Photo Diary / San Fran on 35mm

San Francisco has been at the top of my travel wishlist for years. I thought in order to travel to California I'd have to plan it all out in advance and make a big trip out of it. However when the opportunity (cheap flights) arose to fly from NY while we were there we took advantage and booked. Can I say - domestic American flights are unreal! Free wifi on board, live tv channels & all the snacks you can manage (any else constantly hungry on flights?) - even the roughest flights would be grand when there's that much distraction. On the train into the city it started to look how I imagined it once those famous hills & pretty pastel houses started to come into view. But once we arrived at our stop and got to walk around it became even more fascinating. The first thing to catch my attention were all the gorgeous houses, seriously they are even more amazing in person. I stopped at nearly every single one to have a look (sorry residents, also when can I move in?) They are all so colourful and elaborate in design, adding to the vintage charm of the city.

 We had about 4 days there which was enough to get a lot done. The city is really easy to navigate and get around in a short period of time, but I think a week would be lovely to have extra time to wander around at your leisure. We really loved this trip, San Francisco is one of the most vibrant cities I've ever visited. I've included some highlights below!

CHECKLIST : 4 days in San Fran (be prepared for alotta walking)

* Chinatown. One of the oldest Chinatowns in the US and definitely worth a stroll through. It's almost like a city within itself. We went at night and it was one of my favourite areas that we visited.

* Haight Ashbury. This place has such a cool atmosphere and so much history attached to it. It's known as the centre of San Francisco's hippie counterculture so you'll definitely find some vintage gems if that's what you're after. You could easily spend an entire day checking out all the vintage shops, record stores (Amoeba is a must!), colourful buildings and iconic murals. Visit Rituals Coffee Roasters for a pick-me-up and Pork Store Cafe for cute interiors & delish comfort food. Any veggies reading - they have an amazing vegan burger on the menu. After lunch at Pork Store I went straight across to VeganBurg because... I had to get something to take back to the hotel in case I didn't get to come back and try it another day. Please say other people think like this too?

* Japantown. One of only 3 remaining Japantown's in the US today and definitely worth a wander through. It's a lovely quiet area full of Japanese culture and authenticity. They even have a Daiso which of course I had to stock up in!

* Lombard Street. AKA 'the most crooked street', famous for it's eight sharp hairpin bends. Oddly so interesting but full of tourists so pick your time to visit wisely!

* Alamo Square. Visit the iconic pastel Victorian Painted Ladies and pick which house you want to move into. 

* Mission District. All my SF dreams came true here haha, it's just such a cool area. The famous murals on Clarion Alley are a must & of course Dog Eared Books for any fellow book lovers! You'll be spoiled with amazing food, cute boutiques and great thrift shops in this neighborhood. Don't miss Valencia Street for Dolores Park & the dreamiest of all shops, Reformation.

* Alcatraz. Fascinating and quite eery, up there in my top 3 favourite things we did. Book your tickets well in advance of your trip as they sell out so fast! 

* Pier 39. Just pop in quickly to have a walk through and appreciate the tacky beauty of it all. Oh and there's sea lions!

* Golden Gate Bridge. I know it's an obvious one but has to be done! It's a bit outside the central area and beware there's no wifi on site so know how you're going to get back to your hotel/next location in advance (basically don't get temporarily stranded like we did)

We stayed at The Touchstone Hotel, conveniently situated in Union Square which is pretty much the main high street & luxury shopping area and so accessible to everything. The views from our room were the absolute dream, I very nearly fell out the window while trying to take the photos below but listen when the backdrops that good I had to risk it! If you're around this area and starving, definitely go to Brendas French Soul Food - you might be waiting a few minutes because it's so popular with the locals but it's worth it, I'm still dreaming about those granola pancakes.

There is so much to see and do in this city. Food lovers, fashion lovers, music lovers, art lovers, SF has got you. It's one of those cities where it would be easy to walk everywhere you want to go, however if you're jetlagged and sleepy like us, Uber and Lyft are amazing services and really cheap options to make sure you get to do everything you have planned. The BART transport is also great!

