spring in the city

We've been fairly busy around here...work, life, running here and there in the city. We've been trying to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather (although today is a chilly 50 degrees), and each other's company. [Note: These are all somewhat crappy Blackberry pics, so apologies in advance!]

Waiting in line @ Shake Shack in Madison Square Park

Visiting High Line Park (where we spotted Zach Braff!)

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge after exploring neighborhoods for a possible fall move

winter blues

This is the time of year when I just want to retreat on the couch under a throw blanket with Husband and puppy - warm spice candle burning and glasses of red wine - and not come out of the apartment until spring. The time when we're knee-deep in the throes of frozen fingers and red, dry noses. I've got a bad case of the winter blues. No inspiration to shop, window shop, or blog. Work work work. Blah.

What better way to shake the blues than plan a trip? A girls' trip to be exact! Come March, 7 of us college friends (also sorority sisters - shhh) will head down to Cancun to bask in the sun at Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa. The place looks amazing, and something about being in Mexico screams relaxation to me.


The idea of this trip couldn't come at a better time. It'll keep me motivated to work out extra hard (already planning an extra spin class in my weekly schedule). Looking through Resort 2010 collections for inspiration will make me excited for spring and summer!

I just pray my passport name change will come back in time. Yikes!

quick weekend trip to Miami

travel review: dreams los cabos

We had an absolutely fabulous time at Dreams Los Cabos. Because we had set aside the first 5 days of our vacation to attend a wedding and visit with family, we were only able to spend 3 nights (2 1/2 days) at Dreams. We definitely could have used about 3 more!

We considered Cabo for our honeymoon about a year ago, closing in on Las Ventanas, Marquis Los Cabos, and the One and Only Palmilla as options. At the time, the pricing was pretty high, and we decided our money would be better spent in Europe. Only when we rsvp'd for this recent wedding in College Station, TX did we consider Cabo for our anniversary trip destination. I had read that tourism in Cabo had been reduced over recent months because of swine flu concerns, even though there hadn't been any reported cases from the area. This meant lower prices and better deals for vacationers. Wanting to save even more money, we decided to try an all-inclusive option, and Dreams came up as the best in the area. We arrived late Tuesday morning and left early Friday morning.

The weather in Cabo this time of year is hot, but completely bearable because of ultra low humidity levels. 100 degrees feels pleasant if you're under shade, and there was a perpetual light to moderate breeze. When we arrived at Dreams, we were greeted with cold, scented towels and glasses of champagne. The entrance is gorgeous and airy:

It leads out to the main pool and beach:

Our room wasn't ready upon arrival, so we headed to El Patio for a buffet lunch. Once we settled into the room, a complimentary bottle of champagne was sent as an anniversary gift. We enjoyed this on our balcony, chatting and overlooking the pool and ocean:

After a brief champagne-induced nap, we headed down to Oceana for a casual seafood dinner in the open-air restaurant. The golf concierge later set up a round of golf for Husband at the nearby Cabo Real course...the cost was around $200, which included a rider fee for me, and unlimited drinks and snacks for us both. The course itself was amazing...in one direction was the desert mountains and cactus-filled ravines...in the other direction was the gorgeous beach:

We spent the rest of our day lounging by the 'quiet pool' and sipping on frozen drinks. We chose Asian cuisine that night - dining at Himitsu. The next day was entirely spent lounging under our own palapa on the beach. It was so quiet and peaceful...we felt like we were in our own world:

Only the pelicans and occasional local peddlers interrupted the day:

Our final night's dinner was at Portofino, the lovely Italian restaurant. We chose to wait for one of the 3 tables out on the veranda, next to a small pond and dimly lit. The wait was short - just enough time to snap some pics poolside and enjoy a glass of champagne. The setting was beautiful and tucked away at the far corner of the resort...we slowly enjoyed our meal, which was a perfect end to a wonderful getaway.

The weather:

I'm not one to shy away from hot weather, as long as the humidity is low. The highs were around 100, with lows in the 80s. The sun is strong, and the sand gets hot, but under an umbrella or palapa roof, it feels warm and pleasant.

The transportation:

We used Olympus tours for our transport to/from the hotel. As with most of the tour companies, they load up the van and often have several stops along the way. The only time this can be a pain is if you have an early departing flight...we had an 8:30am flight on Friday morning, and our pickup time was 5:30am! Yuck! We picked up 1 other couple, but even with the early pickup, we arrived at the airport before security was open. A friend who travels to Cabo often advised us to rent a car, and we just might on our next trip. It seems very easy to get around, and it would be nice to have more flexibility had we stayed longer.

The golf:

Husband described the course as moderately difficult. Although the quality of the grass itself wasn't top-notch (rather dry due to a lack of rain), the setting and vistas were really unique. He felt that it was absolutely worth the money. The course was fairly empty, so he was able to take some time on the practice range, and we were never rushed to move through the holes. The beverage/snack cart came around often...we mostly enjoyed ice-cold Coronas, but she found us at the 18th hole with some lime juice for margaritas. The staff was extremely friendly!

