Back From the BVI

Folks - I'm home!!

My trip was amazing - something out of a dream and while I easily could have stayed and stayed and stayed I do have to admit there are things I'm happy to be home for - namely my bed and kitchen.

I realize I never fully explained to you all what this vacation was. To be honest it was a long time coming and then before I knew it it was happening and I was a tad overwhelmed with things going on in life and also being ready to go. So allow me to share some more info now.

Basically the trip consisted of my dad, my stepmom, my boyfriend and I sailing our way through the British Virgin Islands on a boat called the Chablis. Since most of the islands are so close together down there we were able to wake up each morning and sail just a couple of hours to our next desired harbor where we would post up and explore. This led us to some awesome places including boat bars, some excellent snorkeling, the Bitter End and more.

As you can probably imagine in was the perfect paradise vacation with delicious eats, crystal clear waters, sea turtles, rum and Cards Against Humanity.

 Hope these pictures helped warm you up in this national cold front!

Visiting Boston

The past couple of days I've had my little brother visiting and it has been a blast! One of my favorite thing about out of town guests is that suddenly you're forced to actually go out and see your own city. So much of the wonderful things that brought me to Boston have been MIA from my life since I actually moved here so its been a ton of fun revisiting all of the historical sites and just walking the beautiful downtown streets. On that note I wanted to just share a couple of my personal "must see spots" in Boston.

There are so many different fun and beautiful things that Boston has to offer and there is really no way to make a list of what must be seen and done with out making an entirely new blog dedicated to the topic but I can list out a couple of my personally favorite spots and what I felt necessary to show my 18 year old brother now and of course continue to throw some more out there in future posts!

Considering I live in the Cambridge area and my brother is leaving for college in the fall the first stop on our tour was Harvard. Harvard Square had a couple of great places to grab some breakfast and coffee and from there we walked the campus all the way back to the house. Next we took the Red Line T down to Park Street and walked past the Common, the Granary Burying Ground (which includes the likes of John Hancock, Paul Revere and Samuel Adams), the Site of the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall, and then we headed towards the North End. The North End is great because it has an entirely different feel than the rest of the city - with it's narrow streets and rustic Italian restaurants it feels more like Europe than Boston. Once in the North End we were able to grab some delicious (albeit expensive) lunch and then head to the Old North Church. On our way back to the T we passed Mike's Pastry (which is delicious though often has a long line and we were pretty full so we passed - but worth stopping in if your looking for delicious cannoli). Also on our way back to the Park Street T station we walked past the Boston City Hall and the Massachusetts State House. 

The next day my brother was lucky enough to have some other friends who took him to the Cape, which I think is another must if you want to get the full Boston Summer experience. 

Finally, on Sunday we went to a Red Sox game (my first!) and cheered on as they dominated the Royals 6-0! Fenway is definitely something that you MUST SEE and even better if you can catch a game!

After the game we walked towards the Common, stopping at JP Licks of course and then heading down Boylston Street where we were able to see the Boston Marathon Finish Line and the site of the Boston bombings, we then crossed over to see some of Newbury Street and it's fun and eclectic architecture before walking through the Boston Public Gardens and the Common to the Red Line T.

Like I said there is plenty more that can be done in the Boston area and I will definitely be sharing some more ideas with you all in the future but I hope this can help with some initial plans for anyone headed to the area!

Vacation Flashback

So this week has been back to the daily grind and needless to say it's been a tough transition. The good news is that I really like my job and the people I work with - the downside is that I haven't had more than a minute at home to clean, blog, unpack or reorganize my life - all in good time though I presume. In the meantime I've thrown together this flashback post so I might grab some time to unpack :p

Starting with Niagara Falls - Enjoy! (More after the jump)

The American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls

Scenes from Vacationing Days

So I'm finally back home, back to work and back to trying to be productive in humidity. I can't believe how fast that vacation flew by - but talk about an incredible trip. I will definitely be sharing more details of what I saw and where I went soon but for now this is all I can manage - please enjoy these scenes from my vacation!

Santa Barbara - One Local's Insight on Where to Eat

My hometown is beautiful. And I say that with a bias. It is (ask anyone's who's been there or even just heard of it). As a result we get a lot of tourism and thus there are some inevitable tourist traps. This post is my attempt at suggesting just a couple of great food places from the eyes of a local. Please keep in mind this is just my humble opinion and plenty of locals have their own haunts but needless to say there are a TON of great (discreet) options in Santa Barbara - so try to avoid anything shy of extraordinary. Additionally nothing I'm suggesting is in the vain of fine dining, these tend to be more in the line of lunch. 

- La Supa Rica. This is the most obvious suggestion I'm going to make, it will be listed in most guide books and ten to have pretty long lines on the weekends but it is totally worth it. I suggest trying to go during the week if you out can though (keep in mind they are closed on Wednesdays and now temporarily on Tuesdays as well). They have a lot of authentic and fresh Mexican food (you can watch them make the tortillas right in front of you) and not a ton of space but believe me when I say that despite not totally knowing what you're ordering (no burritos here!) there are no bad choices - everything is incredible. Portions are somewhat small so order two and don't forget your cash, no plastic accepted.

- Blenders in the Grass. Our local rendition of Java Juice, though even comparing the two at all is an insult to 'Blenders'. Words can't do justice to how yummy these smoothies are- and filling. My favorite is the tropical mango with their 'Total' supplement added. There are a couple of locations throughout Santa Barbara and Goleta.

- Luna cafe. Consistently, quality and delicious food located in the heart of cute, quaint Sumerland  the trip to Sumerland might be the best part about this little cafe but the food definitely lives up. Also be sure to check out the urban vertical gardens next door as well as the rest of the tiny adorable beach town. 

- Hollister Brewing Company. HBC to locals in the know. This is an awesome place to hit up if your a beer fanatic who finds him or herself in Goleta. What this place lacks in view it makes up for in beer. In fact one could easily argue that the view of the in house brewery from the dining room rivals those of the beach (ok that's a bit of a stretch, but it's not everyday you can sit, drink, eat and watch beer brew. This is also a great place to catch any sports games you may be interested in watching. 

- Finally, what would this list be without an ocean front suggestion. For this I bring you yet another Goleta staple: The Beachside Bar-Cafe. A beautiful view of the ocean from both the fish bar or the tables in the restaurant, it is not unusual to see dolphins swimming in the distance. They also have food and drinks to match. I always love their clam chowder and waffle fries (fries only served with lunch). But beyond those basics their dishes are superb - including their ahi appetizer. Also if you just want to go for drinks they have a great bar with a view and a popcorn machine cranking out complimentary treats. 

Hope these are useful on your next trip into town, I know they're the spots I always try to hit up when I go home. 

Day Trips

I don't know about you but small day trips or adventures are probably one of favorite things. I love finding new places and spaces - especially when I'm back in my hometown - there's just something so surreal about finding something new in a city I always thought I knew so well. I find it refreshing to explore more of my old stomping grounds and find parts of town that I never knew about before. 

On one of these exploratory excursions last week I stumbled upon one of the coolest oasis' on the outskirts of town called The Sacred Space. It was the perfect combination of retail space and complete retreat.

The way they had decorated and filled out the rooms with handpicked and thoughtfully curated items for the space was both incredible and soothing. In total they had done five different rooms with a variety of items and they had even re-done the backyard with ponds, benches and tons of greenery. The result was a wonderful space to listen to the babbling water, sit back and let yourself be taken to an entirely different world. Another surprising and fun treat was that they also provided complimentary tea for 'guests'!

I could have spent an entire afternoon perusing the space, filled to the brim with beautiful stones, votives, sculptures, furniture jewelry and so much more. A person could walk through for hours and never see everything.

Needless to say it was an awesome find and a worthwhile stop on the 101 - I can't wait to go back the next time I'm in town!

Scenes From My Weekend

Happy Monday everybody! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. It's hard to believe that we're halfway done with June already (and that I'm winding down on my time here at home)!

I don't know about you but this weekend was a fun, activity and family filled extravaganza here in the Munshine household - full of wine and beer tasting, Mexican feasts, walks on the beach and even some sailing on the Pacific. 

Check out some snapshots below and leave a comment about your Father's Day weekend!

xo 

Megan

Hump Day Reflections: June 11

Image from Etsy

Being on vacation I felt this quote was a perfect fit for this week's Hump Day Reflections. While this vacation was only going home for me and not to some new adventurous place it's still so relaxing to be back and not be working.

Additionally, I might be the luckiest person around to call this beautiful California town home, so in a huge way this is most definitely a destination vacation.

Hope you all are having a warm and wonderful Wednesday.

xo 

Megan

What's In Your Carry On Bag

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! I still can't believe it's already June! And with that time for me to make my journey across the country! I couldn't be more excited but as with every other trip I've ever taken, the packing part always stresses me out more than it probably should. However, considering how many times I've now made this trip there are some things it can confidently do with ease. For example what to put in ones personal carry-on bag or purse.

So here it goes, my tips and tricks for your carry-on personal effects:

First things first, make sure to choose a purse or bag that is medium to large in size. I generally prefer a tote-style bag with no dividers and few pockets and I always try to ensure that it zips or clasps closed. Additionally, it's good to look for a bag that has both over the shoulder straps AND a cross body option just in case. This is the one I'll be using for this trip (it doesn't have the zipper but will double well in CA as a beach bag so I'm going for it)

Next is what to put in your bag. As I said before, I prefer open bags so I always pack a few smaller cases within, such as my makeup case and a case with any other loose items I want to easily be able to locate (i.e. chap stick, mints or gum, passport, tissues, pen). I like to keep my keys in an inside zipper pocket so that I can always find them. On my way back I don't want to have to worry about finding them or about their getting lost during the trip (I've heard horror stories of people loosing their keys on vacation and having to deal with that instead of being able to relax on their return).

For in flight entertainment - the most important thing: HEADPHONES, I made one cross country trip without them - never again. With that, a music or video player - I usually just use my phone for music and if I have my life together prior to leaving, I'll upload movies to my iPad for the flight. I always like to bring a non-electronic option as well, be it a novel, magazine or book of sudoku or crosswords - just something to do when I get sick of looking at a screen or during the few minutes they ask you to have everything turned off.

For comforts I like to bring a large scarf that can double as a pillow or blanket depending on my needs (sometimes I'll wear a sweater as well for these purposes). I know a lot of people like to bring inflatable pillows and I won't say they don't look on in envy some trips but I've just never felt the need to purchase one when a scarf can do. I also always try to bring a disposable water bottle and a couple snacks so I don't have to purchase the overpriced, not great food at the airport and it's easy enough to throw in a bag of carrots, cheese and crackers or some Luna bars before leaving the house. For the water bottle I usually leave the house with it half full so I don't have to chug too much at security and then I just find a water fountain (always in front of the restrooms near the terminals) and refill for the flight.

Finally, I always like to prepare myself for a grand arrival. I like to have a toothbrush, deodorant, perfume and basic makeup necessities so once I arrive I can run to the restroom and refresh to get ready for a days adventure in a new local.

A couple other random but still very important items I always like to have: my glasses, my phone charger and a notebook. Usually all of this does get a little heavy but never leaves me wanting.

What do you think? Am I missing something vital? Do I have too much?

xo 

Megan