As much as I hate the word wanderlust, I have to admit I’ve been feeling it lately. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m leaving for Montréal tomorrow, or that I have a honeymoon to plan, but I’ve been pining to get the hell out of Massachusetts. I thought I’d share a few of the destinations I’ve been wanderlusting over…
Apparently Nashville is blowing up right now! I had always thought of Nashville as the Grand Ole Opry place where country music (which I used to hate) was born, so I never had much interest in visiting. I even had a boyfriend in high school who was from Nashville, and still, it didn’t resonate. However, the power of suggestion is, well, powerful, and every musician/blogger/fashion designer/etc that I admire seems to be relocating to this city!
This one should be fairly obvious. Austin seems like the place to be. A hipster oasis amid the vast swaths of Texan land. I never had much interest in Texas growing up (are you sensing a theme?) but it seems like it’s really getting cool. One of our favorite bands, Hot Club of Cowtown, calls Austin home, but warns not to go during SXSW…
Austin & Nashville are currently duking it out for Team Fig Honeymoon Destination.
I can’t believe I’ve never been to Portland. Two of my cousins live there! I’ve been to California countless times but never north of the Bay Area. I guess that’s not totally unreasonable, seeing as SF to Portland is a stupid long drive (10 hours!)
Portlandia notwithstanding, it just seems like an amazing place to visit. I mean, Voodoo Doughnuts, hello! Everyone I know who has been there can’t wait to go back. Beyond that, I can’t help but picture Oregon as a massive, gorgeous forest, so I bet there are tons of hiking opportunities and general nature-viewing.
I also just learned, via their tourism site, that Portland has tax-free shopping?
Technically, with Olympia and Seattle, this is 9 cities, but I’d see them both on the same trip so…8 vacations?
Anyone who’s known me for a long time knows that my grunge phase extended FAR beyond the nineties. I was reading Kurt Cobain murder-conspiracy books in, like, 2005. Nirvana’s Nevermind came out right after I was born, so I was basically raised on the stuff, good (Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden) and bad (Bush, an objectively terrible band). As I got older, enter Hole and Sleater-Kinney. I’ve basically been primed to visit the Pacific Northwest since birth. I also worked at Starbucks for quite a while, in case I wasn’t enough of a walking cliché.
Okay, so hear me out, because this is kind of a weird one. A regular customer at my old coffee shop used to live in Boise, and she couldn’t have been more effusive in her praise of it! Apparently it’s a hidden gem of the Northwest! I mean, look at that vista—mountains, fall colors?? Also, Built to Spill is from Boise, so it must be cool.
Charleston was the original honeymoon choice of my sister-and-brother-in-law (they ended up going to Disney). Right after they shared their idea to visit, my fave bloggers Elsie & Emma took a trip there and shared a travel guide on their site! Seems like such an amazing place to spend a weekend!
Savannah, GA
Take it easy with the pretty, Savannah. image credit
My best friend just took a trip to Savannah (she lives in Tallahassee) and she RAVED about it. So much so that we’re planning a trip here next spring! I’m sure I’ll have tons to share about it then. I can’t wait to go spend a weekend inside a Southern Gothic novel!
Yet another iconic city I’ve never been to! Honestly, the show Shameless has made me feel a little on edge about it, but not experiencing Chicago culture because of a Showtime series would be the definition of judging a book by its cover. I’ve heard that Chicago is a great city for art, and I may or may not be obsessed with art museums…
John Hancock building, Boston
The moral of the story is, despite the fact that I live minutes away from one of the greatest and most historic cities in the Western hemisphere, Boston, I’ve become too complacent in my New England existence. I’ve really lost perspective. For instance, I live in the suburbs of Boston—conservatism baffles me! When people talk about evangelical Christianity, they may as well be talking about another galaxy! I mean, Donald Trump has a shot at ruling the free world, guys. As much as these things might vex (or terrify) me, there are 49 other states full of hundred of millions of people living completely different lives than mine.
Not everyone is privileged enough to live in affluent communities surrounding a city famous for its colleges and universities. The U.S. is so big (perhaps TOO big)—how can we really feel nationalism when you can drive 6 hours in any direction and feel like you’re in a different country? Before I die, I want to extensively visit every region, if not every state (sorry, North Dakota), in the U.S.
Where should I visit next? Send coffee shop recommendations!
