Gator Grounds:Things to Do in Gainesville, FL

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my sisters lookin’ cool at the hippodrome

Back in 2011, I was a naive law school student starting my first year at UF Law School in Gainesville, FL. 3 years, later I’d know the ins-and-outs of the town that was equal parts charming and grotesque (just keeping it real– if you’ve set foot in the beloved bar, Balls, you’ll feel me).  My relationship with the ‘ville was rocky at times, but now when I visit, I’m able to see it with fresh eyes and a new-found appreciation. The weekend before last was UF’s Homecoming, complete with football game against Mizzou. As to be expected, I skipped the actual game in favor of a wine tasting, so I can’t give any tips on great tailgating spots for alums, but this post will explore some of the things that a) didn’t exist when I went to UF or b) I made the grave mistake of overlooking.

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Top 5: Best Skin-Related Beauty Products

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from l to r: beautyblender, embryolisse lait-creme concentre, tretinoin cream .05% (generic retin-a) bioderma sensibo. in background: silk pillow

Today I’m sharing my top 5 ride-or-die skin-related beauty products. Read on to get the low-down on each.

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New York City Round-Up

bluestone lane, upper east side, things to do in new york, new york city coffee shops

Ah New York, where do I even begin? Out of the cities I’ve been to, NYC is definitely the one I’ve revisited the most. Yet, I still feel overwhelmed with all of the possibilities and options each time I’m there. Maybe the thing I love most about New York, is that feeling that anything can happen. Maybe this is due to years of watching too many superhero and rom-com movies set in NYC and seeing paparazzi pics of celebs nonchalantly walking around TriBeCa, but I digress. The bottom line is that NYC is one of those places that really does live up to every shred of hype and makes you feel a little more alive just by being in its presence. I can’t even begin to do a comprehensive list of all there is to do in NYC, so instead I will focus on some of the highlights from my most recent trip there this past weekend (Labor Day Weekend).

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Denver and Beyond

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This past weekend I went to Denver for the second time with some girlfriends. After visiting twice, I’m confident I’ve got a pretty good feel of the city and thought I would share some of the things that made me fall in love with Denver. To me it has the perfect mixture of being a city on the one hand, but feeling like a town on the other–it has that crunchy-granola vibe that’s very comforting and homey. The other bonus? The first time I went my flight out of Miami was $30 (ROUNDTRIP!) and this time it was only $97 out of Fort Lauderdale. Not too shabby to fly two time zones away.

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Miami for the 4th and the Biebs, pt. 2

 

bieber, bieber merch, purpose tour merch, alchemist miami, justin bieber

Somehow writing my last post, I forgot our first stop of the trip! We headed to Alchemist where Justin Bieber was doing a pop-up shop of his Miami tour merch. I had my eyes on a long sleeved black tee that said “No Photos” down the side. These were basic Gildan shirts, and somehow I convinced myself that $75 for this tee was totally worth it. Much to my dismay, the one shirt I wanted was gone, but I guess it was sort of cool being the only ones in the shop and taking some pictures of the minimalist set-up. Also, probably for the best that I didn’t waste $75 on a Gildan t-shirt.
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Miami for the 4th and the Biebs

 

toro toro, miami, cocktails, flatbread, intercontinental miami,

I basically live for weekend trips. The more spontaneous the better–although, not so spontaneous that I can’t book reservations for all the places I want to eat. One of my most recent, was yet again with my sister, and yet again, to Miami. As I type this I realize it was also for a concert and not altogether spontaneous. Oops.

Long story short, our original plan was to see the Biebs in concert in Miami, but after deciding to see him in Philly instead (read: cheaper tickets), we were left with an already purchased priceline hotel room and tickets to the “after party” he was hosting at the Story- a club of Liv ilk in Miami Beach.

Thus we soldiered on down from West Palm to Miami and checked into the Intercontinental Hotel. It sits in downtown Miami and is not far from the American Airlines Arena where many large acts perform, but is about a $12 uber/$6 uber pool to South Beach.

We sat at the bar at the Intercontinental’s restaurant, Toro Toro, an outpost of its Dubai and D.C. locations, to order some snacks and cocktails while waiting for our room to become available. (pictured above)

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Photographing the 1975

the 1975, matty healy, matt healy, 1975, bayfront amphitheater, contests, concerts, miami, florida, 1975 photo pass, 1975 photography

I really like to think he was looking into my eyes during this shot.

The amount of contests I enter is a running joke among my friends. But, I’m OK with the good-natured ribbing because ya can’t win, what ya don’t enter. So I enter every contest that comes through my e-mail box and 96% of the ones I see on Instagram. This has resulted in a fair amount of cool opportunities and concert tickets (& spam e-mails, not gonna lie); but BY FAR, the best contest I ever won resulted in a photography pass for the 1975 at Bayfront Amphitheater in Miami, FL during their show on May 11, 2016.

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