adventures | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

this week’s events recap: Canon + Perrier.

26 September, 2014 by Gracie 2 Comments

If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw that I went to a couple of cool events this week! I’ve got to say that that’s one of the things I love about living in NYC – there are fun opportunities to take advantange of just about every day.

Rewind to Tuesday where I attended the Farewell To Summer event hosted by Canon at Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar.

At the event all of the guests were invited to #bringit it by using the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 or the Canon EOS Rebel T5i to capture the beautiful fall sunset over the Hudson River. Jessi and I got some beautiful shots.

We also learned some cool tips about using Canon cameras, which is really helpful since I personally own an SL1. A few of them are:

1) Auto White Balance (AWB) – By changing to the Cloudy or Shade setting before shooting an image, you adjust the camera to take advantage of the different warm tones it can render

2) Exposure Compensation - By utilizing Exposure Compensation before shooting an image, it allows more or less light in, resulting in brighter or darker images that can change the mood of the same scene

3) Rule of Thirds – The Rule of Thirds advocates that the subject or major part of the image should not be placed in the center of the photograph, so that the eye has more room to explore

It was such a fun evening! And a perfect way to spend the first day of fall - soaking in that last bit of warm weather

Then on Thursday (yesterday) I went to the #StreetArtByPerrier event at the Colossal Media warehouse in Williamsburg. I’ve been to a lot of events in my day, and I’ve got to say that this was one of the best I’ve been to.

There were tons of fun activations, endless food, drinks, and good music. What more could you ask for?

Oh, and of course there was the incredible art covering the entire venue.

The event was to unveil Perrier’s new limited-edition street art inspired bottles and cans. For the new collection, Perrier collaborated with three of the most dynamic and influential artists from the international street art community – JonOne, Kobra, and Sasu. All of their work was absolutely amazing, and the event did a great job of showcasing it.

Thanks to Canon and Perrier for the fun events!

snapshots | 9.16.14.

16 September, 2014 by Gracie 3 Comments

I always try to find a way to make these snapshots posts cohesive, but it never works. I guess the all-over-the-place-ness is what makes them unique, right?

I’ll start with last Friday, where I went to the lovely wedding of my friends Mark and Trish.

It also happened to be the definition of a Brooklyn wedding, in the best possible way.

Mexicue food truck for dinner, Van Leeuwen ice cream truck for dessert. Yes please!

My poor ice cream sundae only had about two bites taken. Dancing had to be done.

I wore a black dress with crochet detailing, from the super fashionable juniors’ section at Macy’s.

Rewind back to Thursday (where I went to my first fashion show). Jessi and I also took the opportunity to shoot social media images for the 438435 brands we work for, haha.

Just a few…

(“Modeling” my own brand is so awkward, haha)

On Thursday I also finally got my new Daniel Wellington watch after a week of missing the UPS guy. The NYC apartment life struggle is REAL, you guys.

It was worth the wait.

(This is the Men’s Classic St. Andrews)

So I’m not the most competitive person in the world, but I feel pretty badass for being the only person to break into this guy/gal’s winning streak on the Stair Master.

I’m coming for you, CJF.

Let’s get real about SnapChat for a sec. I hate to break it to my SC friends, but 99% of my snaps are sent out of sheer boredom.

Still love ya 😀

Last but not least – and this isn’t so much of a snapshot – but I’m just loving this verse so much lately. Such beautiful words…

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What’s your favorite thing about weddings? Any fun highlights from the past weekend?

NYC staycation with Marriott Rewards and FlashPerks.

9 September, 2014 by Gracie 6 Comments

If you’ve been following GML you may remember that I had a fun staycation with Marriott Hotels a few months ago. It was an incredible experience, so I was so excited when they reached out for me to participate in another campaign!

What I’ve really grown to love about Marriott Hotels is how in tune they are with the millennial generation and how they’ve taken steps to make traveling easier, more convenient, and more FUN. And that’s where Marriott Rewards and FlashPerks come into play.

Last Wednesday I packed a bag and headed uptown to the Renaissance Times Square. It was a beautiful hotel! It felt like an oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Times Square.

view from my room:

I love having a big cozy hotel room all to myself!

complimentary cupcakes – yes please.

hotel lounge:

After getting settled in I headed to the hotel restaurant to meet with some of the Marriott representatives and a few other bloggers over appetizers and cocktails. I was really excited to learn more about Marriott Rewards and FlashPerks.

With Marriott Rewards, it’s all about modern loyalty. When using the rewards you can get immediate access to relevant, hand-picked deals, and it’s easy to earn and redeem points. For example, simply using the #MRPoints hash tag on social media will earn you points. How cool is that?!

And then there’s FlashPerks, which gives members the option to redeem points or use cash for limited-time, exclusive deals and experiences. I love the concept of FlashPerks because it makes experiencing a new city easier than ever – it’s a new way for travelers to enjoy instant gratification with time-sensitive offers. I was thrilled to be able to experience the New York City FlashPerks deal of a helicopter tour of the city, a visit to the MoMa, and a special discount for shopping at Bloomingdales (more on that in a bit).

Marriott was kind enough to give us AMEX gift cards to enjoy a night in the city, so after dinner I headed downtown to meet up with some friends. But – let’s be honest - first was a quick pit stop at the (biggest and best ever) Forever 21 in Times Square to grab a few new things 😉

…and take a (failed) Times Square selfie, of course. Gotta play tourist every once in a while!

The next day I woke up bright and early to catch up on some work before heading down for a quick breakfast.

And then – we were off to enjoy our FlashPerks! The first stop was a helicopter tour of the city, which I was REALLY excited (and mildly terrified) about.

