10 Days in Puglia

I just went on a 10 day trip to the southern part of Italy, Puglia. After a crazy rain storm in the northeast and a missed my flight from NY connection to Italy by MINUTES, but I finally made my way to Rome from Vancouver & NY via Barcelona and a few days late.
(Note to all: Fly Norse Airline does not have digital check in, so despite making it to JFK from Newark in time for boarding the check in desk was EMPTY, so I literally saw my friend but couldnt get my boarding pass)

We started the trip in Rome for a few days before heading on our road trip of Puglia where we visited:

  • Bari - largest city and port town of Puglia

    • Bari is very small and you can visit it all in a day. Aside from a major port for boat/trains, the main things to do there are shop and eat, with 1 Michelin star, 1 recommended restaurant and lots of high end designer shops

  • Pogliano del Mar - coastal beach town by the water

    • Gorgeous beaches, but they are pretty rocky vs sandy but most known for Lama Monachile Beach (Cala Porto)

    • Boat and cave tour is a must here!

  • Monopoli - coastal beach town

    • Great town to walk around and have some seafood

  • Fasano - olive tree town

    • In Fassano, you can stay at a masseria, which now are more of resorts where you can get some much needed R&R. You can learn now olive oil and cheese are made at some of them!

  • Alberobello - known for the trulli style of architecture, which reminded me of some of the Smurf homes

    • You can check out some of the architecture and a few of shops for souvenirs and my favorite - gelato!

  • Matera - old town located within the caves and rocks of the ruins

    • Very cool to see how people lived in the past in some of the cave dwellings, many of which have been turned into shops and restaurants now. There is not much shade, so be sure to bring a ton of water and sunscreen before you start your trip!

  • Lecce - 2nd largest city in Puglia, known for a lot of their limestone buildings, with many pretty churches and even a mini coliseum

    • Great city to explore the local and historical architecture and delicious food!

Each of these towns had their own personas and brought something unique and special.

If you plan to make a trip out there, I would recommend renting a car, so you can drive around and see things at your own pace - however it was a bit tricky to drive down the narrow streets, especially at night in the more rural areas.

A Week in Vegas

Is a week in Vegas too much? If you stay on the strip… yes!

Exploring the Valley of Fire

My friends and I went on a girls trip to Vegas for the long weekend! It was a lot of fun, but just hitting the max of how long you should be in Vegas.

Here’s a rundown of the highlights of all the fun things we did! Feel free to reach out if you need any recs!

Vegas Highlights

  • Vegas Strip

    • Water Fountain Show at Bellagio

    • Lava Show at the Mirage

    • Conservatory Garden at the Wynn

  • Valley of Fire

  • Restaurants & Bars

    • Superfrico

    • Toca Moderna

    • Jessie’s BBQ

  • Casinos

    • Black Jack & Craps - I lost more than I would’ve liked , but at least I had a fun time doing it!

Day 1 - Arrival Day

Wynn

Loving all the decor for Chinese New Year

  • Flight from JFK to LAS
    My friends, Diana, Imen, and I few in on a late flight after work from JFK to LAS.

  • Check in at the Aria Resort & Hotel
    The entire hotel was decked out for Chinese New Year, which in absolutely LOVED!!! In hunger upon arriving so late, we checked out the mini bar, you would not believe how much a bottle of water and a rice krispy treat cost… the prices were $25 & $12.50, respectively - how crazy is that?!

  • Dinner at In-N-Out
    A trip to the west coast and late night cravings aren’t complete without a trip to In-N-Out and my double double did not disappoint! I did have to hold off on the milkshake at that hour though 😆

Day 2

  • Lunch at Din Tai Fung
    I had always heard great things about Din Tai Fung and it was right next to the lobby of our hotel, so we had to try it! The food was pretty tasty, however coming from NY and being Chinese, I did feel like it was a bit overrated and I’ve had better. Am I happy I tried it - yes, would I go again… likely not

  • Hello Kitty Cafe at Fashion Show Mall
    We were exploring Vegas and stumbled upon the Hello Kitty Cafe at the mall, it was SO CUTE and PINK! If there were ever a cafe that described me, this was it! I was also pleasantly surprised how yummy the Hello Kitty cupcake was!

  • Dinner at Jessie Rae’s BBQ
    My friends and I decided to get off the strip and go to a local must go to spot and ended landed at Jessie Rae’s BBQ for dinner. When we first arrived, it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere outside a dimly lit restaurant, but this was it. We had taken a 15 min Uber, so we had committed. My friend Diana and I split the a 3 meat platter and went with the Brisket, Baby Back Ribs & BBQ Chicken with Tater Tots. The food was AMAZING 🤤, some of the best BBQ food I’ve had and definitely want to return next time I’m in Vegas! We met an older couple, who frequent Vegas for trade shows and this is their go to spot, where they even know the owners.

