Landscapes and Leggings

LOL ok. I think I’m finally emotionally ready to write about this part of the trip. For awhile, I was kind of sick of rehashing it, and I felt like every time I brought it up or someone asked about it, I was manifesting something. After a little break, and having to recently tell the story again last weekend, I feel a little bit less paranoid about it. Not going to lie, I have also done a lot of shit to my apartment to be able to feel better.

For good measure, though: I don’t claim any of this negative energy.

LOL at this point, the people who haven’t heard about this yet are probably like, “Girl WHAT happened up there?!” I’m not going to get into specific details about the paranormal stuff. If you’re interested, you’re more than welcome to ask me privately and I will share more about it with you.

I should also note, The Stanley Hotel has a copyright on all the information shared in its tours, and lets their guest know this. Some of it is common knowledge and easily searchable, though, so I think I should be good to share some basic historical information.

When retelling the story, I’m learning that the background of the hotel isn’t always common knowledge, so for those who don’t know, The Stanley is a hotel on the National Register of Historic Places, built in 1909 in Estes Park, Colorado. It’s most infamous for being the source of inspiration behind Stephen King’s The Shining (then transiently the newer sequel, Doctor Sleep) and Pet Sematary. To be honest, I didn’t know about the Pet Sematary part until after we left. We didn’t want to do a lot of research into the hotel beyond what we already knew, which in hindsight, was both a good and bad idea.

We had this image in our heads that the hotel would be really secluded. It was a long, winding drive to Estes Park, but once in town, not so much the case. There was a very renovated McDonald’s, Starbucks and Safeway grocery store at the bottom of the hill, and the driveway to the hotel itself was not very long at all.

In the movie, The Shining, the hotel is called The Overlook, and the hotel they used for exterior shots was actually in Oregon. The movie uses the room “237” instead of “217,” because there wasn’t a room 237 at the hotel, and they didn’t want to avert guests from visiting. The irony now being that the 217 suite books up months in advance, with diehard fans and ghost hunters vying to get a few nights’ stay in one of the most haunted rooms of the property.

So. Here’s what threw me for a loop: the website markets a few select rooms as the ones with the most paranormal activity. So I was like, “Okay, great, we won’t be staying in any of those so we should be fine.” LOL. That was not the case. Those mfs TRAVEL. If you’re staying at The Stanley, be prepared to be directly victimized. I feel like this is a thing they should warn people about more heavily, but whatever.

If you’re staying, you also have to stay a minimum of two nights, which makes sense, because they do need to make money somehow, and I reckon most people would opt for just one night if they could. The hotel has never been one to generate much of a profit. True to the story, they used to shut down for the winters and only open for the warmer months. Nowadays, they are open year round, but the expense of keeping up with the outdated buildings really makes it more of a break-even situation, from what was alluded to.

A lot of people come for the tours and don’t stay the night. You can pay $25 for an hour-long day tour, or a 90-minute night tour, say you were at The Stanley, and peace out. If you’re scared of this kind of shit, going that route would probably be your best bet. I will say, though, you probably won’t experience anything at all on those tours, so don’t go into it expecting the unexpected. They are quite interesting, though, and worth the price.

Saturday during the day was PACKED at the hotel. Many people were just taking the tour, or drinking at the whiskey bar, or walking around and taking pictures. There were a lot of ghost hunter groups, outfitted with their branded t-shirts. The vibes were much better Saturday because of that reason. The hotel was much emptier Sunday and not at all chill. Both evenings were worse than the daytime. I was relieved when we were checking out Monday, because the hotel was even more desolate, and even creepier. I think the spirits have less people to take an interest in when it’s less crowded, so they start looking for other people’s chops to bust. No thanks.

If you are planning a trip, my recommendation would be to stay Friday night and Saturday night, unless you are actively seeking trouble. Then by all means, stay Sunday through Thursday.

I enjoyed the whiskey bar, which was fashioned to be more like the one from the movie, and not vice versa. The food at the restaurant was pretty good and had a nice variety on the menu, but it was really crowded and our server was pretty dang slow. I think we got particularly unlucky in that department.

The bartenders will make you whatever you want, with whatever whiskey or bourbon you want. A lot of people were ordering whiskey sours. I prefer bourbon so I asked for a bourbon amaretto sour concoction, which I was nervous about, but it turned out quite tasty. They had local beers on tap, too, namely Estes Park Brewing’s Red Rum Ale and The Shining Pale Ale. Hey, they’re a small town and they gotta milk this thing for all it’s worth.

I had to chuckle because the bartender we kept going to kind of reminded me both of Lloyd and the butler version of Delbert Grady from the movie, just because he was so courteous and so apologetic if they were out of something. All of the staff had black COVID masks with “redrum” scrawled in red in the corner—another touristy touch. I thought it would have been more authentic if they were dressed up in early 20th century uniforms.

Everything was very free-roaming, which was fun. You could take your drinks wherever you wanted in the hotel or on the grounds, which is really refreshing for 2021, especially for a historic hotel full of things you could probably ruin with your drink. The views from the wrap-around patio were beautiful. I highly recommend grabbing your drink and sitting out there, day or night.

By the time we got there and settled Saturday, we spent the rest of the day just roaming and taking in the hotel. Sunday, we spent the entirety of the day in Rocky Mountain National Park, with a lunch break at Estes Park Brewing. The Stanley is about a 25-minute drive to the Bear Lake trailhead, and about 15 minutes or so to the national park entrance. Bear Lake trail has several lakes as part of it, including Emerald Lake, which was our final stop on the ascending hike.

Naturally, the drive is gorgeous, and that alone was worthy of photos. I felt fine the whole way up to the trailhead, but once we got there I was dying just walking in the parking lot with my daypack on. My heart rate was borderline concerning during the beginning of the hike, to be honest, but Sage was completely fine as I heaved behind him. This went unnoticed, of course, even though I specifically told him twice before the trip to make sure I was able to do all of the things he was doing. 🙂 Thank God I’m in really good shape and did not go into cardiac arrest.

I don’t remember at what point, but I was eventually able to even my breathing out somewhat early on, and the rest of the hike was quite enjoyable. When we were getting closer to Emerald Lake and into the higher altitudes, like maybe 9-10K feet, Sage was starting to feel it a bit. Not a lot of empathy from me there. Moral of the story, we both survived; it was very pretty, challenging and fun; and the hike down was a lot easier. It really was exciting—we were giddy from the once-in-a-lifetime views, and maybe the altitude.

Sunday evening—got back from hiking, took the 5 p.m. day tour at The Stanley to learn about all the historical stuff, which was so cool. Then we kind of chilled in the room and got ready for dinner. But uh, we couldn’t find a place to eat. Apparently every restaurant in town, including the hotel restaurant, closes at 8 p.m. on Sundays. However, Sage and I were really pleasantly surprised when the hostess at The Stanley called the nearest open, recommended restaurant for us to check if they had space. We didn’t have to ask; she just did it.

“Restaurant” was a bit loose, actually. We ended up at a dive bar with good comfort food but questionable health codes: Cousin Pat’s. Cousin Pat was personified as a cartoon on the outdoor sign, an indoor chalkboard, and some of the beer glasses.

As we were enjoying our food and beer at the bar, we saw a man with a Hawaiian shirt and open-toed shoes emerge from the kitchen. We couldn’t believe our eyes. We were star-struck. It was him—Cousin Pat himself, live in the flesh. With the mix of altitude and substances, we naturally thought all of this was hilarious. We truly thought Cousin Pat’s was going to be the highlight of our Sunday evening, but we were very mistaken.

Do it:

Stop for the day and get a craft cocktail from a nice Lloyd-like bartender, take the tour, take photos. Stop at the coffee shop for a Honey Bear Latte and the gift shop, if you’re brave enough to bring home a souvenir.
Get some pics on the creepy stair landing, even though you’re technically not allowed to sit there during COVID.
Hike Rocky Mountain National Park, get to Emerald Lake if you’re physically able.
Bring cramp-ons if the mountains still have snow. They’re $25 on Amazon and worth it.

