Key West: Where To Stay

There are so many options for accommodations in Key West. My recommendation, if you’re going to be there more than a day or two, is to do a vacation rental. Hotels are so expensive! Houses are more comfortable, about the same price and you’ll have a full kitchen which saves you on food costs. I’ve done vacation rentals in the Keys 4 times, and every time I’ve used Bone Island Vacation Rentals. Each stay was fantastic! They have several house options for all group sizes. This last time, we had ten people so we used the Seaport Suit which sleeps up to 12. (Take a closer look at it in my video) The house has three huge bedrooms with comfy king size beds. This makes for easy bunking with a friend, without having to spoon them all night to keep from falling off the bed.

There’s a fourth bedroom that’s a bit smaller, but that just makes it cozy!

The living room is huge! The pictures don’t do it justice. It’s got 2 couches and at least one is a foldout. The TV is great too, but c’mon… you’re in Key West! Don’t watch TV!

I absolutely love the decor, perfect beach house feel. Other amenities include two bathrooms, hot tub, all stainless steal kitchen, a balcony that has a great view of Simonton and finally…

A table in the hallway that’s perfect for a round of beer (or juice!) pong…

My interaction with the company has been nothing but positive. They have great specials in the off seasons and will give a decent discount for repeat customers. You should check them out!

‘Merica’s Birthday Celebrations

The U.S. of A. is about to have another birthday which means family time, fireworks and BBQ. Here are a few events happening in the Bradenton/Sarasota/Beaches area that look like they would be pretty fun.

First there’s the Independence Day Celebration at McKechnie Field. Take in a baseball game complete with fan giveaways, fireworks and a post game concert by David Nail.

If baseball isn’t your thing, there are extravagant (and FREE) fireworks shows at Sarasota Bay, Siesta Key, Bradenton and Palmetto. There is plenty of seating in the nearby parks, but get there early because spaces fill up fast! Unless of course you want to take your boat, or a friend’s, and have a little viewing party from the water!

Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key really know how to throw a birthday party. First the city comes together to celebrate with a fantastic parade, followed by music, food and fireworks!

Take your pick and enjoy the holiday! Happy birthday ‘Merica!

Tennessee Video 2013

This is just a glimpse into my trip from last week. It’s one of the best trips I have ever had! I can’t wait to go back to Nashville!

Also, if you haven’t seen my New York or Las Vegas videos, you should!

Shamrock Run 2013 & St. Patty’s Day Party

It’s official! I just signed up for the 2013 (1st annual?) Bradenton Shamrock 5k run! If you haven’t signed up yet, you should! There’s discounted registration until March 11, but it’s only $30 after that which isn’t bad either.

You can sign up online here. If you do online registration it costs an additional $3 something. If you’re cheap like me, you can fax it in an avoid that fee. Irish or not, hope to see you there!

Getting down in downtown Bradenton.

I wasn’t exactly born here, but I still consider Bradenton my hometown. It’s a small beach town, but there actually is a lot to do.  First there’s Main Street Live. They close down our small main street and bring in a live band, full stage and a bunch of food trucks. Sometimes there are other vendors selling things like roses, or sombreros…

They have special events throughout the year. The picture above was from Cinco de Mayo and the one below was New Years Eve..

NYE was complete with a ball drop, party hats and obnoxious horns to blow at midnight. If you live in Bradenton, chances are you are close enough to bicycle downtown. No gas money and no drinking and driving!

There’s also the Desoto Parade which is held every year around April. You’ll actually see chairs beginning to line the streets a few days before the parade, it’s kind of a big deal. Ok not that big of a deal, but it’s still pretty fun. There’s a 5k race that happens before the parade where you run through all of the people who are lining the streets. It’s a bit intimidating, but it’s also fun to have so many people cheering you on. I did this last year with my cousin..

We ran, got rained on, which cooled us off nicely, and then watched the parade. For St. Patrick’s day, they’re having another race with a pub crawl after. It should be a good time! If you’ll be in the area, it’s not too late to sign up!

So that’s a little bit of the nightlife but there are other things too, like the farmers market..

There’s fresh cheeses, breads, fruits, vegetables, pastries, dogs…

A clown…

Fresh Lemonade..

You might even see Bradenton’s own Yellow Bicycling Man…

I’ve been seeing him around town for probably the past decade. Always completely in yellow. Always on a yellow bicycle. Anyway, the farmers market is every Saturday with a special craft day once a month. There are a few things to check out when you visit or move to Bradenton. Let me know if there’s something I should add or check out!

Cats and “Hey Girl”… what could be better?

Domestic Imperfection hosted a Hey Girl link party for Valentines Day. I realize I’m a little late getting on this one, but better late than never! Even though I’m only in my 20’s, I’m already a crazy old cat lady at heart, so I thought it would only be right to Hey Girl my cat…

If you don’t know what “Hey Girl” is, it’s just a silly thing someone started by putting text saying “Hey girl…” and then some cute little saying. Here’s an example:

My favorite one that Ashley at Domestic Imperfection posted was one of her son…

Really cute right? I’m linking mine to the rest of the party, you should go check them out here! Some are ridiculously funny!

Barbershop Dance Party

When traveling, it’s always best to just go with the flow. Embrace whatever comes your way. On my first night in NYC, the first thing that came our way was a mid-week dance party in a barbershop. We had just gotten in that afternoon. We checked into our hostel and then went for a short walk around our section of The City. On our way back, when most businesses were closed, we saw all the lights on in one store and the music was PUMPING! After staring inside for several minutes, while making our best sad puppy faces, we got invited inside!

They were so welcoming! It turns out the place doesn’t actually double as a nightclub, but it was just someone’s birthday.

There was an abundance of food, Corona and dance partners. It was such a blast! Vaniella even got a to-go plate!