Clearwater, Florida. You have my heart forever. I have been traveling down to the Sunshine state to visit my aunties since I was a baby and Lucas has followed suit. We spent the last 10 days soaking in lots of family time, backyard hangs, and endless hours sans shoes and pants. What’s better than a toddler running around with a garden hose and thinking it’s the best thing ever? Not much I tell you. We all had such a wonderful time and it was a much needed break from reality. I apologize in advance for the photo dumps coming your way this week. We were greeted at the airport by a familiar crisp breeze and it looks like Fall will be arriving right on time. Summer you were so good to us and you will be missed. Now bring on the pumpkin spiced lattes!
Disclaimer: this post has been sitting in my drafts folder for months! No time like the present I suppose 😉
A few of our faves while in Nola:
Slim Goodies – Amazing iced coffee and the most adorable back patio with chickens. Because who doesn’t love chickens with their coffee?
The Court of Two Sisters – Very tradition, New Orleans style brunch. While we ate a jazz band played and it was pretty amazing. Brunch was buffet style and it was a treat to try so many different New Orleans staples. Seafood bendict? Yes, please!
Kawaii Nola – Because..kawaii! We bought Lucas a teeny kawaii Ninja Turtle as his NOLA souvenir.
Dr Bob Art – Famous for his ‘Be Nice or Leave’ art work, this place is seriously so cool. You can tour his studio and we even saw the famous artist at work.
Peche – Hands down one of our very favorite restaurants while in NOLA.
Bike Nola – You can rent bikes to tour the city but my favorite part of this rental shop was their amazing vintage and thrifted goods. We brought home a skull head that is hanging in our living room.
So in short, NOLA is a MUST see. Ivan and I had the most glorious time eating, drinking, and experiencing the amazing culture. I am itching to go back! Have you been to New Orleans? I’d love to hear your recommendations for our next visit!
I FINALLY sorted through the 100’s of photos we took during our Nola trip. It was so nice to look back and relive our trip. The hubs and I flew solo to New Orleans for this 30th birthday in May. It was the first trip we have taken (just the two of us!) since before Lucas was born. I’m talking three years here. If I’m being honest New Orleans was not on my list of places to visit. At this point in life my idea of a vacation is sitting pool side with a cocktail in hand. However it was not my birthday and therefore not my choice. Ivan was set on Nola and so Nola it was. Well played my love. New Orleans is a dream! Truly!
The colors, the people, the shops. It was glorious. Did I mention you can drink while parading around town? YES. PLEASE. I was a very happy mama. We spent our days eating and drinking our way through the city. I slept in while Ivan went to the pool and relaxed (who cares about a tan when there’s no baby to wake you? Am I right or am I right?). We ate beignets and drank copious amount of delicious iced coffee. We walked hand in hand and Ivan kissed me at all the right moments. It was the perfect trip with the perfect guy. We came back refreshed, reconnected, and ready for parental duties. It was just what we needed as a couple.
I’ll be posting another round-up of photos with some of our favorite NOLA spots this week.
Oh California. You stole my heart. Truly, you did. I’m a born and bred New Yorker and was raised to scoff at the mere thought of moving to the West Coast. So what that you have warm weather year round. We have snow! We have Seasons! (Fall really is my favorite, just a little FYI). But no. You had to just go and make me eat my New York City words. I FREAKIN LOVE YOU. A beach day in January? On the day my home town was suffering from an ice storm? Yes please. I’ll take it.
I spent 6 glorious days in the California sun with some of my best girls. On a frigid Friday morning (5am to be exact) my love Natassia and I met at JFK airport. We were welcomed in LA at 10am with nothing but sunshine. We hopped in our rental car and made our way to West Hollywood, where we stayed with our friends who totally ditched NYC for LA (I get it now. I get it.) The photos above are from one of my favorite days. We drove from Hollywood to Malibu beach and planted our butts in the Zuma sand. Afterwards we headed to Moonshadows for a delicious, late lunch and cocktails. #winning. The rest of the trip was equally as amazing although I missed my boys terribly. Thank goodness for FaceTime. I’ll be posting more photos and a little more about my trip tomorrow. I could really use some Cali sun in my life right about now. New York temps are headed up to 25 tomorrow and that’s considered warm in comparison to how cold it has been. I’m missing you LA.
While the bestie and I were planning our 5 day California girls trip (photo dump coming soon 😉 I knew that Palm Springs was a must see during our visit. I am absolutely envious – in the best way possible of course – of all the beautiful Palm Spring photos that wind up on my Instagram feed. When I was asked to check out the Del Marcos hotel I literally jumped at the chance. After we drove through the desert and arrived at the hotel, I was instantly in love.The Del Marcos is absolutely stunning. Designed in 1947 by William F. Cody, the hotel is located right in the center of it all. Our suite was such a treat – gorgeous decor and everything we could possibly need. Hello coffee maker! The pool was a dream and I have found myself constantly wishing I was sitting by the fire pit since I’ve arrived back home to cold NYC. On our last day we rode around on the hotel bikes (I admit we were a bit rusty) and had a blast. Our 2 day Palm Springs getaway was simply amazing – the town, the Del Marcos..I can’t wait to go back. Only this time with my two boys in tow! Lucas needs to get in on the Palm Spring Action!
For the past few weeks I’ve been blabbing away about how much I can’t wait for Fall. It is my favorite season after all. Ironically enough on the first day of Fall we were in Florida, embracing the heat. If you follow me on Instagram you know that Lucas and I flew down south to spend a week with my lady Lauren and her boys.
