girlxinxtransit - Tumblr blog

[girlxinxtransit]

Havana

“It’s frozen in time,” they said. “Unlike anything you’ve ever seen.” “The taxi drivers make more money than doctors.” “Bring tampons because they’re impossible to find.” “The safest country in LatAm.”“Keep some hot sauce in your bag.” “Sometimes they run out of eggs.”

I’d been dying to go to Havana ever commercial flights to the city became available. I had a few friends who’d gone and loadsss who were “definitely” going to go soon. The ones who’d been had some interesting “tips.” I needed to see for myself and a few weeks ago I did.

I spent three and a half days in Havana with a friend, staying at an AirBnB in Habana Vieja. It’s definitely not your typical LatAm vacay but I loved every minute.

What to know before you go…

1. Cuba is a communist country. You know this but maybe it doesn’t really mean anything to you. In a capitalist society, you make as much money as people are willing to pay you for the goods or services you provide, and you spend as much of it as you want on (pretty much) whatever you want. In a communist society what you make and what you can spend it on is controlled by the government. While there has been growth in (licensed) private enterprise in recent years, and a thriving black market exists, it all runs in parallel to the historical communist structure put in place by Fidel Castro in the early 1960s. This means…

2. Yes, doctors (employed by the government) really do make less than taxi drivers – 30-40 CUC a month vs. 20-30 CUC for one 30 minute taxi ride from the airport to Habana Vieja (1 CUC = $1), and yes, there are more doctors in Cuba than in all of Africa and healthcare is free for all  (just don’t lose that Visa). Speaking of which…

3. You are there for “Educational” / “People to people” purposes. Got it? Buy your visa at the airport when you check in for your flight. Ours was $75 which felt expensive given what I’d heard so maybe prices are going up? Also I’ve heard that as recently as a few months ago a lot of flights to Cuba were going half empty but ours definitely was full so get on it.

4. Getting back to taxi drivers - taxis are expensive and took up the bulk of our spending. You feel kind of ripped off but then your taxi driver tells you he’s actually a doctor but that doesn’t pay him enough to get by so he does this on the side and you’re kind of like “fair enough” and round up anyway…

5. Yes don’t expect to find your Nars creamy concealer in Biscuit should you run out, but bring your essentials and you’ll be fine. Carry hand sanitizer / wipes and some toilet paper (though, maybe I was just lucky, but every public restroom I used had some), but also appreciate the fact that you can walk down the streets without ad after ad bombarding you. There is literally no public advertising! With every major city these days overflowing with consumerism, not seeing a Starbucks or McDonalds on every other street corner (or, you know, at all) was really refreshing.

6. Is it the best culinary experience you’ll ever have? No. But you do not need to carry hot sauce in your bag! (You can ask for it :) - though fyi it might be imported from Thailand and carry quite a punch). There are some really “nice” restaurants where a meal can cost you close to 100 CUC, but I will say that our most expensive meal also happened to be our worst, so don’t make a huge fuss about hitting up each of the top ten restaurants on TripAdvisor. If you do want to do the top ten thing however, I would highly recommend making *advanced reservations.“ We were turned away from two restaurants on our first night (a Wednesday!) because they were fully booked. If you don’t make reservations - ask for recommendations! We did this throughout our trip when we didn’t know where to go and it never failed us.

7. …And the reason we asked for so many recommendations is because we never had any internet to look places up and data is $$$$. It’s honestly a blessing. You can go through the process of getting a wifi card or pay your carrier an absurd amount of money per MB if you reallyyy need to (3G does work), but it’s not worth it. Use it as an excuse to unplug and make friends!

8. Mojitos, daiquiries, Cuba libres, rum on the rocks…if you’re a drinker you can do it well and cheap here. And if you’re a cigar smoker, well hellooo! Don’t buy cigars from a shop though. Go to Plaza de Catedral and wait for a seemingly (but not actually) sketchy guy named XXX to offer you some and then take you to his house and sell them to you for less than half the price. I know it sounds sketch but you gotta support these little capitalist ventures where you can!

9. Cuba is SAFE! Did not feel unsafe for a single moment. Not even when we were cruising down the highway in the back of a 50 year old car filled with ramshackle replacement parts thanks to that little embargo thing that’s been in place for a few decades. It won’t last forever - appreciate the 1950s Cadillacs and Oldsmobiles that give Cuba the "frozen in time” feel everyone talks about. If nothing else it makes you realize how long you can keep something working with a lot of upkeep and a little innovation.

Things to do… Playa de Santa Maria Fuer house Habana Vieja Todos las plazas - Catedral, Arc Mercado San Jose Daiquiri place Mojito place

Places to eat… swedish place place we went the last day.. obama place rooftop place place we had eggs

Places to go out… Fabrica de Arte French place

[girlxinxtransit]

#BlazinThruBelize

When my high school friends and I decided to go to Belize for a long weekend, my first thought was “I hope this doesn’t become a lay-on-the-beach” type of trip because that is definitely not me.

