The Bagel Bible

The true guide to New York City’s bagels.

The bodega around the corner most likely has “bagels” 24/7, but nothing compares to a true, fresh-out-of the-oven NYC bagel. Back in CT, I find myself craving these all the time so now that I’m back, it’s hard to stop eating them! Here’s my list of the top places to hit up (and places to steer clear of).

• Hudson Bagels– Far and away the best bagels you will find in New York City. Luckily, this small, family-owned bagel shop isn’t super trendy and never has outrageous lines like many of these other places (a major + in my mind).
• Murray’s Bagels– Overhyped and not worth the wait for a crunchy bagel. They do, however, have a very wide variety of cream cheese flavors.
• Tompkins Square Bagels– Always incredibly crowded here. The line wraps around the store and out the door. That being said, their bagels are to die for.
• H&H– One of the most famous bagel shops in the city. I don’t think they are worth the trek uptown, but if you’re in the area, may as well check it off your list
• Bagels on the Square– First of all, it’s actually a bit of a walk from the square, unlike the name suggests… That being said, these bagels are just .. blah. Go to Hudson Bagels.
• Bagel Bob’s– This is the NYC Freshman bagel headquarters. It’s right on University so it’s easy to stop in and grab something to munch on on the way to Stern. Unfortunately, the line can get very long during passing time.

Chic Phone Cases

 I’ve always been very frugal when it comes to phone cases. Ebay, Amazon, and on special occasions, Etsy were the way to go. For my last phone, I had eight cases. All very cheap plastic, but in an array of pretty colors and patterns.

This time around, I decided to go a different route. After a lot of searching, I stumbled upon Vianel, a leather goods brand based in New York City. When I saw that they had my favorite shade of blue, I was instantly sold. There’s even a free monogramming included. My case is this beautiful blue lizard skin. It was $90 which I would consider outrageous for a phone case, but if you think of it as a leather good, it’s not so crazy. I think.

Just a few weeks ago, I went on Olivia Palermo’s Instagram (<3) just to see what my favorite girl crush goddess had been up to. I was shocked and actually incredibly happy to see that she’d purchased four cases from the same company (After I did)! Every day when I don’t know what to wear, I try to channel OP so being ahead of her on this made me feel just a little bit cooler haha.

Twinzies!

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My Room

  
If you couldn’t tell (but hopefully you can..because I designed it to be that way) my room looks very ‘Pinterest-y.’ I tried really hard to top the design I had last year (see below).

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The way I put together a room is actually the opposite of the way you would think. I used the same bedding as last year so I started with that, but the first thing I bought was the rug. I had a style in mind, one that you can check out on my Pinterest board below, but had no idea what I was looking for. I usually just wander around HomeGoods for a few hours just to see if anything hits me. And it did! This rug was on sale for NINE DOLLARS. Not too shabby.

https://www.pinterest.com/herseykisses/dorm-ideas/

From there, I had to figure out what to do with my walls. I loved last year’s washi tape wainscoting because it was so original and had a wow-factor, but I didn’t feel like doing the same thing again. If I copied myself, where would the wow be? After hours  on Pinterest, I came across this wall design that was in a few photos of fancy, chic closets. Framed shopping bags! It was so simple, I absolutely loved it.

Now in the images, the bags were all Chanel, Dior, Dolce Gabbana types – types poor college children like me don’t just have lying around. However, I still have a lot of shopping bags (nice ones…that I collect…and my friends think I’m a hoarder). This made the wall design perfect for me. I selected the bags largely because of their colors and design. I ended up with bags from Bebe, Dear New York (Zara), Promod (Paris), J.Crew, Birchbox, and the MoMa. I stuck each one into a glossy white frame and they were ready to hang!

The bedside table was something I’ve had lying around for ages that I just spray painted the same glossy white as the frames and it looks brand new!

The hardest part to make was the headboard. This year, I stepped it up and tried my hand at recreating a quilted look. For the sake of brevity, let’s just say there was a table saw, a drill, homemade buttons, a staple gun, toothpicks, hot glue, and a lot of man hours involved. I am in love with the final product though. The grey color really ties the grey of the rug in with the upper half of the room.

