Our NYC Trip

Leave a comment January 30, 2019 Miles of Menus

 

Day 1

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3

 

 

 

I was beyond excited that this past December I got the chance to travel back to one of my favorite places, New York! New York is such a wonderful, vibrant place that is so different than any other place I’ve ever been. There’s so much to explore and do and eat that it can honestly be a little overwhelming to narrow it down to what you should plan for your trip. That being said…I’ve written down some tips that I learned planning this trip as well as a roundup of things that we did + where we stayed + what we ate.

First up, some tips!

1. We wanted to go at Christmas time, but not pay an extreme amount or get caught in crazy crowds. We ended up booking our trip for the first weekend in December and it was perfect! The tree at Rockefeller Center was up and lit and the entire city was decked out, but it wasn’t too crowded! We booked our flight and hotel through Expedia back in July to avoid any surge charges closer to time.
2. Speaking of Expedia…I love it! This is the second time I’ve used Expedia when planning a trip and it is so easy to use and they are so good about updating you and communicating with you. Plus, I love that I can bundle my flight and hotel to save more money.
3. Don’t plan too much. Honestly, this was the best part about the trip! We didn’t want to schedule a bunch of shows or make a bunch of reservations because that can be stressful, especially in a city where you can get caught up exploring! Don’t get me wrong…I love me some Broadway shows but I wanted to take some time this trip to enjoy more of the city.
4. Pack comfortable shoes. Enough said.

 

Now…on to the details! Here are all the details about our trip!

Where We Stayed

We stayed at the Kimberly Hotel is this amazing, fabulous boutique hotel located in the perfect location. It’s a fifteen-minute walk from Central Park, ten minute walk to Times Square, and ten minute walk to 5^thAvenue (Aka the good shopping.) Besides its perfect location, the hotel itself exceeded our expectations with all of its accommodations. We had wonderful house keeping, helpful guest services, and a gorgeous rooftop bar and restaurant with a view of the city. Well worth spending a few extra dollars to stay somewhere as enjoyable as the Kimberly!

What We Did

         In a city like New York, you could stay there an entire month and never get through even a fraction of all the things you can do and experience there. However, we tried to make the most of our time and do some “classic” NYC things as well as some touristy things. Since we went at Christmas time, we had some holiday activities to cross off our list: see the lights at SAKs, see the tree at Rockefeller Center, and see the Radio City Rocketts Christmas Spectacular. Again, I cannot emphasize enough how amazing our hotel location was because each of these activities were a 5-7 minute walk from where we were staying! These were three things that I had wanted to do so badly for years, and they did not disappoint. If you go to New York at Christmas time I highly recommend you checking these out! We also wanted to do something special in Central Park…I’m not a big fan of horse drawn carriages simply because I don’t believe in the idea of an animal being overworked, but we were trying to decide between ice skating or a petty cab ride. Ice-skating looked so fun but there was a line and it was going to be close to one hundred dollars for both of us AND no phones allowed on the ice. (DUM DUM DUMMM) So…we investigated the petty cab situation and ended up settling on that! We had a thirty minute ride that included our driver telling us all about Central Park, famous movies that have filmed there, he let us get out and walk around, he took pictures of us, he had a blanket for us to use while we rode…it was amazing! Our ride was supposed to be thirty minutes but between all of the stops and pictures, we were probably with our guide for almost an hour! Our experience was $100 and I think it was totally worth it! We loved our guide and had such a memorable experience. Another thing that we did that I had wanted to do for a while, was visit the Chelsea Market. Now this was a good hike from our hotel, but we got to see so much of the city on our walk and it was really fun to walk around and experience this indoor market. The last special thing we did was go to the Irish pub that the T.V. show, How I Met Your Mother, based their pub off of. This excursion was definitely planned spontaneously because we knew we wanted to see something T.V./movie related and when we were googling stuff in our hotel room we came across it! It was by far one of my favorite places we went the whole trip! If you’ve seen How I Met Your Mother, this pub looks nothing like the one in the show and it is actually named McGee’s rather than MacLaren’s but it was so fun! At the bar they had a list of specialty HIMYM cocktails and the place was so warm and welcoming and decorated beautifully for Christmas! If you’re a fan of the show, I definitely recommend you checking it out.

