travel

Gjusta + Getty Villa

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Ok, so going with my theory of always doing something cultural and eating something delicious, we had a great day at Gjusta Bakery and visiting the Getty Villa (different than the Getty Center!) in Los Angeles. These are not next to each other, but it was a quick drive from the bakery to the villa. And we wanted to do both (and recommend both, too!)

 

GJUSTA BAKERY

 

Gjusta is the sister restaurant of Gjelina (which is forever my favorite restaurant in LA, and also has the best cookbook and best sticky toffee pudding you will ever eat). It is located in Venice and everything in it is just beautiful and delicious.

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Janessa Leon Bucket Hat

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As it is summer time, and I love being outdoors, I am constantly searching for new hats. When I came across the Janessa Leon Bucket hat that was easy to travel with, I immediately bought it. It is super packable, light, easy, and has a super wide brim to protect your face. Although my kids say I look like a light bulb, I LOVE IT.

 

You need to size up — I am wearing a medium and it is snug.

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Giverny: Monet’s House and Gardens

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Sorry for the delay in posts — we are in Paris and have been nonstop with activities, museums, steps, and eating! The best! Anyways, I am now no longer jet lagged, no longer every second packed, and so I am baaaaaack. One highlight of the past week was a trip to Giverny, where Monet lived and painted. In all the years I have spent coming to Paris, I have never ever been to Giverny before. And it did not disappoint! Not only that, it exceeded expectations, and I highly suggest that everyone make a trip to Giverny if you have not yet been.

 

Every morning on our way out the door, we took our photos and did OOTD (outfits of the day) where we told each other our outfits.

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Luna Luna + Din Tai Fung

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At the VERY start of break (yes, I am very behind on all posts and catch ups), we went to one of our favorite dumplings spots, Din Tai Fung, and also to a fun immersive art experience, Luna Luna. I highly suggest going to both — for taste, color, experience!

 

Luna Luna

 

Lots of color — and super cool to learn about everything. (It was VERY cold and we stayed in our coats the entire time)

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Currently Loving August 2024

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Sorry for going radio silent last week — it was just one of those weeks! But I am back, and have posts don’t cha worry! Here is what I am loving this month! (And can you believe it is August?!?! How in the world did that happen?)

 

1. Seattle

 

Drove up last week to Seattle to visit my brother and his family. Nothing like jumping in to Lake Washington as the sun set….And no, I am a wimp. Only the brave people jump in — it was too cold for me.

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Currently Loving – Menorca Edition

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So much to love on the island of Menorca! Here is what I loved on Menorca during our two week stay. (And if you are thinking about visiting Menorca –DO IT!)

 

1. Beaches

 

So many different types of beaches! I loved them all. Rustic, small, popular, chaotic, lounge chairs — every style, I loved.

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Currently Loving Paris Edition

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Went on a quick 3 day trip to Paris last week to celebrate Tusia’s 12th birthday and there are so many highlights from the trip! Here is what I loved from Paris last week (and will always love)

 

1. The Random Street Art

 

is there anything more beautiful than art all over the streets of Paris? I could spend days just looking at the walls along the streets!

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Big Sur / Carmel Weekend

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A week ago, I traveled to Northern California to complete my 22nd marathon. There were a lot of changes going in to the weekend, as the landslide on Highway 1 had affected the route of The Big Sur Marathon, and also impacted our hotel stay. After many bumps and turns, the marathon ended up happening and it was truly a great weekend — the run, the company, and the nature.

 

I landed on Friday at SFO and was picked up by my bestie, sister from another mister, who is truly the best caretaker and friend in the world. She took care of me by rubbing my feet, making me electrolyte water, and cooking up these delicious pancakes for breakfast. She is truly Martha Stewart 2.0.

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Merci Montecito

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Last weekend. Cruzzie and I spent the weekend in Montecito / Ojai / Los Angeles AKA HEAVEN. All three of those places are my favorite places in the world — they are beyond beautiful and I just love the area so much. So when coming home, I knew I needed to bring a piece of Montecito with me. This trip, it meant cookie dough from Merci — the best coffee, cafe, food (but let’s be honest, everything in Montecito is “the best,” because, truly, it is. But yes, back to cookie dough, yes, I traveled across the country with cookie dough, and lord, was it worth it.

