Take Me Back to Europe

Amidst all the craziness, I have to say I’m extremely thankful to be healthy and stuck at home with a job I enjoy, with the love of my life. My heart and prayers go out to all those that have suffered a loss in any way during this time.

This has been a very humbling experience for me. I was definitely guilty of living in the numbness of my blessed life before this all happened. As I reflect during this quiet season, I’m reminded to be thankful for the little things and to not take traveling for granted! Oh, how I miss traveling…I hope to never take another trip for grated again!

With all the spare time on my hands at home, I decided to look through my Europe trip footage from last year and finally put a Vlog together. Peep the two parts below! Travel back to the good old times with us! Probably one of my favorite trips of all time, but I’m still looking forward to many more favorites in the future!! :)

LA in March

Always a great time with my amazing sisters from another mother!! Hoping we keep our annual trip tradition alive!

Vegas in February

Our Vegas trips slowly becomes couples trips as we get older. From back to back clubbing in our early 20’s to barely making it out for one now. Such a great time with a couple of our favorite couples! :)

Denver in January

Happy 2019!! I love the new year, it gives people an excuse to reset their lives and think about the future. Although last year was challenging for me and a year I’d never forget, I’d like to use this new year as an excuse as well to look forward. If you know me, you know my love for travel and credit card points are real. This year, I’m making self-care a priority and focusing on the things that make me happy. Many of you know I really enjoy documenting my life and used to do monthly vlogs. I loved having something to look back on and relive my memories. I put my hobbies on pause last year and this year I’m changing that. My goal for this year includes going out of town once a month. For January, I traveled to Denver for the first time!! And I absolutely loved it! Super chill city with tons of breweries and fun bars. Unique dining experiences were the highlight of my trip - foodie blog to come! Enjoy my Denver Vlog! :)

Foodie Diary: Seattle

Since I didn't do any traveling last April due to Coachella, I've decided to write this month's foodie post on Seattle! Seems like it's been a popular travel spot and lucky for me, my dearest brother goes to college near there! So lots of opportunities to visit over the next few years...so to be updated I guess? Haha..here's a few recommendations from my visit back when he first started college! Enjoy! :)

Pike Place Chowder

This place typically has a pretty long line, so I'd go at off hours or theres a secondary location here (although it might not be as good). 

Lobster rolls and chowder sampler! 

Rachel's Ginger Beer

This place is just around the corner from Pike place! I'm a huge fan of ginger beer, so this was perfect to sip on while we strolled around. Oh, and it's non-alcoholic...

Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream

I'm a HUGE fan of sweets, so this place was a must for me. I love handmade ice cream and this place does it oh-so-well!!

Shiro's

If you love sushi, this is the place to be. It's supposed to be a sister store of Jiro's in Japan. I was skeptical, but was pleasantly surprised! The fish is very fresh and everything is prepared well. Must get sashimi!!

Their portions are quite small, but decent for sharing. We ordered a few small plates and fried ice cream for dessert! :)

So fresh and delicious!

BIscuit Bitch

This place is a bit hard to find, but trust the map and walk to the location. It's located inside a cafe, but once you're near it, you can't miss it! We came here for brunch and it was definitely the super hip. Hilarious decorations/menu, I loved it! Made the restaurant more unique and definitely brought character. The food is your standard breakfast menu, but with a little twist!

VERY unique menu..:P

This gave me a good laugh! :D

Food aside, I'd recommend checking out the #basic things like Space Needle, the Public Market with the disgusting gum wall, and I really enjoyed just walking around downtown...while it spontaneously rains without warning...umbrellaless...because apparently people frown on you for having an umbrella there..

Foodie Diary: Miami

One year ago, my friends and I traveled to Miami for UMF. We were lucky enough to get an Airbnb right across the street from the venue and conveniently downtown. We got to walk around a lot and tryout the local restaurants! Some were found through Yelp and some were just kind've stumbled upon. These will probably ideal recommendations for the people going this year as these are all somewhat close to the venue. Peruvian food is definitely the way to go in Miami, especially if you're a meat lover! Check out our foodie adventure! :)

Mar Y Tierra

One of the most authentic Ceviche I've ever had! Definitely a hidden gem!

Pollos Y Jarras

We came here on our first night for our first group dinner. There's a bar on the first floor to wait and chill before you get seated. The food definitely hit the spot, the ambiance is very hipster and a great place for all the meat lovers!!

A meat sampler platter! Super good!

Bali Cafe

If you're craving for some asian food, this place got you covered. It came off very asian fusion to me, but had pretty good presentation!

Tap 79

If you're looking for a nice bar/lounge to hangout for awhile, this is the spot! It's a bit out of downtown, but has quite a large selection of beers and wine. Check out some of their food items!

Siam Rice Thai & Sushi Restaurant

This was a random place we selected for dinner. We thought it was quite interesting how they had thai and sushi in one...so we just stuck to Thai food. It was decent, but nothing spectacular. 

And that concludes our foodie adventures in Miami!! Stay safe and have fun to everyone going this weekend!! :)

Foodie Diary: New York City

Continuing my reflection of last year's trips...here's another foodie journey on my NYC trip last February! It was definitely one of my favorite trips and had some of the best food. Shout out to our wonderful friend, Tanner for hosting us and making Yvonne and I feel super comfortable at home...even when it's just playing Mexican Train on a rainy day! :) Enjoy!

Cheeky Sandwiches

This was a quick stop for us while we were walking around. I actually really enjoyed this hole-in-the-wall! I got the short rib sandwich and Yvonne got the chicken. We both really enjoyed it!

Eggloo

What a simple, yet sweet idea! (excuse that squished blueberry ;P)

Death & Co

We also got to explore a ton of bars, started with Death & Co! :)

I loved this Matcha! 

