hidden gems & travel tips

The Historic River Street in Savannah, Georgia

This spring, we visited River Street, Savannah for a few hours on one of our road trips to Atlanta. From the moment we arrived, I was captivated by the mile-long, rustic River Street made up of ballast stone and it's European architecture dating back to it's influences from the 18th century. Much of the still standing architecture along River Street has been transformed into retro antique shops, cool restaurants and galleries as they were once old cotton warehouses. 

Before deciding on our lunch option, I cruised Yelp reviews and asked for a few friend recommendations on Facebook. Since we were visiting the area on a Monday, many restaurants were closed, which seems to be the case in a lot of areas of Georgia (that definitely doesn't happen in Miami!) Fortunately, one of the recommendations was to check out Rocks on The River restaurant at the Bohemian Hotel, which I can now highly recommend! 

Since the area is known for serving up local, fresh seafood, I made sure to try the signature dish, she-crab bisque and the appetizer portion of crab cakes. Everything was so fresh and exceeded expectations. The soup was exceptionally tasty and as we dined at a table with a view of the Savannah river, it truly felt like I was experiencing a local gem. We also had the opportunity to walk along the red brick sidewalk adjacent to the famous river and visit a few thrift stores, but we didn't experience a fraction of what River Street has to offer. We plan on making another visit to the area very soon!    

The Porter Beer Bar in Atlanta, Georgia

Fixed in the heart of Little Fives Points, Atlanta is a unique establishment and craft beer lovers utopia known as the Porter Beer Bar. This comfy little brick and wood dive is adorned with old antiques, suitcases, vintage signage and, of course, dozens of beer bottles. Having done some research before visiting the bar, I knew that this husband and wife owned venue is consistently awarded 'best beer bar in the world' by ratebeer.com and has been awarded with many similar accolades - and rightfully so! 

We sat at a cozy wooden booth and read the beer menu, which was like a manual for a countless amount of handcrafted beers. The 36 beers offered on draft and the 700+ bottled beers only consist of microbrews and small imports which are typically hard to find at most local bars. I tasted my first vintage beer, which classifies as a hop-forward barley wine and is brewed by the Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver Colorado (they have such good beer in that state!) I do remember thinking that this vintage beer may have been the best beer I have ever tasted! We had a few other rounds of locally brewed IPAs and enjoyed the cheese plate and salt and vinegar popcorn, which paired nicely with our drinks!

Scuba Diving in Cancun, Mexico

A Few of my Favorite Things: Venice, Italy

Once described by Napolean, as the most beautiful dining room in Europe, St. Marks Square in Venice, Italy was one of the most breathtaking parts of our visit to the elegant city. Located in the heart of Venice, you are surrounded by a picturesque setting and fascinating cultural architecture. I could not put my camera down!

While I could recommend visiting monuments and some of the interesting and historical tours we took, (Doge's Palace was my favorite,) I found that some of my favorite experiences in Venice were the times when we did not follow our itinerary at all, but just stumbled upon and enjoyed the city moment to moment.

After you've seen all the historical monuments on your list and taken a ride in a Gondola, here are my top three recommendations when visiting the ultra romantic city:

Have a Bellini at Harry's Bar. If you're on a budget, ONLY have Bellinis at Harry's Bar. It's warm atmosphere, homemade Bellinis and excellent service made this one of our favorite experiences in Venice. It's surreal to think that we were dining where Ernest Hemingway once came to have a few drinks and write classic American literature. Harry's Bar was recommended to us by my mother-in-law and we enjoyed it so much, we went twice! On our first visit, we treated ourselves to a few rounds of Bellinis and a late afternoon lunch. Our lunch was light, pricey, but exquisite. We enjoyed Prosciutto crudo from parma served on a light bed of spinach lettuce and homemade lightly baked tagliolini with ham. Since we were on our honeymoon, our waiter recognized this by treating us to a slice of their triple layer chocolate cake. On our last night in the city, it was one of our final stops for a few rounds of drinks. 

Have a glass or bottle of wine after hours in the middle of St. Marks Square. You'll read about having espresso or wine in St. Marks Square, and some guides may even tell you not to because it's a little pricey. However, one of my favorite memories of Venice was when we purchased a bottle of vino and sat at a table from a closed restaurant in the middle of the square to just take in the night.

Disclaimer: This may or may not be legal. We honestly didn't look into it so just be careful!

Seeing Vizcaya on your trip to Miami

A National Historic Landmark and Museum, Vizcaya is one of my favorite and romantic spots in Miami. Enriched with history and picturesque settings encompassing it's property, visitors can take a tour of the 1916 home built by agricultural industrialist, James Deering, have a picnic out by the gardens or attend many different events hosted at the museum.