Tag: South Florida

Welcome to Miami: Art Deco Walking Tours

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To all of my readers who celebrate, I hope you had a very merry Christmas! I began my holiday vacation over the weekend, when I made the trip down to my hometown in South Florida to spend time with family. Although I grew up and spent 16 years of my life down here, I rarely get a chance to explore the area. Surprisingly enough, I actually know my way around Orlando and its surrounding areas a lot better than my own hometown! This past weekend, however, I decided to change some of that with an Art Deco Walking Tour in Miami Beach.

Welcome to Miami: Art Deco Walking Tours | WellnessAndWanderlust.net

These tours, which are run by the Miami Design Preservation League, leave from the Art Deco Welcome Center every day at 10:30 a.m. and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Although our tour group was a larger one, December was the perfect time to go — thanks to our Florida winters, we were there on a sunny day with temperatures in the low to mid 70s. With a two-hour walking tour ahead of us, beautiful weather was crucial!

Welcome to Miami: Art Deco Walking Tours | WellnessAndWanderlust.net

Our guided tour took us through Miami Beach’s historical district, giving our group an introduction to the city’s colorful buildings and architectural styles. Exploring historic sites like the Congress Hotel and the Breakwater, we learned about how the French art nouveau styles, Hollywood, cruise ships, and the ancient Egyptians inspired Miami’s architecture from the Great Depression and on. Did you know that the sidewalks are red to symbolize a red carpet?

Welcome to Miami: Art Deco Walking Tours | WellnessAndWanderlust.net

The tour also explores several interiors, which encompass different uses of light and nod to Miami Beach’s past dealings with the mafia. Although the tour mainly focuses on the Art Deco architectural style, groups also have the chance to learn about and identify the Mediterranean Revival style (a lot rarer to Miami but still present) and Miami Modern (MiMo). The tour also grants admission to the on-site Art Deco Museum on 10th Street and Ocean Drive.

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The verdict? I absolutely loved it! This tour combines the perfect mix of architecture, history, and pop culture, leaving room for plenty of photo ops and questions along the way. Whether you’re planning a vacation in Miami or you happen to live close by, I highly recommend an Art Deco Walking Tour. 🙂

What are your favorite ways to explore Miami? Sound off in the comments section below!

 

27 at 27 Bucket List: Let the Adventures Begin!

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Hey readers! For those who read last night’s post, you know that my 26 at 26 adventures have officially come to a close. 26 was an amazing year of self-discovery, travel, creativity, and the strengthening of old and new friendships. I have high expectations for age 27, beginning with my 27 at 27 bucket list. These experiences bring me so much joy, and I can’t wait to share my latest with you in the year ahead.

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Feel free to follow along here (under the 27 at 27 tab on my main menu), as I cross off each item and provide links to blog posts throughout the year. 🙂

Happy reading!

27 Things I’d Like to Do While I’m 27

  1. Travel to New Orleans for our annual mother-daughter trip.
  2. Visit the Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge in Lake Nona.
  3. Take a class at Total Wine.
  4. Travel to St. Petersburg to visit the Salvador Dalí Museum.
  5. Visit a salt room to try halotherapy.
  6. Spend the day in Miami.
  7. Take a boat tour of Winter Park.
  8. Hang out with the flamingos at Flamingo Gardens.
  9. Graduate from my MBA program.
  10. Take a bioluminescence tour.
  11. Complete another round of Whole30.
  12. Go on a ghost tour through Downtown Sanford.
  13. Visit New York City.
  14. Host a tea party.
  15. Go kayaking in Wekiwa.
  16. Visit the Maitland Art Center.
  17. Take a post-graduation vacation.
  18. Attend a performing arts show.
  19. Visit the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.
  20. Pursue public speaking opportunities.
  21. Take a limo cycle tour.
  22. Finish an old writing project.
  23. Get my writing published somewhere new.
  24. Take a DIY class.
  25. Stroll through the Albin Polasek Sculpture Gardens.
  26. Tour the Stetson Mansion in Deland.
  27. Visit the Orlando Eye.

What is on your list this year? Share in the comments below!