Let me tell you, it wasn’t. I knew admittedly little about Belize then but ever since I’ve come back I’ve been telling everyone I know to go there. Except I’m going to stop now because one of the best things about Belize is that it’s not overly touristy, and I don’t want that to change. Other practical things to know: the national language in English (it’s a commonwealth country, those Brits you know..) and it’s only a two hour flight from Miami.

It was a four day trip: two days on the islands (which are called “Cayes” - pronounced “Keys” not “Kah-yays” as we very quickly learned) and two in an inland city called San Ignacio, from which we went on a few excursions. We thought about spending a night in Belize City but our research confirmed this wasn’t a great idea.

Day One:

Landed in Belize City, and had a bit of time before we had to catch the water taxi to Ambergris Caye, so we stopped at the colorful waterfront “Belize” sign to take some pictures. It was really hot so sitting in the outdoor portion of the water taxi seemed like a great idea, but 90 minutes later I was ripping tiny knots out of my “windswept” hair.

We checked into our San Pedro hotel (Blue Tang Inn, really cute and spacious) and went to the nearby Palapa Bar for some pescado tacos (FAV). The bar was in a sort of hut with a thatched roof, and had random wall hangings all over it that it appears people “gave” to the bar. Really cool vibe, and the fish tacos were pretty yummy.

Soon it was time for our first “activity”: a sunset cruise on a private sailboat. Four hours of bright blue water all around us, a light breeze, the gorgeous sunset, and shrimp ceviche. Could not have been more perfect. Unless it was tuna ceviche, but that’s fine. After the "cruise” we grabbed a traditional Belizean dinner at Warugama and attempted the whole nightlife thing, which is supposed to be pretty good in San Pedro but apparently the good part didn’t start until way later and we were way tired and had to be up way early.

Day Two:

Our hotel provided a lovely breakfast of these things called fry jacks (basically deep fried dough cut into triangles) which we had with beans and habanero sauce (they have this stuff everywhere, it is spicy as hell but it REALLY grew on me). Then it was back to the water taxi station where we grabbed a boat to Caye Caulker for the second part of our trip. It was smooth sailing, and we made it to Caye Caulker pretty quickly and knot-free, but sadly, our bags did not.

Somehow, despite us seeing them on the dock, they got put back on the boat and sent to Belize City. I immediately pulled out my American “what-kind-of-customer-service-is-this-let-me-speak-to-your-supervisor” card, only to realize that’s not the way things worked here. The dude at the station who was helping us was completely calm. TOO calm. I guess he didn’t know our passports were in those bags...fortunately a very kind taxi driver offered to pick up our bags when they returned to the island and drop them off at our hotel for us while we were on a tour in the middle of the ocean. All we could do was hope that they would be there when we got back, and they were!

So activity #2: snorkeling in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Stop one was shark and ray alley, swimming with nurse sharks and Southern stingrays. We were told the sharks were harmless, but also that they had vacuum suction mouths that could suck the skin off our fingers. Mixed messages, but no skin was lost. I was slightly terrified at first, not knowing how to swim and all (that’s right, guilty) but looking into the water felt so surreal that the fear was lost on me. Next stop consisted of smaller fishies and sea turtles! And finally, coral gardens. In between snorkeling we hung out on the boat playing Drake, Rihanna, and Fetty Wap, and probably annoying the hell out of our fellow boatmates. And more shrimp ceviche. There was a 19 year old kid in our tour group who was on a solo trip. He came to Belize to swim with the whale sharks. And I thought I was adventurous when I was 19...

After snorkeling we planned to go to “the split” to watch the sunset, because everyone knows no vacation is complete without a pretty sunset. “The split” is basically where the island is divided in two by a narrow stretch of water - manmade, contrary to popular belief. By the time we showered back at the hotel (Barefoot Belize) and got going, sunset was pretty much over. 6:30 summer sunsets are just way too early. We went to the split anyway, by this bar called the Lazy Lizard. From there we went to dinner at Wish Willies, which had THE best snapper i’ve ever had, and while you’re waiting for your food, you can nap on one of the many hammocks at this restaurant. What more could a girl want? Then we went to a reggae/sports bar and finally to what I think was a club, with some tourists, a lot of locals, and swings instead of seats at the table. There really isn’t a lot of stationary seating on this island i guess which was pretty awesome.

Another must-try place in Caye Caulker - Ice and Beans. It’s a coffee shop and the frappes are pretty good but they also make these fresh sugar coated doughnuts that were heavenly, wow. I insisted we go back a second time and got a whole bag just for myself.

Day Three:

We woke up early and took a water taxi back to Belize City, keeping a REAL close eye on our bags this time. There we were picked up by a tour guide from Mayawalk Tours who we spent a greater part of the day with. First stop: Belize Zoo. We learned about a lot of the native animals of Belize like toucans, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, tapirs, jaguars, and, my FAV, ocelots. Ocelots are basically wild cats that look like baby jaguars and are so cute and beautiful you might want one but as many hours of research have made me reluctantly realize, this is probably not a good idea.