 

Ah, California. I love you so much.

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Spring Break 2024 Highlights

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Sunday Scaries ending Spring Break is REAL. We are ALL feeling it……the two week break went by in a flash, or was so long, did it even really happen? Well, here we are! Monday, April 1st! Back to school (for the kids, and for me!) and so here are the highlights of the past two weeks where we traveled and explored. We were fortunate enough to have three legs — Skiing in Oregon with my parents, Mexico beach vacation the 4 of us, and then ending up in Palm Beach with just me and the kiddos. Here are the highlights:

 

OREGON

 

Cross Country skiing with my parents everyday, while Ken took the kids downhill. I no longer downhill but the kids love it (and Ken is a great dad to take them every day to ski together), but I much prefer the exercise, nature, silence, and togetherness of cross country. Especially with my parents!

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The Oregon Coast

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The Oregon Coast is one of the most majestic and unique places to visit. It is not tropical or very warm, but it is a scenic escape from inland. On very hot days in Eugene, we love to go to the Oregon coast where it will easily be 30 degrees colder. Also, when it is smokey in Eugene (which unfortunately it has been the past week due to the wildfires), the coast is a nice relief with the wind and little to no smoke. If you ever go to Oregon, I highly suggest visiting the coastline and seeing all the natural beauty the state has to offer.

 

One of my favorite places to visit on the coast is inland at a friend’s cabin. Her house is on a lake (which is 1/2 mile away from the ocean). You can canoe and kayak and play on the tunes — but you are on a lake.

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Currently Loving July 2023

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…and just like that, we are almost to August. Of course, when it comes close to August, I start panicking about the end of summer. Summer is BY FAR my favorite season — the weather, the freedom, the travel, I love it all. And August is like a BIG ‘OL SUNDAY…..So, trying to focus on the present moment, here is what I am currently loving!

 

1. Crochet Top

 

Crochet is definitely having a moment this summer, and I love this top. It is great over bathing suits, or on a hike 🙂 I love it so much.

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Biologique Recherche Headquarters

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Introduced to Biologique Recherche skincare products over a decade ago, my favorite thing to do in Paris, is to go get a facial at the Headquarters of Biologique Recherche. The headquarters is located at the base of the Champs Elysees in Paris, (just so happens to be 2 blocks away from my in-laws apartment, so easy to get to). It is a peaceful, serene getaway — not only to pamper oneself with a facial, but the prices for the services AND the products are a fraction of what they are in the USA. So I love to go there and stock up!

 

This is what you see from the street — just a doorway.

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Paris Recommendations 2023

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I know everyone has their list of favorite places in Paris and what’s the best thing to do, but here is my current list of favorite activities I did this past month while in Paris.

 

Restaurants:

Creatures

 

This restaurant was recommended to me by a french friend — and it was perfect in every way. VEGETABLES, ONLY FRENCH, ROOF TOP, BEAUTIFUL. I loved every second.

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Thanksgiving 2022

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Just got back from a whirlwind away on the west coast in the Bay Area. We decided to visit our best friends from Stanford for the holiday, and it was truly one of the best weekends yet. We laughed, ate, ate some more, ate even more, laughed some more, and just had great quality time together. Here is what we did (and great recommendations for anyone going to the Bay Area, too!)

 

MUIR WOODS

 

National Forest north of San Francisco in Marin. A beautiful, relaxing, and incredible sigh of redwood trees. Redwood trees are supposed to be healing, and just being in their presence felt magical. They are HUGE and ANCIENT.

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Provence 2022 Highlights

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After Spain, we traveled to Provence where we spent two HOT but glorious weeks. We just returned this past weekend to the States and I am already missing Europe so much. It was a wonderful trip and I am already planning next year’s summers’ adventures. We didn’t do much, but it was all simple and easy, and I loved it all. Here is a look at what we did.

 

The view from my window. We were located in the village and had access to everything right there. We could go to the gelato store in 1 minute and 30 seconds, and same with the bakery. Which of course, what we did twice a day….