But I’ve got to say – it was SO. MUCH. FUN. And not scary at all! It was absolutely breathtaking to see New York City from above.

Statue Of Liberty:

One World Trade Center:

Central Park:

Uptown Manhattan:

Me with the other bloggers – Justin of Scout Sixteen, Bonnie of Flashes of Style, and Dallas Shaw:

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it to the MoMa/Bloomingdale’s leg of the day, but I’m able to redeem those perks within the next 30 days (which I definitely will be doing).

Overall it was an amazing little NYC staycation. Thanks so much to Marriott for the opportunity – I can’t wait to stay in a Marriott hotel again soon!

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What’s the most important thing you look for in a hotel when traveling? Does something like Marriott Rewards/FlashPerks matter to you?

SBC: top 5 of summer, top 6 for fall.

6 September, 2014 by Gracie 9 Comments

Hey hey, happy Saturday!

Let’s jump right into #5 and #6 of the September Blogging Challenge, shall we?

top 5 highlights from summer.

In no particular order…

Spending nearly 2 weeks away with my family.
I haven’t spent this much time with my family in almost 4 years! I got to see both my mom and dad’s sides of the family, and my sister Katie who moved to Florida last year. The fact that I was able to escape the city and be at our shore house didn’t hurt either 😉

Fourth of July in Montauk.
If I had one regret from this past summer it would be that I didn’t spend more time out east. BUT I’m so glad I at least got to spend 4th of July in Montauk with my friends. It was a great few days – brought back so many memories of the past few summers out there, and made some new ones.

My first trip to Vegas.
Even though it was more of a work trip, I had so much fun!

Taking a month off from blogging.
This was one of the best decisions I’ve made recently - I learned so much from it.

Adventures in the city.
This is always a highlight (of life), but it’s especially fun in the summer when everything can be outdoors.

top 6 things I’m excited about for fall.

New (unexpected) things.
I know that’s ridiculously broad, but there’s no other way to put it! I’m a highly expectant person (sometimes I think maybe too much so), so I always get excited entering into a new season. I can’t help but think that new seasons in weather/time also represent a new season in life.

The clothes.
I love me some cutoffs and crop tops, but I can’t wait to reintroduce jeans, boots, and jackets into my life.

The food.
Yep, I’m one of those pumpkin-obsessed weirdos. I would really love to try some new recipes – any pumpkin baked goods you recommend?

Halloween.
It’s on a FRIDAY, people. I want to dress up as something really fun. But cute. Cute and fun. Last year I was ketchup soooo I’m thinking I can only go up from there.

New goals.
I have a few things on the agenda (especially for Speakable and GML) that I’m really excited to start rolling out in fall.

THIS CITY.
Seriously – New York is magical in fall – more so than any other season. Summer is too hot, winter is too cold, we tend to skip spring, but fall is juuuuuuust right.

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Your turn! Give me a highlight of your summer and/or what’s making you excited for fall!

a {long} weekend in the life.

1 September, 2014 by Gracie 3 Comments

I can’t believe summer is (unofficially) over. AHHHH.

Even though fall is my favorite season, I must admit I’m sad to see this summer come to an end. It was one of my favorite summers yet – full of highs, lows, lots of fun with my friends and family, and just some personal growth that I’m really excited about.

I decided to stay in town over the weekend, and it turned out to be a great few days! The city was definitely a ghost town, but I still managed to have a weekend balance of fun and productivity (aka the best weekends).

Rewind to Friday, where I gave myself the day off from work 😉 Gotta love being your own boss!

I started the day with a visit to Arrojo studio to get my hair done.

I’ve mentioned a handful of times how much I love Arrojo. The salon itself is great (complete with a café)…

…and I love their line of products as well.

And don’t even get me started on my stylist Nadia! I’ve been going to her for about 2 years, and no one gets my blonde ambition quite like she does

(If you’re in NYC and looking for a stylist – she’s your girl!)

The finished product:

After the salon I headed uptown to the Refinery Hotel for lunch with a friend.

Watermelon salad with pork belly – don’t mind if I do.

Followed by a celebratory Friday prosecco on the roof.

On Friday night we celebrated my friend Trish’s bachelorette party with sushi, lingerie, and my gorgeous friends.

On Saturday Jessi and I met up in the morning to do a quick video shoot for our client Red Carpet Manicure. Working on Saturday made me feel less bad about being such a spoiled brat on Friday, haha.

Then we headed to Williamsburg for Leah’s birthday brunch at St. Balmain. Happy birthday, Leah!

I’m kiiiinda sorta obsessed with St. Balmain. Last time I was there I got their avocado toast (bomb), but this time I went with their Breakfast Bowl - kale, spinach, red quinoa, toasted almonds, avocado, halloumi cheese, a soft poached egg. I think it may be one of my favorite breakfast dishes ever…

After brunch I headed back into Manhattan to meet up with Rachel and Martina for some Saturday adventuring. It was a bit of a gloomy day, but that wasn’t going to stop us!

We ended up at Epsteins for a few hours with all of the other “stayed in the city this weekend” rejects (I mean that in the nicest possible way, haha).

We went back to Martina’s for a few hours and watched The Devil Wears Prada (naturally) before heading back out for a late dinner. We tried to rally to go out afterward, but after being out for about 14 hours straight I figured it was probably best to call it a night.

Sunday was spent being productive – organizing the apartment, catching up on Speakable stuff, gym, etc. Then I went to church at night, which was 100% what I needed to start the new week.

And now here I am today – tempted to go do something fun BUT going to spend at least a few hours working. I have a crazy week, so gotta get ahead of the game!

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Did you do anything fun for Labor Day weekend? Are you sad to see summer go?