Where We Ate

         Now for the good stuff…the food! We ate at so many wonderful places it’s honestly hard to choose a favorite. Our first night there we ate at Pazza Notte and had some DELICIOUS pasta! It was a small Italian restaurant a little off the beaten path, but we had a great time there. They also have a prefixed menu that you can enjoy that includes an appetizer, entrée, and dessert for $30! After dinner, we just had to get some banana pudding from Magnolia’s Bakery. This. Is. A. MUST if you have never been to NYC before. It is seriously the best in the world! For brunch we went to The Smith and it was delicious! Greg had some yummy eggs benedict and I had two enormous waffles with blueberry compote and bacon on the side. We did eat some pizza at just a random pizza shop we came across for dinner and honestly…it was so good! Enormous slices and juuuuustthe right amount of grease. The next day, we waited in line at Ess-a-bagel which was a place a friend of mine came across on Instagram and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! People aren’t lying when they say New Yorkers know how to make a good bagel…it was well worth the wait and I loved that I could make my own bagel sandwich! I ordered an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, bacon, and tomatoes and Greg had a lox bagel. Be warned…delicious bagels can be expensive. We also ate at the Chelsea Market while we were there and our food there was delicious! We divided and conquered and I got a deli sandwich and Greg picked up some sweet and spicy pho…made from hand tossed noodles right then and there! So good, and so fresh! Our very last supper was at PJ Clarkes, which is sort of an old school New York hangout. Definitely the sort of place you would go grab a drink after work or meet up for a nice dinner with your parents. The fries and the clam chowder…absolutely to die for! Nothing like the classics to wrap up a full weekend in the city.

 

We had such a magical time being in New York at Christmas-time and had so much fun exploring new things. If you ever get the chance I hope you make the trip there and maybe partake in some of the things we enjoyed. Happy traveling!

New Orleans Travel Guide

Leave a comment October 22, 2018 Miles of Menus

The Big Easy, Nola, The Crescent City, Naw’leans…whatever you wanna call it there is no doubt that New Orleans is an amazing city. It’s packed full of rich culture, phenomenal food, and life pulsing through every street of the city. On my most recent trip there I got to check so many things off my bucket list that I’ve been wanting to experience there. So I’ve written down a full lineup of where we stayed, where we ate, and what we did while we were in New Orleans.

Where We Stayed

While in New Orleans we stayed in an Air BnB right on Magazine Street. We were traveling with seven girls so we wanted to pick somewhere spacious but also close to a lot of things. We searched high and low for our Air BnB, mainly because most of the ones we found only had one bathroom…so definitely keep that in mind if you are looking to book a house. There was no way that we were going to have 7 girls and one bathroom, so luckily we found a place that had two!

Our house was located on Magazine Street which was a wonderful location! Tons of shops and restaurants nearby, plus it was only a 15-20 minute drive to the French Quarter. Our house had two private gates with a lock so we definitely felt very safe where we stayed. If you want to stay where we stayed, look for the “Grand Southern Charmer on Magazine Street.” Lyla was a great hostess and anytime we had a question she responded super quick!

Where We Ate

OH MAN! If there’s one thing you do while in New Orleans, you’ve got to get your hands on some of their food. Cajun, creole, bakeries, seafood…you name it and they are the experts on it. We ate at a pretty wide variety of places so we got to get a little bit of everything. I rounded up some of my favorites with some details on why I loved each so much.

Brennan’s- I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. Home of bananas foster, such a unique and warm atmosphere, the most attentive service, and the food was to die for. By far one of the most amazing dinning experiences of my life. You definitely want to make reservations for this one. We went for brunch and feasted on one of their pre-fixed menus. I ordered the “New Orleans Breakfast” which included the most addictive bowl of seafood gumbo and delicious eggs sad. I don’t know if I’ve ever ate a more thoughtfully crafted meal. Everything was prepared to perfection with a presentation to match. Another great thing about Brennan’s is the way they celebrate your special occasions! We put in our reservations that we had two birthdays (mine and a friend of ours) and they blew us out of the water. At the end of the brunch they brought EACH of us a Brennan’s apron that we were able to keep and an enormous bowl of homemade cotton candy on top of ice cream and chocolate cake. WHAT?! Do yourself a favor and put this place on your list of “must eat at places” while you’re in Nola!

Café Du Monde- The O.G. of beignets. Open 24/7 and cash only, Café Du Monde is known for serving up the best French style doughnuts in the city. This powdery treat comes three to a serving, and is very budget friendly. So grab your crew and order a couple of orders and definitely get a cafe au lait!

Neyows Creole Cafe- If I looked up ‘creole food’ in the dictionary, I’m 100% sure I would find dozens of images of Neyows cuisine. This food…y’all…THIS FOOD! I know I tend to be on the dramatic side, but this food made me emotional. Everything we had was soulful and absolutely spectacular. We gorged on grilled oysters, seafood stuffed peppers, carrot soufflé, po’ boys, and stuffing. If that doesn’t get your mouth watering, just know that this place is DJ Khalid approved. (So you know, it’s THE BEST)

Bacchanal Fine Wine- This wine bar was an absolute gem. When looking from the outside it doesn’t look like much, but once you walk in the magic really sets in. Bottles from all over the world in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors-something for everyone. There’s also a giant refrigerator filled with meats and cheeses for making your own charcuterie board. You pick the meat and cheese and pay for what you pick, then they put it together for you and add in warm bread, pickles, olives, and a variety of spreads. They’ll bring everything you order to you while you’re relaxing on their outdoor patio. This patio is decorated with twinkly lights, a hodgepodge of tables and chairs, and a stage for live music. Another great thing about this spot is once you’ve settled outside you can order more food tapas style at their kitchen. If you’re not in a particular rush, this is definitely the type of place you could spend hours and hours at.

