Seb, Nina and I went for a long-weekend in Miami filled with lots of beach time, shoots, and exploring the city!
Check out our full instagrammable itinerary HERE
Category: Travel
Instagramable Itinerary – Miami
For Presidents Day weekend, a couple friends and I went to Miami to get a little sunshine, stress relief and the perfect ‘gram. It has been so snowy in NYC that it feels nearly impossible to get cute shots anymore without repeating the same jackets over and over again. Over the last few weeks, it seems like every single blogger is headed to South Beach for pool parties, margaritas, and endless swimsuit photos. Thankfully that gave us plenty of inspiration for shots and outfits. Here’s everything we did for our long weekend:
Day 1
7:00PM – Arrive at Fort Lauderdale Airport
7:30PM – Uber to hotel
10:00PM – Dinner at Bird & Bone at The Confidante Hotel
11:00PM – Night out at LIV at the FontaineBleu – don’t go until 12 at the earliest.. You don’t want to see this place empty like it was at 11
Day 2
10:00AM – Breakfast at OTL in the Miami Design District
10:45AM – Wander around the Design District & shop a little
11:00AM – Aubi & Ramsa 21+ gelato – This place is so amazing and is opening a location in NYC this summer! Can’t wait to go back ❤
12:00PM – Stop at the pop-up Dior Cafe for a $12 latte
12:30PM – Walk to Wynwood Walls and stop to look at puppies in PetSmart
2:00PM – Go to the beach at our hotel
7:30PM – Dinner at Cecconi’s at Soho House
10:00PM – Go to The Bazaar for cocktails
11:00PM – Hyde Beach at the SLS Hotel at South Beach
12:00AM – Going to the club Story where we saw Lil Wayne
Day 3
11:00AM – Malibu Farm at the Nobu Hotel for brunch
1:00PM – beach time!
4:00PM – SLS Pool Party at South Beach
4:30PM – Walk around South Beach
5:00PM – Drinks at a restaurant on Ocean Drive – BEWARE OF PRICE SCAMMING
11:00PM – Drinks and Dessert at Swan
Didn’t make it out to E11ven so we ate pizza at the hotel
Day 4
11:00AM – Breakfast at Donna Mare in the Cadillac Beach Hotel
12:00PM – Morning at the beach
2:00PM – Go to downtown Miami to explore walkways along the water
3:00PM – Lunch at Vapiano
Head back to NYC!
VIDEO – 3-Night Cruise to Nassau
How I Took a Tropical Vacation for Under $400
I’m nothing if not a frugal traveler. I’ve always thought that the best experiences are had outside of your hotel room (not that I’d mind staying in a 5 star resort, it’s just not necessary to max out your credit cards in order to have your dream vacation). The real fun is outside of your room adventuring. For me, the cheaper the better, but you don’t have to squat in a dingy room in a sketchy motel to get a good deal!
3-Night Cruise to Nassau
Cruises have a bad stigma, but they are definitely the answer to a good time for cheap and require very little planning. My family used to do a lot of longer cruise trips so I’ve always been familiar with them, but after posting about my experience going on a cruise with Eugen, I realized that many of you have never been on one!
I’m personally a huge cruise fan, but for all of you first timers, make sure you set your expectation before you arrive. You should take into consideration the cruise line, destination, and read LOTS of reviews ahead of time.
So here’s how we made our super cheap vacation happen:
Flight – $120
Research what is going on in Miami and make sure you take this into consideration BEFORE you book the Cruise. If there is a festival or big convention going on, the plane ticket prices are going to sky rocket. The date of your cruise will likely be cheapest when there is a big event going on in Miami, but that is when plane tickets into Miami will be the most expensive. I’ve seen them as low as $95 round trip from NYC.
Rachel’s Savings Tips:
- Fly out of a smaller local airport like ISP on Long Island and go to Ft Lauderdale instead of Miami (it’s only a 40 min Uber from the Miami Cruise Port). On another trip, I got a flight from ISP to Ft Lauderdale for $49 with Frontier.
- Set a Google alert and look at all of the historical charts they have to find the best prices.
- Book 2-3 months in advance. If you do it earlier than that, the prices are usually set around one rate that is higher. If you do it later, there may be surged pricing
Cruise – $203
If you want to go to The Bahamas, leave from Miami, not NYC. The cruises are cheaper and there will be less “Day at Sea” time where you are trapped on the boat.