After the zoo, we went ziplining, which was a lot less scary than I thought it would be, though there was a point when my zipline didn’t quite make it to the other end and I was hovering 300 feet in the air over a half dried out river very, very confused. But it was fine. Finally, cave tubing. We hiked for about 45 minutes to get to our starting point. We each had our own inflated tubes and basically floated / hand-paddled our way through a lazy river, going in and out of caves. It was nice to be in freshwater for once instead of salt water. The caves were super cool, and just slightly creepy at times. There were moments when it was pitch dark other than our helmet lamps. Hand paddling gets tiring, by the way. My shoulders were sore for days. Our tour guide was great though there was a cryptic undertone to a lot of what he said. “This is where we will begin the tour and this..is..where..we..will..end..the..tour……”

We got to our San Ignacio hotel (Rainforest Haven Inn) around 5pm, giving us two hours to lay around before our next “activity.” The hammocks on the roof were great - I really need to figure out how to get a hammock in my apartment. We were then picked up and driven to Chaa Creek Resort which is where your 60-year-old boss probably stayed when he went to Belize. Super bougey, authentic-luxe is how I’d describe it. This is where we kicked off our “Creatures of the Night” tour. Our tour guide bore an uncanny resemblance to Rafiki from the Lion King. We basically went on a little night hike and tried to use our helmet lamps to spot creatures, most of them creepy crawly ones. We saw a lot of wolf spiders, which basically look like pretty specks of glitter because of the way light reflects off their eyes. Also more tarantulas and scorpions than I’d ever hoped to see. At one point our tour guide was holding a scorpion in his hands and giving us scorpion anatomy lessons which will maybe (hopefully not) be helpful one day? To my disappointment, we did not see any ocelots.

Post-night tour we were starving and headed to Burns Ave for dinner, but it was quite late (post 10pm) and a Monday, so the only place we could find was an Indian restaurant that served Mexican food and it got the job done, but major miscalculation on our part.

Day Four:

Belize has a number of Mayan ruins sites, but our research told us one of the best one was actually in Guatemala, near the Belize border. So at 7:30am we crammed into a van with several other tourists and headed to Tikal. Swallowed by the rainforest over the years, Tikal was partially excavated and restored by a UPenn led team in the 60s and 70s. Some of the structures are fully excavated, while others are half limestone, half rainforest. It’s pretty amazing to see. One thing I sensed, though, is that Belizeans didn’t seem thrilled at the idea of us going to Guatemala to see ruins when there were, in fact, plenty of Mayan ruins sites in Belize. Probably spurred by political tensions between the countries.

We got back to our hotel at around 5pm and rested up a bit before heading out for dinner. This proved to be quite the challenge because a lot of places were closed for a national holiday, though very few people were able to tell us what the holiday was first. Turns out it was “Commonwealth Day” so I don’t really blame them for not knowing / caring. We eventually found an adorable restaurant called Crave but it was packed and being manned only by a chef and a waiter. The chef asked us to come back in 45 minutes, after which he requested another 30. Our patience was rewarded by one of the best meals I’d had in ages. Snapper, strawberry kale salad, roasted potatoes, some cheesy toasty things. He essentially told us what ingredients he was working with, we told him what appealed to us, and in an open kitchen, we watched him get to work. We were the only ones in the restaurant at the time so the personal attention was nice and the 90s throwback music he was playing (he told us he picks from his playlists based on his clientele at the time) was a nice touch. Hats off to Chef Alejandro and his apprentice Jose.

Day Five:

I was happy to have gotten one good meal in San Ignacio but we luckily squeezed in another: fry jacks, eggs, and fresh squeezed OJ for breakfast at Ko-Ox Han Nah (“let’s go eat” in Maya). Then it was off to the airport and some last minute souvenir shopping in the terminal before our flight. As much as I hate airport shopping, you know you’ve had a good trip when you haven’t found any idle time to fill with shopping.

So four days; four cities; ocean, rainforest, rivers galore; Mayan ruins; delicious food; really great people...for $424 round trip from NYC. I’m not saying it again, go to Belize!

[girlxinxtransit]

Not so miserable?

The second apartment I saw was down the block from me, on W. 54th St. between 8th and 9th. Prime Hell’s Kitchen. It was a tiny “junior” one-bedroom. Junior basically means it is laughably small for what it is, which it was, but it wasn’t bad considering I had been looking for a studio. Definitely bigger than the first apartment I saw (which, by the way, I was informed went down to $2,250) AND I would only have to move down the street. $2,150, no fee, though move-in date would require me to pay 2 weeks double rent. No doorman, no elevator, but it was on the ground floor. Couldn’t decide how I felt about this, but then I told my colleague about it and she told me I should feel very, very not good because I’d probably get roaches from the street. SIGH. New York, why you so roachy??

The next day I made a few appointments. The first apartment I saw was on 38th and Park, some sketchy ad on Craigslist. I swear this broker thought I was 16. “Are you a student?” No. “Do you need a guarantor?” No. “Do you make 40x?” Seriously? 

