Week of Money: NYC HERE I COME!

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DAY ONE

??:?? — Got ZERO sleep last night. It is like I am back to newborn days with him, he was feverish all night, sick, I kept checking his temperature, worried it would hit the 40 mark and he would have a febrile (fever) seizure again like when he was a baby. I kept checking his blankets, checking that he was still breathing…

6:30 a.m. — I am working. Can’t wait until my break. I am taking a REAL break, because I find I cannot take vacations during contracts because I am still thinking about work. WTF. It is only once I am off contract that my brain relaxes and releases all that useless company info LOL.

6:30 a.m. — I check Little Bun’s temp. He is still very sick but better than before. I say: Oh it’s 39. … Little Bun grabs it, checks it and says — Mommy, it says 39 POINT TWO. …. Well. I’ve been told. He has to be precise with everything, even words. You can’t fake things with this child.

8:26 a.m. — My partner is out to get a new washer for the tap, apparently it has been spraying constantly. I can’t do dishes. I better finish packing for NYC and Toronto, I wanted to bring our hats..

8:59 a.m. — I review the outfits again. I wish I could predict the weather when I travel so I can pack exactly what we need.

10:11 a.m. — I feed Little Bun, and I eat as well. I like eating lunch early, it is like a brunch and I don’t feel as hungry later.

12:08 p.m. — Mommy I am going to nap in 5 minutes, he announces.

1:15 p.m. — I keep working. I have a presentation tomorrow, and I have to finish this document ASAP.

3:37 p.m. — I head out very quickly to hit the last of the Sephora sale, and pick up a second bottle of the IT Cosmetics your skin but better CC cream in Medium, and get suckered into buying a Nars Starwoman Matte lip tint that is longwearing… and SO RED. $81.19

5:16 p.m. — At home. I read books to Little Bun and take his stuffed animal on math journeys. Basically, I quiz him on questions either addition, subtraction or multiplication. His multiplication is getting much better now, he only misses about 15% of the total times tables up to 12, and he does find it challenging so he asks for ‘breaks’ and to do addition and subtraction instead. His favourite is the 9 times table…

6:01 p.m. — I eat a hearty dinner, and feed Little Bun as well.

6:40 p.m. — I keep packing for my trip this week, and end up finding TWO lost things. My airpods, which I have a terrible habit of putting in my pocket, purse or coat, and then forgetting to take them out to put them away properly. Then I open the empty case and F-R-E-A-K out because I imagine them lost on a bathroom or changing room floor. OMG….

6:54 p.m. — I also think I lost my passport, and spend the next hour frantically going through ALL of my travel bags, suitcases.. I am freaking out, sweating.. I check EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE PLACE I COULD HAVE PUT IT.

7:57 p.m. — My partner sees me slowly, silently freaking out, and says: Oh if you are looking for your passport I think I still have it from our trip last summer. O_o…. Say what?….. I am about to lose it in relief. I didn’t even imagine that he had my passport. He hands it to me from our safe (he is also super organized with pouches), and I breathe a sigh of relief. OMG. I AM SO RELIEVED.

8:17 p.m. — Time for bed. I read a bit more. My brain slowly relaxing. I feel nervous that I am forgetting things, but I can always buy whatever I need there.

Spent: $81.19

DAY TWO

??:?? — I wake up tired. …. Really tired. Little Bun is also not feeling great either, he starts the day whining.

6:30 a.m. — I make a cup of tea. I can’t do laundry because my partner fixed this massive hole in the drywall the plumbing guys left a few months ago, when they were fixing this massive leak in the pipes that went through the building. The washer and dryer are not plugged back in.

7:11 a.m. — Little Bun is losing it this morning. He is really not feeling well. He is whining, he is arguing with me about everything, he won’t eat his pasta, JUST THE CHEESE.. he is wiggling on my lap and then he bangs his knee and howls like a banshee….. OMG. OMFG. OMFG…..