After typing all this out, I’m starting to realize that I may seem like a crazy lady for putting so much effort and planning into decorating a room that I’m only going to live in for nine months, but it’s kind of compulsive for me. I couldn’t not decorate and plan it all out. I know some people who bring their bedspreads, lay it out, and are all finished. I don’t think I could do that. Why not make a space as pretty as it can be, no matter how long or short a period you are there for?

Back at It

It’s finally move in day! Two of my friends and I get to move into our suite a few days before everyone else (and set up our territory).

My new room is to die for. Even though it’s the small, white-walled cube you’d expect from a dorm room, I managed to make it comfortable, chic, and as close to a pinterest-worthy design as possible.  I’m still setting up and adding the finishing touches, but I’ll post as soon as it’s complete. I may even like it more than my room last year! It’s interesting to see how tastes and styles change over time. Each year, I try to go for something a little different. Last year was classic and girly with a little posh touch. This year, my inspiration words were sleek and chic (with a touch of basic-@$$ pinterest style).

Although I’m not in Paris anymore, there should be plenty of interesting things going on in the city to keep me posting. This fall term, I’m taking a fashion business seminar in which we meet with heads of some large (and hopefully high-profile) fashion brands in order to advise them on the most practical strategies for their businesses going forward. Not going to lie, I’m terrified to be under that kind of pressure, but I know it will definitely an amazing learning experience. My other classes are generic business requirements, but I’m definitely looking forward to them as well.

As if my class schedule isn’t busy enough, I’m interning at a big bridal salon and CollegeFashionista (follow my profile!). I’m thrilled to have these opportunities. Through my ballet school, I had multiple chances to experience the magic of wedding gowns. During one of their bridal fashion shows, I danced as a munchkin from the Wizard of Oz. Over the years, I’ve worn quite a few bridal dresses in various NAYB productions. When I was in 5th grade, I played Clara in the Nutcracker and got to pick my dress from the bridesmaid department at Kleinfeld. The staff was incredible and I can’t wait to become part of the team that makes bridal dreams come to life (as cheesy as that sounds).

I will be posting ‘Sartorial Star’ interviews with peers, friends, and stylish people I see on the street! If you’re interested in being featured, email me at HerseyKissesBlog@gmail.com

It’s going to be a busy busy year, but a fascinating one so be sure to check in once in a while to see what’s new!

Six Weeks Later

These past six weeks have flown by incredibly quickly! A month and a half sounds like a long time (and some days dragged on for what felt like forever), but looking back, I can’t believe that it’s already over. At times, my classes were draining and there was no end in sight to the work, but being in the City of Lights made it all worth it.

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Instead of a long, heartfelt essay on how much I’ve grown, I’m just going to list all my favorite things about my time here:

• Monoprix. I’ve expressed my love for this supermarket chain before, but I had to mention it again ❤
• My new Parisian friends!
• The shopping… Enough said.
• Getting photographed for a street style blog on my second day!
• The Givenchy fashion show after party
• Hanging out on the Champs de Mars while the Eiffel Tower is twinkling at night
• The Fête de la Musique
• Our professors. They are such characters! My French Professor was definitely the best part of my academic experience at NYU Paris.
• Going to see a ballet at the Opera Garnier
• Exploring the many museums of Paris (and getting to know the D’Orsay a little too well…)
• Free coffee days
• But most of all, fresh baguettes!

A Night at the Opera Garnier

Thanks to NYU, we got these amazing seats at the Opera Garnier to see La Fille Mal Gardée put on by the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris.

I’ve toured the theater before, but watching a performance there was an entirely different experience. We sat in private booths on the first tier. To get into the booths, you needed an attendant to unlock the door for you. It was very inefficient. There was only one door attendant per floor so we had to wait while she escorted patrons into thirty something private rooms. After passing through the tiny wooden door, you walk through a tiny little salon with a table, chaise, and mirror. In the old days, I imagine the bourgeoisie in the booths would get up from their seats and retire to the little lounge during the intermission. When you push past the curtains of the lounge, you enter the spectacular view of the theater itself. Words (and even photos) cannot capture the beauty of this building. I tried taking so many photos and none of them could capture the grandeur of the Palais Garnier. It’s one of those things you just have to see for yourself.

