Travel

park city summer

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some favorites from park city...

the ski lift and i meet for the first time.

high west saloon - a great spot a little off of main street with an array of housemade whiskeys. the blue bottles line the walls and serve as moody decor.

main street - filled with shops, restaurants, galleries and bars - this little street offers a lot to see in a small amount of space. we happened to be in park city during a time when they were serving the local seasonal brew - wasatch pumpkin ale. it was probably the best pumpkin beer i will ever taste.

i couldn't get enough of the views...

we went to the olympic park where freestyle aerialists practiced their jumps into a large pool

caught some cute deer try to munch on some flowers in the backyard

wasatch national forest was gorgeous. it was a wonderful place to take in the views. according to the B family the water in the lake was really low for the season. it was a dry summer and some of the leaves on the trees were already starting to change. 

la caille

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i knew a little bit of background on the restaurant, la caille, prior to going, but not much. so i wasn't quite sure what to expect when we pulled up to a sign that led to a long entry near little cottonwood canyon in utah. my inital thoughts were "i am in a fairy wonderland!". you drive down a narrow winding road with perfectly lined trees. little bunnies are nibbling on grass and hopping along until you come up to a chateau style building which mimics rural france. surrounding the restaurant are little streams, large trees, grapevines and even some surprising guests...peacocks! i am not quite sure how many i saw, but it is safe to say they run the place. they walk amongst the 20 or so acres la caille sits on along with the swans, ducks and bunnies. but aside from the theatrics of the establishment, there is the main and most important thing to consider - the food.

it was outstanding.

it is a meal i will remember for a long time - escargots with the tastiest garlic bread, warm spinach artichoke salad, and center cut tenderloin with bearnaise sauce. i'm no food critic, but if i were, i would give it a 'really damn good' grade.

if you ever find yourself in the area, be sure to treat yourself at la caille.

turks and caicos, part 3

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bonefishing. i knew nothing about it but drew was pumped about going so i, of course, was game to go. basically, it is one of the hardest fish to catch. they usually travel solo, which makes them harder to find right off the bat. they are super fast and can generally be found in shallow waters. you can spend a whole day fishing for them and not catch one. with the crystal clear waters that provo provides, it makes for one of the best bonefishing spots in the world.

we set out early in the am to scout some fish with db - a local fisherman in the area who does tours. the sunrise over the water was beautiful and it was not too hot yet which made for a nice boat ride.

this was probably my favorite part of the trip because it allowed us to see other parts of the island and really explore. we saw smaller islands where the sand was left untouched and truly looked like a deserted island. one of which is a privately owned spot called pine cay.

db and db set out on foot to see if they could approach any bonefish sneakily. i laid low and took some pictures from the boat. left the fishing up to the boys and basked in the sun. a hard life i tell you!

they came back with some conch for bait - really cool to watch db get the conch out of its shell.

i will leave you to determine who got lucky in catching the one fish of the day. i wouldn't be lying if i said a certain db helped. just which one is up for you to determine. fun adventure and definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

turks and caicos, part 2

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turks. where to eat and stay. here is my very concise, simple, breakdown. providenciales is a beautiful little paradise on the western end of the chain of islands that make up turks and caicos. this is the most inhabited island and is probably the most familiar with travelers. it is a quiet little destination and a bit more on the pricey end. for what it's worth, the following places we experienced were both great and not so great.

TIKI HUT

this was probably our most disappointing meal. and it was the first one too. way overpriced, too americanized (who wants bbq on a caribbean vacation?) and just not anything special. the pro to this spot was the location which sat next to turtle cove marina with huge fishing boats and overlooked the water. but that was about it.

DA CONCH SHACK

best known for the freshest conch on the island. this place was great - live music on thursdays, sits right on the beach in blue hills. it is a little bit of a trek from the grace bay area but a must eat.

HEMINGWAY'S RESTAURANT

this is basically a great spot for an afternoon cocktail. went with the frozen pina colada and was not disappointed...decent prices too!

GANSEVOORT

absolutely beautiful place to stay. perks would definitely have to be the freebie paddle boards and snorkel gear. we did some paddle boarding which was fun, but then we burnt ourselves so bad we had to sit underneath umbrellas on the last day! food is pretty good too...

MAGNOLIA RESTAURANT & WINE BAR

we had a quality dinner here. the restaurant overlooks turtle cove marina, but sits high atop a hill making it the perfect place to watch the sunset. probably one of my favorite meals on the island.

other points of interest - gansevoort also offers up free bikes so you can do a bit of exploring on the bikes. the only thing i would say is that provo is a very rural island and for as much beauty and wealth there is, there is also a more impoverished side which makes for an interesting contrast. know where to ride and where to keep away from and go by daylight is my best suggestion.

there is a conch shell farm that is also a good day trip. we did not end up going to this but heard positive things.

turks and caicos, part 1

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at the end of may, i was lucky enough to go on a trip with my boyfriend, drew, to the caribbean islands of turks and caicos - more specifically - providenciales. we both had heard only good things about the island and took one look at pictures online and we were sold. the island's crystal clear water is enough to bring your pulse to a standstill and make you relax on a whole other level. key word being 'relax' though. this is not the place for partying and the hardest decision you will make is whether or not you should lay by the beach or the pool. we did both.

here is my proof:

borough market, london

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to continue on with the market theme, i invite you to view images from my recent trip to borough market. YUM. don't go hungry...or do! and try some of the delicious paella, nibbles of cheese, or scoop up some fresh vegetables to make a fresh salad. this is a great market to check out if you happen to walk along south bank in london.