8:25 a.m. — Everyone is calm now. My partner starts up some bread, and heads out to run errands and pick up things. I am working on the presentation for tomorrow. Should I translate it into French as well? Meh. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

11:25 a.m. — I take a break, head out to pick up my contact lenses, and go through my packing list. It changes each time I travel because each situation is different, but maybe I should start creating templates for certain confirmed trips like going to NYC yearly.

1:04 p.m. — Home, I log in and start working again.

4:20 p.m. — I log off for the day.

5:49 p.m. — I play with Little Bun and we spend the night making what he calls “system numbers” out of the block. They look like dot matrix numbers, made with Megablocks, and we do from 1 – 50 before I cry “Let’s take a break”… and I start a load of much needed laundry.

6:45 p.m. — Dinner! Delicious salad with some chicken wings.

7:22 p.m. — We do a math journey together with his stuffed animal, and I make up math questions to quiz him… My brain never gets a rest.

2:49 p.m. — Bedtime. He is starting to cough a lot, I hope he isn’t sick again.

Spent: $0

DAY THREE

??:?? — He wakes up crying, and wiggles on top of me, breathing heavily and trying to get into my ‘nook’… I soothe him, and he falls back asleep.

6:50 a.m. —  We “slept” in but we slept late and he didn’t sleep well. I log in immediately to work after I make a cup of tea.

8:13 a.m. — Little Bun is irritable. He is still sick, and is giving us a lot of crap. I’m trying not to yell at him but my patience is also wearing thin. I also have no energy to scream at him.

10:03 a.m. — SNAFU. STUPID CONFERENCE CALL NUMBER DOESN’T WORK. I’m panicking and it is all going downhill. I’m supposed to train RIGHT NOW.

11:11 a.m. — Training session over. We figured it out. They called me instead, and I managed to get the Webex going. I hate distance training.

12:08 p.m. — I head out for a vegan mushroom burger as a treat. $10.29

1:00 p.m. — Home, I start on a green tea KitKat and keep working. Little Bun is napping and coughing. I quietly eat my KitKat.

1:34 p.m. — I review my packing list. I am deciding on a light backpack this time instead of my Longhamp Pliage because it will be easier to wear around the city when touring, and I cannot bring just a simple crossbody because it won’t hold my water bottle and all my other junk. I briefly considered a leather backpack but the extra weight is not cool. My suitcase is completely empty, ready for all the purchases that are coming back, plus I am bringing a pair of Birkenstocks as emergency comfort shoes just in case my feet ache like mad at the end of all this walking.

1:40 p.m. — I hear Little Bun squeal cutely from the bedroom. His call for us lately is “Maeeh maeeh??” .. Not like “mama” but “mehhhh” … and he squeals it all the time to call for both his father and I. We can never discern which one he really wants, so I end up going (90% of the time it is me), and 10% of the time it is my partner he wants.

3:50 p.m. — Remind me to never tell my family when I am going abroad again. I got a list of stuff to pick up now, and while I don’t mind if I am there, looking for this, this is also making me have to plan to visit shops I never wanted to go to in the first place.

4:14 p.m. — I review my packing lists in detail again.

6:50 p.m. — Dinner.

7:12 p.m. — “Mommy, the baby mango is sad because it isn’t ripe and soft enough to eat yet.”

7:43 p.m. — Little Bun is being monstrous because he is sick. I am trying to be patient. This mango thing is becoming a sticking point with him.

Spent: $10.29

DAY FOUR

??:?? — Little Bun is crying and crawls on top of me, trying to get into my nook. Turns out, he needs the bathroom and I take him.

6:00 a.m. — I wake up. Tired. Tomorrow I have to wake up even earlier and get Little Bun to the airport to say goodbye. My partner is insisting on driving me there and picking me up, even though my flight is at 6, and we have to be there by 5:30 a.m…

7:08 a.m. — Work. I can’t seem to log in today. Something is wrong.

8:44 a.m. — Ah. Finally in. It worked on my phone but not on the laptop, so I just worked on my phone.

11:24 a.m. — Early Lunch. I have some duck, rice, and radishes.

1:25 p.m. — I head out for a conference call because Little Bun can’t really keep quiet when I am on a call and I need to talk on this one, so I leave the apartment.

