Ibiza

Our first day in Ibiza, my friend, Mallory, and I barely managed to drag ourselves out of bed by 4 p.m. After managing to do so, we made our way to Benirras beach on the northern part of the island via a rented 50 cc moped.

The cove seemed to harbor more gravel than sand, but the view of the sun dipping into the ocean set to the rhythm of drum beats more than made up for the less than perfect texture of the beach.

After sunset, we shot down to Aura, a restaurant/club nestled on a stretch of road between Santa Getrudis and Eivissa. Stick with the bar food- it's delicious. As was our waiter.

Now why didn't I think of that?

When I decided to incorporate Ibiza into my Barcelona , I knew I wanted kick it in the chic bohemian scene on the northern part of the island. (I've been told the town of of Eivissa is a bit tacky and somewhat tainted by the proliferation of drug-addled eurotrash) Agrotourism boutique hotels like Atzaro are out of the price range of most college kids, but I was still determined to lock down gypsetter-worthy accommodations. This is where Airbnb.com came in. 

"Called the "Ebay for space" by Time Magazine, Airbnb is an online marketplace allowing anyone from private residents to commercial properties to rent out their extra space. The reputation-based site allows for user reviews, verification, and secure online transactions. Listings include vacation rentals, private rooms, entire apartments, bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels, castles, treehouses, and many other traditional and non-traditional accommodations.

The open platform allows users to post listings of their space. Prospective travelers can search by city or country, utilizing filters such as price and room type to find exactly what suits their needs. Travelers contact hosts directly through the web site, which includes user profiles and friend recommendations. Dates are confirmed through on-site messaging, and the traveler books directly online using their credit card or PayPal account. Hosts receive a reservation request which they can accept or decline. Both parties then receive an itinerary on accepted reservations, and are set to go."

Trolling through airbnb.com, I found this little gem, a bedroom with private bath in a darling finca for $65 night. It's super close to the picturesque town of Santa Gertrudis and is within a 20 minute drive of anyplace one could possibly want to go. The British couple that lives there is picking us up at the airport for a fraction of what it would cost to take a taxi and seems willing to go above and beyond to see that my friend and I get the lay of the land.

What's new is old

The Kessler, Dallas

The Gypset Style website is finally ready!

Lee Harvey's calendar

Babooshka faux leather turban

The Dallas World Aquarium

Saved by the Bel

Hotel Belmont has a good calendar of events this summer, and almost everything is free.
Can't beat the views of the Dallas skyline that the pool area and Bar Belmont offer.

Nawlins

Crashed at India House, a hostel in New Orleans, on the trek back from Miami. Can't wait to stop there again in August on the way back to school, and when I go to Mardi Gras in 2012, I will definitely plan waaayyy in advance so I can snag a bed at this bohemian party pad.

Notice the high water mark on the fireplace from Hurricane Katrina

 Waiting for the trolley on Canal St. 

There's a stop literally within 200 ft. of India House. All it takes is $1.25 and a little patience, and the Canal St. trolley will take you within walking distance of any place you'd want to go in the French Quarter.

There's all kinds of murals scattered over the walls.

I crawled into bed in the dark so as to minimize disruption to my fellow anonymous roommates. This is the first thing I saw when I woke up in the morning.

After we got back from dinner and meandering in the French Quarter, we chilled out back while checking e-mails and returning phone calls. Linger there for more than a few minutes and before ya know it, you could be chatting with a second string British soccer player or listening to a Ph.D student explain how a relative accidentally decapitated himself with a chainsaw.

Headin' back to Dallas

Elephantastic

The Elephant Experience Weekend

International School for Elephant Management

In Arkansas of all places!

More Boss than the Biltmore

Checked into The Standard for Easter weekend, and it is now my favorite hotel in Miami. Dogs lounge with their owners by pool. All kinds of boats are constantly pulling up to the dock. The bathtubs are on the balconies. The lobby decor is kind of 60's mod California. The hamman spa is pure bliss, and open til midnight. Everything about it is incredibly groovy.

Philly

Philadelphia Magic Gardens

Oh, the (trippy) possibilities!

No false idols here

There are four people I idolize: Jane Goodall, Greg Mortensen, Julia Chaplin, and Chelsea Handler. I saw Greg Mortensen (author of Three Cups of Tea and living proof that one person can make a difference) speak last year, and this weekend I sacrificed the majority of Ultra's Friday lineup (including Tiesto and David Guetta) in order to go to Chelsea's book signing at Books & Books and her stand-up show at The Fillmore. If you can, go see her show before you read the latest book; she recycles a lot of material.  It doesn't make her any less hilarious...you just lose some of the element of surprise.

Two down, two to go. Jane Goodall should probably be next target- she isn't exactly young.

 

(Right) Still in my Ultra getup at Chelsea's show at the Fillmore.  

Cusco

The view from our hotel room...

Cotton top I picked up at the Khan El Khalili bazaar in Egypt a couple summers ago

Gourd guy in Chinchero

Trying on an alpaca hat in the Pisac market

Babies...I'm still amazed they don't fall out of the slings strapped on their mothers'/sisters' backs.

Stopped and had a late lunch at Rio Sagrado overlooking the Urubamba on the way to Ollantaytambo.

Los Perros - the coolest little restaurant ever. Incredible wontons.

Sacrilegious? Ehhh.

This is from my last night in Cusco. Nothin' like sittin' on a big rock overlooking the city and enjoying a nice box of wine.

One of my best friends visited me this weekend.

H&M crop jacket. black Target maxi dress. black gold leather bracelets from Capri, Italy

Friday we went to Monty's down by the marina in Coconut Grove.

Saturday I took her to South Beach. We had lunch at D'vine Hookah Lounge on Lincoln Road and she found a great paisley maxi dress at Alvin's Island on the corner of Lincoln and Collins. Once you get past all the touristy t-shirts, they actually have some really cute dresses towards the back left corner of the store.

Saturday night, we initially tried to go see Amanda Blank at the Electric Pickle down in the Design District, but it was a $10 cover and we got kind of intimated by the hard core looking people walking ahead of us... So we just went to the Crazy Pianos located within Cocowalk. Crazy Pianos is always fun, but I stumped the cover band with my request for Rockin' the Suburbs by Ben Folds. I wish I would have requested Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by the Police instead.