Sunny Fort Lauderdale!

It has now been a month since my last post...sorry it has been awhile!  It has been a crazy past few weeks.  I recently went to Fort Lauderdale, FL and it was nice to escape the cold weather!

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66.  It was a nice hotel and had great views.  The reason we chose this hotel was because it was near one of the WaterTaxi stops.  Unfortunately, they recently redid the pier and the stop had not opened up yet.  In order to get to another stop, we had to walk across the draw bridge- which was not a short walk!

We actually got caught walking over the bridge when we heard that we had to get to the other side before it went up.  We sprinted across- what a sight!

We hopped on the WaterTaxi and took in the sights.  Fort Lauderdale calls itself the "Venice of America" because of all the canals.  It was nice to just sit on the WaterTaxi and look at all of the beautiful houses and yachts- and there were so many of them!

So if you are going to Fort Lauderdale, here are some things I recommend.

Dining:

YOLO: 

on Las Olas Blvd.  We went here for NYE and it was good! Definitely try the cornbread!

Flip Flops, Shooters, or the Chart House:

all on the water.  Flip Flops and Shooters are more casual.  We went to Flip Flops and it was delicious!

Pan'e Dolci: Italian Bakery

This bakery is also on Las Olas and serves delicious gelato, cannolis, pastries, and coffee.  I definitely recommend trying this place!

We also went to places like The Cheesecake Factory and Panera, which are always good.  

Shopping: 

Sawgrass Mills and Colonnade Outlets:

If you love to shop like I do, I definitely would recommend checking out Sawgrass Mills and the Colonnade Outlets (same location- map found here).  There are so many great outlet stores like: Kate Spade Outlet, Tory Burch Outlet, Burberry, Michael Kohrs Outlet, Barneys New York Outlet, Prada and Valentino- just to name a few.  Of course there are the normal stores as well in Sawgrass Mills.  Definitely a nice place to check out!

Galleria Mall

This mall is smaller than Sawgrass mills, but it is closer to downtown Fort Lauderdale.  They also have a number of restaurants like P.F. Changs, Seasons 52, and the Capital Grille.  There is a cafe, Piazza di Giorgio Cafe, which has a number of different options to choose from.  A great place for lunch.  

Sight Seeing:

WaterTaxi

This is a great way to see everything on the water.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if you need to get somewhere quickly, but if you are just enjoying the ride and taking in the sights it is a great way to get around! 

Everglades Holiday Park

The Everglades are very interesting to see.  I would recommend taking an AirBoat tour.  These boats take you around the Everglades and last about an hour.  We saw many alligators and other wildlife. It is also the home of the Gator Boys Alligator Rescue, a show on Animal Planet.  It was kind of frightening to see them interact with the alligators in the way he did, but it was also very fascinating.  

Can you spot the alligator?

We only had 4 days in Florida, and one was spent in Miami, where we took an excellent Culinary Tour.  That post will come out tomorrow.  

Have you done anything amazing in Fort Lauderdale? 

Porto Cervo, Italy

I am so thankful for Thanksgiving and this time to rest.  There has been so much going on and the break was much needed to help me through the next 2 weeks.  

The next port of call was our first stop in Italy, which was Porto Cervo.   This port was more of a stop on our way to Sorrento.  We were only there for a few hours.  Once again, there really wasn’t much to do.  Lots of shopping and gelato (yummm) and there were nice beaches here.  Most people spent their day at the beach. 

In the morning we took a tour of the bridge.  It was really interesting to see! Two of the officers showed us around and told us what the different instruments did.  I was surprised with how small it was.  We did get to go out on the side, the part that they use to “park” the boat and then leave the port. 

Once we left the bridge tour, we grabbed lunch at the buffet and then headed out.  We were walking around the town at kind of a strange time.  Many of the stores were preparing to close for their afternoon siestas.  We walked to an archeology site and saw an ancient wall.  

Ancient wall

We got some gelato (of course) before heading back to the ship.

One of my favorite pictures my sister took

I always thought how interesting it was to watch the harbor pilots go from the cruise ship to their smaller boats. 

