Monthly Archives

November 2018

Travel

A Saturday in New York City

November 27, 2018

Hey everyone, welcome to another travel post here on Allison in Wonderland!  A few weekends ago, one of my best friends and I spent the day in New York City so now I’m here to share all about it.  Let’s get started!

First, I’d like to start out by sharing that our entire day in the city cost under $200.  I always envision traveling being super expensive and it definitely can be, but you can also have a super fun travel experience for relatively cheap.  We took an Amtrak train from Wilmington, Delaware to Penn Station and round trip cost about $150.  We booked only a few weeks out but the sooner you book, the cheaper it’ll be.  This was my second time using Amtrak and it’s always a great (and comfy) experience!

We arrived in the city around 10am and started our adventure.  First, we stopped by the Flatiron Building!  In all the times I’ve been to the city, I’d never visited so it was nice to finally see it in person.  We had planned to take an Uber from the Flatiron Building to Soho but we ended up walking.  It was beautiful outside and only about a 30 minute walk so it was nice and quick!

We spent the bulk of our day in Soho, which is a part of the city I haven’t spent much time in.  Soho has lots and lots of shopping (my favorite!) and also has great opportunities to people watch!  We started out by heading to a popular shop called Sezane.  It was super adorable and has great quality items if you’re looking to invest in your wardrobe.  Next, we headed to TicTail Market.  TicTail is a NYC shop I found online and I’m so glad we visited!  It has tons of neat accessories and it was just gorgeously decorated.

Then, we headed to a cool little place called Urban Backyard.  It’s an adorable coffee shop that’ll make you want to stay all day!  It’s super close to Freeman’s Alley, which was one of the places I wanted to check out the most.  I’ve seen the alley over and over on Instagram so I just had to see it for myself.  It’s tucked away so you might not even know you’re walking past it but it’s so beautiful!  Definitely worth a visit.

We ended up having a little more time at the end of the day then we had bargained for so we stopped in a few of our favorites like Free People and Urban Outfitters and Madewell.  We then made the trek back to Penn Station and hopped on a train home.  It was a busy day but we had an awesome time exploring a new part of the city.  That’s all for this week but make sure you come back next week for a fun holiday post.  Have a great week!

Holiday

Holiday Gift Guide for: HER

November 20, 2018

Hey hey hey everyone, happy almost Thanksgiving!  I hope you have the best day on Thursday spent with friends and family.  Is anyone going Black Friday shopping?  I know I am!  Yesterday, I shared my holiday gift guide for HIM and today I’m sharing my holiday gift guide for HER just in time to catch those Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.  Keep reading to hear my gift ideas for the gal in your life!

The first idea I’m sharing is a planner and stationary set.  Each year in high school and college, I got a planner as a Christmas gift because you need a new planner for the new year!  I always loved picking it out and choosing the thing that was going to be my lifeline for the next 12 months.  This year, I’m loving the Lala Letter planners (click here).  They come in pink (my favorite), grey, and blue and are so simple and pretty!  And I was lucky enough to get a discount code to share!  If you use the code ALLISONINWONDERLAND15, you’ll get 15% percent off your order… how cool!

The next idea is jewelry.  I know, this is so not an original idea but it’s a pretty dang good one.  I’ve been loving simple, dainty pieces lately so Mejuri has been my fave.  You can pretty much choose anything on their site (click here) and the girl in your life will be obsessed with it.  They have super quick shipping and will probably be doing some type of holiday sale!

My third idea is a self-care bundle.  Head over to Target and grab a bunch of face masks, bath bombs, nail polish, maybe a few candles, and a loofa and you’re set.  Put it all in a cute basket with a sweet, personal note and you’re golden.  This will allow her to appreciate the gift time and time again because those products will last for a while!

My next gift idea is a home movie night.  This one is great for those who are on a tight budget!  One night close to Christmas, surprise your girlfriend by building a fort in the living room with all the blankets and pillows you have.  You could even hang up some string lights to make it extra special!  Build a fire in the fireplace, make some hot chocolate, and put on her favorite holiday movie.  This will be a night to remember!

The last idea is definitely a splurge but if you really want to go all out, get her the new iPhone!  I’m 100% guilty of being glued to my phone sometimes so if your girlfriend is the same way, get her the newest and most up-to-date version (click here) and she’ll be shocked!  Take a cute selfie of you both and set it as the background so when you give it to her, it’ll already feel like hers.

That wraps up my holiday gift guides for this year… did you like them?  Tell me in the comments if you have any other great gift ideas – I’d love to hear!  Be sure to check back next Tuesday for another post.  Have a great week!

Holiday

Holiday Gift Guide for: HIM

November 19, 2018

Hi everyone and welcome to my first holiday post of the Christmas season!  For the last few years, I’ve put out gift guides and this year is no different.  They’re always my favorite to post because they really get me in the spirit of Christmas!  As always, I’ve tried to include gifts ideas for all price ranges to accommodate for all the men in your life so let’s get into it!

My first idea is AirPods (click here).  These wireless earbuds are perfect for the tech lover in your life who is always on the go.  They’re currently priced at $159.00 but who knows, they could be a part of Apple’s holiday sales and become a lot cheaper!

The next idea is a customized Yeti (click here).  I got a Yeti tumbler this year and it’s absolutely incredible.  It keeps your drinks hot or cold, depending on what you put in it, and is perfect for the person who is either always at their desk working away or for someone who travels a lot in their car.  I take mine to work everyday and it’s so convenient.  They come in so many different colors and you can customize them by getting a monogram, icon, or your man’s favorite sports team logo imprinted.