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spitalfields

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markets are in full abundance in london. a good one to visit is spitalfields, which can be walked to from the liverpool tube station. my favorite find were these floral head pieces an artist sells for 2 pounds each. they are made with twine and fabric flowers and bring out my inner hippy. the artists set up shop among brick and mortar stores that surround the covered outdoor market.

columbia road, london

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peonies, roses, sunflowers, lilies. hydrangea, daisies, lavender, dahlias.

flowers were in full abundance on columbia road the sunday i was in london. i so wanted to buy them all, but opted instead to snap quick pics. the street was packed with locals and tourists alike. vendors kept shouting over my head "A BUSHEL FOR A POUND, ONE POUND!!!" causing me to trip over people's toes while i tried to keep moving in the line and not get distracted by all the options. i would love for ny to have a weekend flower market like this. sure, union square has a variety to choose from, but there was something so great about it being on this one road, a bit off the beaten track, on a gorgeous sunny day.

a great spot to grab brunch is royal oak - a bar downstairs and seating upstairs. delicious. warm. and a good vibe that continues from the street up into the local restaurant.

south bank, london

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walking along south bank on saturday in london, we came across this graffiti filled skate area. i loved how colorful a backdrop the artfully enhanced cement served. south bank was very cool - lots of people, restaurants and markets happening. more pictures to come. (click to enlarge image).

bahamas, part II

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here is a bit of a breakdown of what to do, eat, drink, where to stay, etc. on grand bahama island (assuming you are not traveling by boat!) where to stay: http://www.grandlucayan.com/

this resort had pretty much everything we needed: a beach. a lot of pool. and a bar. but aside from this, the people were extremely nice. everyday was happy hour and included a man playing steel drums in front of the ocean as well as a parade of costumed locals who marched and played music at sundown. they were a highlight.

what to do:

rent scooters. hands down.

without access to a boat, we were left to our own devices and ended up scooting around the island. it was the best decision we made. for fifty bucks a pop, the scooter was all ours for a full day. we took them cruising around the island and found a beautiful secret beach. (i now want my own scooter in ny).

also, visit garden of the groves like i mentioned before. bonus if you happen to go on a friday as they have a cafe with the best oysters i have had...probably ever. but just an fyi that the cafe only serves the oysters on friday nights. it is nice to walk around the garden and see all of the ducks, ponds and greenery.

go to the grand bahama national park. with caves, mangroves, flowers, and the beach - this government protected land has it all. gold rock beach is a post card view - especially at low tide when pools of water form amongst the sand and everything is turquoise. best beach we saw on the island.

where to eat / drink / and be merry:

i am not going to lie, if you are looking to get spring break crazytime, grand bahama island may not be on the top of the list. however, that is not to say there are not some delish drinks to be had.

best food - banana bay - the best frozen pina colada and food we had the whole time. grab a grouper sandwich or some conch fritters and dig in. the restaurant sits right on the water overlooking a few palm trees, a hammock and that beautiful turquoise water.

coconut stand in port lucaya - my main goal of the trip was to drink from a coconut. and i did. it was delicious and could venture to say that i have a backup plan in mind should i ever need to start my own business...

for breakfast, we ate our last meal at the dive - in. i recommend the plate drew got which was herb and bacon french toast with maple butter. hey, it's vacation and you are allowed to eat whatever your heart desires!

it has been a little under a week since we have left the bahamas and i can't stop thinking about the tropical paradise...will be back again someday i hope!

bahamas, part 1

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guess what friends? we made it to the bahamas! (that's right. no hurricanes, twisters, blizzards, earthquakes, monsters or evil earth disasters kept us away this time).

this is a photo from garden of the groves - a beautiful get-away on grand bahama island which has a lush array of plants, flowers and creatures. it also has a cafe with the BEST oysters i have ever had but more on that later.

i became enamored with the reflections happening the water. we arrived just before sun down so it was great light and these green palms against the blue fishies* made me happy.

reflections
reflections

*forgive me for simply calling them "fishies". i am a shame to all floridians.

cold spring, part II

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cold spring, new york: quaint, small town on the hudson where we found some large sticks, skipped rocks, drank some beers, shared stories and got out of the city for a saturday. special thanks to naomi who stole the camera for a bit and snapped a of the couple shots below.

special, special thanks to the waiter at The Depot who suggested we order hot wings. right.on.target.

beacon, ny

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beacon, ny is a cute little town on the hudson - with an artistic, creative community where as my friend says everyone is either 5 or 35

highlights include egg bagels that are yum, christmas wreaths on main street and a man made waterfall.

it felt good to get some fresh air on a saturday outside of the city.