50 Fun Facts About Me

I thought this would be a great way for everyone to get to know me better 🙂

1. I have a relationship with food
2. I have a dog, who is a Bichon Frise named Frisky
3. I recently graduated college
4. I am turning 23 this year
5. I am working full time in the health field
6. I am half Irish and half Peruvian (a lot of people also tell me I look Asian??)
7. My favorite colors are blue, pink, and white
8. My favorite food of all time has to be pizza (I especially love the pizza restaurant from my hometown)
9. I love flying in airplanes, and the biggest rush is when you are starting to take off from the ground
10. I do not have a fear of heights
11. I live in the suburbs of Connecticut
12. I’m scared of spiders and snakes
13. I want to eventually live abroad for a year
14. I’m currently trying to get an Irish Citizenship so I am free to live and work in Europe without the hassle of a visa
15. I am an only child (but my parents treat my dog like he is my “brother”)
16. I’ve known my best friend since 4th grade
17. I basically want to travel to every country in the world
18. My Bachelor’s degree is in Psychology and Health
19. I eventually want to get my Master’s in Public Health
20. I want to continue my studies at college in Europe (US college tuition is too expensive!)
21. I dress very preppy, and most of the people in Connecticut do as well
22. I have always dreamed about spontaneously buying a plane ticket and flying anywhere in the world
23. I have had a job every year since 8th grade (camp counselor-8th grade)
24. I played on my high school’s tennis team (started as 3rd doubles and made it to first singles and Captain by senior year)
25. My dream wedding would be a small ceremony in Tuscany or in Hawaii
26. My height is 5’4″
27. The most I have ever won from a lottery ticket was $5
28. The last time I had soda was 5 years ago
29. My favorite number is 6
30. I don’t smoke
31. I don’t drink (except for sangria, strawberry daiquiris, melon sours, and Mike’s Hard Lemonade)
32. I speak English, took 5 years of Spanish classes, and I am now learning Italian
33. Growing up, I wanted to work in fashion or be a Marine Biologist
34. I don’t have any tattoos, but I have been thinking about getting a white ink tattoo of something travel related
35. I don’t like horror movies (even some kid’s animation/cartoons/muppets creep me out)
36. I never get really emotional, but the only 2 things in past few years that made me cry was the movie Marley and Me and that Extra Gum commercial of the story of Sarah and Juan (just listening to the song still makes me cry)
37. I am a natural brunette with natural red highlights
38. I have brown eyes
39. I love to laugh
40. Sometimes when I’m laughing really hard at something, my eyes start watering up
41. I’ve only peed myself once, in 3rd grade, because the teacher said we couldn’t go to the bathroom since we were taking a math test, and I had to wear lost and found overalls from the nurse’s office for the rest of the day
42. Also another embarrassing story, I was wearing white pants in 3rd grade and accidentally spilled red juice on my pants… 3rd grade was not a great year for me
43. I really want to see the Aurora Borealis
44. I am not a morning person
45. I love running, and once in gym class in high school I forgot my sneakers and my gym teacher let me run in my Uggs, and I ended up getting a 7:42 for the mile, and then again in college I was running for charity and forgot my sneakers, and ran with my flip flops on
46. I love anything that involves traveling, my parents had a hard time deciding where to go for a trip in the Caribbean, so I created a 52 page powerpoint talking about all the places we could visit and their accomodations, and activities to do in that country, and we decided upon Barbados
47. I grew up Catholic and I don’t go as often as I should, but I also really love to learn about different religions
48. I love the fall time, especially where I live there are a ton of apple picking farms and apple cider doughnuts are a big thing here in Connecticut
49. Even though I am very girly at times, I do enjoy letting loose and watching football and action/spy movies
50. I can be shy at times but once you get to know me I am very friendly and I love to give people compliments to help brighten their day 🙂

An Idiot’s Guide to Hiking the Inca Trail

This is a great, in-depth guide to hiking the Inca trail if anyone was interested in going. I’m hoping if everything works out, that I can visit Machu Picchu during January of next year!

Posted by: backpackerlee

The Incas built a highly advanced network of nearly 40,000km of trails to connect the distant corners of their vast empire that stretched from Quito in Ecuador down to Santiago in Chile. Cusco was …

Source: An Idiot’s Guide to Hiking the Inca Trail

Exploring Massachusetts: Martha’s Vineyard

A couple of years ago I traveled to Martha’s Vineyard for a long weekend with my family. We have gone to Martha’s Vineyard about 4 or 5 times now, and we have yet to visit Nantucket. These are just a collection of photos that I found from this trip that is a look into the classic New England Coastal lifestyle.

