The beau and I returned last week from a long-delayed honeymoon of sorts with much heavier bags than we’d left with three weeks earlier. Among our stops in Spain, France, and Italy, we picked up fantastic items that made the extra kilos on our shoulders worth it. Here are some of my personal favorite mementos:

If you’re a New York-area resident in need of a satisfying getaway, there’s no need to arrange a big-deal vacation! Make like Napoleon and keep it short!  Drive up for a weekend in Montreal and experience the culture of French Canada, with the convenience of only being a half-day’s drive from home.  Leave work early on a Friday, get the F out of town, and you’ll be rolling into Montreal in time for dinner and drinks!

Friday Night: Check in to your hotel and check out your local bar!

When I travel to a charming city, I often prefer a boutique hotel or B&B.  However, online searches for boutique hotels can lead you to dozens of places grotesquely decorated with flowery old-lady crap.  Frilly beds, lace curtains, and gaudy headboards do not make me feel at home, and they especially clash with my boyfriend’s boots and beard. I recommend staying at the Montreal Espace Confort. This simple (and reasonably-priced) auberge is located in a youthful neighborhood, steps away from decent bars, restaurants, and shops. The rooms are clean, with internet access, private bathrooms and kitchenettes. There is also parking right around the corner!

Take a stroll just around the corner to La Distillerie for a drink. This dark, unpretentious college bar has a laid back vibe- perfect for unwinding your first night in town.  They serve amazing cocktails in large mason jars! Try the OMFG (Oh My Fantastic Grapefruit):  A spin on an Old Fashioned made with Jim Beam, Pamplemousse (French Grapefruit), and Cynar (an Italian liquor made from plants & herbs)!

Saturday Day: Take a walk!

Take a left out of the hotel and walk north along St-Denis.  At times the walk may look like there’s nothing of interest, but press on all the way to Mont Royal and along the way you’ll find lots of great shops like Urban Outfitters, American Apparel and LUSH, in addition to these great local hot-spots:

Memento Vintage Clothing: Memento is a fantastic vintage clothing shop. On our visit, my boyfriend scored a great vintage denim Levi’s shirt at this shop. We chatted a while with the owner, a professional collector of vintage who was at that time contributing costuming to the film I’m Not There, about the life of Bob Dylan.

Beatnick Record Shop: Beatnick is a great little record shop with fair prices, and a wide selection of vinyl ranging from soul to psychadelic rock.  You never know what you’ll find!

Snack Time: First, stop at ChuChai (or their sibling restaurant next door named Chuch) for awesome vegetarian Thai food! They have a delicious take-out counter, but we sat and ordered off the menu – something with ‘crispy spinach’ that blew our minds.  For a tasty dessert, keep walking on St-Denis to Suite 88 Chocolatier. Their website aptly compares their chocolates to jewelry, but they should call it ‘droolery’. Their drool-inducing fine chocolates are displayed like gems in modern glass cases.  Purchase a little chocolate snack, or some gourmet gelato, and take a break in their fashionable seating area!

Keep on the trail, and make a right at Avenue Mont Royal where you’ll find more clothing and record shops, bars, and restaurants like the fantastic Misto! Then, Circle back through the Parc La Fontaine, taking in the beauty of the park and the neighborhood. You can also rent bicycles here! Make your way back to your hotel to rest up before nighttime!

Saturday Night: Old Town

For your Saturday night out in Montreal, head on over to Old Town!  The ambiance of Old Town is spectacular, with ornate buildings, cobblestone streets and horse-drawn carriages.

A really rad casual dinner spot in Montreal is Stash.  Its an authentic polish restaurant with menu items including pierogies, potato pancakes, borscht and much more!  Stash’s delicious food is only matched by its great ambiance.  With its old stone walls, wood beams, large rustic wooden tables, and a hip looking young dude playing songs on the piano ranging from the Sound of Music to Everything in its Right Place by Radiohead (no kidding), Stash’s charm has stood out in my memory.

