While I loved each day of our trip to Cuba, if I were forced to pick my favorite day this would probably be it. Visits to Regla, an organic farm, the town of Cojimar, Hemingway’s house in Cuba, Fusterlandia, a Hemingway bar, and dinner in Old Havana made for a truly fantastic day of learning, culture, beauty and fun. Continue reading
Ok, so this isn’t technically a New Bite because this was our 2nd time – but we brought a group of 6 adults and 3 kiddos and it was THEIR first time. So I’m including it as part of my New Bites series. 😉
Nam Phuong is definitely in the “must-go” set for Vietnamese in Atlanta as a whole and Buford Highway specifically. Their menu is large and full of variety – traditional pho to strange combinations of odd cuts of pork and everything in between. Continue reading
Tuesday was our first breakfast at the casa and it was, according to our guides, very traditional: lots of fresh fruit, breads, eggs, slices of jamon and chorizo, coffee and fresh juices. I was in heaven. I love toast and fruits for breakfast! We then headed into Old Havana, passing many sites along the way including the capitol building, the Spanish Embassy, Havana Opera House, etc. before arriving at a local hotel where we were ushered into a conference room for a presentation on Cuba and Havana. It was conducted by one of the managers of the Cuban tour company we were with and it was interesting and informative. Continue reading
I had wanted to visit Cuba since the summer of 2005 when my friend Natalie and I were drinking mojitos at a Latin bar along the Mediterranean in Glyfada, Athens, Greece and she was telling me what a fabulous place it was. Americans have always gone to Cuba – just in roundabout and secret ways. I was willing to do that, too – but was excited to be able to join a week-long tour of Havana with Friendly Planet. Sean and I both felt that the time to go was now (or maybe even a year or so ago) before the cruise ships started really pouring in and flooding Havana’s limited infrastructure and restaurants with tourists. While we want to see more of the country, we felt that Havana was changing the fastest and wanted to get a glimpse of history in the making with our first (but not last) trip to this mysterious island.
The flight from Miami was only 40 minutes. As my mother-in-law says of such short flights – “here drink this! We’re landing!” 🙂 Me, being the sap I am and in awe of this tiny country’s resilience, history and completely different economy and government, cried during landing. But hey – American Airlines leaving a U.S. airport and landing in Cuba is definitely a piece of history and one I found made me emotional.
Our trip to Havana, Cuba was flanked on either side by time in Miami. I’d never been before but was very excited to explore a new city – especially with the Kimpton EPIC Hotel downtown as our base. While it was rainy and gray for our days there we still had a blast and got to do a lot. What a fun and vibrant city – we can’t wait to go back for a weekend trip soon.
Continue reading
The owners of local Atlanta restaurants Top Spice and Sweet Hut Bakery – both very successful with multiple locations – opened a Malaysian + Asian street food-focused restaurant to Buford Highway called Food Terminal. After driving by it on several occasions and seeing all the Atlanta food bloggers sharing yummy-looking photos from all the media events, we decided we had to try it sooner rather than later. Continue reading
Ah, spring. I love the flowers in bloom, the warmer days but nights that are still cool, thunderstorms, and the start of the plethora of produce that the sunshine brings. Of all the wonderful things about spring, I think I love strawberries the most. I remember my dad taking me and my brother strawberry-picking in Ohio when we were little kids. Sweet, juicy strawberries that I would pluck and eat despite me dad scolding me not to – the idea of pay-by-weight was not something I could comprehend back then, lol!
I’d heard there were strawberry patches north of Atlanta so Sean and I planned a day with several of his other friends who have kids and we borrowed our little “niece” Val from my best friend, Cherish. Val loves strawberries like me, so it was the perfect outing for us. <3
Continue reading
Sean had been at a birthday party for a friend and overheard folks talking about a dive pizza place with a large craft beer selection. After I started my new job a few weeks ago, Sean pointed out that the place was near my office and we should to check it out. So one Friday after work he came to see my new office and then we drove to Empire State Pizza and Growlers. Continue reading