Care more about the destination than the boat? Take Carnival! Larger/less fancy cruise lines tend to be cheaper. We opted for the cheapest room, but our reservation came with a free upgrade and we were able to get a room with a King bed and a sea-view window! The most affordable rooms do not have windows at all (I think I wou
ld have gotten seasick in those so thank goodness for the upgrade!) The cruise price is all-inclusive (we’re talking rooms, room service, all-hours buffets, sit-down dinners, coffee, juice, ICE CREAM, pools, hot tubs, entertainment, etc). It’s amazing to pay up front and not have to worry about paying again once you set foot on the boat.
Rachel’s Savings Tips:
- Know what you’re going to spend on the cruise, don’t just go on the ticket price. Drinks, some foods, wifi, some entertainment, gambling, and other activities will be extra!
- Check the deals different cruise lines offer. If you’re planning to drink a lot, Norwegian offers some all-inclusive alcohol cruises.
- Check what upgrades come with different cruises! Ours had on-board and on-shore credit as well as a free room upgrade that all came with the ticket price.
Excursions – $20
These can get pretty pricey. Our cruise ticket came with a $50 gift certificate to Shore Excursions so we selected a $50 per person 3 hour Snorkeling and Sailing cruise that came with a free drink (sounded like a good deal to us!) When we docked in Nassau, the company let us know that our excursion had been cancelled due to high winds (sad). We ended up getting our $50 back.
We suddenly had a full 24 hours at port with zero plans and limited cash so we had to figure out what to do. Everyone wants to got to Atlantis on Paradise Island, but they also charge exorbitant fees for access to the beach, water slides, food, etc. To save money, we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner all aboard the ship at the inclusive sit down dinners and buffets
What we ended up doing:
- Shopping on Bay Street
- Grabbing beers at Pirate Republic Brewing on Woodes Rodgers Walk
- Going through the Straw Market
- Walking to The Queen’s Staircase and Fort Fincastle
- Looking at residential neighborhoods
- Going to the public Junkanoo Beach
- Sneaking onto a private beach and pool area at the British Colonial Hilton
Rachel’s Savings Tips:
- The public beaches I saw in Nassau were pretty dirty and unpleasant. If you have the opportunity, sneak your way into a private hotel beach. We went to the British Colonial Hilton just to have a look inside (we were that bored haha). If you walk straight through the lobby and past the bar at the back of the hotel, you’ll arrive at their gorgeous private beach with free towels, chairs and umbrellas and they don’t even ask for a room number. They also have a pool, a large chess set, a bar and restaurant and lounge beds. We hung out there for a few hours before heading back to the ship. If you act like you belong, nobody will question it.
- Eat on the ship! You already paid for that food so why double pay for more.
- Ask how much things cost before you assume they’ll be cheap! A lot of places charge $15 – $19 per drink when there are no signs listing prices. They know tourists will pay anything for drinks.
- Walk to your destinations, don’t taxi! It might be the New Yorker in me, but I didn’t realize everyone else was taking taxis to the Queen’s Staircase until we got there. It was a 15 minute walk through residential neighborhoods and government buildings. We got to see a more authentic side of Nassau! This is one of our favorite things to do on trips.
Add Ons – $45
On a cruise, they will try to nickle and dime you for EVERYTHING. Watch what you are spending! Our cruise price included a $25 on-board credit that actually went a long way on board. Cocktails were $9 and beers were as low as $4 which was pretty crazy compared to NYC prices where it would not be shocking to see $25 for a tiny cocktail with crunchy ice and a flower.
Rachel’s Savings Tips:
- Paying for wifi is not worth it! It is very slow and if you have certain providers, your data will honestly be faster. The wifi is really bad on Carnival ships. I would rather have not had signal than spend my time waiting for pages/ Instagram to load.
- Don’t sign up for the drink package unless you plan on drinking 5+ cocktails a day. I did the math and that was our minimum number of daily drinks in order to get your money’s worth.
- Check what you’re swiping for! The Sign and Sail Cards are attached to your credit card and it’s easy to swipe away without realizing what your tab is at the end of the ride. Check the app to keep an eye on your spending.
Overall, cruises are a TON of fun and are a nice, simple way to head on a tropical vacation without having to do a lot of planning. As long as you watch your spending and stay away from sneaky offerings with hidden charges, your vacation will be smooth sailing.
