Read more

Whether you’re looking for a quick weekend escape from NYC or find yourself in DC for work, you can use my recs to have a fabulous weekend.

Where I Stayed

I took a 10:30 AM Amtrak from Moynihan Station and arrived in DC around 2 PM. Taking the train is a super easy way to travel, and I highly recommend it if you’re coming from NYC.

I checked into the Fairmont Washington, DC Georgetown, which made it super easy to explore the neighborhood on foot. The hotel was lavish, with a pearly white lobby, a stunning outdoor courtyard, and incredible service. They allowed me to check in early, which is always a great feeling after a long travel day (yes, three hours on the train is loooong).

The cherry on top was the complimentary Summer Season Golden Hours, sponsored by Veuve Clicquot, that they hosted in the courtyard.

Where I Ate and Drank

I honestly never had a bad bite in this city on this trip.

Let’s start with the mornings. I grabbed coffee at Flor, an Argentinian coffee shop and bookstore, and Baked & Wired, a Georgetown staple known for its baked goods. Although no place can beat NYC bagels, Call Your Mother Deli was pretty close.

I had Yellow for lunch, a very popular Levantine café from Michelin-starred chef Michael Rafidi. Please order the Mish Mish Soda and their specialty pastries. Unfortunately, I did have to wait in line to get the goods, which is against my religion, but I’ll do it when I’m on vacation.

For dinner, I popped into Bar Angie down the street from the hotel. It was cute, but was giving more The Smith than I like (iykyk).

Night two, I got dressed up and had a very bougie dinner at Isla. Not only was I greeted by Chef Lonie Murdock, but the large pink cascading chandelier that tied the room together was giving exxxxpensive. The dining room was filled with girl groups having a pre-night-out dinner, couples grabbing drinks at the bar, and good music pumping through the speakers. The vibes were high, but the menu took this place over the top. The standout dishes were the lamb tartare (trust me), oxtail patties, and the snapper, which was presented in the coolest way.

For night one, I had post-dinner drinks at Press Club, a small underground bar that felt like I was hanging out in my cool friend’s basement. It was giving listening bar minus the pretentiousness.

After dinner at Isla, I went right next door to their sister bar, Goodlove, which felt like the party extension of Isla. Incredible cocktails at both spots — worth a revisit!

Where I Shopped

Georgetown has a great little cluster of vintage and secondhand shops that you can easily walk between. Union Market was also another cool area for fun shopping! Some standouts below:

• Sourced by Scottie — curated European vintage

• Ella Rue — pre-owned designer clothing and accessories

• Nunumia Vintage — vintage clothing

• Reddz Trading — secondhand designer pieces

• Current Boutique — authenticated pre-owned designer

• Alas Eius — local Georgetown boutique

• Vintage Vintage Vintage - vintage collective in Union Market and it also has a cute photo booth in the back of the shop!

• Salt & Sundry - home decor + gift shop in Union Market

• La Cosecha — Latin American food and shopping hall

What I Did

I love to lean into the touristy activities on my solo trips. This time, I booked a Washington, DC Monuments Tour by E-Cart and was able to hit all the big monuments in one sitting.

You can also explore via bike or walk the National Mall on your own time. After the tour, I browsed the National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian museums, many of which are free to enter.

On Fridays during the summer, the National Gallery of Art hosts Jazz in the Garden inside its Sculpture Garden. Such a fun summer activity if you want live music and something a little more social than a traditional museum visit.

I started Saturday with Rhythm & Release, a live-DJ yoga class at Manifest 002. It’s a 45-minute flow followed by music, drinks, and time to hang out, a very fun way to start a weekend in DC.

After yoga, I explored the Union Market neighborhood and the Union Market Food Hall. I also stumbled upon a street market that was happening right on the main street.

A few spots to save:

• Bread Alley — bread and pastries

• The Market — 40+ food vendors

• Peregrine Espresso — coffee

• Handcraft Doughnuts — specialty doughnuts

I’m not going to lie, I thought DC was going to be a snooze but this vibrant city exceeded my expectations and I can’t wait to come back. Next up: Mexico and South Africa — so make sure you’re subscribed because there are a lot more travel recs coming your way. ✈️

xoxo Katie

Read more

Read more

• Free Admission to the Noguchi Museum (fri & sat) free rsvp

• Get out to Summer Streets in Manhattan (sat 8/8) free

• Check out this…

Read more

I spent seven days exploring Paris solo last summer and another 72 hours there solo last week, so here is my ultimate guide to the city.

Where I Stayed

I’ve stayed at three different hotels in Paris. Two of them were definite splurges: Le Grand Mazarin in Le Marais and Hôtel Balzac in the 8th arrondissement.