Day 3

  • Brunch at the Henry
    Imen and I got a yummy brunch at the Henry in the Cosmopolitan. I had a very tasty truffle fried chicken sandwich - Vegas is delivering on food!

  • Pool Day!
    Diana was working today since she started a new job, so Imen and I decided to hit the pool, despite the 50 degree weather. We were happy to learn that the pool was heated (as was the hot tub), ironically the life guards were dressed in parkas while we were in our bikinis! 🤣

  • Dinner at Sen of Japan
    We met up with my friend Paul who is a pro-poker player in Vegas for omakase at Sen of Japan. The sushi was great and the staff was super nice. Not sure if this is a Vegas thing, but interestingly enough, we noticed that their omakase had a bit more cooked dishes than you would ever find at omakase in NYC.

  • OPM at the Cosmopolitan
    After we finished dinner, we headed over to the Cosmopolitan with Paul, his girlfriend Lindsay and his friend Henry to see OPM, which their friend Patrick happened to be one of the performers - a juggler!
    The show very raunchy and a lot of fun! The show was a raunchy variety show with a space theme.

  • Drinks at the Chandelier
    After the show, we wen to drinks at the Chandelier and were joined by Patrick, who also happens to be one of the top jugglers in the world! It turns out he peaked as #2 in the world the same year I peaked as Miss NY 😅
    Imen also tried an interactive drink, which involved eating a berry that will alter the taste of the drink (and make your tongue tingly)

  • Clubbing at the Jewel
    Next, I took Imen to her first club in Vegas, Jewel. Thank you to our new promoter friend Regan for hooking us up! (Message me if you want his contact information)

Day 4

  • Day trip to the Valley of Fire
    Vegas is a desert, so we decided to take a day trip to the Valley of Fire. We figured we should probably check out what else Vegas has to offer aside from shows, food and gambling, and you can only spend so much time on the strip as a tourist…
    The Valley of Fire was GORGEOUS! There were all different colored mountains and formations, there were even hieroglyphics on one of the old rocks!

  • Lunch at Eataly
    When we returned we took a little break and went to Eataly and met up my friend Antonio, who is the head pizza chef and an international pizza award winner!

  • Dinner at China Poblano by José Andrés
    We checked out China Poblano a Mexican and Chinese fusion restaurant. The food was OK, not sure I would recommend or go again. However, I will say the terra cotta soldier chocolate mousse dessert was fun to eat - you needed to break him open (like a chocolate bunny), to get to his insides and eat him!

  • Drinks at Toca Moderna
    This was Diana’s last night in town, so we had to do it big - we went to Toca Moderna, which may be my favorite spot for drinks in Vegas. In addition to an awesome cocktail menu, while we were sitting at the bar, we saw a fire eater aka a woman on the bar just eating and playing with fire. But back to the drinks, Diana and I both got some really cool and tasty drinks that were lit on FIRE! 🔥🔥🔥 I am by no means a pyromaniac, but they were pretty cool! We topped off the night with good vibes, good music (that DJ was on fire, metaphorically speaking this time) and a churro ice cream sandwich!

Day 5

  • Hello Kitty Cafe Truck
    Diana did not make it to the brick and mortar Hello Kitty Cafe, but our hotel was very close to the truck version, so we headed there for breakfast! Crazy enough, there was a long line for this cafe and barely one at the actual cafe.

  • Drag Brunch at Hamburger Mary’s
    We had brunch at Hamburger Mary’s off the strip. Sadly, I was disappointed by the caliber here, I think coming from NYC and the Vegas Strip to this local show, it just did not compare and the food was subpar and gave me a stomach ache.

  • Playing Tourist on the Strip

  • Dinner at SOL Mexican Cocina
    We couldn’t decide where to get dinner and ended up SOL, which was actually a great choice! We all loved our entrees and had happy bellies!

  • Absinthe
    Absinthe, what can I say about Absinthe… before even leaving NY, 3 of my friends from differ parts of my life all recommended to see Absinthe, in addition to a guy from Vegas on my dating apps. With all these recommendations we decided we had to see it. My boss described it as Magic Mike meets Cirque Soleil - after seeing it I would say it is more of a Magic Mike meets a raunchy variety show.
    The show was even MORE raunchy than OPM and had a lot of wonderful acts from acrobats to sword eaters. I came to learn from our new friend Patrick that they are owned by the same group and that he had actually developed and sold the rights for the juggling act in the show!
    If you go to Vegas and have done the typical shows, I would highly recommend seeing Absinthe

  • Clubbing at XS

Day 6 - Final Day

  • Knights Hockey Game at the T-Mobile Arena
    This was my first EVER hockey game, it was so much fun! The Knights and their fans really make the game and ambiance so much fun! I was sad they did not win their home game, but was so much fun!

  • Dinner at Superfrico
    Superfrico is a speakeasy Italian restaurant next to where the OPM theater is in the Cosmopolitan. I just love Italian food, but little did I know, they would also have performers to the style of OPM performing little acts throughout our meal!

