Disney Magic 2018

Last weekend my husband and I were fortunate enough to spend our weekend in Orlando, Florida with our wonderful friends (@amandajaynetobias and @shawntobias) at Disney World. We were able to go to Epcot and celebrate flower and Garden Festival 2018 which, as you can imagine, is my favorite event of the year. We spent the other half of the day at the Magic Kingdom. As a young woman who has spent my entire life living in Florida, you’re probably guessing that I’ve been to Disney World more than a few times, and you’re right. However, as an adult we rarely get to go, once a year at most and it makes the Disney experience all the more magical, especially when spent with longtime friends (who you also very rarely get to visit with because, you know, adulting.) We certainly had lots of catching up to do which made for great entertainment while waiting in line for our favorite rides like Soarin’ Around the World, Space Mountain, and Haunted Mansion, etc.

To start at the very beginning of our day, we were able to get into Epcot in no time and went right to Soarin’. If you make a trip to Epcot, this ride is worth the wait. If you can’t get a fast pass for it you should absolutely go right to it first thing before the line gets super long later in the day. I don’t want to get everything away, but it definitely has all the Disney magic you could ever want in one ride.

After Soarin’ we ate…everything LOL Epcot no doubt as some great restaurants thanks to it’s World Showcase featuring blips of countries from around the world, but during Flower and Garden Fest, you can get tons of botanical based treats from many outdoor kitchens located in the world showcase. Here are some photos of some things we got to try:

From left to right, and down, we ate:

Frozen Violet Lemonade

BBQ burnt tips slider from the US pavilion

Honey mascarpone cheesecake from the Honey Bee-stro (to die for) AND IT COMES WITH GLITTER

Lemon Scone with fresh cream and berry jam from the England pavilion (it was still warm, and probably my favorite thing we had all day)

Shrimp and Grits from the Florida Fresh Kitchen (my husband’s fave)

Beef tips and scallops from the Canada pavilion. We also tried the poutine fries and my life is forever changed.

And last but not least, something you can grab from Epcot all year long, a cinnamon sugar cronut. Just say YES.

It felt like we were literally eating all day and it was so great. Instead of sitting down to one big heavy meal, we could do a little at a time, which is perfect on a hot Florida day. After making our way through the world showcase, and scoring a pair of Flower and Garden Festival ears:

We made it to Spaceship Earth, also known as the big Epcot ball ride. This is my favorite Epcot ride! So classic. And it contains the BEST Disney smells, haha!

I feel like one of the last things we did (and probably my favorite thing) was stop in the butterfly garden tent where we saw hundreds of butterflies being nurtured by nature’s sweet nectar and THEN WE SAW A BABY BUNNY EATING A YELLOW FLOWER JUST LIKE THUMPER IN BAMBI. It was the ultimate joy of my entire life. JUST LOOK AT THIS BUN:

You honestly haven’t lived until you’ve seen a wild baby bun eating flowers in a butterfly garden at Disney World.

We stopped back at our friends place, since they live absurdly close to Disney, for a beer (and for me COFFEE.) After all that fun and eating, you know I needed a pick-me-up. We then set sail toward Magic Kingdom (literally, cause we took the ferry over.) This half of our day was certainly more ride based. Check out this babe and some Dole Whip. Too precious for this dang world!

We were able to get Fast Passes for Thunder Mountain Railroad, especially beautiful when being rode at night, Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion. Classic Disney! We had dinner at the Harbor House, a true hidden gem in the MK right in Liberty Square across from Haunted Mansion. We ended up at Pirates of the Caribbean just in time for it to start down pouring. Luckily the line was long and we had plenty of time to stay out of the rain. We were all so pooped at this point, we decided to go back to their place to tell ghost stories. On the way out, waiting for the tram, I was able to watch the entire fireworks show! It was surprisingly long, and beautiful. The perfect end to a perfect day.

The next morning, we had a long ride home and left our friends at brunch time. We went to the Disney Port Orleans French Quarter resort for some grub. It was like a second honeymoon for brunch! Our first was actually in Nola. Tyler had a Cafe Au Lait and we shared a very spicy Jambalaya.

