Monday, December 29, 2014

Outfit of the day!!

(Coat: Forever 21 Jeans: Forever 21)

(Scarf: A shop in Rome Top: Forever 21)


(Boots: A shop in Rome)




Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Caffeine Kick: 21st Street Coffee Downtown

Hiya! How are you on this awesome December morning? 

So, I have gotten into the habit of taking a lot of photos of my lattes these past few months and the below is my absolute favorite! It is so simple but I just love it :) 

You know what I also love? This mocha from 21st Street Coffee downtown! I normally go for my simple vanilla latte but it was a rainy, cold day in Pittsburgh and they had run out of vanilla syrup so I thought, "what the heck, I'll have a mocha!"and I loved it! 

The shop was quite small but with just enough tables for my friend and I to catch up! Both of us had trouble finding the place because it is kind of hidden off to the side of a bank but it was worth asking a few random strangers for directions. 

Next time I think I'll try their other location in the Strip District! 


21st Street Coffee
225 Fifth Ave
Pittsburgh, PA, United States

What I ordered: a mocha 
What I am going to try next time: A cortado 

Monday, December 15, 2014

Outfit of the day!!


(Jacket: Forever 21 Shirt: Urban Outfitters )


 (Flannel: Forever 21 Beanie: Forever 21)

(Black Jeans: Forever 21 Boots: A shop in Rome)

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Caffeine Kick: Constellation Coffee

Hello! I may have found my perfect study spot for finals week....Constellation Coffee in Lawrenceville! It is just a quick bus ride away from most college campuses in Pittsburgh and has plenty of tables to choose from, it is (like I said) just perfect! 

The barista was super friendly and made me feel right at home as I walked in the door. Light music was playing in the background and everyone was quietly studying and chatting with their friends. The only thing that threw me off was that they don't have any flavors except for the seasonal special...seeing as I loved the maple latte I chose, I didn't mind. 

I honestly can't wait to go back and show my friends this awesome spot! 


Constellation Coffee
4059 Penn Ave
 Pittsburgh, PA 15224

What I ordered: the seasonal latte (maple) 
What I want to try next time: the next seasonal latte :p 

Monday, December 8, 2014

Outfit of the day!

(Top: Forever 21 Joggers: Aerie Coat: Forever 21)


(Ring: Forever 21 Nail Polish: Essie)


(Boots: TJ Maxx Backpack: Urban Outfitters)

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Behind the blogging: Teatime

With this semester coming to an end, I have had so much more time to focus on Lovely Travels! I am quite excited to get back to it and share my daily adventures with you all! 


Monday, December 1, 2014

Finding a balance

Hello, hello! I'm sorry it has been so long. I don't know how I let it go almost a month without a post. It is such a challenge finding time to do everything I want to do. It seems like when I start thriving in one area, I forget about others. Obviously, that's just how life works and I understand that but I don't want my blog to be one that I forget!

That being said, I am going to take a little more time to regroup. I am going to make a new plan and have a fresh look at what I want to get out of maintaining this blog!

In the meantime, check out my Instagram to see what I am up to!

Monday, November 10, 2014

Things I miss about London:


  1. Full-English breakfasts 
  2. Walking to the Farringdon tube station from my apartment and seeing all the well-dressed Londoners going to work
  3. Riding the elevator up to my office at the Royal Automobile Club
  4. Seeing a Wasabi, Pret, and Ben's Cookies on every corner
  5. The buildings and the way the city made me feel

Monday, November 3, 2014

Good Eating: Franktuary

When I used to think of a delicious weekday lunch hot dogs weren't the first food that came to mind. This may have been because I am not the biggest fan of hot dogs, but it was probably because I had never been to Franktuary before. 

With a permanent location in Lawrenceville and a food truck that travels around the city, there was no excuse for me not to give it a try and, boy, am I glad I did! 


As soon as you walk into Franktuary, you feel relaxed and quite hip. There is exposed brick on the back wall and a huge, vintage looking bar in the corner. 

The menu has so many different ways to get your hotdog, it is unbelievable! I decided to go with the classic Pittsburgh-style that includes a huge pierogie and coleslaw on top of your frank! 

Not only do they have hot dogs but they have POUTINE! Before my recent trip to Toronto, this would not have mattered to me, but now that I know how amazing it is I want to go back and try Franktuary's take on it. For those of you who don't know what poutine is (like me before my weekend trip to Canada) poutine is fries with gravy and cheese curds. Most Canadians are obsessed with it and we saw multiple restaurants that only sold different variations of poutine on our two-day trip. 

My mouth is watering just thinking about what I am going to order the next time I go....a memphis frank with an order of poutine. 


Franktuary 
3810 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, Pa 15201






Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Outfit of the day: Annie edition


I know I don't have the same fashion sense as Hope, but I made an effort to feel somewhat fashionable and comfortable during my recent trip to LA. As with the planning of the trip, I took cues from Instagram, using Oh Joy! and Design Love Fest as inspiration.

LA








Monday, October 27, 2014

Good Eats: LA, Republique


 One of the worst things about my trip to LA is that I only had one meal at Republique! Ben and I ate breakfast on our final day there, but I would have loved to eat lunch and dinner there, too! 

