Weekend Wanderers

I'm still amazed at all the beauty fall in Washington, DC has to offer. The yellow, red and orange leaves covering the city is beyond gorgeous. This particular street photographed below is Swann Street - one of my favorites and it's not hard to see why.

A new mural went up on the side of Ben's Next Door on U Street, "The Alchemy of Ben Ali" by artist Eric B. Ricks. I actually walked by a few weeks ago and snapped this photo when it was about 75 percent complete. Check out a few photos of the finished mural on Prince of Petworth and be sure to watch this behind-the-scenes video on the project. 

I hardly ever make it to Georgetown, especially because the buses run less frequently on the weekends and there is no metro. However, on Sunday I decided to keep my boyfriend company on the Georgetown campus. Along our trek, we admired all the adorable row houses and estimated how many millions each one costs. Before heading back, we stopped at the Marvelous Market where we picked up a bottle of Chesapeake Bay Crab Salsa. Incredible! As you can see, we're already half-way through the bottle. 

Colors of Fall

Um, is it really mid-November already? I can't believe how fast the last few months have flown by. The holidays are just around the corner.

This DC fall weather has been funky. It was 70 degrees just a few days ago. Now it's in the 30's. The colorful leaves are all starting to fall off which makes me think winter isn't that far off. I've already started shopping for a big puffy coat. I've been told it's a necessity for a girl from Miami...and it will feel like a giant warm sleeping bag. I'm ok with that!

Hello Fall

I'm happy to report that after three days of straight rain, the sun is finally out and the air has turned cool and crisp. The leaves are also starting to change! Can't wait to get out and take more photos this weekend. Here's a little sneak peak.

Lunchtime Stroll: Current Boutique

One of my favorite things about working from home is using my lunch hour to explore the neighborhood. When deciding where to live in D.C., we asked a ton of friends for suggestions. Most people said Dupont area, others said Arlington, VA and a couple recommended U Street.

After scouring Craigslist for weeks, we found a great one bedroom/one bath on 12th and U and we couldn't be happier with the place. While our rent is a bit pricey (and drastically higher than Miami), location was the most important factor for us when moving. Oh, and finding an apartment building that allows dogs. That was kinda important too...wouldn't want Rusty out on the streets!

The U Street Corridor has so much to offer. Great restaurants and bars. Adorable boutiques and one-of-a-kind vintage shops. Weekend Farmer's Market. Sweet jazz bars and music venues. Lots of people. Cool vibe. And so much more!

During lunch today, I was strolling 14th Street and stopped into Current Boutique. The shop is half consignment/half new. The ladies behind the register were really sweet when I asked if I could take pictures for my blog. Too bad I didn't have my DSLR because there were some awesome finds. Like designer dresses for under $50 bones, funky shoes and purses, and a good selection of coats. I left empty-handed, but know I'll be back the next time I get an urge to do some shopping around my 'hood.

Georgetown Cupcake

I've been meaning to try Georgetown Cupcake since I moved to DC almost two months ago; however, the line is usually wrapped around the block and I never have the patience to wait. 

It's hard not to admire the founders of the store - sisters Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne. They have built a cupcake empire after leaving their corporate jobs (at the peak of the recession) to follow their passion for baking. In addition to their insanely popular store on M Street, they have a hit TV show on TLC and a book due out next month. 

Now I can say that I am no longer a Georgetown Cupcake virgin. On Friday, my girlfriend Eleni came into town to celebrate her birthday. We forwent traditional birthday cake for two gourmet cupcakes both with cream cheese frosting (a must) - red velvet and coconut. I must admit, they were pretty perfect and well worth the wait. And in my personal opinion, better than their neighbors Sprinkles. There, I said it!

Oh, and one more thing. These photos were taken by Eleni with her new Panasonic Lumix advanced point and shoot camera. She is starting her own blog on fashion, food and fun. Photog pro in the making! 

One Month as Washingtonians

An earthquake, hurricane, 10th Anniversary of 9/11...what a month living in our Nation's Capitol! The other day I saw a father and son riding to school and work on a tandem bike..backpacks and all. Last weekend, my sister and her boyfriend came into town and we walked for miles around the National Mall. This weekend I woke up and wanted to make us omelets. So I walked two blocks to get fresh veggies from the Farmer's Market and picked up my very first purple pepper. And yesterday I spent the whole day remembering 9/11 at the Newseum. I will NEVER forget. It's been a great month and I'm happy to be here.