What We Did

Well the main reason we went to New Orleans was for the Beyonce and Jay Z concert during their On The Run II tour. Other than that, we pretty much formed our trip and everything we did around that. We really wanted to plan some real deal Nola experiences so, that led us to our ghost tour and swamp tour.

Ghost Tour- I feel like its no secret that New Orleans is known for being a place with a spooky history. Vampires, voodoo, witches, werewolves…the Crescent City has it all. There are tons to pick from but we ended up booking one called the “The Haunted History Tour.” (If you pick this one-it’s the one advertised with 2 for 1 Hurricane specials.) Now we didn’t see ghost or witness a magical spell but we traveled around the French Quarter hearing a variety of bone chilling stories that took place in the very spots we were standing. Definitely a fun thing to do in any older city, and I definitely recommend finding one that your group seems interested in!

Swamp Tour- If there’s one thing  Louisiana has a lot of, it’s swamps. Now what originally prompted this venture was the Tiffany Haddish Swamp Tour story on Jimmy Kimmel. (If you haven’t watched it yet-WATCH IT NOW.)

So here we are. Seven girls plus a dozen more strangers all on a boat with zero expectations but OH MY GOODNESS was it fun! Alligators, raccoons, wild hogs, ruins…this ecosystem was a lot more beautiful than I ever expected it to be. Plus, just riding around on the boat was fun! We booked our tour with Cajun Encounters, it’s about an hour away from the city but I’m so glad we did it!

Hopefully our experiences are helpful to you when planning your trip to the Big Easy. THere’s so much more tho this city than Bourbon Street. There’s rich history and culture pulsing around every corner, all you have to do is be open to discovering it!

Hotlanta: What’s Hot to do in Atlanta Right Now

Leave a comment April 24, 2018 Miles of Menus

 

It’s no secret that Atlanta is home to many must-see things in the south. Aside from being a center for pop culture, they have the Atlanta Braves, Georgia Aquarium, Cocoa Cola Factory…the list is endless. However in such a big city it’s hard to keep up with what’s the new thing to do. So, on a recent trip to ATL I got the chance to experience some amazing things for the first time and thought I would share.

First off, I wanted to share some delicious foodie spots that you need to try on your next Atlanta visit. For brunch-there’s the Little Tart Bakeshop and West Egg Café. Little Tart Bakeshop has every sort of sweet and savory pastry your heart could desire from German ham and cheese croissants to everything scones. On weekends, you can even enjoy their special brunch item of cheese waffles and bacon. Top it all off with a fresh cup of Octane brewed coffee and you’ve got yourself the perfect start to your Saturday morning.

At West Egg Café they have all your classic brunch favorites. I went with the make your own omelets and breakfast potatoes with one of their scratch made biscuits. They also serve up some serious lattes like the smores latte and unique cocktails like the morning margarita. West Egg is a definite must-try the next time you find yourself in Atlanta.

Not in the mood for brunch? No worries…lunch in the city is just as good! Shopping and some good eats can be found at Ponce City Market. Ponce is home to a variety of restaurants that surpass your everyday mall food. They have everything from chic Chinese bistros to authentic Mexican cantinas to gourmet Italian. Once you’re done indulging in some delicious food, you can just work it off by shopping at some of their unique stores. They have some mainstream retailors like J Crew and Anthropologie but I love exploring some of the local boutiques and shops! Some of it might be out of my budget BUT… there’s no harm in looking! Top off your afternoon at Ponce with some edible cookie dough and a round of mini-golf on the rooftop!

To wrap up your perfect Atlanta day-trip, you can make your way to Deep End. This aquatic themed spot is so unique and fun, and the place to be any day of the week. Décor like sharks heads and fishing nets paired with their quirky drinks like frose and the Wendy Peppercorn make for the perfect late night hangout for you and your friends. Everything goes together so perfectly and the whole place has such a cool, relaxed vibe to it. They even have special event nights for BINGO, karaoke, and DJs so whenever you go you can always have a different experience. Oh…and did I mention they have tacos? Some other phenomenal spots for lunch or dinner are going to be Superica or Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall. I’ve ate at both of these spots a few times and they never disappoint! Similar to Deep End, each of these has that hip, Atlanta atmosphere…and some serious good food! Superica is similar to Ponce in the sense that it is actually nestled inside Krog Street Market . So, aside from eating this Mexican food with a twist, you can also do a little bit of shopping! Ladybird  has its own menu of unique American cuisine, and it’s a great spot if you’re looking for a place where you can relax outside some.

Finding new, and exciting places to eat when you’re out of town can sometimes seem daunting. So, I hope this blog helps you out the next time you find yourself with Georgia on your mind.