Last week I had the immense pleasure of visiting the capital city of Florida, Tallahassee! I know what you’re probably thinking (unless you’re from Florida): “Florida? Northern Florida? Like, if you’re going to vacation on Spring Break, at least hit up Miami or something.”
Old Tallahassee State House (click through for photo cred)
I get it. Tallahassee isn’t exactly a typical vacation destination. The airport is so tiny, you can’t even get a direct flight there. However, my childhood best friend just got a job at a college there, so to Tallahassee I went. I mean, free lodging and the best homies, hello.
Turns out, I judged Florida too soon and too harshly. Tallahassee is a freaking oasis. I had both the best (glitter) manicure and the best cold brew of my entire life there. At The Lucky Goat, they call it “Cold Gold” and BELIEVE me, I’d swap my engagement ring for an IV drip of the stuff.
So, since I’m newly obsessed with this city, I thought I’d share a guide to the best eats, dranks, and activities in the game—plus a killer beach recommendation!
Mango. Wit. I could end the description there and you’d get why this place rules. Located in the Railroad Square art park, Proof is an indoor/outdoor beer garden & brewery (they don’t serve food, but they do sell their beer in growlers to go!) It has classy/minimalist warehouse vibes and an astroturfed patio with cornhole and bocce! Also–cute bartenders. I’d be a bad reporter if I failed to mention this important detail. If I lived in Tallahassee, I’d be a regular for sure. And if you go? Get a flight. Trust me, you’re going to want to try as many of their beers as possible.
Must try: Mango Wit, Creatures in the Dark Porter, La La Land IPA
Pizza. Whiskey. The end. Two establishments sharing one building, and my heart. I had my first ever mint julep here, and some of the dopest pizza in the game. We, um, spent a liiiiittle more time on the Warhorse side (which was playing 90’s alt-rock/my spirit music) which has a sparse warehouse-y vibe with a graffiti-esque logo. I tried to convince Sarah that there was a connection between the space (warehouse) and the name (Warhorse) but I was brutally rebuffed by her superior intellect. I was trying way too hard for a pun.
Must try: The Foxy Cleopatra. It’s a hummus pizza, you guys. And Templeton Rye, neat.
Catalina has a special place in my heart. Not only because it’s named after a California island and has major surf-shop vibes, but because it was there that I was introduced to my favorite drink of all time: mazagran. The coffee drink originated in Algeria has many variations, but the one they serve is the Portuguese version: lemonade & cold brew. That’s it. It is liquid magic. It somehow tastes like lemon iced tea and chocolate at the same time. Catalina (the Garages on Gaines location, that is) is another indoor/outdoor establishment (damn Floridians and their stupid good weather in WINTER).
I mentioned this gem of a café/roastery above, and let me tell you, it is worth the shout-out. We only got to go here once, since it’s separated from the area that we predominantly spent time in, but its killer coffee and super sweet barista really left an impression on me! I bought a pound of their freshly-roasted coffee which I can’t wait to brew up for the bae.
Now, this is the cool kid bar. Like, DJ with a MacBook, hot bartender cool kid bar. We stayed here waaaaaay too long my first night in town, but had some amazing drinks and Rihanna dance parties on the way. I had a drink called a Biergarita here, so clearly it’s a pretty legit establishment. The food seemed amazing too! Can’t wait to go back and try it!
Must try: The West Bank. It’s Sauvignon Blanc and St. Germain. Trust.
How do I even begin to describe Nefetari’s? I guess it’s like if you put a bunch of drunk vegans inside one of the pyramids of Giza? The décor is definitely Egyptian/Eastern inspired, but the food is, shall we say, eclectic? You can get jerk chicken, burritos, curry, samosas, and vegan mac n cheese in the same place. Heaven on Earth. I had a Hula-peño margarita (jalapeño & pineapple) and curry pasta primavera with tofu. My mouth was pretty confused, but also delighted. Nefetari’s definitely wins for best omni/veggie options.
Must try: The house-made ginger juice stuff. It’s liquid crack. And samosas.
We had hungover breakfast here on Saturday, and it did NOT disappoint. Vegetarian mushroom gravy, biscuits, and an overeasy eggs (the vegetarian Ralphie, FYI). And sweet potato fries, let’s get real. They also have Maple Tap, which is one of the most heavenly coffees I’ve ever tasted (and BOTTOMLESS REFILLS, Y’ALL!) Instead of taking our names for our order, they asked us to name a favorite band. We said Belle & Sebastian, because high school. Some of the others shouted out were The Roots and Lake Street Dive. Clearly, we were there with other kindreds.