For a fancier dining experience, make reservations at Bonaparte.  The food is terrific, and they have small intimate tables set-in against the restaurant’s front windows, so you can look out onto the streets of Old Town and the horse-drawn carriages passing by.

After dinner, walk over to Garde Manger for drinks.  This bar and restaurant is often a crowded hot spot- but its right up your alley if you’re looking for some great drinks and excitement. Perfect for some Saturday night fun!

Sunday: Picnic!

Once you check out in the morning, load your car up with your things, and drive back up to Avenue Mont Royal to pick up some brunch for a Sunday picnic.

Boulangerie Premiere Moisson is a small grocery with stations selling pastries, breads, cheeses, prepared spreads and more.  It even has a prepared foods counter where you can order up sandwiches, amazing side-salads, and classic french dishes like Croque Madame.  Order some tasty dishes to go, and head east to the Montreal Botanical Gardens!

Bring a blanket and set up a picnic somewhere among the vast property of the Montreal Botanical Gardens Arboretum.  If they still allow it, you might even be able to bring a bottle of wine – just don’t forget the corkscrew like I did

Then check out the gardens, the Biodome, and definitely don’t miss the Insectarium- it’s pretty fly! Ha.  By late Sunday afternoon, you should be ready to head out of town with great memories of amazing, beautiful, and delicious Montreal!

The beau and I are celebrating this year (the year of out 10 year anniversary and my, well, substantial up-coming birthday) with an unheard of three week vacation to the coasts and some selected cities of Spain, France, and Italy. I am so excited that some days it’s literally all I can think about… And having done so much thinking, considering, and planning, I figured I’d share some of my favorite items from my packing list.

Since this is a relatively long trip and we’re covering a lot of ground, it’s important that we pack lightly and pack well. The few items we bring will have to take us from posh hotel bars in Barcelona to the countryside of Umbria and from the sandy playgrounds of St-Tropez and Capri to the gritty streets of Marseilles and Rome. Therefore pretty much everything has to pull double-duty. No cocktail dresses too fancy to wear over a bathing suit to the beach or shoes that I’ll only wear once. As habitual over-packers, the two of us are going to have to plan down to the last pair of underwear (which makes me think: just how many pairs should I bring for three weeks, I wonder?), and here’s what I have planned so far:

Now that Memorial Day is behind us, we have officially kicked into the summer rental season.
What? Your not renting a fab house this season? No worries, you’re a jet setter: chances are you have friends that are!
It is unbelievably important to review the proper etiquette of being a guest even if it is just for the evening or a weekend. I mean, you want to be invited back again next year, right?
Since you are of the jet set you are probably well versed, but even the most seasoned guest could be reminded of a few helpful hints:

