Happy Tuesday everyone! After a much needed break, my usual Tuesday blog posts are back. I just returned from one of my favorite places to visit: Palm Beach, Florida. There is so much to see and do in Palm Beach; I always feel like I’m in a different world when I visit! Palm Beach is full of luxury that makes every corner photogenic. I couldn’t pass up any opportunity to capture beautiful pictures throughout the week.
bySoho is hands down one of my favorite areas in Manhattan. There are so many coffee shops, restaurants, and stores that offer a beautiful aesthetic. There are some places I always visit when I walk through Soho, but this time I made sure to have a list of new places to try too. Here’s a list of my favorite places I made sure to visit this trip to Soho.
Soho Coffee:
Soho Eats and Treats:
Soho Things to Do:
New Zealand was full of adventure!! Collectively, throughout the three weeks I did more adventurous activities than I ever have! I wanted to share my favorites to keep in mind if you are ever traveling throughout New Zealand:
1. Jumping off the Sky Tower – Auckland, New Zealand
Jumping off the Sky Tower was an incredible experience! It’s one of Auckland’s favorite activities for tourists. The jump isn’t like a free fall at all, the harness keeps you stable and tight the whole fall…which is only 10 seconds. The view of the city is breathtaking from this high up!
2. Snorkeling at Poor Knights Island- Tutukaka, New Zealand
I didn’t expect to enjoy snorkeling but it was a great experience! The fish are amazing at the Poor Knights Island. I was able to swim through multiple school of fish and touch jellyfish!
3. Tongariro Alpine Crossing Hike- Tongariro Crossing, New Zealand
I know I’ve talked about this hike in a previous post but this was definitely my favorite memory/experience from the whole trip!
4. Hooker Valley Track- Mount Cook, New Zealand
This hike was shorter and less intense than the Tongariro Alpine Crossing but just as beautiful! This hike was on the South Island which allowed me to experience the amazing Southern alps New Zealand offers.
5. Ziplining through the Ancient Forest- Rotorua, New Zealand
Ziplining through the Ancient Forest was such an experience. It felt so freeing to be gliding above huge trees. My friends and I wanted to zipline all day, it wasn’t long enough!
6. Horseback Riding- Rotorua, New Zealand
I have never rode a horse before so this was a new exciting experience for me and one that I loved! The views from the trek felt unreal and being on horseback made the afternoon truly feel like a fairytale.
Greetings from New Zealand! I’ve had trouble finding reliable wifi so unfortunately I haven’t been able to write a blog post. This past week has been incredible! I’ve done a lot of adventous activities. So far my favorite has been a 10 mile hike on the Tongariro Alpine Trek. The views from the trek were breath taking. I’ve never seen anything like it before, it felt like another world.
I was fortunate enough to travel a lot this summer and recently I’ve been thinking about all of the experiences and memories I had. Everywhere I went was special but there are certain places that make me feel happiest when I look back on the pictures. I decided to share a list of my top 5 favorite travel destinations from this summer:
NEW YORK CITY. Out of all the cities I have been to, especially in the last two months, New York City will always hold a special place in my heart. I have been many times and every time I go back, there is always something new and exciting to see and do–which has to be my favorite part about NYC. I was there for the past four days visiting design centers and the New York School of Interior Design. I will be sharing my experience in the NYC design world in another post. For now, here are some of my favorite pictures I took while in the city.
If I had to describe Prague in one word it would be magical. I was only able to visit Prague for about 24 hours but the whole time I felt like I was in a fairy tale. The architecture of the buildings give such an enchanting feeling and of course the Prague castle was enough to sweep me off my feet. Surprisingly, I was able to see a lot of Prague in a day. My favorite sites were the Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, the John Lennon Wall, and Old Town Square. Also, for food I recommended trying a glass of beer and one of their desserts…my favorite was the donut with ice cream inside.
As I mentioned in my previous post on Amsterdam, I had some amazing food throughout my entire visit. Therefore, I thought a separate post dedicated to all of the delicious cafes I found was necessary.
Pluk
I could not get enough of Pluk. It was SO good. Not only was the food and coffee delicious, the interior of the cafe was so cute, it made me want to stay all day. They also sell products such as small decor things and stationary items. My favorite meal to order was their smoothie bowls, they were amazing…so much so that I went back multiple times during my two days in Amsterdam.
COTTONCAKE
COTTONCAKE also sells products inside similar to Pluk, but they also sell clothes. The shop is downstairs and the cafe sit down area is upstairs. The atmosphere here was so calm it was a nice stop to relax at after a morning full of walking. COTTONCAKE also uses organic products and everything is made fresh everyday. I tried their fresh orange juice, avocado toast, and banana bread. It was all so yummy.
Pancakes Amsterdam
Pancakes Amsterdam was right next to the Anne Frank house so I decided to try it for dinner after my visit. They give you the option of ordering typical American pancakes or Dutch pancakes. I wanted to see what a traditional Dutch pancake was like. As you can see, they are huge! I wasn’t expecting it. I added bananas inside mine and it was so great. It was filling but the good news is Dutch pancakes are very thin so it is possible to finish the entire plate without feeling sick.
Stach
Stach is located all over Amsterdam, there are multiple especially in the center of the city. It’s an easy stop to grab coffee and a pastry to go. Their coffee was so smooth, I loved it.
Some other coffee cafes I loved:
Il Momento
Screaming Beans
Sweet Cup
Kessens
Other than pasta, pizza, and gelato, before coming to Rome I was really looking forward to the coffee. I am a huge coffee gal. I’m happy to say I have not been disappointed with the coffee here, it is incredible. I’ve really enjoyed trying out different cafés in the area, each one is so unique inside. Aside from just coffee, the cafés also offer yummy pastries, snacks, and even small meals. Here are five of my favorite cafés in Rome:
Caffè Settimiano
This café is definitely one of my top favorites. It is located in the Trastevere neighborhood. I love stopping here for a typical Italian breakfast (croissant + cappuccino) in the mornings. Also, the staff here is always super sweet and welcoming.
Caffè Lungara
Caffè Lungara is also located in Trastevere. I come here often for a small lunch. They have the best fruit salad I have ever tasted, it is always so fresh and beautifully displayed…as you can see from this picture.
Bar del Cappuccino
This cappuccino bar is towards the city center of Rome. I originally went because I read that the man who works here specializes in cappuccino designs! His favorite designs to make for customers are hearts and apples.
Esco Sazio
Esco Sazio is a small organic juice and fruit café. I’ve never ordered coffee here because I always want an acai bowl. These acai bowls are refreshing and filling. I also appreciate how beautiful the fruit display looks in the bowl.
Don Nino
Don Nino is located in several parts of Italy, I first discovered it in Florence. There are three scattered around the city center of Rome. Their cappuccino and croissant are some of absolute favorites! Also, the interior design of their café is adorable.
skylarbeck.com 