US trip 2014: Chicago, the Windy City!!

Hello again guys!

Here's the second part of my trip to the US! I had started noticing that my suitcase was a bit small for ALL THE BOOKS and that I had to be very careful with my book shopping from now on! I already had 4 books and the suitcase was looking rather difficult to close!

I arrived in Chicago on Friday at nearly 4 pm but the traffic was quite mad and I was the last one in the shuttle to be left at the hotel. That also meant I had an interesting conversation with the driver, who told me that I shouldn't be surprised that people were nice to me when I go to places because I am a nice person. Context: I was telling him about how nice people were in Dublin when I went there 2 years back, and he said that it might not be that people are nice where I go, but that I'm a nice person and people react to that. All the conversation started when he was telling me about the river being dyed green for the St Patrick's Parade!

Checked-in and decided to have some dinner at the hotel restaurant and there and then I was reminded of how big the portions are in the US! Then I decided to enjoy my quite awesome room at the Holiday Inn and finish reading the latest Chicagoland Vampires book, Blood Games, to get in the right mindset to visit the Windy City!


Day 2: Meeting with Brooke & Sheika!

I had been communicating with my friends in Chicago via either Twitter DM or Facebook message, so happy that I got the room with wi-fi included! Brooke has been a friend of mine for over 6 years, I think probably 7! All since I started to fall in love with the handmade movement and became a huge supporter, and she's one amazingly talented lady that makes awesome bags! She's the one that made the bag that I always use as my cabin luggage!

Brooke picked me up at me hotel and she took me first to the Bean, cause that's the place to go when you go to Chicago according to one of the Haematology residents, so I decided to give it a try!

Then we did a bit sightseeing dowtown and then Brooke took me to a cool area up north where we had luch at an Irish pub, did some walking around and visited some really cool shops!

While we were having lunch, Sheika, another of our friends from the handmade forums that now lives in Chicago, said that she could meet us for dinner, so we returned downtown, got lost driving around trying to find a Lush shop and finally parked to meet up with Sheika for dinner and chatting!

It was seriously fantastic to finally meet these awesome ladies I had been friends for so long and be able to chat with them, talk books with Brooke because she's also a huge reader & book lover and talk art and photography with Sheika, that is an amazing artist and cartoonist!


Day 3: Meeting Sarah & Sharon!

My third day in Chicago started as usual with me checking Google maps in my room to make sure I knew where I was going, even if both NY and Chiago aren't all that difficult to navigate given their grid set up downtown!

I was meeting Sarah, a fellow book lover and Sharon, the author of A Mad Wicked Folly (a book that I highly recommend to everyone, but specially if you like historical books and or with a feminist feel to them!) to walk around Chicago, have some coffee, lunch and buy books!

We decided to go for lunch at the Artists' Cafe and before entering Sharon discovered that The Fine Arts Building was open to the public and we could see the theater that was undergoing renovations and also ride the hand-cranked elevator and visit all the floors on our way down, even the Venetian patio, and so we all went inside for a visit! Sharon has a lot of love for the building and had so many stories to tell, it was heaps of fun! And if she ends up putting the building in a later book, Sarah and myself will know how she was inspired! ;)

Lunch happened right after the visit and I decided to go for something very Chicagoan, a Chicago dog! That was rather yummy and that was big enough that I couldn't finish! But neither did Sharon with hers, so I don't feel as bad! ;)

After lunch, Sharon had to run back home but she signed our books before leaving! (mine had travelled all the way back from Spain!) and then Sarah and I took off in search of bookstores to complete my to-buy list! BUT not before she gave me the ARC of Liars INC that Paula Stokes had sent her to give me!! *ALL THE FLAILS*

So after all my flailing and squealing, we headed to the closest B&N to buy some books and I find all 3 I wanted right away, but Sarah didn't buy anything there so we decided to head to another B&N up north that would also be close to Sprinkles, the cupcakes bakery with a CUPCAKE ATM!!

I really need one of those nearby to where I live, no matter the time, you can always have access to a tasty cupcake! Seriously, Chicago WINS!!

And then back to the hotel! We totally forgot to get some pics taken with Sharon but Sarah and me took a pic of both of us with our Pivot Book Totes, but Sarah doesn't want her face all over the internet, and after the KH debacle, I truly do not blame her at all!!

And here are the three last books that I bought, because it was quite a game of tetris to pack the suitcase with the 7 extra books! B&N editions of Eleanor & Park and Ruin & Ruising and the new hardback of Throne of Glass with the pretty paperback cover!!

And the next day, early up to get on the bus that will take me to Wisconsin, my last stop on this US trip! But that will once again be a story for another day!

US Trip 2014: New York City!!

Hello guys!!

As you might have noticed, the blog has been rather quiet for the last two weeks, and even if I returned this past Tuesday, I still haven't unpacked the suitcase or even started editing all my photos!

But, I must say that this trip was exactly the therapy that my broken heart needed! I took a trip on my own, enjoying my own company, did exactly what I felt like doing all the time, attended book events, met awesome people finally in person... all in all, now I can say that I closer to being finally okay than I've ever been since the beginning of the year.

This first post is gonna be all about my 4 days in New York City, and it will include 2 book events, one amazing Broadway musical and a stroll at Central Park with the adorable and lovely Nikki Kelly!!