Skip it:

Staying in the guest rooms on a slower night.
Breaking “the rules” of the hotel if possible, like taking your mask off in a common area where you’re not supposed to, or staying out/coming back late. (We learned there used to be an 11 p.m. curfew.)
Trying to get dinner anywhere in Estes Park on a Sunday after 7 p.m.
The hedge maze installed at the hotel a few years back to be more like “The Overlook” isn’t yet tall enough to be any fun.
The Redrum Latte from the coffee shop would be really good in theory, but if you’re into a decently strong coffee, it’s too sweet with all the added syrups. You could maybe ask for half the amount of syrup.
Cousin Pat’s, unless you really want to meet local Estes Park celebrity, Cousin Pat

I would go back for:

I will not be going back to The Stanley. LMAO.
I would like to see Rocky Mountain National Park in warmer weather, when the lakes are melted. It was still beautiful in the snow.

May 1, 2021 + Domestic Travel, Travel Guides

Denver, Red Rocks and The Source Hotel

by Rachel

This was a trip for Sage’s 30th birthday weekend. For years, he wanted to do Vegas, but similarly to my situation with Mardi Gras/NOLA, he felt that was going to be very anticlimactic during the pandemic. I think it could have been pretty cool for it to be not as crowded, but it’s still a fair assessment, and he’s the birthday boy.

In lieu of Vegas, he initially wanted to do [insert several obscure road trip ideas vaguely related to beer and the outdoors here]. In turn, I suggested Colorado. The idea took flight without any big pitch on my part, which is surprising sheerly because after all these years, Sage still hasn’t come to terms with the fact that I’m Always Right.

I don’t know why either of us hadn’t come to the Colorado conclusion earlier, honestly. It’s perfect for him, but something I’d also very much enjoy. In the same vein, when we were planning where to stay, it took us more time than it should have to realize we should spend part of our time in Denver and part of our time staying closer to the Rockies. What’s a hotel close to the Rockies, you ask? Well on a whim I googled where the Stanley Hotel was in Colorado because I couldn’t remember, and lo and behold, it’s quite close to where we wanted to go.

Adding insult to injury, Sage and I both love The Shining, Stephen King and just general paranormal ongoings so this was going to be excitingly perfect. I don’t think either of us thought we’d be having quite as authentic of an experience as we ended up having at the Stanley, but we don’t have time for all of that today. Right now, let’s just focus on the first half of our trip: Denver and Red Rocks Park and Ampitheatre.

We spent all of our time in Denver in the River North (RiNo) district. I’ve heard a lot of mixed things about the city of Denver itself from others. Some will suggest to skip Denver completely and stay in Boulder. We didn’t stay right in the heart of downtown Denver, and honestly, if you are in a younger demographic, I would say RiNo is where you want to stay when visiting Denver. There were a million Sages walking around in the wild. He was in heaven.

Straight from the airport, we headed to Red Rocks, which was a good choice logistically. I was already in leggings and had my layers ready, and we had an early flight which allowed us several hours before check-in at the hotel. Red Rocks Park was really pretty, but it’s basically one of those “take a brief walk and snap a few shots for Insta to make it look like this was way more involved than it actually was” places. Not that it was on the same level of let-downs as Scarborough Bluffs, because I wouldn’t even categorize it as a let down. The views were nice in some spots, it just wasn’t an all-day hiking experience—nor were we planning on it being one.

The only strenuous bit about the walk was because it had snowed so recently and was such a heavy, wet, snow, so it took a good bit of exertion to get through. Had it not snowed, it probably would have been easier for us to see some trailheads, but again, I don’t think there was really anything highly involved to hike there.

It seems like a killer concert venue. So many musicians have played there, which I didn’t realize. Artists like The Beatles, The Allman Brothers, John Denver, Stevie Nicks, Dolly Parton, Soundgarden—basically everyone, when you ran down the list in the museum. Overall, we got some good photos, and it was a good “welcome to Colorado” activity.

From Red Rocks, we headed back into town to take a look around the hotel and grab some lunch. A pleasant surprise, we were able to check in early and had pretty much the best front desk receptionist you could possibly ask for. She gave us so many thoughtful recommendations and was generally just a pleasure to interact with. She offered us a complimentary check-in beer—two test options from their in-house New Belgium brewery. Delightful.

The lobby of the hotel has some cool shops that sell everything from vintage clothes to vinyl records to cute office supplies. On one side of the building, there’s a rather large cafe and a BBQ joint called Smok. The second side of the building has more eateries, cafes, shops and even a bakery. You really don’t have to leave the property for a whole long weekend.

The room was really spacious, and we both found that we could have room to half-unpack toiletries and whatnot, and not feel completely disheveled and confused by where we had put things. It’s also one of those places that just smells really good. The beds and bedding were so comfy. What I wouldn’t have given to sleep in that bed for the whole trip, let me tell you. One minor blemish on what otherwise would be a perfect score: the mountain view wasn’t much of a mountain view. The first day was just cloudy, although it cleared up a bit the next day and we could see a little more. Still, I would say unless you are going in the summer and choosing a room with the garage doors that open fully, not worth the uncharge for the “mountain view.”

On a random note, the products supplied in the room were of really good quality, and I loved the scent of the rum shower gel. There were also two shower heads in the shower, which, normal people/real couples would have been like, “Oooh, sensual, romantic, etc,” but Sage and I just couldn’t figure out how to turn off one without turning on the other. Still, you can probably put that in the plus column.

Anyways, we were starving, so we decided to go check out The Woods restaurant on the rooftop of The Source. Everything was so fresh. My burrata salad was hearty with freshly grilled chicken. Sage’s burger was absolutely ridiculous (in the best way). The applewood smoked bacon on his burger was arguably the best either of us has tasted. I would have stopped back more than once if we had the time. I also wish we had known about the outdoor hot tubs and pool on the roof in advance. When I make a return to Denver, this is definitely the place I’ll be staying, and I’ll definitely be checking out the hot tubs.

The Woods was SO yummy.
We were both fans of this “chic” Denver evening outfit. Jacket: J. Crew. Leggings: Spanx. Boots: Fashion Nova. Turtleneck: Delia’s circa 2005, probably.

Our first brewery stop of the evening was Our Mutual Friend. It’s a small joint, but a really welcoming staff and atmosphere. I guess that’s on-brand for the name. Once again, Sage was in his natural habitat with a bunch of similar dudes walking around.

After Our Mutual Friend, we decided to hit up Ratio Brewworks. It’s your typical industrial-chic-warehouse space with some outdoor seating. Maybe if the weather was better, I would have appreciated the ambiance here more, but I didn’t love it. The best positive: the playlist was great. Early 2000s punk rock, for the most part. However, I was bristled by the individual who chose to skip an Alkaline Trio song midway through the song. Like seriously, you can’t identify as emo if Blink-182 and Simple Plan are all you can handle but you have to skip Alkaline Trio. Amateur commitment to the emo lifestyle, at best.

This is where I should probably note this was my first time in Colorado. I have terrible sinus issues as is, so I pretty much knew I was in for some trouble with the drastic change in altitude. I wasn’t sick-sick by any means, but there was an occasional nagging headache every time we traveled to a different altitude. My recommendation for this is to drink a ton of water—and have ibuprofen on you at all times. Natural Grocers, which was essentially a smaller Whole Foods with a different name, was just a few blocks from The Source. Early the next morning, we were able to swing by and I scooped up about 5 1-liter bottles of water, which was actually the perfect amount for the remainder of the trip.

I’ve decided now when traveling, I’m going to make it a point to stop somewhere at the beginning of the trip and grab, like, 1 liter of water per day to have in the upfront. I stayed so much more hydrated and less hungover this trip because I wasn’t constantly on a search for water and fearing being charged $7 for mini bar water.

We were excited, via Instagram, by the new sushi restaurant in The Source’s food hall, Temaki Den, so we decided to make it a point to stop for lunch before we left Denver. It was good, but it wasn’t, like, the best sushi I’ve ever had. It was definitely one of those “less is more” type of sushi restaurants. They focused more on the quality of the ingredients (the salmon and scallops were phenomenal), rather than making things fancy with sauces. If that’s your bag, by all means, go for it. It just wasn’t the most stand-out venue of the trip for me.

From there, we loaded up the car, and with my 5 liters of water, we made the trek up to Estes Park, to stay at the infamous Stanley Hotel, the inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining. All about that, plus Rocky Mountain National Park, in my next post.