But about the apartment, first thing I noticed: doorman, elevator building, +1. Next, the apartment was totally unfinished, gut reno, broker told me everything would be brand new, +1?. But it was pretty small...-1. And NO CLOSETS, -2. And then, I saw it. Is that a balcony? Why yes, yes it is. +10. The view was amazing. Chrysler building to my left, East River straight ahead. It was on the 19th floor. I was the first person to see the apartment. It was 4:30pm. I asked the broker if he was showing it to anyone else that day, and he was. I knew it would be gone, so I went to the bank, took out $700 cash, went to his office with the money and applied. One week and a million documents later I signed the lease. $2250 though I had to pay a brokers’ fee (ouch). Still, 15 min walk from work in northern Murray Hill, not bad. As much as I’ve grown to love HK, I had been starting to crave a change in neighborhood, though I’m going to have to get used to being an “East side girl.” 

So that was it. Three apartments and I officially signed my first solo lease. The universe was kind to me. It helps to be the sole decision maker. Still hoping I didn’t make an impulsively crazy one, but I figure I can survive on no space and a great view for a year. Right?! Who needs a closet when you can see the sunrise from your balcony....

[girlxinxtransit]

Apartment Hunting Misery

There are two things I really really hate doing, and I think a lot of people would share this sentiment: job hunting and apartment hunting. Apartment hunting in New York SUCKS. Everything is too small, too far, and too expensive. There is no light. There is no closet space. And sometimes (brace yourself) there is no elevator. 

I’ve lived in the city for nearly nine (!) years. Greenwich Village, Union Square, Kips Bay, Upper East Side, Financial District, Battery Park City, and now Hell’s Kitchen. Let me tell you, they all sucked in their wonderful own ways. It kind of just comes with the territory of living in Manhattan and not being mega rich.

I’ve usually shared apartments, but my roommate’s going to business school and I’ve decided it’s time to be a grown up and live alone, so I’m on the hunt for a studio. I saw my first unit today. Located in lovely Flatiron (you might call it Gramercy, shuttup, it’s not): 21st between Park and Broadway. Let’s just take a moment to appreciate the greatness of this location. Steps from Madison Square Park, a short walk to Union Square, N/R train, 6 train, the Village. What more could a girl want?

5th floor pre-war elevator building. Interior facing, one tiny closet, no view, little light. 12.5′ x 12.5′ plus a 6′ x 3′ kitchen at $2,300 + broker’s fee. Of course there’s more a girl could want. But the broker’s fee is what really killed me. Cannot pay $4k for a one year lease and can’t commit to any longer than that because hellooo #girlintransit.

Stay tuned for more apartment hunting misery.

[girlxinxtransit]

Miami

The first time I came here was on a trip with two of my high school friends. Two of us not quite 21, the nightlife scene wasn't easy on us. Which is why I was in awe when we ended up at a nighttime pool party at the Delano, surrounded by beautiful people dressed in white, some sitting around the pool on pristine white beds and couches, veiled by thin white chiffon curtains. It was courtesy of the lobby bar DJ at our much smaller boutique South Beach hotel. The whole scene was so luxe, so SATC-meets-Miami fab, I remember thinking how lucky we were to have had the opportunity to be at such an event. There was a really shallow portion of the pool with a little table and two chairs in it and I thought how could you possibly sit here with someone, ankle deep in warm water, in this beautiful pool at this beautiful hotel in this beautiful city, and not fall in love?

Fast forward six years and it's my fourth trip to South Beach. My company had its company-wide offsite at the 1 Hotel on the northern end of SoBe. We had 250 people flying in from across 11 offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America for four days of meetings and "team building" activities. A group of us went down two days early to get some extra Miami in.

The 1 might just be the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at. It pretends to be a lot more eco-friendly than it is. Cardboard hangers in the closet, burlap bags for the toiletries, a black slate and chalk-pencil next to my bed instead of a notepad...yet they blast the AC so high the hallways must be 30+ degrees colder than it is outside. Still, it's beautiful and the rustic luxe theme is consistent across every last detail. They interestingly also had a Nexus cell phone in each room in lieu of a normal room phone, from which you could communicate with guest services via text if you preferred. Would be a lot cooler if mine wasn't constantly making random noises.

I've never been big on sunbathing on the beach but napping on the beach under a well shaded canopy is something I can get very used to. One of my coworker-friends (this is a newly formed category of persons in my life), C, and I went on a banana boat ride and despite the fact that every single person we subsequently told immediately burst into laughter upon hearing this, it was actually REALLY fun. We shared the boat with two 6 or 7-year-old girls and their moms (did not help our case), one of whom was screaming for her life the entire time. (To the jet ski driver: "Where did you get your license?!?! I'm just a child!!!") This made the ride 10x more fun since we were dying of laughter the whole time. Still unclear whether my tears were from the laughter or from the salt water.

We went to a Heat / Raptors game for which we paid a ton of money to sit in the literal last row. As in, no one behind me. Kinda useful for storing your trash. The game was okay, Heat lost, but “playoffs atmosphere”!

On night two we had dinner at Cleo. Last time I was in Miami I told myself I'd never again visit Miami without making a trip to Cleo, so I dragged a group of my coworkers there and they loved it. It's all Mediterranean tapas, very veg friendly. My favs are the brussel sprouts and the spicy potatoes. Also had a team dinner at Juvia that was really good. My second time eating oysters and I think this could become a thing. Besides that, I remember eating a really yummy late night falafel sandwich (falafel in every city is apparently also a thing of mine) and a lot of excellent fish tacos, notably from Bodega Taqueria y Tequila and Coyo Taco which, amazingly, are the entrances to nightclubs.