Have you ever been on a cruise? How was your experience?
VIDEO – Our Tokyo Travels
Not in the mood to read through our whole itinerary? Watch the highlights here:
8 Days in Tokyo
Tokyo was hands down one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. Eugen and I impulsively decided to take our 8-day vacation in Tokyo because we wanted to go somewhere we’d never been before and somewhere totally foreign to us. Neither of us speak a work of Japanese, but we managed just fine and I already want to go back for longer! We spend the entire time in Tokyo. I wish we had planned to go to Kyoto, but I felt like there was so much to explore in Tokyo alone. The best things we did were the simplest things like wandering through residential neighborhoods, grocery shopping through isles of obscurely flavored item, and drinking “free flow” green soda and a bubbly water called “Pocari Sweat” haha. I’m a crazy type-A planner, but all the most memorable things that happened on our trip were unplanned and totally spontaneous! Can’t wait for more travels and more adventures together ❤
Not in the mood for reading? Check out my Tokyo Video filmed entirely on my Snap Spectacles 2.0!
8-Day Tokyo Itinerary
Day 1
- Flying out of JFK with a 7 hour layover in Taipei, Taiwan
- Taxi to downtown and went to TAS (my elementary school then walked around the neighborhood
- Stopped for food at 7/11 and iL Mercato
- Walked around the back of my old apartment to the local markets
- Zipped back to the airport and headed to Tokyo
- Head to the AirBnb via Bus from Narita Airport
- Dinner at Tavern on S at the NEWoMan Food Hall
- Wandered around Shinjuku and explored Taito Station arcades and nightlife
Day 2
- Up at 5AM because JETLAG
- Go out for breakfast at St. Marc, a local chain with sugary baked goods. This was the only breakfasty food we could find so we loaded up on coffee and chocolate croissants here.
- Wandered around the Shinjuku malls (there are so many and they all connect!) – Tokyu hands, Lumine, Lumine 2.0, Lumine 3, Takashimaya, NEWoMan
- Made our way to the Shinjuku Gyo-en. Japanese gardens are nothing like ones in the West. Many of the ones we visited are all natural and very forest-like. It was cool to step out of the city and into the wild in just a few minutes.
- Din Tai Fung for lunch. This was #1 on my Asia to-do list haha. There was an hour wait so we stopped at an empty Belgian restaurant that was only playing Taylor Swift’s Fearless album (love) for a quick beer.
- Explored Golden Gai to kill time. This is a MUST in Tokyo. I’ve never seen anything like it! Rumor is that it’s all going to be shut down before the Olympics so if you’re heading to Tokyo, be sure to check it out!
- Robot Restaurant…. I wish we had not gone. It was SO TACKY and shabby, but this was on every single Tokyo Must See list so we went. If you don’t go, you’re not missing out. It was a good way to keep us awake during our jetlag though.
- We were so tired that we went back to the Airbnb to take a nap
- Back out for Ramen at a place just around the corner from us: Machida-ya, a very local spot that was not super foreigner-friendly. The broth was amazing and the counter was filled with local businessmen on their way home from work.
- We had planned to go back to Golden Gai, but we were too tired and just went to sleep!
Day 3
- Tried somewhere new for breakfast. On the other side of the NEWoMan mall was Boulange, which actually ended up having a similar sugary pastry selection as St Marc.
- We needed more coffee so we stopped at Toraya Cafe in the same mall
- That day, our goal was to head to the Google office – a 1.5 hour walk through residential areas, quiet back streets, and along a highway.
- We hung out at Google and got lunch there. There was a Western food cafeteria and a Japanese food cafeteria.
- Stopped at Zara to get a skirt – it was TOO HOT for skinny jeans
- Then we took the train to Odaiba to explore
- Ooedo-Onsen Monogatari – a bathing hot spring water park. I knew I wanted to go here, but the website was very unhelpful. You get to change into a traditional Yukata (keep your underwear on!) and then head to the pools. We did a fish foot pool where they eat off your dead skin. It was an extra fee and a VERY unsettling feeling.
