Boat Shoes and I have returned from a fun weekend getaway in Sonoma County and had an absolute blast. Admittedly, it was a rather gluttonous weekend comprised of a lot of wine drinking and some incredible food. We headed up on Saturday morning and decided to make Saturday our less rambunctious day of the two. Our wristbands granted us entry to any of the participating wineries for both days but with the 49ers game on during Saturday afternoon, we knew the majority of the afternoon would be dedicated to a spot with a television.

D'Argenzio

Tasting at the Wineyard

We chose D’Argenzio for our first stop due to its proximity to our hotel. We pulled up to a complex that could otherwise house a Chili’s and a Marshall’s; a typical strip mall-esque area. We popped in to grab our wristbands and after sipping some wines and chatting with the owners in the complex (D’Argenzio, Kurtz Family Wineries, Sheldon Wineries and the Wineyard), I (we?) left hugely impressed with the space. What could be another complex in the middle of industrial Santa Rosa has be turned into a mini wine haven in the middle of nothingness. Quite a feat. The Wineyard’s concept is one that I found particularly enticing (it’s very similar to Family Wineries in this sense and apparently used Family Wineries as an inspiration for their space): it acts as a tasting room for a bunch of smaller wineries that couldn’t otherwise have a presence.

Beer Flight @ Russian River.

With the 49ers game on, we were able to catch part of it at the Wineyard before migrating. Boat Shoes had specifically mentioned his desire to head to Russian River Brewing Company while we were in the area and I wasn’t about to stand in the way of a man and his IPA. Plus, what goes better with football than pizza and beer? I don’t drink beer so brewery stops don’t particularly appeal to me, but I was loving Russian River by the time we left. Boat Shoes ended up ordering one of their beer tastings (see photo above) and was presented with 15 (or so) 2 – 3 oz. pours of a variety of beers that Russian River brews. Such a great, fun concept. As a side note, their food is also surprisingly delicious.

With wine, beer and a Niners win under our belts (mostly his belt, really), we headed back to the Fountaingrove Inn to check in and clean up for the rest of the evening. {Read my review of the Fountaingrove here.} We had debated on our go-to dinner spot for Saturday night. There were a few that stood out to us: Stark’s Steakhouse, Willi’s Wine Bar, Jack & Tony’s, Rosso’s plus a few X factors. After polling the Santa Rosa community, we came to a decision: Stark’s Steakhouse for the win. Seeing as how I don’t eat meat, I wasn’t 100% sure about Stark’s but felt inclined after looking over their seafood selection. After we walked in I had zero doubt that we had made the right decision. Fantastic drinks (with a drink menu that’s witty and with drinks that are concocted by the bartenders), great service and delicious food from start to finish. {For more, read my review of Stark’s}. We cabbed back to the Fountaingrove and called it a night (though we did attempt to watch an episode of Breaking Bad before passing out). Food coma really does get the best of you sometimes. No matter, though. All the better that I was refreshed and ready to take on Sunday! Check back tomorrow for more on our drive through wine country.

xoxo,

Saturday ended up being an all-day Jimmy Buffett fest, which was exactly what I anticipated. We started the morning off in the best way possible, though: brunch with my cousin, S., and her new(ish) hubby, A. The happy duo lives in Vegas and met us at the Grand Lux in the Palazzo to fuel up in the morning before what was sure to be an epic Buffett-fest. I never realize quite how much I miss my fam until I get to see them again — note to self: must plan family reunion for 2012.

Boat Shoes & I at the Margaritaville Casino!

My cousin, S., works at the MGM so I’m sure she understood the magnitude of the Parrothead Invasion much better than I did. Until April 2011, the only Jimmy song I knew was Margaritaville. It wasn’t until I met Boat Shoes that I started listening to country music (gulp) and Sirius’ Margaritaville station. When he invited me to Vegas to check out the concert I opted in immediately, but really had no idea what was in store.

Prepping for the concert

We threw on our island garb and started the afternoon by heading to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino and restaurant. An entire area was blocked off for the street party in preparation for the night’s concert. I was honestly stunned by the attire — it was like a cult-ish costume party. Never have I seen so many pirate costumes, Hawaiian shirts and margaritas in one area.

Street Party!

After a couple of margaritas and a rather eye-opening run through the Margaritaville store (Jimmy Buffett cookbooks, bumper stickers, margarita machines, shirts, boat shoes, iron ons; the list goes on and on…), we made our way further down the strip where other pre-parties were taking place at the MGM and New York-New York. The Brooklyn Bridge at the NY-NY was blocked off for an island-themed party complete with sand boxes, beach chairs and island grub.

