October 27, 2014
I’m pretty pleased to share that the beaut above was arranged by yours truly and made this weekend at The Library Shop’s workshop with Native Poppy. As a thank you for recently featuring her on the blog, Natalie of Native Poppy graciously invited me to take part in the floral workshop. Here’s what that and the rest of my weekend looked like:
October 20, 2014
One of the greatest things about living in California is being close to such diverse landscapes that are just a hop, skip and—in the case of Sedona—a short flight away.
If you’ve heard of Sedona, then you know that it’s considered a sacred place, one revered by New Age thinkers and lambasted by skeptics. The former believe the town has a unique cosmic energy, a certain electromagnetic force that stirs up something in most people—if you’re open to it. I am open to it, so when I visited Sedona on a recent trip, I was all ears…and eyes…and heart.
I may not have had any earth-shattering realizations or resolved latent emotional issues, but Sedona did make an impression on me. There’s a different brand of silence and stillness there, and it forces you to be a little extra introspective. My mind chilled out and meditating all of a sudden seemed less like a challenge. The place just lends itself to looking inward.
Self-fulfilling prophecy or not, the place undoubtedly makes for a dynamite getaway.
Along with other journalists on assignment, we spent most of our time at the resort—in sprawling luxury cottages with two TVs, three different showers and a fireplace—and got a taste of all the cool stuff Sedona is famous for, like spa treatments, hiking and those famous Pink Jeep tours.
Here are some scenes from my trip:
October 13, 2014
From what I’ve heard and read, Minneapolis has undergone a huge change in the last 10 or so years. Thanks to growing food, design and blogging scenes, the one-half of Minnesota’s Twin Cities has become quite the creative hotbed. So when Eaman needed to me to tag along on his work trip to Minneapolis, I was more than happy to join.
Armed with suggestions from my friend and Minneapolis native Annie D’Souza of Worthy Pause (and the new site The Midwestival), here’s what I indulged in while there:
September 17, 2014
I often forget that we live in a place that most consider a vacation destination. Sure, I go to the beach and body board and can eat al fresco any night, but I also work and go to Target and pick up groceries and schlep laundry. It’s easy to forget that we’re in paradise over here.
Take stunning, well-manicured Coronado. Typically we go there for the dog beach, and it’s a very in-and-out affair: Try to get Teddy to stop eating seaweed, chuck the ball for him a few hundred times and head back home. I know Coronado is a vacation spot, but I hardly ever stop to appreciate the fact. So when I got invited to check out Hotel del Coronado’s new Del Beach cabana service and enjoy a day at the luxury property, it was like I saw a whole new side to my city.
Designed by the team behind Miami’s Delano and Fontainebleau Hotels, Del Beach launched this summer, offering lounge chairs, daybeds, umbrellas, and food and drink service right on the beach. It’s basically the ultimate waterfront set-up, and paired with other indulgences—massages, pool time and one ridiculously awesome s’mores cheesecake—it made for an ideal, albeit luxurious, daycation. It also served as a great reminder to explore the hotel more, even to just walk around, have a drink or grab ice cream. It’s a charming, historic and regal place that’s just a few miles from downtown and more than anywhere I’ve been in San Diego, it gives me the feeling that I’ve really gotten away.
Here’s a little diary of our day:
September 12, 2014
Up until just a few months ago, I had never been to Mexico, which is crazy because I’ve been to far-off locales like Malaysia, Myanmar, Patagonia and New Zealand. But Mexico? I had never set foot in the land of super cocina and beautiful beaches until a June work trip sent me on my inaugural visit to the country, specifically to the the laid-back beach town of Rosarito.
In just two days us journalists and bloggers had a gastro-extravangaza. We indulged in the region’s famous Puerto Nuevo lobster, attended the first annual craft beer fest, stopped by the city’s first winery, met the family behind a local organic produce market, visited organic farms and had the best tacos of my life at Tacos El Yaqui (photo above), a small, nondescript shack that always has a line spilling onto the street. You can read my full story in the current issue of San Diego Magazine here.
The best part was that all of this is just a short drive from San Diego, and that’s why I wanted to partner with Baja California Tourism on a cool contest that gives you the chance to win a trip to the Baja region for a three-night stay. Here’s the deal:
1. Follow @Discoverbaja on Twitter
2. Send a tweet and tell us how you “Do Baja,” including hash tag #DoBaja. For example: “@Discoverbaja when I #DoBaja, I snorkel in the Sea of Cortez.”
3. Extra entries will be given for tweeting a personal photo of Baja and tagging both @Discoverbaja and #DoBaja
*Contest ends October 1* UPDATE: Contest now ends November 1!