  That night there was a gorgeous sunset.  It couldn’t have been more beautiful while we were cruising to Sorrento. 

The next two stops on the cruise were my favorite ports, so until next time about Sorrento/Pompeii! 

5 Things Never to Forget When Traveling

Since I have been traveling recently, I've noticed that there are 5 very important things never to forget when going on a trip.  Unfortunately, I do not have any more trips coming up, but that just means I'll be looking for more adventures to plan!  Stay tuned for my next post about Saint Tropez, France!

1.  Reusable Water bottle

How many times are you thirsty while traveling?  If you are like me, I always am looking for water to drink.  Unfortunately, full water bottles cannot be taken through airport security, but an empty reusable water bottle can!  I've been carrying my Eddy CamelBak everywhere with me.  Airports have many water fountains, and the Cincinnati airport even has a water bottle "fountain."  

Image Found Here

I've seen so many people in line for airport security, throw away their unopened bottles of water.  You can always pour them out and save the bottle for once you pass through security! When you carry your own water bottle around you will be saving money and saving the environment.  

2. Student ID/AAA /Senior Discounts

So many places offer student discounts. Almost anywhere with an admission fee is likely to offer a student discount.  My family has AAA, which offers discounts all across the United States.  It never hurts to ask if the place you are at offers a student discount/AAA discount or even a Senior rate.  You'll be surprised on how much money you can save this way! Stores also offer many discounts.  Kate Spade and J.Crew are 2 of my favorite places to shop with student discounts! 

3. Great Jacket

Temperatures in airplanes can be a plane.  It may be too hot or too cold, and if you are very lucky, you might be able to figure out the temperature so it is just right.  A great jacket can always fix those times when it is too cold!  You'll also want to look put together before, during, and after the airplane ride.  It is also so much easier to look put together with a jacket when you are walking around your destination!

My favorites right now are the J.Crew Puffer vest (post found here) and my Lauren by Ralph Lauren Jacket!  I always feel so put together when wearing these pieces.  When you look good, you feel good.

J.Crew

Image Found Here

4. Sunglasses and Watches

Sunglasses are one of my favorite accessories.  Such a fashion statement but also very practical!  I hate when I am walking around and I can't see because of the sun.  I am literally always wearing my sunglasses in the summer at the pool and I keep a pair in my backpack in case the sun comes out on my way to class.

Watches are also very important when trying to know what time it is!  If you are traveling it can be hard to know the time or ask someone what time it is if you don't speak the language.  When I was out shopping this weekend, I found the cutest watch at Francesca's!  After doing some research, I found the same one at Urban Outfitter's since Francesca's did not have it on their website.

Image Found Here

5. Scarf

Scarves can double as a fashion statement and as something to keep you warm!  Scarves can be used as wrap and keep your shoulders warm as well as your neck.  But the best part about having a scarf in Europe is that when you need to cover your shoulders, head or legs, a scarf works!  Always throw a scarf in your purse and if you need to cover yourself before heading into a religious place, you're set!

Image Found Here

One of my favorite scarves right now!


What is your must have when traveling?

Azamara Quest

Thankfully, my exams are over and they weren't too bad!  Sorry for not posting anything in the week! This weekend was so nice.  I went home for my cousin's wedding, which was so much fun.  It was great seeing all of my family!

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I've been on a number of cruise ships in the past, but none of them compare to the Azamara Quest.  Even though it isn't the newest or biggest cruise ship or have that many activities for young adults on it (which isn't really necessary when you are at these ports), overall the cruise was one of my favorites.  

My family and I boarded the cruise in Monte Carlo, Monaco and spent 7 nights on the ship and disembarked in Civitavecchia (Rome).  I will admit, I was initially a little worried about how many younger people would be on the cruise.  Thankfully, my sisters and I made some great friends! There were probably no more than 30 people under the age of 25, and many of them did not hang out with us.  Our group, consisted of 12 people between the ages of 16-23. 

I'm going to break into categories so I stay on topic.  I can go on and on about this cruise, which I'm sure you'll see over my next couple of posts talking about the ports.  

