United States

It’s a Goorin!

I wore a lot of hats as a kid, but back then it was cute when they were way too big.

I wore a lot of hats...

It is nearly impossible for me to find a hat that fits my peanut-sized head; so hat shopping has always been a dreaded task…

“It’s a four hour experience that you know will end in zero actual purchases.” -Kayla Upadhyaya, Sister

“It’s one of those things that you put a lot of work into, but receive no reward.” -Me

Luckily for me, my hat-shopping misery was put to an end when I walked into Goorin Brothers Hat Shop in Charleston, South Carolina. The place was hoppin’ with eager hat-shoppers, hatters, and milliners milling about. I tried on numerous hats and to my surprise I found the perfect fit! However, I walked into the store penniless so naturally I soon walked out of the store hatless.

Goorin Brother's

A few weeks later I stopped by the Goorin Bros. NYC West Village location. Thanks to the wonderful people of Goorin Bros., I was given two perfect hats to incorporate into my wardrobe.

The first of which is the Goorin everyday hat, April Rose. This wide brim fedora is light weight and super comfy. While walking around New York City I got multiple compliments from random people– some of which stopped walking just to tell me that they liked my hat. I’ve worn it to the beach, for brunch, and I even sported it during the Fourth of July parade.

The second hat is the 100% straw fedora Beach Day. This hat is awesome because it’s packable and versatile enough to throw in a bag and whip out whenever it’s needed.

Both of these summer hats have been great at shading my head from the hot summer sun. I am so thankful for Goorin Brothers, and I can’t want to add new Goorin hats to my hat collection.

Washington DC on Bikes

I have been to DC over a hundred times in my life, but this particular trip was different from all the others. Perhaps it was because I had Margit asking things like: “What’s the name of your village?”. And while we were standing in the National Archives (loud enough for everyone to hear) she asks: “Constitution? What’s that?”. Or maybe it was because we borrowed the hotel bikes and helmets to bike around the city… and rang my bell at pedestrians when we passed them. Or maybe it’s because I couldn’t walk peacefully without being punched in the shoulder by Øyvind or Margit whenever they saw a yellow car… (which must be a lot less common in Norway)! Or maybe it was the help of Anna-Maria, our Magic 8 Ball. Or maybe it’s the combination of all of that, plus the 3G love that made it such a great trip.

Hotel Fun

On our first day in DC we hit all the monuments and memorials… even the unknown ones like the George Mason Memorial. Because we were on bikes, we covered a lot of ground and had enough time to have a yummy lunch at District Taco. After lunch we went into the Archives (which is where Margit embarrassed me by asking what The Constitution is in front of hundreds of tourists there to see The Constitution).

After circling The Capitol Building, we found a nice ant-infested area of the park to lay down and share some laughs.

The next day we went to the Zoo to see our monkey friends. Margit and I managed to lose Øyvind by the bears. He eventually found us, and we biked over to Dupont Circle to grab some lunch before hitting the museums.

After reaching our maximum brain-power for the day, we left the museums and made our way back to the hotel for another koselig evening together. I made fun of them for eating burgers with forks and knives, we destroyed a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, and we started to watch a movie before falling sound asleep.

Another great trip with great people!

New York City with My Norwegians

Just over a year ago I parted ways with my Norwegian friends with nothing but tears and (very)tentative plans for their visit to the USA. To my surprise, (and delight,) their trip became a reality. Although they couldn’t all make it, (we missed you Maria,) Margit and Øyvind made the long journey across the Atlantic Ocean for two weeks of fun. And all this fun began in New York City…

We stayed in a nice hotel, with a loud rooftop bar and a mediocre breakfast spread. Øyvind tried Frootloops for the first time… “Woah, those are funny colors,” he said as he poured his cereal into the bowl.

We began the adventures with the Downtown Hop On – Hop Off Bus Tour. We had cameras, sunscreen, city maps… the whole tourist shebang.

You know you’re with a NYC newbie when they order an Everything Bagel with Blueberry Cream Cheese. We laughed at Øyvind a lot about this Bagel catastrophe… but they laughed a lot at me for being so short, so we are even.

I had never been to the top of Rockefeller Center, and it blew away my expectations. The view of the city was amazing, and unlike The Empire State Building, there were no lines.

On my last trip to New York I visited The Highline, which was a highlight of my trip despite the dead and dry vegetation. This time was even better, because the vegetation was green and luscious instead of dead and dry.

We visited the Statue of Liberty… well, we squinted at it from Battery Park.

It turns out both my parents and my sister were in the city on this same weekend. All of us in NYC for different occasions… typical Upadhyaya family situation. I got to spend some quality time with them– primarily over yummy meals.

We celebrated Kayla’s 23rd birthday with a brunch at The Smith Restaurant with her friend Caroline. Caroline wasn’t even one of Kayla’s weird friends… she was great company! Toward the beginning of the brunch I pulled a ‘kayla’ and spilled my drink and dropped my fork! I’m blaming it on the slanted floor… or the crooked table… or a momentary freaky-friday moment.

Stray questions/ comments/ concerns/ tid-bits/ add-ons/ fyi’s:

1. After taking a bite of his bagel, Øyvind exclaimed: “it’s definitely… edible.”

2. The Smith Restaurant was cool because it had a photo booth in the (unisex) bathroom. But the portion sizes of our dishes were way too big… next time I suggest sharing an entree. 

3. Yes, I am featuring two new hats in some of these photos… more to come about tHAT later! 

4. Our bus tour guide, Jamal, found it very comical that Margit and Øyvind had never heard of Norwegian Cruise Lines… We did some research and it turns out it’s a company based out of Florida… it’s not Norwegian at all! 

5. Of course we went back to LF, and of course we restocked on Broad City Bralettes, and of course we spent to much money. #YasKween

Lunch in Little Italy

Hope you’re not tired of our selfies, because there are a lot more coming soon!

A Wedding in Charleston

I spent this past long weekend soaking up the sun in Charleston, South Carolina. It was a weekend of farmer’s markets, craft fairs, and harbor-side rocking chairs.

When we weren’t relaxing, we were prepping for a party the night before the wedding. The party was a success, and my red velvet cupcakes were, once again, everyone’s favorite.

The wedding ceremony and service was at the Daniel Island Club, backset by beautiful wetlands and tall grasses.

We drove back on Monday in order for me to begin work on Tuesday. It’s officially summer swim season and these next few weeks will be crazy! Next up: NYC!