Travel to Austin

Austin, TX

Recently I got to experience Austin for the first time and it coincided with the week they had their coldest weather of the year.  It was below 30 degrees and definitely the dead of winter.  Being the total tourists, my partner Daniel and I still walked all over the city center, biked through a few of the trails and spent our time outdoors as if it were 72 degrees and sunshine.  The clouds never broke through which made it feel like the same time everyday. There were no leaves on trees, it rained a couple of the days and sprinkled for the rest.  By the end of our trip I must be honest and say that yes, we would live there. The people were wonderful, the food extraordinary and navigating our way around was efficient.  The windchill cannot damper the personality and charm this great town has to offer. 

Here are my top 10 highlights. 

The JW Marriott

The JW Marriott was just two weeks new upon our arrival.  Excellent service, essentially 2-4 blocks from most anywhere in downtown and the current hotspot bars and restaurants are housed in their lobby.  They have a fitness center and gorgeous 5th floor pool overlooking half of the downtown and the Colorado River.  

http://www.jwmarriottaustin.com

Lamberts Restaurant

Lamberts is part upscale restaurant, and part live music venue. The food is unbelievable, we had the fried green tomato appetizer with crab louie served on top which was a highlight.  My personal favorite was what is considered a Texas staple, Frito Pie.  It is traditionally chili and cheese served over a bed of Frito's, but here they switch out the chili for pulled pork.  It isn't on the restaurant menu but they will still prepare it for you.  This was my favorite BBQ dish of the entire trip.  Their sauce was tangy and perfectly sweet to complement any meat.  They also give you options of three different house BBQ's varying from mild to spicy.  Reservations recommended.  

http://www.lambertsaustin.com

Sixth Street

Sixth Street is the lifeline of the city and what gives this place  the title "Live Music Capital of the World". There is something for everyone in terms of music selection and whether you're looking for a dive bar to listen to some old fashioned rock n' roll, or more of a jazzy ambience.  This area is easy to explore considering everything is walking distance.  You can check out a few clubs before you decide on one to hunker down into.  This street is the home to SXSW and no trip would be complete without a visit.  

http://6street.com

Congress Bridge

The Congress "Bat" Bridge is gorgeous to walk across any time of day.  When you stand at the south side looking north, you can clearly see the historical Capitol Building.  It makes for a great photo of the skyline.  In warmer months, it is home to 1.5 million bats that come out at dusk everyday and fly out into the city.  The bats were vacationing in Mexico on our trip there so we missed one of the key rituals, which is standing on the bridge while the bats ascend out into the downtown.  

Bat Bridge website

SoCo

SoCo is the most charming neighborhood and is short for South of Congress. It is a melting pot of antique shops, food trucks, clothing boutiques, restaurants and bars.  I highly recommend perusing it for a few hours and then stopping at Guero's for a tex-mex snack of nachos or queso flambeado to gain back some strength.  'Hey Cupcake' is one of the more popular dessert food trucks, and though I am not a fan of cupcakes, I did buy a couple to take back to the hotel, because they are moist and the frosting isn't too sugary.  The only depressing thing about walking around this area is seeing late 80's, early 90's items in some of the antique stores... when did my high school digital alarm clock become a novelty?

http://www.austintexas.org/listings/south-congress-ave-soco-/4359/

San Jose Hotel

San Jose Hotel is right at the start of the SoCo district and is where you can find us on our next venture out to Austin.  They are charming mid-century bungalows that are reminiscent of a movie set.  We got to walk around the property and it is very representative of the atmosphere and flavor of Austin. 

 http://www.sanjosehotel.com/hotel/

The Contemporary Museum

The Contemporary Museum has two locations and this review is for the downtown spot.  It's manageable size only requires that you carve out an hour or so to see any exhibit they are offering.  It won't dominate your day, but it will enhance your Austin experience.  On our visit it was the 'Boombox Perspective' and the selection with its musical aspect made perfect sense.  