1:25 p.m. — I end up dropping by a shop and picking up another mini pouch (it has a monstera leaf on it!). $5.75

2:18 p.m. — Mommy I have BAD GERMS. I want to cough out all the bad germs!!

3:15 p.m. — Little Bun gets his hair cropped for the summer. We use a shaver, and I BEGGED my partner not to make him so bald because it reminds me of those children in cancer wards. I can’t help it when I see Little Bun’s head so shorn. He set it at a level we can both agree on – a little bit more hair than being too bald.

4:23 p.m. — Everyone showered, my partner takes his shower after shaving his head too.

6:45 p.m. — I am checking lists five, six times to make sure I have all my medication (anti-nausea), umbrella, and pills, passport.. all this stuff is not replaceable, but shampoo and so on is, so I am less concerned.

6:54 p.m. — Mommy the baby mango is happy now that we get to eat it! Ommm nom nomnom (complete with hand gestures and theatrics).. it is smiley and happy!!!!

7:37 p.m. — I gently prep Little Bun again that Mommy is leaving tomorrow for New York and will bring back macarons. He asks me for green and pink ones, and I promise.

Spent: $5.75

DAY FIVE

4:45 a.m. — I am up. I do a quick face — CC cream with SPF 50, I hear the rays are really bad up in the airplane as we will be closer to the sun, so SPF is important. Eyeliner, mascara, quick blush.

4:58 a.m. — I make tea, do the dishes, dry them and then get Little Bun his milk and wake him.

5:01 a.m. — I lift him up and cuddle him, then tell him it is time.

5:14 a.m. — He drinks his milk and flips back over to sleep but I get him up and tell him it is raining so the worms are traveling. He says sleepily: Only the Daddy and Baby Worms are traveling to bring the Mommy Worm to the airport..

6:04 a.m. — I JUST make it to the gate as they board because the rain was so terrible.

6:10 a.m. — I text my partner to let him know, and ask him how Little Bun is.

6:12 a.m. — I text my friend to let her know I’m boarding. We will arrive at the same time at La Guardia.

6:20 a.m. — I get on the plane, and start a cute documentary on Pandas. They remind me so much of Little Bun. Cheeky little bums. The Mommy Panda also reminds me of us.

8:40 a.m. — My partner baked for me for the plane so I eat that but have very little appetite when I fly.

8:25 a.m. — I meet my friend at the airport and we take the train down instead of cabbing. Much more pleasant. $5.75

9:13 a.m. — I’m glad I wore a Transderm patch because my motion sickness would have been epic on the plane and bus. I still have to be careful with this patch on, but it isn’t terrible.

10:11 a.m. — We drop everything off at the hotel. My friend puts her face on (LOL) and I relax, making notes, answering work emails.

10:23 a.m. — OH NO.. Little Bun apparently got motion sickness and threw up in the car. It was too early for him, and I think the rain, the car… it was just too much. He may be sensitive like I am to all these things. At least I will be able to help him, knowing what it is like. My poor little baby… 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁

10:40 a.m. — We stop by Nordstrom Rack and get sidetracked with shoes. I pick up a pair of Cole Haan wedges. NOT PLANNED but they are SO comfortable, look great, and can replace my other pair eventually. $134.83

I also tried these other random pairs on, and my friend bought the black strappy block heeled mules:

If they had THIS pair of Cole Haan flats, I’d be all over them, they look great. A loafer but a twisted one. Camila leather twisted skimmer flat.

11:22 a.m. — We have lunch of pancakes and eggs and bacon. As we are eating, these two snobby French girls beside us, make faces of horror and disgust when they see my huge hot chocolate covered in whip cream, and my friend basically drinking the maple syrup. I didn’t know the sentence at the time: Occupez-vous vos oignons, but I will damn sure use it next time (It means mind your own onions, or mind your own business). $40.02

By the way, they were making FACES at this food, in disgust – we don’t even normally eat like this daily, but we are on vacation, BITCHES!!

Hot chocolate

Bacon, hash, eggs

Lemon ricotta pancakes

Instead, I say loudly in English to my friend, a few sentences about French bitches and how they think no one speaks French but them, in such a cosmopolitan city.