  • Flight home LAS > JFK

Cousins Girl Day!

Today I took my younger cousin Jenna out for a girl day! Jenna just finished her freshman year of college and this was our first time to hang out in the city without her parents! (I guess they trust me!)

Here’s the perfect girls day guide, especially if you are under 21:

Brunch at Maman
Maman is a cute restaurant/bakery/cafe for brunch and pastries, I love the ambiance at the restaurant - it is cute, yet classy, but still casual at the same time. We shared a ratatouille hash, some pastries and both got iced elderberry matcha lattes!

Kayaking on the Hudson at Pier 96
The Manhattan Community Boathouse at Pier 96, located at 55th Street & West Side Highway offers free kayaking throughout the summer. You can book a timeslot in advanced or just walk up, which is what we did. When you get there, you sign a waiver, get a life vest, paddle, wait until it is your turn and you are good to go for 30 minutes. This was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend!

Intrepid Museum
Next we decided to visit the Intrepid Museum as it was just down the block from kayaking. The Intrepid is a Sea, Air, & Space Museum on an actual aircraft carrier, featuring a lot of historical war and space exhibits. It is a bit pricy to visit, but definitely worth checking if you are into war history and want to be aboard a battle ship!

$1 Pizza
Jenna had never had $1 pizza, so we had to stop for some authentic pizza at 2 Bros before she headed home!

I love spending time with my family, can’t wait for the next cousins girls day!





First time Exploring Atlanta

Lunch at Ladybird Atlanta

First Photo in Atlanta at Ladybird

This past week I was in Atlanta for work, luckily I had the opportunity to fly in a day early to explore all Atlanta had to offer AND have some yummy southern food!

On Sunday, I landed around noon, got to the hotel and immediately hit the ground running in search of some southern food for my first official Georgian meal!

Shrimp & Grits at Ladybird

I found myself at Ladybird, which is a cute outdoor spot for food and drinks. At Ladybrid, I had some true southern Shrimp & Grits and Fried Okra, which was DELICOUS!!!

After a late lunch, I headed to Ponce City Market, where I met up with a former AMEX co-worker and explored Ponce City Market, explored the Atlanta Beltline and then e-scootered to Piedmont Park and then got some yummy food at Bettlecat, where my current coworker and new boss met up with us!

  • Ponce City Market is cool hangout spot with some shops and a large food court. I tried some doughnuts from Five Daughters Doughnuts, which were like cronuts, but with so many more flavors!

  • Atlanta Beltline is similar to the NYC highline, it is a 22 mile pedestrian rail park that will take you throughout the city

  • Piedmont Park is one of Atlanta’s most famous parks and often has events happening and vendors selling food and products

  • Beetlecat - was a cute spot we went to for dinner, they had really great seafood!

  • Lingering Shade - outdoor patio on the Beltline for cocktails and appetizers

The office, located in Midtown Atlanta, was the quintessential startup office, with free food, coffee and BEER on tap, as well as tons of free snacks and CHAMPAGNE in the fridge, but the best part was all of the DOGS in the office! As much as I love NY, the Atlanta office hands down beats the NY office!

Some other fun spots the team and I ended up at were:

  • Two Urban Licks - this was a great spot with live music and a cute cocktail bar inside and the outdoor space is right on the beltline, not to mention they had delicious food!

  • South City Kitchen - this spot was recommended to my team and I by a coworker, the food was good, however the fried chicken did not live up to our expectations, however the FRIED GREEN TOMATOES were delicious (and this is coming from a girl who was very skeptical about even ordering them)!

I did not know what to expect coming to Atlanta for the first time, honestly I had very low expectations - and let me say - Atlanta, you blew my expectations OUT OF THE WATER!

I had an amazing time and cannot wait to come back again!

First Time Apple Picking

Today my friends and I went APPLE PICKING for the first time at Barton Orchards in upstate NY! I had been to Aamodt’s Apple Farm in Minnesota, but it was off season and we were unable to go apple picking. I did not realize that apple orchards had multiple types of apples, we got a few different types including, empire, red delicious and granny smith apples. All the apples were so fresh and sweet!

On this adventure, I had my first freshly made apple cider donut and the fresh donuts definitely live up to all the hype! I had apple cider everything, it was apple heaven!

My friends and I picked SO MANY APPLES! I don’t know what we are going to do with them all!

NOLA Bars & Experiences

In NOLA, the girls and I went to explore quite a few local and toursity bars. Here are some of the bars & local activities we explored!

Live Jazz

The Maison - Live Jazz Music & Bar

The Maison is my new favorite bar for live jazz music, located in the French Quarter. This bar is located a bit off the main touristy spot, Bourbon Street and more of where locals go for night life. I saw the best brass jazz band, the City of Tress Brass Band! The vibes were very chill and we were able to get a table near the front, which was nice as it was near the front but we also had the option to go on the dance floor.

