My Favourite Dining Spots in New York

I went to New York with my sister for a week during the Summer to visit my cousin. One of my favourite things about New York is that everyone eats out. And that’s exactly what we did! There were so many options that we always managed to find somewhere that everyone was in the mood for. I put together a list of my favourite eat outs that I went to during my stay in the Big Apple.

Ellen’s Stardust Diner - 1650 Broadway

Are there any Musical Theatre fans out there? This diner will make it to the top of your list! This unique diner has very special staff serving you. Each waiter and waitress are dreaming of a life on a Broadway stage and they come to work at Ellen’s in the hopes of being discovered. In the middle of serving customers and clearing tables, they are singing and dancing on top of chairs! They take requests too! Well when I say that, I mean we wouldn’t leave until they sang Let It Go from Frozen haha! It is well worth a visit just for the experience. Located just off Times Square it's the perfect place to eat after a busy day of shopping and sightseeing. Ellen’s is always hopping so expect a queue before you get a table. I waited for half an hour for a table for 3, but believe me, the wait is worth it!

Brooklyn Bagel - 1 located on the High Line and 3 located in Astoria, Queens

You will never find a bagel in Ireland like a Brooklyn Bagel. When I first went in I was overwhelmed by the amount of spreads and fillings that were available. They have dozens of cream cheese flavours including vegetable, cinnamon, strawberry, blueberry and sundried tomato. Choose your hand rolled, water boiled bagel and choose your fillings then you’re good to go. Be adventurous and choose a filling you wouldn’t usually go for. I went for a wholemeal bagel with mozzarella, tomato and basil. Delish!

Kurant Wine Bar - 1091 2nd Avenue

Kurant Wine Bar is for when you want to dress up and have a nice glass of wine. I went on my last night in New York. It is more expensive than the other dining options on my list but it's not over priced. My cousin and sister shared a cheese plate. You are able to pick and choose which cheeses you want. I went for calamari nom nom! It is a nice quiet night out or a great place to start before moving on somewhere else. There are also booths with sheer curtains for that little bit of privacy… although not enough for the couple sitting in the booth next to us! 😷

The Dubliner Pub - 45 Stone Street

There’s one thing I always do when I go on a holiday and that’s eat in an Irish pub at least once. What can I say! I like having a taste of home when I’m away. The Dubliners my my pub of choice on this trip. After a day wandering the financial district and getting a great deal on Broadway tickets, my cousin brought us to Stone Street. Just a five minute walk from Wall Street, Stone Street is full of pubs and restaurants with tables spilling out onto the cobblestoned street. I definitely recommend sitting outside. Your table may be at a slight slant, but you can soak up the atmosphere! The menu has a mix of the usual American and Irish food you’d expect. The entire street is perfect just for sitting back with a drink and relaxing.

Pure Thai Cookhouse - 766 9th Avenue

I went to Pure Thai Cookhouse on my first night in New York and I absolutely loved it! Pure Thai is in Hell’s Kitchen, an area of New York known for its great restaurants. It was small and authentic with mouth watering family recipes to keep you coming back for more. The wine was served in a short tumbler glass which is a nice novelty and helped me beat the jetlag! I ordered the ginger curry with calamari. It was delicious!

Don Antonios - 309 West 50th Street

Don Antonio’s Pizzeria is another Hell’s Kitchen favourite of mine. I went here after a full day exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I was ravenous! Me and my sister are the definition of the word ‘hangry’ so we needed some food fast! Fortunately, the food was served quickly! What I loved about Don Antonio’s was that you could see the pizza being prepared and cooked because there was just a counter between the customers and the kitchen. I even got a wave from a chef who caught me looking at my pizzas progress haha! The food was amazing and it was obvious the ingredients were fresh and prepared that day.

The dining possibilities are endless in New York city! I ate in so many places and I don’t think I could choose a favourite! Do you have a favourite? I’ll definitely be returning to New York and I’d love some suggestions :) Hope this helped you if you’re looking for some inspiration :)

Talk soon!


Uiscebawn x

Island Hopping in Greece - My Experience

Island Hopping in Greece - My Experience

I had the most amazing Summer I’ve ever had this year and part of that Summer was spent island hopping in Greece for three weeks. We flew in Athens then headed off to Mykonos, Ios, Santorini and then finally Crete. It was the best time ever and a great bonding experience for me and my friends. Greece is paradise. There is no other way to describe it. Amazing weather, clear warm water and stunning architecture, I never wanted to leave! Here’s my experience. Hopefully it can inspire you to book your flights for your next lads or girls holiday :)

I have made a video of my time there so if you prefer watching rather than reading here is the link :)

Athens

My first experience of Greece was Athens. We arrived early in the morning and only spent one night there. So there wasn’t much time to see much of it. This could mean that my opinion of Greece’s capital city isn’t that credible. But I wasn’t too fond of Athens. Its was dirty, unbearably hot and the driving is insane! That doesn’t mean that the historical areas weren’t stunning. We saw the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Then we had a wander around the small shops and searched all of Athens for a pharmacy so my friend could buy sun cream with no parabens. Turned out there was one at the point where we started an hour ago… typical haha We stayed at Hotel Dioskouros. It had a couple of cockroaches but it was cheap and had a stunning back area with sun chairs, music and a couple of sleeping cats here and there.

Mykonos

View from our apartment. Mykonos town

Paradise Beach

View of the sunrise from our apartments balcony

Windmills in Mykonos

So that was basically our entire Athens experience. After one night we headed off to what I considered to be the actual beginning of our holiday. This was my first time getting a ferry and i had no idea what to expect. We got Blue Star Ferries and I don’t have much to compare them to but it was a very pleasant journey considering how jet lagged I was at the time and I suffer from travel sickness. Mykonos is by far one of the most beautiful areas I’ve ever seen. The streets, the buildings, the water, it’s just beautiful! We used Airbnb for accommodation. Oh My God, we lucked out on our apartment. it was in the very centre of town and had a balcony with the most spectacular views. Our host was as helpful as she could possibly be. Here is a link to the apartment if you are considering going to Mykonos you have to stay here!

Most of our days were spent at Paradise Beach, a beach resort with extremely comfortable beach beds and crystal clear waters. Watch out for the creepy nude man who walks up and down the beach… not the most pleasant sight haha Nights were spent either at a restaurant having a late dinner or at one of the clubs. We usually just wandered around cause the clubs are spread around the whole town. But Little Venice is where you go for all the clubs in one area. Mykonos is one of the more expensive islands for food and drink so keep that in mind if you head out to dinner.

Must see:

The Windmills

Paradise Beach

Captains

Ios

Caves in Ios

Caves in Ios

Happy Bar in Ios

Ios is where the nightlife really starts. If you want to party, go to Ios! This was by far my favourite island! It still had the beauty and small streets of Mykonos but it just had so much excitement and things to do. There were beach clubs and water sports and clubs and affordable food. If you’re looking for a cheap hangover meal, Thai Smile was our favourite place. Our first night, we went on the Ios bar crawl. This is the best thing you can do because it introduces you to the best areas to drink and you meet some great people. One of the highlights of the trip was the jet boat day trip where we swam to underwater caves and then hung out at a secluded beach. We finished the trip with jumping off the boat and snorkeling to a sunken ship. This was something to remember and I got some great videos that day.

Must see:

Slammer Bar

Far Out Beach Club

‘Meltemi Watersports’ Jet Boat Day Trip

Sweet Irish Dream Nightclub

Santorini

Mud Baths in Santorini

The Dark Knight Rises to cure our week long hangover

Sunset in Santorini

Sunset in Santorini

We purposely planned to go to Santorini after Ios so we could have some downtime after all the party. I’ll be honest, most of the four days we spent in Santorini, we watched movies on the only English channel on TV. No regrets though! We were all sick and tired after Ios and we needed it! We stayed in Markakis Studios in Fira. I wasn’t to fond of the location but the apartment was perfect! I would definitely recommend staying there. We went to Oia one evening to see the sunset and that is a must see! You don’t see colours like that in the sky in Ireland! As a day trip, my friends and I went on a boat trip from the Old Port that brought us to a hot springs and mud bath. This is so nice and relaxing but just be warned that you swim about 60 ft from the boat to these springs. After the boat goes to an active volcano and you climb up to the top. The views are amazing! One of the not-so-great-at-the-time but it’ll-be-a-great-story moments of the trip as climbing up the path that the donkeys climb. Believe me, this is not easy! In the midday sun, a half an hour climb feels like forever! Its a funny story to tell at least!