26 at 26 Bucket List: The Year in Review

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Good evening, friends! 🙂 For those of you who live in Florida, I hope you fared well through Hurricane Irma and didn’t experience too much damage. Here in Sanford, I was awake for the worst of the storm, but fortunate to have my apartment and car fully intact in the morning. I am grateful that my friends and family made it safely through the storm, and will be sure to post links to any recovery efforts on the blog once I know more.

26 at 26 Bucket List Recap

It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by so quickly, and yet my birthday is already almost here. Recently, I wrote about the importance of creating mini-bucket lists and the joy that my lists have brought me over the past two years. At 25, I embarked on my first year of yes, and 26 has been equally fulfilling (if not more so). Although I didn’t check quite as many items off my list, I discovered many other adventures that I never could have imagined. I practiced yoga with baby goats on an urban farm. I witnessed the Running of the Chihuahuas. I howled with the wolves. The list goes on, and I’m so thankful I was able to see and do so much at age 26.

26 at 26 Bucket List Recap

In the coming days, I’ll post my 27 at 27 bucket list, but for now, check out the recap of my 26 at 26. I am looking forward to the year ahead!

26 at 26 Bucket List Recap

  1. Take a stroll through the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami. Visited Vizcaya with my family on 11/23/16. 
  2. Visit a fortune teller/psychic. Visited a psychic in Cassadaga and had my tarot cards read on 3/26/17. Months later, I can honestly say that there was a lot of truth in my reading — some good, and some bad. I will definitely pursue another reading this year!
  3. Take a marshmallow-making class at Wondermade. Took a class at Wondermade on 2/3/17 – so much fun! Wondermade has since expanded, and I can’t wait to attend more events at the enhanced location. Learn more about my experience here.
  4. Attend a tea party or visit a tea room. Visited Gryphon Tea Room in Savannah on 1/14/17. Visited Windsor Rose Tea Room in Mount Dora on 1/16/17. As an added bonus, my friend’s bridal shower happened to take place at Infusion Tea later this year!
  5. Take a behind-the-scenes Disney tour. This was something my family hoped to do together, but we were never all able to be in Orlando at the same time. Instead, my dad, sister and I visited the Seacrest Wolf Preserve, which was a completely life-changing experience.
  6. Get my writing published somewhere new. Wrote my first article for STRIVE Magazine‘s spring issue, published in April 2017. I wrote a second article for this publication, which will come out around October.
  7. Watch a Bollywood film. Watched Tanu Weds Manu on 8/17/17.
  8. Play a game of Dungeons & Dragons. Played for the first time on 3/17/17. My character, a druidic wood elf, participated in a bizarre St. Patrick’s Day themed one-shot with a twist ending.
  9. Visit the Plant Street Market in Winter Garden. Visited for the first time on 4/29/17. I tried raspberry mint tea from AntiquiTEAs and made my own mac & cheese at MAC’d Out — delicious! I will be returning to host my birthday lunch at AntiquiTEAs.
  10. Pursue new public speaking opportunities. Spoke on an alumni career panel at UCF on 10/31/16. Taught “Saving For College” workshop for Junior Achievement on 11/9/16. Spoke on an internship panel at Valencia College on 4/13/17.
  11. Take a mother-daughter trip. Traveled to Savannah, Georgia, from 1/13 to 1/15/17. Check out my recap and travel tips here!
  12. Visit the Orlando Museum of Art. Visited on 8/26/17 – pictures of a few of my favorites here! I absolutely loved this museum and will be back soon.
  13. Finish an old writing project. This was much easier said than done during my busiest year so far in grad school. Stay tuned for 2017-2018! 
  14. Go to a performing arts show. Attended ‘Seminar’ at Theatre UCF on 7/9/17.
  15. Complete another round of Whole30. Completed January 2017.
  16. Take a day trip to Bok Tower Gardens. Visited Bok Tower Gardens and the Pinewood Estate on 8/13/17. Check out my recap! I will be returning for the Christmas decorations.
  17. Visit my best friend in Omaha, Nebraska. Traveled to Omaha from 3/16 to 3/19/17. Recap and guide to Omaha can be found here.
  18. Practice meditation every day for a month. Added meditation to my daily routine on 8/7/17. I will be writing more about my practice in October – stay tuned!
  19. Read Gone With The Wind. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m about 100 pages in.
  20. Take a candy-making class. This was another thing I had planned to do with my family, but the timing was never great.
  21. Go to a pumpkin patch. Visited Santa’s Christmas Tree Forest on 10/16/16 and not only picked out a cute little pumpkin, but also cuddled with some very sweet baby goats. Check out the recap here!
  22. Visit the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. I never made it over there, but it’s on my list for 27 at 27!
  23. Take an Art Deco Walking Tour in Miami. I didn’t get down to South Florida this year as often as I would have liked, so trips to Miami were difficult to schedule. Hopefully at 27!
  24. Visit the CARE Foundation animal sanctuary. Visited the CARE Foundation Open House event on 11/20/16.
  25. Tour the Flagler House in West Palm Beach. See #23 and replace “Miami” with “West Palm.”
  26. Visit the Wynwood Art District in Miami. See #23.