• Promptly RSVP. Most invites these days are informal, via email or a phone call. For example, during a phone conversation perhaps your friend will say “Why don’t you head over to our place/rental this weekend?” It is important that you either confirm your attendance immediately or by end of day. Your host needs to know if the guest room will be taken. If not, then she can offer the room to another guest. It is very rude to keep your host hanging… and a easy way not to get invited in the future.
• Arrival & Departure. After confirming that you would love nothing more than to visit, be sure to plan your arrival and your departure, just like you would at any other five-star resort. This clearly defines for both the hostess and you what time to check-in and get the party started as well as when it is time to “jet”. Overstaying your visit is a big jet setter no-no.
• Hostess Gift. It is de riguer to bring a hostess gift to show your appreciation. Remember: they didn’t have to invite you. They could have spent a relaxing weekend at the house alone. Show your appreciation for the invite. After all, you are getting a stay at a vacation house for free. My suggestions for great gifts that guarantee future invites are:
  • Send a bouquet of flowers prior to your arrival with a thoughtful note “Looking forward to spending time with you this weekend.”
  • Candles. A hostess goes through candles like a drag queen does mascara. So buy a bunch of tapers and tie them together with a beautiful ribbon.
• The Routine. When you arrive start your small talk by getting familiar with the family routine. This shows that you are considerate of their needs. A gracious host will stay up until their guests turn-in for the night. If you find out that they usually go to bed around 9; then retire to your room at that hour and finish your NYLON magazine until you fall asleep. Just as important as bedtime is the morning routine. Inquire what time breakfast is so that you get a feel for if they are early birds. Nothing is worse than sleeping in to find out your hostess had breakfast on the table. Hate to break it to you; if they are early birds you should be too!
• Meals. It is important to give your hostess a heads-up if you have any dietary restrictions or preferences in food. You may find yourself taking a trip to the market with her, if so do pay for the groceries. Inquire if you can help in any food prep and if you are not taken up on it, try to keep her company in the kitchen whilst she caters to your needs. If you find yourself dining out every meal, it would be in good form to pick up one of the checks (I like to use my “bathroom break” to go to the hostess or waiter and give them my credit card prior to the check arriving at the table to ensure all is taken care of).
• Pets. If you are allergic, take your Zyrtec before arriving and leave it at that. It is so insulting to have a guest go on and on how allergic they are to cats when “Meow Meow” is roaming around. Please do not assume that a invite includes Fifi. If you always bring your Chihuahua with you wherever you go, inquire if Fifi is in the plans. Lastly and perhaps most important, do not scold or try to discipline your hostess pet; this is clearly not your role. If Spike keeps trying to hump your leg, demurely fend him off; I’m certain your hostess will be mortified and take the necessary steps to prohibit that from happening again.
• Your Room/Bathroom. Even if your best friend happens to be a trustafarian with staff,  MAKE YOUR OWN BED and keep the room tidy as it was when you first arrived. If your guest room is sans bathroom and you have to share a bathroom in the hallway keep your trips limited to 30 minutes at a time at most. Remember to wipe down the sink to remove toothpaste trails as well as any hair in the shower drain (this is a major pet peeve of mine).
• Be Careful of Personal Differences. Do not throw a hissy fit if the quaint town your visiting does not have a Starbucks. Deal! If your hostess goes to Church on Sundays mornings and you’re an atheist, figure out a way to keep yourself entertained.  If your host is vegan and you’re a carnivore…. guess what? You’re a vegan too that weekend! The hostess always leads…..
• Merci! We all know the importance of a handwritten note. Take the time to pull out your Mrs. John L. Strong stationery and reflect on a funny part of the weekend or piece of advice dispensed that stuck with you with your heartwarming gratitude.

The weekend will fly by, but nothing beats the memories crafted with good friends. They last forever.

Photo by Dilipkumar via Flickr.

One of the founding principals at OMFGstyle.com is that all the cool people we know have great things to share. And we know cool people all over the place. So we got to thinking, and put out a call to all the cool kids we know all over the world asking them to tell us about their city, as if we were coming for a visit (i.e. “give us the real scoop, not the Fodor’s Guide version”). We’re collecting all the tips and recommendations and sharing them with you, one city at a time…

City: Los Angeles, CA
Why it rocks: Easy access to great food, museums, beaches, and mountains
Interesting factoid: Locals love to brag about the fact that you can surf and ski in the same day, although few actually do.
Best time to visit: July – November
Why: the beaches have a high chance of fog in may and june and the rains start in winter. DineLA does restaurant week twice a year – check their website if you plan to eat your way across town.

Insider: Tara DeMarco
Profession: visual effects artist
Age: 32
Hometown: Andover, MA
Tell us a bit more about yourself: I am both an urban and outdoor girl. I love dive bars, rock shows, and great shopping. I also love snowboarding, cycling, and beach days.
How long have you been living in LA?: 3.5 years

Best beach: Zuma, Malibu
Why: avoid the crowds of Venice and go bodysurfing at the cleanest beach in the area. Stop off for some seafood at one of the roadside shacks on your way back down the coast, or stop at Duke’s barefoot bar for fish tacos and a hinano beer.