Do it:

Stay at The Source (or at the very least, RiNo)
Say yes to a check-in beer
Eat at The Woods
Check out Red Rocks
Chat up the staff at Our Mutual Friend Brewing
Grab some fresh coffee at one of the cafes inside The Source

Skip it:

Temaki Den
Ratio

I’d go back to:

Check out other eateries in The Source, as well as the hot tubs and pool
Sleep longer in those beds

April 12, 2021 + Beauty, Skincare

Skincare Routines for All Budgets and Levels of Expertise

by Rachel

Super new to using a regimented skincare routine and still using makeup wipes and passing out? (No judging. We all do it.) Are you a drug store products gal looking to level up? Here are the products I recommend at every level of the spectrum. I’ll start simple, with easy steps to form habits, then progress into a more advanced regimen.

Entry Level – Drugstore, Amazon, retail purchases

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser ($9 for 12 oz. at Ulta )
Neutrogena Oil-Free Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15 ($14, Neutrogena) or beauty360 SPF 15 Moisturizer ($11, beauty360 can be found at CVS only)
Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Cream ($25, Target)
- Ol’ Faithful. This was the first night cream I ever used while in college, and it’s still hailed as one of the best drug store night creams on the market.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser works with all skin types and can be found virtually anywhere.

Optional:

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum ($20, Target) or Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Brightening Skin Corrector ($29, Target)
- When I started using a high-strength, l-ascorbic acid serum, it completely changed the look of my skin, so I highly recommend others work a Vitamin C serum into their routine. The problem is, a lot of the serums on the market are citric acid, which is cheaper, but essentially does nothing for you. You need to keep a look out for l-ascorbic acid, and preferably with at least 10% in the serum. This is why I recommend the above.
- Some people recommend serums from The Ordinary. It’s honestly not a brand I have tried, and because it’s so affordable I am skeptical, but open-minded. I’d be interested to hear others’ thoughts on The Ordinary and if their serums work for you.
Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner ($8, Walgreens)
Listen, I know at 30 I’m not supposed to use disposable makeup wipes on my skin, but I’m still going to do it sometimes. I prefer Yes! to Skincare coconut makeup remover wipes ($6, Target). They’re affordable, non-irritating and easy to find. A cheaper and more environmentally friendly option would be to use Pond’s Cold Cream ($5, Target) and a microfiber cloth.

Occasional:

Freeman Dead Sea Minerals Facial Anti-Stress Mask ($3, on sale at Ulta–this is a great deal.)
Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask ($3, on sale at Ulta–good exfoliator and will last you forever)

The World’s Most Affordable Self-Care, Freeman Beauty masks.

Middle of the Road – niche drugstore, spa, still affordable

Anti-bacterial face wash prescribed by your dermatologist or Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel ($14, Mario Badescu), NYX charcoal cleanser ($6, ebay)
SkinFix Brightening Eye Cream ($25, Amazon)
Neutrogena Clear Face Oil-Free Sunscreen SPF 30 ($14, Ulta)
Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum ($45, Nordstrom) or La Roche-Posay Active C10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Serum with Vitamin C ($50, CVS)
Ariul Brilliant Tone Up E.G.G. Cream ($29, Ariul)
- This is a K-Beauty brand that’s absolutely fab. I have used this simple egg cream as my night moisturizer, and according to the reviews, others would agree it’s just as good or better than the big name brand moisturizers. Sometimes, you can find this at your local CVS in the K-beauty section.)
belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb for night ($48, Sephora)
- Full size is pricy, but you can often get a trial size as part of Sephora’s rewards program for free.

Optional:

Rhonda Allison Berry Wine Lotion (toner, $16, 1 fl. oz., eSkin Store)
Rhonda Allison Drop of Essence (hydrating serum for trouble spots, $20, .5 fl. oz., Art of Skincare)
Vichy 89 Minéral 89 Face Serum ($20, 1 oz., Ulta)
- To plump and prep right before applying makeup.
beauty360 Micellar Water ($9, 14 oz., CVS only) and microfiber towel
- A step above wipes for makeup removal, this is the most affordable micellar water I’ve seen, and the big bottle will last you the rest of your life. I’m not joking.

Occasional:

Organic Skincare Doctor Rose Otto clay mask ($15, CVS)

Elevated – Sephora, ULTA, Dermstore.com purchases, pricier

COOLA Glowing Greens Detoxifying Facial Cleansing Gel ($28, Revolve), Lancome Creme Radiance ($28, Lancome), or alo glow system Enzyme Facial Cleanser ($32, alo yoga)
Peter Thomas Roth Potent-C™ Vitamin C Power Eye Cream ($65, Sephora) and Potent-C™ Vitamin C Bright & Plump Moisturizer ($68, Sephora), or exuviance Vitamin C 20% capsules ($70, Ulta)
A cocktail of Drunk Elephant A-Passioni™ retinol ($28-74, Sephora) and B-Hydra™ Intensive Hydration Serum ($48, Sephora) or combine A-Passioni and COOLA Vital Rush Skin Renewal Serum ($52, Amazon)
- For nighttime routine only.
- Mixing a moisturizing and low-ingredient serum with retinol helps to hydrate and prevents your skin from drying out as much.
- I get the smallest size of A-Passioni and it still lasts me a very long time due to the pea-sized amount one uses.
- Always wear sunscreen when using retinol.
COOLA Great Barrier Cream ($34 on sale at Ulta, originally $48)
- I have raved about this on my Instagram after receiving complimentary from Influenster, and I’m almost out, so I will be repurchasing soon–especially with that sale price!
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-Light Face Sunscreen – SPF 60 ($30, Target)
- This is my favorite store-brand facial SPF, and is highly recommended by dermatologists.

This travel size set of A-Passioni and B-Firma is the bomb.

Optional or Occasional:

Youth to the People Yerba Mate Resurfacing Facial ($54, Sephora)
Ren Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Toner ($20-38, Sephora)
Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber De-Tox™ Hydra-Gel Eye Patches ($52, Sephora)
Yves Saint Laurent Pure Shots Night Reboot Resurfacing Serum ($50-120, Nordstrom)

Top Tier – Niche or clinical solutions that don’t mess around

Obagi Nu-derm Fx system – OR in particular, their face wash, Professional-C Serum (l-absorbic acid, 10-20%), Exfoderm AHA lotion, Sun Shield Matte Broad Spectrum SPF 50 (prices vary, available at Dermstore)
- Truthfully if you’re willing to invest, you could use this whole system and be set. You wouldn’t need anything else. MAYBE an additional moisturizer. The noted products above are my favorites.
GoopGlow Glow Lotion ($58, 1.7 oz. Sephora)
- I recently received this complimentary from Influenster. This is a lightweight moisturizer that borders on a hydrating prep serum that leaves you glowing and dewy in the best way all day. It’s got a nice, orange scent and tingles just a bit after I apply to let me know it’s working .I like using it right before I apply a full-face of makeup, especially when I’m using very matte foundation. It makes the look a bit more true-to-life and keeps my skin looking fresh and hydrating, even with a bunch of products on it.

GoopGlow Glow Lotion – a brand new moisturizer from Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand. Mine is about half the size of the full-sized product.

Ren Evercalm™ Global Protection Day Cream ($49, Sephora)
- Love! My original favorite for day. It’s thicc, but in the best way because it absorbs and creates a barrier from harsh environmentals like wind and pollution. It’s not the cheapest but it’s a perfect catch-all. Sometimes when I’m traveling and need to keep products to a minimum, I’ll also use this as my night cream.
Origins GinZing™ Refreshing Eye Cream ($27, on sale at Sephora)
- Keep this refrigerated to really wake up the eyes.
Prescribed retinol–tretitoin
- Personally, I can’t deal with prescription retinol, and it’s not because it’s too drying. It’s not a listed side effect but every time I try it, I get SUPER depressed. An aesthetician recommended I find a store brand I like instead, that would be less powerful but still effective. I tried a few cosmetic store-grade retinols and retinoids, my favorite is Drunk Elephant A-Passioni. But, if you can tolerate prescription, DO IT. (and it will be cheaper if your dermatologist cites acne for your prescription, because insurance will cover it.)
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex ($64, .5 oz, Sephora)
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Multi-Recovery Complex ($18-200, Sephora)
- Estee Lauder isn’t niche or clinical, but this Advanced Repair system WORKS and is PRICEY, so I’m placing them in this category. After testing it out through Influenster, and then stopping using it, I realized how much it was helping. Good stuff.

