LiveLuxewithLicia

Hey yall! It’s good to finally be able to say I took a trip this year! I have been in the house SICK(not home sick but travel sick lol). I was so afraid to travel because of the current pandemic, but after seeing all of my friends and Black Travel Movement posts I finally said I just have to go!

When deciding your first covidtrip, what do you consider? I tried to think of a place that I could get to quickly (no layovers!) and somewhere that would allow me to experience something new. So I looked at the map of non-stop flights from Memphis(look in my travel tips section) and finally decided on Chicago! I hadn’t been there as an adult and it’s only about 1.5hr flight from Memphis. I set up my Hopper tracker and waited until the tickets dropped (snagged round trip for $97 via United!). I packed a carry-on suitcase and personal bag(my Louis Vuitton Neverfull-DEFINITELY recommend! I literally packed 2 pair of shoes, 2 outfits, 2 swimming suits and a cross-body purse in it!) WHICH MEANT MY BAGS ROUND TRIP WERE ALSO FREE!!! Saved that $70 for drinks!

Our flight left Memphis Thursday at 8am landing in Chicago at 10am and left Chicago Monday at 8pm landing in Memphis at 10pm- which meant we got to spend both travel days in Chicago instead of traveling all day! (Hello 5 day vacay! It was important to me to be able to take advantage of every day away!) We stayed downtown, but not on the end by the River Walk. I plan to go back next Summer and will DEFINITELY stay in a hotel by the River Walk! Our hotel, Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown South Loop- ($409 for 5 days). I originally booked because they are downtown, had a pool, FREE hot breakfast and FREE “happy hour” 5-7pm, had a microwave and full refrigerator with freezer(for leftovers lol) and let out couch(just in case our cousins wanted to crash with us). Well, our hotel didn’t have A LOT (no hot breakfast, pool closed, patio closed, no food or drinks in mini store) and they blamed EVERYTHING on covid! The hotels near River Walk didn’t have the covid closings or covid supply shortage so I would recommend staying on that end.

Ok now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to the FOOD, the FABULOUS, the FUN!

Thursday, we had brunch at Chicago’s Home of Chicken&Waffles(Black owned restaurant) I had Evelyn’s Eggstasy with a waffle-it was delicious! Ashely and Nick had Tonya’s Choice- 3 wings and a waffle and added mac&cheese, yams, cheese grits and greens. The food was pretty good and actually reminded us of something we would’ve gotten in the South! We had dinner at Old Town Pour House Thursday night. Chicken tacos(needed lime, but good), Salmon(beautiful presentation-but taste didn’t match), Chicken sandwhich(ok..) and Jalepeno burger(good but SPICY!)

We also visited SandBox VR Thursday and had a BLAST! It is a virtual game- we played Deadwood Mansion Thursday (and went back Monday to play Amber Skye lol)

Friday we went to Yolk for brunch- Ashely tried the Mexican hot chocolate and she loved it. I usually wouldn’t try anything like that because I don’t care for spices, but it was actually good! We both had scramblers (which were DELICIOUS) and I had red velvet french toast–which was good, but a little weird but it wasn’t like regular french toast would be. Ashely had the nutella banana crepes, but she said she wouldn’t recommend them.

We walked around the park in front of Yolk for a while and people watched–the park is very active! People exercising, walking their dogs, skating/skateboarding, riding bikes, etc. We planned to ride bikes, but never got around to it, but I definitely recommend it! After the park we decided to buy a Chicago City Pass on Groupon which allowed us to pick 3 attractions for $75. We decided to do 360Chicago, SkyDeck and 10PinBowling. We only made it to 360Chicago, but the pass doesn’t expire until 2022 so we will go back.

We did Tilt and took shots and had margaritas at 360Chicago-awesome view!

THE FABULOUS! Dinner Friday night was at Offshore Rooftop&Bar. This would be A VIBE on a Friday night in the summer with your friends! They have good drinks, good food and a good view AND they didn’t close until 11pm even with covid! (NOTHING stays open in Memphis until 11! More like 8 or not open at all!)

Saturday morning we went to Waffles Chicago and tried their waffle flight. If you like trying different things- go for it! Ashely says she had the best Earl Grey tea of her life there-so try that as well.

After brunch we tried iFLY Chicago..

Dinner Saturday was also FABULOUS! We ate at BLVD Steakhouse. From the moment I walked in, I KNEW this was my vibe! I live for a fine dining experience! The hostess checked us into our reservation and sat us at the champagne bar (which was FABULOUS!) I started with a French75 and Ashely had a Moscow Mule- both were tasty and strong! ($15 each though(and we had 4 each throughout dinner)..be prepared to spend your money if you go here!) After our first drink at the champagne bar we were seated in the dining room for dinner. The ambiance was everything! Beautiful colored walls and furniture, velvet, candles lit everywhere. We had the crab cake and lobster bisque for a starter and both were delicious! I have tried SEVERAL crab cakes and this was definitely one of the best that I’ve had AND it was a good size! Many fine dining places I’ve gone to give you a small sized crab cake(which I don’t like).