I felt as if I’d hopped in a time machine back to the 1800s into one of Degas’ paintings. The theater was breathtaking on the tour, but filled with an audience, it is even more spectacular. The roar of applause as the dancers took their final bows was magical and brought the old theater to life. All of us felt this regality sitting in the booths and strolling around the Opera house.

On our way out, descending the grand entry stairs, a friend said she wish she hadn’t forgotten her ball gown and tiara in the dorm! I should have worn my glass slippers…

LouLou’ – The Friendly Diner

I am an extremely picky eater so I was ecstatic to find this adorable diner, LouLou’, just a block away from the NYU building!

The staff even speaks english! I’ve eaten there four times now and know the wait staff pretty well. The majority of them are actually Australians living in Paris. It’s an “Australian Diner” so maybe they only hire Aussies?

The name comes from the common French term of endearment “LouLou.” I just think it’s absolutely adorable. Their food is magnificent and they even have take-out menus!

Every time I’ve been, I get the Vegetarian Bagel. It’s nothing like the bagels we think of in the US. The bagels we are famous for in New York are fresh, puffy, and al around superb (can you tell I’m biased?). The bagels here, however, are thin, crunchy, and very dense. I have seen many “American” bagel shops here (it must be the new trendy food) and all of them focus not on the bagel, but on the fillings. It’s like Potatopia ( ❤ ) in the East Village or Chipotle. It’s all about the toppings. The Vegetarian Bagel comes with fresh mozzarella, tomato pesto, basil, and guacamole. It is to die for. When I get back to New York, I’m definitely going to have to start making these for myself.

The Heat

Although I’m going to be devastated to leave Paris in a few days, I’ve got to say, I’m glad to be leaving this weather. Cities in the summer are the worst. And to top it off, there’s no air conditioning… I tried opening the window to get a breeze, but it’s literally the exact. same. temperature. inside and out.

All month, it has been surprisingly cool, but this week, we got hit by a heat wave. Tomorrow is supposed to be 99 degrees!! And yet every Parisian is still wearing cardigans and long pants. I don’t know how they do it. All us Americans have started wearing the types of shorts that make your tourist status a dead giveaway (when it’s this hot, who cares anyways).

Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibit

Last week I went to check out the Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibit at the Grand Palais. Going in, had absolutely no idea what to expect. Even now, I’m not sure how I feel about it. The clothes showcased were… adventurous (to say the least). There were crazy bird hats, leather dresses, and wedding gowns (or rather skirts, with little pearl pasties making up the “top” of the look). It was all very unusual. Pictured on the left are some of the tamer looks from the exhibition. The coolest thing by far were the mannequins. Some of the figures had talking faces being projected onto them. Some of them were having conversations with each other across the room! One mannequin was looking into a mirror and he and his reflection were having a discussion! Unfortunately, they were in French so I wasn’t able to understand, but the concept was very fascinating.

Sorry for the brevity of this post, I’m in the middle of studying for finals!

Macarons

The thing I love most about Paris has got to be the macarons! My favorite shop is Pierre Hermé and some days I can’t resist stopping by after class for one or two (My favorite flavors are Passionfruit and Jasmine).

New York is probably the next best place to find macarons, but it’s no Paris. In New York, Ladurée is as close as we can get. It became one of the most famous brands after being highlighted in Gossip Girl and the movie Marie Antoinette. Personally, I don’t think Ladurée really deserves all the hype it gets. Ladurée sells an experience more than anything else. The light pastels, ribbons, gloved attendants, and everything Marie Antoinette. And I fall in love with it every time I walk through their doors. Their macarons are alright, but Pierre Hermé is on a whole different level. From the way they decorate the macaron shells to the bold, exciting flavors, Pierre Hermé trumps all others.