Optional or Occasional:

exuviance Triple Microdermabrasion Face Polish ($72, Ulta)
- Another happy discovery from Influenster. I’m obsessed with the tropical scent and always look forward to when I can use it 2-3x a week.
Peter Thomas Roth Vital-E™ Antioxidant Recovery Cream ($75, Sephora)
- Great restorative for night or for those really dry winter days. It’s a solid that warms in your hands to become a cream.

What would you add to these categories? Let me know in the comments!

March 24, 2021 + Domestic Travel, Florida, Travel Guides

Miami Beach and Moxy South Beach Review

by Rachel

Obviously, there are a ton of resorts to choose from on Miami Beach. I spent a lot of time sorting through a bunch of them, trying to find something reasonably priced with a ~vibe~. Bonus points were given for South Beach, since I’ve never actually stayed there. The last time I went to Miami was spring break junior year of college. I stayed for a few days mid-beach; I think at the Edenroc. For this trip, I was ready to have a more grown-up Miami experience that would be memorable and fun.

All the hotels that ended up making the short list were mid-beach, except for Moxy, which was on South Beach and opening 4 days before we were to stay there. It truly was the only hotel in that price range that caught my eye on South Beach. It’s a block back from the beach, but truly not an unreasonable walk in any way. I also always prefer to stay at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, since I already have the points racked up, so it was easy to be tempted. It’s probably a little risky to book a hotel that just opened 4 days ago, but it was a great experience with most, if not all, of the kinks worked out before we stayed. It was nicely located, in walking distance to everything you could want, and right next to a CVS for last-minute things you have forgot. (I left my phone charger in the car this trip and didn’t feel like calling it back from the valet.)

To start, the Moxy lobby is beautiful. There’s a large lobby bar in the center; a funny foosball table where all the foosball players are donning Sia-esque, colored wigs and bikinis; horoscope readings; a bodega area with snacks and coffee; and plenty of nooks and crannies indoors and outdoors to curl up with a good book, or whatever device catches your attention these days.

Quick and bad quality video of the lobby.

The clunkiest parts of the experience at Moxy were check-in/check-out and the valet parking. I would think the check-in process will get a lot smoother once the staff has had more practice—some of the dialogue felt really mechanical and forced, and not everyone had the answers to typical guest questions. Standard for most hotels, check in wasn’t until 3 p.m., so a lot of people want to drop their luggage and head to the beach to get some sun, as did we. Dropping off the luggage initially was fine, but we learned they only gave us one ticket for both pieces of our luggage, and apparently we needed two. Both times we needed to lock up and summon our luggage, it took a really long time to get them back, so some organizational issues there.

We did get complimentary champagne at check-in, which 1. Was a total surprise, 2. Was really good champagne, and 3. Helped me to be less impatient while we waited for our luggage to return to us so we could go up to our room. You could tell all of the staff were really striving for excellence. The bartender was friendly and the overall vibe in the lobby bar was good. People were working from laptops in the lobby, which I also wanted to do at one point, but my laptop was dead and there was not an electrical outlet to be found.

The valet parking situation is a bit weird—not so much the service as the location and difficulty of finding where the valet station is. There is an alley way between 9th and 10th that absolutely does not look like an entrance to the Moxy, but IS the vehicular entrance to the Moxy. They need some more signs, and probably some language on their website to describe where to drop off vehicles.

Anyways, logistics out of the way, we started our Miami adventure by dining at the Moxy’s rooftop bar and restaurant, Serena. It was a great start to the afternoon. I decided to indulge and order myself a Pina colada. They were pretty pricey—$15—so I was considering this a birthday treat. After I got it, I quickly learned it was worth every penny of those $15. They were on the rocks, not too sweet and topped with a whipped coconut cream. It was everything I ever dreamed of in a Pina colada. I am not exaggerating. See below for how happy I was.

“I haven’t seen her smile like that in 4 years.” -Sage

I ordered another Pina colada on Sage because he has never seen this woman so happy before. Our food arrived, which was the perfect serving size for a lunch light enough to go sit in the sun all afternoon, but heavy enough to go sit n the sun all afternoon without any snacks. I had the chorizo huaraches. Delish.

Other restaurants within the hotel weren’t open yet, but they look exciting and just as equally as tasty as Serena. Checking out his Instagram, the head chef seems like he knows what he’s doing.

After lunch, we headed straight to the beach. Moxy uses a vendor for their beach area, it’s not branded or run by Marriott, and it’s shared with any members of the public who want to pay for the chairs. That’s not really communicated on the website, but it also wasn’t a problem because the vendor, Boucher Brothers, was great. Chairs, umbrellas and towels were $40 for a set of two for those who weren’t staying at the Moxy, or included in the resort fee at the Moxy, which I think is $20-some a night. Honestly, $40 for a set of chairs is pretty reasonable for a day trip to Miami, so I will be noting this for later, if we ever decide to not stay the night, or not stay at a hotel on the beach.

Ahead of the trip, I decided I wanted to jump on the high-waisted swimsuit bandwagon, even though I’ve struggled to find ones that look right on me. This isn’t a knock to my own self-esteem; I’m just petite, and I think they look better on women with longer torsos. I was pretty happy with this suit from Aerie that I snagged a week or so before we left, so it’s probably still in stores and online now. I also got another one with palm leaves print from Amazon, but ended up not wearing it on the trip.

I’m not a huge hanging-out-in-the-water fan when I go to the beach these days, but the water was great when we were in Miami. Perfect temperature, a little aggressive but not too rough that you couldn’t spend time in it. It had me regretting only booking one night. We had a pretty disappointing sunset the evening we were there, AND I didn’t make the connection that at the Palm Beach beaches, you can’t see the sunset because they face east, lol. So zero sunset pics this trip. Gulf coast girl problems.

Our room was a bit cramped, but like other reviews have pointed out, these rooms aren’t meant for spending time inside them. The view was good, but considering we were on the highest (and what wast touted as the best) floor, we wondered what others’ views were like, since we could just barely see to the water line. Great view from our room though, and I appreciated the bracketed clothes hanging area which served well for hanging up wet bathing suits. Another nice touch was the (tile? Or cement?) flooring, rather than the typical boring hotel carpet. Much easier for cleaning sand, but also the draw back, the sand is super noticeable when you get it on the floor.

For dinner we went to Havana Vieja, a Cuban restaurant inside another hotel literally across the street from the Moxy. I had my heart set on Cuban food and it was nice that this was so close to us, with ambient outdoor seating. We had the chicken empanada appetizer, Sage had a Cubano and I had the paella habanero—a yellow rice dish with shrimp, scallops, crawfish, lobster tail, octopus and mussels. The entree was good, but my favorite choice of the meal has to go to the empanadas.

The service was pretty slow, so we were there for awhile with one drink each…hoping that someone would take mercy on us and either ask us if we wanted another drink or ask us for the check. It was quite awhile before that happened – and we got the check. Overall: the food was excellent and I’d recommend it if you’re staying in that area, but there are also plenty of other renowned Cuban restaurants to check out in Miami.

Similar to the Toronto trip, we kind of did the “Eh, where should we go next? Let’s look at what’s close by,” thing and stumbled across Swizzle. Based on the photos I found on Yelp, you would have never thought this place was a speakeasy. Spoiler alert: it’s a speakeasy. But this shit is totally up our alleys. The cocktails were great and we had an extremely friendly and knowledgeable waiter. We didn’t want to linger too long though, because Swizzle was only meant to be a transitional stop.

We were going to head to the rooftop of the Moxy (this is a different rooftop than Serena) for our final stop of the night, but I wanted to give my paltry phone battery some juice, and take a break in the heels I was wearing. We were aiming for a 5 minute break, but we both ended up falling asleep with all clothes and lights on before 11 p.m., waking up at 1:30 a.m. flabbergasted at how old and uncool we were, then going back to bed for the rest of the night. Would have liked to see what the rooftop was like at night, but it is what it is. I guess this is 30.

The next morning, I was adamant on getting a Cuban coffee and getting breakfast at Bacon Bitch, because I’m clearly obsessed with breakfast sandwich joints that have strongly worded names. The branding was carried through the experience SO well. The servers greeted us with a cheery “Good morning, bitches!” And when checking on our table, they would ask things like, “So are you bitches ready to order?” and “Can I get you bitches anything else?” Needless to say, it was extremely pleasing to me. My bitch sandwich was OK. Sage’s bitch plate with chorizo, hash brown, egg and “bitch sauce” was the real deal, though. If I go back, I’m ordering what he ordered.