I actually chose to try out Republique because of Instagram. I follow a few California-based Instagrammers and I kept seeing this beautiful space on my feed over and over. I knew I had to try it out! And it lived up to the photos! 


The space was just gorgeous, with so much natural light. From what I understand the main dining space used to be the courtyard. The building has a rich history. It was built in 1929 and Charlie Chaplin had offices there! I just loved everything about the style. I loved the rustic touches, the tiled floor and most of all the fact that it let so much California sun in.


And then there was the food! OMG. What a breakfast! Ben and I each chose eggs, the Regular Breakfast (eggs, bacon steak, fingerling potatoes and warm baguette) with a fresh squeezed orange juice for me and Ben had the BLT Toast (fried egg, bacon, arugula, tomato and gryure), It was so much food, and well worth the $12/each price. If I wasn't so full I would have tried one of the amazing pastries that greeted me at the door. Again, I'll just have to come back one day and eat so much more! 


624 South La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, California
(310) 362-6115

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Exploring: Los Angeles

I am so excited that Hope is letting me share my recent trips with you! It's been a good Summer and Fall for travel in my family. First the Jersey Shore, then Connecticut and most recently, Los Angeles.


My husband Ben and I took our first trip without our new baby, Jack. It was a sort of anniversary trip, because our wedding anniversary was the next week, but most of all it was to see our favorite funny man, Craig Ferguson! We were only gone for two nights, but we packed a lot in!


We arrived in LA from Pittsburgh after one layover quite tired and low on cell phone battery (we later found the usb charger in the glove box of our rental car). So we decided to just head straight for our hotel, The Ace Hotel in Downtown LA. It is one of the coolest hotels I have ever stayed in and probably will ever stay in! It was hip beyond belief, with local artists work on the walls, a photo booth in the lobby and so many fashionable people in every space! Our medium sized room was laid out unlike any hotel room I've known. I loved the use of space and the attention to detail. All of the normal hotel appliances, like the hair dryer, iron, etc. were in matching canvas bags, the mini bar had local and artisanal snacks and drinks, and the TV was interactive. That night we also ate at the hotel's restaurant, LA Chapter. We started our meal with homemade ricotta and figs and that set the tone of the meal...everything delicious. After a filling meal we headed back to our room for some shut eye to prepare for a busy day of exploring LA.


On tap for the day was the Original LA Flower Market, a lovely way to spend $4 and browse isles and isles of flowers, then the Grand Central Market for breakfast, more on that to come! Then we left Downtown LA and headed to museum row on the Miracle Mile. We spent time exploring the outside of the LA County Museum of Art, which has some fabulous modern art outside of the actual building. Then we walked around the famous Tar Pits, followed by a quick lunch of tacos from a food truck!




It was nice to explore a bit of LA before standing in line for hours at the CBS Studios to see Craig Ferguson. But it was well worth it! We were in the front row and got to see not only Craig, but Scary Spice, Ben Schwartz and Sir Ben-freaking Kingsley! We could not have gone for better guests! Our last stop for the day was Santa Monica Pier for a dinner of tacos, yes more tacos. I couldn't get enough! This time we had fish tacos and they were so. so. good.


For our final day in LA I really wanted it to be relaxing. We took our time enjoying the last bit of the hotel and sleeping in our own bed, without a baby. Then we had one of my favorite meals of the trip at Republique! I am dying to go back there for pastries, lunch and dinner! We spend about 30 minutes at the (busy and crowded) Chinese Theater and Walk of Fame so that we could say we saw it, and then since it was Ben's first time in California I wanted to take him for a drive on Highway 1. We drove to Malibu and stopped at the beach so he could dip his toes in the Pacific Ocean! It was nice to not have a destination, but we ended up with more time than we expected, so on our way to the airport we made a last stop at Venice Beach to watch the sun start to set. From there we hopped on a late flight home and were in Pittsburgh by noon the next day.


I can't believe how much we packed into a two day trip, but I honestly didn't feel rushed at all! It was definitely helpful to have planned so much of it beforehand and it was just a matter of plugging the addresses into googlemaps. Speaking of technology, a huge component of my planning for this trip was Instagram, I started following several LA-based Instagrammers/bloggers who geotag a lot of their photos. It was as though I had a local telling me personally where to eat and what to visit! Definitely an invaluable travel resource that I will absolutely use again! I can't wait to return to the Golden State...maybe a drive from Big Sur to San Francisco next time!



Stay tuned for posts about where I ate in LA!  

Monday, October 20, 2014

Caffeine Kick: Espresso A Mano

Like I said in this post a few weeks ago, I have become coffee obsessed! I figured it would happen at some point in growing up but I didn't realize how much I would actually love it. 

To fuel my new found love, I have been trying to go to all the best cafes in Pittsburgh (and cities I travel too)! 

First up, Espresso a Mano! Known for great latte art and located less than a 20 minute bus ride away from campus, I decided to give it a try!

It was seriously delicious! I got a vanilla latte and Annie got a chai latte and I thought both were awesome! I did feel a bit guilty mixing in my sugar after taking a few pics because it meant I had to ruin the cute heart on top :p 




Espresso A Mano 
3623 Butler Street 
Pittsburgh, Pa 15201