The places I visited in Martha’s Vineyard was the down-island towns of Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown.

A great place to go for some ice cream is Mad Martha’s ice cream shop, where they have the best flavors, and the ice cream is a very creamy consistency, similar to an ice cream shop from home where they use cows milk from the cows that roam their land. This is also a great place to people watch, as a lot of locals and preppy summer tourists like this place.

Their is a very big artist community in Martha’s Vineyard, as you can find sculptures, and art galleries all around the island.

We then stopped for lunch at the Black Dog Tavern, and if you have never been to Martha’s Vineyard, their mascot pretty much is the Black Dog, as their are many stores and restaurants named after it there.

This is the view from our table at the Black Dog Tavern.

I then explored around town on the moped, stopping at a couple of stores along the way.

I had to include this shirt because all my friends know that I loveeee ketchup and I pretty much put it on anything I eat.

Next, we stopped at Murdick’s Fudge, and we saw a live demonstration of someone making and cutting up the fudge.

We finally reached Edgarstown, which is a less touristy town but has just as much charm and stores to visit as Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs.

At the end of the day I ended up going to 3 beaches, one in Edgarstown, one in Oak Bluffs, and one back at our hotel. I also saw someone using a water jetpack for the first time (and this is back when the water jetpack first came out) and there was a crowd on the beach watching him perform tricks.

“To travel is to live” – Hans Christian Andersen

 

 

 

Birthday Celebration in Westport, CT

I recently celebrated my best friend’s birthday at a restaurant called Terrain Garden Café in Westport, CT. We had brunch there which was delicious and the restaurant itself was stunning, with a lot of beautiful foliage around the store and it had an industrial/bohemian vibe.

My friend and I decided to order some scrambled eggs and fries, and my other 2 friends ordered a quiche and an eggs benedict. Also a really cute feature they had at this restaurant was they served everyone bread in a flower pot and also some apple butter.

After brunch I managed to sneak away from the table and ask our server if they could send a birthday cake to our table to celebrate my friend’s birthday. When the brownie sundae came out we all started laughing because it took my friend about 3 tries to blow out the candle.

We then spent the rest of the day getting our nails done and going shopping in Westport (which is very expensive unfortunately) but we ended up shopping in a couple of stores such as Brandy Melville, Lulu Lemon, Urban Outfitters, and I bought a pink baseball hat and a tumbler cup from Vineyard Vines, so overall the day turned out to be a much needed girly day with all my friends 🙂

“Not always sunny, but in a sunny state of mind” – Lilly Pulitzer

7-Day Nature Photo Challenge: Day 1

I was nominated by the lovely Project Relish, who has some amazing photographs of their travels, and is also a fellow food lover. If you are interested in seeing and learning about travel experiences that are off the beaten path, check out their site! 🙂

I took this photo in Horseshoe Bay Beach in Bermuda, and this is one of my favorite photos I took there. I think it really shows off the beautiful turquoise color of the water, as well as the pink sand that this beach is famous for.

I nominate Writing from my 14th Country who is an amazing follower of my blog and has lived in many different countries and is now currently living in Italy. If you are interested in learning about everyday life in Italy go check out their site 🙂

RULES: Post one nature photo and nominate someone else per day for 7 days

 

