Advertisements

Category: Adventure

Things To Do in NYC during winter

Hi Friends!

Traveling to NYC during winter? No problem, I got you!

Here are some tips of things to do/pack when you go to the Big Apple. I happened to have gone during Thanksgiving weekend so I got to watch the Thanksgiving Parade and it was marvelous! There were so many cool cartoon characters and celebrities.

So here’s tip number one.

  1. Pack smart and layers of everything!!! Cannot stress this enough. New York have really harsh winds and you can feel it slap on your face. Bring mittens, hats, 6-8 pairs of socks, cardigan, thermals and coats!
  2. Wear comfortable shoes! I made this mistake on my first day as I wanted to look chic and cute on my photos but after walking at least 10 miles each day (you are going to be doing a lot of walking) my feet were in so much pain at the end of the night!
  3. Buy aNew York City Go Pass. Trust me, it will save you sooo much money and you will be able to see as many places as you like on your visit. Because we bought a city  go pass, my family and I got to see three different landmarks that weekend.
  4. See the Statue of Liberty and I cannot emphasize this enough. BE THERE EARLY! Better yet, schedule the time you’d like to be there and be on time so you don’t have to wait in line for THREE HOURS! In order to get to see the Statue of Liberty, you’d have to take a ferry from Battery Park (you can take the metro to get there). Once you go inside, you can see the NYC sky line and it’s such a pretty view.

    4. Climb the Empire State Building. It’s one of my favorites! We went there first thing in the morning and the line was a breeze, where it can easily be like another Disneyland line. As you wait in line, there’s a few things to do like take pics with King Kong and other interactive media.

    IMG_4774

  5. Watch a Broadway Show! This has been in my to-do-list and we saw The Waitress. I also bought my tickets for a less expensive price than most at Goldstar. The Waitress was phenomenal, hilarious and relatable! It’s a must watch!IMG-4990
  6. See the 9/11 Memorial. It was beautiful, sad and powerful.

     

  7. You have to go to Times Square even though it will be crazy busy! Also, be careful of your surroundings and pick pocketers but have loads of fun!

That’s all folks! Wish we had more time to see Central Park and other places but each day was all so booked filled with walking. Hope this list helped you for your next trip. Tune in for more travel advice as I’ll be leaving to Europe this Friday!

XO,

Joy

Advertisements

madewithjoyLeave a comment

Jord

IMG_2863

3AB8DE68-4C62-471C-88E0-821A580CBFA5

AfterlightImage 6

IMG_2865

IMG_2866

AfterlightImage 7

Maybe if we stay still, we can stop time and hide from Monday?

What’s your favorite day? Believe it or not, I actually love Mondays as much as I love my new watch from Jord . My favorite is the rose gold, Cora Polaris. It’s a beautiful, timeless watch that’s polished with metals, surrounding subtle wood accents that brings elegance into existence.

Would you like to have your own Jord watch?

Click on this link jord.co/g/_madewithjoy and let them know what your favorite watch is and fill out the simple form for the giveaway info.

The contest ends in 10/27/19. Good luck and I hope you win one of Jord’s wonderful watches. The winner will receive a $100 gift code towards any watch in the collection.

XO,

Joy

<!– JORD WOOD WATCHES ARTICLE WIDGET START –>
<a id=”woodwatches_com_widget_article”  ishidden=”1″ title=”Wooden Wrist Watch”>Wooden Wrist Watch</a>
<script src=”//www.jordwatches.com/widget-article/_madewithjoy|”  type=”text/javascript”></script>
<!– JORD WOOD WATCHES ARTICLE WIDGET END →

madewithjoyLeave a comment

The Scenario Studio

Need new instagram photos for you squad? Or a new profile picture? Taking amazing photos has never become so easy with the newest pop-up museum in la la land. The Scenario Studios has been hired by celebrities and Fortune-500 companies to produce elaborate private photo shoots at their parties and events. The only guests who were able to enjoy a Scenario photo shoot had to be connected to a celebrity or large company, but now, for the first time ever, the public is invited to join the likes of Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Kanye West, the Kardashians, and over 100 other celebrities who have experienced Scenario on set.

Now, for the first time ever, the “most expensive photo booth in the world” is available to the general public for the price of a museum ticket, located in the heart of LA inside the Grand Central Market. They just had their grand opening today – so rush now and grab your tickets! Bring your friends, bring a date or just bring yourself.

TIP: Come looking your best and ready to play!  Think first date, your BFF’s birthday party, meeting the parents, a pricey restaurant, family photo, first day at a new job, or knowing someone planned a surprise party for you.  Better styling = better photos!

Here’s few of the photos that my friends and I took from the Scenario Studio.

Hope you enjoy,

Joy

madewithjoyLeave a comment

PetPOP

Hi loves,

Have you all heard of PetPOP? It’s the first pet themed pop up museum for pet parents & animal lovers in Los Angeles! Although, I didn’t get a chance to bring my own fur baby with me. I had so much fun posing and taking photos at their different super cute photo opps below!

