New York’s Best Shopping Street, and Other Reader Questions

Not sure if someone mentioned it but the (free) Marco Polo app is brilliant for long distance chats. It’s like face time with a pause function because you only send your video message when you can and you only listen/watch a message when you want to and have the time. Sometimes it’s a one min check in with my dad and other times I wake up to a long video from my bf, those are like church (or how I imagine church is for someone was into that) it’s just pure bliss. I listen and laugh (or cry) and sometimes take notes! Other times the stars align and we might send videos back and forth in rapid succession. It just works. Highly recommend.

Omg I met my Ted(dy) the same way!!

I realize I’m a little late with this, but I’m hoping to do a “Christmas in NYC” trip next year (early December, ideally). What I’m stuck on is where to stay? Single woman, midwestern budget, willing to splurge a little.

This trip is going to be about art and books and food, less shopping, but I’m not entirely immune to that either! Thanks!

A hidden gem on East 9th street near Veselka is Cloak and Dagger. It’s a mix of vintage and amazing 70s style clothes that are curated perfectly.

My parents, sister and I keep a family group text and also send a lot via snapchat. We send random little things all the time. Pics of our pets, our walks, whatever drink we’re having, a fancy meal, date night, whatever and my favorites are when my mom sends photos of my dad falling asleep on the couch phone in hand or my dad deciding to use random filters to send silly selfies.

Also my favorite neighborhood to shop in the city is Columbus Circle. There is The Shops but also lots of stores in that like Zara, etc.

I love this SO much!!! All I want for Christmas is for this to be a recurring series! ♥️

If you like to know more about the lovely, generous and soulful Caroline, please feel free to listen to our chat. We talk about her career path, her writing process, and her unique approach to decorating. We also talk about the incredible phenomenon that is this Cup of Jo community and O – she reads to us.
LINK: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/caroline-donofrio-guardian-of-secrets/id1555300002?i=1000543557440

Love the layout! On mobile (iPhone, safari) the “from the archives section” seems to have a funny glitch where every lead in sentence (not sure if that’s the right term, maybe you would call it an except) Except one mentions that the post has a tip from “Yes please.” I hope that is helpful!

Monika, the best advice I ever got about talking with parents was from my college orientation- call them while you are walking to class. It’s quick, sweet, and consistent, and you have an easy out if you need it (ie “I just got to class”). Now, 10 years later, I still call my parents while commuting to work or on the way to errands or while driving to get my morning coffee. My relationship with them is stronger than ever but there are still times that I need to stop the conversation, for my emotional well-being. This trick works great for us. And if we want to talk more, we can always call back later. Sometimes I talk with my mom three times a day but in short 10 min spurts.

Oh that tip about the 5 minute phone call is so right! My father died in February this year and for months afterwards, daily calls to Mum were long and weepy and loaded. Now, 10 months on, we’ve embraced the 5 minute call as a way of still touching base every day but without loading every call with ALL the emotion. Sometimes, all times, she just needs someone to show that they’re thinking of her, that she hasn’t vanished, that we see her even when we physically can’t.

I like this post and would love to see more. It makes me feel like I am in the quilting scene from Witness.

I second the tip for keeping a close relationship with parents (and siblings)! When I moved to a different city after graduating, I would call my mom and sister regularly on my way home from work. It really helped me feel connected with them – especially while I was still new in a city I basically knew nobody in. This was, BTW, before WhatsApp and other messengers really became a thing.

And even before that, while I spent a year abroad, I would Skype my family ever so often – the last two years have improved vid-calls massively, so the occasional Zoom session to see a loved one’s face should help, too.

My dad lives thousands of miles away and isn’t much for talking on the phone. At one point, we weren’t doing a great job of keeping in touch and so we started a book club, a book club of just the two of us. We take turns picking the book and then read it at the same time. We text each other as we’re reading (what page? did you get to? ugh, I think I’m going to give up on this…) and then afterwards we text and chat about it more. We text/talk daily.

I want to know if there are other Filipino (living in the Philippines) who reads COJ everyday :D

I keep in touch with my parents who live a five hour flight away the following ways:
Text my mom daily – we text each other recipes, photos, catch up stuff, etc.
I actually do a long catch up call haha, about once a month we talk for an hour to an hour and a half. Take it from me – do NOT do this if said mother is on a trip out of the country. You just might get a ginormous phone bill. Oops.
I don’t keep quite as well in touch with my dad as I’d like, just a 15ish minute phone call here and there which we are both bad at making, and the occasional text. It’s a work in progress.
See each other whenever possible. There was a streak this year where we saw each other monthly for awhile, but now it has been months. Can’t wait to see them at Christmas!

This is fun, love the comments too. Here are the 2 things I have been wondering about lately. How do people put lotion on their back? Where can I buy a chic, arty, glamorous black turtleneck (not a sweater, but a medium weight turtleneck that can layer or go solo…dolman sleeves might be ok, but not necessary). Yes, I know I can probably find one at JCrew or the Gap but I wanted one that will last a while.

Adding on to the makeup starter advice – get matte taupe eyeshadow (or Clinique Quickliner in taupe) for lining both above and below your eyes, and a not-too-wild mascara (try Clinique Lash Power for starters. Easy to remove!) Emphasising your eyes without going overboard will make you feel fancy and look more awake and high-contrast without it looking like obvious makeup. Caveat; this taupe shade rec is for white ladies with fair skin like me, heh. If that won’t provide the right contrast, then either go with a deeper shade, or consider something like a coppery or slightly shimmery brown shadow (but regardless, use it to line above and below your eyes). Have fun!

I’ve never really worn makeup, but I recently bought an eyeshadow palette full of fun, bright colors, and I’ve just been doing a sheer wash of color all over or packing color just onto the lid. Add mascara, lipstick, blush, etc., or don’t (I usually don’t). Is it “daytime appropriate,” “professional,” or “the right way to wear makeup”? Idk, probably not! But what even is “professional” or “daytime” in this pandemic? Just an alternative to the very natural/subtle look, which I personally find kind of daunting from a skill perspective–like painting a photorealistic portrait vs. a pop art one.

Caroline, thank you for sharing the story of how you met your fiancé! I am pretty active on the dating apps and it can get exhausting, so I am always really excited and inspired to hear success stories. Congrats :)

Regarding makeup, the much clean beauty brand ILIA has this super helpful thing where you can upload some selfies and they tell you what products to get and the exact shades you need. I would’ve picked a MUCH lighter shade for my foundation but they were spot on. I ended up purchasing everything they suggested after she was so right about my foundation. Their combo serum/spf/foundation is killer.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a great vegetarian restaurant in NYC (or a restaurant that has several stellar vegetarian options)? My brother-in-law is a pescatarian in his early 20s and going to grad school at Columbia (he lives in East Harlem). We often get him gift cards to restaurants for Christmas so he can go on a date with his girlfriend, but this is the first year he’s lived in New York and there are soooooo many options! Thank you for any suggestions!

Where is the image of?

I loved this post!!! Please consider making it weekly (or maybe monthly?).

Yay! You fixed the layout…looks fantastic!

This is amazing. Just today I was browsing through old posts on Gemma’s blogs to get some make-up tips. Lately I just look… sort of unwell. Need a bit of camo. She had this tip of mixing a Kiehl’s serum with foundation. My question is: can I just mix these on the back of my hand and put them on with my fingers? I am intimidated by beauty tools.