Why This Apartment-Style Hotel is the Way to Go for Group Trips in New Orleans

I’m back from New Orleans- what a trip we had.

Despite minor unexpected occurrences (a certain tropical storm/hurricane named Barry), we managed to have our share of fun. Honing our storm prep skills was just an added bonus.  

We were a group of 6 gals planning a trip to NOLA, and we needed a place that would accommodate our group (and all of our outfits). In comes Domio Baronne St - the first apartment-style hotel to exist in New Orleans. The moment we saw the creative decor and plentiful perks, our interest was piqued.
The experience more-than-exceeded our expectations.

Scroll below to read on about their 24-hour concierge, spacious interiors, and smart design. And, if you’ve already seen the details from my Instagram posts, you can just scroll to the bottom for a 33%-off 3-Year Anniversary code. 

When I travel, I tend spend the majority of my time outside exploring. Still, I value a clean, comfortable, & open space. A kitchen area is a great amenity for days I don’t feel like going out to eat & spending on big dinners.

This was the 2-bedroom apartment that Jenna and I shared.  The big windows give the apartment plenty of natural light, and we loved the exposed brick (NYC living goals, anyone?). More apartment goals to be had: walk-in closets and in-unit washer & dryer.

The living area was ideal for mornings spent sipping our Keurig coffee and working on our laptops, as well as the kitchen island, which by the way had outlets underneath the counter - a small detail that made a big difference. 

Admittedly, we’d follow the smell of bacon in the mornings and hop over to the next-door apartment where Gita, Megan, Tracy and Jackie were staying. Breakfast was getting cooked, and we’d all throw our own bread in the toaster while getting ready.

We actually booked this trip without even considering the fact that there might have been a storm coming.  While it really didn’t end up being so bad, (thanks media-hype), we did take precautions and stay inside during the window of expected storm arrival. 

This experience made me appreciate the apartment-style layout that much more - as with any travel, the unexpected is always a possibility. We stocked up on groceries, booze, and games, and cooked ourselves some simple “family dinners” (and saved money while we were at it).

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There’s also the option to escape to the game-room/lounge with pool table, thegym, or the amazing rooftop pool.  

As far as the location, most things were a 5 minute Uber ride away, and it close to the French Quarter but out of the center enough that the area was peaceful and not overrun with tourists. 

Megan working away

Thankfully, storm did not affect the entirety of our trip, but when we were in the situation, Domio was super thoughtful about our needs. They came around with a HUGE bin full of goodies one afternoon- an assortment trail mix snacks, granola bars, luggage tags, cool pins, box water- it a great personal touch that was very much appreciated.  

I’m excited to share a code to celebrate their 3-year Anniversary: DOMIO3 for 33% off your stay.
It’s only good until August 2nd at 11:59pm ET*, so I would book immediately if I were you. 

Valid for travel through 12/15/19* 

Water signs

Water signs 🌊

Let’s talk about putting yourself in a box. You might be wondering about my style; two days ago I was a tailored, street-hopping prepster and today I’m cooling off in a bodysuit and thigh-high boots in a tub.

In a time when we are so pressured to define ourselves: “What’s your style? What do you do? Define your brand?”... We become consumed with fitting into that box that we’ve carefully built and curated for ourselves. 📦

It took SO much work to figure that out (you’ve figured out your tagline, your @instagram bio, your wardrobe, your possé) that you’ve literally created your own boundaries and don’t want to stray from them.

So what if you veer off? It’s ok. 

People will still recognize you. 

Friends won’t leave you (and if they do they weren’t worth your time). .

Better yet, you’re unpredictable. Yes, you do have to first know who you are, but for all of us, that’s an ongoing work in progress. 

Keep your core values intact and the rest will follow.

For me personally, I love to explore options and push boundaries. Sure I’m a water sign, if you’re into that sort of thing, but did you know that 60% of our bodies are composed of water? We are all made from an element that takes multiple forms and can change every second. 

When was the last time you ventured from your comfort zone? 💦

Photos by Gaby Deimeke

Hair Jalia Johnson 

MUA Raven Dee

Creative direction, styling, & editing by me

The Acceleration of Trends

How do you feel about fashion trends these days? Do they inspire and excite you? 

I fall in and out of love with trends so quickly now because once I’ve seen something cool and new, it gets regrammed again 1 million times within the span of 24 hours... and suddenly it’s not new anymore I’m already over it.

This is why classics never fail. 

But I still love a good trend which is why I chose to purchase a variation of it instead.

I found this hair clip in a little family owned shop up in Great Barrington, MA called Church Street Trading and I love it.

I think it’s good to find variations on trends so that we all don’t look the same, as much as I do love those pearl hair clips.

What do you think? 

The top is from the fabulous Lornaluxe’s collection with In The Style. I love the way her collection came out, so I was happy to purchase and support another blogger who’s been one of my favorite girl bosses for a long time. Check her blog out here.

Top - Lornaluxe x In The Style 

Jeans - Love Bonito 

Shoes - Zara  

True Love

True love isn’t just about couples.  True love is between any two people who fight their hardest until the fire must physically go out.

I witnessed it on Valentines Day - in a different way from everyone else.

I remember clearly because it was minutes after I had come back from my work break, and had just finished posting my “girl-squad” photo.

We had a patient brought in for a procedure because her symptoms were worsening and the next day she was going to have surgery. 