I hope you guys had fun reading this and enjoyed all the photos of the beautiful flowers and topiaries. Flower and Garden Fest is seriously so stunning, if you ever get the chance to do, don’t miss it!

X0X0,

#astoldbyflowers

Spring in Saint Augustine

Hey everyone! March is here and spring is springing up all over the place. Spring is my second favorite season (only to autumn) and I LOVE to travel during this time. The weather is beautiful in Florida February through May and wildflowers are so abundant on the sides of highways which makes for beautiful road trips. This road trip was sparked by one event in particular, a Fleet Foxes concert at the Saint Augustine amphitheater. My husband and I had been waiting ten long years to see them and we didn’t want to miss a chance to finally experience this concert in such a wonderful and beautiful city. We arrived in town and went right to the food, naturally.

Our first stop was at Salt Life Food Shack. Some of you may know that my husband is an avid fisherman and so stops like this are crucial. We had a decent meal, we were just so hungry from the journey that anything would have been great. Then we went out to the beach. I always miss the Atlantic and forget that it’s just three and a half hours away from me and the Gulf of Mexico.

Unfortunately, the waves were huge and the water was still freezing, so we didn’t stay for long. Luckily the beach wasn’t a far drive at all into town, and then to our Airbnb. We stayed at a little place on Grove Ave. which was just about a ten minute walk into town.

We got acclimated and ready for the night. I was so excited to see Fleet Foxes, but in addition, I was so very excited to go to one of my favorite restaurants in the WORLD, The Raintree. The restaurant is a stunning old Florida mansion converted into an upscale, gorgeous space. And the food is even more amazing. Our favorites are the escargot and the crème brûlée. Just look how happy we are:

After dinner we headed over to the St.Augustine Amphitheater for the concert.  This venue was BEAUTIFUL! More like an outdoor club really than a convert venue.

And the show! Let me tell you guys, I have been to a hundred concerts at least in my lifetime and I would say this had to be a top three show. If you haven’t listened to Fleet Foxes, please go give them a listen. Their music is for everyone!

The next morning I was up early and ready for some exploring. Our first stop was Maple Street Biscuit Co. YOU GUYS OMG DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS PLACE! They have a few locations and MAN this food is great. Side note, check out my Instagram @astoldbyflowers for lots of videos of the food we ate and places we saw on this trip because I didn’t manage to take a lot of photos, just videos in my Insta-stories. Next we went to Relampago Coffee Lab, which was luckily two minutes away from Maple St. This place was another stunning converted home. We had three drinks: a chai latte, a lotus blossom (black tea with lavender and steamed cream) and a white mocha lavender latte. Each drink was even better than the last and probably some of the best drinks I have ever had in my LIFE. I’m not even exaggerating, they were amazing and the barista was extremely sweet.

We started into the city and just took in the sights, hit up all my favorite shops and landmarks. I want to just leave a few of the links to the shops I love down here:

Red Pineapple

The Rosy Cheek

The Way We Were Vintage

Declaration and Co

Obscura

Among many others. Also, the antique shops on San Marco Ave are definitely worth looking into! You’re hard pressed not to find some great stuff in Saint Augustine.

After a while, we headed to Juniper Market  which is a stunning little market that happened to be right by our place!

I had the pimento and bacon grilled cheese and a goji berry lemonade. Both were to die for. It’s also a great place to pick up some items to take home!

We went back to the Airbnb for a little rest and then headed back out for dinner. We had plans to go to a few places, but there’s so much to see there that sometimes you have to just break away from the plan and have dessert before dinner at The Hyppo which is a Saint Augustine staple for me. The have the best popsicles in the world, hands down!

And then we went to another St. Auggies classic for dinner, A1A Aleworks. A beautiful place with a beautiful view, and I have never had a bad meal there. My favorites are the mango chicken and the jambalaya. It was pretty cold and we had done so much, we were plum tuckered out and headed home.