We finally wanted to check out that damn rooftop at Moxy, when sprinkles of rain turned into a good, old fashioned Florida ORDEAL. By the time we got up there, it was sopping and abandoned, but even looking at these photos, you can tell it’s a beautiful space.

Joe’s Stone Crab was on all of the Miami must-do lists, and I love me some crab, so sure, why not, let’s check it out. While things had cleared up, we walked down that way the afternoon we were to check out of the hotel. By the time we got settled and ordered, It was pouring rain again, so we couldn’t go eat in the park as was recommended by the Internet. However, we were lucky enough to snag a table and chairs indoors before the rain crowds swarmed in. The crab roll was very good – it was cold, not hot like a New Englander would have expected from a lobster roll—but a good lunch. I imagine if it had been sweltering hot that day, it would have been very refreshing.

When we got a break in the storm clouds, we walked back to the hotel, grabbed our luggage and drove back to Lake Worth.

My only regret from the trip is not getting a third Pina colada from Serena.

Do It:

-Stay at the Moxy

-Pina coladas and chorizo tacos at Serena, but all the food on the menu looked good

-Check out Swizzle

-Get a crab roll from Joe’s

Skip It:

-Nothing – I liked all of it. I would order a Bitch Plate instead of a Bitch Sandwich at Bacon Bitch. If you’re not right by it, there are plenty of other Cuban restaurants you can check out besides Havana Vieja.

I would go back for:

-More time on the beach and in the water

-More restaurants/cafes inland in areas like little Havana and Little Haiti

-More pina coladas at Serena

-More time at the Moxy rooftop and pools, checking out the obelisk

-The Standard’s spa and topless pool area

-The Versace mansion

-Checking out other Marriott resorts, like The Cadillac

-Ultimate budget goals would be to one day stay at the 1 Hotel or Ian Schrager’s Public. I like both in Manhattan.

March 7, 2021 + Domestic Travel, Florida, Travel Guides

West Palm Beach & Lake Worth, Florida: My First Visit to My Parents’ New Vacation Home

by Rachel

My mom and stepdad bought a place in Lake Worth, Florida, just south of West Palm Beach, about a year ago. Please make no mistake: when I heard this news, it was potentially the best day of my life. (After having been down there, I still can’t believe it’s real and that my immediate family has a vacation home.) But, covid has certainly thrown a wrench into anyone getting to take advantage of the place. For my 30th birthday, I decided I was going to go down.

The original, pre-covid plan was to go to New Orleans since my birthday fell on Fat Tuesday this year. I had this plan for years. Not only did it suck that it couldn’t happen, it sucked more that I couldn’t even be with my friends in a much more intentionally isolated place, like my parent’s house in Florida, that I was offering up as a cheap escape for everyone. There are obviously much larger problems in the world, but it was upsetting to me and I was hurt by how my friends handled it. All of this also helped me realize that I want to start traveling more on my own, because I’m fully capable of it, and hell, I’ll probably enjoy it more.

I grew up going to Siesta Key, Florida, every year or multiple times a year since I was a baby (shout out, Aunt Karen), but I honestly am not that familiar with this side of Florida. I have family just down the street from where my parents bought, but I’ve never really roamed much of anywhere other than their house. It’s definitely going to take several visits for me to really discover the place, but there were already a few joints we visited or ordered food from that I really enjoyed.

Lantana Beach was a smaller beach but a bit more private, and parking was cheaper than Lake Worth Beach.

As you may have seen from my Instagram stories about the car fiasco, Sage befriended the neighbor, Jeff, who tipped us off about an outdoor Pearl Jam cover band gig happening at a local brewery, Matthews Brewing Company. It was honestly so refreshing to be witnessing live music (that slapped), safely, with masks and socially distanced outside.

I also loved what Matthews was doing: having servers bring iPads with pay functionality outside during the show, so patrons wouldn’t need to come inside to the bar to order beer. I love to see businesses acting so nimbly during the pandemic. It makes me want to support that kind of ingenuity and flexibility even more.

So I know what the question on everyone’s mind is. Was it sketchy during covid?

Not too long ago, NBC News published a video on Twitter of half a Publix in Florida not wearing masks. That wasn’t really the case for us, especially not anywhere indoors, definitely not at Publix. People are definitely more lax outdoors there, but it’s also way warmer, so in their defense, the virus can’t live as long in the warmer climates.

I double-masked through the airport. Sage and I tried to sit next to each other on the flights when possible. That made things a lot less concerning, but there was one flight we couldn’t do that. That flight of course was the one where both Sage and I had the tiniest seats with the largest, most manspreading people next to us making our lives miserable. That flight, cough American Airlines cough, was the sketchiest situation we were in the whole trip, to be completely honest. I do get that the tourism industry needs to continue to make money, but I also think they should not be seating middle seats. Sitting that close to people wasn’t cool before the pandemic, let alone now.

But, neither Sage nor I contracted covid on the trip—great success! I also work from home, live alone and don’t ever see anyone, and Sage has both vaccinations already.

While we were down there, I decided to book one night in Miami. I went back and forth on it, because when I was supposed to be traveling with a larger group, I was going to nix it to keep costs down. When it became clear none of my friends were on-board anyways, I decided f*** it; it’s my 30th birthday, you only turn 30 once, and I want to go to Miami. One night wasn’t a big expense for us; this way we could still enjoy the change of scenery and feel a bit more luxurious on South Beach for about 24 hours. I LOVED where we stayed on Miami Beach.

My next post will be all about our stay in Miami at Marriott Bonvoy’s brand new Moxy South Beach. No Do It and Skip It on this post, because I need more time to explore the bars and restaurants in the Palm Beach and Lake Worth areas. However, I will leave you with this: Jimmy’s Brooklyn Pizza was FANTASTIC delivery for a night in to relax.

November 8, 2020 + Travel Guides, Weekend Getaway, West Virginia

Leaf Peeping in Dolly Sods

by Rachel

Let me start off by saying: this trip to Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia was probably the most fully successful trip Jannah and I have ever had. We’ve been to Davis, WV / Tucker County before. Back in 2018 we went to Blackwater Falls. While breathtakingly beautiful, it was a very Jannah-and-Rachel trip in that we probably went about it in the most ass-backwards of ways, got snow instead of fall leaves and had no idea where to go or what trails to hike after seeing the main falls area.

This time, we still had no idea where to go (lol), but in general, navigating Dolly Sods seemed to be a bit easier than the Blackwater Falls situation. (WV State Parks really need to make better maps / signage / marketing materials, but I digress.) As much as we all like to visit new places rather than return to places we’ve already been, the whole experience is better when you’ve been to an area once already. You know how to better manage your time and expectations.

We made it a weekend trip – no days off and just one overnight stay. I pulled the trigger on a hotel at the last minute. I’ve always been a Priceline girl, but I’ve been loving Booking.com lately. The interface of the app is simple, and when one of my trips got canceled during the early days of COVID, they were proactive, straightforward, and I had to do literally nothing on my end. Booking.com also typically doesn’t charge your card in the upfront, which I like, because I can reserve trips far in advance, without needing the funds for it immediately, or charging my credit card (yuck!).

It’s about a 3.5 hour drive to Dolly Sods from where I am in Pittsburgh. Plus, we have a breakfast sandwich problem so we needed to make a pit stop in Morgantown, WV, for Tudor’s Biscuit World….and I also needed to drop my cat off at my mom’s. We made plans to get up and get going early. I think we said we’d leave the house at 7 a.m. Designated times, however, are always arbitrary because we know we’ll be at least one hour behind schedule at all times. At least we’re self-aware.

When Jannah and I make plans, one of us is always a late, hot mess. Whomever ends up being designated as that individual is always a crap shoot. This time, it was me. Not so much because I didn’t wake up on time, but because I apparently couldn’t find anything I left for grabbing in the morning. These items were pretty necessary because they were my glasses and my tennis shoes. (My cat picks things up with her mouth and moves them to places that are almost impossible to find.) Jannah was of course on time this morning and grabbed us Starbucks around the corner from my apartment while I was having this crisis. I eventually and begrudgingly retired to using my back-up glasses and back-up tennis shoes and we were on our way.

I dropped the cat off with what I recall to be minimal issue, but somehow, I don’t even think we got to Morgantown until around 10 or 11 a.m. Then, we stopped at my friend Sage’s place to eat our biscuits on his porch and patronize him for various things before heading to the next destination of our voyage.