If you're into vintage & thrift shopping, this city is going to be heaven for you. Some of our faves were Buffalo Exchange, Wasteland, Mission Thrift, Community Thrift and Goodwill.

And that was our trip! Such a fun few days in a dreamy city I always wanted to visit. Hope you enjoyed this post! x

Autumn Outfit / 35mm

Hey guys! Hope you had a great long weekend - they always seem to go by so fast. I wish I could say I spent mine doing loads of exciting things, but I'm way too glued to Making A Murderer for that (how good is this new series?!) If you're a fellow true crime fanatic, I'm reading 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark' at the moment and it's the perfect spooky read for October - defo recommend! Between that and catching up on sleep my weekend was definitely far from wild, but still lovely and just what I needed.

All photos shot on 35mm film

I love this time of year. The emerging chill in the air gets me so excited for all the cosy layers & gigantic scarves to come. Autumn is my favourite season not only for dressing but for the feeling of change that comes with it  - and of course all those satisfyingly crunchy leaves. It's around this time that I start to think about the thoughts or goals I may have had last December for the year ahead and where I am now with those. Anyone else also do this? I know 2018 has gone by in an instant but there is honestly still so much time to get things ticked off, if you're feeling overwhelmed this year like I am, we can do this! I don't really like to set myself resolutions anymore, but I note down the different ways I'd like to progress each year and try my best to keep on track with specific goals I have included in that.

Photos by Kelsey Lennon 

Boots / Asos

Now to talk quickly about this dress.... I picked it up at Target while in San Fran last month and I am obsessed! It was my first time ever in a Target - can I say Target is the BEST. Literally could spend hours walking, it just has everything. This dress is from their Who What Wear collection and it's the perfect midi length & print for autumn. Pair it with boots and a cosy jacket & you're good to go! I had an absolute midi dress & skirt obsession this summer and nothing's changed going into autumn, except maybe for the 100 extra layers.

Have a great week :)

Photo Diary / nyc on 35mm

It's probably my hundredth time saying this but what's one more time... New York City is my favourite place. I understand why people say it can feel claustrophobic, but it's just never felt that way for me. Somehow it feels the opposite? To me it feels like the lovely way stepping off a plane in a hot country and feeling the sun hit your face feels. With so many people crowding every street and subway carriage it's definitely hard to find a quiet moment, but I love the pace of the city and how I feel in it. Need I even mention all of the amazing food?! In this post I'm sharing some of my favourite film photos that I took around the city, from cute cafes to pretty streets.

one for brunch : jack's wife freda

Food was definitely a huge part of this holiday. Seriously... there was so much eating to stupidity, justified by 'sure who know's when I'll be back? Better try one of everything'. No regrets obv.

Jack's Wife Freda is somewhere I wanted to try for a couple of years and it definitely did not disappoint! Their menu has something for everyone, I ordered the rosewater waffle and it was divine. We sat outside which was also great for dog watching, fyi.

*other places I loved : champs diner, two hands, beyond sushi, by chloe (THAT mac & cheese), joe's pizza, screamer's pizza, the smith

one for magazine lovers : mulberry iconic magazines 

So much inspo in one small space, this convenience store in Soho is a fashion & art lovers dream. With an extensive collection of fashion, interiors & hard to find international magazines from all over the world, you're sure to find what you're looking for here and discover a lot of new gems too. It's a lovely spot to pass some time if you want to take a minute out from the crowds, they're really friendly in here and let you take your time looking through everything!

one for an afternoon pick-me-up : urban backyard

I mean, just look at how cute this cafe is! Absolute decor goals right there. I came across a photo of Urban Backyard on Instagram a few months ago and practically screeched with excitement, immediately saving it to my must try list. Urban Backyard is situated in Nolita and would such a cute place to meet up with a friend for chats. Great coffee, great plants, great insta #content, what more could you want? 