That's right, you're at a club, you're dancing, you get hungry. Instead of rallying the troops, getting in a cab and heading all the way from LES or Meatpacking to cnr or Empanada Mama, you simply step out, grab some delicious pescado tacos and a bit of high quality guac, head back in, and continue to dance the night away. My friends, you do not. even. have. to. leave. the building. Bodega was actually really fun. I think it was a speakeasy sort of? Fun vibe, great live music. Though after spending four hours there, the tacos were my favorite part...

We also went to Wall at the W one night (the "Tunnel" of Miami, you go because it's "there", not because it's great), Bunker at 1826 (there was this really weird Prince-wannabe hype man there who I just didn't get), and Icon (where Mansion used to be, pretty fun but Future was supposed to be there and he most definitely was not). And of course, ended up back at the Delano where I had a true aha-moment in which I thought, have I become the fab-luxe SATC-meets-Miami person my 20-year-old self was in awe over? Then my coworker paid a painful $81 for three drinks and I realized how many pescado tacos that could have bought me.

My favorite part of the week, though, was the "team building" activity a group of us did in which we went down to Wynwood arts district and had a guided tour of Wynwood Walls, followed by some graffiti painting of our own. Wynwood has “one of the largest open-air street-art installations in the world”...or so I hear. It’s also in “real Miami”, not touristy SoBe. C and I definitely had some should-we-quit-our-jobs-and-become-graffiti-artists thoughts that we may try to revisit in New York at some point. It was such a cool experience. Other groups went golfing, snorkeling, sailing, fishing, everglades-ing, kayaking and paddle boarding, which I highly doubt led to any such near-epiphanies.

The next day C and I came back to Wynwood to meet up with two of her friends at Wood Tavern, a really cool hipster bar with giant jenga and these wooden steps you can sit on instead of chairs. Also drinks are one seventh as expensive as the Delano but there’s no ankle-deep pool seating so you decide. Later we went to Brickell and Chris' friends took us to Area 31, a hotel roof terrace bar with cool views of downtown Miami. We shared a cigar and talked about what it was like to live in Miami. Conclusion was great tacos and our Spanish would be on point but if you want good Thai food, good luck. I really need good Thai food.

[girlxinxtransit]

Clean Cleanse: Recap

Friday: Breakfast: same as Thur dinner Lunch: juice with spinach, peach, and pineapple Dinner: w. 4th / 6th ave. chicken & rice (don’t judge me)

Saturday: Breakfast: same as Thur breakfast Lunch: same as Fri lunch Dinner: chicken and chickpeas with whole wheat pita Sunday: Breakfast: skipped (was visiting fam and they didn’t have the right ingredients, oops) Lunch: lentil soup Dinner: shake with almond milk and mango, pineapple, and peach

It’s over!!! So I slipped up a little bit Friday night, but I was starving (my fault for thinking a little kale and cucumbers was a substantial meal) and it was Friday.

To recap, I’m really happy I did this. It wasn’t easy but it wasn’t unreasonable. It made me more aware of what I was eating and how much (and what foods) I really needed to eat to not be hungry. It stopped me from snacking for a whole week which is amazing given the number of different things you can find to nibble on around my office. 

Making smoothies is really fun and they can be delicious once you figure out the right combinations. And almond milk, who knew I would actually like this stuff?? I don’t see myself buying regular milk again anytime soon. I don’t own a scale and keep forgetting to check when I go to the gym so tbd on how much weight I may have lost, if any. 

Really, the best part was that I didn’t feel gross, ever (except for after the cnr on Fri night). No food comas, no bloating, no “I just need to lay down and take a nap now.” Some of my coworkers swear they had more energy and slept better. I don’t know if I’d go that far, and I’m sure there’s a placebo effect at play here, but I can say I felt healthier in general.

But let’s be real. This stuff costs $165 for a week’s supply. Are you kidding me?? I like the idea of 2 shakes + one meal a day for a “cleanse” but The Clean Program failed to convince me that their (gross tasting) protein-filled shake mix and supplements are value-adding enough to justify that price tag. Yeah, I guess you’re paying for “the manual” but *you can get it free online.* Buy some protein powder and have at it. Also I have no idea how some people do this for 21 days. My first bagel post-cleanse tasted like heaven.

[girlxinxtransit]

Clean Cleanse: Day 5...

Wednesday: Breakfast: shake with almond milk, mango, pineapple, peach, and one packet Truvia  Lunch: White bean soup from Hale & Hearty and a small salad with mixed greens, carrots, cucumbers, olives and balsamic Dinner: juice with spinach, cucumber, and pineapple

Thursday: Breakfast: shake with almond milk, unsweetened dark chocolate, almond butter, cinnamon, and two packets of Truvia (this was amaaazing) Lunch: lemon tahini kale salad with toasted spicy walnuts and sliced cucumbers with jalapeño hummus (salad was homemade) Dinner: almond milk and mango shake

Friday (today): Breakfast: almond milk and mango shake (I made extra the night before!) Lunch: juice with spinach, peach, and pineapple

So I’ve started drinking my shake mix with just water and then separately drinking my delicious shakes/juices afterwards, and I am MUCH happier. My lunch on Thursday was on the lighter side, though, so I was definitely feeling the hunger. As I am today - decided to shake-juice-food it, so I could have a real dinner. “The Program” says you can do this sometimes.