Ah yes, we were finally on our way. We had our carefully curated WV playlist filled with Chris Stapleton and John Denver. The weather was sunny and beautiful. The leaves were already turning. Great signs. Oh yes, this should be–oh shit, I just missed THE FIRST TURN I NEEDED TO TAKE OFF OF ROUTE 7. No prob, I’m not going to turn around. I’ll just keep going and it will reroute me.

Ha. Ha ha. I forgot how West Virginia’s infrastructure works. This was a time I was very thankful to be driving a Jeep. I managed to get us on a literal dirt and rock one-way road that I’m pretty sure was just a glorified driveway. I got to use Mud Mode and cross over a stream, so at least that was cool. That made me feel pretty bad ass. Then some of the neighbors waved at us as we drove by. I waved back. I’m a country girl now.

Some slow drivers who have never been in the WV mountains aside, the rest of the drive was pretty relaxing. For those of you who haven’t been: WV roads are windy, typically only one lane on each side, and STEEP. Know that going into it. Maintain a speed that’s manageable and won’t have you braking around every bend.

Before entering Dolly Sods, we drove past a little town area with some breweries and boutiques that would have been a cool pit stop if COVID wasn’t a thing. Also lots of stands on the side of the road – local honey, pepperoni rolls, moonshine, etc.

How we entered Dolly Sods…whether or not this was the correct way, we may never know.

I’m not sure if we entered Dolly Sods some kind of back way, but let me warn all of you because everyone failed to mention this on TripAdvisor: there is no parking. You have to pull off into the grass amongst trees and rocks and parallel park, hoping you’re not going to get towed around copious “No Parking” signs. Now, we weren’t the only people in this situation, so it’s not really like we screwed up. Tons of people were doing this. As others entered, they asked us if it was OK to park here. We kind of shrugged and said it seemed like it so we did it. Moral of the story: we were all fine but it was weird.

Being how we are, we wanted to make sure we were getting the best views and the best photos. We took a risk, because other people with walking sticks who seemed vastly more experienced than us were going this way, and it seemed like they had been here before, so we went that way, too. We were kind of confused at first as to why so many people had walking sticks, but if you have them, you should absolutely bring them. The terrain quickly turns rocky and can do a number on your ankles, especially in hiking boots. This trip had me looking on Amazon for walking sticks as soon as I returned home.

All in all, the photos turned out great, but Dolly Sods is definitely one of those places you can go back again and again to experience in different ways. There were plenty of trails to choose from, and judging by others posts of Dolly Sods, a ton of different views to see.

After successfully hiking without encountering any coyotes (although we did hear some), or getting lost, or doing something generally displeasing, we made our way to the Davis location of Mountain State Brewing Company. It was a very different vibe from the Morgantown location – a little hole-in-the-wall pub with a wooden interior, reminiscent of a lodge or a log cabin. It had been quite awhile since I had been to a good, old-fashioned, unpretentious, WV bar. I actually really missed it. I wished I wasn’t starving for food so I could have posted up there a bit longer for the night. Another neighboring brewery, Stumptown Ales, was only available for takeout. If it was open, I would have liked to check that out as well. It was in the opposite direction of Mountain State, so we couldn’t really pick up a six pack and take it back to the hotel.

Next, we were on our way to the Hampton Inn in Davis, which was about 45 minutes to an hour away, but was one of the closest to Dolly Sods. The interior was newly renovated and it sat on a hill right next to a Sheetz. Being that it was 9 p.m. before we got to the hotel, we were starving from a day of hiking and had no idea what was open during covid, so drive-thru MTO Sheetz was perfect.

The hotel was spotlessly clean and the service was good, but the only gripe I would have about it was they seemed to place everyone near each other on the same floor, even though there were hardly any guests. Jannah and I had a guest very near to us who was coughing…and I mean COUGHING…a lot, which was kind of disconcerting, because, well, covid. But again, we made it out alive with no horror stories to tell. In non-covid times, it would get a 5 star review from me, and I would stay there next time I’m in Davis.

I enlisted the advice of our native WV expert Sage for food/brewery/bar advice. He suggested Smoke on the Water. According to Sage, ~we had to try the DIPA~, so we made time for it after checking out of the hotel Sunday afternoon. For the area, I was surprised at the square footage of the restaurant–big, contemporary and lots of TVs for Sunday afternoon sports while we were there. Our waitress was very friendly. It was pretty obvious we weren’t from there so she asked where we were traveling from and how long we were staying. The Bloody Mary I ordered was pretty good. I don’t really remember the DIPA, so on the record for me, the DIPA was forgettable. The barbecue food was okay. It wasn’t bad but I’ve had better. (Plug: Fourth Street BBQ in Charleroi, PA!)

During our travels north, we decided a coffee pit stop would certainly be necessary after the boozy barbecue situation we had on our hands. This is when a good copilot comes in handy. And I can’t stress this enough, a copilot who is willing to share responsibility with you is vital for excursions into the unknown. Stone Tower Brews was a cute little cafe right in the heart of Buckhannon, WV, that sold both coffee and craft beer. Nice baristas, good coffee and atmosphere, A+ rest stop.

Short Story Brewery in Rivesville was the final stop on our journey. They had a nice outdoor area to serve us during covid. Short Story has A LOT of IPA, bitter ones, especially, so if that’s your bag, you’ll like it. It wasn’t my favorite brewery, personally.

Flight at Short Story Brewing in Rivesville, WV.

Do:

Dolly Sods hiking

Bring walking sticks

If you’re headed out of Dolly Sods near golden hour, try to catch the sunset by swinging over to Blackwater Falls. If we weren’t jonesing for a beer, I would have done so.

Local breweries and eateries

Bring cash for moonshine and local goods

Stay at the Hampton Inn

Make a pitstop in Buckhannon if you are headed north. The town is cute and Stone Tower Brews was great for a coffee pick-me-up.

Have a navigation system in your car, or an external map of some sort if you lose cell service

Skip:

Smoke on the Water

Ignoring your GPS when it tells you to turn around

Bringing a car that can’t handle a rougher terrain

October 11, 2020 + Travel Guides

COVID Getaway at Bavarian Inn, Near Harpers Ferry

by Rachel

Up until this trip, and not unlike everyone else, I was stuck at home for months due to Covid-19. While I didn’t feel comfortable getting on a plane just yet, I had to get away from my home office (a.k.a. living room), have some relaxation time. I stumbled upon the Bavarian Inn on Instagram a little over a year ago and had been wanting to give it a try. It’s a German-themed resort in Shepherdstown, WV, opened in the 1970s by a husband (German) and wife (British), and it remains in their family to this day. It’s apparent they’ve evolved the resort to fit with modern expectations of travelers. My inner PR nerd loves how active and engaged they are on social media.

My friend Heather and I decided to go the last weekend of September, while the weather was still somewhat warm, so we could have a shot at getting in the Infinity pool. Heather’s lived in Germany for a few years so she was excited to check it out for the Bavarian charm, and I really wanted to go for the Insta-worthy shots of the Potomac River. (At least I’m being honest.)

What a perfect Covid-19 getaway. Seriously. It really exceeded my expectations. Cannot recommend this place enough for a long weekend vacation, and it’s just a 3-hour drive from Pittsburgh and a 1-hour drive from D.C.

The Bavarian-styled chalets have large, renovated rooms with private balconies overlooking the Potomac River. There is plenty to do in the area, but the grounds of the resort have enough to do that you would never even need to leave. A heated Infinity Pool, tennis courts, giant Jenga and multiple fire pits line the grounds for safe, socially distanced fun. The Bavarian Inn has its own brewery and several different areas to dine and drink. The menu was robust enough that you could dine at the resort for breakfast, lunch and dinner every night of your stay, and get something different each time you ordered.

The food was TO DIE FOR. I was reading TripAdvisor reviews that complained about the food being bland, so I was worried. Honestly, I didn’t have that experience at all. It wasn’t like the food was full of the spice you’d expect from an East Asian dish, but the offerings were mostly German food with American twists. The crab stuffed pretzel with house-brewed beer cheese and salmon entree I had was full of interesting flavors. Have these people on TripAdvisor burned their tastebuds off? I was confused on that one.