Preservation Hall - Live Jazz Music Performance

Preservation Hall is a jazz music venue, where we watched a jazz show. The band was very seasoned and had even played and recorded with Eric Clapton! The show was great, and the band were very impressive. One thing to note that we did not realize is that Preservation Hall is purely a music venue, the venue is a small room with wooden benches and there are no drinks or anything allowed in the shows.

The Jazz Playhouse - Live Jazz Music & Burlesque

The Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta has a burlesque show with live jazz music. The show was OK, I have seen a better shows in NYC, however they also cost a lot more - I guess you get what you pay for. It was a good event to attend for an occasion such as a bachelorette, however I am not sure if I would attend otherwise. The main performer and producer was fantastic, however the other performers were ok. They made sure to be inclusive and interacted with the big parties and let Jayme showcase her burlesque skills.

Wine

Bacchanal

Bacchanal is an outdoor wine spot, with a backyard patio kind of vibe. They have a shop in the front of the venue where you can purchase bottles of wine and select cheeses that they will put into a cheese plate for you! Depending on when you go, they may also have a live band playing on the stage. There is also an indoor space with a balcony if you want to watch from up above.

Bars

Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone

The Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone is very cool, it is an actual rotating carousel. You sit around the carousel and move around the bar. Depending on the timing the hotel may also have live jazz music in the main room. If you want to guarantee a seat, I would suggest going when the bar opens. However given the impact of Hurricane Ida, the bar and all of NOLA was pretty empty.

Lafitte’s is the oldest bar in the US, with parts of the building dating back to 1722. Lafitte’s is known for their Voodoo Daiquiri, aka Purple Drink, which is a grape frozen slushy like drink. At night, they have live music played on the piano in the back area of the bar. It is rumored that the bar is haunted and Lafitte comes to look after the bar as well as hit on women in the bathroom - HAHAHAHA.

Pat O’Brien’s

Pat O’Brien’s is known for their Hurricane, is a bright red drink full of a lot of different liquors. What’s great about Pat O’Briens is they have a nice outdoor courtyard, which is great for large groups!

French 75 Bar

French 75 is a cute French inspired bar with a James Beard Award and ranked Top 5 in the country! This is a great spot for a drink before of after dinner. They have a lot of nice cocktails, including the French 75, which is their signature cocktail.

Check out some of the yummy restaurants and cafes I visited here!

NOLA Eats

I had a lot of delicious food while I was out in New Orleans. I thought I’d dedicate a blog post just for all the yummy restaurant I ate at while I was there!

Dinner

Restaurant Revolution

Restaurant Revolution has a modern steak house vibe with excellent service and food. We had our own room in the back and 2 people servicing us. Some of my favorites for the night were the crab beignets, death by gumbo, the seared scallops and all of the desserts!

Arnaud’s

Arnaud’s has a classic, old school steak house vibe. The food was great, my favorites were the potato soufflé appetizer and the bananas foster dessert - can someone please recreate the potato soufflés for me? For my entrée I got the filet mignon which was also tasty, but was less unique than the other dishes.

Costera

At Costera the table opted in for the chef’s tasting menu, which was a blind tasting menu, aka dealers choice, and only cost $55! All the dishes that were brought out were FANTASTIC! Some of the highlights were scallops, paella, steak and all the desserts! Costera is an Uber ride away from the French Quarter, but definitely worth it!

Brunch/Lunch

Napoleon House

Napoleon House has a very old school European ambiance and a nice outdoor back patio where we ate. This is a great spot for lunch, we had some very carb heavy, but tasty appetizers including a spinach artichoke dip, cheese platter and bruschetta. However, what was the true winner of the meal was the alligator po’ boy!

Café Amelie

Café Amelie is a cute garden vibe brunch spot in the French Quarter, with some light breakfast/brunch options. We got salads, breakfast sandwiches and short rib with cornmeal pancakes.

Sylvain

Sylvain is also a nice outdoor brunch spot, a bit smaller outside area than Café Amelie. Their menu was a lot more southern based, known for their fried chicken. I loved the cornmeal pancakes, parmesan fries and chicken and waffles.

Cafes

Café du Monde

Café du Monde is a staple beignet spot in New Orleans, so you know I had to stop there! For those of you who do not know what a beignet is, it is a piece of delicious fried dough covered in powdered sugar. Beignets make a great snack for the morning, afternoon or evening. Café du Monde really streamlined the process, I was able to walk up to the window, get my order and grab a seat! A must do if you go to NOLA!

And if for some reason you are unable to make it to Café du Monde while you are in the French Quarter, they also have a location at the airport, right near the security check. You know I got 2 orders on my way home to NY!

Check out some of the NOLA Bars and live jazz venues I visited here

New Orleans Bachelorette

This past weekend I flew to New Orleans for my college friend Jayme’s bachelorette party! It was a ton of fun, but wow did we have a jam packed agenda for just 3 days!

