Palm Beach, Florida

My vivacious friend Jenn and I decided to celebrate turning 30 by going on vacation. When deciding where this little jaunt would be, we agreed that we would have just as good a time as Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt if we decided on Palm Beach in Florida. (It's normal to choose your vacation spots based on semi-popular movies from the early aughts, yes? YES!)

Here were our highlights:

The Tideline Resort & Spa

This was one of the very best hotels I've ever stayed at - providing you get a good room. The first room we stayed in had one bed, so we changed that to one with two beds and the second room was EONS more nice (and on a higher floor). The hotel also had direct access to the beach and an outdoor infinity pool. What the hell else could I possibly need? OH! And they made this drink (a Coffee Colada, a coffee version of a pina colada) that I will dream about for the rest of my life. Such a great hotel experience. And it's located right in the heart of Palm Beach, amongst all the ridiculously wealthy homes that line the shore.

Meat Market

We went here solely because of the list of sauces they had on their menu. If that seems like a dumb reason to choose a steakhouse, I don't think you know very much about how to properly eat a piece of meat. The meal was, as expected, amazing.

Rocco's Tacos

We had dinner here on our only night spent in West Palm Beach and the food was ridiculously good. West Palm Beach itself was, well, way livelier than Palm Beach. And by that I mean that it was filled with a younger crowd, a bit rowdier and a completely different experience. I'm happy we stayed where we did since it was a quieter/generally-nicer area where we were, so I'm glad we lucked out in staying at The Tideline. (Did I ever say the word rowdy in my twenties? I can't remember now.) 

Pistache

This French place gave us the best meal of the trip. I had their rock shrimp linguini with a Pernod saffron cream sauce and I'll never forget it. I know a detail like that really doesn't affect you in any way, but I'm noting it here incase I ever find myself in this restaurant again some day. I thought I hated saffron-anything, so you can see why I won't shut up about how good this all was.

Is it acceptable that most of these highlights are food based? Of course, you beast! Great vacations don't exist without exceptional food. 

Kaffee's Garden Spa in West Palm Beach, Florida

“Salt therapy is like a toothbrush for your lungs and skin.”

— Kaffee's Garden Spa

I recently tried out a dry salt therapy session and I feel like you definitely need to experience one for yourself at some point. 

If it's unclear what this is - the best way that I can describe it is that you enter a room, lay down on a massage table and breathe in the Himalayan salt air that's being circulated in the room. At first it seems as though nothing is really happening since it's so subtle, but if you lick your lips at all during the process, you'll taste the salt that you're breathing in. It's a 45 minute process and by the end of it, you're left with this tingling feeling inside. It's hard to describe, but it was as though I felt that I could breathe deeper afterward. 

If you come across a spa that offers it, you have to try it. And if you find yourself in West Palm Beach, definitely check this place out. 

Mom Says

“A person who dies on Good Friday will go right to heaven.”

Uber

I know I'm late to this party, but I finally starting using Uber earlier this month when I was on vacation in Palm Beach. Verdict? LOVED IT.

Why the hell don't people gush about this app more? I don't know if I'd want to (or feel comfortable) using it in New York City, but on vacation it makes so much sense to use. Especially since cabs are so bloody expensive. 

And maybe this is a dumb detail, but I love the fact that you can follow the car along on the app as its on its way to pick you up. 

If you haven't tried it out yet, but you're curious - you can get a free ride if you use a coupon code that a friend refers you. (And since we're friends... you can use referral code: elizabethh1835 if you so please.)

“If the ocean can calm itself, so can you. We are both salt water mixed with air.”

— Nayyirah Waheed, "Meditation"

e.l.f. Face Primer

I swear to God this primer feels as good as the ones available from Smashbox. How is that possible? I have no idea. But it's clear that from now on, I'll only ever be buying the e.l.f. primers. They even have five different types to choose from, which seems insane to actually have choice when the price is so crazy decent. 

There's absolutely no reason you need to be spending $30+ on any kind of primer, so please stop it. You're only encouraging these overpriced companies that should be really ashamed of themselves.

Kiss Cam

Even if this video was faked, I still love it.

Depop

Ummm, this seems amazing. I feel like this app might basically be a more modern (and fun) version of eBay. 

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Sidenote: Happy Birthday, Marla! You're the kindest person I know and I love you an unholy amount. I hope your day was lovely!

Life Advice For Struggling Artists By Matthew Weiner

Matthew Weiner (the creator of Mad Men) just wrote this really great piece for Fast Company and if you've ever tried to create anything - I think you'll get a lot out of reading it.

The full article can be found here.

“If you’re baking a cake and you buy store bought icing, you can whip that icing in a mixer and get four times as much icing as there was initially in the container.”

— #lizadvice