Technology Thursday: Raved

As many of you know, I am moving to Los Angeles at the end of the summer and one of the things I am so excited for is the influx of healthy eateries! While NYC has some of the best restaurants in the world, LA seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to healthy food trends. One of the ways I like to keep all of my favorite restaurants and restaurants I want to go to organized is an application called Raved. I can create lists like "Restaurants I Want to Go to in LA" and "Best Bars in NYC." It doesn't just have restaurants, Raved has clothing boutiques, salons and spas. You can follow "uber ravers" like Bobby Flay and GQ magazine and you can search by cities and categories. You can also follow me because I got uber raver status!  

 

 

When you click on a restaurant, store, spa, etc., it brings you to a screen where you can see who raved it and what people are saying. The great thing is that they only publish comments from "uber ravers" so it gets rid of over-eager business owners yelping their restaurant a million times. I recently searched for best hair salons in Greenwich and was happy to check out the comments and raves. They also have menus built in as well as the phone number, website and ability to connect to open table to make reservations.

 

 

 

 

I am hooked! There are so many great restaurants I want to eat in and shops I want to shop in when I get to the West Coast and this is the perfect way to keep them organized. It is also a great travel app. Say I was visiting Houston and wanted to see what the best restaurants are and quickly scan the menus - done! You can also check out where your friends love to eat and save amazing lists.

 

 

 

I highly recommend this app for anyone living in a metropolitan area or anyone who will be visiting a metropolitan area who wants to find out what people are saying about the best restaurants, spas, stores, etc.

I added a Raved social icon on the side of my blog and you can also find my profile here! Download the app and see what Raved is all about. It is an absolute must-have.
 

 

 

Technology Thursday: Apps I Love

+ Afterlight - the best photo editing app I have seen to date. They have tons of filters, light leak options and frames. A must have for the instagram obessed.

+Minibar - this seamless-esque app is, unfortunately, only available in New York but for New Yorkers, download immediately. Minibar allows you to have your wine/alcohol delivered in under an hour. I don't know about you, but there have been times I have been in a pinch and really could have used this app. There have also been times where I have been far to lazy to leave the couch and would have very much liked to have had this.

+Sweetgreen - if you haven't ventured over to the NoMad salad destination (originally opened in Washington, DC), I recommend you get over there. They have  freshest salads I've ever had with locally sourced ingredients. The app makes it quick and easy to pay and get rewards.

+QuizUp - if you like competing with your friends over stupid and non-stupid categories, get Quizup. Awesome for those times when you have a few minutes to kill or want to test your knowledge on national flags or Hunger Games trivia.

+Up - If you're looking to track your steps, calories and sleeping patterns, I recommend getting a jawbone. This fitness band is amazing and it keeps me motivated (I set it so that it buzzes if I'm sitting for an hour). The Jawbone comes in a variety of different sizes and colors. The newest Jawbone even syncs wirelessly.

Changes

As many of you have noticed, Metropolitan Musings has a new layout and I hope you all like it! I wanted to have a cleaner/crisper look. Does anyone feel like this holiday season has completely crept up on them?? One minute it's summer and the next everyone's buying a Christmas tree! Before we know it, it will be the New Year and so I thought I'd get ahead of the game by making a few small changes to the blog now. 

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Sorry I have been MIA this week but sometimes life gets in the way of writing every day. By this point every year I have usually finished all of my Christmas shopping - I haven't started yet...nor do I know what to ask Santa for. Sometimes life events put things in perspective and it's hard to ask for things when you're so thankful for the people in your life. I got to spend time this week with a bunch of friends that I truly adore and although it was for unfortunate circumstances, we all found a way to make each other smile. 

Anyways, I'd love to hear all of your thoughts on the new layout! Excited to share pictures of the progress on my parents new house next week. They have completely redone one of the little cottages and it is adorable. My mom truly has a gift. I'm heading up to Hudson tomorrow morning (if I can roll out of bed after a hectic and tiring week). My sister, Tory, made reservations at Fish and Game, which is one of my favorite restaurants in the Berkshires. Their seven course tasting menu is truly a culinary experience and the atmosphere is cozy and rustic. The restaurant actually used to be a 19th century blacksmith shop and it has gorgeous fireplaces and delicious cocktails. I can't wait! Have a great weekend everyone! 

Above images via

Birthday Wishlist

I know it's a little premature (my birthday isn't until a week from Thursday) but I always get excited for my birthday so I thought I'd post my ultimate wishlist. I'd be lucky to get any of these.. maybe I should start buying lottos tickets again??

Some of the items on here are classics like nude louboutins and an hermes belt but some are a bit more modern like the Maison Gray print, Brooke Gregson "virgo" necklace (you can pick your sign) and Helmut Lang leather jacket. Drybar gift certificates or "coasters" are an awesome gift for any girl in your life and at $40 bucks a pop I think I'll take those over flowers any day! The Nikon portrait lens is so that I can take better pics for the blog and who isn't lusting after the valentino studded heels?? What items are on your wishlists recently?

 

Technology Thursday: Apps I love

I am sort of a tech nerd so I am always searching through new apps on the iTunes store. Below are a few of my recent favorites.What are your favorite apps? I'm always looking for more....

Runkeeper - the one thing  I hate about running outside is that it's hard to accurately track how far you've gone. Runkeeper is AWESOME. You put it on at the beginning of a run and it tracks you through GPS. You can pick how often  it alerts you of how far you've gone in what amount of time. It tracks calories and then keeps a record of all of your runs, where you went, how far you went, your times, etc. You can also change songs or pause without disrupting your run, which is key. Another perk: you can set alarms for the app to remind you to get your a$$ out to run! This is the best running app I've seen on the market.

Print Studio - I downloaded this app because I wanted to print some of my instagram and iPhone pics and was shocked at how user friendly and wonderful this app was. It was so good that I went on iTunes and wrote a glowing review (my first I swear - yes, I know, I'm a huge nerd). I haven't received my photos yet but I will check back when I do! I couldn't recommend this app more.

Key Ring - sick of having a million little plastic guys on your key chain and membership cards in your wallet? This nifty app will keep the barcode electronically in one place. They can either pull it up via email or phone number or you can scan the barcode in for safekeeping.

Drybar - I love drybar and this app makes it simple to make appointments and then check when you have them booked. It is so easy to use, I prefer it over going on the physical website or calling. If you are a  drybar fan definitely download this.

MNR - this will only be relevant to people who commute to NYC or who have families who live in Westchester/Fairfield county but the metro north app is awesome. It is wayyyy better than their website and you can check train times, how long the ride is and where they stop in an instant. I believe they also have one for the LIRR.

Technology Thursday: Cute iPhone Cases

Why wouldn't you want to have a cute case on something you carry with you all day every day?? Below are some of the cutest iPhone cases I've been lusting after for a while. Might have to get a new one to switch it up for spring.... Which do you think is the cutest?

ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE // SIX // SEVEN // EIGHT // NINE // TEN // ELEVEN