I flew to New York with Chase for a video shoot with Pureology on Sunday and arrived home Tuesday evening. Even though it felt like I was only in the city for a hot second, we made the most of our time there and had a blast! The shoot was for a Pureology video related to their new Style + Care Infusions line and while my travel for the shoot was for Pureology’s marketing purposes (I wasn’t asked to blog about it), I still wanted to share some highlights surrounding this experience on the blog since it was pretty darn cool!
Pureology Shoot + Travel Highlights
- Afternoon Flights = The Best
At the end of January, Chase and I headed off to Denver on his first flight. A month later, we were NYC-bound and I felt 10,000 times better about flying with my little man again because the flight was shorter, we’d been though it before and we timed everything much better.
Flying in the afternoon with Chase was definitely a better decision because he already had a good night’s sleep, a quality morning nap and a few good feedings under his belt. Plus, people seemed more tolerant of a noisy baby in the afternoon when most travelers aren’t really trying to sleep for the duration of a flight. Timing is everything!
- A Second Set Of Hands Makes A Huge Difference
I am incredibly grateful that my mom was able to accompany me on my trip to NYC to help care for Chase during my shoot with Pureology. My mom had a layover in Charlotte that allowed us to meet up and fly the rest of the way to New York together which was wonderful. I cannot say how much less stressful it was to travel with a baby when I had an extra set of hands. I know this isn’t always in the cards, but oh my gosh, it made such a difference. Plus, I absolutely loved the extra time with my mom!
- The Carlton Hotel is Beautiful (But Not The Most Baby-Friendly)
The last time I traveled with Chase, I lucked out because we stayed at my friend Michaela’s house and she also has a baby boy so we had everything we could possibly need at our disposal and I was never going to be away from Chase during our trip. This time I had to really think through everything from packing breastmilk to sleeping arrangements, etc. I called The Carlton Hotel where Pureology had us staying ahead of time and they assured me they had a crib and a mini-fridge they could bring up to the room for us upon our arrival which made me feel a lot better!
We arrived a little after 6 p.m. on Sunday evening and it took more than an hour (and two phone calls) to get a crib delivered to our room. This is not a huge deal, but Chase was exhausted and so fussy after a day of traveling and I think those of you out there who have had an overly tired baby on your hands that you cannot put to sleep right away understand that every minute that passes by that you’re dealing with a fussy baby feels like an eternity… especially after a day of travel.
The fridge they brought up to our room for the breastmilk did not seem to ever get cold, so we rotated the breastmilk I brought through fresh buckets of ice that we had to have delivered to our room since guests do not have access to an ice machine for themselves. (There was also one occasion where a requested ice bucket was never delivered so we were scrambling a bit before bed since we felt bad calling to request a bucket of ice again.) There were a few other issues but I don’t want to focus too much on the negatives other than just to share that I would probably steer you in another direction if you’re planning a trip to NYC and need a hotel to stay in with a little one.
I will say that I think our stay at The Carlton Hotel would’ve been absolutely wonderful had we not needed some of the extra things we needed with a baby in tow. The location of the hotel is phenomenal and our room was beautiful so there were definitely a lot of positives for this hotel but I would not personally stay here again with a baby.
- The Energy Of New York City Is Unbeatable
The thing I love most about New York City is the energy. Every time I visit my best friend Merri (who was unfortunately out of town during this trip), I always tell her how much I love the way the city feels so alive and vibrant. There are a million things to do and even though our trip was a short one, we tried to make the most of it and walked all over the place on Tuesday morning during my few free hours.
While I wish we would’ve had more time to really immerse ourselves in the city, I still enjoyed exploring on foot and taking Chase to Madison Square Park with my mom for his first experience on a swing. (He was not overly impressed. Ha!)
- Professional Shoots Are Super Cool And Super Long
(Pic from Snapchat en route to the shoot! Find me at juliepbfingers!)
When Pureology first reached out to me to come out to be in one of their marketing videos surrounding their new Style + Care Infusions line of products, I was really, really excited! They weren’t sure what exactly they were going to do with my hair, but when asked, I told them I was open to a new cut and color (I’ve been dying to lighten my hair a bit for a while now). In the end, I was on set simply to show how the product can increase volume in my hair, so no dramatic changes to my hair occurred. I was there all day on Monday and the shoot ended up running nearly four hours over our anticipated end time. (We started late because the first shoot surrounding the Style + Care Infusions line ran long as well.) I cannot imagine how long it takes to shoot a real hair commercial!
It was really neat to see how a professional shoot with a director and sound, lighting, writing and creative teams functions. I felt like a total amateur but thankfully I was able to work with a stylist who selected a top for me to wear (he was awesome and I loved his personality) and a makeup artist who did my makeup for the shoot. She was the first person to fill in my eyebrows in a way that didn’t look crazy or make me immediately want to wash them off. High fives for that one!
I wasn’t able to take any photos after my makeup was done around 10 a.m., so unfortunately I don’t have many pictures to share from this special day, but I’ll definitely share the video when it’s available. I am not sure when the video will be edited and ready, but when it is, I’ll be sure to let you guys know! Thank you so much to Pureology for such a cool experience!
