lowcountry sunset...

Sweet Tea the kitty!

We got up on Sunday to enjoy the crisp air and the sunrise off of the dock.

And said hello to some of the regular visitors...

I think we are going to head back in a few months.  I want to do yoga on the dock at sunrise and maybe jump in a kayak to have a closer chat with the dolphins!