April 2013

April 30, 2013

The Miami Diaries: Espanola Way

Crochet Tunic Dress c/o Studio 12.20

Forever 21 Skinny Belt

Vintage Bag via Goodwill

Love Knot Sandals c/o fibi & clo

After spending a day at the beach, we decided to explore the downtown area of Miami Beach, which caused us to stumble upon the gold mine which is Española Way. It's located on 14th street, between Washington and Pennsylvania Avenues, and it's filled with mom and pop boutiques, restaurants, and cafes. Española Way is a historic Spanish village, one of Miami Beach's first historic landmarks, which is home to a variety of dining experiences including Italian, Cuban, Spanish, French, and Mexican food. Can you say heaven? We treated ourselves to dinner that evening at a Mexican restaurant and then we came back for a Cuban lunch the next day (posts to come). My stomach is grumbling at the thought of it.

One of my favorite stops along Española Way was a cute, little gelato shop (Milani Gelateria) with some of the best gelato I've ever tasted. They let us taste little spoonfuls of each flavor but in the end I gave in to Pistachio.

Apparently, during the nighttime, the whole cobblestone street comes alive with live music, twinkling lights, and dancing. We were never in the area past the sunset but next time we'll definitely be stopping by at night.

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April 28, 2013

The Miami Diaries: The Arms of the Ocean Deliver Me

Victoria's Secret Bikini Top, Bikini Bottom
Forever 21 Shorts
Love Knot Sandals c/o fibi & clo

During our second day in Miami, we decided to keep the daytime alcohol-free. We finally understood why all the restaurants were still handing out their breakfast menus around noon - Miami definitely works on a more relaxed schedule than New York City and you rarely see anyone running around, trying to make a deadline. That might explain why our servers are so hard to wave down as well.

After grabbing a simple brunch at a nearby cafe, we spent the morning tanning (and burning) on the beautiful Miami beaches. On our way there we passed a bunch of rental bikes and we couldn't resist riding along the coast later in the afternoon. I haven't had a decent bike ride since high school and I forgot just how much I missed feeling the wind in my hair and like I didn't have a care in the world. Bikes? So underrated. If only I wasn't so scared of the NYC traffic to invest in a bike of my own.

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April 27, 2013

The Miami Diaries: Mansion Nightclub & Promoters

Mesh Who? Cut Out Dress c/o Lulu*s

For our first night out in Miami, it took us forever to pick a club. I was leaning towards Cameo since A$AP ROCKY was playing there that night but we ended up heading to Mansion since it was such a Miami hot spot. Mansion was awesome in terms of the venue - I loved the atmosphere and the underwater theme. On the other hand, the music was pretty dull and it was full of drunk bachelor and bachelorette parties. We left pretty quickly and headed into a dive bar (which is definitely the most fun I had that night) before heading home from an exhausting day. Miami clubs? A bit overrated.

Our biggest mistake of the night was definitely being fooled by promoters. Since we weren't familiar with the deals in the area, we ended up paying $55 for a deal which includes a two hour open bar, a limo ride to three clubs, and free cover. Sounds like a good deal, right? Except for the fact that it was actually $25. We learned our lesson the following nights but just a heads up if you're in the area.

P.S. If you're looking for an awesome hotel in Miami for a great price, Hotel Clifton had some pretty sick deals and it was close to all the bars and restaurants.

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April 26, 2013

The Miami Diaries: Mexican Bulldogs Galore

Since we were still waiting for our hotel room to be ready, after landing in Miami, we stopped by Cardoza Bar & Grill for a relaxing and boozy lunch. Both the lunch and breakfast specials were really cheap (which is pretty consistent all over Miami Beach) but the drinks were pretty crazy. Nira had her eye on the blue Mexican Bulldog sitting on display so we all decided to get different flavors to try them all out. Not to be biased or anything, but the Strawberry Mexican Bulldog was definitely the best of the three.

The only complaint I had about this place was the subpar service. It was often hard to get our server's attention and he didn't tell us about the 2 for 1 special until we asked about it. So if you're ever in Miami and want to stop by, definitely be sure to ask. They also aren't keen on people sharing drinks so you're going to have to down those two bad boys yourself. And if you're thinking, "2 for 1? How did you finish two entire Mexican Bulldogs in one sitting?" Well, truth is, I'm a champ.

Actually, that's not true at all (although I am a champ). We didn't finish our drinks in one sitting but we were able to get our second drinks in giant to-go containers. A successful boozy lunch? Yes indeed.

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April 24, 2013

The Miami Diaries: City That Keeps the Roof Blaring

I'm finally back from my trip in Miami and, boy, are there a lot of stories to share with you guys. I can't wait to take you through my hot mess adventures as well as all the drool-worthy restaurants we stopped by.

We landed at the airport around 9 AM on Saturday and by 10:30 AM we were lying on the beach in our bathing suits, 100% ready to get our tan on. We needed a break from our jobs in the city so bad that there was no time to spare. It also helps that our hotel room wasn't ready so we had nothing else to do but wait on the beach. No complaints here. One thing that I have to unwillingly admit, is that Florida beaches beat out the Jersey shore when it comes to beauty and cleanliness. The water was incredibly turquoise and I couldn't stop marveling at every wave.

Victoria's Secret Bikini (Top & Bottom)
Pink Crop Tee c/o Chicnova (similar)
Express Destroyed Denim Cutoffs
T-Strap Thong Sandals c/o Lulu*s

After lying around on the beach for a while, my friends and I decided to start off Day 1 with a boozy lunch. I'll be sharing the details of our lunch in my next post! To be honest, we might have gone a little over board with the buy 1 get 1 (to go) Mexican Bulldogs though, which completely explains why I look so silly and so happy in the second half of my outfit pictures. It also explains why I lost my shoe in the first picture above, and why I thought I was a palm tree in the second picture above. No shame in my game, yo.

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April 22, 2013

Sunday Explorations in Lower Manhattan

After grabbing brunch last Sunday, my friends and I decided to explore the Lower Manhattan area. I have a goal of really getting to know different areas of the city before I decide to leave and pack my bags for the west coast in a couple of years. Lower Manhattan was definitely a lot younger than I expected and it feels like somewhere I would love to live. If only rent was cheaper in downtown New York City. There were so many bars, restaurants, and cute little businesses around every street corner. I managed to find a 16 Handles, which is definitely one of the best frozen yogurt places. Hands down. After drowning ourselves in frozen yogurt, we sat in the nearby plaza and basked in the beautiful, spring weather. Perfect Sunday afternoon? Definitely.

DKNY Trench Coat

Madewell Llama T-Shirt

H&M Corduroy Skirt

Camera Bag via Monisha & Nira

Classic Mocs c/o LAMO Mocassins

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April 21, 2013

Brunch at Pinche Taqueria

Since my friend Kirsten was visiting the city last weekend, we decided to treat ourselves to a hungover brunch on Sunday morning (along with my friend Lindsay). Grabbing brunch always makes me feel like such a typical New Yorker, but I don't blame New Yorkers for loving brunch so much - there's way too many delicious places to try.

Instead of the usual brunch adventures, which usually involve pancakes, eggs benedict, and fancy breakfast platters, we decided to switch things up a bit and go for Mexican food. Since we were heading downtown anyway for a Literary Festival, we stopped by Pinche Taqueria and I was blown away by how much delicious food we got for such cheap prices. I ended up having leftovers for lunch the next day at work. It's always worth it when I have leftovers for lunch.

If you're ever in the area, check it out! But speaking of food recommendations, would you guys want to see more of these? I'm starting to love the idea of documenting my favorite places to eat (partly because I have a horrible memory). Let me know!