All I need is a beach (especially in December) and life is goood. I can't think of a better day than reading on the beach, swimming for hours in the ocean, and having a coconutty drink while drying off in the late afternoon. I escaped the freezing cold over Christmas & New Year's to head down to the Dominican Republic with my family and boyfriend. I love warm weather because of the minimal effort on my behalf-- I can just throw on a a dress (and not much else) and hang by the sand.

I found the most beachin' beach book when I was in Strand Bookstore the other week. It's called "Collection of Sand" by Italo Calvino, and it's a collection of poetic essays about life, time, and all the heavy stuff, but in the most beautiful, light way. I definitely recommend it. My favorite spot to read was at these beach cocktail tables-- at night, these actually lit up and turned purple and blue. So cool.

I'm always happy to come back to New York, but there's nothing like standing on a beach in the middle of winter to revive you. Loved every minute of it. x