Discovering an American city: Austin

In mid March I had the pleasure of taking a break from New England’s brutal winter to visit the succulent city of Austin, Texas. I was long overdue to visit my best friend Isabelle Barron, who moved to Austin over a year ago.

Isabelle and one of Austin's massive Agave plants

I picked a high demand time to be in the city, which was gearing up to support a hundred thousand tourists for South by Southwest (SXSW). A two-week long film, interactive and music festival and conference taking place in downtown Austin. Isabelle and I had no tickets to any of it and Isabelle had little interest in being anywhere near it. I quickly learned that although SXSW is the highest producing revenue event for the city, its also a huge headache for Austin locals. Many of Isabelle’s friends were fleeting the city letting tourists stay in their apartments through Airbnb.

I didn’t mind not being able to attend SXSW, I was more curious to see every part of this unique American city that until this point I knew little about. Austin is a young city most people looked to be twenties or thirties. I distinctly remember the one elderly person I met and thought they seemed out of place. Most people have tattoos, I felt unorthodox not having some part of my body inked.
We hiked the arid landscape of the Barton Creek Greenbelt trails, ate fried avocado tacos from Austin’s infamous Torchy’s Taco Truck and shopped at thrift stores in South Congress neighborhood.

An amazing herbalist shop great for unique gifts! 

However what I became well acquainted with was Austin’s thriving yoga community. Throw a rock in Austin you will most likely hit three yoga studios. Isabelle also had just received her yoga teaching certification a few weeks before. Yoga isn’t just a weekly workout for her it’s a lifestyle. In Austin every yoga class we attended was packed with no sympathy for tardiness, locking out anyone who is five minutes late to class.
My first Austin yoga class was lead by teacher Annick at Yoga Yoga Studio. Annick had the face of a 60-year old women but the body of an 18-year old gymnast. Annick took us through a series of flow Hatha yoga poses, which engages physical and mental strength. Annick had a thick accent. The only time I could understand her was when she told us we would never recover if we fell too deeply into a mere body pretzel pose she put us in. Although her class was rigorous my body felt tension free after. I later learned Annick is South African and has studied yoga at Kripalu. When she started yoga she couldn’t touch her toes.

Our post hike taco feast at Tacodeli

Everyday I was in Austin the SXSW masses poured into the city. Downtown Austin turned into a SXSW theme park. SXSW was drawling all types of noteworthy people to the city including Girls creator Lena Dunham, rapper Snoop Dog, Photographer Brandon Stanton of Human Of New York and even the Internet most celebrated Grumpy Cat. In the midst of this were two girls trying to make a 6 p.m. yoga class on time in the heart of the SXSW nightlife.
A young man with curly black hair named Joshua Wise was our yoga teacher. We set up our mats in a circle in the center of the studio. Wise told us it would be a Prana class, which focuses on meditating and chanting. Wise turned on a meditation box from India that played a droning sound throughout the studio. He told us to sit upright, close our eyes and to say “OM.”  Like a chorus we would “OM” together take a deep breath and ‘OM’ again. Although my body was still in the studio with every chant I felt my mind become numb and simple. Our chants filled the room with a hum like the sound of a buzzing beehive. After 45 minutes of chanting my mouth unconsciously wanted to keep going. At the end when I opened my eyes I had to remind myself where I was. After the class I decided to ask Wise what got him into yoga.

“My life was totally falling apart,” said Wise. “I graduated college with no job I knew I was in debt and I was freaking out. I went into a donation yoga class and I left feeling amazing. I was hooked I practiced yoga before, but never when I was in such a desperate place. It saved my life.”

Run DMC graffiti on the Sugar Mamas Bake Shop

After hearing Wise’s reasoning I realized that most of the yogis I met in Austin got into yoga for similar reasons. They were suffering from a traumatic event or dealing with depression and yoga became their medicine. Isabelle has suffered from depression and anxiety for as long as I have known her.
“Self-love has been an issue my whole life,” said Isabelle. “I think I had tried literally every way to cope with it besides being kind to myself.”
Although Isabelle tried yoga on and off since she was a child, it didn’t become essential for her until she moved to Austin. Moving to a new city alone was difficult and not long after she suffered a personal tragic event. While on the phone crying with her father he told her to leave her apartment and walk to the nearest yoga studio. Isabelle listened to her father, took her first Austin yoga class at the same studio she would receive her yoga teacher training.
“It was helping me so significantly and quickly it was amazing," said Isabelle. "I have never experienced anything quite like that and I still feel it everyday,” “Some people go to twelve step meetings, I have to practice yoga. I have to meditate and I have to practice mindfulness.”

Isabelle doing standing bow pose  

Coming from a small town in Connecticut where yoga teachers struggle for enough students to hold class, I was fascinated being in a place immersed in yoga culture. Each class took me out of my comfort zone. If I was holding a pose that was uncomfortable and I wanted to stop I kept going and eventually the discomfort would pass. Yoga teaches us that when dealing with a painful situation in life to face it because in time that pain will also pass.
By the end of my time in Austin I had completely fell in love with the city. I loved the gigantic aloe plants on every street, the abundance of delicious taco trucks, the unbelievably kind Austinites and the yoga community that taught me there is always room to grow.

