what thrills you? + acura sweepstakes

I had the amazing opportunity to work with Acura and experience what thrills me.

I love travel, New York, fashion, friends, and I actually really enjoy driving. Back at home in LA I drive a crazy 200 miles a day zipping from meetings to events and the like, and I have grown to love the private, personal space a car provides me. You can be driving 60 mph and going all across different counties but you remain seated comfortably in a quiet little bubble, and I appreciate that. I spend more time in my car than I do asleep in my bed, so car time has naturally evolved into quality me time where I listen to my science podcasts and radio talk shows.

With all that being said, I have high standards for what a good car entails. A car is a second home to many commuters, including me. It's not just about the prettiest design, or the smoothest ride, or the best mpg, or the coolest bits and bobs. It's about the perfect balance of all of the above that leads to an exceptional driving experience. Acura nailed it with the new TLX. The TLX is a combination of the discontinued TSX and TL models, and it comes out swinging. It drives like a dream, is powerful, has GPS navigation, has an AUX outlet for you music-from-phone aficionados, and has a rear camera that helps you park (which, at the risk of perpetuating the Asian female stereotype, I will admit I desperately need). I love my barebones Prius but this gave me a luxury driving encounter I've never had before. The TLX put back into my hands the power to control where I go, when I go, and who I go with in NYC (I'm just not a public transit person!). Hit the jump for my New York photo diary!

I drove all over town for 3 days. First, I had a photoshoot with my dear friend Rachel of I Hate Blonde for her makeup campaign. The final photos from those will be released soon but here are some rad BTS peeks from our shoot with photographer Briana Elledge!

I explored the city with my friends Coco and Tayler.

And at night, I walked the area surrounding my hotel with my friend Dustin. He took a bus to visit me in NYC all the way from Philly. He's a gem. And no, we're not dating, but I thought it would be funny for him to be my stand-in pretend boyfriend for that one shot.

The next day was was filled with showroom appointments and fashion fun. I styled outfits, pulled clothing, checked out the current season's collections, and had a photoshoot down by the water. Here are some photos at one of my favorite showrooms, Bollare.

My final day consisted of just driving all over the city, hanging out, and having fun. I ended my night at a bar with my best friends from NY and I had the most amazing time. Obviously, I took a cab for that--don't drink and drive, folks.

I find myself falling more and more in love with this city every time I visit. LA is home and will probably always be, but I think I'm going to soon become a bicostal gal. NY is the hub of so much fashion and design inspiration and working out of it just feels so right. And now YOU can have an experience similar to mine with Acura's #Thrillkits sweepstakes! I've curated a prize package just for my readers with my NYC travel necessities, including a new luggage set, the DSLR I use, a GoPro for recording your life on the go, a leather backpack to carry around a city where tiny bags don't cut it, and so much more. And yup--it's a unisex prize package. Click HERE to enter the sweepstakes*!

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. The Acura TLX “It’s That Kind of Thrill” Sweepstakes is sponsored by American Honda Motor Co., Inc., 1919 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, California 90501. Open to legal residents of 50 U.S. & DC, 21 & older. Begins 12:00 am PT on 10/02/14 and ends 11:59 pm PT on 11/02/14. For Official Rules, visit https://acura.com/tlxthrillkits/officialrules.

photography by Van Khai Truong