Staterooms

I was thoroughly impressed with the size of the rooms.  I do not have any pictures showing how nice they were, but you can easily look those up!  Since there are five people in my family, we had to get two staterooms.  My mom and dad were in one and my sisters and I were in the other.  

There was plenty of space for us and everything we brought, and we didn't pack lightly! We also had a balcony which was nice to sit out on and take in the scenery.  The rooms did have both European and American electrical outlets for guests to plug their electronics into.  

Food

Let me tell ya, the food on this cruise was delicious.  Often times on a cruise ship, the food gets pretty old.  This was not the case on the cruise.  There were plenty of different options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Like most cruises, the dinner menu changes every night so you can make the most out of your trip.  If you didn't like the dinner at the main restaurant, you can always go to the specialty restaurants or the cafe.  

One night we went to Prime C, one of the specialty restaurants on the ship.  Let me tell ya, don't order every course unless you haven't eaten all day!  We ordered every course, and although it was all VERY delicious, we couldn't finish it all.  What did I order, you might ask, here is the list below.

Not ordered but served- Mushroom Truffle

Appetizer- Seafood Sampler- had one of the best scallops of all time

Salad- Caesar Salad

Main Course- Fillet Mignon with a twice baked potato (and many sides to share!)

Dessert- Warm Chocolate Lava Cake

And for everyone to try the Mini Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Naturally all desserts! 

Staff

This cruise ship has THE BEST staff.  Since there aren't as many passengers on board, they really take the time to get to know you and your names!  The captain would be walking around talking to the passengers and he even knew our names only a few days into the cruise.  Even though there was no assigned times for dining, they tried to seat you at the same table so you could have the same waiters- who were all great!  

The performers, when they didn't have a show that night, would be in the Looking Glass, which was the "club" dancing with the guests.  I was surprised to see so many middle-aged and older people on the dance floor.  They were certainly having fun! 

One of the other cool things the captain actually told us about was the Bridge tour.  We signed up at the Guest Relations Desk and the next day we got a note for when it would be.  It was so cool seeing the Bridge (where the cruise ship is controlled from).  We even got to go out on the side of the ship where they stand to dock the ship.  

Stay tuned for the rest of my posts about the ports! And they will be posted sooner.

Kate Spade Small Square Studs

Hey all!  So the next 10 days are going to be very stressful for me because I have a lot of work to do and many exams.  So my posts might not happen very often, but I do have a few saved in my drafts that I'll post.  Don't forget to leave a comment or leave me a message in the side bar to tell me what you think of my blog!

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I'm taking a small break from my travel posts to talk about these Kate Spade earrings.  

I am in LOVE with the Kate Spade Small Square Studs.  Over the weekend, I went shopping downtown and bought another pair- the tortoise studs. All of the tortoise earrings are a little bit different.  And students get a 15% discount with their student ID.  How great is that?!

Image from Kate Spade website

The earrings are a great size, very classy, good quality and not too expensive!  They easily make an outfit look more put together.  

They also come in many different colors.  A color for every outfit, for every occasion!  Since they are a bit larger, they stand out by themselves.  

Image from Kate Spade website

Which are your favorites?

Friday Favorites

So I'm going to interrupt my Europe travels, to give you some of my favorite things this Friday! 

1. Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud Music Video

Okay first off, let me just say that I'm not a die-hard Ed Sheeran fan.  I do like some of his music but overall, he isn't my absolute favorite musician.  But let me tell you, I love the music video and the song!  I LOVE any type of dancing- especially ballet.  So when Ed's new music video is all dancing, and he is dancing, I was hooked.  

It is so cute and it was choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha, one of my favorite choreographer duos from So You Think You Can Dance.   Check it out!

This song has been on repeat for a couple hours now... oops!

2.  Puffer Vests

As it starts to get cold in Chicago, my J.Crew Excursion Quilted Vest is a go-to!  I love how stylish and put together you look when it is on.

Image from J.Crew's website

When I was little, I HATED the vests.  I thought they looked so weird and my arms always got cold! However, now I am hooked!
I love the quilting and the gold hardware.  I was a little nervous getting it in Bright Ivory, because you can't wear white after Labor Day.  Well its Ivory and I still wear white anyway.  Who cares! The vest is a must in Chicago and anywhere it is starting to get chilly!