It has been a great year! What are some of your favorite adventures from the last year?

Adventures in Florida: Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

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MorikamiA couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to cross another item off of my 25 at 25 Bucket List: visiting the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida. When you’ve lived somewhere for most of your life, you start to take it for granted, and sometimes miss out on some of the amazing hidden gems right in your own backyard. It is my goal this year to pursue new experiences in Florida and visit some of the places I’ve always wanted to see. The Morikami Museum was definitely one of those places, and it did not disappoint.

The Morikami Museum sits on 200 acres of Japanese gardens, all representing different eras of garden design. I went with my parents on a breezy, overcast day — perfect walking weather in Florida — and it felt like we were in another time and another world.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

We learned about the history of the Yamato Colony, a pioneering group of Japanese farmers who settled in South Florida in the early 1900s. The colony never grew past 35 farmers, especially because it consisted mainly of young single men (most women weren’t interested in relocating from Japan to the Yamato Colony). However, the land was donated by one of the last colony members and preserved as a place to celebrate Japanese culture and educate others on the lesser-known history of Japanese heritage in Florida.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

We also walked through the museum, modeled after a Japanese villa, and visited the art installations as well. The art installations focused on life during World War II in the Japanese internment camps, a dark time in America’s history. I didn’t know much about the internment camps prior to my visit (just that they existed), but the exhibitions were so moving that they inspired me to learn more after I left. I am now reading Julie Otsuka’s novel When The Emperor Was Divine, which focuses on a family sent to an internment camp in Utah, and still can’t believe that this really happened here less than 100 years ago. One room of the museum features The Tag Project, a set of seven hanging installations that consist of replicas of each identification tag for all of those displaced to internment camps. It creates a startling visual of just how many people were displaced at that time.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

Visiting the Morikami Museum was an amazing educational experience that I cannot recommend enough.  For those who live in South Florida or are planning a trip, take some time to walk through these gardens and learn about the Japanese culture, past and present.

What’s on your bucket list this year? Share your latest adventures in the comments section below!

FSPA District 7 Conference

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Home sweet home! 🙂

This weekend, I took a trip back to my hometown to attend the Florida Scholastic Press Association’s District Conference, which took place at my old high school. I gave two presentations this afternoon: Enhancing Your Professional Image Through Social Media and Finding Your Audience: How To Market Your Blog To Readers, each of which I geared toward high school students.

A few personal realizations today: First of all, even though I’m only 22 years old, I feel ancient. I attended this conference as a high school student and yearbook editor in 2008 and 2009 (and won first place in the on-the-spot news writing competitions, thank you very much!), and when I mentioned that to students, they seemed surprised. As someone who is usually mistaken for much younger, I suppose that a nice shirt and slacks will make you look a whole lot older!

Also, during my social media workshop, I asked students if any of them had ever created a MySpace. The answer? None of them. In fact, as I spoke with students later in the day, I found out that some had never really heard of MySpace to begin with! It made me wonder how obsolete our current forms of social networking will become in the next ten years, and what I will tell my children about them.

I also realized that as much as public speaking intimidates me at times, I love to teach. This reaffirms my belief that pursuing a Master’s degree would be a beneficial path for me, because then I will have the opportunity to teach the subjects I love at a higher level.

Presenting my workshops today (as well as a resumé building workshop last weekend at a leadership conference) was a huge honor and privilege, and I look forward to the next opportunity I have to present a workshop.