Both hotels are incredibly grand. You’ll find Le Grand Mazarin gracing the pages of design books, while Hôtel Balzac has more of a chic, contemporary spa feel. Both will make you feel like a princess, just promise me you won’t look at your credit card bill afterward.

My third stay was at Hôtel Amour, where every room is completely unique and you might encounter some very provocative décor.

Where I Ate and Drank

These lists are long, so I’m breaking everything down by category.

Coffee and Cafés

• Holybelly

• Bonjour Jacob

• Radio Days

• Café Les Deux Gares

• Perlant

• Sevenly Heart

• JJ Hings

• Carette (touristy but so good)

Bakeries

• Mamiche (a favorite)

• The French Bastards — multiple locations

• Du Pain et des Idées

• Stohrer

Lunch and Dinner

• Camille

• Chez Janou — make a res

• Bouche

• Frenchie — make a res

• Poulette

• Bistrot Paul Bert — make a res

• Le Petit Lutetia

• Le Relais de l’Entrecôte

• Septime — fine dining; make a res

• Racines

• Pink Mamma — make a res

• Loulou

• Le Bon Georges

Cocktails and Wine

• ROJO

• Le Syndicat

• Folderol

or just walk into any spot to grab a spritz and lounge!

Where I Shopped

Vintage

• Demain Rétro (my favorite)

• EREM Vintage

• Les Archives Vintage

• KIS — Keep It Secret

• Bobby

• Chez Snow Bunny

• Gaijin Paris

• NUMERO13 ESCO

• NUOVO

• At Dawn

For flea markets, pop-ups, and temporary vintage markets, I highly recommend following @ kissa.vintage.paris for real-time updates on where to find them around the city.

Other Stores

Read more

Here’s our entire route and everything we did along the way so you can plan your own Ireland road trip.

The Road Trip Map

This map includes every stop we made, taking us from Dublin to Doolin, Dingle and back to Dublin, along with the small towns we visited in between. We booked the car through Sixt Ride Dublin and it was a super smooth process.

In total, we spent approximately 12 hours on the road. Once we left the highways and reached the local roads, the drive became much windier, with narrow lanes and plenty of twists and turns. You’ll also have to get used to driving on the opposite side of the road.

My biggest tip: Bring Dramamine if you’re prone to motion sickness—speaking from experience.

On our drive from Dublin to Doolin, we stopped at Sean’s Bar in Athlone, which is known as Ireland’s oldest pub. We also made quick stops in Limerick and Adare. Both were cute towns and worth the added driving time.

Where we stayed

Night One: Dublin

We flew into Dublin and spent our first night at The Dean Dublin. It’s centrally located in a very lively part of the city, close to St. Stephen’s Green and many of Dublin’s main attractions.

We packed ourselves into one of its tiny rooms to save money since we knew we would barely be there outside of sleeping.

Night Two: Doolin

For the second night of our trip, we drove approximately three and a half hours to the small coastal village of Doolin.

We booked Cullinan’s Guesthouse, and it was the perfect cozy stay.

Nights Three and Four: Dingle

We then drove another four hours to the colorful coastal town of Dingle. Here, we stayed in the loveliest townhome that we found on VRBO, right in the center of town.

Night Five: Dublin

For our final night, we drove back to Dublin and stayed at The Devlin in Ranelagh.

It was such a change of pace from our previous stays. The neighborhood felt more local, while the hotel itself was upscale, stylish and trendy.

Where we ate & drank

We ate a ridiculous amount of fish and chips, beef stew and hearty pub food during this trip.

Dublin

In Dublin, we:

• Had dinner at Pickle, an Indian restaurant on Camden Street

• Grabbed Guinness cake from The Cake Café, which is hidden behind The Last Bookshop

• Had cocktails at The Dean Dublin

• Stopped at Alma for brunch before beginning our road trip

Doolin

In Doolin, we ate dinner at McGann’s Pub, where we enjoyed traditional pub food and live Irish music.

We also grabbed breakfast and coffee at Russell’s.

Doolin has more than one pub, but it is a very small village, so everything feels cozy, intimate and easy to reach. Just know everything closes at 11pm.

Dingle

In Dingle, we visited:

• Bean in Dingle for coffee

• The Fish Box for seafood and fish and chips

• Fenton’s of Dingle for dinner

• Murphy’s Ice Cream for locally made ice cream

• Dick Mack’s for drinks

• Foxy John’s

• Paul Geaney’s Bar

You can honestly pop into almost any pub in Dingle and have a good time. Several of the pubs had live music, and the entire town felt lively without being overwhelming.