- Walked along the malls – Boardwalk Mall, Aqua City, VenusFort
- Dinner at Gogo Curry
- Explored small street-side bars in Shinjuku
Day 4
- Breakfast at St Marc again
- At this point, everything we had done was very modern and we were ready to soak in some traditional architecture and nature so we headed to the Meji Shrine and the surrounding Yoyogi Park. This was another all-natural style park that is far different than anything I’ve seen in NYC or my travels. The park was Eugen’s favorite part of all of Tokyo. It was HUGE and you could spend hours just wandering down different paths. During our exploration, we stumbled upon a dojo (yes an actual dojo) and saw a traditional Kyūdō training taking place (archery).
- There was little to no food in the surrounding area so we made our way towards Harajuku and got ramen at a random chain place
- Shopping at Cat Street, Takeshita-dori, Omote-sandō
- Then we walked to Shibuya Crossing which was a mad house. Definitely cool to see, but coming from NYC, it was not as awe-inspiring as expected. I’d defintiely recommend going up to the Starbucks at Shibuya crossing to get a view looking down at the pedestrians.
- We stopped at a belt sushi restaurant (I believe called Neo Emotion)
- We played at a nearby Taito Station
- Went out for drinks at Golden Gai, the famous “tiny bar” neighborhood. After walking through the whole place, there were so many bars to choose from, but we ended up at the ‘Not Suspicous Bar‘ – you have to check this place out!
Day 5
- Day trip to Mount Fuji! There happened to be a storm the night before we went so a lot of the pieces of the trip had to be cancelled due to trees on the ground blocking the roads, but we still had a good time!
- Lake Ashi Cruise
- Lunch at Oshina Ninja Village
- Hakone Shrine
- Narukawa Art Museum
- Bullet Train back into Tokyo
- Dinner at Ichiran (our new favorite!) We go now in NYC, but it’s twice as expensive here
- At night, we went back to Golden Gai to try some new bars.
Day 6
- Our best discovery: Jonathan’s. After 5 days of seeking a nice hearty breakfast, we finally found this gem. Think Denny’s but with some Japanese foods and “free flow” bottomless non-alcoholic beverages for less than $5! Who goes to Japan and eats at a place called Jonathan’s you may ask. Two hungry Americans in need of a big breakfast and LOTS of coffee!
- Tsukiji fish market
- Tea session in Hamarikyu Gardens. It was SWELTERING HOT that day and like a crazy person, I decided to get hot tea. There is NO AC at the tea house – beware.
- Ramen lunch at another random place
- We then walked to Senso-ji and people watched with pastries and shaved ice
- I made Eugen stop at a dollar store to pick up some funny things with messed up English for my parents. See: Engrish
- High Five Bar – The CLASSIEST bar I have ever been to. Don’t let the neighborhood, elevator bank, or entryway fool you. This place is CLASSY. Once you enter the small bar underground, you are given personal attention from an individual host who designs a cocktail for you with the help of the head mixologist (a mysterious and silent figure who never spoke or made eye contact with anyone). It was clear that all the hosts revered the mixologist and were at her command. Eugen and I each had two custom cocktails with liquors from the local region. This place is definitely in my top 3 recommendations for other visitors. Writing this up now, I just found out that it has been rated one of the top bars in the world multiple times. No surprise.
- That night we headed to the club ALife at 10PM which we thought was reasonable, but was very early. We were some of the first people to arrive. We had read online about fees at the door and drink tickets, but they let us in for free with three drink tickets each! We had a really great time there. The vibe was VERY different than clubs in NYC and it was a good time, but girls beware of men there. I would not go back without Eugen with me. And even with him there, I was grabbed and treated inappropriately by other guests. The setting makes it impossible to catch your attackers so I highly recommend you go in fully prepared. I read this exact thing before I went in and I still didn’t believe it. So read up before you go out and prepare yourselves ladies!
Day 7
- We kicked off the day at Jonathans again for breakfast
- Shinjuku is filled with shopping malls so we walked around and got gifts for friends and family
- At the top floors of each mall, there is a food hall either with restaurants or food stalls. We grabbed some shaved ice and enjoyed people watching for a half hour.
- Got our bus tickets to head to the airport
- Ordered Din Tai Fung to go
- Went back to Harajuku to get some more gifts
- Dinner at Golden Brown – an American restaurant where we saw everyone eating their burgers with a FORK AND KNIFE. They were all giving us weird looks for using our hands hahaha.
- Stocked up on plane snacks at 7/11
Day 8
- Last morning at Jonathan’s with free flow (never forget!)