Must see:

Sunset in Oia

Hot Springs/Mud bath

Volcano hike

Crete

Foam Party in Star Beach, Crete

Parasailing in Crete

Our final stop in our trip was Crete. Finally rested, we arrived in the port in the evening. We wanted to get to our apartment before it got dark but that never happened. Crete is a lot more built up compared to the other islands so we got a bit lost looking for the bus station. Three hours later, very tired, sweaty and dehydrated, we made it to Sirius Apartments. Another stunning accommodation! Its very quiet and family run so we were a bit conscious about making noise when we were going out at night but we never had any problems. We stayed near Hersonissos rather than going to Malia cause that has a younger crowd. There is a strip in Hersonissos next to the waterfront and it has all your dining and nightlife needs! Everything was just a five minute walk away. My highlight of the trip was our last day at Star Beach. We went parasailing and banana boating, had a quick foam party and then got some henna tattoos. Was a nice day to end the trip.

Handy Tip: It may sound like there is an army of crickets coming to take over the world but it's just very loud bugs called Cicadas that come out during daylight. They’re annoying in the morning but you get used to them.

Must see:

Parasailing at Star Beach

Water front in Hersonissos
Aqua Plus Water Park

So that's the end of my Island Hopping trip to Greece. I can honestly say it was the best holiday ever and a great time for me and my friends. Hope this inspires others to go to Greece because everyone deserves to stay in paradise just once! Talk soon!

Uiscebawn x

My Summer 2015 Travel Plans

Hello! I mentioned previously that I had booked a quick holiday to Florence this June. Well I made a very spontaneous booking to America! So I decided to put together a plan of all the travels this Summer, mainly for me to get excited!!! :D

12th-14th June. Wedding in Athlone, Ireland

My cousin is getting married in June in Athlone and I cannot wait! This will be the first wedding I have been to since I was about 10 years old so I don't know what to expect. But one things for sure, my family is huge and when we get together we always have the best time!

24th-29th June. Piza, Italy

This is really my parents holiday and I just hopped on the band wagon. They're going for a couple of weeks with friends and when they offered if I wanted to come I couldn't say no! I genuinely don't know where exactly Im staying, all I know is we are going on a day trip to Florence and I have wanted to go to Florence ever since I was a teenager. They're will be so many photos taken of old buildings that nobody cares about haha.

7th-14th July. New York, USA

I'll only be back a week and then I'm off again! My sister and I are going to visit my cousin who lives in New York! I went to New York last year at the end of my Summer and I did not make the most of it :( I didn't go to any museums, I didn't see a Broadway show and I just didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. I'm going to make up for that this year because I know my sister will be just as enthusiastic as me.

15th-22nd July. Orlando, USA

Now if were enthusiastic in New York, we are going to be downright crazy in Orlando! My sister has never been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios and i haven't been there since they extended it to Islands of Adventure. We are Ultimate Harry Potter fans! I could spend he entire week in Harry Potter World! But of course were going to go to the rest of Universal Studios, Walt Disney World and shopping!!! Just need to find all that money I don't have... haha

23rd July-12th August. Island Hopping in Greece

Im cutting it very close with the timing of this holiday. I arrive back to Ireland from Orlando on the morning of the 22nd July. Then on the afternoon of the 23rd July I'm hopping on another flight with all my friends to Athens. Were having a girls holiday, island hopping in Greece. We haven't had a girls holiday since we were 18 so Im really looking forward to this one. Were going to Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Ios and Crete. I can't handle drinking more than two days in a row so well see how this holiday goes!

11th-14th September. Berlin, Germany

I have a little bit of time to chill at home before I head off on my final trip. In September Im going to Lollapalooza Music Festival in Berlin with a few friends. We're going a day early to see a bit of Berlin before we dance the weekend away. Fatboy Slim, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Kygo are some of the acts I'm really excited for!

So there it is, one of the busiest Summers of my life. Ever since I graduated from college I feel like I should do everything I wanna do before its too late and I have to be a grown up. Thats why I'm spending every euro I have on travelling and music and clothes. Next year I can start paying bills! Is anyone else heading to Lollapalooza this year? You'll find me dancing like a lunatic in the corner. See ya there! Talk soon.

Uiscebawn x

Dealing with Contact Dermatitis

The Problem

I've mentioned before that I started working as bar staff in a pub in October. Mixing cocktails, using harsh cleaning supplies and constantly washing my hands caused me to get contact dermatitis on my hands. It started about 2 weeks after my first day. In the beginning it was just a bit of dry skin on a couple of my fingers. I've seen this before so I put some hydrocortisone cream on the affected areas. This usually helps, but this time I wasn't so lucky. Hydrocortisone is for temporary use so I stopped applying it after a week. This is when my hands got really bad. They became infuriatingly itchy. I would scratch uncontrollably in my sleep. They were red raw and cracked, I couldn't bend my fingers without experiencing a lot of pain. After a few weeks it spread to all my fingers and the entire palm of my hand down as far as my wrist. Simple actions, like driving my car, became a painful effort. Not only was it painful, it was ugly as hell! Small spots started to appear on my hands. My confidence was destroyed. I constantly gripped my hands closed so no one would see my hands. The photos below were taken after the worst stage of the dermatitis but you can still see the redness, spots and raw spots.