I had the lambchops, Ashely had the short rib, Nick had a steak and Voydra had the salmon. I LOVED my lamchops and Nick LOVED his steak. Ashely said her short rib needed more seasoning and was tempted to ask for hot sauce lol. Voydra didn’t finish her salmon so I’m not sure if she liked it. When at a steakhouse-order steak! or lambchops!

Sunday- We had brunch at another black owned restaurant (Truth Italian Restaurant) and it was DELICOUS! They also had great mimosas! We ordered several things- strawberry french toast, steak&eggs, LAMBCHOPS!, blueberry waffle, chicken alfredo omelette, chicken philly omelette and several mimosas with grand manier on the side.

We walked around Magnificent Mile and the River Walk. (It’s beautiful!) I wanted to go to the Starbucks Reserve but never made it. (I recommend you go! It’s like 3/4 levels with a rooftop patio and everything. You can get real food and alcoholic beverages! Not your typical Starbucks at all!) GO! For dinner we had Giordano’s.

BACK TO THE FABULOUS! AIRE ANCIENT BATHS CHICAGO! Best part, they stay open until 11pm so you can have a full day and then go to the spa at night! Please make reservations ahead of time because they book like weeks in advance. They have different spa packages and the different baths that are all different temps. I loved it!

Our last day, we asked for a late check out and slept in(definitely recommended!) We went to Siena Tavern for lunch and had the Sienna chopped salad, spaghetti (not your typical spaghetti-jumbo lump crab, charred tomato, red chili & lemon cream sauce) and squid ink linguine (grilled lobster tail, spicy lobster cream) and all were delicious!

We have already planned to go back next Summer (probably multiple times a month to visit cousins). Here are a few things we didn’t get to do, but plan on doing when we return.

-Rent a yacht -jetski -bike ride -Pinstripes brunch and bowling -Batter&Berries -LondonHouse Rooftop -hotdogs! -shopping! -pizza at Dino’s -SUMMERTIME CHI

Everyone is tired of staying in the house and staying in their city. We want to be free already! Well if you’re ready to get out of your city like me, you’re looking for the best deals on flights. I’m here to help with that!

1. Use Skyscanner.com if you are open to go anywhere at anytime! Be sure to pick “explore everywhere” in your where to? Then pick whole month and cheapest month. This will pull a list of domestic and international flights from cheapest flights. (My cheapest says $62 to Las Vegas! Cheapest intl says Toronto $162)
2. Use the Hopper app if you know exactly when and where you want to go, but want to track it to buy it when it’s cheapest. (I’m currently tracking flights to Dubai for next April- currently flights are $1,221 but Hopper says they should drop to $994)
3. Use Skiplagged.com to find cheap flights from your city if you are open to find a cheap flight to anywhere. Quick example- I put in travel from Memphis to ANYWHERE Oct 16-19. It pulled 50 flights under $200(Destin, Denver, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas all under $150 ROUND TRIP!)

Always search for flights in incognito or private browsing mode to see the lowest prices. Sites want to scare you into booking the flight quickly before prices get even higher so if they see you searching the same flights they will increase the price.  In Google Chrome or Safari, incognito is enabled by hitting Command (or “Control” if using PC), Shift, “N”. For Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer, hit Command (or “Control” if using a PC), Shift, “P”.

Let me know what you find and tag me in your trip pictures! @sayheeyymrstaylor

(IG @sayheeyymrstaylor if you want to see more pictures or ask questions)

Looking for a safe island?! Somewhere to let go without worrying about trouble finding you? Aruba is considered one of the safest in the Caribbean and I definitely FELT it. I visited Mexico, Jamaica and Dominican Republic before Aruba so I had experiences to compare it to. There were hagglers at almost all the beaches I’d been to in those other places. Some way more aggressive than others, but NOT ONE IN SITE IN ARUBA! You can even go out at night and not worry about being at the wrong place at the wrong time. No one following you trying to figure out how they can “take advantage of the tourists”. Everywhere we went, we felt welcomed. Every local we encountered was extra nice to us! The water is also safe to drink right out the tap which you can’t even do in Texas or Florida! (I’m from Memphis- home of the best tap water on earth so I know!)

The weather in Aruba was perfect while we were there and a local told us it’s perfect year round! It’s always sunny and the wind is always blowing so you’re never too hot. Aruba is also outside of the hurricane belt so you can visit any time of year! I can also say I didn’t experience ONE bug bite while there! I was so excited about this because being from the South, we only have a few short months without mosquitoes. We stayed on the beach every night, drinking our Aruba Aribas til early morning, bite-free and worry free! (We attended a beach party in Dominican Republic and I had 100 bug bites so I could definitely appreciate being bite free in Aruba!)

So far Aruba has the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen(Eagle Beach). If you go, definitely visit Eagle Beach, Palm Beach, Andicuri Beach and Dos Playa. The water is the perfect blue and you can see all the way to the sandy floor. We went tubing and it was so much fun! If you can’t swim well and/or are a bit scary make sure you tell them ahead of time NOT to flip you or they will flip you off the tube! It literally felt like a roller coaster on water. Definitely take goggles (and contacts if you wear glasses like me) and make sure you can hold a good grip! At one point we were so high in the sky and going so fast I just knew I was going in the water! Sounds scary but it’s so fun!

