nykeiko plays: That weekend we went to Storm King Art Center and let the inner child breath...

When we came back from our Euro trip, we planned on spending the weekend unpacking and cleaning the apartment but instead, we spent a whole Saturday upstate at Storm King Art Center. A friend rented a car and offered us door-to-door service which we could not refuse. We drove an hour to Cornwall and had a big hardy breakfast at Fiddlestix before heading to Storm King. 

We spent a couple of hours at the center and what we regret the most was not bringing a blanket and some food for a picnic. Despite it, we still enjoyed the wide open space and the large art installations. This is definitely a great place to bring your kids if you ever want to tire them out from running around. There is a lot of space! 

The center offers two-for-one tickets if you have a Zipcar membership. Our friend had a Whitney museum membership which also allowed her to get in for free. There are shuttle buses that can take you around the park or even bike rentals available by the hour. There's 500 acres to explore so it might be worth it! 

nykeiko shops: Sandro Sample Sale [October 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

Last night, I stopped by Sandro's sample sale. Here's my report for Racked NY. I took over 100+ pictures but really had to trim it down a bit. I liked all the jackets and coats offered in both men and women's section. Of course I don't need a new coat nor anything else so naturally came out empty handed. I always like Sandro's dresses. This past weekend, I stopped by Maje's sample sale with my sister on the last day where an additional 20% off was offered but of course, all the good stuff were gone. Sweaters were still $60 so I didn't go for it. There simply wasn't anything nice anymore anyway! Yay for the wallet.

nykeiko shops: French brand Maje Sample Sale is le back! [October 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

After my trip to Paris, I've walked in a couple of Maje and Sandro shops to see how the selection was. It didn't defer too much from NY's selection from what I can see but then again, I never shopped the collections too closely because the retail price never interested me. However, I covered Maje and Sandro's sample sales earlier this year and knew it would be best to save my pennies in Paris and wait for the sales to hit NYC. When I got back, I got the email about the Maje sample sale followed by the Sandro sample sale a week later, like clockwork. I didn't buy anything at the last sale since the prices weren't super decent but this time around, I might wait for some markdowns and grab a few sweaters or leggings if the prices are right.

Here's my report on Racked NY. After the jump are some of the pieces I liked...

nykeiko travels: If there's one thing to see in Milan, it's the Duomo di Milano says everybody!

When I learned Dave planned a one night stop in Milan, I searched for "must-see in Milan" on Google and Duomo Di Milano popped up just about on every list out there. So, with less than 24 hours in Milan, that's where we went. We purchased a ticket to visit the terrace for 8 euros and climbed the stairs to save 5 euros (and to get some steps in knowing we would be chowing down on a ton of pasta later). Going up was pretty easy. We weren't even out of breath! The cathedral is just as large and majestic as we have seen it in pictures. I took lots of pictures too but really nothing can do it justice. We were lucky to arrive just before sunset so the lighting was pretty amazing.

nykeiko travels and shops: Le shopping in Paris

Galeries Lafayette in September

We have been back for two weeks now from Europe but it feels like so far away already. Work was slow in the beginning but has now picked right back up but it's been a good kind of busy. I also make sure to keep myself busy outside of work. I try to swim at least twice a week and add a Vixen workout from time to time. I'm going to add yoga back into my life starting this Sunday. I'm also going to be covering more sample sales in October (that takes care of shopping). And just a couple of days ago, I signed up as a zombie dancer for the NYC Greenwich Halloween parade! For not being much of a Halloween person, this is tops for me. October is going to be a busy one!Anyway, when I come back home from any type of trip, I like to look at my shopping loot and reflect upon what I love most and what I definitely wasted my money on.