Day 1: Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake Release party at Books of Wonder!

I arrived close to 2 pm and navigating JFK, going through immigration and reaching my hotel took a while, but soon I grabbed my printed Google maps directions and headed to Books of Wonder for my FIRST EVER book event! It was a lot of fun and Kendare Blake was amazing (so were the croissants, I must say!) and I loved hearing all about what inspired the series, and also I'll never be able to look at a T-rex the same ever again, from now on I'll picture them as gigantic red and yellow chickens... And it's all Kendare's fault!!

Then when the signing part happened I started chatting with Kendare telling her I was the Spaniard on Twitter that had just landed that day and then a super nice fellow book lover (and I'm sure book blogger) took a picture of us despite the non-cooperation of my phone (thank you!). It was simply fantastic! I came back to the hotel, and tried to fight jet lag to read Mortal Gods, but I only managed 2 chapters before crashing!

Day 2: Fierce Reads Tour at B&N Tribeca

My second day started with me waking up at 4 am in the morning, finishing Mortal Gods and then deciding that I needed to go grab some cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery (that was super close to my hotel), try to find a Body Shop and the metro/subway station to go to TriBeCa to the Fierce Reads event!

I tried two cupcakes at Magnolia, and although the Apple Harvest cupcake was very nice (although didn't really taste of apples at all), the red velvet cupcake was quite a disappointment for me... too dry and compact and made with vanilla whipped icing which was too sweet for my taste, I prefer the red velvet made with cream cheese icing! *sadface*

Then was my time to try and find the damned and hidden red line 1 subway station! It took me close to half an hour but I found another bakery to try the next morning! ;) Finally I was on my way to TriBeCa and then after locating the right B&N, I had sushi lunch at Good Foods and then went to camp at the store to await the event time to arrive! I met Amber from The Book Bratz and fellow Founder Member of the Styclar Street Team and then we grabbed our seats on the first row!

When the authors arrived and took their places Nikki spotted us and she was all "Piliiiiii!!" and telling all the other authors that we were founder members for her street team and that I had travelled all the way from Spain! She was beyond aadooorableee!!

The whole event was a LOT of fun!! All the ladies were amazingly funny! Nikki was particularly adorable with her Queen's English and cute accent! We also were very lucky to have Ksenia Winnicki in the audience as well as the model for Lailah's cover! 

Then came the moment of signing books and swag collecting and in general forget to take pics with everyone for me... I didn't get photos with Jessica Brody, Gennifer Albin OR EVEN NIKKI HERSELF! Thankfully we took a Team Styclar one!

With Marissa Meyer! And sporting my beloved Pivot Book Tote painted by the awesome Becca from Pivot Point Reviews!

Styclar Team: Amber, Nikki & myself, taken by Ksenia!

 And my loot from all the book events!! All signed books!! *FLAILS*

 Day 3: Hop On & Hop off and WICKED!!

I started by 3rd day in NYC with tea made with hot water from the tap because to my shock and horror there was no kettle on my hotel room!

The day was spent doing touristy things like visiting places via the Hop On, Hop Off tourist buses and taking loads of photos all over the place, that I will need to edit soon!

And then in the evening, another milestone for me! I finally got to see Wicked The Musical, after wanting to see since 2008 when I read the book, which happens to be one of my favourites (and I feel like I need to re-read soon!!). I went completely overboard with buying swag but I felt like the experience required it! It was simply beyond amazing! And I'm listening to the soundtrack while writing this!

My Ozmopolitan in a souvenir cup! Green and with this amazing artwork that I love!

 
All my Wicked swag!: Program, CD, Playbill and totebag! 

 
 And this was the amazing curtain down look! And the mechanical/clockwork dragon!



 

Day 4: Baked by Melissa and Central Park with Nikki Kelly!

On 4th day and last full day in NYC I started a very rainy morning with some souvenir buying and some Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes for breakfast! And by some, I mean 12! I ended up doing a proper tasting at the hotel hall! ;)

All in all, a much better experience than the Magnolia Bakery ones! If you're in NYC, go visit!!

Then I had sushi for lunch in my hotel firescape while listening to the main title of Outlander... One of those fun things that had to be done! I loved that my window was on the firescape side, it's so typical from that side of the ocean! Then I met with Nikki at my hotel and we walked towards Central Park hoping to come across a bookstore, but weren't lucky!

We took a walk around the park, chatted about how hard it is to make proper tea in the US due to the usage of "creamer" instead of regular milk, we chatted about the Fierce Reads Tour and about the upcoming Styclar books but because I'm all NO about the "Spoilers Sweetie" she only told me that I better prepare myself for book 3 since it's gonna be the wildest of rides! And then Nikki had to go back to her hotel for more meetings, but I'm hoping I'll get to the UK soon-ish to visit her (and will bring cupcakes).

Then I returned to my hotel where I ended up crashing early... damned jet lag! Up at 7 am at the latest and off to bed at 9 pm at the latest! Where's my usual night owl gone to??

And the next day I was off to Chicago, the Windy City but that will be a post for another day!! Probably Saturday!! This one is so bloody long already!! Thank you for reading till here, you're champions!!