1:30 p.m. —We walk down the Highline. It is so lovely. I see the escalator / staircase thing my partner told me about and I promptly forgot, and it is a stunning piece of work at Hudson Yards. I wore this:

1:40 p.m. — Filling up the metro cards. We plan on using the system a lot this time around because it is going to rain often. $27.16

2:00 p.m. — We head over to MM Lafleur for our appointment. I went there ONLY to help my friend shop but I am incorrigible and pick up a few items. Three to be exact, and another off Poshmark of a top I tried on and now I am eying the skirt as well. UGH. Why am I so spendy!??! She picked up beautiful dresses and is about the same size so I will be hunting for her too. $463.47

I bought the top (Rowling, Black Small), but the skirt I did not. I am sort of regretting it now. Should I just stalk it? It is $190 USD.. O_o

Bought this entire outfit because I KNOW from past experience, finding the skirts like this – Minetta is the style name in Dark Iris — and tops like this, rarely, if ever, come up on eBay or Poshmark in my size. I had to hunt the other ones down and still paid a pretty penny for them.

I have this entire look and it is STUNNING.

 

I also got the matching Fey Top in Dark Irish for the skirt. 😉 BECAUSE YOU KNOW I DID. Mama loves a matching outfit…

4:22 p.m. — Back up to the hotel, we check in. We get a room right by the elevator. I go downstairs and get us another one (never take the first room they give you!!!)

5:00 p.m. — We drop by a spice shop I love now – Kalustyan’s – and I pick up samples for my mother. $16.13

5:11 p.m. — We walk the Highline after dropping off at the hotel all of our stuff and checking in.

 

 

The Hudson Yards project is so pretty and the mall there is GREAT.

We went into M. Gemi (it is a try-on store, no stock kept there), and I loved the shoes. I held off though.

7:25 p.m. —We have Tacos at Los Tacos. We keep going back for more, and the Horchata drink is SO creamy, milky and cinnamon-y. Delish. I basically want to eat here every day. We went back for seconds because we are pigs. $17.25

This. Was. SO GOOD. SO DAMN GOOD. It was all delicious – cactus, pork, beef, chicken.. whatever.

9:59 p.m. — We turn in for the night. We unpack, take off makeup, settle in, Instagram and email a bit, and chat for the plan for the next day. We got in 30,000 steps today, so we REALLY hustled everywhere. Plus we have a terrible sense of direction so we kept going the wrong way… and forgetting to check, and having to backtrack SO OFTEN. OMG.

Spent: $704.61

DAY SIX

6:00 a.m. — I ‘slept’ in… This feels great. I Instagram a bit as I am waiting for my friend to wake up.

7:49 a.m. — We get going, because we want to do a bunch of things — eat like three lunches a day, shop until we drop… We start with drinks:

9:16 a.m. — We go and pick up a package for a friend at MM Lafleur, and then wander around Bryant Park, then find a Lady M cake shop to buy a slice of cake (it ended up being WAY too creamy and rich for us). $11.75

It was really layers of cream. I found it hard to eat. We had it back at the hotel room after we dropped the clothes off.

10:15 a.m. — Unplanned but we go to Brooklyn for breakfast

10:15 a.m. — We go to eat at Sunday in Brooklyn. I liked the biscuits and gravy the best, the other tomato thing was okay but not my style. $53.42

 

11:05 a.m. — We visit all the shops along the way in Brooklyn and I end up scoring a cute lace bottomed skirt at PinkyOtto for $28 USD ! I wasn’t in the market for another white skirt but this one was too cute. $38.69

My friend wants these very pretty sunglasses but was not sold on the price which would then need another $50 for nosepads, and another $50 for polarized. OUCH.

11:29 a.m. — This place is so great. Look at this street art.