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Spain 2022 Highlights

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I was fortunate enough to spend the last 2 weeks in Southern Spain with my parents, daughter, and Ken (for a week) where we relaxed and explored together. It was refreshing and rejuvenating to leave the US and get fresh air and tastes of a different culture. Here are the highlights:

 

Every morning, I ran. Over the two weeks, I ran 98 miles. Up hills, down hills, and NEVER on flat surfaces. It was the hardest place I have EVER EVER RUN in my entire life, and I hope that it makes me a stronger (and faster) runner. Each morning, I would dread my run, but I loved it so much afterwards. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to explore my surroundings and really have a feel for the area.

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Tricount App

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Thanks to a girls trip, I discovered a new life changing app, Tricount. This app helps organize the expenses for all the different people involved. For example, this past weekend, instead of four people constantly splitting the bill, we just rotated who paid what and put it in the app. At the end of the trip, it calculated who owed what to whom. It was also very helpful as different people were present for different portions of the expenses, and this helped keep track of it all.

 

Girls trip — where I was introduced to Tricount!

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Traveling During COVID-19

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I have had a lot of questions asked about flying during COVID so I thought I would write a post about my experience! First of all, I know that everyone has their own level of comfort with this pandemic and so one must always do what feels best for themselves and their situation. As we had already flown in April (from FL to NYC), we were not scared or anxious about flying and knew the airline protocols and practices. We felt confident in our ability to protect ourselves from germs and knew that we would be safe.

 

1. Wear Masks

 

It is required to wear a mask during the whole process of flying — boarding, on flight, and deplaning. And absolutely everyone adhered to that rule. You saw a whole variation of masks on the planes — some people also had the plastic shield on TOP of the masks, some people wore goggles, some had balaclavas and some people wore gloves. We simply wore our masks and that felt comfortable and good.

 

California loving. How can one not WANT to fly out here???? We didn’t wear masks on the beach but we were far from people.

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Que Water Bottle

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Goodbye plastic bottles (be gone!), hello collapsible water bottle! Who knew that a single tiny little bottle could bring so much joy? This lightweight bottle is perfect for traveling or everyday. You just smoooosh it and it is half the original size. No more lugging around heavy glass bottles or bulky bottles. This is the perfect solution for everyday on the move. Que bottles.

 

BIG — fill it up with water!

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Paris June 2019 Highlights

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Bonjour! My apologies for the slow posts these past two weeks — it was quite difficult to get on the internet to do any posts especially because I had a major computer issue a…..turns out, all is okay with my computer but the head of the charger died — who knew that that was a thing? In any case, I am now back in the USA *with* a working computer, so back to normal post schedules. I wanted to first share with you all some of the pictures and highlights of my time in Paris with the kids — we did go to the South of France for an amazing trip as well, and I will post those later. In the meantime, enjoy these photos!

 

In the Tuileries, one of our favorite activities is the trampoline park. It is an old school little hut with a man that got to know us because we went so often. Everyday when we would get there he would say hello and when we would leave, he would say “See you tomorrow.”

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Quick Paris Trip With Josie Natori

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This past weekend, I was a true jetsetter and flew to Paris for a getaway with my mother-in-law. Yes, spoiled. Yes, privileged.  Yes, extravagant. But oh so fun and wonderful. As I age (thank you, 40), I realize that time together with loved ones becomes more and more important. And even though we live in the same city, I rarely have the opportunity to sit down with my mother-in-law just to be together.  We had a great time, simply walking around, shopping, eating, drinking champagne, conversing, and soaking up the beauty of Paris. Here are pictures. Enjoy!

 

I am a giant compared to my oh so glamorous MIL….

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Spring Break 2019 Part 2

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Last week, we finished off spring break with good quality fun in Central Oregon with my parents. Generally when we are in Central Oregon, we go to Sunriver, but this time, we went to Black Butte Ranch. Beyond beautiful with spectacular views, we had a great time skiing, walking, lounging, watching movies, building puzzles, and being together. Enjoy this oversharing of family photos!

 

Family — the one shot that we got (minus Ken, who went back to NYC)!

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