Very chill and intimate spot!

Gelso & Grand

This was one of my favorite places! The dishes were all so unique and flavorful, would definitely recommend coming here if you're near Little Italy!

Del Frisco's

Hands down one of my favorite steak places!! It's comparable to Alexander's, but still better in my opinion (Excuse the poor quality in photos...super dark inside).

Pegu Club

Bar 54

Rooftop bar with an amazing view of H&M ;)

Best Earl Gray Cocktail I've ever had!

Cocoron

Delicious soba noodles in hot dipping broth! Super good, but quite heavy on the stomach. Probably what New Yorkers need to stay warm!

Momofuku Milk Bar

I'm a huge fan of salty/sweet things, so this was amazing to me! I got the pretzel because they ran out of cereal, but still good!

Friedman's Lunch

We were shopping near Chelsea and needed a snack before our late dinner reservation. This was the perfect filler meal! We shared a chicken and waffles.

Peter Luger

We were lucky to get a reservation very last minute, so definitely make one if you know you're coming here! I've heard so many people rave about this, so I had to try it for myself. We got a dinner for two between three people and it was perfect! They barely season it, but I must admit, the meat is divine!! Definitely check this place out if you're in NY!!

Russ & Daughters Cafe

This was probably the most fancy Lox bagel I've ever had. It was definitely good, but I wouldn't say it's worth the price (maybe worth the presentation). 

Levain Bakery

This is Tiffany's favorite cookie spot! And being a cookie fanatic, we had to trust her and go! Literally just two words, MUST TRY!

Gato

Our last dinner in NY with some new, now old friend(s)! A cute tapas-styled place with portions big enough to share!

Tai Pan Bakery

So glad we got to make a stop here before heading home! Definitely my favorite egg tart place now!! They have various flavors like egg white, matcha, papaya, etc..

Not pictured: Clinton Street Baking Company

A cute brunch spot, but nothing really spectacular. I did enjoy the blueberry pancakes though!

And that's a wrap! I know what you're thinking...did we just eat this whole trip? Well...probably majority of the trip haha, but we definitely did some exploring as well! Definitely recommend checking out the 911 Memorial, Central Park, and highly recommend checking out a musical or play! We watched Wicked and it was wicked good!! :)

Foodie Diary: New Orleans

2016 was definitely a travel-filled year for me. I had the privilege of traveling almost on a monthly basis. I've put a pause on traveling for the time being as I've decided to focus on reflection this year, but made it a personal project to blog about the trip I took in the same month back in 2016. One year ago today, I took a trip to New Orleans...or NOLA. It was nothing short of amazing! Everyone was so friendly there, definitely felt the southern hospitality. The highlight of the trip was definitely all the amazing food we had! Since a lot of my friends seem to have Nola on their itinerary this year, I've decided to put together a food post! Caution: don't read this hungry!! :)

ACME

This was the first place we tried since it had lots of reviews and high ratings! We went around 9pm and it looked like there was a line, but we waited merely 5 minutes before we got seated. We tried a variety of dishes and the one thing that stood out to me was their Chargrilled oysters, must get!!! 

Chargrilled oysters! After getting this at pretty much every restaurant we go to, I still think ACME does this best!

Peche Seafood Grill

Peche would definitely be my favorite pick! Every dish was delicious and we even wanted to come back for a second time before we left. Their oysters were so fresh compared to all the other restaurants and the quality of every dish was evidently there. I love tapas-styled restaurants and this place has generous sharing portions!

Fresh oysters with amazing sauces! :)

Cochon

If you're feeling adventurous or like trying exotic food, this would be an ideal spot for you. The menu items range from Alligator bites to Rabbit dumplings. Nola is known for their alligator meat and this place definitely nailed it! 

Fried Alligator with chili garlic mayonnaise!

Dat Dog

This was a fun little place near the French Quarters. They make various hot dogs out of alligator meat!

Cafe Du Monde

An inevitable stop as it is one of the most famous "touristy" cafes in Nola. Beignets on beignets!!

MOPHO

We really missed asian food, so we ventured over to this asian fusion restaurant a little outside the city. The pho and rice plates were surprisingly decent, but our favorite was the unique clam entree topped with doughnut sticks!

The ambience here is amazing, especially during Sunset! :)

Brussel sprouts were so delicious!!

Pigs ear! :)

La Petite Grocery

We came here for brunch during one of the Mardi Gras parades and was skeptical at first due to the emptiness, but left pleasantly fulfilled! This place is a bit pricier, which may explain the lack of people. However, everyone was satisfied with their dish and the service was spectacular! Perfect brunch spot!

Royal House

We didn't plan to come here, but was just in the area and got hungry. This place has a lot of southern food like gumbo and jambalaya. Everything was alright to me, but the bread pudding was to die for!!

Free appetizer if you check in on yelp! :)

Bread pudding!! <3

Commander's Palace

This was another highly rated place on Yelp that we wanted to try. I recommend making a reservation before going. We decided to wing it on our last day there and waited around 1-2 hours. The place is quite fancy (they have a dress code) and obviously pricey (although they do have 25 cent martinis! Limit 2/person). I definitely liked the experience and the ambience, but thought the food was quite salty and average. The inside is huge and absolutely gorgeous, the staff is also very tentative. I'd only recommend coming here for the experience.

Besides the food, I really enjoyed the Ghost Adventures tour at night! We also got to go on a swamp tour, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you really want to see swamps and baby alligators. It's an hour around the swamps and gets really chilly, so definitely bring an extra jacket if you do go! Enjoy this last picture from the swamp tour! I hope this post will provide some sort of guidance for you foodies out there! P.S. I only had my handy old iPhone with me on this trip, hence the poor quality photos, but hope my purpose carries through anyway! :)