Soul Fest at The Stage

Last Saturday night we got a group of friends together to check out the 1st Annual Soul Fest Weekend at The Stage. LEBO was there doing live painting, Michael's Genuine was set-up serving grub (heard the fried chicken was incredible but I refrained from indulging) and Stokeswood went on around 12 and had us dancing till about 2.

It was such a fun night and a great way to spend my second to last weekend living in Miami. Yes, you heard that right. I'll be leaving the city that I grew up in a for a crazy, wonderful, exciting new adventure in Washington, DC. My roots are in South Florida and of course I'll be back often. But I've never lived outside of Florida and I'm really looking forward to a new city with all new people, places and things. Don't worry, Live Laugh Snap will continue; however, there will be a change of scenery.

So without further adieu, here are some funky pics I snapped of Stokeswood's Megg Serrano jamin' on the tamborine. Hope The Stage does this again next year. Just the type of thing Miami needs more of.

Summer in Spain

I've been meaning to get these photos up from my Spain trip for the past two weeks. To be honest, I took so many and it was hard deciding which to choose. So here's a little random collection for your viewing pleasure. The first few are from Seville, then on to Madrid and last but not least Barcelona. I promise to get more photos up soon from the trip but here's a few to hold you over for now.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I've been meaning to make these delicious dark chocolate covered pretzels ever since one of my favorite bloggers Cupcakes and Cashmere posted ones similar on her site. These are the perfect treat to make when time is of the essence. Not to mention, only three ingredients are required  - pretzels, chocolate and sprinkles. It was a friend's birthday and I wanted to bring a little something over to surprise him. I already had two of the ingredients in my pantry so after a quick run to Publix for pretzels, I went to work. I think this took me a total of 20 minutes, plus drying time. I recommend using chocolate candy coating instead of the chocolate morsels you find at the grocery story because candy coating melts and dries much faster. I used white sprinkles because I already had them but next time I am going to have to try different colors. How perfect would these be in pink or blue for a baby shower? Or, make them in team colors for a game viewing party. So many tasty options!

Just Gone Thrifting

All these fashion blogs I read (guilty pleasure) are constantly posting photos of cool things they find "thirifting." Granted, there is nothing in South Florida like the Brooklyn Flea but I decided there must be  one or two places around town with hidden gems. So last weekend when I was in Boca I recruited my mom to help scour a few second hand shops. Knew she would be down to put her bargain shopping skills to work. It was a Sunday so not a whole lot was open but we were able to find this one shopping center with four different stores. At the JCC Thrift Shop, I discovered this for $5! Wasn't really sure what to do with it at first but after a few coats of gold spray paint (it was an ugly green) and a couple bamboo sticks from the dollar store - voilà! Good luck all year round.

Beachy Keen

We'll show you severe thunderstorm warning and 40 percent chance of rain. It was a beautiful day today on South Beach. A couple hours to soak up the rays is just what every weekend should consist of. Brought my camera along with my telephoto lens just to goof around. The beach was packed with locals and tourists despite that "the season" is coming to an end. Just a few weeks left till summer arrives - can't wait!

Happy Thoughts

It's been one of those weeks when you look around and feel very thankful for what you have - family, friends and good health. We often take these things for granted, but I've been reminded the past few days just how important and precious they are. Here are just a few things that have been making me happy.

Downtown and actually all over Miami we have beautiful bougainvillea trees. Inspired my mom, I snatched up a few fallen branches and put together this little bouquet.

Here's a view from the top of the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run last week in Miami taken with my iPhone. Truly could not believe how many people come out to this event - like 30,000! Despite the sweaty pushing to get to the start line,  I had a great time bonding with my colleagues. 

I made Michelle Bernstein's chimichurri recipe earlier this week and here's a shot before I doused the ingredients in olive oil. Drizzled over skirt steak with sweet potatoes and veggie rice on the side - Bone Appetit!

Sights & Sounds of Sunfest

We made our way to Sunfest on Saturday afternoon and it was a pretty fun day. We got there too early though and after several hours in the steaming hot sun, we were ready to head home and sadly missed MGMT. Oh well, better planning next year. The art was pretty decent though and we saw Ziggy Marley play which was cool. The highlight of the day was by far the pineapple chicken concoction, actually served in a pineapple. We were pretty impressed. Here are just a few shots I captured walking around.