The accommodations:

I was getting anxious before our trip after reading reviews on several trusted sites. Some people truly loved their experience at Dreams, and others hated it! I have to say, we had NO complaints with the resort itself. We had an oceanfront suite, which was spacious and cleaned thoroughly every day. There are 2 pools - a big one with an infinity pool and water slide, and a 'quiet pool' off to the side of the resort - both with swim-up bars and towel stands. The families with children stayed around the larger pool...most of the lounge chairs here were filled by 11am. There were always plenty of empty chairs around the quiet pool, as well as hammocks from the trees. The beachfront palapas were even better...never full and fairly quiet. We found the common areas to be extremely clean as well...we even saw them scrubbing the pool areas with bleach solutions! I am a germaphobe, and felt completely comfortable at all times.

The service:

Every employee was pleasant and efficient. Many of the reviews I saw insisted that you must tip early and often for even adequate service. We didn't necessarily find this to be the case. Yes, we tipped our waiters by the pool and beach, who brought us drinks and snacks all day. We also tipped our restaurant waiters and maid service. But, the service was excellent even when we did not tip (e.g., when getting a single drink or water at the bar). The turndown service was a mystery to us...one 2 days it came at the inopportune time of 6pm (when we were just returning to the room)...on the last night it came at 10:30pm! The complimentary chocolates are gross, but you're provided with 2 extra towels and a 1-page newsletter for the following day.

The food:

Another frequent complaint on the travel sites. We liked the food! Sure, it wasn't gourmet, but it also didn't taste super mass-produced. There are 5 restaurants at the resort - 3 that are good for a nice dinner, and 2 that are good for breakfast/lunch or casual dinners. Additionally, there is the Coco Cafe, which has pastries and yummy (but decadent) coffee drinks. El Patio was mainly buffet...the lunch was mostly Mexican, while the breakfast was a good mix of western-style and Mexican cuisines. We had a great omelette made by Bety, yummy french toast, and freshly cut fruit. We ate lunch at Seaside grill one afternoon, which had some decent sandwiches and burger options. Our first dinner was at Oceana...the grilled mahi mahi was super tasty and Husband's grilled tuna was perfectly cooked. Himitsu, the Asian restaurant, has some good and unique sushi and lots of other Pan-asian options. Portofino, the Italian restaurant, was actually the most disappointing of the 5, even though reviewers raved about it! We found the setting to be gorgeous, but the food mediocre. The great thing is that you don't need reservations at any of the restaurants...any wait would be at most 15 minutes, and they give you a pager so you are free to roam the resort or grab a drink at the front bar/lounge.

I'd say 3-5 days is the maximum amount of time you could spend at Dreams, before you get bored of the resort and the food. The resort is a hotspot in Cabo for destination weddings and honeymooners, and the staff lead tons of activities throughout the day. But, you can totally do your own thing as well. We were warned about the persistent and annoying timeshare hawks, but didn't have to deal with any! The local peddlers hawking their wares beyond the hotel's beach boundary were WAY more annoying than any timeshare people. Overall, we had a fabulous time, and I'd recommend Dreams to anyone!

packing 101

Picture source

We're back from a glorious, relaxing, and too-short vacation. First, we hit Texas (Dallas and College Station) to attend a wedding and visit with family. Then, it was on to Cabo San Lucas for 3 nights at Dreams Los Cabos. We spent our time relaxing on our balcony with champagne, golfing on a course sandwiched between the desert mountains and Pacific Ocean, and lounging under a beachfront palapa sipping frozen fruity drinks. But, more on that later...

The real achievement was how well we packed for the trip...ending up with one carry-on and one medium-sized checked suitcase. Although we had to pack for both Texas and Cabo, I am fairly confident that we could have packed only one suitcase (if we were just packing for 3 days in Mexico). I'm usually a chronic overpacker, but this time, I was meticulous and deliberate in my selections. I ended up using every single piece that I brought, which never happens! Below are my clothing and accessory selections, along with a few products that turned out to be surprisingly useful!