On Sunday we checked out early because we wanted to get a good seat at The Ice Plant, a vintage, prohibition style bar and eatery inside the Saint Augustine distillery. We had brunch, naturally. I had the french toast, hubs had chicken and hoecakes. This was one of my top five meals of ALL time. And for sure the best brunch I have EVER had. Everything was perfect including the service. We couldn’t have asked for a better last meal before the journey home. We heard the distillery tours were free so we hopped on board. The facility was actually really beautiful and we learned a lot. I was very impressed! And we got to sample a ton of their spirits so I was feeling GREAT upon our exit.

The tour is free, I would highly recommend it, especially for fans of craft cocktails and high quality liquor.

We headed home after, feeling totally blessed and fulfilled and full of ideas for what to do next time we make it out to the other coast.

Stay tuned next week for the much awaited SPRING FAVORITES blog post!

X0X0

Our trip to everywhere Pt.2

Before I begin, I want to say how thankful I am for the love and followers I have received due to my first post. Also I am SO thankful and excited to have finally found an outlet to pursue my writing and journaling. Without further ado, let’s talk all about the trip I went on to New Bedford, MA, Salem, MA, and Exeter, NH and all the lovely things I encountered while there.

I guess the best place to start would be at the start: Our bus trip from NYC to RI. We took the Peter Pan bus line which took us straight from the city to Providence along the major highway in CT, and the foliage was stunning and the bus ride was surprisingly wonderful! I had read lots of negative things about long bus rides in general, but ours couldn’t have been more perfect. We passed through several states and finally made it to Providence, RI which has a small, but very cute downtown area. We weren’t able to spend a very long time there, as my cousin was there to pick us up and bring us down to where we would stay, her home on Cape Cod in MA. Before we reached the cape, we more than needed nourishment. We made a trip to Anejo, a popular restaurant in downtown Falmouth, her home town and where we would be staying. We have summered in Falmouth before, and splurged at Anejo the last time we visited, so I was in the mood for something familiar and delicious. By the time we reached her house I had accepted my fate: I was TIRED. So I rested and rested and we spent the rest of the evening sharing wine and chocolate croissants from the local French bakery, and watching Charlie Brown’s The Great Pumpkin as well as Hocus Pocus, two Halloween essentials.

I woke up the next morning after the best sleep of my life fully recharged and ready for a new adventure. We set off to New Bedford, MA which hosts a really quaint downtown and the very famous New Bedford whaling museum which was a must see for us as Moby Dick has always been one of my favorite stories. There was so much more to see than I could have imagined, not only their inventory, but the view they provided from the balcony upstairs. It was all just stunning! If you are ever in the area, I highly suggest a trip there. I would go back weekly if I were able.

We worked up an appetite after all the culture, so it was lunch time. We went to a little cafe up the road called Tia Maria’s which served mainly Portuguese food, a staple in MA. I had the chicken Mozambique and it was super yummy! If you are looking for a place with great atmosphere and good food, this is the spot for you. After we left, it was another GORGEOUS drive through Dartmouth and into my Grandmother’s home town of Acushnet. There were many necessary photo op stops made, for obvious reasons. We arrived at Nana’s house and visited and chatted. On a personal, non-travel related note, one of my favorite parts of visiting here is seeing my family. Even though we go many months and sometimes years without seeing each other, it seems as if no time has passed when we all join together. I’m thankful y’all! After dinner at Riccardi’s (a place my grandparents love and frequent) we headed back and prepped for THE GOOD STUFF, a day in Salem.

