Having always been a Brooklyn-girl, I always forget how nice it is on the West side on Manhattan, down by Battery Park.

After a matinee movie screening the other day, we walked over toward the water and discovered this lovely oasis — the Irish Hunger Memorial Garden.

I wore my new pair of pink pants, scored at (second hand store) Beacon’s Closet for $24.95. They’re so hot pink the camera doesn’t know what to do with them. This is sort of the true color, even though they look salmon-colored in the other shots.

What I love most about New York is that you can still discover new things, even after living here for so long. I’d never seen this part of Battery Park before. Beauteous…

/// tee, old H&M / pink jeans, vintage Diesel, Beacon’s Closet / wedges, DSW / tote, Pia Anjou / necklace, Efva Attling ///

Located in a revamped old motel called the Lido Spa on Belle Island between Miami Beach and the Design District, The Standard is one of my favorite places in Miami. It’s far enough from South Beach that you don’t get annoying crowds, but close enough that you can walk or bike there.

Walk through the mod/scandi lobby through lush gorgeous gardens until you reach the pool area.

On a sunny day, the grill is such a great place to have lunch. It’s rarely crowded and…

…there is even a raw dish on the menu — “living” lasagna — hooray!

In the distance, you can see the building where I used to live.

If I still lived here, I would definitely join the club. Sunrise Yoga, Bayside — ummm, yes, please.

For dessert I just had to try the Vegan Ding Dong, which was a bit heavy for my taste, but still very good.

After that and a glass of cold rosé, I was definitely ready for a nap in the sun…

I started the day with a great yoga class at Synergy on Española Way. Then, I had some yummy green juice and a mani-pedi before meeting up wtih a friend for lunch at The Standard, one of my favorite Miami places (more on that soon). Could get used to this…

/// top, old cut-up H&M shirt / shorts, Forever21 / flipflops, from The Standard Spa years ago / earrings, streetbazaar / tote bag, Edun / mood, very happy ///

I love bracelets and tend to pile them on without abandon. Two of my current favorites aren’t just pretty to look at, they also carry a powerful message. The Peace Cord bracelet is hand woven in Afghanistan, using authentic military materials, and the peaceBOMB bracelet is made in Laos, using melted fragments of scrap metal from bombs. By wearing these, we can protest war while helping people in war-torn areas of the world earn a living wage.

Get the full story here.

I love Marc. But not the one with the Sponge Bob tattoo, although it is convenient that he made this bracelet (a recent eBay find) so I can openly proclaim my love for the only Marc that matters, my Marc. xo

If you want to read about How I Wear Eco Fashion, check out the brilliant Starre Vartan‘s interview with me on Eco-Chick. Lots of vintage, really old stuff and digging through racks at discount retailers…

I’ve never been called a Maverick Eye before, but I quite love that.

This is one of the featured outfits, from a sunny day a few weeks ago (where did that sun go?).

“I love shirt dresses, they fit my body really well and they’ll never go out of style. This one is from H&M. The shoes are from Pjux, a really great sustainable shoe company from Denmark. The fur coat is vintage, I bought it at a Salvation Army in Sweden over 10 years ago. I still love it. I would never buy anything new made from fur, but I think vintage is OK. The belt is also really old, rescued from my sister’s closet, she wore it when she was in 5th grade or something like that.”

I buy a lot of stuff in second hand stores, but sometimes I come across something that just immediately falls into my group of closet faves. This sleeveless white shirt has turned out to be such a thing. I was going to leave it in the store, but am so happy I decided to get it.

Now, if only the weather could get nicer so I can wear it in NYC…

On Thursday, I spent all day by the pool at The Ace Palm Springs. It was heated and felt like warm bathwater, in a good way.

I had a breakfast of fruit, yogurt, a bagel and coffee in the semi-shade, overlooking the mountains.

There were some nice yellow shower heads.

Nolifeguardonduty.

Bees buzzing around in these pink desert flowers.

Snow-capped mountains, canyons and palm trees in the distance. Pretty hard to beat that view.

I read a book, soaked up the sun, and cooled off in the pool.

In the afternoon, I had lunch at the poolside bar as well.

I sat there, soaking it all up, until the sun came down behind the mountains. Such a great lazy day.

Wednesday night, after a long flight from NYC and a long drive in the rain from LA, I checked into this lovely room at The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs.

I love the trellises (such a good idea, and easy to DIY), and our room came with a record player and a patio with a fireplace.

I was very excited to be somewhere warm and sunny again. Not having to wear a jacket in the daytime rocks! The desert is really warm during the day, but gets cold as soon as the sun goes down.

Our room, number 215, was right across from the Ace Pool & Swim Club, where I spent quite a bit of time over the past few days…

To be Continued…

I had a really good V-Day. My Valentine met me at the train with a bouquet of red tulips, cooked me a yummy dinner with lots of mushrooms and popped open a nice bottle of 1988 Chateau Latour that once belonged to Anna Wintour. So good!