One of the reasons we ended up inadvertently dining at the resort several times was because one of the most renowned restaurants in town happened to be closed for the weekend, so all other restaurants (and the resort restaurants) were extremely booked. We couldn’t even get a reservation for dinner anywhere else. Thankfully, that turned out to not be an issue.

We spent most of our Saturday afternoon hiking Harpers Ferry. We opted to go the touristy route and take the trail that headed into town, where all the little shops and restaurants were. Would I have skipped that part to finish hiking the Maryland Heights trail instead? Yes. Regardless, it was a nice —albeit humid—day with plenty of exercise.

Saturday evening we returned to the resort for dinner and did some mingling around one of the fire pits for a few after-dinner drinks. We ended up meeting some really lovely couples, some our age and some older. Everyone was so interesting and friendly. Mostly, I think we were all thankful to be getting out of the house for a bit during Covid.

Here’s what I would recommend to do and skip during a long weekend at the Bavarian Inn.

DO:

Spend an evening around the fire pit

Have a flight of Bavarian Brothers beer

Dine at the in-house restaurants (more than once!)

Try the boozy hot chocolate made at the resort bar

Make reservations well in advance if planning to dine in Shepherdstown

Spend half a day at the Infinity pool with lunch and a cocktail

Hike Harper’s Ferry trails

Visit Big Cork Winery if you have some extra time

SKIP:

Small cafes in Shepherdstown for lunch

The “town” a.k.a. Tourist area of Harper’s Ferry

Dessert at the resort restaurant

October 11, 2020 + International Travel, Travel Guides

Baby’s First Toronto Trip

by Rachel

This trip was the first time my passport’s been stamped since I went to Italy in 2013. I did a ton of international travel growing up with my family, so while I’d love to do more traveling abroad as an adult, it really just hasn’t been something I’ve felt the need to prioritize financially for the first several years after graduating from college. Now, I can’t even do that if I wanted to with covid-19. I’ve been to Niagara Falls, but somehow, I’ve never been to Toronto. Actually, I know why I avoided the idea for a few years, but that’s a different blog post entirely.

Firstly, Toronto is a SUPER simple drive from Pittsburgh. Four hours, no nonsense, not windy or mountainous. The time went by in no time. In fact, I would say it was even enjoyable. I also have my very carefully curated Drake playlist to thank for that.

Baby’s first Tim Hornton’s experience – on the way to Toronto in Erie. Why aren’t there Tim Hornton’s in Pittsburgh?

The only part of the drive that wasn’t enjoyable was once we got into downtown Toronto. Now, I have driven many places in my day, and I’m not an anxious driver. I lived in Massachusetts, which is notoriously the worst state for driving. I’ve driven through the New York City area multiple times, unfazed. Toronto was the worst driving I have ever witnessed, ever. I don’t know if it was just coincidental, but every time we got in the car to go somewhere, we came very close to being blatantly hit. So that was stressful.

The stress quickly melted away, though, when we went to check in to the Thompson Toronto. Two thumbs way up for the Thompson. Immediately, the friendly staff at the front desk were able to easily rattle off recommendations for dinner. Reasonable price on the US dollar, and great amenities, including a rooftop pool and separate rooftop bar area. The older I get, the less I am interested in partying in club-like atmospheres, but the Thompson Rooftop was awesome and actually fun. Not just me looking cute and forcing myself to withstand my surroundings, but a great time. The people were also extremely friendly, which I think is potentially just a Canadian thing. There were also other international, European travelers at the hotel–a sign that this place has a good reputation. I probably could have hung out at the Thompson the whole time, but we had exploring to do.

Our first point of exploration was Scarborough Bluffs. This place is hailed to be one of the most Insta-worthy spots in Toronto. In my opinion, it is not. It’s just a place where bloggers have edited their photos an extreme amount to make them look cool. Technically, you’re not allowed to climb the bluffs, so you can walk along the flat walkways through the park and along the beach that forms around Lake Toronto. I’m not sure if Canadians just aren’t used to water formations and think this place really IS the shit, or we were being punk’d. Or maybe everyone scales the bluffs (which seemed very extreme and dangerous)? I’m still looking for answers here.

Instagram vs. Reality at Scarborough Bluffs

If you’re REALLY looking for visual content inside the city of Toronto, Graffiti Alley is your place. I’m sure it’s probably considered basic and touristy, but, I have used so many of these photos on social media. And, the graffiti changes on a regular basis, so you can grab some unique shots. The area around Graffiti Alley also had some cute bakeries, cafes and shops. I snagged myself one of those classic Toronto beanies with stripes and a tassel on top–still the favorite one I have.

We found ourselves walking along Queen Street throughout Saturday afternoon. Plenty of name-brand shopping along Queen Street; we didn’t really stop in much, except for one store I was very keen on entering: NYX. Holy mother. Us Americans don’t have NYX brick-and-mortar stores. The products are only available in Ulta and CVS, and product is often limited. Apparently, the Canadians have way more products than we do, and different shades?! I walked away with a charcoal cleanser, a nifty, purple under-eye concealer, and some new shades of my favorite matte lip creme. None of which made a dent in my wallet–hurray!

Constantly on a mission to find breakfast sandwich restaurants with silly names.

Sautrday night, we struggled a bit with where to eat for dinner. Again, from what I’ve seen from Toronto Instagram, Momofoku seems like one of those required stops to make, so we decided to go there. To prove to you how little research we did, we didn’t even realize milkbar was inside Momofoku until after we got there. Momofoku was fine, milkbar was fine, service was meh. Again, I think it’s more the status of being at Momofuku and less about the quality of dining. The milkbar cookies we took back to the hotel were good hangover treats for our blood sugar the next morning, but *lowers voice to a whisper* they weren’t anything to write home about. Next time I’m back in Toronto, though, I would find a more outstanding place for dinner.

We needed to find an after-dinner bar spot, so I was doing some searching on Yelp while in Momofoku. Again, notice the theme of us having absolutely no plan here. What was nearby, looked trendy and up our alleys? Enter: Coffee, Champagne, Oysters (COC).

Where do I begin here? At face value, COC would have been delightful with the sparkling rose we had in the front room. Coffee, Champagne, Oysters is practically a damn MOTTO for us. We would have been happy if the buck stopped there, but we saw a tip on Yelp to “Ask the host or hostess for the champagne tour.” So we did.

THIS, my friends, is when social media research comes in handy. I don’t want to give too much away, but I highly recommend the experience. I still think about it on a regular basis. You won’t be able to take any photos, but you may be lucky enough to snag a Polaroid in the bathrooms. Good luck and God speed.

I was on a hunt for avocado toast the entire weekend, we literally walked all over the city to find places that were either closed, nonexistent, or out of avocado toast. We finally got it on our last morning at Baddie’s.

Baddie’s brunch and Aroma pick-me-up before leaving Toronto.

Do:

Graffiti Alley (and the shopping/cafes nearby)

Coffee Oysters Champagne

Thompson Hotel and Thompson Rooftop

Egg Bae

Baddie’s

Queen Street and NYX flagship store

Skip:

Scarborough Bluffs

Momofuku and milkbar (sorry!)

Driving in the city when possible

What I would go back for:

More hiking opportunities outside of the city

Niagara Falls and Niagara wineries

More COC and Thompson Hotel

October 11, 2020 + Domestic Travel, Travel Guides

Adventures in West Hollywood, Los Angeles

by Rachel

In some of my other posts, I’ve mentioned I have a hard time justifying spending thousands of dollars on a vacation, but I still manage to travel a good bit. I’m lucky, because I have family and friends in all different areas of the United States. More often than not, this allows me a place to crash and saves the cost of spending ~$200 a night at a hotel or AirBNB. If given an option between going to a location I will have to shell out the money for lodging versus a place I have free lodging, I will always go with the latter option.

For a much-needed vacation from the grind I was going through at work at the time, I wanted to choose somewhere that felt different, but somewhere that wasn’t going to break the bank. I hadn’t been to Los Angeles since I was 9, and I have very little memory of any of it. My recollection is more about the people I was with and met than the actual sights we saw.

My uncle lives in West Hollywood and travels/traveled a lot for work, so we were fortunate enough to have a beautiful apartment to ourselves for a week, in walking distance to essentially anything we would need or want. RIP to the Southwest nonstop flight from Pittsburgh International to LAX that was affordable, so I could splurge on athleisure while I was there. I remain foolishly hopeful that one day PIT will increase the amount of direct flights they have that are worth my while, and not discontinue them 5 months after announcing them.

