I Heart Street Art : San Francisco

I'm baaack! LoL.. I've been away from the blog for some weeks now so have lots to share. First thing is the sensational street art I came across in the Mission district of San Francisco. As a whole, I wasn't impressed with the city in the least, but these murals blew me away. They were so detailed and beautiful and showcased real local talent. The neighborhood itself is known for its ethnic culture, with taquerias, bakeries, and shops lining the streets.. But of course, the most 'amusing' part was when I asked a dude to take a photo of me and after much ado stands in front of the mural thinking I was asking for a photo of him.. hahaha! So I went along with it and here he is, little white cup and all, lol.

I'd Rather Wear a Unique Story

Hello all! I'm back from my trip to California, including Napa Valley (outstanding!) and getting a bunch of new posts ready out of 1500+ pics. 

It'll be a few days before I post so in the meantime, have a look at Boticca, an interesting online shop I just discovered. Four people in four different cities got together to scour the world for top emerging designers, their stories and their exquisite pieces. They showcase the distinct styles found around the globe, their tagline being "I'd Rather Wear a Unique Story". I love the concept! Wish I had come up with that..  After looking over hundreds of their coolest items, here are some of my top picks:

California Girls

I'm on my way to the West Coast! My friend and I will be playing it up like true California girls (by way of the east coast, haha) cruising along the Pacific Coast Highway to Big Sur, hitting up some beaches, heading up to Napa and ending it all in San Fran. Some pics of where we'll be going over the next 10 days... can't wait!

Afrikaans!

 Carlotta Shoe, $79  /  Cleo  Necklace, $39 via ElizabethColleta.com

Is it just me or do these sandals just make you wanna be on an exotic African island such as Zanzibar or Cape Verde?? Shakin' that a** like you're Beyoncé in the beach sequence of her Déjà Vu video. Cuz that's what I feel like doing.. And I think the necklace compliments the whole scene quite nicely too :-P

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Gelato in Miami

I finally got my gelato, strawberry for meee! What's your favorite??? Btw, this small strip in SoBe called Española Way had some really interesting little galleries but unfortunately, were already closed by the time I got there :-( ... Shot with the hipstamatic app on iPhone! I seriously need to get one already.

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Sunset Glow at The Mondrian South Beach

At the Sunday pool party at the Mondrian, overlooking the Miami bay. The hotel is beautifully designed by Marcel Wanders, highlighting my favorite color since childhood - red. The fabric textiles, patterns, colors and flowy waving drapes really came alive once the sun began to go down. If you guys are ever in Miami, definitely stop by their Sunday afternoon fiesta, which was refreshingly more like a siesta by the time sunset rolled around.

(And I must give a shout out to the iPhone my pal Jenn took these pics with! Can you believe you can get these images with a little camera phone theses days? Go Mac.)

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The Viceroy Miami : A Big Fat Disappointment

Don't let my smile fool you, lol. I just got back from a few days at the Viceroy and I was so disappointed! As far as design goes, the hotel is gorgeous, designed by none other than uber-talented Kelly Wearstler. Every detail was beautiful but unfortunately that's where it ended. First thing wrong with this place was the crowd – and to top it off annoying loud kids and families. Then there was the absurd $600 'incidental' fee which was automatically deducted – seriously, not even at the Four Seasons. The room service came in an hour and a half late, was cold and tasted awful – sent it back. Tried room service again but this time nothing on the menu was available. What? And last but not least, I arrive home to find that my card has been charged another $629 for the room when it was already pre-paid. I tried to take my cares away at the beautiful pool but oops!.. annoying jumping children everywheeere. So, if you ever thought to stay here because it appears young & chic? Don't. Stay at the Gansevoort or Soho House instead.

So what do you guys think?.. Should I send a letter of complaint to corporate and see what comes of it or should I just let it go and be satisfied that it was a beautifully designed hotel and not much else?

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TRAVEL BOOKS : In the Spirit of St. Barths

Sundays are great for some reading inspiration so here is a coffee table book I've been eyeballing for weeks, In the Spirit of St. Barths. The author gives a personal look at this chic Caribbean island – think yachts, champagne, beautiful beaches and beautiful people. The last chapter contains hotel picks, villa rentals, restaurants, bars, clubs, and shops so it almost doubles as a nice guidebooks. The eye candy in this one made me want to get to St. Barth's sooner rather than later!

Get the book on sale here.

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