I have been to Nola before on a family vacation, which was quite a different than this trip. This trip we did a lot more eating, drinking and local activities. I’ll share some of the fun adventures in this post and the links here will have more about food and bars!

Hurricane Ida really impacted the tourism in New Orleans. While the infrastructure and electricity were fine in the French Quarter, a lot of the restaurants and bars were still closed or closed early. All the tourist areas were extremely empty as well as the nightlife. Our local friend said this is the most empty she has ever seen the French Quarter.

Day 1

Sunny Day in Jackson Square

Sunny Day in Jackson Square

All the girls and I flew in on Thursday, we had a decent crew of 7 girls. Funny enough I found out the day before that one of the girls was on my flight and we were actually next to each other on the flight - what are the chances?

When we arrived, the first thing we did was go to Starbucks for a much needed iced Chai Latte (I don’t drink coffee). After that we checked into our hotel, the Omni Royal Orleans, we decorated the bride-to-be’s room.

Starving, we went to Napoleon House for some alligator po boys, which were DELICOUS. One of the old man managers walking around came up to us and asked Jayme what her hat spelled, pretending he couldn’t read that it spelled out “Bride.” We couldn’t tell if he was serious or not, but then he came back with a glass of champagne for her. How sweet!

After that we were so full, but managed to roll around Jackson Square for some shopping and stumbled upon some jello shots syringes, which was harder to eat than you would think!

Preservation Hall

Preservation Hall

We headed to Preservation Hall before dinner for some live jazz music, was AMAZING!!! The band had even played with Eric Clapton. (Fun Fact: I used to play the piano, so was super excited to see some jazz piano playing!)

We then went for a quick drink at French 75, then onto dinner at Restaurant Revolution, which was fantastic!! We had our own private room in the back all to ourselves! The food was delicious, if I wasn’t full before, I definitely was now!
On a random personal note: Our waiter’s name was Daniel and on the way back right outside of the restaurant we saw a MN license plate - if that isn’t a sign about my ex, I don’t know what is… (Monica agreed) What does the sign mean, that is to be determined...

We then hung out on the balcony of Jayme’s room and people watched, which meant listening to people singing really loudly with speakers from blocks away! :P

Day 2

We started off the morning with brunch at a super cute garden café, Café Amelie. After brunch, we walked around the French Quarter, did some shopping and ended up at a wig shop, where a few of the girls tried on some fun wigs! We then found our way to Pat O’Brien’s Courtyard, known for their hurricanes and is a favorite spot for many of the girls.

After this we went to Bacchanal, for some wine and cheese. The concept is very cool, you can choose your own wines and cheese and they make a yummy cheese platter for you! We had the entire upstairs to ourselves!

For dinner we went to Arnaud’s, which had an old school vibe, and some amazing delicious food! my favorite was the potato soufflé!

After this we went to see a jazz burlesque show at the Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta. Ill be honest, the show was fun, but not as good as the show I saw in NYC. One of the performers gave Jayme her fans and let her do her thing!

We went to Old Absinthe House afterwards, however the city was pretty much dead after that, which was surprising for a Friday night.

Day 3

IMG_0330.jpeg

We started off the morning with a pole dancing class at Awakenings Pole & Aerial Fitness, which was actually a chair dance, pole dance, spinning on the pole and silks! I loved the silks and want to find a place in the city for silks!

Next we headed to Sylvain for some lunch at another cute garden vibe restaurant. I had the best chicken and cornmeal waffles!

We had a pool party at the hotel and played some bridal games before heading to Costera for dinner.

At Costera, we had a delicious blind chef’s tasting menu - yummy apps, paella, scallops and more!

After dinner we went to The Maison on Frenchmen Street for some awesome live brass band jazz music by the City of Trees Brass Band!

Day 4

One last drink at our final spot!

One last drink at our final spot!

For our final day in Nola, we got bunch with the bride before she flew home. Monica and I were the final two, not flying out until ~6PM, so we decided why not live our best lives and explore.

We didn’t do much touristy stuff the earlier in the week, so we packed it in our last few hours in Nola. We did some souvenir shopping for pralines and ate some beignets from Café du Monde before heading to some bars.

We went to the quintessential touristy bars, the Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone, Lafitte’s for a voodoo daiquiri and Pat O’Brien’s for another hurricane!

What a great trip - CONGRATULATIONS JAYME!!! Can’t wait for the wedding in a few weeks!

See you later, Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz from above on my flight home

Santa Cruz was a blast, I had so much fun! Thanks to Josh and all my NY travel buddies, Diana, Matt & Lisa, who made my first trip to Santa Cruz such a blast!

Santa Cruz - Check List

✔ Beach - Dog Beach & Beach Yoga

✔ Hiking

✔ Yummy Food & Desserts, including an ice cream sandwich off!