http://www.thecontemporaryaustin.org

Austin B-Cycle

Austin B-Cycle is this city's answer to Citibikes and are readily available throughout the downtown and hotspots.  They are equipped with a basket so you can bring back any medium sized shopping items.  It's a bargain at only 8 dollars for the day and there are numerous pick up and drop off locations everywhere.  There are also many park trails and river trails so you can take in the outdoors, which even in the cold of winter was beautiful. 

https://austin.bcycle.com 

Jo's Coffee

Jo's Coffeeshop has the best coffee we had in the city.  It had enough kick to get your day going and they serve another Texas staple- the breakfast taco.  California has the breakfast burrito, now I have had the breakfast taco and Im obsessed with both.  Jo's had a few selections to pick from and they wrap it in foil for those on the go.  They are the perfect light breakfast starter.  

http://joscoffee.com

OCH

Oil Can Harry's is a must if you are into dancing and a drag show.  The music selection is a nice mix of pop hits and not overdone with all the electronic music that isn't really danceable.  They have their schedule of performances on their website and most of the nights have themes.  It is great people watching and any fan of "RuPaul's Drag Race" can regularly see one of the current or previous castmates here.  

http://www.oilcanharrys.com

Travel to Cambria, CA 2014

Weekend Getaway to Cambria, CA

Cambria is a tucked away, cute, little seaside town along the Pacific Coast Highway.  From Los Angeles it is about 3 hours north, 4 if you take the coast.  I have visited before more as a stopover to other coastal destinations, but never really gave it a fair visit all to its own.  My partner and I had the opportunity to join my Mom out in Cambria to celebrate a Mother's Day weekend retreat and being the busybodies we are, we really got to cover a lot of territory.  So here's my 'Must List' for Cambria!

Sow's Ear

Our weekend started with this quaint restaurant on Main Street.  It has the most adorable tiny pig decorations, hence the name, and it felt like walking into your grandma's cabin home that she has been cooking in all day.  It is cozy and inviting, and your dinner starts off with the most amazing moist bread served to you in a terra-cotta pot.  I am all about comfort foods so I ordered Chicken dumplings after we shared the appetizer plate of Mac 'n Cheese.  They had to wheel me out of there by the end of our dinner.  Note to city folk: we had the latest reservation of the night at 8pm.  This town quiets down pretty early but that makes it all the more relaxing.  

http://thesowsear.com

Moonstone Beach

  

Named after the stones that used to wash up on shore, I'm not sure if they still do to this day but nonetheless, this beach is gorgeous.  It has a boardwalk thats more New England style than the ones we are used to down in southern california, and that only adds to the charm. It is literally wooden boards that you walk on and it is flanked in that beachy ground cover with those pretty little miniature pink flowers.   I love how the wind hardly ever stops coming in from off the shore, creating beautiful choppy waves and windswept looking trees all along the way.  

San Simeon Hearst Castle

 

Hearst Castle is a big draw in the Cambria area, and rightfully so.  It is our smaller scale west coast version of Versailles and offers a not so distant peek into history and Hollywood's Golden era.  William Randolph Hearst's opulence and love of art are clearly on display. There are a number of different selections of tours depending on what you are interested in seeing.  We booked the evening tour which recreates a 1933 party that Hearst commonly threw and invited many of that days biggest stars.  There are even people there in full character recreating a walls eye view for us as spectators.  The tour was unique and introspective to a side of Hearst I hadn't heard as much about.  That particular tour is only offered in Spring and Fall as it was already getting pretty warm in some of those villas due to the fact that air conditioning hadn't been invented at that time yet.  There is also a new tour called the "Hollywood VIP tour" that for the price of $100 per person gets you your own personal guide, and the opportunity to visit practically every room in the house.  Definitely something I would be interested in next time I go. 

http://hearstcastle.org

Shops on Main Street

Tourism is the business in Cambria and for that reason Main Street has everything from coffee shops, to  old school diners and art galleries.  You can spend a major portion of your day (and wallet) just cruising along.  There's something for the entire family, kids stores, culinary centric, and gardening nurseries.  The brick work, wooden cottages and two lane street make it easy to imagine what the town was like during its original inception.  

