Cruising!

Honestly, I have never been a huge fan of cruising. I always thought cruises meant dining with herds of people at a buffet and ridiculously expensive drinks by the pool. Not to mention, I am prone to sea sickness so the thought of being on a moving ship for 7 days sounds like torture. When I was 18 my grandparents took my entire family on a cruise to Alaska. It was a once in a lifetime trip and truly spectacular. It made me re-think cruising all together because, well, taking a cruise was the perfect trip for my family. The cruise provided every family member with something to do, from kids clubs for the young ones to a high end fitness studio and spa for the adults... there was never a dull moment. Every time the cruise came into a port we had excursions set up for the day, one for everyones individual taste. We would go our separate ways in the morning and meet back on the ship in the afternoon. For example- my dad, brother and I spent one day helicoptering over glaciers then landing on one and hiking across it in glacial shoes. My younger cousins were too little to participate in this active excursion so they went dog sledding that day. It was the perfect setup!  On top of that, we had a designated dining time each night ensuring that at 6:30pm every single night our entire family of 14 would be dining together- no waiting for a table, no arguing over what time to east or where to go to dinner- it was all planned for us! I think my entire family would agree that we will always have the best memories of that cruise to Alaska.

Glaciers in Alaska

Hiking glaciers with my dad and brother.

Off-roading with my mom.

So when I started working at Liberty Travel, my one cruise to Alaska provided my sole knowledge of all cruising. Two years later, I can tell you exact deck plans on several of the newest, most modernized ships on the seas.  One of the best opportunities I have had since working in the travel industry was being invited to go on the inaugural sailing of Norwegian Cruise Line's brand new ship, the Breakaway! I had been doing so well with the company that my "area leader" had reached out to invite me on the sailing, I was so honored and thrilled- a free cruise?!?! YES PLEASE. People always say that with the newer cruise ships "the boat in itself is a destination." We were on a cruise to nowhere so the ship really was the destination, but I could 100% see why people love cruising. The ship was incredible! From the activities to the dining options and nightly entertainment, The Breakaway is a truly innovative ship. I was beyond impressed with the top deck that had a full blown water park, as well as the ice bar in the middle of the ship. Really an ice bar on a boat?!?!?  Because the inaugural sailing was for travel professionals to experience the ship first, everything was complimentary so we spent our days attempting to experience every single activity, show, restaurant and bar that the ship had to offer. On the last day of the cruise I stepped off the ship blown away by how amazing the Breakaway was and knew all of my cruise clients just had to experience this ship for themselves!

In the ice bar on the Breakaway!

I bet you're wondering why the sudden desire to write about cruising? Well, just last week I was invited to the "culinary reveal" of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' brand new ship, The Quantum of the Seas, setting sail this fall from New Jersey. Going into the event I wasn't too sure exactly what a culinary reveal was, but O-M-G am I so happy I attended this event....beyond words. The evening started in one room where we were offered appetizers and champagne. Following that room we moved into the presentation where RCCL execs welcomed us and explained their new era of dining, what they are calling dynamic dining. The focus of dynamic dining is to allow cruise guests to experience a variety of dining options while onboard at no extra cost. For those who don't know, every cruise ship offers several complimentary dining options, but then also has speciality restaurants such as a steakhouse or upscale Italian restaurant at extra charge. However, Quantum of the Seas will offer different restaurants at no extra cost, and we got to experience samples from each of the seven restaurants, plus the speciality restaurant- Wonderland. Following the presentation we were taken to a large room sectioned off into different restaurants which each offered their highlighted dishes for us to try.... this was not a good night to be on a diet! My friends and I completed the entire loop of restaurants trying every single dish and every single shot that was paired with it. Some highlights- mint crusted lamp chops from Chic, bacon roasted scallops from The Grande, a reuben turnover from The American Grill, and the Italian Anitpasti from Jamie Oliver's Italian kitchen! Just when we thought it was over we were taken into the specialty gastronomic dining restaurant, Wonderland. This was quite an experience...starting with the "dessert shots" of alcohol infused orange and key lime jellies. From there it only got better... disappearing noodles, dry ice wasabi bites and finally, the white chocolate pop rock dessert. The event was brilliantly done and was by far one the most exciting travel events I have been to. RCCL gave us all a real taste for what to expect from Quantum of the Seas and we all left the event looking SO forward to experiencing the ship this fall!

Lamb Chops

Bacon wrapped scallops

Specialty shot, can't remember what it was but we really liked them ;)

Jamie Oliver's Italian Kitchen

Liberty gang, waiting for Wonderland

Dining room table in Wonderland

Me and my good friend Josh- you'll be hearing much more about him when we go to MACAU in 3 months!