Portraits by @kelseylennon_

one for food & view lovers (everyone) : smorgasburg

I may have been far too overwhelmed by all the food choices to take any photos...
 Smorgasburg is an open-air food market held in Brooklyn every weekend between two locations. Over 100 vendors and so many options for every taste, including lots of really delish looking vegan and vegetarian options! We visited the Williamsburg Smorgasburg, held on the waterfront at East River State Park. We went on our last day in the city and the weather was unbelievably hot & summery, so as you can imagine - the fab weather mixed with that dreamy skyline view of Manhattan made it even harder to pack up and go home that evening. Totally recommend Smorgasburg especially if you're with a group!

Hope you enjoyed looking through the photos, it was so nice to get my film camera out again and waiting for the photos to come back gave me something to look forward to during the post-holiday blues. See you again soon NYC!

Lisbon Photo Diary / 35mm

This summer I got to visit Lisbon, a place that has been on my travel list for so long! I didn't know much about the city before we went, but from the photos I'd seen of the beautifully tiled buildings, the famous trams & overall vibrancy of the city - I was drawn to it immediately. When we arrived it definitely did not disappoint and it was so much more than I had even imagined. Lisbon is so lively and bursting with culture but the pace of life there doesn't feel manic. It has a very laid-back rhythm which gave us the perfect balance of seeing everything on our lists while also taking much needed time to chill out and relax on the balcony or at a cafe. The city feels modern but still very respectful of it's tradition and history. The more we explored the more I couldn't believe people actually get to live in this gorgeous place that's like something out of a film with hidden gems on every corner!

Some of my highlights:

- Alfama: One of Lisbon's oldest districts & where we stayed. I'm so glad we stayed here as it felt like a very authentic part of the city, somewhere you could spend hours getting lost in the winding, hilly streets. It's like a cobble-stoned labyrinth with something interesting around every corner & the best little shops to pop into for Ginjinha! There is also an open-air market called Feira da Ladra nearby that you could easily spend half a day at.

- Graça: Incredible viewpoint overlooking the city and Lisbon Castle.

- TukTuk city tour: We did a walking tour and a tuktuk tour which were both great but I felt the tuk tuk tour was an extra bit more special as our guide was so knowledgeable of Lisbon's history, going out of his way to show us incredible street art and wonderful places steeped in history but outside the typical 'must see' tourist checklist.

- Pasteis de nata, obv.

Sintra

If you fancy getting out of the city for a day trip, Sintra is a dreamy forested village that seems world's away from the hub of Lisbon despite only being about 30 minutes outside the city. It has an enchanted, fairytale feel to it because of the extravagant pastel palaces & Moorish Castle that sit over hills of lush greenery. As there are 10 national monuments in Sintra, you definitely won't be lacking on things to check out. It's a very popular tourist spot & pretty crowded, but I felt it was really worth visiting for the ornate palaces & ancient monuments. One thing I'd say is eat in the town before you trek up or bring lunch with you because the park restaurant is way overpriced and waaay underwhelming!

Brunchin'

Being honest, I think I was possibly most excited about the food.... As soon as we booked the trip I was immediately saving cute cafe's & restaurants on Instagram to visit for brunch (yes i'm basic). Lisbon has such amazing places to eat & each one will give you major decor envy! So many delicious, healthy options to suit everyone's tastes which is great when you're travelling with a group - some of our faves were Heim Cafe, Nicolau Lisboa (prepare for long queues here) & Hello Kristof. Everything is so affordable which is great if you're someone who loves to try out a lot of different things on a menu like me!

Miradouro da Graça

One of my favourite things that we did on this trip was visit the Graça viewpoint at sunset. After a long day of walking around the city it was so nice to chill out here, share a bottle of wine and take in the incredible view while talking about our day. It seems to be a very popular place to go in the evening for both tourists and locals, but the atmosphere is still very relaxed and it doesn't feel crowded at all. This is such a great spot for a well-earned rest after a day of trekking around. We loved it so much that we came back again on our last night! 

I absolutely loved Lisbon and will definitely be returning soon. This has been one of my favourite city break trips so far & doing it with great friends made it extra special. From the gorgeous architecture, it's lively yet laid-back atmosphere & the delicious food - I know there's definitely a lot more to experience here and I can't wait to visit again!