The Fermentation Lounge is a local Tally craft beer bar with an adjoining restaurant called Grain on All Saints St. We didn’t actually hang at the Fermentation Lounge, but we ate at Grain and had one of the Lounge’s amazing beers. Great eats, great drinks—an all-around win!
Must try: Beer cheese fondue and the red wine beer. I don’t remember the name of it, but trust me, it was a revelation.
Tacospeak was walkable from my friend’s apartment. I would gain a million pounds! I ordered 2 “Hipsters” and I kid you not, there is FRIED CHEESE inside of there! If you live in or near Tally and you don’t go to Tacospeak regularly, you have failed me and I disown you. The end.
Nail Bar is not false advertising. There was booze there! We were way too hungover to take advantage of the complimentary mimosas, but what a way to spend an afternoon waiting for your rental car to become available! I got fucking glitter nails. Not a glitter polish. The nail tech poured actual glitter on my nails. It was extreme. I’m never taking it off. All gold everything. Best manicure experience of my LIFE.
Must try: A glitter manicure. Best $40 I have ever spent.
This beach makes Massachusetts beaches look like pond scum. I mean, they are pretty garbage but until you hit the Gulf Coast, you don’t really know, you know?
Houses line the shoreline, and they are the orange sherbet houses of my DREAMS. Sarah and I briefly considered not going back to Tally and just working coffee shop jobs on SGI. White sands forever.
Must try: Grouper from the Blue Parrot (a beachside restaurant). Disclaimer: I think fish is vile and don’t understand why people eat it, but if you’re into that sort of thing, this is a local fave that is served in tacos!! Also, FYI the Blue Parrot has a live cam of the beach! Daydreamers beware!
Other awesome things about Tally: La Croix is readily available everywhere, you can buy beer at the grocery store, and the Uber drivers are all amazing and mostly dads.
So, Floridians, did I miss anything? I’m obsessed with your city and can’t wait to go back!
–DellaBites
**All photos taken on my iPhone 6 and edited with A Color Story unless otherwise noted.
As I mentioned in my last post, we went to the Bay Area to visit family, and thus didn’t get to do most typical “touristy” activities, i.e. a selfie with a Golden Gate backdrop. However, we did make it a priority to support small, local businesses (especially coffee shops). We stayed in San Leandro and Castro Valley, but we managed to journey into San Francisco twice during our stay. Here are some of the businesses we visited and loved!
San Francisco
Greetings from Pier 39, home of tacky tourist destinations, Alcatraz, and sea lions!
The coffee in my hand in this picture is from The Plant | Café Organic at Pier 3. They served Blue Bottle, so I actually got to try it! *round of applause*
Haight-Ashbury Area
In addition to its cafés, boutiques, and tattoo parlors, this area actually had a specialty sock shop! I bought my fiancé a pair of robot socks shortly after we moved in together, so we couldn’t resist adding to the collection.
Amoeba is the Shangri-La of Record Stores. There are three locations (we visited San Francisco & Berkeley—I shopped at their Hollywood store on my last trip in 2013). This place makes Newbury Comics look like a sick joke. Their prices are outstanding for used CDs, which are great quality unless otherwise denoted. I bought way more albums than I intended to…but who can resist $1.95 for a Sondre Lerche CD? C’mon. My fiancé loves this place because of its expansive World Music section (he was on the hunt for obscure Turkish artists the whole time). They even had a John Zorn section!
We call this photo “Zorn Porn”.
Stanza Coffee (I can’t find a proper website for this shop!)
Stanza is a super adorable little café on Haight St where we hung out for a while before heading out of the city. Great coffee, great vibes, great logo.
Decades of Fashion is a vintage clothing and costume shop that is a version of heaven. I found vintage blue Louboutins there in my peculiar size (9.5) for $195 and I DIDN’T buy them for my wedding. I am a moron. I will never forgive myself. I might have to actually call the shop and have them special order the shoes to me. I nearly cry every time I think about this.
DoF even had a friendly shopcat named Halston. Such a handsome boy!