Jelly "dessert" shots

Have you ever been on a cruise? Try one out for yourself, even if you never imagined yourself on a cruise, I am telling you these new ships are quite the experience :) 

Snowy Winter in NYC- What to do when its freezing outside- literally!

In all the years I have lived in New York City the winter has never bothered me. However, this winter has been a whole different story. It has been snowing almost every day, the streets are icy and sidewalks filled with mounds of snow. So what is there to do in New York City when the holidays have passed and you are stuck in an arctic tundra? Well, if you are willing to venture beyond your apartment, I have come up with a list of activities that might make this winter a little less miserable. At least this is what I have been to this January and February.....

1. Getting in shape to prepare for summer has kept my mind filled with images of beaches and bikinis. Everyone always makes a New Years resolution to loose weight or get in shape- and I am no different. Since January 1st I have committed to a healthy diet and regular exercise- and I feel great. The magic behind getting back in shape- SOUL CYCLE. The first time I went I was skeptical- Soul Cycle has become the trendy new workout in NYC and prices are $34 per class. Yet, when I came out of the first class I was hooked. The entire Soul Cycle mentality has drawn me in and I am obsessed. After each class I feel like I have experienced a spin class, a night out of dancing, and a therapy session all in one. If you have yet to try out a Soul Cycle class check out https://www.soul-cycle.com to sign up, I promise you won't be disappointed!

 







2. Enjoy a boozy brunch at one of the many NYC hot spots. Brunch is a New York City weekly phenomenon. And when theres snow outside brunch can turn into a 4-5 hour event. Over the past two months I have been exploring new places in my neighborhood that offer good boozy brunch deals.

-Arte Cafe on 76th and Columbus offers all you can drink for as long as you want for $18. While pricier than some other options, the food was amazing and so were the staff! Nothing is worse than watered down drinks, or rude waitstaff at a boozy brunch. I hate feeling like a restaurant is trying to push you out or move you along as quick as possible during brunch. At Arte Cafe my friends and I enjoyed brunch and catching up for over 4 hours and they never once asked us to leave or cut off our unlimited mimosas.

-Cantina is a new Mexico bar/restaurant/lounge that just opened down the street. I went to check it out for drinks when the brunch menu caught my eye. The next weekend my friend and I decided to try brunch- $20 for an entree and all you can drink mimosas or margaritas! Their take on Mexican breakfast was awesome- we both had the smoked salmon, goat cheese quesadilla and it was incredible!

- Then we have Bistro 1018, a classic favorite of mine. $20 for an entree off the brunch menu and all you can drink- I love this place. A couple friends and I went here for New Years Day brunch and it was perfect- not too crowded, great service, and good food. The staff is used to a young crowd on the weekends and is always ready to fill up that glass!

Gina and I catching up at brunch at Arte Cafe!

3. Hangout at the Standard Beer Garden! I thought it was odd when I had two friends throwing birthday parties at The Standard this month. I always thought of the beer garden as a summer hangout! Nope, it is just as much fun in the winter because the garden is enclosed and has heat lamps throughout. You almost feel like its summer and you are hanging outside at the long picnic benches enjoying a beer. Even though its still snowing outside, the Standard beer garden is a great hangout, with an extra large assortment of beers served in extra large jugs with pretzels- you'll feel like you're back at Oktoberfest!

4. Stay warm at Schoolbreds. It has been one of my favorite bars in the city for years now. The best part is, they have a fireplace in the back of the bar. It gives the bar a wintery feel and draws in crowds on Friday and Saturday nights. If your in the mood for a drinks in a cozy pub, Schoolbreds is the place to be!

5. If all else fails, make the most of this snowy winter. Venture into the cold and take in how pretty the city can be after a snowfall! I walked around Central Park after one of the hundred storms, and it can truly be a beautiful sight- even if your freezing!

Weekend Adventure-Montreal

I use the word "adventure"  in my title because that is literally the experience we had traveling to Montreal. Being a nomad, I am always up for an adventure. I have the longing to travel constantly ingrained within my soul. One weekend, my best friend Chris and I were discussing places we wanted to visit when Montreal came into the conversation.  We had both heard that Montreal was "the Paris of North America" and that it was a hub for young artists and trend setters (or hipsters if you really want to go there). It was right up our alley and was so close to New York City, so why not? Plus, Chris is Canadian and had never been to Montreal so it was about time, and I was up for the adventure. The following weekend, after little research and a few drinks we found ourselves on an overnight bus to Montreal. Before I go into the best parts of the trip let me start by saying whatever you do- DO NOT TAKE THE OVERNIGHT BUS. Yes it was an adventure and funny in the beginning, but by the time we got to Albany at 4am and were forced to sit in an abandon, cold bus station, we were not laughing anymore. Although we were travelers on a budget, next time I would 100% splurge on the airline tickets to avoid a repeat of that 10 hour bus ride. 