Lucas and I are currently soaking up the sun in sunny Florida and visiting my aunties. I’ve been coming here since I was six months old. Lucas’s first trip down south was also when he was just six months. I guess you can say it’s a tradition of sorts. We’ve only been here 3 days but little man already knows the backyard like the back of his hand. All the small nooks, where to hide his treasures, and singing as he follows the trail to the shed. It’s quite a site to see him playing in the yard I explored as a young girl. Today we took a trip to Clearwater beach. My most favorite of all the beaches in the world. I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about how Lucas loathes sand. Well today was a big day for us. Off he went, barefoot and loving it! Talk about an exciting mommy moment. Now – pictures!
Finally! Over the 9 days we spent in Puerto Rico I took over 500 photos. I’m a little bit of a camera nut 😉 Each day we spent on our incredible island was better than the last. I know Lucas won’t remember much of this trip but I hope when he is old enough to look back on the pictures he will understand the magnitude of love that we shared on this trip. I plan to make this a yearly trip – nothing would make me happier than to watch him nurture the bond with his family as well as instill a love so great with this beautiful island where his ancestors are from.
This post is a bit of a photo dump. I narrowed down the images the best I could but there were so many favorites!
Our getaway to Puerto Rico was so very sweet. Beautiful memories were made that I will cherish forever. I am beyond grateful for the the moments where I literally felt like rainbows, butterflies, and glitter would burst from my happy heart. I promise my next post will be a photo overload of the beauty that was our #llvgoestopuertorico adventure. I actually started uploading all the photos when I stopped and realized that I wanted to be honest. I don’t know about you but I like to receive bad news before someone gets to the good stuff. It just makes me feel better. So here we go.
> Lucas is a born and bred city kid and we walk or take the train just about everywhere. My mom lives in the suburbs and we keep the car seat with her for trips and such. The poor boy could not get used to being strapped in for long periods of time. My phone was ready with fun and exciting apps. Nope. He would shut them off and hand the phone back to me. Not even Siri, his main squeeze, could save the day. Disney dvd’s on rotation? Ain’t nobody got time for that. To be fair, he was content most of the time. But at a certain point, usually the 20 minute mark, the only thing that would help was a bottle of a milk and a little prayer for a nap. Oh yea, then there was the one time I forgot his bottle and we drove 30 minutes with a screaming toddler. Good one mom.
>You have to carry a lot of shit. Everywhere you go. At home I’ve stopped lugging around everything we own and only pack the essentials. But on our daily vaca adventures? At times I had no idea where we’d end up and was nervous I wouldn’t be able to get what we needed in case a of a toddler emergency. So the most logical idea seemed to be to chuck everything in a bag. Most of which we never used. Go figure.
>Another shocking revelation? Toddlers don’t care if their mommies get a tan or sit poolside with a cocktail. The nerve! I don’t even know why this came as a surprise to me but it did. Don’t get me wrong. I loved splashing in the baby pool with my boy and watching him kick and squeal. It truly melted my heart. But every now and then as I was sitting in an unflattering indian position in 12 inches of water I’d see a childless woman strut by with a fruity concoction and stare her down with an evil/envious glare.
>Lucas is in a “mommy only” stage which is understandable since I work from home and we spend every waking moment together. I’m pretty fond of the kid myself. But sometimes I need a breather and daddy is an acceptable stand in. My hubby had to sit this trip out because of work and he was missed. I longed for our goodnight kisses and sleeping snug in his arms. But most of all I missed his help (we’re being honest here, right?). I missed having my teammate. Inconsolable toddler? One taps out and the other jumps in. I thank the heavens my beautiful mother was there to help change poopy diapers, sing songs, and dish out hugs when needed. I really am grateful, believe me, but there is nothing like having your partner with you. Someone who knows when you just need 5 minutes alone without ever having to utter a word.
>I love the feeling of sand beneath my feet. A luxury for this city mama. Lucas on the other hand hates it. Apparently this is common among toddlers (or maybe everyone was just trying to make me feel better). What did this mean for our beach trips? A baby cub clinging to me for dear life. He loves the water, but sand? No cigar.
> I bet you didn’t know that toddlers DON’T CARE that a vacation must is sleeping in. Shocker, I know. Lucas normally goes to bed around 8:30pm and wakes up anywhere between 7:45 and 8:30am. For 9 days Lucas refused to go to sleep until he decided he was good and ready. Usually around 10pm. For 9 days Lucas woke up at 6am. 6am people! His nap schedule was also all out of wack until our fourth day in. He was clearly ignoring the angry messages I was sending him via mommy brain waves to go the f to sleep.
>Something Lucas was really, really good at: sleeping on a plane! Don’t hate me for this one. I don’t want to rub it in but he slept both ways from take off to landing. Throw me a bone, ok?
In conclusion, traveling with little ones is hard. You need help. Lots of it. Things don’t always go as planned and you need to roll with the punches. BUT. It’s worth it. I got to witness the joy in my sons eyes as he met new family members, was showered with love, experienced new foods and adventures, and for goodness sakes, went down a water slide for the first time! I wouldn’t change a thing. Except for maybe smuggling Ivan into my suitcase. So tomorrow get ready for a post full of photos of one very cute boy on a Caribbean island and a few tips that I hope will help on your travels with the kiddos. I’m pretty sure you will agree that I saved the best post for last 😉