11:28 a.m. — I finally find a makeup brush carrying case where it won’t squish my brushes! My friend buys the hand cream that smells like tulips (spring) but then later on, we exchange it the next day for the perfume because the cream was not strong enough. The perfume was PRICEY though, she paid $72 USD… O_o …  I enabled her because I had never smelled anything like that before and thought it was worth it for such a great smell memory. $36.11

12:15 p.m. — I also get a nice chained necklace and this croissant lamp is funny $35 

1:22 p.m. — Japanese charcoal at Salt & Charcoal for lunch. The tartare was cool, and okay, but not worth the money in my opinion. The Wagyu beef was lost in the eating because the flavours were way too strong and overpowered it. Too pricey for what we got. We had to go eat Vietnamese after. $40.06

2:26 p.m. — Then Vietnamese food for our second lunch. My card gets declined when I try to pay my half. OMG are they on to me and think I am overspending? Turns out no, it is because with foreign cards you have to type in the number not swipe it… My friend picks up the tab but I’ll cover the next one.

 

3:12 p.m. — We head back to Manhattan and go to Cuyana where I pick up this persimmon draped dress and am in LOVE with this store. The fabrics are soft, they’re slightly more pricey, but so worth it. Everlane had a line in the rain and we were like — NOPE. We went later, but it was disappointing for me.

Their bags are also great at Cuyana, and I was so close to buying their 3-way belt bag, but the belt was on top of the bag rather than in the middle so it flops / sits funny on your body, and I don’t feel like it was a good purchase for the lack of design. $173.03

4:25 p.m. — And then I go to Sézane and pick up this cross over paced Bart Shirt black top. Their stuff was too frilly and girly for the most part, and I like their shoes as a look but they are SO uncomfortable. Not worth it. The bags are also a stiff leather, and while they look cute, they would bother the EFF out of me for not being soft and pliable. The Bart top is cute tho. $96.73

 

It looks like this .. sexy but not too far for me…

5:11 a.m. — I also write a post card..

5:13 p.m. — Ending up at Aesop where we pick up some samples of shampoo and conditioner. Hotel shampoo sucks. I may switch over to Aesop after my John Masters Organics run out. Need to do some pricing on what it costs per ounce to see which one is cheaper — the smells are about the same. I got LOTS of samples.

It really is beautiful in this area…

The store Ramy Brooks is also very pretty inside

5:41 p.m. — I also love these cool vases, the patterns are incredible.

6:34 p.m. — We walk and walk and end up at Nyonya where we gorge ourselves. Great food, reasonable prices. $56 USD – paid in Cash as they take CASH only.

8:38 p.m. — We head over to a place called Kopitiam and pick up munchies for tonight. I am that girl. It is all Malaysian delicacies $27.27

9:33 p.m. — Back to the hotel, we both shower then settle in for cake, chatting and looking at purchases.

Spent: $568.06

DAY SEVEN

7:37 a.m. — Not much is open early. My friend and I just lay in bed chatting.

8:36 a.m. — Then we get ready, and head out for a breakfast. Dim sum! We wanted to try another place, but ended up at Joe’s Shanghai to eat xiao long bao (soup dumplings), and then to a Dim Sum VIP place where it ends up not being great, but the food was good at least, even if the service and restaurant was not great. $35 USD

10:15 a.m. — We find a pen and ink, and paper store (McNally) and get lost for an hour or two. We touch EVERYTHING, and my friend gets a starter fountain pen set. I buy a recycled leather envelope. $42.06

This is the recycled leather envelope I got:

11:15 a.m. — We drop by Aesop, Cuyana again, and hit up the shops around that area. My friend buys that packable fedora upon my enabling. It really did look great.

12:27 p.m. — We eat a few snacks at the Cupcake Shop in the area, and I was happy with it but I think it is too sweet for my liking. I wouldn’t eat here again except to just give that Coconut Cake a try.

2:25 p.m. — We try a consignment shop called What goes around comes around, and we ALMOST get convinced to buy a gorgeous Chanel lizard skin envelope bag for $5500 USD, but we caught a hold of ourselves and put it back on the shelf. The store was not my vibe for secondhand shopping. Everything was fancy, over the top, sequins, glitter.. and very very very expensive.