- There’s No Place Like Home
There’s something about the moment I touch down in my hometown that always makes me feel like I can finally exhale. The comfort of home cannot be beat and even though I absolutely LOVE traveling, there really is no place like home. Chase and I really missed Ryan and Sadie and it felt great to relax on the couch and start watching House of Cards after dinner with Ryan on Tuesday night. (We’re now two episodes in and I’m loving this season so far.) I am a homebody at heart!
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I absolutely LOVE Pureology!! Lucky girl! I can’t wait to see the video! 😀 While I don’t have kids, I can’t imagine getting by without my mother on occasion. God bless the mamas! 😀
I’ve never heard of Pureology, but I’m definitely intrigued now! That’s so awesome that they asked you to be in their shoot! 🙂 By the way, every time you post a picture of Chase it brightens my whole day, he’s WAY too adorable. 🙂 Have a great day! <3
i just started house of cards too!! 🙂 Cant wait to see the video when its done! Sounds like a fun trip and that picture of chase looking out the window is too much!!
What are you thinking of this season so far? I wasn’t crazy about the last season but this season is killin’ it so far in my opinion!
Oh how do I ever appreciate a set of extra hands!! Especially as a single mom, I am SO grateful for any help I receive!! 🙂 Moms are the best!
I’m so happy that you got a snapchat! It’s quickly becoming my favorite form of social media 🙂 Can’t wait to see how the photos turned out!
I am obsessed with House of Cards at the moment too! It’s back to form!
http://www.ablondeinanairport.com
So glad you had a nice time! It must have been so nice to have your Mom with you!
Having her with me was SO wonderful. She’s the best and knowing Chase was in good hands when I was busy all day on Monday made a huge difference for me. <3
How did sleeping go in the hotel? We traveled with our 6 month old back in November and the hotel sleeping was tough (next time I’ll get a suite so we have space because otherwise you are trapped after 7pm!). Was just curious because we have some trips coming up and I am anxious about that even with a suite! There really is no place like home when you have a baby. I get anxious being away and when we are here, things just flow so much better! So fun that you got to travel to NYC though!
How fun! Commercial shoots are a whole different breed and there really is no scheduled end time. 🙂 That’s a bummer about the hotel, but seems like you managed to deal with the obstacles!
How fun! You convinced me to get on snapchat…. #nowwhat ha ha!
I am still kind of lost but LOVING Snapchat!! I love the way it’s more casual and less curated than other forms of social media. 🙂
I was ready to see an all new style and highlights! Ha oh well! I still can’t wait to see the video! Are you a Pureology convert now?
Such a cool photo of him at the plane window!!! I’ve never had my make up done professionally would love it!!! Can’t wait to hear more about the shoot!
What an exciting trip! They picked a perfect model for their products as your hair always looks great!!
Aww I love his little hair poking up in that last picture! So darling!! And what a cool experience to be apart of a shoot!!
Oh man that hotel situation does sound stressful! I’ve never been to New York but am dying to go one day! This sounds like such a cool experience!
glad you had a great trip. i live in ny and I am still taken by the energy whenever i land back here after a trip away.
How cool! I can’t wait to see the video 🙂
I feel the same way about hotels now that I have to cook so many of my own meals. It can be the nicest place in the world, but if certain amenities aren’t right (like a working mini fridge!), it kind of ruins it for me. I’m so glad your mom was able to come with you to NYC!
What an exciting opportunity! It sounds like you had a great time on your trip!
I am just so impressed that you’ve already flown with Chase as much as you have!! That is so awesome!! I am itching to take a trip with Adeline later this year but I’m so nervous about flying! Can’t wait to see the Pureology video! What a COOL experience!!!
Looks like a fun trip, but I can totally relate to that “exhale” when you touch down in your hometown. Even though I live at school in Chicago for months at a time, when the plane lands back home, I can feel myself relax. Can’t wait to see the video 🙂
My goodness… that last picture… IT’S TOO MUCH! What a sweetheart!
I’m so excited to check out the video. I’m not familiar with Pureology, but needing more volume sounds incredibly familiar. Quite the salesperson you are! Ha. 🙂
This sounds fun and stressful! I’m sure the fun outweighed the stress. 🙂 I’ve never heard of Pureology but I’ll be sure to check it out.
This experience sounds incredible! I am so glad that your mom was able to come with you too! I bet that made all of the difference in the world. 🙂 And your hair really does always look amazing! 🙂
Oh that picture of Chase is sooo cute! Looks like your trip was awesome!
Oh my goodness the picture of Chase looking out the plane window just melts my heart! So adorable, “we’re home!”
Love it.
Ah, I love NYC! Going there at the end of the month and I cannot be more stoked!
That sounds so glamorous! Can’t wait to see the result! I am totally with ya on being a homebody though! I love that feeling when you get home and lay in your own bed nothing better!
Where is your red beanie from? I really like it!
What a fun experience! So awesome that Chase was able to tag along too – as well as your mom for the getaway! Totally with you on always being happy to get home. There’s nothing like nights in catching up on Netflix shows 🙂