- Head to Shinjuku Station to meet our Airport bus to Narita
- Said bye to Tokyo! Hope to be back soon ❤
- We had another layover in Taiwan. Their airport is so amazing. There is a new wing with a gym, library and different themed seating areas (one of which is a soup dumpling room).
- Hop back on the plane to NYC
Six Weeks Later
These past six weeks have flown by incredibly quickly! A month and a half sounds like a long time (and some days dragged on for what felt like forever), but looking back, I can’t believe that it’s already over. At times, my classes were draining and there was no end in sight to the work, but being in the City of Lights made it all worth it.
Instead of a long, heartfelt essay on how much I’ve grown, I’m just going to list all my favorite things about my time here:
- Monoprix. I’ve expressed my love for this supermarket chain before, but I had to mention it again ❤
- My new Parisian friends!
- The shopping… Enough said.
- Getting photographed for a street style blog on my second day!
- The Givenchy fashion show after party
- Hanging out on the Champs de Mars while the Eiffel Tower is twinkling at night
- The Fête de la Musique
- Our professors. They are such characters! My French Professor was definitely the best part of my academic experience at NYU Paris.
- Going to see a ballet at the Opera Garnier
- Exploring the many museums of Paris (and getting to know the D’Orsay a little too well…)
- Free coffee days
- But most of all, fresh baguettes!
A Night at the Opera Garnier
Thanks to NYU, we got these amazing seats at the Opera Garnier to see La Fille Mal Gardée put on by the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris.
I’ve toured the theater before, but watching a performance there was an entirely different experience. We sat in private booths on the first tier. To get into the booths, you needed an attendant to unlock the door for you. It was very inefficient. There was only one door attendant per floor so we had to wait while she escorted patrons into thirty something private rooms. After passing through the tiny wooden door, you walk through a tiny little salon with a table, chaise, and mirror. In the old days, I imagine the bourgeoisie in the booths would get up from their seats and retire to the little lounge during the intermission. When you 
push past the curtains of the lounge, you enter the spectacular view of the theater itself. Words (and even photos) cannot capture the beauty of this building. I tried taking so many photos and none of them could capture the grandeur of the Palais Garnier. It’s one of those things you just have to see for yourself.
I felt as if I’d hopped in a time machine back to the 1800s into one of Degas’ paintings. The theater was breathtaking on the tour, but filled with an audience, it is even more spectacular. The roar of applause as the dancers took their final bows was magical and brought the old theater to life. All of us felt this regality sitting in the booths and strolling around the Opera house.
On our way out, descending the grand entry stairs, a friend said she wish she hadn’t forgotten her ball gown and tiara in the dorm! I should have worn my glass slippers…
LouLou’ – The Friendly Diner
I am an extremely picky eater so I was ecstatic to find this adorable diner, LouLou’, just a block away from the NYU building!
The staff even speaks english! I’ve eaten there four times now and know the wait staff pretty well. The majority of them are actually Australians living in Paris. It’s an “Australian Diner” so maybe they only hire Aussies?
The name comes from the common French term of endearment “LouLou.” I just think it’s absolutely adorable. Their food is magnificent and they even have take-out menus!
Every time I’ve been, I get the Vegetarian Bagel. It’s nothing like the bagels we think of in the US. The bagels we are famous for in New York are fresh, puffy, and al around superb (can you tell I’m biased?). The bagels here, however, are thin, crunchy, and very dense. I have seen many “American” bagel shops here (it must be the new trendy food) and all of them focus not on the bagel, but on the fillings. It’s like Potatopia ( ❤ ) in the East Village or Chipotle. It’s all about the toppings. The Vegetarian Bagel comes with fresh mozzarella, tomato pesto, basil, and guacamole. It is to die for. When I get back to New York, I’m definitely going to have to start making these for myself.
The Heat
Although I’m going to be devastated to leave Paris in a few days, I’ve got to say, I’m glad to be leaving this weather. Cities in the summer are the worst. And to top it off, there’s no air conditioning… I tried opening the window to get a breeze, but it’s literally the exact. same. temperature. inside and out.
All month, it has been surprisingly cool, but this week, we got hit by a heat wave. Tomorrow is supposed to be 99 degrees!! And yet every Parisian is still wearing cardigans and long pants. I don’t know how they do it. All us Americans have started wearing the types of shorts that make your tourist status a dead giveaway (when it’s this hot, who cares anyways).
Rae Hersey 