We arrived in Montreal around 8am, dropped our backpacks off and began to explore. First thing first, coffee- lots and lots of coffee. We were so exhausted and so cold, I will never forget that morning, but after the coffee we were ready to explore. As I mentioned in blog about my London trip, I love to bike, so of course we had to rent Bixi bikes. I highly suggest Bixi bikes in Montreal, they were a great mode of transportation and great way to see the city. The best part-they only cost 7 Canadian dollars for 24 hours and have check-in points on pretty much every corner. We cruised through the famous Old Town Montreal, stopping at all the historical sights. Old Town Montreal is actually very similar to Paris with some of the same street names, old squares with cobblestone roads, and their very own Notre Dame. 

After exploring Old Town we decided to bike up to where we had read was more of the artsy/young area of Montreal. What I loved about Montreal is that around every corner we found street art, an installation or just something unusual. Even the apartment buildings had spiral staircases leading up to their doorway that were painted all different colors. I actually saw some of the coolest apartment buildings in Montreal, especially the brownstone with the castle roof (I SO want to live in that building someday!) After much biking we headed to the famous Schwartz's deli for their world renown smoked meat sandwich. Let me tell you, it is worth all of its glory- so delicious!

That night we met up with some of Chris's friends from Toronto who went to McGill. They took us out and showed the Montreal nightlife scene which reminded us so much of our days at underground Brooklyn parties back in high school. After a late night, the next morning we slept in then headed up to the Olympic Stadium and Montreal Botanical Gardens all located up on the hill across the St. Lawerence river. It was gorgeous day to be outside so we enjoyed strolling through the gardens even though we weren't huge fans of the exhibit which consisted of giant animals, people, and objects made out of plants.

For dinner that evening Chris's friends took us to the most amazing taco bar called Ice House. If you are ever in Montreal I highly recommend it. We sat on the patio and enjoyed a tray of fish tacos, portabello tacos, and chicken tacos with Bourbon lemonade! After dinner we decided to explore Montreal at night a bit more, but both being exhausted had to call it an early night.

One thing I love as much as Bulmers and biking is brunch! So the next morning we got an early start to make it to the legendary Beauty's for brunch. Beauty's one of Montreal's gems and there is always a line out the door. The owner of Beauty's opened the diner in 1942 and still works their with multiple generations of his family! It was one of the most memorable brunches of my life, starting with the make your own bloody mary tray. Everyone likes their bloody mary made differently so Beauty's serves your bloody mary as a tray of every and all ingredients you might want in your drink so you can make it just the way you like it. Such a great concept! For brunch we had to share Beauty's most famous dishes, The Beauty's Special and the Super Beauty. The Beauty's Special was a sandwich of veggies, cream cheese and smoked salmon all served on a famous Montreal bagel. We then split the Super Beauty which was your basic breakfast plate, pancakes, eggs, bacon, potatoes....but it definitely was one of the best brunches I have had with that home-cooked feel to it!

Post amazing brunch we decided to head over to Parc Royal for Tam Tams which is a Sunday tradition in Montreal. I love the idea that every Sunday, strangers gather the in the park for a drum circle and anyone can join in or dance on the sidelines. With little time left (I had to take the bus back that night) we wanted to make sure we had enough time to make the hike up to Mont Royal- the highest point in Montreal. The top was a great place for photo ops and spectacular views.....

Tam Tams

After the hike we had two more things on our to-do list before saying goodbye to Montreal....poutine and Kronenberg Blanche. Poutine is a Canadian dish consisting of french fries, cheese curds and gravy that we had yet to have that weekend. Kronenberg Blanche is one of my favorite beers which they only sell in Europe, but I had been able to find it a few places in Montreal. Multiple times on our trip we had heard about and read about the famous Brutopia in Montreal, but no matter what we did we could not find this hidden gem!  However, just as we were about to head to the bus station we found Brutopia!!! Yet, being so excited to have finally found Brutopia, I decided to spontaneously miss my bus home....but it was okay, it gave us time to hangout in Brutopia and get poutine-a great end to our adventure!

If you are ever missing Europe, like I do every day, I suggest a weekend in Montreal. It is a charming city, rich in culture, with a truly European feel to it. Oh and I forgot to mention, everyone speaks French! I knew people who lived in Montreal were French Canadian, but I never expected to encounter such little English. Even those who clearly spoke English would speak to us in French! The language barrier adds to the unique culture of Montreal and made us feel even more like we were back in Paris!