Hamptons Round 2

I am so, so, soooo behind on blogging! After heading to the Hamptons with my mom before Easter, Lydia and I decided to head out again just before the end of school. It was a bit overcast and chilly, but that kept away any city folk who wanted to venture out to their beach houses a little early. Southampton was empty and quiet, making a perfect New England backdrop.

Our first stop was breakfast (as usual we think about food first) at a cute little cafe, the Golden Pear, which we later found out has several other cafes sprinkled around the east end of the island. I've never been so happy to have fresh fruit, an omelet, a bagel, and coffee- that's how you know you've been in college too long. 

The Southampton Town Hall, which now houses a Pottery Barn. I really love the mix of old and new, with the original building and title, but then a little taste of modern day with the storefront peeking out between the columns. 

Doesn't this just look picture-perfect? It's like a movie set. 

1726!

This door, the awning, and flower boxes were all the brightest shade of coral you could imagine. 

The Ralph Lauren store has an extra entrance, where you walk through this garden and come to a courtyard, where there is a back entrance to the full store as well as a separate store for menswear. I think every store should have a cute little garden entrance. 

Side note: Lydia and I are obsessed with French bulldogs. When we peeked into Haute Hippie, we heard a weird noise and the woman said, "My dog is behind the counter." When we told her we didn't mind, this little nugget came trotting out and major squealing ensued. I didn't even look at anything in the store I was too busy playing with this cutie!

I wish I could get back to New York for the summer season, but I think I almost prefer the Hamptons when they're empty and not full of tourists and city dwellers! 

Travel Updates

Hello! I promised I would reveal my travel plans and here they are!

In June, I will be headed to...*drum roll please*

Korea!!! My amazing friend Lydia invited me to go with her, so I will be headed to South Korea for 2 1/2 weeks! This will be my first time in Asia and my third continent! I had never even thought about visiting Korea, and it was never an item on my travel bucket list. However, when the opportunity came around I had to take it! We'll be traveling all over the country, so you can expect a lot of blog posts to come!

My other BIG announcement *cue next drum roll*-

I am studying abroad in Amsterdam next spring!! I was lucky enough to be the recipient of a scholarship program through Hofstra; we hold an exchange program with the University of Amsterdam, and only SIX students are selected per semester!! I am so, so excited to have this opportunity to be able to study in a beautiful, historic city (home to my favorite painter, Van Gogh), and be able to travel across Europe while in school! I can't wait for January- I am already planning all the places I want to see and things I want to do!

I have always wanted to go to Amsterdam because it holds everything I love: art, history, museums, and beautiful architecture! I still can't believe I will be in this amazing city for an entire semester, and even though it is far away I can barely contain my excitement!

I am so thankful for all of the opportunities I have ahead, and I can't wait to share them! South Korea, Amsterdam, and many more, here I come!!

College Tourist Writer's Roundups

Hello! I am finally home after a very, very long and rainy drive from New York to Texas!!

As I mentioned earlier, I am working as an editor for The College Tourist this summer. My job is to gather blog posts and articles from our Global Writer's Network and round them up every Friday.

Here are my round-ups from both this week and last week!
Week 2
Week 3

If you know of any good student bloggers, especially those that write about travel or study abroad, let me know!

Speaking of travel, I've got quite a lot of traveling coming up soon, watch out for a blog post about it soon!

Time for Tea

As I mentioned in my last post, I haven't explored enough of Long Island. So, I set out with the usual crew to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. We all piled into my little bug and went east for our High Tea reservations. 

The Arboretum is the former home of New York millionaire William Bayard Cutting, and is now a state park. The entire estate is gorgeous, and features gardens, house tours, a view of the Connetquot River, and high tea. 

Our tower of pastries. You work your way from top to bottom; scones, sandwiches, and desert, as well as unlimited pots of tea! I personally went with the Moroccan Madness. 

Outfit details: Dress, Urban Outfitters. Coat, H&M. Heels, Guess. Rainboots (pictured later), Coach. Bag, Coach. Bracelets, J. Crew Factory, Charming Charlie, vintage. 

"Hey Amanda, turn around and look cute!"

I deserved that one. 

Rowers on the Connetquot River.

After seeing that we were only barred from the lake by this small fence, Lydia jokingly shouted, "Ashley, go jump in the lake!" 

So I did! In my dress and trench coat, but armed with my wellies, I hopped the little fence and scampered down the rocks, doing my best not to slip and fall. 

I shouted, "Do it for the blog!!" several times at this point. 

Time to pose for a picture when I'm not ankle-deep in a lake. 

"This looks like a tree from a movie." 

I'd like this a summer house please and thank you. 

Until next time, Bayard! We will definitely be back in the fall!

Also, check out this cute GIF that Google+ automatically for me!! I had never seen this before (I didn't even know Google did this!), but I checked and I have 2 other gifs they made for me out of my photos that look similar! So cool!

Stay tuned, I'll hopefully be updating more soon!