Assembly Rooftop Lounge

· Sex and the City comes to Philly! ·

Jul 16, 2016 / 0 Comments

Finally! Finally a place in the City of Brotherly Love ( the verdict is still out on that one) where mature adults can chill with out the riff raff ( I don’t like riff raff) and high society snobs. Gee, that came off a little snobbish didn’t it? Forgive me. This place totally caters to my bougie side. Unlike Hotel Monaco’s rooftop bar which I visited recently (horrible, not even worth a review) The Assembly Rooftop Lounge at the Logan Hotel can actually justify the high price tag.  The Logan Hotel used to be the Four Seasons Hotel on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway but has been operating under this new banner since maybe early Spring of this year. Beautiful view, nice laid back yet sophisticated vibe, GREAT drinks, this is the kind of place I’ve always hoped Philly would have. I’m not a bar chick and I’m not a club chick, and in my opinion Philly was lacking a place where you would still be required to dress up (not too fancy though) listen to cool music, have a good drink and STILL be able to talk and meet people. The setup is very sexy, chic decor, with an indoor and outdoor area. Also, there was a great mixture of people: white, black, early 20’s to maybe mid 50’s, gay, straight, glam, effortlessly chic, business casual, a little bit of everything but still CLASSY. And while it is for the sophisticated crowd it never appears pretentious. The staff were refreshingly nice with out trying too hard. Yes, it is expensive, there’s no way of sugarcoating it. Two drinks:40 bucks. And they were damn good. They have lite bites as well but my friends and I ate before we got there so I can not speak about the fare.  If you’re ever in the city, check it out. It is very Sex and the City and in this case, that’s not bad thing.

SkinnyFat…it’s soooooo real

· My Introduction to the Lithe Method ·

Jun 15, 2016 / 0 Comments

If you recall, in one of my previous food posts, I stated that I was the skinniest fat girl you’ll ever meet. Well, I’d like to take this time to elaborate on that.

I am the girl that most people hate. I eat what I want, when I want. Physically inactive and yet, I’m still skinny. And I ain’t eatin’ no salads.  I build and maintain muscle rather easily ( you hate me too now don’t you?) People often accuse me of being an alien (I will neither confirm nor deny it)  A brief history: I didn’t cross the 100lb mark until high school.  I didn’t cross the 120lb mark until my late 20’s.  Now in my mid 30’s I’m now in the mid 130’s.  And while the gradual “fill out” has been most welcomed, some additional pounds have decided to reside in my mid section which I have dubbed “baby muffins.” It’s not a full on muffin top but let’s be real, this is how muffin tops are born.  So after my vacation and seeing all those fabulous bodies on the beach, I decided I was gonna do something about the baby muffins because I’ve realized I cannot continue to rest on my skinny laurels much longer, which brings us to today’s story.

I decided to try out “The Lithe Method” studio. This studio combines barre work, pilates, and yoga techniques to sculpt the body, at least that’s how I describe it.  They have many different classes that target many different areas. For the purposes of what I am trying to achieve, I decided to sign up for their “High Waisted” class.  This class targets the stomach, the lower back, and booty. (yes!)  “Awesome”, I thought to myself. “This is just what I need.”

Fast forward to the day of the class I sign all the waivers and what not and proceed to the studio.  It’s a packed house.  The class starts promptly and we get right into it.  There are resistance bands hanging from the ceiling so that you can hold your arms out to a “T”.  Pliés, and arabesques abound pulsing, stiletto feet (tippy toes), fold, bring the knee in etc.  Now as you read this, you may say “gee, that doesn’t sound so bad.” Well you’re WRONG!!  This class is fast paced and hard to do if you have never been to the studio before.  I lasted 15 minutes and walked out. Yup, you read right. I left the class after 15 minutes. Why?  Because I was going to die otherwise.  I get to the front desk and the lady looks at me with worry in her eyes.  She asks me, “What happened?” I answered her honestly and said, “I’m not ready for this. That class is haaaaaaard.”  She then informed me that that particular class was for “Lithers”  who have been going there for 5 years or more.  That made me feel a little bit better, only barely.  I asked her if they had any beginner classes and she circled a few that I can take to get my feet wet and ease into this Lithe thing.  So after feeling like the out of shape person that I am, I left there and walked to the Reading Terminal to have breakfast a the Dutch Country Eating place. Whilst there, I met some cool people who were in town for a convention.  We exchanged pleasantries and shared our love of butter and grits! One step forward two steps back I suppose. 😉

Pura Vida!

· Pure Life: My Costa Rican Adventure! ·

Jun 5, 2016 / 2 Comments

Hey Guys! Sorry I’ve been MIA but it’s for good reason. I just came back from Costa Rica! Ten days of paradise, wildlife, and new friends. Earlier this year I was trying to decide on where to go on vacation. At first it was Australia, but seriously, I’m not ready for the long ass flight not to mention how expensive it is to go, and when I go I want to do it right. Then it came down to three: Costa Rica, Thailand, and Spain. (which I’ve decided will be next years trip)  I don’t want to take up too much of your time so I’m going to try and consolidate my ten day trip into one post. Of course if you have any questions, please reach out!

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Me and our tour manager, Manfred

 

I decided to do an escorted tour through a travel company called “Gate 1.” I can’t say enough good things about this company. Everything was seamless to the booking of the trip to the day I arrived in Costa Rica, to the transfers in between all the places we visited. It was truly a stress free vacation which is how it should be.  This is a picture of me and tour manager, Manfred.  He was super sweet and very knowledgable about Costa Rica and its history. Everyday he would let us know our schedule, telling us where we were going, what time we were going and what to expect once we got there.  We went to four different places: San Jose, Arenal in La Fortuna, Monteverde, (the cloud forest) and Manuel Antonio famous for its beautiful beaches. Our tour group had 36 people of all different ages and backgrounds: a retired couple from Houston, a mother and daughter from California, a veterinarian couple from Florida….. me (ha ha!) I have to say we all got along  really great and soon it felt like a family. image

We did all sorts of fun things like stopping at an artisan town and watching the men painting wood work and other handmade items, going to a coffee plantation and learning about coffee, cocoa, and the harvesting of sugar cane. We even stopped at a local school and delivered school supplies we brought for them (a true highlight of the trip)

 

The school children waiting for us to arrive

The school children waiting for us to arrive

Even though it is the start of the rainy season there, the weather was very pleasant and there wasn’t that much rain although truthfully we were lucky with the timing of sudden down pours as they never got in the way of our activities. If you like a little adventure like zip lining in Monterverde, wildlife (including bugs, reptiles and monkeys which you are sure to find in Manuel Antonio) and warm weather, Costa Rica is definitely a place you want to visit. The accommodations at each location we stayed were very nice and the staff very friendly and helpful. Even though this was a group tour you did have options and time to explore on your own. On this trip I met people that I will remember for a lifetime and I’m so glad we all got to experience the wonders of Costa Rica together. It’s a beauty you have to see to believe!