✔ Touring the major tourist spots - Downtown, Santa Cruz Beach & boardwalk, Capitola, Portola

✔ Napa & Wine Tasting

✔ Self Reflection, Rest & Relaxation (R&R) - even got a meditation crystal!

✔ Revamping Josh’s brand & getting him a girl (#TeamLauren)

〰️ Creating a viral music video 🎶 (Work in Progress), get excited for this collab for the knee knocker!

I’ll leave you with my favorite photo of Santa Cruz

Sunset after beach yoga

Santa Cruzing - Week 3

The time has come, this is my final week in Santa Cruz 😢

Here is my final weekly recap

August 27

  • Drive down West Cliff Drive
    West Cliff Drive goes along the coast of Santa Cruz and is a very scenic road to walk or drive down, a must see while you are in town

  • Searching for elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park
    This state park is about 45 minutes away from Santa Cruz and known for having elephant seals. In fact, hundreds of elephant seals make their way to Año Nuevo park around Valentine’s Day to mate - I guess they like to celebrate as well! This State park is fun because you go through various types of terrain in order to get to the shore where the elephant seals are location, from the dry dessert to fields of what looked like wheat to the mountains to the beach! This park was not too filled with tourist, which was a nice treat.

  • Tacos at Taqueria Vallarta
    Yes we stopped by another Taqueria Vallarta for more TACOS!

August 28

  • Soaking in the sun at 4 Mile Beach
    A gorgeous beach off the highway, great spot for locals and not infiltrated with tourists

  • Cookies & Ice Cream from Pacific Cookie Company

  • Live Music at Abbott Square Market
    Local outdoor hangout where you can get food and listen to live music. While we were there, I discovered a new band, Brain Food, which performed some good vibe music you can dance to

  • Dinner at Gabriella Café
    Cute little Italian restaurant with what is a contender for the best Bolognese I’ve had! Also a cute date spot for those of you looking for a romantic date spot 😉

August 29

  • Breakfast at Jack in the Box

    This was my first time ever at Jack in the Box, I ordered a chicken tater melt!

  • Hiking the Marin Headlands via San Francisco
    We hiked about ~8 miles for 5-6 hours (with pitstops) at the Marin Headlands. The hike was definitely a long one, but definitely worth it! The day was so foggy, we saw the clouds rolling in and eventually even made are way up in the clouds as we made our way up to the top of the mountains! Along the hike we came across some war sites, including a bunkers and Hill 88, where missiles were held during the Cold War - a hidden gem for any history lover!
    We also shot some videos for a secret project we are working on!

  • Drive by and dinner in Sausalito
    After the hike, we drove around Sausalito’s downtown, which had a very New England meets Greece vibe, it was very New England, but had homes embedded in the mountains like Santorini. After the quick tour of the small town, we grabbed dinner at a local Thai restaurant before the 2 hour drive back to Santa Cruz

August 30

  • Watching seals at the Santa Cruz Wharf
    We found SO MANY seals at the wharf today, they were so fun (and loud) to watch!

  • Walking the Santa Cruz Boardwalk

  • Downtown for more cookies from Pacific Cookie Company & some bubble tea

August 31

  • Relaxing at Black’s Beach after work

  • Strolling downtown Pleasure Point, Portola

    • Dinner at Pleasure Pizza East Side Eatery
      Known for their award winning chilling, the best in Santa Cruz!

    • Ice cream bon bons at The Penny Ice Creamery

September 1

  • Beach Yoga at Corcoran Beach!
    Beach yoga is one of my favorite things to do, and on top of this, this was a sunset beach yoga session - so I was super excited to be able to do this AND share this with my friend Josh, who has not only never done beach yoga, but yoga in general!
    We took a class with Outdoor Yoga Santa Cruz, which provides you headsets while you do the yoga, kind of like a silent disco, which was great, so I did not have any issues hearing the instructor or the music/sounds that were being played.
    If you have not tried beach yoga before, you definitely need to try it!

  • Celebrating Lauren’s birthday at Riva Fish House on the Santa Cruz Wharf
    Happy Birthday Lauren!!! We met Lauren a few days ago and celebrated her birthday with her; for those of you who know me, you know I love birthdays and made sure that we celebrated her big day! I am a big fan of Lauren and needless to say I am #TeamLauren for Josh!

September 2 - Final Day in Santa Cruz

  • Dinner at Michelin Guide recommended Alderwood
    For my final hours and meal in Santa Cruz, we went to Alderwood. The food at Alderwood was AMAZING, I can definitely see why they are on the Michelin Guide! I ordered 1 oyster, pomme frites & a cheeseburger. I wanted to order dessert, but sadly was too full to even attempt it. Everything was super delicious (and reasonably priced, the cheeseburgers were only $16), I wish I had a larger stomach so I could eat more!

So sad to be leaving Santa Cruz, but working NY hours while being on Pacific Time definitely takes a toll on you!

Santa Cruzing - Week 2

Week 2 here we go! Here’s a recap from Week 2 of my time in Santa Cruz!

