Desert Love

Now that Coachella has come and gone I thought it was fitting to share about our girls trip we took to the Desert last month. My best friend, Rachel and I had both been working like crazy so it was a perfect time to pack our bags and go!

We stayed at the Saguaro (you can read about my first stay here) and I continue to love every minute of being at that hotel! It is so clean, bright, and fun... it is the best environment for a quick getaway. I mean, look at that view!

They upgraded our room (perks of traveling on a Wednesday I bet!) and we had a great view overlooking the pool and gorgeous mountains. They even brought us wine to our room when we arrived!

We had total girl time and it was so fun. I just love a good meal, a good friend and some sunshine! We spent our days at the hotel and our evenings in town going out to eat and hitting up the local farmers market/art walk.

The hotel itself is just so fun to be at, its easy to spend most of your time there! Great tunes out by the pool, a cute bar, and you can get lunch served to your lounge chair. I think we spent almost 4 hours here one day!

Another favorite spot is Kings Highway at the ACE Hotel. They have delicious food! We headed over there and had breakfast out by the pool. Cheddar and thyme hash browns... need I say more?!

Love the ACE, but my heart is at The Saguaro! If you haven't been, its a perfect weekend getaway! Palm Springs has ultimately become this beach girls favorite vacation spot by far!

Viva Las Vegas

Im Baaack! I just got back from Vegas on Monday afternoon and I am turning around to head to Palm Springs for a girls trip on Wednesday! But I wanted to check in and share how my trip went with you all. Oh, and if you haven't seen already... there is a really awesome Giveaway going on the blog right now!

So we stayed at the Planet Hollywood which I love/hate. For one it has shopping and good restaurants and a pretty fun casino floor and it is located really perfectly on the Strip. But on the downside, the rooms are crappy! This is our second stay there and both rooms have just not been that great, not to mention that casino is super smokey... like after 24 hours in Vegas I always feel like I am sick, but it is just awful allergies! 

Highlights of the trip:

- Winning a nice jackpot on a penny machine (but then putting it alllll back in).

- Seeing Vicky from OC Housewives, some kids from Real World, and the guy who plays Mike Chang on Glee and the best... we saw Ice T and CoCo's dogs getting walked around the valet area by a dog walker! Haha so cute.

- Ate at Margaritaville, Gordon Ramsay BURGR and the Hofbrahaus. If you have never got ot the Hofbrahaus you should! Its huge beers, good food, a crazy oompah band and grown men taking Jager shots and getting spanked (for real!)... it was great!

- Visiting Fashion Show Mall... love Topshop and it is one of my favorite stops to shop at! I got that amazing ring (pictured) and a few goodies at Free People.

- Had good seats at the race, and TRD actually ended up winning the race! Such a good feeling to get a win when we are there!! Do any of you follow Nascar? Which drivers are you a fan of?

And the best highlight of the trip was finally getting to come back home to my house and my sweet puppy! I realized I am so happy and content with the life we built, I get a bit homesick when I leave it! Now off to the desert, again!

Have a good week everyone!

Life Lately V.14

So last weekend, we decided to take a little weekend one night trip out to Palm Springs. We couldn't have picked a better weekend to go or a better place to stay! We stayed at the Saguaro, a Joie de Vivre hotel, which we were familiar with the chain from staying with them in SF but had never stayed with here. 

The hotel was full of bright colors and quirky decor, which totally just makes you feel so happy and comfortable! Well me, I dunno if boyfriend liked the pink wall as much as I did.

We had planned on doing some vintage shopping, but it was a bust after just a few stores so I knew I just wanted to get back to the hotel and lay by the pool with a drink and a magazine. Heaven!

The pool area was hoppin', there was a dj, a pool bar, and we had the loveliest girl helping us order food from the restaurant inside! I loved the vibe there, and normally I am not into the poolside club thing like in Vegas, but it was just so laid back and comfortable here. Props to the hotel for that!

After a few hours by the pool and a little nap to recover, we got dressed and headed into town to Las Casuelas for mexican food and music and then we headed over to the Spa Casino to play some slots! We had such a fun night!

I loved that my dress matched the hotel!!!

They upgraded us to a pool view room, and we had a little outdoor patio outside. This was our view! I just love this hotel. Everything is SO fun to look at!

We also managed to try some Bills Pizza! I had always heard Danielle, from Sometimes Sweet, raving about this place and man.... was it good! Get the Bills Sauce! Deeelicious!