Where to stay, cheap: Downtown – Millennium Biltmore, Hotel Figureoa, The Standard, Westin Bonaventure, do a search on Travelocity or Kayak and find a downtown hotel with a good rate.
Why they rock: You’ll be close to several cool neighborhoods without paying for Hollywood or the Beach

Where to stay, bigger budget: Huntley, Santa Monica
Why it rocks: Gorgeous, comfortable and modern. There is a lovely bar/restaurant on the top floor with views up and down the coast. Walking distance to the promenade and Santa Monica pier.

Where to eat, breakfast: Huckleberry, Santa Monica
Why it rocks: Amazing fresh ingredients in a mouth-watering bakery. Get there early and beat the crowd.

Where to eat, brunch: Dusty’s, Silver Lake
Why it rocks: Great French breakfast with good coffee. Good place for a low-key star spotting.

Where to eat, lunch: Bay Cities Italian Deli, Santa Monica
Why it rocks: fresh bread and authentic sandwich ingredients. Go for the godmother if you love Italian deli meats.

Where to eat, dinner: Yamashiro (splurge)
Why it rocks: Located on a Hollywood hilltop in an ornate former embassy building, this location provides an amazing view of the city as well as delicious Japanese food.

Favorite bar, cheap: Cha Cha Lounge
Why it rocks: eclectic décor, cheap drinks, and decent music. Get there early-ish to secure a booth for your group and enjoy the people watching.

Favorite bar, splurge: Edison, downtown
Why it rocks: The Edison is one of the only LA bars with a serious dress code, but it’s totally work trading your chucks for heels. Located in a former power building, sip original cocktails in a posh-meets-industrial-antique setting.

Shopping, clothing and jewelry: American Rag Cie
Why it rocks: One whole room devoted to denim. Need I say more?

Shopping, music: Amoeba
Why it rocks: massive collection of vinyl, new and used CDs. Also check out vacation vinyl on sunset for a great selection of metal records.

Shopping, other: Fred Segal
Why it rocks: Classic LA shopping. Even if you can’t afford the boutique clothes, you can always afford kicks at their conveyor mini-store.

Music venue: Troubadour, West Hollywood
Why it rocks: small enough to see your favorite band before they’re huge. Also check out Spaceland and the Echo.

Museum/Cultural Institution: Getty/Getty Villa
Why it rocks: both are free to the public with amazing exhibitions and gardens. The only cost is $8 for parking at either museum.

Sights/Walks/Neighborhoods not to be missed (and why):

• Vermont north of Sunset in Los Feliz is a great strip for vintage shopping
• Culver City has tons of great galleries and an annual art walk
• Venice Beach boardwalk on the weekend is the place to see the original LA freakshow.
• Main St. Santa Monica on a Sunday has a very popular farmer’s market and good people watching

California dreamin’? Don’t forget to check out the OMFGstyle.com Bicoastal: LA playlist and our guide to San Francisco.

One of the founding principals at OMFGstyle.com is that all the cool people we know have great things to share. And we know cool people all over the place. So we got to thinking, and put out a call to all the cool kids we know all over the world asking them to tell us about their city, as if we were coming for a visit (i.e. “give us the real scoop, not the Fodor’s Guide version”). We’re collecting all the tips and recommendations and sharing them with you, one city at a time…

City: San Francisco
Why it rocks: Its city full of young passionate people. You can walk everywhere. Its really green (lots of trees) Its near Marin, which has beautiful hiking and beaches. Bike friendly and every body actually uses and rides their bikes. It’s politically charged and passionate, it harbors some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met!
Interesting factoid: There are 49 hills and they all have a name.
Best time to visit: Summer. April thru August
Why: You might catch some warm clear sunny days. When the sun is out the city is so beautiful its unreal.