August 21

  • Pipeline Trail at Henry Cowell State Park in Felton, CA
    This is one of the most gorgeous hikes I’ve done, the Redwoods here are GORGEOUS, even bigger and prettier than the other Redwood parks I have been to so far this trip and perhaps one of the most popular for this park.

  • Tacos at Taqueria Vallarta

August 22

  • Capitola

    • Lunch at Zelda’s on the Beach
      I bumped into an old co worker from AMEX while we were having lunch, what a small world!

    • Ice Cream at Polar Bear
      Polar Bear has so many fun and unique flavors categorized by vanillas and chocolates to coffees and caramels to fruits and sorbets, needless to say I was very happy with the variety of flavors! I ultimately went with a double scoop of lavender & Honey and Olallieberry & Honey, which did not disappoint and I will definitely be returning!

August 25

  • Hanging out with Ivy at Black’s Beach after work

  • Dinner at Café Gratitude
    Café Gratitude is a vegan restaurant, which was surprisingly delicious! I had a delicious sandwich! Fun story - I did not know Café Gratitude was a chain and the first time I went was this past April with my friend Yasmine in Venice, CA.

August 26

  • Road trip to NAPA!
    Matt, Lisa & I took a road trip to Napa, my first time to NAPA! We made it to 3 wineries:

    • Rutherford Hill Winery

    • V. Sattui Winery

    • Priest Ranch Winery

    Check out my last blog post on Napa for more details: https://www.elizabethtam.com/blog/2021/8/26/first-trip-to-napa

  • Dinner at In-N-Out & a pit stop at Petco to get Luke the cat a cat toy

    Luke’s dad never got him any toys, what a sad kitty

  • Bonfire at Black’s Beach

    We made another bonfire, but came prepared with s’mores this time - yum!

That’s it for Week 2 in Santa Cruz!

First trip to Napa

Today my friends and I took a road trip to Napa for some wine tasting! This was my first trip to Napa, we decided to go t a few wineries to get variety of samplings.

I learned a lot about why Napa is so famous for wine. Apparently the soil and climate in Napa is one of the most sustainable for growing the grapes needed for the wine. Thank you Matt & the man at the Rutherford Hill Winery for the learning moment!

Here are the wineries we went to:

Rutherford Hill Winery

Family owned winery off the beaten path with what is known to be best picnic spot in Napa

This was my first wine tasting and I was very happy with the selection - the wines here had nice fruity notes and were quite tasty. The outdoor setting was really relaxing and a perfect way to end the work week!

V. Sattui Winery

Voted 2020 Winery of the Year by San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge & Monterey International Wine Competition

We came here for a lunch picnic, the food did not disappoint! I ordered some Shrimp and Chicken Salad, which was delicious!

Priest Ranch Winery

A small tasting room for a much larger conglomerate owned by the family

The tasting room here was very cute and modern, however the wines were a bit more dry than what I like.

This trip, we went to 2 wine tastings - one at Rutherford Hill Winery and one at Priest Ranch Winery. Of the two, wineries Rutherford Hill was the clear favorite all around from the wine & hospitality to the gorgeous property and views.

Photoshoot at Seabright Beach

A few days ago I shot with Paul of EyeOn Photography at Seabright Beach. This beach was great for some not so typical beach photo shoot.

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Check out some of my favorite shots from the day! We did a few beach shots and a few in the “vegetation” as he called it.

Santa Cruzing - Week 1

Wow, what a week! This is my first time to Santa Cruz and Josh did not disappoint, he gave my friend Diana and I quite the tour of Santa Cruz this past week! Let me share a recap all the fun things we did our first week in Santa Cruz!

August 13 - Arrive in Santa Cruz

  • 1st stop… In -N-Out
    I ordered a Double Double & strawberry milkshake, what more do you need? 😋

August 14

  • Downtown Santa Cruz
    The downtown is a few blocks long, with few local shops, no big names and lots of restaurants and local performers playing on the sidewalks

  • Lighthouse State Park
    This is such a cute local dog park, perfect for Josh’s dog Ivy!

  • Hiking at the Land of Medicine Buddha - Soquel, CA
    We visited the Land of the Medicine Buddha and hiked the 5.6 mile trail in the Redwood Forest! The trail was a lot of fun, we went throughout the Redwood Forest and came upon some Buddhist relics along the way.
    The day before Josh had kept talking about signs and how they manifest themselves. Earlier that day, Diana had wanted to buy Pokémon socks, but dropped them along the way and sadly did not. If you look at shrine photo, there is a pokeball… if that is not a sign, I don’t know what is!!

  • Dinner at in the West End at West End Tavern
    I met Josh’s sister for the first time, after knowing him for 6 years!


August 15

  • Santa Cruz Farmer’s Market - local farmers and artisans selling their produce and goods with some live local music

  • Tamales & Pan Dulce at El Rosal Bakery
    This bakery had a HUGE variety of different types of pan (spanish for bread), they were all so pretty and tasty! They rate themselves for having the #1 tamale in town, they were not my #1 but pretty tasty!

