Being Buttons

A long weekend in Funchal, Madeira

A long weekend in Funchal, Madeira
Madeira is an island that I knew virtually nothing about when we were invited to go on holiday with James’ family. It’s not somewhere I would have chosen to visit or that had ever really made it onto my list of places to see, but I was happy to go and explore somewhere new and different to where I’ve been before. The thought of getting some sun and warmth in the winter was also appealing! It’s a good location to go for a long weekend but like many places will also work for a slightly longer break if you planned to get out and explore the rest of the island. View Post

A Three Day Guide to Boston

A Three Day Guide to Boston
Whilst I found New York City really exciting, and Buffalo was much more interesting than I’d expected, Boston was my favourite of the three cities that I visited in the USA. It was the only one of the three where I could imagine living there myself and I would have happily stayed there a lot longer. Boston had all of the things I look for in a city; history, culture, green spaces and good food! Read on for my advice for how to spend a three day short break in Boston. View Post

A complete guide to visiting Buffalo, New York

A complete guide to visiting Buffalo, New York
When you tell someone you’re visiting the USA for the first time they invariably get a little bit excited. When you follow that up with the fact that you are visiting Buffalo in New York state, they generally just look a little bit confused. From colleagues at work to the passport officer at the US border, everyone wanted to know why we had chosen Buffalo to spend a full week of our fortnight trip. Contrary to what people thought, we hadn’t got it confused with somewhere else and we weren’t deliberately heading off the beaten track. Buffalo is simply the home of my best friend, and seeing Sophie was the entire purpose of our trip to the USA. View Post

New York: A Three Day Itinerary for New York City

New York: A Three Day Itinerary for New York City
Start researching a trip for New York City and you’ll be inundated with different options and itineraries. There’s so much to do in New York that any short break won’t seem long enough, yet it remains a popular long weekend destination because there is so much that you can fit into a short space of time. We had three nights in New York, and with it being our first visit to the city there was a lot that we wanted to see and do. However, we also didn’t want the entire trip to feel rushed so we chose a few key things we wanted to fit in (I’ll share my first timer’s guide to New York shortly) and then decided to take everything else as it came. I really enjoyed what we did, and thought it was a good way to see different parts of the city so I’m sharing… View Post

There’s no place like York

There’s no place like York
I lived in York for four years, and it remains my favourite city in the UK. I read recently that “you belong in three places: the place you grew up, the place where you went to college and the place where the person you love is” and so it’s not surprising that York will always be an important place to me. It was the place where I studied, the place where I took my first graduate job, and it was the city where James and I met. However, I still had a nervous sense of anticipation about my recent visit. It was over 18 months since I’d last been to the city and a lot can change in that time. Part of me was worried that going back would feel so much like going home that I’d want to leave Bristol immediately, and a larger part of me was concerned… View Post