Exploring Connecticut: Kent Falls

I recently went to Kent Falls located in Kent, Connecticut with my friend, and I visit here about 2 times a year in the warmer months. However, with all the nice weather recently I decided to be daring and visit during February. Looking back at it, that might have been a bit of a mistake. First of all, there was ice all around where the falls was so you couldn’t walk directly to the bottom of the falls unless you want to look like a penguin sliding on your stomach all the way to the falls. Even some of the stone steps were covered in ice, but it made it a little easier with a hand rail there to hold on to. And lastly, I almost got lost in the woods because of all the rain recently there was mud everywhere on the other side of the trail so it made it difficult to spot the trail or to even cross it. However, this seems like something that would only happen during the winter months, and I encourage everyone to visit during the summer because it’s absolutely beautiful and you can actually swim in the falls too, and I think it might just be the largest water fall in Connecticut. After exploring the falls, I went back into town that has some great shopping, cute boutiques, and a great chocolate and ice cream store (I ended up getting a mint chocolate chip ice-cream)! The whole town is very artsy meets hipster meets preppy. Almost everyone walks their dog around here and most dining places along the main street allow you to eat with your dog outside. If anyone has ever seen the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, they filmed one of the scenes here in Kent at one of the outdoor dining areas, and it was the scene with Carmen and the two friends she was working with in the play in Vermont. And I actually ate at the same table at the same restaurant, but the store changed owners I think since it is now a cheese shop/restaurant called 109 Cheese and Wine. I ordered a grilled cheese, that’s on sourdough bread, and has Vermont sharp cheddar, gruyere, and Toma Pt. Reyes, and Vermont butter. And I also got a pecan sandie bar, and a tomato and cheddar soup to dunk my grilled cheese in which was delicious My favorite store in Kent has to be Kent Coffee and Chocolate Company, and it is as good as it sounds. My favorite items to get there is a peanut butter cookie with dark chocolate drizzle (it tastes like a peanut butter cup but 100x better), pecan caramel chocolate turtles, chocolate covered pretzel rods, and chocolate covered graham cracker s’mores. And on the way back home, I was able to see the river alongside the road, and because of the weather, all the ice broke up and it is something I have never seen before in real life, it looked similar to how all the ice broke up near the end of the movie Frozen. That’s all for now, enjoy the photos!

This is the moment I realized I was lost, but found my way back to another trail after 20 minutes

 

109 Cheese and Wine

 

Kent Coffee and Chocolate Company

Huge chunks of ice along the river

“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears” – Cesare Pavese

Travel Bucket List: Victoria Falls, Namibia

Travel Bucket List #2

Next on my travel bucket list is Victoria Falls in Namibia, Africa. What makes this place extra special besides being massive, at 5,604 feet wide, and 354 feet tall, is that there a spot in the falls called Devil’s Pool, where you can actually swim up to the edge looking over the falls. September- December is the best time to go, when the river flow and current are at a low level, and the rock barrier forms an eddy to help keep you from falling off the cliff. It is recommended though that you have someone hold you by the legs when you are taking a picture of your body somewhat over the cliff, as there have been some accidents where people have slipped off the rocks and fell off the cliff, but if you do your research and follow safety. I think this is one of those experiences where you are truly going to regret it if you don’t do it at least once in your life!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do” – Mark Twain

Guide To NYC: Midtown West

Midtown West

Midtown West, also known as Hell’s Kitchen, is a home to many aspiring actors. It has close proximity to many plays, and shows, as well as some great dining options. Some highlights of Midtown West are the Gershwin Theatre, home of Wicked the musical, and the Museum of Modern Art. Some current celebrities that live here are Katherine McPhee, Lady Gaga, Goldie Hawn, P. Diddy, and Carrol Burnett.

What To See

• Daytime

Museum of Modern Art

• MoMA
  • Works from van Gogh to Warhol and others, including a sculpture garden, 2 cafes and a restaurant
  • 11 West 53rd Street
  • Saturday-Thursday 10:30am-5:30pm
  • Friday 10:30am-8p

Intrepid Museum

• Intrepid Museum
  • Flight museum on an aircraft carrier with exhibits including a Concorde, submarine, and a space shuttle
  • Pier 86, West 46th Street 12th Avenue
  • Monday-Sunday 10am-5pm

New York Public Library

• New York Public Library
  • Open to the public
  • 5th Avenue 42nd Street
  • Monday & Thursday-Saturday 10am-6pm
  • Tuesday-Wednesday 10am-8pm
  • Sunday 1-5pm

Bryant Park

• Bryant Park
  • Open 4 acre green space behind NY Public Library, including a café and other food kiosks
  • West 42nd street, Avenue of the Americas
  • Saturday-Sunday 7am-11pm
  • Monday-Friday 7am-12am

Gershwin Theatre

• Gershwin Theatre
  • Plays, concerts, and ballets are staged in this 1,900 seat venue. Currently playing is Wicked (alt. version of the Wizard of Oz), which is a top Broadway hit!
  • 222 West 51st Street
  • Show times are listed online

• Shopping

Lord and Taylor

• Lord and Taylor
  • 424 5th Avenue
  • Monday-Saturday 10am-9pm
  • Sunday 11am-7pm

Bergdorf Goodman

• Bergdorf Goodman
  • 764 5th Avenue
  • Monday-Saturday 10am-8pm
  • Sunday 11am-7pm

Henri Bendel

• Henri Bendel
  • 712 5th Avenue
  • Monday-Saturday 10am-8pm
  • Sunday 12pm-7pm

Magnolia Bakery

• Magnolia Bakery
  • Known for their famous and delicious cupcakes
  • 1240 Avenue of the Americas
  • Monday-Thursday 7am-10pm
  • Friday 7am-12am
  • Saturday 8am-12am
  • Sunday 8am-10pm

• Nightlife

  • Upscale

21 Club

•  21 Club (American)
  • Upscale former speakeasy serving classic American food
  • Monday-Friday 12pm-2:30pm
  • Saturday 5pm-11pm
  • Closed Sunday
  • 21 West 52nd Street
  • 4.1 Stars

The Roof

• The Roof (Lounge)
  • The lounge and terrace on top of the Viceroy hotel serves food from Kingside and high-end cocktails
  • Monday-Sunday 4pm-4am
  • 124 West 57th Street
  • 4.0 Stars

Ardesia

• Ardesia Wine Bar
  • Over 30 wines by the glass are available along with homemade NY pretzels and hand-crafted cheeses
  • Monday-Wednesday 4pm-12am
  • Thursday-Saturday 4pm-2am
  • Sunday 2pm-11pm
  • 510 West 52nd Street
  • 4.2 Stars

Beautique

•  Beautique (American)
  • Refined American food is served in a posh setting influenced by Coco Chanel’s Paris apartment
  • Monday-Friday 5:30pm-11pm
  • Saturday 6pm-11:30pm
  • Closed Sunday
  • 8 West 58th Street
  • 4.4 Stars

• Budget Friendly

The Carnegie Club

•  The Carnegie Club (Bar)
  • Patrons puff on cigars and sip single malts at this bar which is a clubby, elegant smoking lounge with a fireplace
  • Monday-Thursday 2pm-2am
  • Saturday 4pm-2am
  • Sunday 4pm-1am
  • 156 West 56th Street
  • 4.3 Stars

Swing 46

•  Swing 46 Jazz and Supper Club
  • This jazz and supper club offers live music, swing dancing and free dance lessons
  • Thursday-Friday 5pm-3am
  • Sunday-Wednesday 5pm-12am
  • 349 West 46th Street
  • 4.4 Stars

Tonic

•  Tonic Times Square (Sports Bar)
  • Sports bar with big TVs, wood furnishings, padded-leather sofas and booths and a rooftop patio
  • Monday-Sunday 10:30am-4am
  • 727 7th Avenue
  • 4.0 Stars

Barcelona Bar – Harry Potter Shots

• Barcelona Bar (American)
  • Bar with sultry décor offering over 100 shots with names such as the Monica Lewinsky and Harry Potter
  • Monday-Sunday 4pm-4am
  • 923 8th Avenue
  • 4.3 Stars

Where To Eat

• Upscale

• Nobu Fifty Seven (Japanese)
  • Sleek Japanese-Peruvian spot from Nobu Matsuhisa frequented by business types and celebrities
  • Monday-Saturday 11:45am-11pm
  • Sunday 5:45pm-10pm
  • West 10019, 40 West 57th Street
  • 4.4 Stars

Estiatorio Milos

• Estiatorio Milos (Mediterranean)
  • Stylish Greek restaurant serving fresh seafood in a Mediterranean-style whitewashed setting
  • Monday-Sunday 12pm-2:30pm, 5pm-11:30pm
  • 125 W 55th Street
  • 4.4 Stars

Azalea

• Azalea (Italian)
  • Meaty fare from Brescia shares menu space with seafood from Amalfi Coast in an airy, high-ceiling room
  • Sunday-Monday 11:30am-11pm
  • Tuesday-Thursday 11:30am-11:30pm
  • Friday-Saturday 11:30am-12:30am
  • 224 West 51st Street
  • 4.0 Stars

Taboon

• Taboon (Lebanese)
  • Lively spot for modern Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food plus fresh bread from the namesake domed oven
  • Monday-Friday 5pm-11pm
  • Saturday 5pm-11:30pm
  • Sunday 11am-3:30pm, 5pm-10pm
  • 773 10th Avenue
  • 4.6 Stars

• Budget Friendly

Trattoria Tricolori

• Trattoria Trecolori (Italian)
  • Bustling Italian restaurant serving classic red-sauce dishes in a warm space with exposed brick
  • Sunday-Thursday 12pm-10:30pm
  • Friday-Saturday 12pm-11:15pm
  • 254 West 47th Street
  • 4.4 Stars

Topaz Thai

• Topaz Thai
  • Small, no thrills Thai joint, located close to Carnegie Hall and City Center
  • Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm
  • Friday 11am-11pm
  • Saturday-Sunday 12pm-11pm
  • 127 West 56th Street
  • 4.0 Stars