Our Insider: Rhiannon
Profession: Non-Profit management/Media design
Age: 26
Hometown: Marin County/ Bay Area
Tell us a bit more about yourself: I am a 26 year old female who loves to travel. I have lived in NYC, Panama, San Francisco (which I told everyone was where I was going to settle down…) and now I live in Los Angeles, the city of constant sunshine.
I lived in San Francisco, Lower Haight, For two years. During of which I sat in parks with tall boys, read in cafes, worked, attended local neighborhood meetings about bike paths, tried to eat at every great restaurant, listened to music at every SF Venue and drink over-rated hipster coffee. I call San Francisco the city for 20 somethings.
How long have you been living/did you live in San Francisco?: 2 years, Bay Area 18 years
Calendar year(s): December 2008 thru January 2010

Where to stay, cheap: A friends couch or a friend of a friends couch
Website: Lower Haight, Mission
Why it rocks: Maybe you’ll get some free PBRs and a shot of whiskey, get taken to a house party and meet your future husband/wife

Where to stay, bigger budget: The Clift Hotel
Website: http://www.clifthotel.com/#/home/
Why it rocks: Trendy, amazing brunch, great elegant rooms

Where to eat, breakfast: Boogaloos. It’s the best for breakfast in the mission. Get there early on the weekends because the line can be insanely long, even the Mission hipsters wake up before noon to get to this place to eat. Lots of options for Vegetarians. The used to have a vegan menu as well.
Website: http://www.boogaloossf.com/menu.html
Why it rocks: Its in an old Pharmacy, you can’t beat that. The music is awesome, coffee is strong and the people who work there are super nice. Plus they have great art on the walls that you can purchase for super cheap.

Where to eat, brunch: Absinthe in Hayes Valley
Website: http://www.absinthe.com/
Why it rocks: Well, I usually splurge on dinner here once and awhile but a friend suggested brunch and I was blown away. Great mimosas, amazing buffet with everything your body needs on a lazy Sunday. Plus, when you’re done you are in Hayes Valley which has great shopping!

Where to eat, lunch: If the Sun is out I suggest going to Dolores Park in the Mission and stopping by the most amazing Deli on 16th for a Sandwich, fruit and a bottle of white wine. But if not go to Zeitgeist order a burger and from the outside grill, find yourself a spot on the picnic tables which you will share with many strangers and order a bloodymary ( which are the best in town) OH, the tamale lady is always there serving fresh tamales if you prefer.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/zeitgeistsf
Why it rocks: Everybody in San Francisco loves it here. It’s a great place to meet people. Seriously I met two of my best friends here after randomly sitting at their picnic table. I also met my first SF roommates here. They have a grill serving veggie burgers, fries, real burgers and more.

More Lunch places you ask? Try Ikes Place! Best secret you’ll every know. I will expect fan mail for sharing this spot. If you are a fan of sandwiches, even if you’re not, eat here. Line is out the door but it moves fast. More options then you can imagine. YUM, I am hungry just thinking about it. A word of advice, study the online menu before you go, so you know what to order once they get to you.
Website: http://www.ilikeikesplace.com/

Where to eat, dinner: Bar Tartine
Website: http://www.bartartine.com/
Why it rocks: Great atmosphere, amazing wine list and the food is seriously some of the best tasting food I have had in San Fran. They have a cheese selection with different honeys that is to die for. Plus you’re in the heart of the mission when your done eating… near all the best bars.

Favorite bar, cheap: The Uptown Bar
Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/uptown-san-francisco
Why it rocks: Music is great, Whiskey never runs out, good beer on tap, Couches, pool table and booths. What more can you ask for?

Favorite bar, splurge: NOPA
Website: http://www.nopasf.com/
Why it rocks: Best cocktails. Try the blue bottle martini. Blue Bottle Coffee is one of the best coffees in San Francisco. It will get your night jump kicked.

Shopping, clothing and jewelry: I always suggest walking around the mission and discovering the vintage clothes and tiny little shops on each block. But there is one store that stands out downtown called Shotwell. It has everything. Great finds whenever I go into that store.
Website: http://www.shotwellsf.com/
Why it rocks: You never leave empty handed.

