EAT & DRINK NY

I will first apologise for the varying quality of these pictures, some where taken on my camera and others hurriedly on my iPhone!

I ate an unbelievable amount on my travels and these where the best spots... 

THE BAKESHOP.

-Brooklyn 

-Great for macaroons & cookies, but honestly it's all good. 

JIMMYS DINER 

-Brooklyn

- Great for American diner style food, awesome nachos and tater tots. 

WEATHER UP. 

Tribeca

- Great for drinks, best mojito's & dark and stormy's in the city. I didn't eat here but judging on how busy this place gets it's pretty darn good. 

   

TAMARIND

-TRIBECA

- One the best Indian meals I've ever had, all the way through from cocktails to dessert this place was amazing. 

MAX BRENNERS 

- Known for its chocolate goodness. The fondue was great, the crepes unfortunately not so much... 

However just go and indulge in a hot chocolate or the cocktails at least! 

PJ CLARKES

- Chelsea 

- Great for all round lunch, especially the burgers and oysters (not together obvs).

HAMPTONS

Honestly it's hard to eat bad food here, Being so close to the coast the seafood is fresh and delicious, so whether you want a sit down meal or a lobster roll by the highway, here you can have it all.   

GODIVA 

Does it need an intro? 

OTTO 

Grenwich 

- Known for its Italian food, it's great for fresh food and dainty portions. I would definitely recommend the black & white for dessert. 

BROTHER JIMMYS 

Everywhere

- Go for messy BBQ Southern goodness. Get sauce all around your mouth and wash it back with the ice tea vodka and lemonade cocktail. 

FETTE SAW 

Brooklyn

- The best BBQ in NY, enough said.

SANT AMBROEUS

WEST VILLAGE & MADISON
- Another Italian, known for its espresso's and hot chocolate. It's pretty expenny but defiantly worth a trip even for the celebrity spotting... 

THE GREY DOG

SoHo

- A little slice of Brooklyn in Manhatten, a great affordable menu with the best breakfast I had in NY. 

MAST BROTHERS

Brooklyn

Not really an 'eatery' but the chocolates awesome and it had to be thrown in...

JACKS WIFE FRIEDA 

SoHo 

- A popular little cafe, it's great for brekkie, lunch & dinner. If you want something light and quick, go here. 

Thats all folks! 
I will add that eating well in NY is a lot easier (and cheaper) than eating well in London. There is a Cafe/Restaurant on every corner and whilst some of them are pretty crap the majority reign superior.  However the best places I found where down town, the prices are generally better and the portions heartier! 
P x

Festivals

I've visited about 5 festivals in the past 3 years so im by no means a season pro but I've definatly been bitten by the bug and I absoloutly love them.  The UK has some amazing festivals and whatever your looking for be it small, large, dance, chilled there will be one for you. Anyway I thought I would write some tips on what I've picked up and what I wish someone would of told me before my first few festivals!

When I packed my first bag at 16 with some friends off to my first festival I was clueless, what the eff to I take?! Well...

The essentials: 

Baby wipes - so many uses it's unbelievable. 

Dry shampoo

Toilet role

Camera- You'll thank me later. 

Hair brush

Sunglasess

Clothes (obviously weather permitting) :

Shorts

Tee/vest

Overshirt

Jumper - You'll want this for sleeping becuase unless your partying up in croatia this summer you'll freeze in your tent. 

Wellies

Converse 

Bikini - Wear instead of a bra, 10x comfier and you can sleep in it. 

Undies

PJ bottoms

You can obviously fill in the blanks with whatever trends you want to rock (co-ords where huge this year) but I keep it fairly comfy and casual. I tend to skip out on jeans as when your in a huge crowd you will sweat a lot and sweaty skinny jeans I'd rather miss. Also please do not wear flip flops. The only exception to this rule is if your going to an extremley chilled out festival where dancing is not on the agenda, otherwise you will get trodden on and they will probably break, trust me I've learned the hard way. 

Beauty- 

Hair chalk - I went for pink and blue.

Tinted moisturiser/ BB cream - you can wear foundation if you want but you'll only sweat it off, plus by the second day you wont give 2 shits what you look like. 

Concealer

Powder

Bronzer

SPF

Mascara 

Makeup is personal but I tend to go more natural with it especially on the face as I know it will of probably of melted off by the time I hit the hay, but I've seen loads of cool eye makeup and face paint so if thats your thing, go for it!

General advice- 

Don't be intimidated-

This may sound odd to many but when I arrived at my first festival I was freaking out. Everyone was bigger/older/better looking/more confident and I was scared shitless! And yes you will encounter some arse's but 9 times out of 10 your with a bunch of like minded people who just want to have a good time. 

Arrive early- 

Pitch up, get a good space and crack open a cider at a ridiculous hour. You'll beat the traffic and if you go with a lot of people it will guarantee you can camp together, plus make the most of the time you paid for a ticket after all!

Pack light-

Unless your going VIP you dont want to be lugging around a load of stuff plus you probably wont use or wear half of it anyway. 

Food- 

Take some with you but keep it light, squares bars are my favourite! And take a bit of cash and buy one proper meal a day, your stomach will thank you and it will minimise your hangover.

Obviously you can pick and choose what advice you like, and please share any tips you've picked up, I would love to hear them! This is generally what I've learned from going to festivals and hopefully I will of helped a few people.

Hopefully headed to Bestival in september, see you there!

P x