Two of the seven coworkers who are doing the cleanse with me have dropped out. One apparently never even started and the other one got sick after day one. Six still standing, but I don’t know if any of us are that optimistic about making it through the weekend. 

Eating only once a day and with a decent amount of restrictions is hard, and if you get it wrong and don’t eat enough it’s pretty brutal. I want a bagel and a giant chocolate chip cookie. I have no idea how I made it to the gym twice this week.

Two more days....maybe......

[girlxinxtransit]

Clean Cleanse: Day 3

My meals so far:

Monday Breakfast: shake with almond milk, almond butter, unsweetened dark chocolate, cinnamon, and flax seed Lunch: lentil soup from Hale & Hearty + apple Dinner: juice with cucumber, spinach, kale, lime juice, flax seed and cayenne

Tuesday Breakfast: shake with almond milk, mango, peach, and flax seed Lunch: chipotle dusted salmon over kale and quinoa with carrots, chickpeas and cauliflower from Roast Dinner: juice with pineapple, cucumber, and spinach

Wednesday (today): Breakfast: shake with mango, pineapple, peach, and one packet Truvia

These shakes/juices (with the exception of the first one) taste pretty good, UNTIL you add the Clean program shake mix into them. No shake, no matter how delicious, could possible mask the horrid taste of this powder. Some of my coworkers have taken to just mixing it with water and chugging, and then separately enjoying their shakes. I think I may try this tonight. Also, I basically have to take five supplement pills with each shake/meal, which is really not fun.

Other than that, it’s really not been too bad. I don’t really find myself feeling hungry, especially not yesterday when I had a bigger lunch. I don’t find myself craving things I’m not “allowed” to eat other than junk food, mostly chex mix (idk why) and chocolate. Making the shakes is pretty fun and doesn’t feel like as much work as I expected it to. I’m not sure I can say that I have more energy but I don’t feel like the cleanse has thus far affected me negatively in any way...honestly waiting for someone to tell me I’m glowing but it hasn’t happened yet.... 

[girlxinxtransit]

Clean Cleanse!

A senior colleague on my team at work challenged the team to a 7-Day Cleanse challenge via the Clean Program. He even offered to pay (it’s not cheap). There are eight of us doing it now: two in New York, two in Boston, four in London. Here’s how it works:

You have a shake for breakfast and a shake for dinner -- they provide 14 packets of powder mix (15g of protein and other ingredients to get you through the day) and you can blend it with other ingredients (think almond milk, berries, pineapples, cacao powder, spinach, kale - though not all in the same shake hopefully..). With each shake, you also take a few supplement pills (a digestive enzyme, an herbal antimicrobial, and Silymarin) and a probiotic pill, all supplied by “the Program.”

For lunch you have a healthy meal ��(think something green with protein like fish, chicken, beans, or quinoa). You also take a few supplement pills and a probiotic pill with your meal.

Now these are just some of the things you can’t have: dairy, gluten, beef, shellfish, eggs, corn, soy, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes, strawberries, bananas, oranges, coffee, soda, alcohol, processed sugar, and honey.

Some of it sounds ridiculous. Like what’s wrong with bananas? But I decided to take the plunge and put my trust in “the Program.” Obviously I will be blogging about it. Since I’ve been studying for the GMAT and haven’t traveled anywhere recently, “girl in transit” just became “girl on weird-cleanse-diet.” I’m two meals into day one. Stay tuned!

[girlxinxtransit]

#bellavitaitalia

I switched jobs this summer and had just about two weeks off in July in between, so naturally: Europe. I picked Italy because when in doubt, always go to Italy. Italy was probably my favorite trip from when I was studying abroad in college. Every city just had something so different to offer.

This time I went to Rome, Florence and Milan.

The Spanish Steps in Roma are probably my favorite people watching spot in Europe. Always so lively and the way the light hits the steps at sunset never ceases to amaze me. This segment of the trip was all about the food: Cantina e Cucina (yummy pasta and beautiful decor), Meid in Nepols (best fancy pizza), iPhame (delicious fresh sandwiches), Formula 1 (good pizza, fun vibes), and Fatamorgana  (gelato<3). The heat was INTENSE but nothing some Stila liquid lipstick couldn't handle.

Then, Firenze. I went to the Boboli Gardens, walked around, lay on the grass, wrote in my journal; it was perfect. Soon after I was joined by my friend Kati, from Germany. Highlights included sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo (I could do this every day), going up to the top of the Duomo (this one was a very long, hot and windy highlight), walking the  Arno River bridges, appertivo at Zoe, Flò lounge, L'Antico Noè (the PERFECT mozzarella pesto sundried tomato sandwiches), Mercato Centrale (food market with amazing mozzarella and pizza), Piazza di Santo Spirito, and walking down tiny streets in search of unique Tuscan doorknockers.