The day I had been waiting my whole life for ever since I was a little witchy babe watching Halloweentown with eyes wide and an open heart, the homage to my Mecca, it was finally time. I put on my cutest new dress and we made the two hour journey from Cape Cod to Salem. Another nice drive, sans the Boston traffic, and we we able to find a more than reasonably priced parking garage. The first thing we needed to do was eat so we grabbed a quick bite at the Witches Brew Cafe on Derby St. We spent a lot of time exploring witch shops which I had no other choice but to splurge in. We visited Pyramid Books, Enchanted, and my personal favorite, The Coven’s Cottage on Essex St. If you’re looking for good prices and quality, genuine items, this place is the best! Unfortunately photos were not allowed inside, but if you could only imagine what a Coven’s Cottage may actually look like, this is it. If you are looking for historical value, steer clear of Salem Witch Village, which is basically a creepy/glorified carnival, at least this time of year. The Old Burial Ground cemetery is a very spooky, spiritual place, but my favorite spot was the Witch House. There were some very interesting exhibits there and there was some very good information about the witches, the accused and the general life of puritans there. The tour guide was happy to answer all of my questions and more. You can get in here for the low price of 8 dollars. It is small, but it is the only spot in town with direct ties to the witch trials. It’s a very ominous place but I loved it as I am a major fan of all things weird and haunted. It was probably my favorite thing we did while there. We stopped at Jaho for a cup of coffee which turned out to be the BOMB! They had every fall flavor imaginable. I had the Chaider (Chai apple cider), my husband had the caramel apple Chai and my cousin had a pumpkin Chai. All delicious and in a really cute, hip setting. Another one of the benefits of visiting Salem was being able to see all the real life spots where Hocus Pocus was shot! I am OBSESSED with this movie so this was a huge bonus for me. We saw the Town Hall, Allison’s house, and the very last thing we did before leaving was visit Max and Dani’s house. This day was everything and more, and then we headed to New Hampshire.

It was night when we arrived and we were greeted by family, many of whom I had not seen in years, and after a long hard day of witchery, I was happy to be somewhere warm and dry. We laughed til midnight and I was forced to succumb to my exhaustion. The next morning, after stuffing our faces with homemade blueberry muffins, spinach quiche, and pumpkin bagels, we decided to take a drive through the town of Exeter where my aunt and uncle live. The downtown is adorable and the foliage there was by FAR the best we had seen since the beginning of our trip. I can’t even begin to describe the dazzling leaves. I just had never seen anything like it. We came upon a glorious, massive red barn on a country road called Applecrest Farms. This was one of the highlights of our trip, and on our last day too! We parked and were instantly greeted with apples galore all over the ground. Inside the barn was a full scale restaurant and organic market, complete with apple cider donuts, maple candy, pumpkins, squashes, everything I had ever hoped it would have. It was like straight out of an Autumn day dream. We had pumpkin Chai’s from the coffee bar which they created with their homemade pumpkin syrup, DELISH! We walked through the apple orchard, ate raspberries fresh off the bush, pumpkin picked, we saw and did it all! I was super thankful to have come across this wonderful place and I hope to return back in the not too distant future! Although with travels like ours, who knows where life will take us. Long story short, we went back to my Aunt’s house and had a baby shower for my cousin who is expecting her first sweet babe! We ate some yummy apple crisp, made with Applecrest apples and headed on back to the cape. It was a stormy night so we took a ride along the coast to see the Atlantic waves crashing over the shore just one more time before heading home.

The plane ride home was at 6 AM and we flew right over the Blue Ridge Mountains at sunrise. Feeling exhausted and grateful, they inspired me to plan my next adventure.

Fin

See loads of photos from this adventure on my Instagram: @cloverandfig

 

 

Our trip to everywhere.

This autumn my husband and I decided to take a trip across New England from New York to New Hampshire to see, and frankly marvel at, the leaves and all the fall goodness the South fails to provide. Am I saying the South is fall-free? No way. But there is something about fall in New England that strokes the soul in a dazzling way. I think it would be best for my first blog post to include the first part of this vacation which began in a little part of the big city.