La Pulperia

• La Pulperia (Seafood)
  • Latin American food in a rustic-chic restaurant with Mexican tiles, repurposed Brazilian wood and a marble bar
  • Monday-Friday 4pm-11pm
  • Saturday 12pm-12am
  • Sunday 12pm-10pm
  • 371 West 46th Street
  • 4.6 Stars

Lillie’s Victorian Establishment

• Lillie’s Victorian Establishment (American/British)
  • Restaurant and bar with a menu of classic American and British dishes in a Victorian setting
  • Monday-Sunday 11am-4am
  • 249 West 49th Street
  • 4.1 Stars

Where To Sleep

• Upscale (prices for off-season/shoulder season)

Courtyard New York Times Square West

• Courtyard New York Times Square West
  • Straightforward hotel with contemporary rooms and a restaurant, plus a 24/7 exercise room and free WiFi
  • 307 West 37th Street
  • 4.3 Stars
  • $319/night

Homewood Suites

• Homewood Suites New York Midtown Manhattan/Times Square Hotel
  • Chic extended-stay hotel with full kitchens, free WiFi, and breakfast, plus a 24/7 fitness center
  • 4.4 Stars
  • $299/night

Pearl Hotel

• Pearl Hotel
  • Modern boutique hotel with contemporary rooms, plus free breakfast, WiFi, and happy hour
  • 233 West 49th Street
  • 4.6 Stars
  • $440/night

Michelangelo

• Michelangelo
  • Luxury hotel with marble bathrooms, an Italian wine bar and free car service to Wall Street
  • 152 West 51st Street
  • 4.5 Stars
  • $270/night

• Budget Friendly (prices for off season/shoulder season)

Fairfield Inn and Suites Midtown/Penn Station

• Fairfield Inn and Suites New York Midtown Manhattan/Penn Station
  • Modern hotel offering free hot breakfast and WiFi, plus a fitness center and a rooftop bar
  • 325 West 33rd Street
  • 4.4 Stars
  • $119/night

Belvedere Hotel

• Belvedere Hotel
  • 1920’s-era hotel offering elegant rooms, plus a 24-hour gym and a Brazilian eatery
  • 319 West 48th Street
  • 4.2 Stars
  • $186/night

The French Quarters Guest Apartments

• The French Quarters Guest Apartments
  • Cozy Big Easy-inspired hotel featuring upscale rooms and suites, free breakfast and an airy eatery
  • 346 West 46th Street
  • 4.7 Stars
  • $187/night

Hotel Metro New York

• Hotel Metro New York
  • Stylish hotel with an art deco lobby and a rooftop deck, plus free WiFi and breakfast
  • 45 West 35th Street
  • 4.2 Stars
  • $175/night

“I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine” – Caskie Stinnett

 

Travel Bucket List: Mont Saint Michel

Travel Bucket List #1

When I first heard about Mont Saint Michel, I knew that I would have to add this to my travel bucket list. Mont Saint Michel is located in Normandy, France and it is an island connected to the mainland by means of a long bridge. This island is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the town and village on the island was built between the 11th and 16th centuries. It also looks very similar to another island, Corona from the movie Tangled starring Rapunzel. This place seems like it’s from a fairytale, rather than real life. I mean, who doesn’t want to go see a replica of a castle from a Disney movie?

Mont Saint Michel

Corona (Tangled)

“Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote, and I know that I will be happily infected until the end of my life” – Michael Palin

Exploring Connecticut: Ridgefield

Today I went to Ridgefield for some lunch at an Asian restaurant called Wild Ginger and I got some delicious General Tso Chicken with white rice and broccoli (my favorite!) Afterwards I went to a local organic grocery store called Ridgefield Organics and Specialty Market, and picked up some Himalayan Pink Salt to try out, which has tasted pretty great so far! The grocery store also had a great selection of other fruits and vegetables that I have never seen or heard of, such as kumquats, ghost peppers (supposedly the hottest of the hot peppers) and mandarins. I also found out that in Ridgefield, they have a place called Saltana Cave, which is a small cave that is filled with Himalayan Pink salt, and supposedly it has numerous health benefits, since salt therapy is naturally anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal. So sometime this month I might go and try it out see what they hype is all about! And when I returned home, it was still snowing, and we got an additional 4 inches of snow with and additional 3 inches expected at night! Although I bet it’s nothing compared to how much snow people out west and up near Canada got 🙂

Saltana Cave, Ridgefield CT

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Lao Tzu