Sweet photo shoot at the NY-NY

After grabbing some food (very necessary) at Gonzalez y Gonzalez in the NY-NY hotel, we made our way to the concert at the MGM and claimed our awesome seats! I never realized quite how intense these fans are. I met but one other girl that was attending a Jimmy show for the first time ever; the others were vets who made Jimmy Buffett concerts an annual event (as evidenced by their ornate head pieces). The show — in large part because of the awesome energy — was great. I’m proud to say that I actually knew more songs that I anticipated and was fairly quick to pick up on the mandatory ‘fins’ movements.

Up close and personal.

After the concert, grabbed one final drink before heading back to the Palazzo to pack. Sadly, and rather moronically, I booked my flight for 630A on Sunday morning which meant I had to be out the door at 445A. Not the smartest move I’ve ever made, but it worked. I was more than a little sad to say goodbye to Vegas, but I had a blast! Now that that’s off my list, I can look forward to a crazy few weeks ahead: my upcoming move to San Francisco (more on that soon!) and my long-awaited trip to Dallas!

Was anyone else at the Jimmy Buffett concert at the MGM? What did you guys think?

Want to see more pictures from Vegas? Click here.

xoxo from Sunny California,

Flying into Vegas

I left sunny Sacramento at around 9A on Thursday and jetted down to the airport to start my early weekend in Vegas! Boat Shoes was already in Vegas making his rounds for the IMEX conference, so I was all set to link up with him at the Palazzo when I arrived early that afternoon.

Boat Shoes & I lunching at FIRST.

After a quickie $7 shuttle ride to the hotel, I got settled in to our stellar suite (side note for those not wanting to throw money away, the shuttle is a mere $7, a cab is around $30 + tip). We quickly changed into comfy clothing and made our way to one of the hotel’s restaurants, FIRST Food & Bar. I was more than a little excited to see a ‘skinny’ drink (the DIY ‘Skinny Bitch’ made with Crystal Light) on their menu so I had to test it out. Imagine my surprise when it came out looking like this:

FIRST's Skinny Bitch

I love that they put the Crystal Light on the side! While the packaging looks a bit questionable (read: like you’re harboring illegal substances), I thought it was clever Vegas-inspired packaging. After re-fueling (note: the blackened mahi fish wrap is a winner!), we headed out to explore the Strip for my first time ever! 

Boat Shoes and I exploring.

There’s no doubt about it – Vegas is totally Disneyland for grown-ups. Much more expensive and debaucherous, but equally mesmerizing. You know the way you feel when you stumble upon Adventureland in Disneyland at 5-years-old and are awe-struck by everything around you as you try to take it all in? Yeah, same thing as a 25-year-old in Vegas. I was immediately mesmerized with the Palazzo as we walked through it: fake blue skies, waterways, gondoliers and a replica of St. Mark’s Square? Who thinks up these things?

Gondoliers inside the Palazzo.

We spent a few hours walking down the Strip, exploring hotels and sipping on some suspiciously delicious margaritas from Margaritaville {margaritas were definitely a trend during this trip}. 

After running around in the Vegas heat, we got cleaned up and made our way out for the evening. There is certainly no shortage of amazing restaurants in Vegas and while it’s great to have such incredible options, it also makes choosing really difficult! After much deliberation we decided to eat at SUSHISAMBA, right inside the Palazzo.

Heading out for the evening!

With a 45 minute wait at 9PM, we decided to kill some time at Double Helix Wine and Whiskey Bar(also in the Palazzo). We each grabbed a drink before making our way back to SUSHISAMBA for dinner. (Deal mongers: If you’re a foursquare user, check in at Double Helix to get a ‘buy one, get one 50% off’ deal!)

At Double Helix for drinks!

I’ll admit, I wasn’t 100% sure about SUSHISAMBA before we sat down. Sushi’s always great in my book, but I didn’t get the full concept behind the restaurant. It ended up being a very cool mix of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine and our meal was absolutely stellar. Sushi, sashimi, ahi tacos, chilean sea bass, Alaskan king crab… the list goes on and nothing disappointed.

SUSHISAMBA.

After our SUSHISAMBA run-in, we made our way to Wynn and the Encore to explore the neighboring hotels. Being big piano bar fans, we stopped into the dueling piano bar at the Encore (open from 9P on) and spent the rest of the evening lounging and doing a bit of people-watching.

All in all, an amazingly jam-packed first day in Vegas! Check back tomorrow as I re-cap delicious day two with our continued exploration of the Strip, some crazy good food and some more piano loving.

xoxo,

Wanna see more pictures of Sin City? Click here to peruse my album.

Gorgeous Tahoe.