IMG_7229-2

IMG_7220-2

IMG_7327-2

IMG_9242

IMG_9238

IMG_9232

This animal friendly pop up museum is also amazing for date nights, girls night or even another way to spend some time with family and friends and make new memories. Dont miss out and visit them now before they close. At the very end of the experience, you’ll also get to meet adoptable super cute doggies that you can kiss, cuddle and take home with you from PawWorks. Make sure to pay them a visit and also find ways you can volunteer!

XO,

Joy

madewithjoyLeave a comment

Mapiful

I’m not sure if it’s ever since I’ve dreamt of being a fashion designer or when I first watched Coco Chanel’s documentary or the movie, Marie Antoinette or Anastasia was when my obsession with Paris first started. All I know is, since then I’ve always dreamt of roaming the streets of Paris with my beautiful flowy dress and it will be more than magical.

Thank you so much Mapiful for gifting me this beautiful map of my favorite city in the world that I finally will get to visit on my 30th birthday at the end of this year! Also, huge thanks to my brother for buying me tickets to London and Paris as my birthday present. I cannot wait for this once in a lifetime opportunity and I cannot believe my dreams are finally coming true!

What do you guys think of mapiful? Don’t you think it’s such a great add in any room in your house? I’m completely obsessed with mine! If you ever want to grab one for yourself and would love to have a discount, don’t forget to use “MADEWITHJOY10” to get 10% OFF!

Love you guys,

Joy

madewithjoyLeave a comment

Endless Summer Photo Meet

Hi friends,

A few weeks ago, my best friend and I hosted our second photo meet up at the Venice Canals in Venice Beach. Here’s a preview of some of my favorite shots by our huge photography community in Los Angeles. A Photomeet is a meet up event normally hosted by someone of a few people who gathers photographers, models, creators, influencers to create content, collaborate and magic together. It’s a great way to network, meet new friends, make different connections and get to know your city a little bit.

For this meet, we wanted to host it at the Venice Canals as there’s something about the canals that are beautiful and majestic.

All outfits are made by yours truly! What did you think about these photos? Would you ever want to come to one of your meet ups?

Leave a comment below for your thoughts!

XO,

Joy

madewithjoyLeave a comment

How To Get Invited To Influencer Events

Hi Friends,

If you are wondering how do I get invited to influencer events, soft opening, fashion shows, wine festivals, or store openings, here are the easy steps how.

  1. Make your bio double work for you – include your email address + make your profile a business profile on instagram, where brands or PR can email you with a touch of a button.
  2. Always tag places you go to – on your insta stories, on your posts, tag, tag, tag + also mention them! You have a higher chance being invited back. You have no idea how many times I get to go to free festivals just because I engaged with a city or a brand out of nowhere. Also, PR and social media managers actually go through these tagged photos and check out the latest people that were in there – and that’s how they find you.
  3. Dont be shy! – continuously put yourself out there and do what you’re mean to do. Share what you’re most passionate about and talk about it. Brands that are aligned with your goals will see this and will be attracted.
  4. Create high quality content – once you get invited to your first free event, create high quality content and email back the PR or brand that invited you. You have a higher chance on getting another event in the near future vs. just showing up.
  5. Manifest + find your circle – talk about your goals constantly, write them down and tell your circle of friends or find your people that has similar goals than you. Make new friends if your current friends now don’t have the same goals as you. As you make more friends, your network get bigger which leads to more opportunities and events.

Hope this helps! Would you like to hear more about influencer tips in my blog? Please let me know in the comments below.

XO,

Joy

madewithjoyLeave a comment

Lavender Festival

It’s that time again when one of my favorite festivals at Highland Springs Ranch is here, The Lavender Festival! I love that it’s a family friendly festival yet, it’s also great for a romantic date. We came on the first opening weekend and there were actually less people than we expected, so less crowds, better opps! 😉 The scenery was lovely per usual and this year we ate at the buffet dinner (make reservations here ahead of time) We came late because we were too busy taking picture at the lavender field and ended up sitting in the middle of everything and got our own sweet table. I loved the scenery and being surrounded with light and eating underneath tall trees. The food itself was just okay to me but I was obsessed with their lavender tea and lavender lemonade! I actually mix them together and it was amazing. We also visited a few shops before we had dinner and Eddie bought so much stuff for the kitchen. We are both obsessed with lavender honey and lavender mint tea! Here are few of the photos we took below. There’s also an afternoon tea which we missed this year but definitely would love to try next year!

IMG_9555

Hope you guys get to go this year! It’s open till June 30. Don’t miss out and treat yourself with some lavender goodness!

XO,

Joy

Two Piece Set: Made by yours truly!

Shoes: TOMS

Bag: Wish

madewithjoyLeave a comment

Ostrichland USA

Hi friends,

Have you ever been to an ostrich petting farm? I took my family to Ostrichland USA this weekend and made some new tall friends! To our surprise it was only 5 mins away from Solvang! It’s located at 610 E Hwy 246, Solvang, CA 93463. My family and I had so much fun! (even my grandparents actually) If you’re looking for a family friendly atmosphere, or even a cute date idea, Ostrichland USA is the way to go! Admission is free; however it costs $5 for each bowl of food when it comes to feeding them (totally worth it!)

TIP:  Hold on to your handle very carefully and try not to get too close so the ostriches dont bite you (because they try) but also, don’t stand too close so they dont end up hurting their necks!

Here are a few of the pics that we took. They even had cute angel wings walls!

Let me know what you think about this blog post. Is this something you’d like to add on your places to visit list?

XO,

Joy

madewithjoyLeave a comment

THINGS TO DO IN SEATTLE DURING SPRING

Hi Friends!

As you all know, I went to Seattle for Easter weekend and I absolutely loved it! I love it so much that I wanted to write a blog post about things to do, to see and eat during Spring in three days!

So if you haven’t been to Seattle and you’d like to go sometime soon, here’s a list of the most memorable places I went to that I think will make you fall in love with Seattle and some tips and tricks that can help make your trip smoother.

  1. See the Tulip Festival in Roozengaarde. For more in depth info, please see my recent blog post about the Tulip Festival for tips what to do and bring. When we went, it unfortunately rained; however, it was still completely gorgeous and magical.
  2. Fly to Paine Field Airport in Everrett, Washington to save some money. It’s only 30 mins away from Seattle and it’s a quaint and small airport filled with less people.
  3. If you fly to Tacoma International Airport in Seattle and you’re going to stay in downtown Seattle, you don’t have to rent a car. You just take the Light Link Rail and Lyft all around downtown.
  4. Pike Place Market – A MUST SEE! This has about fifty percent of all the yummy food I tried all weekend. Which ones? See below. P.S. They’re all AH-MAZING!
  • The Original Starbucks – 1912 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101
  • Piroshky Piroshky – they have delicious pastries (there’s always a line)
  • Pike Clam Chowder – it’s ADDICTING!
  • Rachel’s Ginger Beer – love love love! 
  • Matt’s In The Market – one of the best seafood places!
  • Beecher’s Handmade Cheese – OBSESSED! And you get to see them make cheese!
  • The Gum Wall – You have to go!

       

5. Stay at Kimpton Palladian Hotel. I love how close they are to Pike Place. It’s a 10 min walk as they’re only a couple of blocks away. I also love their interior and the service is spectacular!

6. Spend the afternoon in Volunteer Park. They have a gorgeous Green House!

  1. Check out Pioneer Square and it’s cute stores and restaurants.
  2. Try the Fried oysters and Dungenees Crab at Taylor Shellfish Oyster at Pioneer Square. 
  3. Get happy hour at Girin Korean Ssam Bar – also at Pioneer Square. Try their original korean beer – it is sooo good! It looks like rice milk and you drink it from a bowl but it’s actually really good. The restaurant looks super fancy on the inside and the service is amazing!
  4. Go bar hopping at Capitol Hill. My fave is the Unicorn Bar. It’s like a Disneyland for adults and they have super cute and instagrammable drinks! So colorful.
  5. Then sober up at Big Mario’s New York Pizza just around the corner. This pizza was amazing! It was delicious, light and crispy! Perfect way to end the night!
  6. Hang out with the cool cats at NEKO: A Cat Cafe. This cafe is so cute and cozy that Eddie and I actually want to build our own cat cafe in LA. It’s definitely on top of my favorite things to do in Seattle. I had so much fun playing with the cats while having coffee + dessert.
  7. Get brunch or din din at Matt’s in the Market. It’s on the second floor in front of the Pike Place Market sign. BEST SEAFOOD with a delicate touch! 
  8. Grab some ice cream at Molly Moon’s Ice Cream! Hands down the best ice cream i’ve ever had! Please get the honey lavender drizzled with lemon custard. It’s heaven in your mouth!
  9. Try the Seattle Dog in the Park. I cant believe I’m saying this but it’s actually better than the LA dog. It has some kind of cream cheese and veggies that makes it mouthwatering!
  10. Visit the Chihuly Garden and Glass – if there’s one thing you HAVE TO DO in Seattle, it’s this! I fell in love with this place and the artist Chihuly. The amount of work and dedication and creativity that was put into all his masterpieces were just so out of this world!! 
  11. Go see the cherry blossoms at the University of Washington and visit the Suzzallo Library. There’s also super cool thrift stores around the area that are worth seeing! Unfortunately, with the amount of time I had left, I only got to go Crossroads Trading and boy, did I get a lot of treasures!
  12. Grab a late night drink at Jarr Bar! It’s the best little bar in Seattle.I love that the place is so small and intimate and they have the yummiest late night snacks!
  13. See the Fremont Troll! LOL. If you want to be extra touristy and into Pop Culture – this troll was in Once Upon a Time and I had to go see it!

Hope you enjoyed this things to see/do/eat list and fall in love with Seattle as much as I did!

XO,

Joy

madewithjoyLeave a comment