Cold Brew of the Gods. As you can see in the first photo, the menu here is incredibly simple (and stunningly displayed). They don’t even have flavored syrups! This place is the coffee purist’s dream! Gorgeous rustic/industrial décor, amazing coffee—a perfect place to hang out.
The Mission District & Valencia St.
Amazing and authentic Mexican food, street art, eclectic shops, and Boba Guys. What could be better? Full disclosure–Boba Guys was closing up when we arrived, so I didn’t actually get to try it, although it was on my must-do Bay Area list (next time!!!). Some cool places we stopped into were Afterlife, Needles & Pens, 1-2-3-4 Go! Records/Lost Weekend Video, Dijital Fix, and Borderlands Books (which earns hella bonus points for selling naughty vintage postcards and having an adjoining café). We had massive veggie burritos and Sierra Nevadas at La Corneta Taqueria. I bought brand new copies of NW by Zadie Smith (hardcover!) and The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for $6.95 each at Dog Eared Books. I’m tellin’ you.
the condiment bar at borderlands café. this picture speaks for itself.
I’m surprised my fiancé didn’t shed happy tears upon entering this place. It. Was. Dope. You know how you have to scour a normal record store for their experimental section, which consists of about 5 CDs? Aquarius is basically a massive experimental section. I had only heard of, like, three bands in the entire store. For such a small place, they had a huge world music section as well. It’s so cool to see that specialty record stores can still exist and thrive in an Amazon-dominated world!
We only got to stop at Mua for a drink (it was a Sunday night and they closed fairly early). I had a Mexico Mule, which is lunazul reposado, lime, cilantro, and ginger beer. Amazing. Their menu looked absolutely incredible—my cousin vouched for it. Tons of vegetarian options! I will definitely be coming back here on my next visit to the Bay.
We stopped here for a drink after Mua closed down. The huge selling points of this Oakland institution are its kitschy, cluttered décor and its fresh squeezed greyhound. No lie—they have grapefruit halves in bowls that they actually juice in front of you.
Best breakfast burrito of my life + a pitcher of Bellinis for $10. Can’t be beat. We stopped here on a whim for brunch one day and I’m so glad we did. They put scallions in their homefries and keep hot sauce on every table! Super reasonable prices for all of the food and drinks. I’ll definitely be back on future visits.
Okay, so technically these shops are all over (we have one in Allston). I fell in love with this place in 2004 when my cousin found a PJ Harvey concert t-shirt at their Long Beach location. Such an awesome shop with a great selection and great prices. For under $20, I bought an adorable Zara blouse in addition to the Free People dress pictured below. Who knows? Maybe it will end up as my reception dress…
Philz Mint Mojito has ruined me for all other coffees. I (sadly) only got to go to Philz once (a fucking travesty, let’s be honest), so I can’t report on their other concoctions, but their concept is so fresh that I can’t imagine they’d serve anything less than heavenly. Their slogan, as you can see above is “One Cup at a Time”, which literally means that each cup of coffee they serve is made to order (they use the pour-over method as far as I can tell). I’m sure this falls under the trendy, touristy Bay Area shop category, but I don’t care at all. #TeamPhilz
You choose a doughnut and they fill it in front of you with the filling of your choice (such as creme anglaise, chocolate, or jelly). It’s like the In-N-Out of doughnut shops: there are only like 4 things on the menu, but they are fantastic and in my mind, iconic. A+++, 5 stars, 2 thumbs up.
Valley Java was one of the best coffee experiences we had in California. The café is all organic, and sells a variety of equipment and goods, including local honey! I had a caramel macchiato with almond milk and a jalapeño bagel with cream cheese. Swoon-worthy stuff. The owner, Vince, who was from Hong Kong by-way-of Connecticut, was an absolute sweetheart! Love meeting fellow New Englanders on the road! He called me “Classic Lady”, flattering me by saying I looked like an old-timey movie-star. My fiancé never fails to mention this detail when we talk about our trip.
I sadly didn’t get any pictures of this hidden gem. It’s tucked away in an industrial park, but it’s worth popping into your GPS. The proprietor served me, and since I used to manage a coffee shop, we got to chatting about vendors and brewing methods. He’s a firm believer (as am I) in the magic of cold brew, and his coffee certainly showcases that. It’s so smooth you can drink it black, and I take my coffee very almond-milky. César (which I gleaned his name is from the Yelp reviews—many apologies if I’m wrong) is pursuing his dream without investors, so the décor leaves something to be desired, but I wish him all of the success in the world, and sincerely hope his operation goes bicoastal!