I went to my local doctor and he was useless. He told me I should just quit my job. He didn't educate me on contact dermatitis at all and just told me to moisturize and charged me €55! I've recently changed to a different doctors and I'm delighted with it. She examined my hands in such detail, she went through all the different things I could do and gave me the names of her favourite dermatologists if my hands got any worse.

Finding a solution

I started to pin point what made my hands worse. Unfortunately, there were some things I could not control. The cold weather and the indoor heating were not helping. I simply had to wait for warmer weather to solve that problem. However, there were some things I could control. I stopped applying any makeup with my hands and would use sponges for bb cream and cotton pads for moisturizers. I cut out wine altogether. That had a huge effect. If I drank wine, the morning after my hands would feel like they were on fire! I would only get my hands wet when necessary (for washing hands/showers etc.) Finally I would wear cotton gloves in bed at night in the hopes that it stopped me from scratching.

My second step was to find the right creams. I went through prescriptions creams such as elocon and protopic. These are basically stronger versions of cortisone. I tried silcocks base, e45, La Roche Posay repair cream, Neutrogenia and Cocoa Butter hand cream. 

7 months later, I have finally found what works for me! 

Elocon

This is a prescription ointment I get from my doctor but its really just a more powerful hydrocortisone so I'm sure that would work too. I use elocon when my hands get really bad. I mean so bad I can't bend my fingers and I've open wounds all over the palms of my hands (gross, I know, but sadly it happens.) I use Elocon once a day for a week and no longer because it thins out the skin.

Dermalex

I talked about this in my favorites of the month post. It's my miracle cream! I use this three times a day and I find it works a lot better if I use it right after I've washed my hands. It provides so much relief (temporary and long term) to all the discomfort from this contact dermatitis. 

Aveeno hand cream

I use Aveeno body lotion and shower gel so when I was recommended the hand cream I didn't have any doubts. Aveeno is a great brand for people who suffer from skin problems such as excema, psoriasis and dermatitis. I use Aveeno handcream all day everyday! Whenever my hands get wet, after my hands have been out in the cold, whenever! It's got a great smell too it, dries in quick and actually works unlike some hand creams I've used. 

Elave hand wash

Most hand washes were terrible for my dermatitis. They washed away the moisture in my skin. I got elave hand wash because I know Elave products are good for eczema sufferers. I keep it in the bathroom with a label on it so no one uses it haha I also keep some in my bag in a travel bottle. This way I don't have to use the soap in the public bathrooms and in work. 

My hands are so much better but not fully healed. I have my good days and my bad days. I am waiting patiently for Summer and the vitamin D that my skin needs so badly. Hopefully, the warm weather combined with my routine will make this problem go away.  Has anyone ever had any similar skin issues and have any advice? I also hope this helps anyone who has the same problem as me. Talk soon! 

Uiscebawn x

Favourites of the Month: April

Another month gone and its officially Summer! I've got some new favourites this month and here they are :)

Entertainment: Tom Fletcher Youtube Channel

For anyone that doesn't know, Tom Fletcher is part of the band McFly and has some viral videos on Youtube including the Wedding Speech video and this other gem! I was a crazy McFly fan as a teenager and Tom Fletcher was my favourite member of the band. So obviously I had to subscribe to his Youtube channel when he started vlogging! What I love about his Youtube videos is that one video could be about touring with his friends and the next he's just chilling at home with his baby and wife. This month he came out with another viral and I've watched it 10 million times (literally)! Check out the cuteness overload! Buzz and the Dandelions.

Entertainment: The Fall

Some darker entertainment I got obsessed with this month was BBC's 'The Fall.' It was on my list of shows to watch and I was on Jamie Dornan high after seeing Fifty Shades of Grey so I thought there was no better time to start it. Now I'll warn you, its dark and sometimes its slow paced, but its amazing television. Its very different to all the shows out there at the moment. I binged watched it all in about a week and I am dying for the 3rd season to air!