I’ll be going on my own Baja trip in the next couple of months and can’t wait to share my experience. Mexico, Round 2? I’m ready!
Good luck to everyone participating and happy Friday!
This post is in partnership with Baja California Tourism. Thanks for supporting the collaborations that bring fresh content to My SoCal’d Life.
September 3, 2014
The East Coast may be my original home and San Diego my new home, but Chicago will always hold a special place in my heart. It was where I went to college and though my campus was just outside the city in Evanston, I spent tons of time downtown, eating, drinking, dancing, biking and playing. Every time I return, it’s like a homecoming.
With my friend’s wedding in Michigan over Labor Day, Eaman and I decided to make a trip out of it, starting in Chicago, where we saw his sister and some of my favorite friends and hit up all our favorite food spots. San Diego is a city in theory, but it’s really more of a suburb with urban flair. I do miss public transportation (a lot) and city streets and the busy rush (sometimes), so being in Chicago was like giving love to a side of me that I’ve been neglecting for the last few years. Chicago also happens to be one of the most beautiful big cities ever, so walking around, especially by the Lincoln Park Zoo and by Lake Michigan, was such a treat. (I would definitely live in Chicago if it weren’t so cold in the winters.)
We then headed up to Camp Newaygo, a summer camp one hour from Grand Rapids, where the main wedding festivities took place. Our friends planned the most perfect wedding: a lakeside ceremony, intimate reception and a full day of camp activities, like kayaking, archery, zip-lining and swimming on Sunday. The camp itself was beautiful—I can forgive the mosquitos—and staying in dorm bunk beds with a bunch of 20- and 30-somethings took me right back to college.
There was something really lovely about feeling isolated in nature, plus it was the first real relaxing vacation Eaman and I have taken together since our big trip, and I’m not going to lie, there’s a bit of post-vacation blues around these parts right now.
Let’s relive it together, shall we?
July 11, 2014
All my trips revolve around food. Seeing friends, sure. Seeing sights, sometimes. But food is always number one. And for short ones like my recent 1.5 days in San Francisco, it’s all about packing in as much as my stomach will allow.
Having visited SF a handful of times already, I’ve seen most of the neighborhoods, so my friends recommended Eaman and I spend our day off from wedding festivities in the Mission, which I had been to during my last visit, and Hayes Valley, which was new to me. Both areas are filled with cafes, trendy boutiques, and popular eateries (i.e. Pizzeria Delfina), but Hayes is slightly more upscale—like New York City’s SoHo or West Village.
Here, 6 things to eat, drink, and do, but first, let me set the scene…
July 9, 2014
I had always wondered why Californians were so passionately pro-California. As an East Coaster without much experience on the Left Coast, I was baffled by the superiority complex. Also, having been born in New York and spending my formative post-college years in Manhattan, I was contractually obligated to always lend a pfft whenever a Calfornian got on his or her high horse. But after driving up the scenic Highway 1 (or Pacific Coast Highway or PCH) last week to a wedding in San Francisco, I get it. California is friggin’ awesome. The classic route traverses some of the most dramatic and awe-inspiring vistas I’ve ever seen—a mix of yell0w-green hills, verdant mountains, and spooky bluffs—and it never failed to impress me that everything we were seeing was encapsulated into one state.
Our route involved going inland around nearby Orange County and L.A. (which we can visit anytime) and starting the PCH in Santa Barbara. As it got dark towards the tail end of the Big Sur region, we decided to hit the faster inland route. I wish we had more time to stop and explore—2 weeks would’ve been ideal—but we had to get to SF that night. So we stopped for brunch and wherever a view piqued our interest, and though we rarely paused for more than 10 minutes and were really booking it the last few hours, we spent a whopping 17 hours in the car. Not for the faint of heart.
Yes, we were a tad delirious when we rolled up into the Applebee’s in Gilroy* for something, anything to eat. Yes, I was completely bleary-eyed when we stumbled into our friends’ SF apartment. And yes, it took us a few days to recover from the exhuastion, but it was still worth it. Absolutely. And here’s my photo diary that explains why:
When I think Santa Barbara, I think beaches and glitz, but the downtown area is funky, beautiful, and quaint. It reminded us of The Hamptons, Orange County, and a university town rolled into one. Brunch at Tupelo Junction Cafe was wonderful because you could tell just how fresh everything was, from the berry compote in my baguette-style French toast to the meat in Eaman’s burger. And for good measure, we hit up one beach, Goleta Beach by UCSB’s campus. Those are some spoiled and lucky students right there.
