Hello from the beach!
(Well, hello from our Airbnb near the beach – we got in late last night and haven’t even walked down to the water yet).
When I asked Michael where he wanted to go for his birthday (Toronto? Maine? Milwaukee?), he said simply, “The beach.”
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So here we are, in a very touristy Florida beach town (in fact, nearly all Florida beach towns are very touristy). I’m going to publish this post, close my laptop for good, and then we’ll collect our bike rentals and see what kind of trouble we can get into. But before I go, here are some interesting things from around the web:
Travel
I know this wasn’t any of you.
The current issue of Here Magazine includes this inspiring essay about traveling while queer and a few LGBTQ+ City Guides.
Was that you who booked the Spice Bus on Airbnb? I’m so jealous! (link no longer available)
Previously… Two years ago I shared about our experience with a canceled flight home from Milan and my then-favorite travel shoes; one year ago I shared my Puerto Vallarta packing list and my summer travel style wishlist (from which I’ve made several purchases!).
First, there were Homes, then there were Experiences – now Airbnb has added a new category on their site: Airbnb Adventures. These combine homes and experiences with meals and transportation to create all-inclusive getaways. There are already quite a number of Adventures available on the site, concentrated in the regions you might expect, and to be honest, this seems like a great way to enable US citizens to travel to Cuba despite the heavier restrictions that were just levied upon us. What Adventure sparks your interest?
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Life & Home
I just received another payout from cashback site Jewel (now defunct) for purchases I’ve made over the past few months, at stores like Net-A-Porter and Everlane, and even at Marriott and Hilton hotels. I’ve been really pleased to earn back a percentage of what I was planning on spending anyway. Ready to start earning cash back on your purchases? Here is my referral link for your first $5.
Love this creative space-saving hanger!
My first thought upon seeing this tablecloth/kids’ play tent is that it is super cute – and my second thought was, “I wonder how long it would take for a child to pull it down.”
Diving into what we already know: buying concert tickets online is terrible.
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Food & Drink
This week I tried to maintain a slightly “cleaner” diet by reducing the amount of dairy, wheat, alcohol, and refined sugars I was consuming daily. When we travel I have no problem indulging, but I could feel those indulgences beginning to become the norm back at home too. A few things from this week that have helped include this sweet and floral treat, this chickpea pasta, and a square of this chocolate nightly.
…and when I’m ready to indulge again, I’ll be making this.
I’ve already made a recipe from this beautiful cookbook twice (Namoura – which features rose and cardamom, Michael’s favorite combination as of late); have you found yourself cooking a lot of one cuisine lately?
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Style
Who writes those product descriptions, anyway?
Vetta Capsule just released a new collection: The Romantic Capsule. The five pieces within the collection can be mixed and matched to form 30 different outfits (a traveler’s dream!). Surprisingly my favorite item is the Lace Midi Dress; which is your fave? (link no longer available)
Sale Alert! New items have been added to the Need Supply sale (my picks: this slouchy button-down, this sweet+summery jumpsuit, and this handwoven market tote priced at a steal) edit: now closed. And you’ve probably heard this forty times over, but Everlane’s Choose What You Pay sale has a ton of new styles added, like my favorite sweater, my favorite go-anywhere shoes, and this blazer that looks very travel-ready. Edit: The makers of my favorite rain boots are starting their best Pay What You Can sale ever on June 18!
Things I bought this week
My current liquids bag has somehow suffered puncture wounds, and rather than risking something leaking out and spilling onto my other belongings, I decided it was time to give another bag a try.
I ordered this TSA-approved Clarity Jetset Case from Truffle. It’s pricier than my last at $88 (10x the price actually; my last bag served me for three years, so this one should theoretically serve me for thirty years, right?), but it’s also a lot prettier to look at. And, upon signing up for the retailer’s email list, you’ll receive a coupon code for $20 off $100+ (and shipping is free on orders over $100).
I don’t often spend more money in an effort to save money, but they had a blush version of this case on the site for $44 (sold out) which put me over the threshold. I plan on either gifting the case or selling it on Poshmark to recoup a portion of my costs. Either way, you can probably expect a review of this case at some point!
When was the last time you visited the beach? What is your favorite beach getaway?