Shopping, music: First off, find an SF gaurden newspaper. They are in every cafe in the entire city. Look up who is playing. San Francisco has some great venues, festivals and music. I have seriously had weeks where I went to a show every single night. Not joking. Favorite venues include: The Independent, Great American Music Hall and Bimbos. See a show at all three. If by chance you hear of a show at The Fox Theater in Oakland. Buy a ticket and take the Bart there, it will blow your mind away.
Website: http://www.thefoxoakland.com/

Things you MUST do:

• Walk: Go for a walk at Yerba Buena Gardens. I suggest taking the walk under the waterfall and make sure its a sunny day!
• Drink Blue Bottle Coffee at the rooftop cafe at SFMOMA. Rain or shine… its a must. Afterwards check out the art!
• Buy bags of Four Barrel Coffee for friends and family who need that kick!
• Walk the Golden Gate Bridge. Twice. Its that beautiful.
• Rent bikes, and bike everywhere.
• Go dancing at the Stud in SoMa.
• Watch a film at the Castro Theater
• Sit in Dolores Park on a warm Sunday. With Beer or booze of choice.
• Go to the independent bookstore Green Apple Books!

Sights/Walks/Neighborhoods not to be missed (and why):

• Golden Gate Bridge is a must. You can bike, walk, run, crawl across that bridge. Be prepared for wind. On your way back, check out Crissy Field in the Marina. I would suggest buying a kite before hand and flying one there.
• Take a Trolly…. come on! Its San Francisco.
• Eat Clam Chowder out of a bread-bowl.
• GO to lower haight and upper haight… again its San Francisco and we all know the history of Haight Asbury.
• While you are in the upper Haight, drink an old fashioned at the Alembic Bar.
• Find a map and walk everywhere.
• Sit in Alamo Square Park and remember the opening scene of Full house… Thats THE park. The view is also worth seeing.
• Walk around the Castro it’s a lovely part of town full of great food and lots of flowers.
• Dolores park is a must do, said that about six times but you will never get the real SF experience until you have brought a tall can to that park and people watched. We call it the hipster hamptons.
• Also, you must go to a San Francisco house party. Even if you are not formally invited and you hear a party going on in a random house… ring the doorbell most likely you’ll be invited up!

One of the founding principals at OMFGstyle.com is that all the cool people we know have great things to share.

And we know cool people all over the place.

So we got to thinking, and recently put out a call to OMFGstyle-type folks all over the world asking them to tell us about their city, as if we were coming for a visit (i.e. “give us the real scoop, not the Fodor’s Guide version”). We’re collecting all the tips and recommendations and soon we’ll be sharing it with you!

Over the next year, you’ll get the inside, cool-kid scoop on San Francisco, Reykjavik, New Orleans, LA, Prague, Montreal, Amsterdam, Miami, NYC weekend escapes like Woodstock and Northampton, and more… and only here, at OMFGstyle.com.

Do you have the cool-kid scoop on your city? Want to share it with us and our readers? Pretty please? Let us know! Post your city’s nomination on our Facebook wall or email it to Cody; we’d love to feature your town too.

For now, as a NYC-based site, I share with you recent, local city guides put together by an OMFGstyle.com favorite, design*sponge:
The design*sponge design guide to Jersey City
The design*sponge updated design guide to Brooklyn

Despite the fiasco known as Dr. Phil, Texas has given us some pretty good shit: Patrick Swayze, Townes van Zandt, Dr. Pepper, and South By Southwest. Once a year, South By Southwest (SXSW), a massive convention of music and film for industry and fans alike, takes foothold in the city of Austin, Texas: the live music capital of the world. It’s a time and a place where it’s not the slightest bit uncommon to start doing shots at breakfast, or wake up wondering how a taco ended up in your jacket pocket. Its huge, its chaos, its fun, and more importantly, it’s days and days of endless shows, bands, parties, booze, tacos, and BBQ.

I’m pretty sure that every single one of those things is my favorite thing, so when my boyfriend’s band got offered a few shows down there, that ticket was bought faster than a hipster can slip on his corduroy cutoffs. So, here’s our plan:

Me and my dude are flying into San Antonio at midnight Wednesday, driving straight to a record label party in Austin, and hopefully arriving by 1am.  The rest of the band and a couple of friends will be driving to Austin straight from New Jersey in the band’s tour van, arriving to meet us sometime early Thursday morning. True to tour style, there are no hotel reservations, no arrangements made whatsoever… besides the shows that are booked. I love it.