Read more

• Take a Private Tour of The Met with a Comedian (and me!) (sat 7/25) rsvp

• Check out this Bathhous…

Read more

• Watch the World Cup Final in Central Park (sun 7/19) free rsvp

• Sip & Shop at a Vintage Designer Archive (fri - sun) free rsvp

• Take Free Color Portraits at this Pop-up Studio (fri - sun) free rsvp

• Hit up The Japan Village Market Night Market (fri 7/17) free

• Take a Rooftop Yoga Class at the Studio Museum in Harlem (sat 7/18) rsvp

• Pop into the Ridgewood Pop-up Market (sun 7/19) free

• Go Check Out the Free DJ Series outside the Brooklyn Library (fri 7/17) free

• Join the First Prospect Park Cookbook Club (sun 7/19) rsvp

• Take a Matcha and Cinnamon Roll Making Class (sun 7/19) rsvp

• Morning Jog with Slow Girl Run Club + Coffee (sun 7/19) rsvp

Have a great weekend!

xo Katie

• Outdoor Music Concert at Socrates Sculpture Park (sat 7/11) free rsvp

• Outdoor Dance Party at Brooklyn Bridge Park (sat 7/11) free

• Shop this Vintage Designer Bag Pop-up in Soho (sun 7/12) …

Read more

Where I stayed

I booked The Kimpton in Polanco, a boutique hotel filled with green…

Read more

You already know I spend hours every week researching the best events in the city so you don’t have to. I use Rodeo to save and curate events as I find them. This app gives you a map of the events, reminders and so much more!

Follow July Events list to see everything I'm saving.

• Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks at The Brooklyn Brid…

Read more

You already know I spend hours every week researching the best events in the city so you don’t have to. I use Rodeo to save and curate events as I find them. This app gives you a map of the events, reminders and so much more!

Follow June Events and July Events list to see everything I'm saving. And don't worry, your monthly cal…

Read more

You already know I spend hours every week researching the best events in the city so you don’t have to. I use Rodeo to save and curate events as I find them. This app gives you a map of the events, reminders and so much more!

Follow June Events and July Events list to see everything I'm saving. And don't worry, your monthly cal…

Read more

You already know I spend hours every week researching the best events in the city so you don’t have to. I’ve been using an app called Rodeo to save and curate events as I find them. This app gives you a map of the events, reminders and so much more!

Download Rodeo → follow June Events and July Events list to see everything I'm …

Read more

Where I stayed

I booked the Longfellow Hotel, a boutique hotel that was perfect for this short trip. It had everything you needed, a gym, spa, room service, and a great lobby bar. It was definitely a splurge, but most hotels in the area were just as pricey. I also didn’t have a car so I borrowed a bike from the hotel to explore. The city was very walkable and I only neded to take a few Ubers.

Where I ate & drank

Coffee / Cafe: Tandem Coffee for a breakfast sandwich and a latte. It was clearly a hotspot in town, get there right when the doors open or you’ll be waiting in line, something I don’t wish upon my worst enemy. For my matcha lovers, Onggi, a fermented goods shop, had the coolest matcha cafe in the back. Don’t pass up their sourdough chocolate chip cookie. Terlingua Outpost for a breakfast taco and other goodies. Twinflower Cafe, connected to my hotel, was really great too.

Read more

Here are 50 things on my 2026 NYC summer bucket list:

Food:

1. Eat tacos at the Sunset Plaza Mexican Street Food Market

2. Grab a mango on a stick at the Prospect Park Smorgasburg

3. Taste one of everything at the Queens Night Market (everything is $6 and under)

4. Get a nieve de garrafa from Fidel, the iconic Bushwick street vendor

5. Brave the Caffe Panna line for one of a kind ice cream

6. Take the ferry to Red Hook for a chocolate key lime pie on a stick from Steve’s

7. Order the Margarita & Cream cocktail from Schmuck on a hot summer day

8. Try the watermelon, chamoy, mint, and lime app at Hellbender

9. Pick up early morning breakfast tacos at Bordertown BK

10. Go on a food crawl through Jackson Heights in Queens

Rooftops:

11. Check out the new rooftop at the W Hotel Union Square

12. Splurge at my favorite rooftop, Westlight, at The William Vale Hotel

13. Grab drinks at the revamped Bar Hugo in Tribeca

14. Sip cocktails at Dear Irving on the Hudson

15. Have a laid-back rooftop night at Cherry on Top, Vacations, and Fornino on Pier 6

Pool Days:

16. Spend the day at a hotel pool using ResortPass

17. Eat popsicles after a sauna session on the Bathhouse rooftop

18. Take a nighttime dip at QC Spa

Read more