Happy Friday everyone,

I have a slightly different post for you today with some pretty exciting news. As the title suggests, I love, love, LOVE New York. I love it so much that I have decided to take the plunge and make the move to the Big Apple. I have been fortunate enough to visit and experience many of the wonders New York has to offer a number of times in past. I even spent a summer living and working there way back when I was an undergraduate student, so I am beyond excited to move back and have so many endless possibilities on my doorstep.

If I’m being honest… I’ve always known I would live in New York at some stage of my life. Well maybe not always, but definitely from a very young age. The first time I made the trip across ‘the pond’ to NYC was in May 2001 with my sister Emma. I remember it like it was yesterday. We left on the 29^th of May, two days before we got our summer holidays, so not only were we getting to spend a month in New York… we got the last few days off school too. 😀

I instantly feel in love with the city. It was everything I expected it to be and so much more. I remember being so excited the night before our first trip into Manhattan that I didn’t sleep a wink. The next day, as we strolled around the city, hopped on and off the subway and got in and out of yellow cabs, we were in complete awe staring at the height of the skyscrapers and just experiencing the amazing buzz of the city. We pinched ourselves as we stepped on Liberty Island gazing up at Lady Liberty herself and taking in the breathtaking views of lower Manhattan (with the Twin Towers proudly dominating the skyline). We then retraced our ancestors footsteps on Eilis Island and pinched ourselves once again as stepped out on the rooftop of the Empire State Building. In a word, it was AMAZING!!! The pizza, bagels, ice-cream cake, burgers, pretzels, potato chips and that was just the food. 😉 We were so lucky that we able to take in all of the iconic New York sights on that trip and much more. Central Park, Times Square, 34^th Street, Grand Central Terminal (one of my favourite places in the city)… you name, we saw it! That trip opened my eyes to a whole new world and heightened my passion for exploring new places, so much so that when we got home I remember telling my mother I would never live in Ireland.

I have been back to New York four times since that initial trip and I find I am still as excited as the very first time I stepped off the plane. Although I have been five times, for any amount of time ranging from 10 days to 3 months, and have experienced many of the amazing things the city has to offer… there is still so many things I have yet to do. I am ashamed to say I have yet to see a Broadway Show (I’ve have also never seen a West End show even though I have lost count of how many times I have been to London), so that is definitely on my bucket list. I have been to the top of the Empire State Building three times, but I have never experienced the Top of the Rock. I’ve been all around Central Park but have still somehow managed to skip Strawberry Fields. So I am really excited to get to do all of the things I want to do and more. Also, my past trips to NY were either during the summer or spring, so I have never experienced their autumn/fall or winter. I always hear that fall is the best time of year to be in America, so I can’t wait to see what it’s like for myself.

I am definitely going to keep blogging and sharing my looks and experiences with you, so I hope you guys will come along and join me on my NY adventures. I am thinking about adding a little “New York Diaries” tab, so you can easily follow what I’m getting up to. The tab will be for New York lifestyle experiences rather than specific outfit posts, but I’ll still have my regular outfit posts too. I intend to continue blogging regularly but Instagram is where you’ll be able to keep up with all of my daily adventures, so be sure to follow my account right here (@lornaruane) if you want to see NYC through my eyes.

Like I said, I am so excited about moving and I have already started the major wardrobe clear out. I set up a depop account (@lornaruane) and have put some (not even a fraction) of the items I am selling on there, so go have a look and see if there is anything that catches your eye. The days are just flying by at this stage and my departure date is rapidly approaching, so I am trying not to freak out and get overwhelmed by everything I need to organise before I head off, while also looking for a job and a place to call home. I’ve a busy few weeks ahead of me for sure… but I really can’t wait.

Have a great weekend,

Bloglovin | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest