I spent last weekend soaking up the 97 degree sunshiney weather with two of my besties from Boston. We enjoyed our days baking in the sun, eating amazing (and surprisingly healthy) food all over town, diving deep into life analysis, people-watching L.A. socialites by the pool, hanging out in dressing rooms a-la The Sweetest Thing, and discussing our skincare routines in detail. It was perfect. 

Trip planned to Palm Springs?? Bring me with you. And in case you're interested, here's what I'd recommend...

Eats

Spencer's upscale, insanely beautiful setting, delicious food

Birba candle lit, tree surrounded setting creates a romantic ambiance + best flat breads and salads

El Jefe perfect happy hour margarita and nachos after the pool

Cheeky's best brunch ever, cannot say enough about this place, just GO

Palm Greens healthy, yummy, perfect in every way - great for dietary restrictions of any kind

The Tropicale bright beautiful setting with amazing food options (very PS)

Ernest Coffee perfect for an afternoon pick me up of coffee + charcuterie

Shops

Trina Turk brighty poolside fun (when in Rome?)

Wil Stiles like Trina but with more variety and better price tags

Stay

The Saguaro colorful, lively pool scene, quirky and delicious

Do

Palm Springs Tramway conquer your fear of heights!

Thursday Night Market shops and eats and shows, great way to experience downtown

Pack

almost nothing (seriously... it's incredibly hot and it's all about the pool wear!)

I have a long list of to-do's for when I go back next (which will hopefully be sooner rather than later!), so I guarantee a Part 2 (someday...)!

Road Trip Essentials :: My Open Road Wish List

I *heart* summer road trips with all of my might. They keep me running, they really do. Sunshine, breezes, new sights and adventures, how can you go wrong? I'm also pretty sure they're the glue in my relationship with Jimbo - our best talks and adventures always happen on the road. We've done two cross-USA road trips, a Euro-road trip, and each summer we end up taking countless rides on summer weekends. There's something so freeing about it! If you've packed correctly, that is - otherwise they're no fun at all. Here are some of my favorite summer road trip essentials:

1. blanket // to be used for warmth, for a pillow, and for that impromptu picnic you're sure to have.
2. cotton beach dress // something comfy, stretchy, and begging to be photographed.
3. shovel // for safety - sometimes cars get stuck.
4. rosewater spray // it's nice to freshen up with a spritz of rosewater after a few hours on the road.
5. comfy shoes // something versatile is good, you never know where you'll end up...
6. dry shampoo // if you'll be on the road for a few days, your hair might crave a pick-me-up.
7. favorite wine // beautiful views and sunsets sometimes call for wine.
8. wine opener // because, wine.
9. notebook // how else would you record all of your adventures and brainstorm your future together?
10. sunglasses // I need a new pair...love these guys.
11. cash // folks these days often depend on cards, but cash might be necessary to pay for state parks, parking, roadside fruit stands, and other emergencies like that.
12. snacks // I like to pack nuts, fruit and dark chocolate.
13. music // we use Spotify for our road trip playlists (see our Sunshine Drive playlist below!)
14. SPF chapstick // a must have.
15. a knife // you'll be surprised how much you'll use this thing, plus - safety first.

Do you have any unique road trip essentials? How about road trip songs?

This post is part of the RelayRides Road Trip Essentials campaign. RelayRides is a car rental service based on peer-to-peer car sharing - you can borrow others' cars and rent out your own!

Getaway Weekend :: Scootin' Sonoma

I love the strong (and completely unintentional) focus on blues and greens in these photos. It must be spring!

Last weekend, Jimmy and I hopped on our Piaggio and scooted our way from the East Bay, up through Sonoma to Sebastopol, through Guerneville to Armstrong Redwoods, to Dry Creek Valley, back to Sebastopol, to Bodega Bay, down Route 1, to Stinson Beach, over the Golden Gate Bridge, over the Bay Bridge, then home. I thought about adding up the miles and decided against it - but let's just say that's quite a lot for an open-air ride!

We tasted wine, we ate the good foods, we enjoyed nature. But first and foremost, we enjoyed the time on the scooter, zipping through the breeze and sunshine, able to soak every last piece of the ride in. There's something so wonderful about traveling this way, especially for me as the passenger. I get to see, hear and smell everything as it flies by, making every last moment of the road trip feel like part of the fun rather than a means to an end.

Here's a little instagram-vid that I took from the ride:

[Click here for on-scooter instavid]

Where we stayed: The Sebastapol Inn was a great place for our weekend stay. We liked that it was affordable but better than your average chain, and very central to much of what Sonoma County has to offer. Also, Sebastapol in itself is a worth a stopover - it's a very "groovy" little town with a strong community vibe.

Where we ate: This weekend was all about "what looks delicious?", rather than my usual focus on "what's healthy and/or cheap". This was a very fun change. Favorites:

• Angelo's Wine Country Deli in Sonoma is the perfect place for a casual lunch between tastings. Check out the jerky tasting bar (you can't miss it) with complimentary bite-size pieces of every kind of jerky under the sun.

• Ono'z Cafe in Guerneville for Hawaiian - who knew you could get Hawaiian food in wine country? Yummy onion rings + lumpia + an enormous shaved ice will stick in my memory.

• We found the HopMonk Tavern in Sebastapol so enjoyable that we went here twice. Great food eaten with local beer in a friendly-stranger filled beer garden next to a fire. How can it get better? Add a perfectly grilled ham and cheese + chunky tomato soup...that's how.

• The Bodega Country Store (in Bodega) is always a must for us; we find ourselves passing by strangely often and we love it each and every time. There is AMAZING chowder, lots of local knickknacks and flavors, and our favorite kind of gluten-free cookies which is what we grabbed this time on our way home.

• We stopped at the Parkside Cafe snack shack at Stinson Beach for some burgers and chili fries (I told you we weren't focused on health...), which we took over to eat on the beach in the sunshine. 

• The Community Market in Sebastapol is the adorable place where we stopped for morning breakfast and coffees - I wish we had one of these in our town!

What we drank: Though Sonoma and Napa are closer to us and renowned for their wines, we tend to venture out to the Dry Creek Valley / Russian River Valley wineries more often. They are a bit less pricey in general, there's less traffic, and since there is less packed into the area, you can't beat the views. We're wine club members of both Dutcher Crossing and Truett Hurst, which are both amazing, delicious, off-the-beaten path wineries in the area. Check 'em out!

What we did: Besides eating and wine tasting, we had an awesome time exploring Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve (I just can't get enough of those majestic trees), walking around Stinson Beach, and spending time on the scooter, stopping every 5 minutes to get a view of this or a photo of that. 

Have you been to Sonoma County? What was your favorite stop? 

3,000 Miles to Portland :: According to iPhone Pictures

Helloooo from Portland, OR -- and Happy New Year! Steph, Jimmy & I made it to Portland last week after a successful, week long road trip across the states. The home made trailer remained in one piece, the weather behaved perfectly, and we had a blast in despite of insane amounts of driving. This road trip was completely different from our last one; a little colder and a little more in a hurry. But it was so beautiful. From Nebraska on we mostly stuck to "scenic byways", and I've never seen such beautiful wide expanses in my whole life.

I kept the "real" camera tucked away, but here is my collection of iPhone photos from the trip - blurriness, crazy filters and all - many of which you may have already seen on my Instagram.  I copied Taza's way of doing "life according to iPhone pics" - I think I'll do more of it!

Chicago Bean / sisters / Chicago style hot dog

Chicago skyline on the Bean / Grand Teton National Park

Nebraska hay bales for days / little scene from Omaha

the most exciting grocery store / thrifty business

amazing finds: coat hanger / happy platter / scary masks / delicious inner tubes of flavor

Omaha!! books / shops / eats / snow

open road / belly button / Jim's creation / wide spaces

horses smooching / jackelope ride / small town Wyoming / hi to the horsies

middle of nowhere / Jackson find

entering Jackson / antlers! / shops / no parking

The Lotus Cafe! India breakfast bowl / Bombay bowl / soup sips (Jimmy takes the plate)

cool sign / cool fence / lots of trains / cub sneak peek

Oregon coast with friends / games games games / welcome / sea stack

Cannon beach / winter sand frolic / silhouette 

And by the numbers:

• 12 states tackled
• 3,199 miles driven
• 7 crappy motels stayed in
• 280 gallons of gas sucked dry
• 38 rest stop/McDonald's bathroom/mini mart visits
• $913 put towards gas for the truck
• 1,789 coal train cars passed (guesstimate)
• 6 games of Settlers played
• 8 bags of uniquely flavored potato chips chomped
• 9 used clothing/vintage shops scoured
• 2 french toast & bacon ice cream cones licked
• 128 Disney/Glee songs sung 

It was a success! And now for the big announcement........Jimmy and I are officially moving to California! I just accepted a wonderful job down in the Bay Area, and I couldn't be more excited. We're not quite sure when we'll get down there, as we don't have a place to stay yet, but I'm sure we'll figure it out, as we always do :). We can't wait to explore a new area, meet people, learn things, and enjoy some sunshiny weather. I'm hoping to learn more details in the next couple of weeks, so we'll be in touch...

Mid-Road Trip Update / Christmas 2012

Happy 2013 everyone! We are currently in Jackson, WY and about to head through Idaho after a stop at the Lotus Cafe for a delicious lunch (we went yesterday for dinner and it was so good that we have to go back). Almost to our final destination! This road trip has been an amazing whirlwind. With lots, and LOTS of driving.

Top 3 (so far) from the trip:

• Omaha, Nebraska, is adorable! We stopped by the Old Market for some shopping and dinner, and I fell a little bit in love.
• Driving through Wyoming yesterday. It was beyond gorgeous. Snow! Mountains! Wildlife!
• New Years Eve in Jackson, WY! We celebrated with lots of wine, board games, and cheersing with the Jackson locals at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in downtown Jackson.

I'll have pics of that coming up, but for now just a quick recap of my Christmas season......because these pics give me the warm 'n' fuzzies.