LONDON TOWN

Houses of Parliament - Westminster Abbey - Buckingham Palace - St Paul's - Trafalgar Square

Old London Town. One of my top five favourite cities, hands down. I hadn't travelled to Europe in three years so I was thrilled to get back there last month. I would love to know some of your favourite places and cafes in the city. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post and I will list some of my great finds. 

Instagram- @raincheckfortimbuktu

GOTHAM

Coffee at La Colombe - Top of the Rock - High Line - West Village - Manhattan from Williamsburg - SoHo

New York is quickly becoming one of my favourite cities and it's understandable why. This visit we stayed in SoHo, my favourite borough on Manhattan and also great for shopping. Zara, J.Crew and Zimmermann are my picks. Coffee at La Colombe and Ground Support became a ritual and by the end of the week the baristas remembered my order. Ground Support was also the scene for a run-in with Paul Wesley from The Vampire Diaries. So dreamy. Frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity 3 was another highlight and also the location for one of my most loved movies. And of course no visit to New York is complete without visiting the Top of the Rock. That view gets me. Every time.

BOSTON STRONG

Newbury Street - Boutiques along Newbury - Copley Square - Acorn Street

I cannot believe it has been two months since I last posted. This year is flying by. I have been meaning to share these photos from Boston, one of my favourite cities, for a while now. Although our time there was cut short (caused by flight cancellations which ended up taking us to Houston!), I enjoyed our visit more than ever. If you read my post from last year, you'll understand my love for this city. A visit to Newbury Street was a big highlight, in particular enjoying brunch at Trident Booksellers. Their lemon and blueberry ricotta french toast is incredible. We also visited the Boston Marathon site and memorial. Only a month or so after and the affect on locals was still clearly visible. On a personal note it was incredibly moving and heartbreaking to visit again, having only been there ten months before. On our last morning we went to Charles Street, another treasure, for breakfast at The Paramount and then stopped for a danish and coffee at Cafe Vanille before snapping a photo at Acorn Street, the most photographed residential street in America. I could only dream of living there one day.

CITY OF ANGELS

The Grove - Latte at Urth Caffe - Beverly Hills - Rodeo Drive - Walk towards Venice - Santa Monica Pier - Cafe Gratitude 

The Grove brings back great memories. We spent a lot of time wandering around the shops and farmer's market during our trip last year. I also spent hours pouring over magazines in Barnes and Noble. Needless to say, it was great to visit again last month. Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, Fat Cow, has since opened too and apparently Emma Roberts is a regular costumer. I also found a few other gems this trip. Urth Caffe was a five-minute walk from our hotel in Beverly Hills. I did most of my coffee drinking there. The poached apricot oatmeal was delicious too. I also came across Cafe Gratitude from a few celebrity Instagram accounts. Alongside their cutesy plates, the desserts are incredible. Of course no trip to LA is complete without a few celebrity sightings. I spotted Tyler Posey from Teen Wolf at Urth one morning and we saw Scott Caan from Hawaii 5-0 brunching along Robertson Boulevard. And yes, I was super stoked. 

IN THE MISSION

Macy's rooftop overlooking Union Square - Bay Bridge - Pier 39 - View of Alcatraz - Painted Ladies - Bread pudding at Tartine - Mission apartments - Clarion Alley Murals

If you are on the hunt for decent coffee in San Francisco, make sure you visit Blue Bottle Coffee Co at the Ferry Building along the Embracadero. I made it my mission to find quirky espresso bars in each city we visited. Blue Bottle make flat whites so you can order without receiving the usual confused look from the barista. There is seating outside with a spectacular view of Bay Bridge and Treasure Island. My other favourite discovery is Tartine Bakery in Mission. The coffee is good and the food is incredible. Order a latte and bread pudding. We had to queue but it was definitely worth the wait. And if you love art, a visit to Clarion Alley is also a must. 

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK

Hollywood sign - Santa Monica Pier - Santa Monica - Warner Bros Lot (Spencer's Guesthouse from Pretty Little Liars) - Friends Central Perk 

In celebration of my return to the US of A next week, here are a few photos taken during our last days in Los Angeles last year. My big highlight was the Warner Bros VIP tour. Gilmore Girls and Friends are two of my favourite television shows, so to walk around the old sets was incredible. They were also filming Hart of Dixie and Pretty Little Liars during our time on the lot. Needless to say I was esctatic, turned into a total nerd and bought a Rosewood High tee from the gift shop. Driving through The Hills to the Hollywood sign is another must-do, as is a stroll from Santa Monica to Venice.  

I would love your recommendations for any cafes, things to do etc in SF, LA, Boston & NYC. Apart from the tourist sights, I love to experience local haunts too so please leave any thoughts in the comments. 

FLOWER POWER

The F word. Floral. I bought this MINKPINK top last year. I adore the neckline and pretty pink print. Pair with leather shorts, ankle boots and you're ready to go.