Finally, Milano. As a big city girl, me and Milan have a special connection not quite understood by many. I adore this city. It's home to what I believe to be hands down the most beautiful building ever constructed by man (or was it angels?): Duomo di Milano. After sufficient staring, Kati and I went inside which I've not done before. Other highlights: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (most beautiful shopping mall you'll ever see), panzerottis at Luini (CAN'T believe I've never had this melty cheesey goodness before), Golden Rectangle (designer window shopping), Parco Sempione, NUN (because if you know me at all, you know no Eurotrip is complete without falafel lol), Navigli (nightlife along the canals, I call it the Greenwich Village of Milan), Corso Como (if Navigli is the Village, this is Meatpacking? top 40 at Lollapalooza where Kati and I obnoxiously screamed out lyrics to all the songs we loved and no one else knew any of the words), and of course the WORLD EXPO.

The World Expo is the coolest thing I'd never heard of. More on this later.

In conclusion, Italian food in Italy puts much of the Italian food I’ve ever had elsewhere to shame. Good gelato is underrated. Italian women are very thin. Italian men are quite small. Air conditioning is not something to take for granted. Having a day or two to yourself during a trip is never a bad idea. If you go to Florence and don’t buy a leather jacket, you will regret it for a long, long time. There is a certain feeling you get from being in Italy, especially Florence, that just doesn’t exist elsewhere. It’s a weird combination of being completely carefree and yet caring so deeply about life that you want to savor every moment. 

[girlxinxtransit]

All that sparkles...

Happy National Sparkly Sweater month!

I recently cleaned my closet and swept up what was surely 80% glitter from its floor. I love things that sparkle. There are really just not enough occasions to wear glitter/sequins/sparkles on a daily basis. Until December. Then you basically have an all access pass to sparkly sweaters, hats, gloves, socks (yes I have sparkly socks) for AT LEAST 31 days but everyone knows it is completely acceptable to continue to wear them through February really. Just no red sparkly shit during the daytime after Christmas unless it’s Valentine’s Day. Sparkly pumps are generally fine year round (night time, obviously) but sparkly flats are only for the summer. Sparkly headbands are okay for nights out or holiday parties but must be worn only with a non-sparkly outfit unless it is your birthday or New Year’s Eve. There are no limits to sparkles on your birthday or NYE.

Hey, these are the rules, I don’t make them up. Actually, yes. Yes I do. See me for all your sparkly ensemble inquiries.

[girlxinxtransit]

#MischiefInMontreal

When I was six years old, my family moved from Woodside, Queens to suburbia in the Hudson Valley. Eleven years later I graduated with the closest group of high school friends of anyone I know, and I've never stopped counting my blessings (one, two, three, four). These girls were with me when I first discovered eyeliner, when I dyed my hair 27 different colors, when I used to paint each nail with a different design for my Kumon kids' amusements (but really because I loved it). They've been with me from Xanga to Blogspot till today and despite med school, optometry school, nursing school, hospital compliance, and #mylifeinfinance driving us apart for years, we've honestly never been closer. But with everyone's schedules being so out of sync, it was through some miracle of the universe that we all found ourselves in a car en route to Montreal at 6am on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I don't even need to say anything else to make it obvious that this trip was fantastic. Montreal, quaint little city that it is, in all its poutine glory was the perfect back drop for our first ever group trip. We started in Old Montreal with its Notre-Dame Basilica, Old Port, and Place Jacques-Cartier. Took what I am pretty sure was a failed or at least severely misguided attempt at locating this hypothetical "Underground City." Spent some quality Jesus time at St. Joseph's Oratory. Danced to 90s music with a bunch of college kids way too young for us. Took some Mario Kart style victory pictures at Olympic Park. Strolled through the Botanical Gardens and Insectarium. Hiked Drove up Mont-Royal for a sunset view of the city.  All while dance-walking on a self-designated catwalk to the tune of Rihanna's B*tch Better Have my Money, because, what else would we be doing? Cannot wait for our next adventure.

[girlxinxtransit]

#MittalNoMore

I’m not a big beach person and I’m def not a resort person. But if we MUST go somewhere with a beach and if that place can’t be Santorini (or Ibiza), Miami is usually a solid pick. And so it was decided that we would celebrate the upcoming matrimony of one of our dear friends, S, with a Bachelorette partyfest lovely girls getaway in sunny South Beach.

The itinerary, as so thoughtfully planned by the Maid of Honor, involved a first night out beginning with a Mediterranean tapas feast of a dinner at Cleo, which I can confidently say I will NEVER visit Miami without dining at again. 1826, LIV, a few hours and some very painful feet later we were back at our hotel. The next morning, after a quick stop at the Clevelander, we were off to an all-day SLS pool party turned Bachelorette scavenger hunt that got pretty competitive -- obviously my team won. 

On our last day we lost three of our seven bachelorettes to early morning flights. The rest of us spent the day boating with a bunch of one of the girls' friends who were in town. Never one for the water, I enjoyed this more than I ever thought I would. Between the ocean breeze and the amazing views, I could have spent a week there. I’ve been itching to be on a boat again but the Hudson is a  lot less enticing...