I’ve spent more weekends in Tahoe this summer than I have in my entire life. I honestly forget how incredible this place is: the mountains, the lake, the smells, the air. I remember being in high school and talking to one of my uncles (who’s based in Malta) about Tahoe. He said that after traveling through Europe and seeing so many amazing places, Tahoe still topped his list of the most magically gorgeous places on earth. I hadn’t seen much of the world at that point, so I didn’t even kind of believe that statement could be true.

The Drive Up :)

Well, now I can say that I’ve seen some pretty incredible places and experienced some awesome things and Tahoe really does make the top of the list. Driving up here never gets old and the views are truly hard to beat. An awesome bonus is that it’s amazing all year long, whether you’re boating around the lake in the summer or snowboarding in the winter, it’s incredible. Now that I’ve rekindled my love affair with this place, I thought I’d share some pictures from this summer. Thanks to Boat Shoe Boy and his fam, it’s been a home away from home this season. We’ve shared so many awesome memories (birthdays, holidays and random weekend getaways) and had some incredible times. Sadly, I realize that I have posted very little about our experiences here… it’s probably because I’m too busy actually experiencing.

Boat Shoe Boy :: Tahoe Trip #1 - April 2011

Bonding time in Tahoe.

Winning beer pong team. :)

Boat Shoes on his 26th

Boating - August 2011.

Sunrise over Tahoe - Sept 2011

With Boat Shoe Boy - September 2011

Never gets old.

xoxo from Tahoe,

Goodbye, Anguilla!

After packing our bags on Monday, we said goodbye to Anguilla at around noon and boarded the boat to St. Maarten. With Boat Shoes’ flight leaving early on Tuesday, he needed to spend the night in St Maarten to make it out in time. Seeing as how I’ve never actually been to St. Martin/St. Maarten, I thought it would be the perfect excuse to spend a solid day there exploring!

El capitan leading the way to St. Maarten.

En route to St. Maarten

Heading to Marina Royale for lunch & shopping. :)

With the whole crew in tow, we posted up on the French side where we did a bit of shopping and grabbed lunch at La Belle Epoque. While there are a few shops that are reasonably priced, my general conclusion was that the shopping wasn’t really intended for travelers on a budget (but then again, is traveling in the Caribbean really intended for the money-conscious at all?). Still, I always find it fun to peruse and get a feel for local style. No surprise here, but St. Martin definitely reminded me a ton of being in France!

Mojitos at La Belle Epoque

After our lunch with the fam, we said our goodbyes and headed over to the Dutch side of the island, where we posted up at the Sonesta Maho for the evening. After exploring the area and taking a dip in the pool, we got cleaned up for our last night in the Caribbean.

Ze French side -- St. Martin

The beach + our hotel, St. Maarten

Our hotel couldn’t have been more convenient. It’s a mere $5-7 cab fare to the airport (less than a 10 minute drive) and it sits across the street from Tantra and next to a number of fun eateries. After a bit of indecisiveness, we ended up eating at Cheri’s Cafe where we ended up with entirely too much food and a Reno-style singing/dancing act.

Cheri's Cafe

Grabbing dinner in St. Maarten.

Entertainers at Cheri's

Watch a small clip here:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFS1GJWsHcE]

Despite the fact that it was a bit on the cheesy side, the performers were actually pretty good and it made for an entertaining final evening. After dinner, we made our way to Soprano’s, an awesome piano bar right across the street. The music was awesome (I forgot how much I love piano bars!) and made for a perfect ‘name that tune’ venue.  After a few drinks, we made our way back to the hotel to say goodbye to the Caribbean for good.

Despite the fact that the flight home the following day was long (10ish hours in total + layovers), it was a smooth journey and I was safely back at home and sleeping by 1230A. All in all, I was happy that we decided to spend the last day in St. Martin. I was able to see a different facet of the Caribbean and decide for myself the vibe that I enjoy most. Granted, I didn’t spend a great deal of time in St. Martin/St. Maarten so it’s not fair to make a real judgement call here, but from what I was able to experience, I would take Anguilla over St. Martin any day! Anguilla definitely tops my ‘Prettiest Places in the World’ list. I’m just crossing my fingers that I can make it back there one day for round two!