A few things we missed that I definitely recommend you plan to catch is Aruba Carnival in January (we went in June), Bon Bini Festival and Flamingo Bay. We also didn’t get to explore many restaurants, but you should! Aruba has a very diverse group of people so you can try all their different food! From Colombian, Dutch, Italian, Jamaican and more. We even met a Jamaican lady there that said she came to Aruba on vacation and loved it so much that she moved there permanently a month after returning home.

Other things we experienced and enjoyed..

Flying Fishbone- make reservations ahead of time if you want to sit on the beach. Don’t wear close toe shoes or really any clothes you don’t want wet(pants). The water gets higher as the night goes with the highest possibly being to your lower calves. The food was good and the view was beautiful. (We took a cab which was a little long from the resort area so don’t wait until you’re starving to go.)

The Happiest Little Bar (in the Plaza Daniel Leo-right across from the Gucci store). Make sure you get the Aruba Ariba and tell them you want the vodka Ciroc. WHEW! That’s all I’ll say lol Let me know how you enjoy it!

Kukoo Kunuku party bus- pre-game before they pick you up if you want a buzz! The drinks aren’t strong, but the bus and stops are fun. Wear something comfortable because some of the bars are hot, but you will have fun!

The beautiful sunsets… I ❤ Aruba! I hope you will love it too!

I have been to New Orleans several times, but have yet to go for Mardi Gras or Essence! Crazy right?! So I’ll definitely have a part 2&3 to add to this list! Until then, I’ll share the things I like in New Orleans! Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Traveling to New Orleans- depending on where you’re coming from, you have 3 options-drive, fly or train! I’m from Memphis so the drive and train is usually our go to. If you plan ahead of time, the train can be a cheap round trip and a great adventure! There’s plenty of space(more room than on a plane!) and you can always go to the observation car for the views or card games! You can also bring your own snacks and BOOZE! Getting a room in N’awlins can be a little tricky as well especially if you want to be close to Bourbon Street (AND YOU DO!) We always find a hotel across Bourbon and Canal. This way you can walk down Bourbon 2 mins and get to the hotel.

The most important thing in New Orleans is FOOD! (Well to me lol) First thing first, I know everyone says going to Cafe Du Monde is a must but PLEASE go to the French Market Place and try the praline beignets at Loretta’s Authentic Pralines! You will never wait an hour in line for Cafe Du Monde again! I promise you will go back for a to-go order as well! While you’re at the French Market, try the rum daiquiris at Organic Banana! The Tropical Daiquiri (pineapple and coconut) is the best! There are several places in the market to try crawfish, oysters, fish tacos, gator sausage and gator jerky. Don’t be afraid of the gator, it’s delicious! Definitely take the trolley down to the market.

The best breakfast I’ve ever had is definitely at Ruby Slipper. There are several locations and there’s always a wait so-quick tip, sign up to get in line on the app No Wait. When you arrive, get a Big Easy Mimosa to start you off right! To me, the best thing on the menu is the Grilled Fish ‘St. Peter. You will come back and thank me later! The Catfish&Grits are good as well. Now I don’t drink Bloody Mary’s, but my sister swears that Ruby Slipper’s is great so yall try those as well!

For lunch, Deanie’s Seafood will give you a platter full of delicious fried fish for cheap and Oceana Grill has a really good Cajun Jambalaya Pasta. We did try fine dining for my husband’s birthday last year and had a rather interesting time at Arnaud’s off of Bourbon. The food was good, but it was overshadowed by our experience there. The staff was friendly, but the other guests stared at us the entire night. I think they were use to the staff being the only black people in the room. Imagine having dinner in the middle of a restaurant with people staring at you as if you’re out of place the entire night. AWKWARD! We were all extremely uncomfortable so we won’t go back there again, but you can try it. Also try Neyow’s, Heard Dat Kitchen, Willie Mae’s and Dooky Chase.

If you’re interested in tours, New Orleans has it all. We’ve been to the Old New Orleans Rum tour three times! Not that we love the tour, we love the rum! Organic Banana also uses it in their daiquiris! Wander through Garden District if you like historic mansions and trendy restaurants and bars. The French Quarter is probably top of everyone’s list because you’re close to Bourbon (drinking) and Royal (shopping), Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral and of course there are plenty of street entertainers as you walk around. New Orleans gets pretty hot so be sure you stay hydrated and hope you’re nose isn’t sensitive because drunk people let it go day and night. You can take a voodoo tour, ghost tour, cemetery tour, swamp tour, you name it! Just be sure to wind down and end your nights on Frenchman Street listening to a live band. If museums are your thing, New Orleans also has The National World War II Museum, The Confederate Memorial Hall Museum and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

You will also more than likely run into at least one celebrity while you’re there so have your cameras ready at all times! Enjoy!