Can’t wait to see where the next bach party will be :)

[girlxinxtransit]

#recklessinrio

Olá amigos. I made my second trip to Rio de Janeiro toward the end of April with two of my best friends from high school. There is something about Rio that is just so easy. It was everything that I needed from a Spring vacay. Rio's uncanny ability to fulfill your every need is what will keep me going back for years to come. Gorgeous beaches set to the backdrop of magnificent mountains that glitter at night with lights from the favelas. The feeling of a bustling urban city offset by the laid back beach lifestyle. Even Rio Scenarium, possibly my favorite nightclub ever, carries this sense of dichotomy, with its traditional live samba music and clientele spanning three generations vs. its in-house, top 40 esque, dark-lit discoteca.

The weather, originally scheduled to be raining for the majority of our trip, was in our favor, as was the Real. Unlike my first trip to the city, we went sightseeing hardcore this time. If there's one thing Rio does not skimp on it's the views, each just as breathtaking as the last. Corcovado, Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain), Arpoador, Mirante Dona Marta. Sprinkle in an evening at the Lagoa, the larger than life trees at Jardim Botanico and the walls upon walls of beautiful street art from Santa Teresa to Centro. Escadaria Selarón, Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Confeitaria Colombo...never will you see a staircase, a library, or a coffee shop like this.

Figuring out where we would watch the sun set each day was an adventure in itself. Between Ipanema beach, Sugarloaf, and the Lagoa, I don't think I could pick a favorite. This also marked my first trip ever in which I actually woke up in time to watch the sunrise one day, on Copacabana beach. On our last night, after walking what was probably 2.5 miles around the Lagoa to try to find the perfect spot to watch our final sunset, we came across a tiki bar called Palaphita Kitch. They had these giant wooden chairs overlooking the lake, which they covered in bamboo rugs for us. Add in some blankets, pillows, and caipirinhas and I don't think it would have been physically possible for us to be more comfortable or content.

So happy I strategically downplayed the hassle of the Brazilian visa process and convinced these girls to come on this trip with me. I've been suffering from serious Rio saudade ever since. (Saudade: a Portuguese word used to describe a feeling of melacholy or nostalgia, perhaps best defined by Manuel de Melo as "a pleasure you suffer, an ailment you enjoy.")

[girlxinxtransit]

Shade it with your love

Shay Mitchell is my latest girl crush. We first met through Pretty Little Liars, my guiltiest pleasure. I was relieved to know she wasn't actually 16. Recently, I stumbled upon her Instagram. New realms of beauty discovered. This woman is flawless. But besides her impeccably perfect bone structure, glistening skin, adorable outfits, and glam vacays, what I most admire about her is her collection of sunglasses. I can only hope to one day aspire to such fabulous levels of UV ray protection. Teach me, Shay.

[girlxinxtransit]

Family Times

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. My mom is not very outgoing but she loves going out. My dad is extremely outgoing but hates going out. But, it being her birthday and all, he took us to Edison to some desi restaurant for lunch. Despite glowing recommendations from family members who obviously have quite poor taste, the restaurant made you feel like you were at a tacky wedding reception with less than mediocre food. It was buffet style and we picked at the few things we liked while spending most of the time talking about how much better a cook my mom is compared to this chef, and how she should open her own restaurant and it'd be a million times better than this one. My genius sister suggested that her and I could be waitresses. Valedictorian of her high school and studying to be an electrical engineer, while I'm a banker with a business degree from a $200k ticket value university, and that's how she thinks we'd best put ourselves to use. Lovely.

My brother planned this big surprise for mom and didn't even wish her a happy birthday when he woke up because he said he was "working on it." Turns out the big surprise was that he was going to make her a card, but then he didn't because he couldn't think of anything creative. So he ended up just writing on the other side of the card my sister got, after she had already given it to mom. When I casually questioned this whole situation over cake, he said, "I can see the sarcasm on your face." "Sehr, do I have sarcasm on my lips?" I asked my sis, wiping chocolate from the corners of my mouth.

Why do boys take so much longer than girls to get their shit together? By the time I was 17 I had six piercings, had been working a job for three years, and was practically married. That obviously didn't work out too well for me but just saying.

Also my dad gets the same cake for every single birthday and no one has the heart to tell him we're sick as hell of it. That is love.

[girlxinxtransit]

Not quite yet

I started this blog because I thought I was a grown up and could write coherent normal things that people would actually be able to understand but it turns out I was really pretty wrong about that. So I guess this is just going to be another blog where I write without thinking and you wonder if it's about that, or that, or you, and you're probably right but I'll never admit it and you can never be certain and we'll just play this game and dance this dance until we're old and grey or fade away, whichever comes first.

Which means xlovelikeasunset will soon be reaching even more epic levels of senselessness. AND I made a Lana Del Rey dedicated blog but I've forbidden myself to listen to her anymore so I need to repurpose it. Forbidden to? Forbidden from? I don't even have time for all this. 

Oh and I went to London. That was supposed to be the kind of thing I wrote about in here but you know what nevermind just look at this pretty picture of Carnaby Street instead. It's small and cute, like me apparently.