Lots of love from US soil,

Heading into Little Bay

Little Bay has a great area for snorkeling. While we didn’t see anything too crazy during our excursion, it was still incredible to be exploring in the warm water. In addition to snorkeling, Little Bay is home to a not-so-little rock that people frequently jump off of. While I can’t be 100% sure of the height, I would wager that it’s between 30 and 35 feet high. For the record, it seems much higher when you’re standing at the top. There’s a rope that hangs down the side of the rock so people can scurry up one end and jump off the other. While a few of the boys were jumping off, I was still deliberating as to whether I really wanted to throw myself off of a massive rock for no good reason. J., one of the girls on the trip, decided that she was going to take the plunge, though, so I knew I had to join in. I couldn’t let Boat Shoes have the girlfriend who was too frightened to jump. After we climbed to the top, we both looked down in amazement. Jumping doesn’t seem to be quite as great of an idea once you’re looking down. The rock seems much smaller when you’re looking at it from the water. From the tippy-top of the rock it’s a bit (read: a lot) more frightening. After a few minutes of panic and some gentle encouragement from Boat Shoe Boy, I took the plunge and landed not-so-comfortably 35 feet below. About twenty-five minutes later, J. also took the plunge.

Climbing the rock for the momentous jump!

J. & I pondering the plunge.

And.... there I go!

And, after much counseling, there goes J.!

After conquering our fears, we loaded up and headed back to Meads Bay. We arrived in time to catch a segment of the famous boat races. With the races drawing a decent crowd in the area, a number of vendors had stations set up where they cooked up BBQ ribs and chicken, rice and peas, plantains, cole slaw, potato salad and other delicious Caribbean fare. We all grabbed some food and posted up on the beach with other locals while we rooted on De Tree, a boat sponsored by the Frangipani.

The crew heading home from Little Bay.

Boat Races!

Noshing on BBQ and checking out the race.

With it being one of our last evenings together, we headed down to the Viceroy to grab a round of mojitos before making our way back to the resort for our our final night as a full crew.

Mmmmojitos!

The Boys.

...and the girls!

Cheers to an amazing trip!

The Frangipani hosted a Manager’s Cocktail on Thursday evening, so we all made our way down to the poolside to listen to a local band and chat with everyone else staying at the resort. While the boys ended up noshing on pizza from a local eatery, the girls hit up Straw Hat once again for some lobster spring rolls, ceviche and prawn curry. Pure amazingness all the way around!

Straw Hat deliciousness at the Frangipani

Dance Party at the Frangipani!

We had contemplated heading over to the Pumphouse to check out their live music for the evening but decided to continue the festivities at the resort instead. While I ended up passing out a bit early (one-too-many voodoo punches), the night ended up being awesome and a perfect way to say farewell to one of our teammates!

Check back tomorrow as we celebrate our last night together before everyone says their farewells!

xoxo from the prettiest place on earth,

]]> http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2011/08/anguilla-little-bay-a-night-at-the-frangipani/feed/ 0 http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2011/08/rainy-days-in-the-caribbean/ http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2011/08/rainy-days-in-the-caribbean/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 06:35:23 +0000 ShannonElizabeth http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/?p=7920 Continue reading →]]>  

Not a bad place to be cooped up in the rain!

When I asked Boat Shoes about weather in the Caribbean prior to our trip, he nonchalantly noted the following, ‘Well, technically hurricane season starts in July, but there aren’t really any hurricanes this time of year.’ Hmm. Comforting. Well, we didn’t witness any full-fledged hurricanes, but the sky began falling on Tuesday sometime in the middle of the night. We woke up in the morning to discover dark grey skies and a rather unappealing beach. Fortunately we had stocked up on snacks and breakfast food the day before so we were prepared to stay indoors and entertain ourselves.

With no cards, no boardgames and an utter lack of interest in television watching whilst on vacation, we ended up spending the morning playing the ‘Guess Who I Am Game’. I’m sure the game has an actual name, but I can’t be sure. For anyone that doesn’t inherently know what this game entails, I should preface it with the following blissful observation: it’s incredibly simple and curiously fun. We each wrote down a noun on a small piece of paper, typically the name of a random person (think: Justin Bieber, JaRule, Princess Jasmine, etc.), folded the papers up and threw them in a pile in the middle of a table. One by one, we’d draw from the center, place the paper to our forehead and ask questions to figure out who/what we were. It’s kind of an incredibly bizarre version of twenty questions. Except there aren’t just twenty questions. And the questions can be open-ended. And people can volunteer information…. so not really like twenty questions at all, but just as fun. In any case, we ended up playing a couple of rounds before deciding to head down to Straw Hat yet again for a mid-day meal.

Straw Hat

The view from Straw Hat on a sunshine-y day :)

Despite the rain, it ended up being a relaxing afternoon. Post-lunch deliciousness (side note: the fish sandwich is a solid lunchtime bet), we took a nap and prepped for the evening.

Boat Shoes -- Freshly Shaven!

Prom photo shoot!