Health: Dry Brushing

This is definitely my favourite of the favourites this month! I will be posting a full review about dry brushing soon, with some comparison photos if I'm feeling brave. I have been seeing pins on Pinterest about dry brushing so I figured if it didn't work, I wasn't losing much. Dry brushing is exactly what it says on the tin. You brush your skin with a natural bristled brush before a shower or just once a day and it exfoliates and firms your skin. It works! I noticed a change after the third use! I'm gonna keep it up and see if it makes a major difference to my cellulite. This is the Summer! My cellulite is going down!

Food: Massaman Curry

My favourite restaurant is Siam, a Thai restaurant near where I live. I'm not a fan of spice, I think it takes away from the flavour of a meal so I aallllllways get a Yellow Curry, its amazing! Its got just the right amount of spice without it being overwhelming. But I went to Siam the other day at lunch time for my sisters 18th birthday and they didn't have yellow curry on the menu :( So I took a chance and got Massaman curry with out the peanuts (allergy.) I'd go as far as saying it was just as good as the yellow curry, if not better! I'll be mixing it up from now on and ordering other things in Siam.

So there you have it! I haven't posted in weeks because I am still doing my internship while working my part time job at the same time so I honestly just didn't have the energy. But the weather is getting better everyday and so is my mood! Summer is coming and I am so excited. I now have more Summer plans :D I booked a two week holiday with my sister to New York and Orlando! This is gonna be the best Summer ever! I'll be posting all my travel stories here so watch this space! Talk soon!

Uiscebawn x

My Favourites of the Month: March

So its nearly still as cold and wet as December but March is just about over. We are one month nearer to Summer! I've picked a few of things that stood out to me in the last month. Here it goes:

Beauty: Maybelline BB Eye Cream

After a few days of my Internship, I quickly realised makeup is not an option for me at 7.30am. I'm too tired in the morning to put makeup on but I also look so tired without makeup that I could possibly scare people if they looked at me. This is why Maybelline BB Eye Cream is my miracle this month! It rolls on so easily and it gives my skins a refreshing boost in the morning, something I don't get with thick layers of makeup. I pair this with Maybelline BB cream on my face, mascara and depending how tired I am, bronzer and eyebrow mascara.

Health: Dermalex

When I started my bar staff job back in October, I got contact dermatitis on my hands. In the beginning it was really awful. The skin on my hands was cracked and raw. I was in a lot of pain and no creams were working. I even had super strength prescription creams and they weren't doing a thing. I went to the pharmacy to get a gentle hand wash for sensitive skin (Elave Handwash) and the pharmacist took one look at my hands and recommended a new cream, Dermalex. Its not like the steroid creams that thin your skin out. It creates a barrier in the skin to stop moisture leaving the skin. I noticed a difference within a couple of days! I had a gross stage of scaly skin but after that it was fresh skin. Now I'm not fully healed, I still get a few cuts and raw areas and the palms of my hands are very red but Dermalex literally saved me from so much agony! I'm recommending it to all my friends who have a similar problem from working in bars.

Food: Fruit/Seed/Yoghurt Lunch

I bring in a snack to work with me everyday and I wanted it to be healthy. This lunch is perfect. It's basically soya yoghurt, flaxseed, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, any other seeds in the press and any berries we have in the fridge, usually grapes, strawberries and blueberries, mixed together in a lunch box. It doesn't sound nice but believe me it is! Plus it really fills me up and gives me energy for the rest of the work day. I really notice the difference in my work performance depending on what I eat. We got pizza in work one Friday and I combined that with a strawberry milkshake. Bad Idea! Within half an hour, I had a headache, I was so tired and I couldn't concentrate at all. Health food all the way!

Entertainment: Parks and Recreation

I havent gotten obsessed with a new TV show in a while so its about time a new one came along. My cousin, Hannah, told me to watch Parks and Recreation about two years ago. She said it was definitely my kinda funny and I'd love it. I watched a couple of episodes and it didn't do anything for me so I left it. I was bored a few months ago and started it again. OH MY GOD it is hilarious! If I had just given it a couple more episodes I would have known how amazing it is! Amy Poehler is one of the funniest women alive! Chris Pratt comes out with some 'one liners' that have me on the floor laughing. The relationships between all the characters is believable. They have long running jokes but don't over use them at the same time. Its just brilliant. I finished the final season last week and now I don't know what to do with life... so I'm rewatching all the seasons again :) If you want a taster of it, heres one of my personal favourite scenes were they go to a club promoting a new kind of drink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fyEarGbpXM

So they're my favourites of this month. Talk soon!

Uiscebawn x