Usually, when people come into the hospital, they have a family member or significant other with them. So typically, that’s the first deduction you make when they come in, especially when the two look alike. 

But you ever notice how, when people spend a very long time with each other, they sometimes start to look alike? I did my pre-procedure intake, and found that it was a best friend, and not a sister like I’d thought.  Best friends since 7th grade, they said. 

As I continued to ask my routine questions (when’s the last time you ate or drank anything? Do you have allergies to food or medications?), they both contributed to answers, acquiescently…absent-mindedly, as their thoughts were quite obviously elsewhere. Most people, before procedures, nervously hang onto your every question, making sure nothing is missed for the sake of their own successful outcome.  Instead, this pair clearly had thoughts that were less in the immediate present and more in the realm of the big picture - what this sudden chain of events now meant for her, that this was the marker for the beginning of a much bigger battle that was about to ensue, and with a quiet knowledge that things were about to quickly go downhill from here. 

“What are you thinking?” Her friend said, tearily.  “I don’t want to say,” she responded in a low, shaky voice, in between quiet sniffles.  I felt so much pain and sadness behind her watery, reddened eyes.

Her friend responded by reassuring her, reminding her to breathe and thinking positively - because, even though she had the same exact unspoken fears, she knew she had no choice but to be the strong person to support her loved one. 

Imagine, as a nurse or a doctor, there are several other patients that need tending to and so many other monitors and alarms going off that these moments are easy to miss… but I saw it. And I knew exactly what she was feeling because I had gone through this same thing with Gma.

I couldn’t help but think of the darkly ironic way in which the two of them, with their strong, loving bond, came in on a “day of love,” and felt deeply saddened by it, as well as mildly guilty for having posted a photo with such superficial concerns and caption only moments before, even though I had really done nothing wrong.

What could I do? For these strangers that I had just met, and during one of the most significant moments of their lives? Not much, aside from offering a box of tissues, a warm blanket, and telling them to let me know if they needed anything else… while knowing that nothing I could offer would reverse the inevitable. 

She was rolled in for the procedure and I never saw her again.

Anyway.  That’s true love.

Photos by Jansen Dacuag 

Family Portrait

Cultural identity was a bit of a mix for me, growing up- as it is for many in the US.  I grew up hopping between Long Island, Queens, and Manhattan, but most of my impressionable school-age years were spent in suburban Long Island.

I attended elementary school in the town of New Hyde Park, which borders a much more ethnically diverse borough of Queens, so there was some, but minimal, diversity amongst school classes.  I still have plenty of memories of kids saying things like “Ching-Chong” or singing the pee-in-coke song and making fun of my homemade lunch that my mother had carefully prepared, and I had begun to resent (and in retrospect am thankful for having had, and skipping the American junk the other kids ate which contributed to diabetes, obesity, etc).  I even wrote a short story about it in my college creative writing course which my professor had pulled me aside to tell me very seriously to publish but never did (hmm maybe I still should...).

Anyway, I moved to queens for a bit in middle school where I was shocked by both the diversity of backgrounds and the Catholic school environment, having come from public schools in the suburbs.  

Then I moved back to Long Island, to probably one of the the waspiest towns to exist, for the rest of middle and high school.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved school wherever I was, and was lucky that I always found my way and got along fine... I just never really had many Chinese or asian friends.

....the few asian kids I did know, called me a “twinkie.”

I mingled a bit with the asian kids at All-County music festivals- but they were all in the orchestra, and I was there for vocal. 

Again, I didn’t fit.

I arrived to college and was once again re-immersed in unfamiliar territory, this time in a highly populated asian community, through which I would find myself discovering & learning - about my own culture and that of others, in ways I’d never thought. 

Fast forward to present time.  I still find myself in diverse groups, and I think this is why I’m most comfortable this way.  Most of you give little head tilt when I say that I work both in fashion and healthcare, but to be honest I think I’d be extremely bored to be in one niche my whole life. 

Point being, I’ve had a bit of a journey before I got to where I am now, to be in my level of comfort with who I am.  I’m happy to have been surrounded by people who have taught me things, big or little, and it’s why I’m always grateful to meet people who come from all walks of life.

——————

I had this idea to get a few of us together for this project I wanted to do: to have the same production concept as Crazy Rich Asians, where everyone involved was asian, for the purpose of not only awareness but supporting our community as well. So I rounded up Leo of Levitate Style and Vera of WG Empire to be in this shoot with me, asked Nick from Coastal Flicks who is half-Filipino to be a part, and went to locations in Chinatown, NYC, as well as China Blue restaurant with their beautiful interiors and lovely service.

As for clothing, it was actually a bit of a search to get Chinese designers here in NYC involved, but Vera and I are wearing her line Verafied.

The whole thing was really about representation as well as experience-sharing - and I love that, along with my personal story as an Asian American, it ended being done alongside Vera, who was born in China, Leo who was born in Hong Kong, and myself being born in Manhattan, all of whom are making our own paths here in New York City.

Really, that’s what everyone is doing no matter the background, but we still need to remember the importance that our long-standing history plays in tying us together, whether we see it on the surface today or not. And some cultures here in this space lack that more than others.

Now that I have a platform where I can share my voice and maybe influence someone positively, I’m going to do my part, especially when it’s around culturally significant occasions like Chinese New Year. 

Happy Lunar New Year everyone, hope you enjoyed the read and images.  Please share if you’ve had similar or different experiences, would love to hear them!