3. How to Get Away with Murder

I actually really like this show!  It is on Thursday nights at 10/9c.  My roommate and I started watching it together when it premiered and now we are hooked.  I'm not sure how I feel about the set-up, switching back and forth between what happened three months ago and what is currently happening.  We'll see how the rest of the season turns out.

Last night was only the third episode, so I suggest starting soon if you want to start watching it!

4. Graeter's Ice Cream

So Graeter's is a Cincinnati thing and it is amazing!  I went to the grocery store yesterday and picked up some ice cream since it is now being sold in stores nationwide!

I got some Black Raspberry Chip Icecream and it is one of my favorites.  You're probably thinking, why are you telling me about ice cream.  But trust me.  It is definitely worth it!  All of the ice cream is delicious but I would suggest this one if it is your first time trying Graeter's Ice Cream.

And they are even planning on opening up a store in Chicago! Yay!  If you live in the Midwest- Southwestern Ohio/Indiana/Kentucky area, check out the Bakery part to Graeter's for the delicious coffee cakes, doughnuts and candy.  

5.  Bloglovin'

I LOVE Bloglovin'! It is a great way to organize all of the blogs you may read.  It is like Facebook for your blogs.  You add what blogs you follow and they show up on your "news feed".  You no longer have to go to each site and it is very organized.  Check it out!


Follow Me!

Do you like my blog? Let me know! I would love to hear any feedback you may have.  I'm open to any and all comments.  

Birthdays! ~ Uncommon Ground

Birthdays are something that I love.  Not just my own but other people's too! There are 7-8 girls in my group of friends on my floor and for everyone's birthdays, we go out to a different restaurant to celebrated.  For one of my friend's birthday's we went to Thai Spice, previously reviewed here.

THAI SPICE

The owner is one of the nicest people and gave us some appetizers and desserts on the house!

We had mochi, macarons, and some kind of little chocolate covered bananas.  Everything was delicious.

My friend had to leave early because she had rehearsal so my friends and I went back to our res hall and filled her room with presents.  Her boyfriend sent presents and pretended to forget it was her birthday.  She was shocked and so excited when she opened her door to her flowers and presents.  

UNCOMMON GROUND

The Monday of our finals week, it was another of my friend's birthdays.  This time we went to Uncommon Ground.  It was delicious! We ordered sweet potato fries with goat cheese fondue for our appetizers. Oh my goodness, they were delicious!  For my main meal, I ordered two appetizers- shrimp and the mac and cheese.  

Yum!

For dessert we ordered a small flourless chocolate cake and split it between the 7 of us because we ordered a strawberry torte cake for later.  

It was also very good! 

We also have a "Birthday Tree" that we put on the door of the birthday girl.  We are definitely a hallway that likes to spoil! :)

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I LOVE Christmas time!  Everything is decorated beautifully.  There is snow on the ground (although I hate the cold weather...).  Christmas music is playing.  And everyone is just in a good mood!

The mall has been decorated for a little while now and it looks so pretty.  I went to the parade the week before Thanksgiving. It was SO cold but it was a lot of fun!  Mickey and Minnie were on the first float counting down until the lights would turn on on the Mag Mile.  There were some cool floats.  There were also fireworks at the end of the parade but it was so cold my friend and I left early. But it was really cool to see the lights light up the Mag Mile and decorate Chicago for the Christmas season.   

It is December 1st (can you believe it?!) and after Thanksgiving.  So that means that it is officially the Christmas season.

I have to add this picture again :)

My hall in my residence hall is decorating the hallway this week and we are having a friendly little decorating competition.  It is going to be fun, I love a little competition! 

How are you preparing for the holiday season?

Catching Fire

Oh my! Catching Fire was incredible!  I saw the 10:30 PM showing the night it came it.  The only thing I can saw is that is was amazing.  I read the entire trilogy and I really liked the first movie.  In my opinion, the second movie was even better than the first one.

I am totally Team Peeta all the way! Did you see the way he looked at her? Melts my heart.  I am a little scared for the third movie because well, I don't want to spoil the ending.  BUT for those of you who read the book, you know what I am talking about.