The Olallieberry 

The olallieberry is the grandchild of the raspberry, the dewberry and the blackberry and tastes similar to a boysenberry.  It grows predominantly in California and especially near Cambria.  They are served in many of the dishes from pies, to vinegars and chocolates.  We came home with a medium sized container of jam and actually just finished the last of it today.  It was perfect served on multigrain toast!  

Garden Inspiration

Fairy gardens have become more and more popular and Cambria is one of those towns that you would expect to find them throughout all the cottage homes and of course those garden shops I mentioned before.  The pictures seen here are from one of those boutiques called Spellbound's backyard.  A good quarter of their yard was decked out in a fairy village featuring walkways, bridges and even Hogwart's Castle.  Super cute!  Some of the other nurseries sell rare succulent varieties and unique Artist renditions of pottery that you can bring back with you to remember your trip.  

San Simeon Pines

I didn't get to stay here but definitely checked it out and will be doing so next time I am here.  The cabins have their own fireplaces, and are right across the water.   They have croquet in the front lawn area as well as a mini golf and larger golf course access.  It's the perfect spot for simple access to the beach and boardwalk, and looks like a smaller version of the place featured in 'Dirty Dancing'.  Nobody puts baby in the corner here!

http://www.sspines.com

White Water Inn 

Located right next door to San Simeon Pines on Moonstone Beach Dr. is the White Water Inn.  It has a view of the water as well in most of the rooms and the upgraded rooms feature their own jacuzzis right on the patio.  Perfect for going out to watch the stars at night, that you don't get to see as much if you live in well lit areas.  The sounds of the ocean and the cool breeze make it easy to stay in and really relax for while longer than you normally might.  

http://www.whitewaterinn.com/index.html

Robin's restaurant 

Located right off Main St. on Burton Dr. this indoor outdoor restaurant has a great varied diverse selection.  Dishes are prepared and displayed beautifully and the flavors match the presentation.  It's hard to pick just one or two things so I recommend sharing and doing tapas style so that you can try a few different plates.  A definite must try if you're only there for lunch or dinner.  

http://www.robinsrestaurant.com/home

Day trip to Paso Robles 

My partner and my mom are wine connoisseurs and I am the DD and photographer.  Paso has some offerings for the non drinker.  There are some wineries that do honey tastings, oil tastings and that serve food and live music.  The drive over from Cambria is worth it all on its own, the rolling hills, groves of trees and the farm homes are pure bliss to take in.  And for any budding photographers, it is a great place to go be distracted.  

Thanks for reading and until next week, happy travels!

Travel to... NYC

NYC Highlights

I am fortunate to get to travel to Manhattan once a year partly for work and also to curb my thirst for the cultural experience.  NYC is ever changing and the juxtaposition of the more historic architecture amidst the fluidity of the inspiring shop windows, keep me coming back for more.  I was ecstatic to hear that our L'oreal Professionnel Artist Foundation for fall will be held right in the heart of the city and a looking forward to see what Broadway has to offer in terms of shows during that time.  My last visit to NYC was centered around an editorial styling class I partook in, and I had the opportunity to learn firsthand the trends and techniques straight from Fashion Week, hot off the runway.  I packed my trip full of as many experiences as I could and am listing them in my first ever 'NYC Must List'.

The Meatball Shop

It always starts with food doesn't it?  Especially in a city bursting with most of the top culinary artists in the world.  I am definitely a meat eater and with the simple design-it-yourself options, this is a definite crowd pleaser.  You get to play chef with choices from the meat selection, sauces and a la carte sides.  I  opted for the smaller sliders so tha I could really get a true taste of what they had to offer.  

http://themeatballshop.com

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

Completed over 130 years ago, this is an iconic NYC structure and I have walked across it in both day and night time.  Both offer spectacular views of the skyline, plan a sunset time walk across and enjoy the twinkling lights at night on your way back into the city.