[Roughly clockwise]

1. Alternative Apparel Stevie wrap in petal (perfectly lightweight and neutral)

2. F21 scoopneck tee in cream

3. American Apparel tri-blend v-neck tee in grey

4. F21 floral sheer tunic

5. Cool Change halter dress

6. F21 ruffled magenta silk top [Substitute pictured from F21]

7. J Crew white chinos

8. J Crew favorite ribbed tanks in black & white

9. J Crew chambray shorts

10. F21 knit tank dress in teal [Substitute pictured: AA tank dress]

11. Juicy Couture terry shorts

12. F21 silk romper

13. F21 skinny jeans in dark rinse

14. Rachel Pally cropped leggings

15. 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent silk slipdress

[Roughly clockwise]

1. Target tankini

2. Juicy Couture striped halter bikini

3. Anthropologie (Eberjey) bikini

4. Long gold necklace with open rings

5. Gold filigree-style earrings [Substitute pictured: F21]

6. Gold earrings with turquoise beads [Substitute pictured: F21]

7. Gold hoop earrings [Substitute pictured: F21]

8. Lightweight cream scarf [Substitute pictured: Alice+Olivia scarf from Shopbop]

9. Turquoise-colored bracelet [Substitute pictured: F21 cuff]

10. Gold bangles [Substitute pictured: F21]

11. Havaianas bronze rubber flip flops

12. Bernardo leather pewter sandals

13. Tory Burch Ali black sandals [Substitute pictured: Tory Burch Thora patent flip flops]

As you can see, most of the items pictured can be swapped out and matched up. I wore the F21 tunic on the plane, layered over a tank and with skinny jeans...and later used it as a swim cover-up with knit shorts. The Cool Change dress worked mainly as a cover-up, but could have transitioned to a casual dinner dress. The J Crew lightweight chinos served me twice for dinner - once with a plain black tank and heavy gold accessories, and again with the magenta top and simpler jewelry. The resort (and Mexico vacations in general) was fairly laidback and casual. 'Formalwear' simply meant a collared shirt and full pants for men. This meant that I could easily get away with 'resortwear' for dinner, and throw on a cover-up to eat lunch or stroll through the resort.

As for products, we loaded up on travel-size products that could be used up and tossed over the 3 days. This significantly lightened our toiletry load on the way home. A few products were a pleasant surprise, and I must give them credit:

1. Fekkai Glossing Sheer Shine Mist: Blowdrying my hair was unnecessary before dinners, but I still needed to tame the frizz and define my waves. This spray was perfect...after towel-drying, I spritzed this fairly liberally through my hair, scrunched, and air-dried. What resulted was a head of perfect beachy waves that also looked just messy enough and textured the next day. The travel-size purchased from Sephora was a great size and should last through several more trips.

2. Gillette Venus Breeze: I had seen these in Duane Reade and was intrigued. Husband has ditched his Edge shave gel in favor of Kiehls Shave Cream, so I could no longer get by with just taking 1 razor and extra Mach 3 blades for both of us. Having super sensitive skin, I was pretty skeptical of this product. I ended up using it 3 days in a row (unheard of!) on legs, underams, and bikini area. The shave isn't as close as my standard Mach 3, but the gel strips really do moisturize and protect well. After 3 days, they were barely worn down and I had no razor burn or irritation. This is a perfect item to take on a 3-5 day trip.

3. St. Ives apricot scrub: I've been using this cult item for years...every so often I stray to another scrub or microdermabrasion product, but I always return. The small travel size is perfect for a 3-day trip. Not only did I use it on my face to clear sun-dried dead skin, but I mix it with some shower gel for an instant and effective body scrub. It's especially useful just before shaving, and has never irritated my sensitive skin. You can probably use the medicated version to ensure even smoother and clearer all-over skin!

4. Kiehls Creme de Corps body lotion: We first purchased this for our honeymoon, during which we had to bear the hot Greek sun for half the trip. This lotion is heavenly and takes me back to the Greek Isles every time I use it. The bottle is fairly small compared to drugstore-brand lotion, and quite expensive, which is why we reserve it for vacations and getaways. It smells like coconut oil and moisturizes like crazy...it might be too greasy for everyday use, but for pre- and post-sun exposure it is perfect. The SPF is only 30, so I layer a stronger sunblock on top, but we'd still never leave for the beach without this.

5. Aveeno sunblock spray: When I grew up, the only spray sunblocks around were by Banana Boat, and were too low an SPF for us. As you can imagine, we rarely came out of the pool for the arduous task of reapplying a lotion sublock. These days, everyone from Neutrogena to Aveeno makes a spray sunblock. The Aveeno version is great for sensitive skin (it never makes my skin sting), and smells yummy. It is so easy and quick to use, that we never forget to reapply. The bottle doesn't go very far though, and in 3 days, it was nearly empty, but it's great for days on the go or short vacas.