We took this trip in November of 2018, so it’s been quite awhile, and I’m going to try to remember the highlights, but I also felt I’d be remiss to not get this one down on paper. This trip was a bit of a doozy–just surprising in many ways.

We arrived into LAX later in the evening and by the time the Uber pulled up and we hauled our asses all the way back to West Hollywood, it was pretty late. We snagged a late dinner from down the street at a place called Tender Greens, which was SO unexpectedly good, and called it a night.

The next morning, we grabbed coffee at the local Smith & Tait, and I think Jannah and I are still romanticizing their amazing turmeric ginger oat milk lattes. Yes, turmeric with espresso. Why do some places not put espresso in them? Why call it a latte if it’s golden milk? Anyways…. Then, it was grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s, then doing some outdoor exploring, namely, Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory.

So, before we go any further, I should mention that as is tradition, we did not do enough research into this hiking excursion at Griffith Park. We showed up via Uber with practically nothing. I don’t remember exactly what we had on us, but I recall having nothing but my cell phone and my wallet. I think Jannah might have had a small backpack. I’m not even sure if I brought water. If I did, it had been drank very shortly into the excursion because I was wildly unprepared.

First of all, we had no idea where to go to see the Hollywood sign from the entrance we were dropped off at. We were able to find the Bronson Caves, or as I like to call it, the Batman cave (because the old 1960s TV series used the cave for the infamous and repetitive “Batmobile leaving to go somewhere” sequence). We were aimlessly wondering around the cave area thinking “Is this it?” and “There has to be more somewhere that we can see.” We spent a good 15 minutes at the caves taking photos, before rounding a bend and realizing the Hollywood sign was in plain view, and we needed to hike up quite a steep series of hills to get there. When I say “steep,” I mean that I had no idea how steep they were, and that they didn’t even really look that steep from where I was standing.

Jannah standing in brush because we had no idea what was going on.

I don’t know why, but I’ve never done well with walking inclines. I went to school in West Virginia for 4 years and probably only got the hang of it after 3. So needless to say, add dry heat to that and I was dying. But, it was an absolutely beautiful day, and we got some great shots hiking.

On our descent from the Hollywood sign, we once again wildly underestimated how long it was going to take to get “back.” I’m putting back in quotes because we had no conscious plan to end up back where we started. We saw a building off in the distance, thought “What’s that? That looks cool,” Googled it, and decided to make our way in that direction. And, you guessed it: we underestimated just how far away that building was based on our view. From start to finish, we probably spent a total of 5 hours hiking with limited water, and eventually came to the realization that neither of us had gone to the bathroom, nor needed to go to the bathroom, all day. This was a troubling yet humorous thought, but nonetheless, we persevered to Griffith Observatory.

A vantage point from our hike to Griffith Observatory.

I’m glad we did. We were just approaching the observatory during golden hour/dusk, and man were the sights beautiful. Definitely more crowded than what I would have assumed it would be for a weekday around 4 p.m., but honestly it was so pretty up there that it didn’t even matter.

After the first full day we were there, very bad forest fires took over. We were unable to get out to Santa Monica and Malibu because of that. We also got lucky that we were able to make it up to the Observatory, because it was closed the following day because of the fires.

On our way downtown to check out museums we made a stop that I deemed necessary at Egglsut. Honestly? Meh. The sandwich was fine; I wasn’t overly excited by it. The iced coffee was strong but not a stand-out. However, two thumbs way up for the guy at Eggslut who rearranged the entire restaurant and adjusted the blinds so we could get the perfect shots for Insta. That’s the thing about LA, people will DIE for the ‘gram, to which I am never opposed.

One of the nights, and I honestly don’t remember which, we decided to check out the gay bar scene in WeHo. I did not get the memo that this scene is infamous for stealing cell phones. My iPhone was stolen and my photos for the whole day not backed up to the Cloud. I couldn’t even tell you the name of the place where it occurred. We started out at The Abbey (great vibes), we met some local gay guys, and it all kind of devolved from there. I was pretty miserable given we were all the way across the country in a place I wasn’t familiar with and I was out $1100 for a smart phone that I had gotten not that long ago to replace a very janky and old iPhone. All said and done, I would go to The Abbey again. The vibes were good in there, and I also like their social media strategy.

The next day, after I got a new phone at the local AT&T and collected myself back into “vacation mode,” we went to Bite’s Lip Lab to mix some custom lipstick colors. It was definitely a unique experience.

I do love the colors they/I came up with, but the consistency of them isn’t my FAVORITE. Some people love that sheen or sheer look. For me, I have full lips and so creme mattes just look better on me, but I do think the nude color I created looks good with a sheen. Plus I got stuck with a girl who was more interested in her boyfriend who was playing a live gig that night than mixing my colors. I ended up with the scents I chose reversed in the two lipsticks I made. For the money, it would be nice if you could get the undivided attention of the person mixing your lipsticks…and also the correct lipsticks.

The only reason I would do it again would probably be to go back and re-mix the nude color I created, but I’m also pretty sure that can be done online. So at the end of the day, it depends on how much you like the Bite brand and how much you struggle with finding the right lipstick shades for yourself. It was a fun little “treat yourself,” if nothing else, and it was cool that we got to come up with names for our shades. Mine were “Beret” for the song “Raspberry Beret” (super unsurprising) and “Buff” (uncreative, but we could only choose one-word names). PS–Did you know Prince refused a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? I learned this while we were there, quite literally trying to find his star.

Okay, so here is something I recommend EVERYONE check out, because I do not think it can be overrated and I also do not think it gets the attention it deserves. The new(ish, at this point) Alo Yoga Sanctuary at The Grove. OMgosh. Where to begin? At this point in the trip, we definitely needed some relaxation. I already love the Alo brand as-is, but this made me love it even more. We walk in to the 2-story store and are immediately greeted by a woman who asks us what we’d like to drink. “Matcha latte with almond milk?” she asks Jannah as if she’s known Jannah her whole life. Yes, I think we’ll like it very much here.

After our matcha lattes that they can apparently make right in the store, we had our yoga class upstairs, which was also a wonderful treat, and very Instagrammable. Needless to say, since we were fresh off the high of caffeine and yoga, we absolutely went insane shopping there afterwards. But I honestly regret nothing. I still wear everything I got, and any time I have the opportunity, I’m shopping Alo for my barre workout clothes. I’ve also tried their Alo Yoga app, which we received free subscriptions for when we were there–lots of great classes! I implore you to check all of this stuff out.

Two nights after the WeHo cellphone thief debacle, we went to Chateau Marmont for dinner. We felt super fancy, but for how fancy and exclusive it was, it wasn’t that expensive. We really didn’t pay more than we would have for a night out at The Commoner in Pittsburgh, and it wouldn’t have been as good as Chateau anyways. Not to toot our horns, but we were holding our own in there. We were sat next to who we think was maybe a music producer because he was dropping a lot of names. No cellphones allowed, which I respect, but I snuck a few photos in the bathroom because I was looking hot and the bathroom was cute. (She’s well-traveled AND modest!) The waiter sent us each a complimentary glass of wine, in addition to the wine we already ordered. We split a cheese board as an appetizer (which again, was cheaper than a cheese board at The Commoner), and I got the spaghetti bolognese. I cannot understate the spaghetti bolognese, here. I still dream about it.

During covid, I heard the sad news that Chateau Marmont is becoming “members only.” I’m not sure what that means for the restaurant, or if that only pertains to the hotel, but it will be really sad if the public can’t eat there anymore. It was my FAVORITE restaurant from the trip, and I’d love to go back again.

Do it:

Griffith Observatory and hiking the Hollywood sign

Order the spaghetti bolognese at Chateau Marmont!!!

Order a turmeric latte at Smith & Tait.

Reserve a table at The Ivy for Brunch.

Register for a yoga class at the Yoga Sanctuary at Alo, and maybe have a shopping spree and a matcha latte while you’re there.

Skip it:

Chinese Theater/Hollywood Walk of Fame – the Walk of Fame is FINE if you’ve never been, but there’s not a whole lot to do up there other than walk around and point at people’s names.

Bite Lip Lab

Museums downtown LA

I’d go back for:

In-n-Out Burger

Santa Monica and Malibu

The turmeric oat milk lattes

More hiking and opportunities to wear athleisure

Craig’s and Craig’s Vegan

Maybe Disneyland if I really had the time