Gild Hall Hotel

Located in the bustling Financial District, this woodsy hotel becomes so serene and offers a view of quite the different side of what you expect from the city that never sleeps.  I really enjoyed the modern cabin-esque decor and it offered nearby access to all the major trains and more importantly, great coffee shops.  Click here for the site.

Central Park

This is the crowning jewel of the city, the perfect blend of nature amidst man's handiwork.  The paths weave through trees, tunnels, grassy knolls and open up to show you the skyline from the true heart of the city.  You can get your cardio on and jog through the maze, bike and even take a horse drawn carriage ride.  The park is truly representative of the season, with its turning leaves in autumn, bare branches in winter, blooming flowers in spring and Shakespeare in the park in summer.  I don't feel complete without at least a visit to the park during one of my stays here.  

http://www.centralparknyc.org

Ippudo NY

Comfort food, ramen in the city.  With two locations, this is a perennial go to for me.  Start with the pork buns appetizer and then select your choice of base for your ramen, which sounds easy but with seasonal offerings and the option to add more noodles to your broth, my eyes are always way bigger than my stomach when I come here.  

http://www.ippudony.com

Shake Shack

Having heard that this was the In-N-Out of the east coast, I was curious to try out what they had to offer.  I waited in line and then for my meal a total of 45 minutes and must say, I was not disappointed at all.  This place lives up to the hype for sure, and maybe it's because I am spoiled with the opportunity to have In-NOut whenever I feel like it, but this is a very close comparison if not a bit better?  Go big when you try it and order the double stack, a portobella mushroom over a beef patty and get the cheese fries and shake.  It's the only way to do an accurate comparison.  

http://www.shakeshack.com

Broadway Show du jour

Countless offerings, there is literally something for everyone.  What I love about the theaters here is that they are intimate and it is hard to have a bad seat in the house.  I myself favor more of a dramatic play, there's nothing like being that close to that kind of art and watch a performance unfold and stay with you throughout the day.  'The Glass Menagerie' was the last performance I saw here and one of the best I have ever seen. Musicals here are pretty incredible, the amount of talent and dedication is on display and transports you to a Disneyland for all ages.

Laduree

A little taste of Paris on our side of the Atlantic, these little macaroons are so stylish and so addictive. I was ecstatic when I learned they opened a stateside location here in the upper east side, and this is the best treat to have while window shopping all of the Boutiques and Ateliers.  It's also the best packaging to souvenir gift someone you already bought two Statues of Liberty.

http://www.laduree.com/en_int/

The High Line

What used to be a railway for freight trains, is now one of the most enchanting walks and exhibit for modern art.  It was built to help carry heavy cargo between the west village and became dilapidated in 1980.  After many years of efforts, phase 1 of it opened to the public in 2009, and today there are three phases of it open taking you through the Meatpacking District and Chelsea. It offers gorgeous views of the west side and has multiple entrances throughout the way.  The north end of it is still in development and will become a small shopping area with what appear to be restaurants and boutiques.  

http://www.thehighline.org

Museum of Sex

Located in the Flatiron District, this museum offers information on everything from reproduction in the animal kingdom, to human sexuality over the years in all its varieties.  There is a rotating exhibit as well as interesting art pieces made from objects that might surprise you.  You get a voyeuristic peek into many fetishes and the gift shop has some of the funniest souvenirs to bring back home.  There are only a few cities that would welcome and be home to a museum like this and for the adventurous tourist, I think it is worth a visit.  

http://www.museumofsex.com

Bleeker Street Pizza

No NYC list is complete without at least one mention of a pizza joint.  Sold by the slice so you can try a few different styles, this is my go to place for pizza.  Voted the best pizza by the Food Network, and endorsed by all the celebs you see posed with the owners on the walls, it does not disappoint.  

the ambience is more hole in the wall and it probably hasn't been updated since the mid 80's but that is what gives it its charm and authenticity.  

http://bleekerstreetpizza.net

This is the first of what will most likely become my yearly must list on NYC, as it has so manyexperiences to offer.  If you have a favorite, feel free to include it in the comment section below, and with that I will leave you with the inspired final look from the editorial styling class.  Until next week... take care!