My third idea is sunglasses.  I personally didn’t purchase my first pair of expensive sunglasses until last year because they’re not a necessity.  I never wanted to put out that kind of money on something that could so easily break or get lost… that why they make such a great gift idea!  If you don’t know the exact pair the person wants, a gift card is always great, too!  Then they can go pick out whatever pair they want!

The next idea (and my favorite idea) is to purchase train or plane tickets for a weekend getaway with your guy!  It doesn’t have to be somewhere far away but surprising your person with a few days to just spend with each other sounds so fun.  If my boyfriend was handing me a gift, I definitely wouldn’t expect to open up plane tickets, so it’ll be neat to see their reaction as well!

The last idea I have to share is a bundle of books.  I know this doesn’t sound too exciting but if the man in your life loves to read and relax and take time for himself, this might be just the gift.  Head to your nearest bookstore and choose his favorite category (fiction, non-fiction, self-help, etc.) and go to town.  He’ll love how much thought you put into choosing them for him!

That’s all for this year’s holiday gift guide for HIM.  My holiday gift guide for HER will be up tomorrow… just in time for Black Friday so don’t miss it!

Fashion

Fall Fashion Lookbook

November 13, 2018

Hey hey hey beauties, welcome to my Fall fashion lookbook!  I did one of these about two years ago (click here), and it was so much fun so I had to do it again this time around.  Keep scrolling to see some of my favorite looks for this chilly season.

Outfit 1:  Starting off with this cozy look, I’m wearing a cute pink overall dress with a super, super comfy white sweater and camel colored slides.  My overalls, sweater, and slides are all from Forever 21.  Click here to check out the overalls, click here to check out a similar sweater, and click here to check out my slides!  If you’re going to order the slides, definitely size up.  I’m typically a 6 1/2 and I had to get a 7 1/2 in these!

Outfit 2:  This next outfit is one of my favorites for a casual weekend day.  Whether you’re running errands, heading to brunch with friends, or lounging around the house, you’ll be stylish and comfy!  My striped sweater is from Free People, my boyfriend jeans are from American Eagle, and I’m wearing the same slides as I was in Outfit 1. Click here for my sweater and click here for similar jeans!  This sweater is sooo cute and is perfect to throw on anytime!  You can wear it normally or pull it down off one shoulder if you’re looking to spice things up a bit.  I’m definitely going to be wearing this outfit a ton throughout this season!

Outfit 3:  This next outfit is perfect for a Fall date night!  My olive green jumpsuit is from a local boutique and the brand is BluHeaven.  My denim jacket is actually my uncle’s from when he was a teenager and my black booties are Steve Madden.  Click here for similar boots!  A jumpsuit is always my go-to when I’m looking to be dressed up but still wanting to be comfortable throughout the night. This outfit is one of my favorites!

Outfit 4:  This last outfit is one that took me out of my comfort zone a little bit… and I loved it!  I don’t typically wear super bright colors like this but this dress is so perfect for a chilly Fall day.  It’s lightweight so you won’t be sweating but you can easily layer a sweater or jacket or boots with it to warm up, if needed.  I picked this orange dress up at Forever 21 and my boots are from American Eagle many many years ago.  Click here for a similar sweater dress and click here for similar boots!

That’s all for today’s post, I hope you got some killer outfit inspiration from it!  Which look was your favorite?  I think mine was number 1.  I’ll be back next Tuesday AND Thursday with the start of my holiday posts… are you excited?  Holiday gift guides for Her and Him will both be going up so don’t miss them.  Have a great week!

3 Comments
Travel

Being a Tourist In: Philadelphia

November 6, 2018

Hey hey hey, welcome back to the Allison in Wonderland blog!  Today’s post is a travel post – my first one in quite a while.  Living in Maryland, we’re pretty close to Philadelphia and I was able to adventure there this past weekend so I wanted to share everything we did!  Keep reading to hear more!

We started off by using ParkingPanda to reserve our spot in a parking garage the night before.  And no, this post isn’t sponsored – it’s just a service that I absolutely LOVE and find that a lot of people don’t know about.  ParkingPanda basically reserves you a spot in a parking garage of your choice so that way, when you get there, there’s a spot for you even if the parking garage is “full”.  It’s awesome and super cheap!  I reserved a spot right on Walnut Street between Independence Hall and Rittenhouse Square Park and it was only $9 for the entire day!  Once we parked, we headed towards Old City to begin our day.

First, we walked through Washington Square, the lawn by Independence Hall, and Franklin Square.  Franklin Square is always a favorite of mine because you can see the Benjamin Franklin Bridge from there and it’s a cool view for sightseeing.  After that, we dove deeper into Old City and had a blast walking along all the cobblestone streets.  We made our way down to the water and found a huge antique/flea market going on.  That’s one of my favorite things about cities…you’ll always stumble upon something neat!

Once we were finished in Old City, we made our way back to Walnut Street.  We stopped at the cutest coffee shop called J’aime French Bakery and rested our legs for a bit.  We then set out again and headed towards Rittenhouse Square Park.  It was my first time at Rittenhouse Square Park and I really enjoyed it!  It was super beautiful because all the leaves were changing color and it surprisingly wasn’t that busy.  On our way back, we stopped in a few shops (Walnut Street is known for it’s shopping) and that wrapped up our day.

It’s so nice living in a place where cities like Philadelphia and Washington DC are doable for a day trip.  What’s your favorite city?  Let me know in the comments below.  Next week, I’ll be sharing a fun fashion lookbook so keep your eye out for that!  Have a great week!

1 Comments