one last Sunday send before a new chapter...
next week, we glow up đ
hello Sunday Squad!
when I hit âsendâ on my very first edition of The Sunday Series five years ago in May, I had no idea where it would lead or how long this little COVID project would last. I just knew I wanted to build a space that felt like a communal deep breath. some of you have been receiving this weekly love letter for five whole years, while others just signed up this weekâeither way, it means the world to me that youâre here!
switching to Substack in fall 2023 breathed new life into this space, and over the past 77 (!!) editions sent via this platform, our community has grown into something more vibrant than I ever could have imagined. as I continue deepening my commitment to curating things worth savoring, I'm excited to share that next week, The Sunday Series is getting a little makeover: a refreshed name, new branding, and even more intention. but itâll always, always, have the same heart.
I can't wait to show you what's aheadâand Iâm even more excited to keep building this special corner of the internet together, one Sunday at a time. if youâve enjoyed being part of this community so far, I think youâre going to love where weâre headed. and if you know someone who might love it too, nowâs the perfect time to forward this to a friend.
but before we get all dressed up for our next chapter, I wanted todayâs edition to feel like our usual love letter to all things New York. I had an absolutely *insane* week that involved lots more time uptown than usual for meâincluding a video shoot at St. Regis New York, an incredibly special work dinner at Casa Cucinelli (the private offices and showroom of Brunello Cuicinelli), a private tour of The Met, and dinner at Polo Bar. and that was all after Mondayâs epic West Village Book Club meetingâso, needless to say, we have a lot of ground to cover!!!
but before we dive in, to access the complete version of this and future posts, upgrade today! paid subscribers of The Sunday Series unlock an exclusive section of paywalled content in each send, access to the full archives (including Your Ultimate Paris Guide, 100 Hotels Iâm Dying to Check Into, My Holy Grail Rules for an Overnight Flight, 31 Ideas for Your Next Birthday Trip, A Playbook for How to Make Friends As An Adult, and 16 Prompts for a Personal Quarterly Review), the commenting feature on each post, exclusive giveaways, and more. plus, your support directly helps ensure this newsletter can continue to grow! subscriptions are $8/month or less than $7/month if paid annuallyâalso known as less than one fancy Starb*cks order. but donât let me be the one to tell you why you should upgrade! Iâll leave that to a fellow readerâŚ
"I decided to become a paid subscriber because I appreciate how much info you still give to free subscribers *before* they get to the paywalled part of your email. Counter-intuitive? Maybe! So often a writer turns on paid subs and EVERYTHING is behind the paywall. That's how I thought yours would be too, but I've been pleasantly surprised. It made me make the jump to converting to paid!" â Alison Z., paid subscriber of The Sunday Series
The Mercer x West Village Book Club: A Conversation with Gary Janetti
a few months back, I shared with you guys that I met Gary Janetti at a party at The Mercerâan incredibly chic New York hotel heâs been staying at for over two decades that I happen to adore. during our chat, we talked about the possibility of him making an appearance at a spring WVBC meeting. this Monday, that pipe dream came to fruition in the most glorious way, including him bringing his fabulous husband, Brad Goreski, to our meeting!
as I interviewed Gary and Brad chimed in to dote on Garyâs commitment to his craft, it hit me how my inner 13-year-old (the one who was watching Brad on The Rachel Zoe Project from my small town) would be so in awe of what my 31-year-old life looks like.
Iâm doing all of this for herâŚthe 13-year-old who had no idea how good it was going to get.
the evening was a perfect flow from delectable ites by Sartianoâs to photos to our Q&A with Gary where we learned more about his creative process and his approach to travel. a highlight was hearing Gary describe the West Village as âa small town in the worldâs greatest city.â we couldnât agree more!!!!!!
the evening came to a close with Brooklyn Blackout Cake from Little Cupcake Bakeshop (thank you, !) to celebrate our girl Jennaâs upcoming birthday before heading downstairs to Sartianoâs for a nightcap. truly a dream New York night.
early summer travel plans
on the note of travel (Garyâs book, We Are Experiencing A Slight Delay is a series of travel-related stories), Iâm very much looking forward to my summer travel season kicking off in about a month. Iâm going back to four places Iâve already been, but I'm thrilled to dig deeper into these beloved favorites!
Nantucket: Iâm spending an entire week on Nantucket between a sister trip and a bachelorette in early June. I can't wait to be OOO and on ACK time. this will be my third time visting the island, but certainly the longest stretch Iâve spent there, so Iâll be packing an extra Elin Hilderbrand novel and locking TF in.
Bozeman, Montana: WVBCâs summer offsite is headed out West this year! some fresh mountain air is sure to do us good.
Mallorca and Formentera: I totally said that I was going to try and âgo somewhere new to meâ this summer but the reality is, I just canât get enough of the Balearic Islands. over July 4th, Iâll be headed for my fourth visit to Mallorca before we head to the much smaller island of Formentera to celebrate âs birthday Spanish-style! Iâm very much going for the feeling that the below reel I made a couple summers back solicitsâŚ
and while weâre on the note of travel, I thought it would be worth recapping some travel hacking tips.
while booking flights for my upcoming travels, I was a bit sticker shocked at how much prices have gone up. Iâm talking domestic flights at $800++! luckily, I have a pretty solid strategy in place, so I thought Iâd shareâŚIâm a huge proponent of flying the route/timings that make the most sense for your schedule and using an airline credit card to maximize where you can. you canât be too beholden to your miles, but you do need them to work for you when you need them. I have three cards that aid in being able to be nimble, with a solid bank of points to dip into when needed: the Delta Sky Miles Platinum with American Express and United Explorer with Chase, and more recently, the Bilt Mastercard.
Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card perks
with the Delta Amex, you get 3x miles on Delta purchases, 3x miles at hotels, and 2x miles on dining. but one of the biggest perks (if youâre trying to make status) is the MQD headstart and MQD boost. you also get a rideshare credit, first checked bag free, and right now, if you use my referral link, 60,000 bonus miles when you spend 3k in your first six months! linking up below in case youâre interested.
United Explorer Card perks
if youâre more of a United person, as I was and have been for many, many years before becoming Delta loyal, their credit card perks are also worth exploringâbanking miles here has been so beneficial to me over the years. for instance, I just booked the direct flight they operate from Newark to Mallorca on points, saving myself $2,348 (ONE WAY!). theyâve got four levels of card depending on what you think you might need, each with varying perks, various annual fees and sign-on bonus miles. best to look at it all and compare on their site! sharing my referral link below!
Bilt Mastercard perks
the only credit card that lets you earn points on rent with no transaction fee, I finally got the Bilt card this year and have been loving it! you get 1x points on rent, 5x points on Bilt Neighborhood Dining Partners, 5x points on Lyft, and 2x points on travel. Iâm planning on banking my points, then transferring them for a flight when needed! youâre paying rent (or a mortgageâŚwhich rumor has it, they are developing an offering for!) anyway, so why not benefit from it?
Awards vs Cash calculator
I would never claim to be an expert in the points game, but a big part of it is knowing when it makes sense to pay for a flight versus cash in miles. luckily, thereâs literally a formula that can guide you in deciding if a miles offer is a good deal. lately, Iâve been turning to The Points Guy to compare the cost in points or miles to cash to see which option is best.
what else went down this week
shifting back to homebase, this little photo collage somehow barely manages to capture the buzziness of this week, but I do think it gets at a bit of the magic. thrilled to dive into more of the funâplus my roundup of podcasts, articles, and Substacks consumed this week with my dear paid subscribers.
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