I think that the movie did the book justice.  Although some of the scenes were cut from the movie, everything that is important is obviously in the movie.  

What do you think? Did you like the movie?  Did it do the book justice?

A Little Bit of Home

So I am from Cincinnati and there are many things unique to Cincinnati- especially food.  The other day I stopped by a grocery store and bought Graeter's Ice Cream.  I had to have a little taste of home as well as tell all of my hall mates how great the ice cream is in Cincinnati! :)

Graeter's

Everyone loved it, of course!  I bought Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip because it is their most popular and most unique flavor!  I could really use some Graeter's right now. 

Another popular food is Skyline Chili.  You either love it or you hate it.  There really is no in between.  Most people who are not from Cincinnati do not like it at all.  I have to be honest- it is not my favorite.  However, it has grown on my a little bit! 

Chicago is home to deep dish pizza and Cincinnati is known for LaRosa's Pizza! It is delicious thin crust pizza.  I will always have a preference for thin crust pizza.  I definitely recommend trying LaRosa's Pizza and then getting Graeter's ice cream afterwards.  It makes the perfect combination.  

What local food would you recommend people try when they are in your city?

What a week!

Things I Love: exploring, new food, and retreats.  

College life never seems to stop moving does it?  This post is going to be a combination of the past 2 weekends.  On September 13, some of my friends and I went downtown.  It is so nice to be able to hop on the Chicago 'L' or the Loyola shuttle bus and be downtown in 20-30 minutes.  On Friday night we went to Roti.  Roti is basically like Chipotle but for Mediterranean food.   It was delicious! I was going to upload a picture of my food, but looking back, the picture isn't that appealing.  But I definitely recommend the place to anyone! After that, we went and got Garrett's Popcorn, a Chicago classic.

On Saturday, my friends and I went to Chinatown.  It was interesting to look around and see the different culture and way of living.

I also tried Bubble Tea from Joyyee.  I personally did not get any of the "bubbles" in mine but I tried some of my friends' drinks.  I got a Lychee and Strawberry fruit freeze.  It was delicious! I will definitely be trying more flavors.

On Wednesday, Soledad O'Brien came and talked at Loyola.  She is a very good speaker and encouraged students to do what they want to do.  She spoke about her difficulties in life and how she overcame these difficulties to get where she is and be who she is today.  

This past weekend I went on a Loyola 360 retreat specifically for honors students.  I have always loved retreats so I, of course, was very excited for this retreat. On Friday, almost 100 honors students boarded three buses for LUREC, Loyola's Retreat and Ecology campus in Woodstock, IL, about an hour and a half away.  Even though I love the city, it was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and see trees and large spaces of grass! It's the little things you miss.

On the retreat, I met so many new people! You think since you live with these people and have some of the same classes that you would at least recognize a majority of the people.  I was surprised at how many people I did not recognize!  

We also completed a challenge course and a high ropes course.  I love adventure, so I was really excited for the high ropes course.  We didn't get to complete everything, but it was still challenging and a lot of fun! I hope I will get to do it again sometime soon!

We arrived back on campus late Sunday afternoon.  Even though the retreat was amazing, it was still nice to be back in my dorm room.  I also had a lot of work to do for Monday and everyone was tired, so that wasn't the greatest feeling, but I would not have traded the weekend for anything! 

Where is your inner compass leading you?

New Obsession- Lilly Pulitzer

I LOVE Lilly Pulitzer!  My collection just keeps on growing.  My mall has a new Lilly store so I always have to stop in whenever I visit the mall.  I recently bought a dress and a planner for the upcoming school year.  I was debating between getting the Lilly planner or the up-and-coming Erin Condren planners.  I decided to go with the Lilly because I really wanted the horizontal lines on the weekly view instead of the columns.  I cannot wait to start using it! 

I also bought this dress on sale.  It fits perfectly and I cannot wait to wear it in Hawaii.  It is a perfect summer/beach dress.  The peplum is "in" this season and the length is perfect- not too long and not too short.  What are some of your new obsessions?