The holidays are, in my most humble opinion, the best time to be in New York. The lights, the storefronts… the shopping, the sales… the city just gets prettier and everyone is in the best mood. Maybe I’m being idealistic, but it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
A few weeks ago, I teamed up with Coca-Cola Freestyle to spend perfect little holiday afternoon with my photographer and friend Lydia. We spent the afternoon wandering around Flatiron and Union Square… just doing holiday things and enjoying the city at its very best.
We started out at New York Burger, where we made custom mixes using the Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine. If you aren’t familiar, it’s pretty cool… it’s a touch-screen soda fountain with over 100 unique choices of beverages.. allowing you to have some fun mixing + matching drinks to create your own unique mix.
We had a lot of fun playing around. Lydia opted to mix Coke Zero Cherry + Coke Zero Vanilla for a Vanilla-Cherry Coke. I, however got a bit more adventurous. I am addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper (it’s so hard to find though!) so I filled my cup about 3/4 of the way with that and then added a little bit of Fanta Zero Strawberry. I know it sounds weird but it was actually really delicious!!
From there, we wandered down 5th Avenue towards Union Square. This part of town (basically between 15th street and 22nd street) is my absolute favorite place to shop. The best Club Monaco (complete with a Toby’s, Strand Bookstore, + floral shop), the brand new Aritzia, and all my other faves (Madewell, Zara, J.Crew, etc.) all conveniently located within a few blocks of each other.
When we got to Union Square, we spent some time wandering around the Farmers Market (my other weekly obsession… there’s no better place to buy your produce!)
And then, we spent a solid hour perusing the Union Square Holiday Market. As crazy as it sounds, in a city as big as New York, it can be hard to find unique and thoughtful gifts from smaller brands + designers. This is the place to do it. So many incredible gifts and fun little things in one place. It gets pretty busy on weekends, but if you go in the middle of the day like we did, you’ll be golden.
(The Coca-Cola Freestyle machines are everywhere… from stadiums to movie theaters to restaurants. You can find your closest one here!)
In collaboration with Coca-Cola Freestyle.
photography by Lydia Hudgens for The Stripe.
This looks like it was such a fun day! I love your red coat!!
http://thecourtneydiaries.com
Love your coat! Such a pretty color and it looks so cozy with that hat!
xo, Caitlin
http://thesolcompass.com
I would love to be in New York during Christmas! I’ve never been, and I’m only a few hours away.
Ellen | A Pop of Pink
Looks like a fun day, I love your red jacket!
http://www.mintnotion.com
Love this, Grace – also, those Coke machines are THE best. I love playing around with the flavors.
Pink Champagne Problems
There are no coke machines in my area. Looks like you had a wonderful day.
I don’t really drink pop anymore but when I do my favourite mix is Fruitopia and Nestea. Try it out, friends!
PS: I love the photos for your adventure but when I think of my photographer doing that for me I feel like we would have to take so many pictures to get some nice shots lmao
http://www.dressupchowdown.com
I want that coat to badly! Love it for the festive color!
Laura | Laura Aime Vous
Looks like a fun outing! Union Square and the shopping in that area is by far my favorite as well. I hold a special place for that area in my heart. Happy Holidays! Xo, Ellese
http://rockpaperglam.com/
Such a bummer how much of your content is sponsored these days.
I felt the same when I saw this post. It’s becoming a bit much.
Same – I wasn’t a fan of this! 🙁
I love the color of your coat! Very pretty 🙂
http://www.maggiealamode.com
Perfect bag and coat! You’re looking so cute!
http://lartoffashion.com
I agree NYC is one of the best places to be. Makes me miss living in NYC. Your coat is so cute. I’m looking for one similar to keep me warm in the winter. 🙂
We’ve one of the machines in our local mega-mall. I’ve been meaning to try it!
I don’t mind the sponsored posts. A girl has got to make a living when she’s freelance. Also Grace, I’ve been reading your blog for quite awhile and I don’t believe you post anything you don’t care for yourself or don’t think will benefit your followers / readers. It’s called trust ladies! Kind Of bummed, I’m not getting to NY for the holidays this year! Next year I hope.
I haven’t been to the Union Square Holiday Market in years — it just kept getting more and more crowded (and less and less interesting). But a few weeks ago I saw Pat Kiernan proclaim it to be “much less junky” than in previous years, which made me laugh a lot 🙂
The stalls in your photos look interesting, I may need to give it another try.