Our flight in was stunning as we were able to watch the sunrise over the cloud bank at about 6 AM. We flew JetBlue which is always a great choice. We arrived in Brooklyn early and had a lovely drive in. We set up our things in the home of my long time best friend and instantly set out to get to the heart of the city. We used Uber and cabs some of the time to get around, but mainly we used the subway as it is the cheapest form of transportation and the quickest and the easiest! We arrived in Union Square park and we were greeted by the single most amazing Farmer’s Market I have EVER seen. SO many Dahlia’s, so much lavender, so much deliciousness. I was in awe. The mix of feelings of being in my favorite city and having all my senses stimulated at one time is a something I will never forget. We came across this beautifully open and decorated cafe called The Pavillion where we had a delicious, and much needed brunch after a long morning of flying and cabbing and subwaying and tiring ourselves out. To walk off lunch, we strolled through the nearby Flatiron district which is a place I hadn’t spent much time in during my previous trips to the city. I have to say it was BEAUTIFUL and booming. One thing I instantly noticed and loved was that there was cabbage, kale, and lettuce planted all over the city. Apparently that’s a fall thing up north? Anyway I thought it was interesting and noteworthy. We stumbled across Eataly, which is owned by one of my favorite chefs, Mario Batali and it was a little but overwhelming. Another bout of sense stimulating goodness waved over me. I knew I was going to eat there but it was crazy busy, as it was lunch hour, so we left. But there will be a happy ending to that story later.

We went on back to my friend’s apartment and after so many months of being apart, the hug life was real. We decided that night we would climb the Brooklyn Bridge after some pizza. We happened to be lucky enough to stumble across the original Grimaldi’s Pizzaria which I have enjoyed here at home, but let me just say you haven’t had the best of it unless you have the OG. It was so greasy and yummy. With tummy’s full and my eyes wide like a child’s staring out at the glowing lights of Manhattan, we climbed. I litterally was jumping with joy when we reached the top. If you ever have a chance to climb the bridge at night while you are there, I highly suggest it. It’s once in a lifetime (maybe more than once). There was also a full hunter’s moon so I was in rare form, but I know it was awesome.We woke the next morning feeling refreshed and decided we would head over to the very famous West Village foodie spot, The Spotted Pig. Famous for celeb peeping and yummy, yummy food. We had an awesome breakfast. I had what is called a Dutch baby (a super thin and crunchy pancake) with the most delish bacon I have ever had. My husband opted for the French toast with bourbon bananas which was also great. They make coffee fresh in a French press which I adored because that is how we make it at our house. All in all a very worth it stop, and super cute atmosphere. A few blocks up we were making our way over to the Chelsea high line, something else I had never done in NY and we came across 66 Perry St. also known as CARRIE BRADSHAW’S ACTUAL APARTMENT. One more thing I can cross off my bucket list. Many photos were taken, there were possibly tears shed. After that glorious moment,  we hit the High Line. With its beautiful views and the lovely weather, we were both swooning. After spending about an hour up there, we went underground to head uptown to the MET. For me the highlights at the MET were this Dream photography exhibit and more importantly, an artist had created a GLORIOUS model of the Alfred Hitchcock Psycho house on the roof overlooking Central Park. The view and the installation were both so amazing. I am not sure how long the house will be up there but I would suggest you see it if you are into horror, which I very much am. We capped the night off at dinner made by my friend. She made a gorgeous autumn veggie Mac N’ Cheese, a recipe I will be happy to share as soon as she sends it to me! We stuffed our faces and passed out as you can imagine after a long day of chowing and walking and experiencing NYC.

Sunday came and it was finally time for SOHO!! But first, we needed breakfast. We ate at Campbell Grocery which was right up the street from our apartment and OH MY GOD it was by far the yummiest breakfast I have ever had. I had the grits and apple cider and my husband had chocolate milk and the bacon, egg and cheese biscut with fig jam. I know this breakfast may sound simple but the quality of the ingredients and the way they are combined makes it…heavenly. If you are in Brooklyn you absolutly must, MUST go. We had this same breakfat a couple other days as well. I would eat it every day if I could. When we got to SOHO we found this awesome bookstore called Housing Works bookstore. There we found loads of discount books and yummy coffee in a super cute environment. This was a must see for me because if you know me you know I am a librarian and bookworm. We walked a few blocks over to my #1 must stop at store in SOHO, Uniqlo, a Japanese clothing brand which has no stores near me that I am obsessed with. They have great sales, great styles and their clothes are insanely soft. We were there for quite a while, splurging just a bit. After comtemplating how I was going to fit a new wardrobe into my suitcase, we walked down to Laduree for none other than those famous Macarons. On the way we danced in the street to the sounds of a jazz band (reminding me quite a lot of our trip to New Orleans) and I was gifted some lavender flowers by the kind souls at L’occitane which promptly found themselves in my hair. The Laduree store was stunning of course and the Macarons were as well. I had the Rose, the violet, and the Marie Antoinette (the best). It was evening by now and the sun was starting to set and we were looking everywhere for the famed and awesome Evolution store. We walked through Washington Square Park, stopped at an architectural gallery and finally wound up coming across it. Apparently it used to be much larger in its old SOHO location but I was still impressed. If taxidermy and creepy things are your thing, GO. Finally, feeling chilly and exhausted, we went home. On the way we had some FABULOUS Ribeye Pho at Mama Pho in Brooklyn by our place. We devoured it and quickly  passed out. 