We’re all so excited about this trip that many recent conversations (accompanied by tangy Hemingways and bubbly Sam Smith Ciders) have graduated into sessions of bittersweet reminiscence, revolving around old tour stories, grand excursions, fortunate mis-adventures… true tumbling-tumbleweed-type stuff.

Some memories are words of caution that help us to be better prepared this time around, but most just point out the good times to come. Whichever they are, I thought I would share some thoughts and tips about heading south for SXSW.

1.  Go with the flow!

Y’know how when you plan a vacation somewhere new you have to find places to eat, things to do, what to see, blah blah blah. Because you’re not from there, silly, and unless you have cool friends there you’ll spend half the time trying to find a place to hang. You’ll end up lost for half a day in the gay village and porn-shop end of St. Catherine’s with no Canadian money, like us on our first trip to Montreal.

At South-By, there’s so much going on: shows day and night, thousands of bands to see, dozens of parties to go to, hundreds of drinks to drink, and even free food to be eaten! (Tacos and BBQ, um…hello!).  So stop looking at tripadvisor.com like a nerd and just go, be free… in the words of Patrick Swayze, “like the wind.”

2.  Protect your ears and your sanity.

Bring earplugs, dummy.

I know you love music and you can’t keep it out of your soul, you’re a dancing machine and all that, but for god sakes, the music starts at noon every day and the party don’t stop until 8am the following morning!  Enduring days upon days of that can start to drive anyone nuts!  So bring dem earplugs kids, so you can hear yourself think… about what delicious BBQ item you want to eat next, or which douchey cardigan vest you hate the most.

These will also prove handy when you finally want to pass out, yet some annoying girl crashing at the same house or hotel as you won’t die already. Just die!

3.  Be Prepared to Get Wet!

At some point or another someone’s gotta invite us to their amazing swimming pool. I mean, Texas is a hot place, right? I imagine it as one of those places, much like Florida, where a massive percentage of homes have pools. And okay, even if that’s not true, I’ve heard many a band’s tour stories where they get put up in mansions or other crazy spots, so its damn well possible. I refuse to believe that we can’t find a swimming pool on this trip. So, if anything is squeezing into my bag for sure, it’s a swimsuit.

In the same notion of wetness, it seems also to be a consensus to carry Wet Wipes. I see the logic. You’re in bars all day, using bar restrooms, not knowing where you’re crashing, sitting out in the heat at times, perhaps you get some BBQ-saucey fingers.  A little clean-up and refreshment will be in order. So travel wipes are the way to go. So reasonable.

4.   Keep Things Close to the Vest

The day you go home, you wake up on a floor, under a kitchen table, with someone else’s T-shirt over your face, and pieces of cat food stuck to your arm.  You have no idea whether you dropped, sold, or intentionally hid your phone, and a couple hours later they finally find your keys in the backyard. So what I’m saying here is that it’s a good idea to find an easy way to make your belongings remain as close to your body as possible.

I’m thinking, buy a cross-body style bag or satchel, a chain wallet, a clip or carabiner, or hell, even a fanny pack. Whatever helps you keep the random bits that make up your life from ending up in the random bits that once made up someone’s dinner.

5.  Bring It Back With You!

You’ll be seeing bands non-stop for days, and you’ll be drunk, and therefore in love with everything. You’ll probably end up buying some shit. CDs, t-shirts, pins, bottles of BBQ sauce. Not to mention that Austin apparently has some great vintage clothing stores. So bring an extra empty tote, so you can bring back that pair of vintage Levi’s cutoffs for your uncle.

For the safety of myself and the people around me, I need to get the fuck on outta here for a minute.  I’ve never fought anyone in my life, but I’m pretty sure I’m a good week away from murdering your face if I don’t get some sun and fun up in my life, for serious.