Travel to...Lynchburg, VA

Lovely Lynchburg, Virginia

I have the fortunate opportunity to travel for education withmy  Loreal Professionnel job as an Educator for them and this years' fall Artist Foundation was held in Virginia.  A historical city nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains is also known as "the city of seven hills" and has a few noteworthy attractions.  After spending the day in its downtown with my camera in hand, I noticed that the seemingly once lively downtown is more of a relic filled with antique stores and deserted  buildings.  Worn off advertisements on brick buildings yearn for the audience that used to parade these streets.  Downtown Lynchburg was at first to me, disappointing and a little sad.  Coming from a populous area of California, that is pretty constant with its growth rate, I wandered around hoping to see some signs of rebirth, or construction.  The beautiful dilapidated homes on the hillside overlooking downtown, hint at the Gatsby-esque balls and parties that could've been held there; now either boarded-up empties or never-updated homes in a less affluent area.  I was urged to look closer, and appreciate the beauty, the promise of this town and so I kept returning, for dinner, for strolling and I began to see that spark happening, with the buzz of a salon converted from an apartment building or a now 4 star hotel that used to be a shoe factory.  Perhaps this is as good as it gets for this town anymore? or maybe in ten years it could be like San Diego's redeveloped Gaslamp district?  Thats not for everyone I suppose; I'm not even sure myself how I feel about many of our western towns becoming so homogenous with their urban outfitters and lululemons. I think it was me and my opinion that needed to change and see the town for its museum-like preserved qualities and the picture it paints of the south that if you are passing through,  consider staying for a look.  

Craddock Terry Hotel used to be a shoe factory with one of their main products being combat boots for World War II

Schewels is one of the only still successful stores on Main St in its original location with locations throughout as well.

Thomas Jefferson Poplar Forest

Located out in the suburbs area of Lynchburg is one of Thomas Jefferson's estates. It was a summer home of his that he was adding onto up until his death.  Pictured to the right is one of the "necessaries" or outhouses that were used at the time. I must say it is the nicest outhouse I've seen thus far!

http://www.poplarforest.org

  
About 45 miles outside of Lynchburg are The Natural Caverns and Natural Bridge.  If you are a fan of wonders, I highly recommend the drive.  Its scenic in itself and once you get here you are greatly rewarded.  The caverns are thousands of years old, and are closed during rain due to the fact that they are underground and become a river for the water.

http://www.naturalbridgeva.com/caverns-natural-bridge-virginia.php

The Natural Bridge gave me a sense of peace just to see it.  Carved out by a creek/river that just chipped away at it over thousands of years, it stands there now with a highway on top of it...

The view from underneath the Natural Bridge

A few of the other highlights I would like to mention-

Jimmy's on James Restaurant- Live music and good food make this a go to in downtown.  The walls are flanked with pictures of old Hollywood and I ate my fried green tomato crab crake stakc listening to songs by Sinatra and Bennett. 

http://www.jimmysonthejames.com

The Muse Coffee-  The best coffee I had during my stay in Lynchburg.  Full bodied, flavorful, great service and love the mini upstairs. Hip ambience and it became my go to after sampling other less superior spots.  I even purchased a bag to bring home!

http://www.themusecoffeeco.com

Biscuitville-  This place caught my attention as the line literally wrapped around the block.  It is just the sort of greasy spot you would expect to come across in the south.  I was good by only ordering a snack but when in Lynchburg...

My accomodations were setup through Loreal, and I wouldnt really recommned it.  If staying in Lynchburg, you must stay at the Craddock Terry Hotel and i would have changed my accomodations but they were not available for my time frame. A lovely hotel with its own restaurant "Shoemakers'. 

http://www.craddockterryhotel.com

Thank you for reading and coming next week is a fashion review of the MTV video awards!

Apparently they think they still play music videos?!