Isabelle and I on my last day in Austin

Get Away

Last week I got a chance to get away with some of my best friends for a much needed adventure! Emily, Jasmine and I have been anxiously awaiting to head down to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to stay with Emily's grandmother since we bought the tickets three months ago.  We flew down there for some much needed ocean fun and bonding time. This was our third time heading to stay with Emily's grandmother altogether and our first time making the trip post college. It was wonderful to spend quality time with my ladies and discover parts of Florida we hadn't in the past. Although we were still in America, we were in a whole new environment which made it feel like we left the country.

I went on a total photo taking frenzy during our trip and I wanted to share some of my shots from the Atlantic Ocean in Ft. Lauderdale, South Beach, Little Havana, Vizcaya Museum and Garden and other spots throughout Miami. Although I love being in my garden in Connecticut it was really nice to be in a place with a whole new landscape that I don't have back home. I enjoyed chilling on the beach, seeing banana and mango trees grown naturally, iguanas crawling around the deck, aloe plants, cuban coffee, palm trees and beautiful sunsets. 

This is the street that we stayed on in Ft. Lauderdale. Every morning we would pack up our swim suits and towels get into grandma's (Yes I can call her that, everyone does) red convertible and drive off into this scenery to the beach. It was perfect.

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This past year my level of obsession with plants and nature has sky rocketed. I have never in my entire life payed more attention to nature. Especially now that I am starting my own tepee herb garden (more about this on the blog soon) at my house I love discovering new plants. They are living things too ya know! I loved being in an environment for hot weather plants like palm trees, succulents and giant aloe plants.

We decided to discover Miami's rich historical side. With a trip to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Vizcaya gave me feel a overwhelming sense of nostalgia as if I was in France at the Palace of Versailles or the coast of Cape Town on Robben Island.

Vizcaya was built as the winter estate to Chicago businessman James Deering from 1859-1924. Today Vizcaya is a National Historic landmark and an accredited museum. Above is the outdoor swimming pool, isn't it a dream!

Emily and Jasmine standing out in front of the Barge on the Biscayne Bay.

This is the east terrace and Main house that look out over the barge. The view that this side of the house gets is a vast crystal blue sea.

With a back drop this perfect we had a photo taking frenzy!

The barge looks like a classic Greek ship that has been attached by pirates and left to age for centuries. I love the look of it. 

Who doesn't love perfectly trimmed bushes!

The most precious Tea House your pretty eyes ever seen.

Vizcaya isn't only an amazing house but the gardens really take it to a whole other level of wonderful. Diego Suarez planned the gardens from 1888-1974. The formal gardens were finished by 1922 containing a geometric plantings, architectural structures and sculptures. The gardens are located between a native mangrove shore and a forest.

A shot of the barge from the Secret Garden.

Succulent City up in here.

It was at this point that Emily and Jasmine where about done with Vizcaya and decided to take a break under some shade. Me on the other hand carried on because I had to see more of this wonderland while I still could.

Deering made a choice to preserve this environment and build the Main House along with Biscayne Bay made him one of Miami's early environmentalists.

Finally we were all officially Vizcaya-ed out and made out way to Little Havana for a taste of Cuba.

Do you know what the Bay of Pigs Invasion was all about? Well I'll give you a hint Fidel Castro was definitely involved!

I first saw this man in a shop with a lot of Virgin Mary statues. We both left at the same time and I realized in the sun his mouth was full of gold teeth. He started speaking to me in Spanish and I hated that I couldn't respond to him. But he did understand me when I asked to take his photo. 

Dominos, dominos, dominos. I love watching old people games outside.

Giggling on the beach. 

I snapped this pink palm trees on Ocean Drive which is Miami's main location to see and be seen.

Oh the drunken margarita. I would say this drink is a South Beach must. But definitely to be shared among friends.

Emily's grandmother has and continues to live a fabulous life. There are photos of her throughout the house from all points in her life. I love the two above because she looks like Lena Horne or Elizabeth Taylor.

Her house was perfectly decorated with vintage furniture. I wanted to take home the pink dresser in our guest room so bad.

Emily is an awesome painter. She recently started her own company where she paints her art on eco-friendly bags for sale on Toteme.org. Buying one of her bag helps support patients by helping them buy a colostomy bag and supplies. I have one and I am obsessed with it I hang it on my wall as art or use it when going to the store as a re-useable bag. Above was Emily's work space in the sun room. 

Our last day in Miami we ended up have a BBQ was some hilarious fellas we met on the beach.

Grandma let us invite them over for some hamburgers, hot dogs, fishing and swimming.

Grandma's care taker and grounds keeper Tony was a gem to us throughout the entire trip.

And there she is Miss Thang!

The final supper was delicious and filled with laughter and happy smiles. It would have been perfect if we didn't have to go to the airport later that night...

Good thing the Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport looks great during sunset. Hope to see you again soon Florida!