So, I will be venturing to LA by my lonesome later this month to visit a friend and, hopefully, to reconnect with others I’ve lost along the way.  I’ve only ever been to LA for work and spent the bulk of my time on location in Pasadena, chomping craft services and trying to look important. I wasn’t. But this time, I am. I’m the most important girl in the fucking world and I travel alone.

Anyway, in the spirit of adventure, I compiled a small soundtrack of my upcoming journey for your listening pleasure.  The inspiration? Well, you know when you come out of the subway on a sunny day and you’ve got someplace to go and you’re amidst a million people, movin’ and a shakin’ in the big city, and you look up at the sky and start smiling and outstretch your arms and spin around in circles and everyone around you breaks into choreographed dance and the whole world hears your headphones and you’re the happiest you’ve been in a long time for no real reason other than being alive on this beautiful day with the best song you’ve ever heard in your life blasting your brain into a million sparkling pieces? That.

Let’s go on a little trip, shall we?

1. Little Garcon – Born Ruffians: This song soothes my soul when I’m descending for landing and convinced I have no more than ten minutes to live….’cause I don’t care just where you go, as long as it’s with me, ya know?

2. Relator – Pete Yorn & Stupid Scarlett Johansson: What? She is. Anyway, I’m pretty sure this song is perfect for picking up your luggage and looking around a crowded claim for a familiar face.  And amidst the chaos, you see it, and (s)he’s waving at you from across the room and you laugh to yourself and run over and have one of those hugs you see in movies that lasts for, like, days.  Also, skipping. This song is good for skipping. In the sun.

3. 1901 – Phoenix: Now you’re in the car and you’re off to somewhere great because, frankly, it’s just somewhere different then where you’ve been.  Also, wind through your hair. This song is good for wind through your hair.

4. Heartbeats – The Knife: You rented a shiny beach cruiser in Santa Monica and you’re riding it along Venice Beach to the Canals and you let go of the handlebars and wobble and almost crash into a garbage can and turn to your friends and laugh and grab a beer out of your basket and crack it while you peddle cause it’s hot and you’re thirsty.

5. True Affection – The Blow: Your friend needs to become scuba certified for a production gig he’s got coming up so you go along, cause why the hell wouldn’t you?  You’re floating around weightless and then a blow fish smiles at you because you’re probably high.

6. Time to Pretend – MGMT: A montage. Definitely a montage. You’re being shown around town, exploring corners and peeking under rocks. Speeding cars, loud bars, and bright lights. It’s fucking LA. You’re tan and your legs suddenly look great in shorts and life isn’t so bad after all.

7. Shake a Fist – Hot Chip: You’re drunk on alcohol and bliss, dancing in a bar you might never step foot in again so who cares? A spotlight shines down on you and you alone in the middle of a crowded floor and everyone around you gets swallowed by the shadows and it all blurs and you’re moving in slow motion with your eyes closed and there’s a strobe light and you’re sweating.

8. Sleepyhead – Passion Pit: Shit’s getting weird. It’s fucking late and you’re either in the passenger seat of a moving car, street lamps flooding the interior every couple of seconds. Or you’re in a living room, not ready to go to bed…dancing in the living room with your eyes closed, bumping into the coffee table and being sloppy, but charming. Totally adorable and charming.

9. Red and Purple – The Dodos: You’re hiking up a trail to a spot that overlooks the city and you’re completely exhausted but you try to act in shape cause it’s LA and people work out, right? But then you get to the top and it’s pretty awesome and you pat yourself on the back cause it’s beautiful and thank god you decided to get off the couch.

10. Red, Yellow, & Blue – Born Ruffians: You’re up in the air heading home and you might be terrified of falling from the sky, but right now, even that seems ok because you just had a fucking trip.

Hey, so, that was fun, guys! Let’s do it again soon sometime.

Ah, Mexico. Nothing like a mid-winter vacation (and, more importantly, tan) to lift the spirits. Fashion can be a way of traveling too, so add some tropical flair to your winter wardrobe and bring the felling of the tropics into your day-to-day.
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