Gregory's Coffee: See Coffee Differently

While I'm trying to limit going to super chain-y coffee shops during my stay in New York, Gregory's Coffee has been my go-to for days in between my "let's-discover-a-new-coffee-shop" trips. We've been in a love-hate relationships since my first day at work, and I will miss it dearly when I leave.

I'm honestly considering buying a jug of their cold brew (otherwise known as rocket fuel) before I leave. 

Gregory's is the place for your vanilla latte or extra-strong cold brew, and it's one of the few places where I can consistently say I'll like the coffee regardless of if it's iced or hot. Also, it's kind of hipster. I mean, just look at their logo––it has square glasses.

And they have really great doughnuts. Doughnuts are my weakness and I love them with my coffee. Seriously, go get one if you're in New York. I'll probably get one on my way to work this morning if we're being honest. 

Anyway, to the love-hate relationship. Their cold brew is super strong, and sometimes it's extra strong. My first day at work I stopped to get some on my way in. There's a shop practically beneath my office so I was like "oh, that shop looks cool" and I bought my coffee.

While sitting in orientation, the person leading said "Oh, is that Gregory's? Don't drink it black. It will make you cry."

The #BreakYouMake

I'm not a super preppy person, but Carly from The College Prepster, is a person I follow regularly. This past weekend I attended Her Conference, put on by Her Campus, as a part of their blogger network. Carly was there to speak on a panel about blogging and the advice she had to give was totally worth the ridiculous train ride I experienced in order to get there (weekend train schedules are rough, guys).

It's no surprise that she knows so much about the back end of blogging, but I was honestly blown away by things she talked about! She sounded like a pro (because she is) while telling us about all the analytics and statistics that go into blogging and had really good insights into what life as a professional blogger is really like.

All I have to say––after profession my undeniable respect for her––is that she definitely needs a break. Which is why I nominate her for a #BreakYouMake, Completely relevant: I also thought it was funny that when we talked about managing stress and taking a break she mentioned one of her new favorite apps, which happens to be one I just talked about in my post about ways to relax last week.

After deciding on whim to take the train to Long Island on Sunday, spend the night there, and then take the train back to Manhattan to go straight to work on Monday––I think I might need a break, too.

Coffee + Cupcakes

Two major things from my New York bucket list have been accomplished. Unfortunately, neither of them involved finding the perfect cup of coffee. 

My most recent approach to finding a new coffee shop has kind of been to just explore until I see one that looks interesting. To kick this off, I started at One World Trade (which is a photographer's dream, btw). I had taken the PATH from New Jersey, so when I emerged from the depths of the PATH station / One World Trade, I found Brookfield Place. 

My intentions were to find a local coffee shop in the area (meaning a little exploration was in store) but plans change when you walk about five feet and find this:

5 Ways to De-Stress

Working from 9 to 5 has definitely made me realize a few things--some good and some bad. One of the bad things: I get stressed and overwhelmed pretty easily.

I'm the person that has to take somewhat frequent study breaks, go for short walks, and do other random things to take my mind off of something I've been focusing too hard on.

By this point, you'd think I'd be a pro at de-stressing. I have some reliable go-to options, but I've also picked up a few things while being in a new city and experiencing different things. Some are from reading blogs and articles (which is another way I like to de-stress too).

1. Relax with an easy read.
Whether it's a book, your favorite blog, or a fun article, reading something that's quick and easy can be a good way to take your mind off of whatever is stressing you out. (I'm a big reader, so I've done a lot of this recently).

2. Use a relaxation app.
One of the VP's at my internship recommended Headspace and I also read about it in this article. It definitely "declutters the mind."

Paris Baguette Bakery & Cafe

This whole “try all the coffee shops!” plan has taught me one thing: I’m kind of a coffee snob.

So hi, hello, my name is Marina and I like to drink an obscene amount of coffee and I don’t prefer it any particular way—however it cannot taste like dirt.  

Which is why I’m relieved that the coffee shop I originally went to for this post, the-coffee-shop-who-shall-not-be-named, only charged $2. It went straight in the trash, which is ridiculous because:

1. You don’t ever throw away coffee.
2. You don’t ever throw away coffee that you paid for. 

Seriously, though! I see so many people with cups from there! What are you all doing?!

…so I went to Paris Baguette instead. 

New bareMinerals Complexion Rescue

So it’s summer, and it’s hot, and I’ve been outside walking a lot. That rhymed, which is weird, but I’m going with it.

I went down the shore this weekend for the first time (it was pretty exciting) to see family and my long-lost friend, the ocean. The boardwalk at Seaside showed me how kind of necessary boardwalks are (Florida, get on it) and if you follow me on Insta, then you know I had some pretty legit pizza while I was there. 

This also explains why this post wasn’t up yesterday. (Oops). Apparently everyone was trying to get back to the city at 11 pm last night. It was rough, we were tired. Work the next morning was fun.

While down the shore, with a slightly dry/burnt face and in some intense heat, I realized that my usual powder-foundation wasn’t working for me anymore. My cousin just told me that she liked the new bareMinerals Complexion Rescue (and she left me unsupervised for entirely too long in Ulta) so I bought it—no surprise. I also bought their Smoothing Face Brush to apply it with and I surprisingly like applying liquid make up with a brush. 

Birch Coffee — NYC

"We don’t do flavored coffee here."

I’m a big coffee fan (obviously), so I don’t mind drinking it unflavored. However, when I get lattes, I do like them be vanilla. I mean, I just think lattes should be flavored—but that’s me. 

So when I order my vanilla latte at this coffee shop that I was so excited to try, I was a little disappointed when I earned a slightly judgmental glance and those words. (I guess he thought I wasn’t a true coffee drinker since I wanted my latte flavored).

Tourist Things + Shake Shack

I was definitely a tourist this past weekend. My boyfriend came to see me, so we went to Times Square, did some shopping (I bought these really great shoes that are on sale), and walked around Central Park.

It was my first trip to the Hersey's store. Which was essentially heaven, but also smelled like artificial chocolate (gross). We walked around Time's Square a bit and then made our way toward the park.

Naturally, we climbed to the top of one of the rocks--which was an interesting experience. I can now check rock climbing in Toms and a dress off my list because I did both and successfully avoided falling. I absolutely could have spent all day sitting up there, though. It was beautiful.

Coffee, Smoothies & The Occasional Cheeseburger

I joked the other day that I would totally live off of coffee, smoothies, and the occasional cheeseburger if I would still be able to function like a proper human being. I just really love coffee, and taking pictures of coffee, and cute coffee shops.

The fact that I'm spending a large chunk of my time in New York is only further feeding my addiction.

I've already decided that I want to try as many coffee shops and little cafes as I can. I've now decided that I should probably blog about it. I mean, why not?

First coffee shop to kick everything off: Le Café Coffee.