6. Clinique Up-Lighting Liquid Illuminator: I received this in my last Clinique bonus and figured a trip on which I knew no one was the perfect opportunity to test it. Although I heart my Nars powder foundation, I hate the powdered look on summer nights out, when I crave a more dewy and natural face. Usually I mix a bit of Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer with my regular moisturizer and slather my face. This Clinique Illuminator was like heaven in a bottle...a drop or two mixed with my regular moisturizer gave my face a healthy and glowy complexion that was neither glittery nor resembled an oil-slick. It had a healthy luminescence, and all I needed was a light dusting of All-Over Color on my apples, mascara, and bright pink gloss to feel polished and ready for dinners overlooking the ocean.

my big fat indian wedding

Pic taken by Milton Gil Photographers

Ok, I can't take the credit for the title...I spotted it on Weddingbee and thought it was a perfect way to describe just about every Indian wedding I've been to. They're big, they're colorful, and they're detailed! With our one-year anniversary about a month away, I have yet to go over any of the work that went into our events (or choose our photos...procrastination much?) Now, truth be told...it was months before I could even look at anything wedding-related, I was that burnt out and over it. But friends and family still tell us how much fun they had, or praise some small detail that I had all but forgotten. I knew nothing going into the process, and worked hard to figure it out along the way, but our special day turned out wonderfully and I'd be remiss if I didn't try to pass along everything I did and learned.

Planning our wedding was especially difficult for us. I was finishing up my second year of classes, and preparing to defend my dissertation proposal (passed my oral exams about 3 weeks before the wedding), while Husband was getting ready to graduate from law school (and take the NY Bar about 2 weeks before the wedding)! Both being the oldest in our families, our parents really learned along with us. It wasn't a painless process for anyone involved, and I definitely took away some lessons learned that can help everyone (Indian & non-Indian):

1) Book the major vendors early. In the tri-state area, wedding vendors come at a premium, and the good ones go fast. Esp. during wedding high season (spring/summer). I booked my location, photographer/videographer, decorator/florist, and caterer within 2 weeks of getting engaged (about 1 year before the wedding).
2) Budgets are nice, but hidden costs make them hard to stick to. Know what the average costs of vendors are in your area, and compromise on where to cut costs versus where to splurge. Many vendors will work with you on pricing and packages, especially if you are expecting a large number of guests. I have read that people who decide to spend a bit more on photography usually have little regrets...they decide to cut back on, say, the floral arrangements.
3) Delegate where possible, but plan in advance for setbacks. Our families were incredibly busy, so asking them for help at every single step wasn't possible. We also did a ton of DIY projects, which required lots of planning and prep. Even though I was pleased with how each project turned out, the stress of finishing them at inopportune times wore on us. This brings me to my next lesson...
4) DIY is not always cheaper or easier. These days, there is a vendor for everything. We made so many things ourselves...favor bag tags, name/table cards, signage, the weekend schedule, invitation inserts, etc. Between the cost of purchasing good quality cardstock and labels and the time spent planning and executing every project, I still wonder if it was worth it. Yes, it's a nice touch, but most people won't notice whether something is a DIY project or bought en masse. Do your research and price it all out. If you still crave the DIY look, Etsy can probably give you everything you want and need.
5) Don't sweat the small stuff. Similar to the DIY advice, it's so easy to get wrapped up in every little detail. Chiavari chairs vs. chair covers and bows! Hand calligraphed invitations vs. letterpress! The perfect shade of white, cream, or gold shoes! Honestly, at the end of the day, these things will not matter to you. Our DJ gave us the best advice on this...people care about 3 things...the food, the booze, and the music...do your best on these and you can ensure a great party. Oh how true it is...
6) Give your family a break, and don't expect the royal treatment. Maybe it's because we were the oldest, with 3 younger sibs to deal with. Or maybe it's because this was the first wedding for both sets of parents. But we did and helped as much as anyone else on our wedding day. Family have quirks, and god knows they can be irritating and grating, but chances are, your fam has butterflies too on the big day. Our siblings were nervous about giving speeches, while our parents were hoping their friends would have a good time. I think too often, people think 'me, me, me' on their wedding day. But for us, it was about family and it was about our guests, and we never lost sight of that.
7) Surf! There are so many wonderful wedding resources online...blogs, forums, articles, etc...all of which you can use for design inspiration, dress ideas, vendor reviews, or general wedding support. I would save pictures of table arrangements, saris, or just random things that inspired the day. Lots of people online use polyvore or a similar site to create inspiration boards. I frequented Weddingbee for DIY help, and bookmarked countless planning blogs. I regret that I didn't document my own process as closely as some blogs do!
8) If possible, leave for the honeymoon a few days after the wedding. We actually had a second reception in Miami, where my in-laws are...this was held a week after our wedding. The week after, we moved me out of Baltimore...so we didn't end up leaving on our honeymoon for over two weeks following the nuptials. We were rejuvenated enough that we could take in everything on our honeymoon, and really soak up the sun and culture. More on that to come...

I'm planning to write a series of reviews on my wedding vendors, along with some tips on dealing with each step of the planning process. With few exceptions, I was extremely pleased with them, and I know I had the hardest time finding reviews on vendors beyond theknot.com. I'm also planning to write reviews on our honeymoon, which we spent mainly in Greece, and then traveling through western Europe. Again, a ton of research went into the 4-week trip, and I would be remiss not to share it!