5:30 p.m. — We go by The Laundress where I end up having a SNAFU with the shopgirls there. The treatment was appalling. I only buy a small sample with the coupon code I got as a referrer. $6.03

6:43 p.m. — We drop by the spice shop again and my friend picks up some spice packs she wants to try out for biryani and so on. We ask for advice on which one to buy and end up just trying a range. I spot Alphonso mangoes (best in the world), and they sense my excitement and they think they can fleece me, so they tell me it is FOUR DOLLARS PER MANGO. When I went to go checkout, I refused to buy the mangoes, and they kept asking: But the mangoes? No mangoes?…. I looked him in the eye and said: FOUR BUCKS A MANGO? I’m not a sucker.

7:25 p.m. — Time for Trader Joes!!! I pick up the cute veggie bag and we buy tons of spices, portable ramen, and all these ‘special’ things that we can’t find in Canada. $17.93

Chelsea is so pretty!

8:05 p.m. — Time for dinner. Empire Diner for dinner, and it was amazing. I was convinced to try this salad, and it was quite good, but the ribs with the mashed potatoes was the real star. My friend pays because I picked up the tab elsewhere.

9:12 p.m. — We head back to Trader Joes and pick up some lemon squares for the hotel room instead of buying an expensive $10 dessert. It is $5 and we didn’t even end up finishing all of it. $14.28

Spent: $115.30

DAY EIGHT

??:?? — ALMOST OVER *sob* .. and it is raining SO BADLY today, it is insane. I WANT ANOTHER SUNNY DAY HERE.

7:11 a.m. — We get up, having “slept in”, and get going after a lazy start. Took us about 2 hours to get out of the hotel because I made us pack and check out before we went anywhere.

10:05 a.m. — We drop by the checkout counter before going out and leave our bags checked there so we don’t need to lug these things around.

11:16 a.m. — I pick up all the things my family wanted at B&H Photo. The cards here are SO much cheaper even with the exchange rate.

11:40 a.m. — Ladurée macarons for my baby boy. $29.18

12:15 p.m. — We eat breakfast at Kopitiam, and it was pretty good. We thought we would save room for a second breakfast, but we end up foregoing it because we were too stuffed.

1:50 p.m. — Glossier is so pretty inside. I don’t get anything but it looked so good.

2:11 p.m. — We drop by Nyonya for some airport food. $28 USD – Paid in cash, they only take cash.

2:38 p.m. — Nordstrom Rack shopping. I almost buy sunglasses from Céline but they weren’t polarized (womp womp), so I just buy some socks. This is how I dressed when I traveled this time by the way… $39.90

4:28 p.m. — We finish shopping, we drop everything off at the hotel, meet up with a friend and my friend tries to SQUISH everything into her bags. She did not plan for this LOL.. she tried to bring less bags to not shop as much. That didn’t work out….

6:25 p.m. — At the airport. I was so sick from the metro, to the bus, that I can’t even eat the food we bought.

I am SO SICK RIGHT NOW. Motion sickness, nauseous.. I only manage to eat SOME Shake Shack fries my friend bought after she ate her own meal from Nyonya and I feel a bit better but not by much.

7:22 p.m. — Yep. I hurl on the airplane into a little barf bag. I am green and pale AF. This very sweet French girl beside me helps me with water, serviettes and gives me mints afterwards. <3 They aren’t all terrible, I actually really like most of the people from France I meet, but a few bad apples (as usual) sour me on the bunch at times.

9:35 p.m. — I am finally out of the airport. They made me check my luggage (I felt better after throwing up), and my bag was the first off the conveyor belt after security so I SPRINT to grab it before it goes around the carousel again. I RUSH to the exit and see Little Bun there with my partner. I hug them both. Little Bun seems surprised and confused and happy but not effusive. He holds his father’s hand the whole time back to the car, but keeps looking back to check to make sure I am still here.

9:59 p.m. — OMG we can’t find the car. I end up beeping the horn until we move towards the sound and find it.

10:25 p.m. — I am so sick right now. I wash my face, brush my teeth very fast, and collapse into bed. I can’t even sleep, I am so nauseous.

10:40 p.m. — Oops. Forgot the Transderm patch. I remove it before falling back asleep.

Spent: $97.08

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Want more? Read all of my previous Week of Money Diaries.