  • Santa Cruz Wharf

    • Drinks at Makai Island Kitchen & Groggery
      This cute Hawaiian restaurant is super cute with fun decor and drinks! While sitting at the bar, my friends & I thought we were going crazy, but the entire back room rotates! If you go, I recommend getting a fun drink and sitting at the bar in that room!

  • Santa Cruz Boardwalk - boardwalk rides, games and boardwalk food!

  • Capitola - cute part of town with cute shops and restaurants

August 16

  • Dinner at The Crow’s Nest - cute little spot for Happy Hour at Twin Lakes State Beach overlooking the beach

  • Drinks (and open mic nite) at MeloMelo Kava Bar
    We downtown with the intention of getting cookies and ended up at this Kava bar, not realizing that it was not an alcohol bar but a kava bar. For those of you who don't know what kava is, it is a psychedelic root that literally means “intoxicating pepper.” According to WebMD, “kava contains substances called kavapyrones. They act much like alcohol on your brain, making you feel calm, relaxed, and happy. The plant is also thought to relieve pain, prevent seizures, and relax muscles.”

  • Cookies from Pacific Cookie Company
    The sweet aroma of cookies fills the store as soon as you walk in, there is a fun variety of cookies, my favorite was the “Almond Joe” - a twist of your classic chocolate chip cookie with nuts and coconut shreds, yummy! This reminded me of Diddy Reese cookies in Westwood, CA, however more flavors and the option of ice cream from local ice cream company, Marianne’s!

August 18

  • Hiking at Fall Creek State Park at Henry Cowell Redwoods Park in Felton, CA

August 19

  • Bonfire at Black Point Beach in Twin Lakes State Beach
    This was my first bon fire at the beach, it was COLD, but so much fun!

  • Matt & Lisa Arrive from NJ
    We had a few more friends arrive

August 20

That’s it for week 1 in Santa Cruz! Stay tuned for what we do in week 2 and please share any recs you may have on things to do and places to see!

Santa Cruz, here I come!

I’m headed off to Santa Cruz for some R&R, self reflection, destress and detox from my recent breakup and most importantly FUN!

Santa Cruz

I realized I have not really taken a real vacation since the pandemic started. My last trip this past April was a bit of a staycation, my friends who I was with were working most of the time, as was I, so did not have a full vacation. This trip will be similar in regards to working while I am there, but I am planning to take off on Friday and with a different mindset and goal in mind to relax.

It should be an interesting trip, my friend Diana and I will be going and staying with old co-worker Josh, who graciously offered to let us stay with him. A friend from my recent past and friend from my current day. Josh has taken a more spiritual path since he moved back to Santa Cruz from NYC a few years ago, I am hoping he can share some of his insights with me.

After my break up, I was in a bit of shambles to say the least, but it has been over a month since the initial conversation we had, and while I am not 100% better, I am in a better place with where I am in regards to everything. All of my friends have told me, to focus on myself during this time, so I am hoping this trip will also give me more insights into myself and what I want and need.

Please feel free to share your stories and journeys, I would love to hear them!

Happy Earth Day from Escondido Falls!

Happy Earth Day from Escondido Falls in Malibu, CA!

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Daniel, Ian & I went for a hike in Malibu at Escondido Falls. It was a fun hike, however the end of the hike was a bit anti-climatic so would suggest other hikes if you have more time. The waterfall sadly had dried up and all we were left with was the little droplets in this photo. This hike was good exercise and a good moderate hike for the summer heat for about 1.5 hours, including the walk to/from the parking lot.

First Time to an Apple Orchard

Today I went to Aamodt’s Apple Farm in Stillwater, MN, this was also my first time at an apple orchard!

As a city girl, I was astonished by the number of apple trees at the apple farm and they even had a grape vineyard to make wine! While we missed the apple picking season, there were still a ton of apple and products for you to indulge in! My favorite was the apple cider and the deep dish apple pie muffins! I had never even heard of deep dish apple pie muffins, but they were AMAZING!

I can not wait until next year to go apple picking!

Dia de Muertos in Mexico City

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I had the amazing pleasure of taking part in some festivities for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico City this year!

Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday to celebrate and remember those who have passed away. This holiday is celebrated on October 31 to November 2nd.

Candy Skeleton & Pan de Muerto

Candy Skeleton & Pan de Muerto

For Dia de los Muertos, families will create an ofrenda, which is kind of similar to an alter/shrine created for those who have passed away. The ofrendas feature a photo of the deceased and includes the 4 elements, water, wind, earth and fire in the form of papel picado, flowers, sugar skulls and candles.

Catrina is the skeleton figure that is often associated with Dia de Muertos, who honors and protects those who have passed away.

Check out some of the amazing ofrendas designed by my team in Mexico City this year!