Monday morning was finally here!! I was most excited for this day because it was time for my visit to the Lush Spa. But before that, I needed nourishment and a little bit of culture. We subway’d over to Bryant Park (my personal fave park in NY) and ate breakfast there. We then went to the NY Public Lubrary which I had never really explored and it was so much more beautiful than I could ever have imagined! Please please stop there if you are a lover of books or general appreciator of lovely things. And it is free! I could have spent all day there but my appointment was nearing so I needed to grab a cab and head uptown. I arrived at the spa in the nick of time and was promtly greeted with a glass of cucumber water and sat by a window listening to some calming, lovely music. Then my masseuse, Patty, came downstairs to collect me and bring me up to where the magic happens. I was greeted by a stunning British style kitchen. It was so much more beautiful than I could have imagined. Flowers everywhere, a farmhouse sink, beautiful dark hardwood, the works. Patty explained to me how my treatment would go and what I would experience during, and it was all perfect down to the last itty bitty detail. I had the “Hard Day’s Night” treatment, which is a passive stretching, Thai yoga massage to the tune of re-made Beatles songs. The songs were so beautiful and the massage was choreographed to the music. I don’t want to exploit every detail of my experience because there were so many specifics that would ruin the surprise for people who want to have this treatment themselves. After the massage I wandered dreamily out to the kitchen where Patty greeted my sleepyhead with Engish tea and jam cookies which I swear were the most delicious things I had ever tasted. I chatted with Patty a bit and finally it was time for my bath. The bathtub was a beautiful white clawfooted tub with shiny metal, beautiful fixtures and the bath was warm and ready. The most awesome part was that there were probably 50 lush products around for me to use and try out! I used some of mostly everything they had to offer. Seriously, I probably used 45 out of the 50 or so products. It was super magical. After I was all washed up and smelling like a daydream, I went downstairs to shop around. I was gifted the Golden Slumber bath bomb after my treatment, so I was set on bath bombs, but what I did not realize was that all the Christmas goodies were out. One of the associates whose name eludes me (she was like the Lush fairy and she was so precious) decided to give me a tour of all the new Christmas products! She made me some samples and let me try out all the delicious holiday goodness! It was just the perfect cap on my Lush experience and if you ever have a chance to get ANY treatment at this spa I can’t express enough, DO IT DO IT DO IT. It is worth every penny and moment of your time. I would go daily if I could. That night we went downtown to Wall St. to meet my friend at the more low-key downtown location of Eataly for dinner. This location was more spread out and a lot less hectic than the other one which was a happy surprise for me. We had a delicious meal with a stunning view. I had the prosciutto pizza and my husband had the lemon ricotta ravioli. OMG this food was out of this world like I knew it would be. We went home for the night and I truly had a golden slumber after a long, hard day of spoiling myself.

Tuesday was our final day in the city and at this pont we had been uptown, downtown, to the East and West Village and even made an annoyingly necessary walk through the dreaded time square, so we decided to wander. We went over to Harold Square and did Macy’s and we happened to find the OG Big piano from the movie Big! It was a great end to my time in New York. We were so worn out from our trip, we mostly hung around Brooklyn for the rest of the day and had dinner at a burger joint called Hello BKLYN and had some GREAT burgers and fried pickles. It was the perfect end to a perfect trip.

There is a SECOND half of this post which includes our trip to Salem, MA and New Hampshire and it will be posted later this week. Thanks for reading!