Another view from my lounge chair! The weather was only about 93 that day, it was perfect! 

As a blogger, this hotel was like photo set up heaven with all the colored walls and great backdrops!

Another shot from the pool! 

We headed to Kings Highway for breakfast the next day. It is an awesome diner (its actually a restored old Dennys) on the grounds of the Ace Hotel and man is it good! I am still thinking about that french pressed coffee!

A quick shot of my breakfast. Those were cheddar and thyme hash browns... OMG. 

We had a great time in the desert, the perfect distance for an overnight stay, I already am trying to figure out when we can go back!

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A day Around the Bay

Graphic Print Sweater- Zara

Vintage Tee- Old Navy

"Rockstar" Skinny Jeans- Old Navy

Brown Leather Boots- Payless

Deena and Ozzy Bag- Urban Outfitters

"LuLu" Sunglasses- Kate Spade

Our last day in San Francisco was hand down my favorite. I managed to power though that awful sickness, and with a good friend in tow we walked, bussed, cable car-ed and ate our way around town! We started by hopping on a cable car and heading down to the Ferry Building (one of my favorite places) for some Blue Bottle Coffee and a bite to eat, or quite a few bites! We loved sampling the chocolates and sweet and breads and cheeses along the way... I was in foodie paradise! I recommend you go there with a full appetite and plenty of time. Its the best!

Places to visit inside the Ferry Building: 

Blue Bottle Coffee (delicious lattes), Cowgirl Creamery (artesian cheeses), Mariposa Bakery (gluten free and vegan pastries), Acme Bread (yum!), Prather Ranch Meat Co. (great sandwiches, use many of the other vendors for ingredients), Miette (don't miss the macaroons)

One other highlight of the day was hanging out in Hayes Valley! This was a new to me neighborhood that had so many cute shops and restaurants and was really close to the Painted Ladies and Alamo Park.  I loved browsing and window shopping along the way and stopping to have delicious ice cream at Smitten, this pop up ice cream shop inside of a shipping container (so cool.). We walked by one place, Patxis, that smelled soooo good, we came back to that spot later on for dinner and had some delicious pizza! This is how I love seeing a city, no itinerary, just browsing along, eating, enjoying and experiencing as much as possible! 

(iphone photos, sorry!)

America's Cup

Striped Top- Anthropologie

Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans- Old Navy

Viscid Mint Green Jelly Watch- Anthropologie

"LuLu" Sunglasses- Kate Spade

One of the reasons we made our trip to San Francisco late in August was so we could attend the America's Cup Boat Race in the San Francisco Bay. Geoff has been a long time fan (or stalker) of the boats and really wanted to go see them in action. We happened to pick the dreariest and windiest day of the week to go, and also the day I felt the worst (dang sinus infection ruined everything!) but still managed to have a good time thanks to the lovely hospitality we were provided. We got to watch the boats from the the private Club 45 which had the fanciest porto potties I have ever seen. Not to mention the Moet was flowing, the bar was free and the catering was delicious. They even had the actual Americas Cup trophy (boyfriend says, "the oldest awarded trophy in sports!") complete with two security guards!!

We had a front view seat (complete with mint tea in hand) right on the deck for all the action. It was really cool to see the speed of these boats maneuvering right near the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. It was a tad chilly but they even gave us cozy blankets to wrap up in, which I might or might not have maybe taken home with me... Oh, and of course nautical stripes were the only logical thing to wear to such a fancy event! 

Nob Hill Spots

Polka Dot Sweater- Old Navy

Super Skinny Rockstar Jeans- Old Navy

Brown Boots- Payless

Leather Bag- Urban Outfitters

Wooden Tribal Necklace- Forever 21

I realized I shared some photos from our vacation but never shared any from San Francisco! We spent a few days there exploring the city, taking in the boat races and spoiling ourselves just a bit at the Fairmont Hotel, which sits on the very top of Nob Hill. I had always, always wanted to stay there so when credit card points granted us a few nights stay for under $100 we decided to go for it! These shots were taken on the grounds at the Fairmont on our first day windy and cold day there! If you squint you can even see a Cable Car going down the road! We wandered around downtown, shopped in Union Square, and hiked the huge hill back up to a quaint little neighborhood cafe for some wine and pasta. Have I ever told you that San Francisco is my very favorite city in the whole world? Ill share more from our trip soon!