Sabino’s Coffee is right off the 580 in San Leandro, and it’s yet another suburban gem. It’s totally unassuming, but when you walk in, you can tell they mean business. This was perhaps my favorite iced coffee during my entire vacation—VERY high praise. They also serve Vietnamese coffee, which my fiancé is obsessed with, so that’s a huge selling point. Also—pro tip—this café is hella cheap. I paid around $5 for a prepared iced coffee, a hot Vietnamese coffee, and a to-go black iced with no ice (which made us 2 cups later in the afternoon). Coffee is obscenely expensive in California, so this was a breath of fresh air. If you live in the East Bay you have to drop by Sabino’s.
I don’t have any pictures of Porky’s since I didn’t technically “go” here, but this was my fiancé’s late cousin’s favorite pizza place, so on the anniversary of his death we ordered their pizza as part of a weekend-long celebration of him. It was really special to be a part of such an emotional family gathering.
I can see why Porky’s was his favorite though. This pizza is so legit. The veggie is outstanding—it’s absolutely smothered with veggies, from fried eggplant to artichoke hearts. I hear they also have an amazing selection of beers—something we’ll have to put to the test next time.
Okay, so technically this is in San Lorenzo, but it’s right on the line. We went to four Rasputin locations (this one, Berkeley, San Francisco, and Pleasant Hill). This place rules. Can’t you tell from the smile on his face?
He was pretty jazzed up when he finally found his beloved Selda CD.
Rasputin is a used CD-buyers wet dream. I bought a Joni Mitchell CD in perfect condition for $0.95. They have thousands upon thousands of CDs priced from $0.50. I think we spend the bulk of our travel money at record stores.
And last, but certainly not least…
In-N-Out Burger is a California institution. It is both the only fast food I will eat AND the only meat I will voluntarily eat. I make sure to swing by once every time I’m on the West Coast. Not everyone shares my rabid enthusiasm for this burger joint, but it definitely has a cult following. I got a t-shirt when I was there. No judgment!
in-n-out offers computer/iphone backgrounds on their website. bless. click through for source.
Fuck a golden arch. In-N-Out is Where-It’s-At. Two words: Animal Style.
From all appearances, it seems like all I did in California was eat and drink coffee. It’s not very far from the truth, but we did spend a little bit of time in nature. But that’s a topic for another post.
Until next time,
DellaBites
P.S. Shout out to Peet’s for being as common in the Bay as Dunks is here. We’ve got to class it up, Boston. Peet’s is the shit.
We’re California bound in 4 days! I’m so excited! I haven’t been to the Bay Area since 1999, so I hardly remember it. I’ve already packed my clothes. I actually had a bit of a stress nightmare about the airport and the flight. I’m not a great traveler, and I’m an even worse sleeper.
I haven’t even begun to plan all of our activities. My main priorities are jumping into the Pacific Ocean, eating at In N Out (my few-times-a-decade exception to vegetarianism), and going to the Amoeba Records in San Fran & Berkeley, but we have a whole 8 or 9 days to fill! I definitely want to hit up some art museums, but unfortunately the SFMOMA is closed for expansion right now! This is the second time I’ll have been deprived of a MOMA on a trip…not cool.
I’m going to start compiling a list of coffee/donut shops in the Bay Area since we are sorely lacking them in our little corner of the country. Of course, we’ll be spending a ton of time with family. My cousin Shelly is the owner/designer of the Oakland-based jewelry company Harp Designs, so we’ll have to visit with her and (maybe??) talk about having her design our wedding bands. She was actually just profiled on another blog—a must-read!
I finally got my engagement ring after 2.5 weeks of being engaged. It sounds like nothing, but when people frantically reach for your left hand to check your bling multiple times per day, it’s so disappointing to have to say, “Oh, I don’t have my ring yet,” or to explain that the one I was wearing was a big ol’ fake. I’m getting married, and now I have proof! What is life?
Sherri Dupree Bemis of one of my favorite bands, Eisley, recently recorded a cover of the John Denver/Peter, Paul, and Mary song “Leaving On A Jet Plane”. It’s sweet, lovely, and available for free download on Soundcloud. In honor of our trip (which I’m dubbing our engagement trip even though the two are unrelated), I’ve posted it below for your listening pleasure.
Della Bites 