A Pisces by the Sea

One of my favorite places to be is the beach. Lounging near the waters edge, sunshine, sand, my favorite pair of sunnies, and an umbrella in my drink….its so peaceful and relaxing. This year for my birthday I decided to cross off an item from my 101 Things to do in 1001 Days list and I went to Miami for the first time.

What an AWESOME city! This will probably be at the top my my list for places to move to next with the Coast Guard. It has everything I love about NYC and the tolls are cheaper, the weather is consistently warm year round, and the beaches are beautiful.

I flew in the night before my birthday and met up with a friend I haven’t seen since I left my duty station in Mobile, Alabama, grab dinner, and met her kiddos. The next day we had a yummy breakfast at Big Pink before I checked in to the hotel and waited for the rest of my friends to arrive. The coffee and veggie breakfast burrito was delicious! Once everyone arrived we went to out lunch at John Paul’s House – a restaurant off the beaten path that I found through Gilt City. Then headed back to the hotel to relax poolside and before getting ready for nighttime festivities.

Our room attendant, Charles, was awesome! He made sure that we had everything we needed and even brought us vodka and mixers to the room while we got ready. We kicked off the night with dinner at Katsuya. The sushi was delicious! I had the Katsuya Special Roll and apple pie dessert Then it was off to dance the night away at Arkadia, located in the Fontainebleau Hotel.

Friday morning we walked the beach and chilled poolside before heading to the Cruise Port. We took a 4 day, 3 night cruise out of Miami with Royal Caribbean to Nassau, Bahamas, and Coco Cay, Bahamas.
This was my first short cruise, usually I go on 6-7 day cruises. There’s definitely a difference, but I had a great time nonetheless,  the service was fantastic, and we made it to each port call and back to Miami with no issues.

In Nassau, we spent the day at the Hotel Riu Palace on a day pass…all you can eat and drink, sunshine, the beach, and a pool bar…we couldn’t ask for more.

We pulled into Coco Cay (Royal Caribbean’s Private Island) the next day and spent the day relaxing on the beach and lounging in hammocks.

We pulled into Miami bright and early Monday morning, had breakfast in the dinning room, then headed to the airport….sad to leave 70 degree temps to go back home to snow in NYC. I hope spring comes to the Northeast soon.

Next year’s birthday ideas are already being researched…Europe, Hawaii, maybe Napa…we’ll see what happens.

Love AGT :)

Soaking Up the Last Days of Summer

The summer months always seem to go by the quickest, but I must admit  I can’t help but smile as the cooler mornings and evening breezes usher in fall. I spent most of my days off exploring places old and …

So long summer….

“Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

Over the years Labor Day has come to symbolize the end of the summer season. School begins (if it hasn’t already for some), the days get shorter, and the nights get cooler, and here is the Northeast we are definitely experiencing the beginning of fall weather. I love fall in NYC. You can walk around the city comfortably in 60-70 degree temperatures, relax in one of the many parks and watch the leaves change, and enjoy many of the fall festivals being held around the city.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I spent my weekend with friends exploring the city, hanging out at the Richmond County Fair on Staten Island, looking at cool costumes and eating yummy Caribbean food at the West Indian American Day Parade, and we checked out a Jazz Dinner Club in the city. Thankfully we were not at the parade in Brooklyn during the shootings. We are already back on Staten Island by then having dinner at a friend’s house. It’s unfortunate that people have to ruin an event that is supposed to be about fun, family, music, and food with violence. Hopefully next year if they are still able to have the event that won’t occur.

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