As I mentioned before, Boat Shoe Boy lived on the island previously and definitely knows the ins and outs of local happenings. That being the case, we were alerted to the fact that it was Wednesday night which means one very important thing: $1 wing night at Ferry Boat Inn. With an uneven ratio of testosterone to estrogen, missing out on wing night was not a possibility in the slightest. With five hungry boys in tow, we made our way to the restaurant and snagged a good five dozen wings, fries + regular food for the ladies. I have rarely seen so many guys in a state of pure bliss, but I imagine that wing night at most places elicits the same reaction: that finger-licking, I’m-immersed-in-what-I’m-eating state of mind that seems to take guys to a new level of manhood.

Elvis' Beach Bar

After the guys had their fill of wings, we made our way to Elvis’ for more drinks, dancing, and a worm off. If only we had video of the epicly ridiculous venture that was a worm/acrobatics off (read: a competition based on who can worm the best, cartwheel the best or compete in some other acrobatic way), it would be pure entertainment. Pictures can’t really do it justice. We have a couple of good wormers in the group, but generally there were lots of belly flops and, I would imagine, some minor torso bruising. Admittedly, I need to work on my worming skills. One of our group members is a pretty incredible wormer, but I was genuinely suprised when Boat Shoes showed me up! How can a boyfriend keep a skill set like that a secret?! Can you say ‘selling point’?!

C. trying out his worm!

And there I go... #fail.

Huddling up for some Flip Cup strategizing.

Flip Cup Champions!

The night escalated and ended with a Flip Cup competition between some veteran Flip Cuppers and some miscellaneous Canadians. As expected, our team (I use ‘our’ loosely, since I wasn’t competing) held it down! After securing their spots as champions, we all headed home to finish up the evening. Another awesome day in Anguilla!

xoxo from the Frangipani,

Flying into St. Maarten

Aside from a minor lack-of-sleep issue, we made it to St. Maarten on Friday according to schedule. We were shortly shuffled through immigration and found a taxi driver that shuttled us across the island. After a rather interesting journey, we found Boat Shoes and the boat crew to cruise across the waters to Anguilla.

G & K en route to Anguilla

Boat Shoes & I heading over to the island!

Within thirty-ish minutes, we were in Anguilla, going through customs and grabbing our first rum punch of the day.

Rum Punch!

Running on little sleep, a protein bar and a coffee, the rum punch hit me pretty quickly. After checking into the Frangipani Beach Resort and sipping on our second round, I was definitely ready for some real food! Being that the rest of the crew was supposed to arrive on Saturday, Boat Shoes and I went to dinner at Jacala on Friday evening for a romantic island kickoff. While the service was pretty average, the food was definitely delish (the seared tuna is definitely a winner). After refueling at dinner, we made our way to Elvis’ Beach Bar to finish off the night.

Elvis' Beach Bar

Despite the night’s not so pretty ending (note: their shots are out of control; one might be okay, three is most definitely not if you want to remain coherent), I thought this was one of the coolest little spots. The location, the people and the general environment are just incredible.

Hanging out at Elvis'

Luckily we were able to sleep in the next morning so I was able to mostly recover from the night. All in all, amazing first day/night in Anguilla. With a tie-dying adventure, a trip to Scilly Cay and August Monday still on the agenda, I couldn’t be more excited for the week ahead!

xoxo from Anguilla,

Nine short days!

I’m more than a little excited about my upcoming Caribbean adventure. In 8 short days, I’ll be jumping on a plane at Sacramento International and in 9 days, I’ll be checking into the Frangipani Beach Resort and hanging out with Boat Shoe Boy & Co. on the oh-so-gorgeous beaches of Anguilla! With the departure date looming, I’ve realized how little shopping I’ve done for this trip. Not that you need to head to the Caribbean armed with a couture wardrobe, but a fair share of cover-ups, summer dresses and beachy attire is definitely a must! My poor fedora met its end this weekend (drowned in a pool of Bud Light and then stomped on by drunken passersby) so it’s definitely time to invest in a new one.

Fedoras: yay or nay?

While I normally mentally prep for trips far in advance (I tend to think that planning is half the fun!),  I’ve spent very little time planning for this particular excursion. Having spent insane amounts of time in Anguilla, Boat Shoes and his fam are practically bonafide islanders and definitely have the inside scoop on what to do, where to eat and places to scope out… there definitely won’t be any time wasted on anything overhyped or subpar!

I’m definitely looking forward to a week of warm Caribbean water, pretty beaches, morning kayaking and some sweet island beats. Nine days until I’m blogging from the islands!

xoxo,

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xoxo from California,

Shout out to my gorgeous cousin, S., on her amazing wedding! Cheers to years of happiness and love ahead!