The Sunshine State

Business travels took me to Florida this fall and Sebastian was able to find a cheap Delta flight ($159 round-trip, can you believe it?) and join me for the weekend. We stayed in chic Bal Harbour - first, at the historic Sea View Hotel and next at the five-star ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa. Both lovely with their own charms! I'd stayed at ONE previously, but this was my first time at the Sea View.

Our first night, I enjoyed a great lychee martini at Makoto, Stephen Starr's new Japanese restaurant at the Bal Harbour Shops before sitting down to a late dinner at Carpaccio with Sebastian's friends from Paraguay who were staying in Miami for the weekend. The next day, we woke up early to head to South Beach. We spent the morning walking around Lincoln Road and then relaxed at the beach for a few hours, until Sebastian was stung by a swarm of jellyfish - poor guy.

All in all, it was a great weekend...

 Drinks at Makoto

Dinner with Tony and Nadhia at Carpaccio

 View from our room at ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa 

 Soaking tub at ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa

South Beach

 Lunch at Mister Collins

Sentiment of the Day

“Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” – Ernest Hemingway

Traveling with someone can certainly test a relationship. From sharing a cramped hostel room in Rome, Italy with five study abroad friends during college to lounging at a luxury all-inclusive resort in Cozumel, Mexico - I've sought out compatible travel companions along the way who share my sense of adventure.

Flashback: SCRUBS in The Bahamas!

As a travel publicist, I've had some incredible business trips, from Bal Harbour, Florida to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Among some of the surreal experiences: working the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando (a blog post for another time); working in the media center for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada (another upcoming blog post); staffing a Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoot in Banff, Canada; and hosting the cast of Scrubs in The Islands of The Bahamas. Tough job, but somebody's gotta do it, right?

One of my first exciting business travels was to the gorgeous Out Islands of The Bahamas. I helped coordinate the logistics for a week-long television shoot throughout Hope Town, a quaint village that's part of the Abaco Islands. Around 100 cast and crew members flew a charter flight from LA to Abaco and the TV shoot resulted in two great episodes featuring a destination wedding and plenty of ice-cold Bahama Mamas. Behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot is posted on YouTube:


The following are some photo highlights of our week with the super-friendly cast and crew:

And my very favorite:

My most memorable meal

It wasn't that the food was better than I've ever tasted (although it was right up there). It was about the atmosphere. This meal with Sebastian lasted about two leisurely hours, on our own private balcony in San Telmo, overlooking Dorrego Square - with faint tango music audible in the background. The sun was shining (resulting in pink shoulders after lunch) as we sipped sparkling water and chilled white wine. At the end of the meal, the waiter brought us two complimentary shots of limoncello. We savored the sweet liquor then pried ourselves away from our balcony, late for an afternoon appointment.

Sadly, our camera had died and I wasn't able to document the meal. If you find yourselves in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I highly recommend a meal at Amici Miei. Apparently, I'm not the only one who loved a meal there - it's ranked #3 out of 820 restaurants in Buenos Aires on TripAdvisor!

Sentiment of the Day

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” -Kerouac

Hurricane tracking

My thoughts go out to The Bahamas today...hope everyone is safe!

 

Next stop for Irene: the east coast. Hold on tight, New Yorkers! This is new territory for many of us...

Beatlemania at Yankee Stadium

According to Klout, one of the things I'm most influential on is Paul McCartney. Now, travel and tourism, public relations, hotels and food.....these topics I understand. But if you want to interact with someone who is truly an expert on Paul McCartney, you need to chat with my Aunt Nancy. A self-proclaimed Beatlemaniac, Nancy is an expert on all things Paul.

When the Fab Four first came to the United States in 1964, my mother and aunt were among the lucky young ladies who got to see them perform live at Ed Sullivan Theater. Those shrieking, crying girls in the video footage? I have yet to spot them, but can only imagine.

Fast forward 47 years and countless concerts, Aunt Nancy finally got to see Sir Paul up close and personal - from the front row at last month's "On the Run" concert at Yankee Stadium. Before the show, we had a big family tailgate and enjoyed a delicious spread of gourmet food (only my mom would bring crisp pinot grigio, homemade salads and organic macadamia and white chocolate cookies for a tailgating dessert).

He opened the show with a joke that resonated with the New York City audience. “Who is this Derek Jeter guy?” he asked. “Somebody said he’s got more hits than me.”

We danced, sang and had a blast during the two hour and 45-minute show. He played favorites from "Jet" to "Hey Jude."

A couple of favorite shots (the close-up is from Aunt Nancy....Paul looked like an ant from my nose-bleed seats!):

Phabulous Philly

New York City to Philadelphia and back in one day? Easy.

An early morning Bolt Bus, cheesesteaks at Jim's, frozen custard at Rita's, a peek at the Liberty Bell, a photo-op on the "Rocky" steps, a quick tour of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, an afternoon beer outside at Rittenhouse Square, a bite to eat at a local pub and a bus back to New York City.

DONE.

Dulce de leche and lost in translation

I explored Paraguay and Argentina for 10 days in May, sampling every steak and baked good dripping with dulce de leche along the way. This was by no means a relaxing vacation (aside for a half-day of pampering in Asuncion), but a fabulous whirlwind trip filled with sightseeing, shopping, a birthday celebration, late nights and early mornings. I was lucky enough to be in Paraguay for the 200th anniversary of independence (bicentenario), which meant concerts and fireworks every night and that the city was decorated in their patriotic red, white and blue. A few highlights: