Category Archives: travel

alt summit nyc…

I’m going to Alt Summit NYC! I have been dying to attend an Alt Summit since I started blogging 2 years ago and can’t wait to see the line up of speakers and workshops.

Besides being held in one of my favourite cities (hello, NYC!), I’m excited to meet like-minded people and learn more about what it takes to be a good blogger. I’m not the best at connecting with other bloggers offline and hope that ALT NYC will be the push I need to get more involved in San Francisco.

Are you heading to ALT NYC? Fellow ALT Summit newbie MJ has created a Pinterest board of attendees. It’s a great heads up on who else will be there too!

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{travel} the high line…

A problem we always have getting off a redeye SFO-JFK flight is that New York City hotels rarely allow early checkins. Instead of stopping by the Today Show again (yes, we love Matt Lauer), we decided to head to the Meatpacking District and walk the High Line.

It was still a bit crowded that early in the day, but we managed to take in the sights and relax a bit in the sun.

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{travel} florence’s mercato centrale…

Walking through the Mercato Centrale in Florence was quite an experience. After being in bustling touristy Rome, it was a great break to get some insight into real Italian living. Our senses were working overtime with all of the fresh produce, aging cheeses and homemade pasta.

I would recommend coming hungry because you will want to try everything! If you are short on time, pick up some local cheeses, salumi and focaccia for a lunch on the go. Take note that the market normally closes after lunch, so plan accordingly. (Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., with additional Saturday hours from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m)

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{travel} boxpark shoreditch…

During our last trip to London, we stayed in the East London neighbourhood of Shoreditch. It was great to stay away from the usual hustle and bustle touristy London and check out a new area.

We had a couple of hours to explore Shoreditch, so we took to the streets. We stumbled across Boxpark, the world’s first popup mall. Boxpark is constructed of repurposed shipping containers stacked to create an outdoor shopping experience.

The spaces are not big enough to hold a lot of inventory, so they feel a lot more like concept shops. International brands like New Era, Gola, Marimekko and Levi’s are current tenants.NikeID Studio has even set up an impressive space to showcase their custom made products. No items are available for immediate purchase. Instead, sales associates lead you to a computer to help build your own custom pair of Nikes which will later be shipped to you.

After checking out all of the shops, we headed up to the second level for some rooftop beers and food. There were lots of great food choices, but as soon as I saw Hop-Namo (vietnamese street food) my decision was made.

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{food} when in florence…

We had one of the most amazing meals of our lives in Florence. Buca Mario was recommended hands down by our concierge at Hotel Orologie for their steak Florentine so we knew we had to try it.

I opted against bringing my chunky DSLR so iPhone pictures will have to do (sorry!).

Ristorante Buca Mario is a small family run restaurant hidden away near the Santa Maria Novella. The moment you walk in, you are treated like long lost family. The smell of fresh pasta, the quaint dining room and friendly smiling faces made us feel completely at home.

Everything on the menu looked great but we knew the steak Florentine was a must. In addition to the steak, we ordered a Caprese salad, homemade potato gnocchi with gorgonzola cheese, and a side of rosemary potatoes which came highly recommended by the staff.

The mozzarella on the caprese salad was soft and melted into the tomatoes. Our waiter said they have been using the same local farmer for years to source their cheeses. After our caprese salad experience at Buca Mario, we were hooked on fresh mozzarella and ordered it during every meal for the remainder of our trip in Italy.

The potato gnocchi was the perfect dish to accompany the steak Florentine. The creaminess of the gorgonzola cheese and denseness of the gnocchi added some balance with the heavy meat. I used some of the cheese sauce to dip my steak into- so good!

Of course the show stealer was the steak. After seeing dinosaur-sized steaks around the dining room, we decided to order a one person portion to share. It was still the biggest steak I have ever eaten. Seared medium rare and aged in house, the steak was topped with extra virgin olive oil table side.

No meal in Florence is complete without a red wine from the Chianti Classico region. The waiter recommended the perfect bottle to pair with our dinner choices.

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