inspiration – lifeofacitygal

Hello 2020

As we begin a new year with such ambition and limitless opportunities, I would like to reflect on one of my favorite memories from 2019. That being a girl’s trip which celebrated my sissy’s 30^th birthday in Montego Bay, Jamaica. I could not have asked for a better group of girls to travel with for this special occasion. I was traveling from LA and was the first of the party to arrive. We had the pleasure of staying at the all-inclusive Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort & Spa with butler service included. I mean could it get any better than this? (Cues Fancy by Drake) I was welcomed by the friendliest staff with a nice rum punch. You cannot come to Jamaica and not indulge in a few good rum punches. While waiting for the girls to arrive, I decided to have lunch poolside with an infamous Bob Marley daiquiri. I knew from that moment alone this trip would be one for the books.

We had a few things on the itinerary for our trip. On our first night, the hotel hosted a silent headphone party. This was my introduction to this type of party and I had a blast. The multiple channel options of different music provided different vibes which was pretty cool. I would definitely want to attend another one of these. The following day we decided to be more adventurous and joined Jam West Motorsports & Adventure Park for a day filled with a slew of activities including horseback riding and an ATV excursion. It was an all-day adventure but completely worth it for the experience.

For our last full day, we decided to hang out at the resort and enjoy what was being offered right there at our fingertips. Laying out catching a few sun rays, indulging in the full salon and spa service and the unlimited cocktails from the swim-up bar were all ultimately apart of this day of enjoyment and relaxation. There was also different water sports or beach activities being hosted by the resort as well. A nice volleyball match in the pool or banana boat ride were just a few things that you could participate in. Not to mention the mini-bars cooking classic Jamaican dishes fresh to order to satisfy your mid-day cravings. This was by far the best day spent at the resort.

For the finale, the birthday girl planned an all-white dinner which we decided to have at the steakhouse at the resort. To make matters even better, one of the butlers made a special request to the chef to prepare oxtails for our party as well. I’m still craving these oxtails to this day. We finished the night with a champagne toast to more life, success, many continued blessings and endless laughs. I still remember the sounds of the ocean as I sat on the balcony and reflected on the great memories this trip had given me. From the start, I knew this trip would be special and the group of ladies that traveled to celebrate my sissy’s milestone birthday made it that much more special and memorable to me. Yea mon! I wanted to start the year off by sharing a great memory with my readers. For this year, there’s so much I would like to do and have come into fruition for Lifeofacitygal. Hence, I am making this a year of action. Here’s to creating more memories and continued growth. Stay tuned.

A Breath of Fresh Air

There comes a time when we all just need a breath of fresh air. I am still trying to master the art of meditation and simply have a clear mind of all thoughts but in the meantime, I will continue to do what I know best. That equating to taking short mental breaks. Often times we put pressure on ourselves unknowingly and really fail to take time to appreciate and be grateful for what we do have and how far we’ve come.

I recently traveled to DC with family to celebrate a high school grad. During the moments over that weekend, there were things that I learned to appreciate and value that much more. One being spending time with family and the other being to live in the moment and create as many great memories that you can. I am still working on my greatness and trying to do as much as I can for and with family. Consequently, I started this blog with family in mind. Just another way to connect us whether near or far and provide moments or experiences they can share with me. We all have our own path and have created the ways in which to follow that path but still be mindful a strong foundation is needed to go through your journey; foundation being family and friends. You always have them to go through the journey together.

While in DC, I still managed to bring some blog-worthy fits and wanted to share one of them with you. If you haven’t noticed, I love floral print. I’ve loved floral print for years and it doesn’t seem to go out of style or lose its trend-worthy looks. I found this lovely jumper at Target. Target never fails me. The new collections they have are very stylish and affordable. I paired this jumper with my go to natural mules. I haven’t found a replacement for these shoes yet that can match their comfort so until then, you’ll be seeing these 😊. The loose fit of this jumper was another win for me. I’m all about comfort these days so this look was perfect just for that reason alone. As mentioned before, Lifeofacitygal is a true passion project of mine dedicated to sharing travel experiences, fashion and food adventures; all things that I love. Hopefully reading this post gave you a breath of fresh air or encouraged you to get just that. More content coming your way. Thanks for your continued support!

Bloggers Who Brunch

I made a commitment to myself to be more consistent with my blog and dish out as much content as I can for you guys. The blogging community is huge in LA and I’ve been more active in terms of finding social events centered around blogging. I’m so happy to have discovered Bloggers Who Brunch. I mean it’s the best of both worlds. Nearly everyone has a blog, has a favorite blog they follow or nearing to create one in the future and EVERYONE loves brunch. So, this concept in itself is dope and will bring together a lot of like-minded individuals.

I had the pleasure of attending this event in collaboration with Bumble Bizz at the Grove in Los Angeles. Bumble Bizz is also focused on creating a space for creators and networking. Upon entry, you received 2 drink tickets which already was a good sign to me. Convos go so much better over a glass of prosecco or a cocktail right? They also had various set-ups for cute photo ops and many giveaways including a swag bag, t-shirt, mini notebooks and stickers. Oh not to mention they passed around mini chicken sandwiches and mini lobster roll hors d’oeurves. Another win for the event.

There were no formal introductions of the creators of Bloggers Who Brunch or panels with the other influencers in the blogging community so it was all up to you to get out of your comfort zone and actually talk to people; I did like that aspect. I met some cool people including those that were starting to blog as well, creators of new YouTube pages, up and coming photographers and a brand consultant/stylist. All of whom I never would have met or spoken with if it weren’t for this event. I will definitely be staying up to date with this group and upcoming events for the future.

A Better Me

With the new year comes all sorts of dieting, fitness goals and abrupt changes to accomplish being “a better YOU”. I’ve never really been into resolutions for the new year or implementing new life goals for the new year. However, this year my aunt spoke with me about the Daniel Fast and asked me to participate along with her. Since she told me this 2 days beforehand, I agreed to fast but with modifications. I had to mentally prepare for this thing you know since it started on New Years day. I decided to eliminate all meats, bread and sweets for the duration of 21 days and I started this commitment on January 2nd.

Just to give you guys a little background about me, I absolutely love food! It’s kind of my thing being a foodie and all. I jot down restaurants that I see on my drive home, follow other foodies and see their suggestions and pretty much indulge in anything food related. So, to commit to this fast was a big deal for me. The first couple of days were a bit tough because I didn’t realize how much stuff I consumed that had bread as the base and neither did I realize I ate so many sweets. After the harsh first few days, my body became acclimated somewhat quickly. The mornings were simple. My favorites were fruit and smoothies. For lunch and dinner, I normally sautéed veggies and I ate a ton of sweet potatoes and avocados. While on this fast, I learned about various vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the LA area too. I hadn’t paid attention before but there are a lot of options if you’re a part of the vegan community.

On the last day, I called my aunt and told her I made it through the fast. I will be truthful and say I had 2 French fries and 2 alcoholic beverages during the 21 days. I didn’t commit to giving up fried foods or alcohol but those kind of fall in that “don’t eat category” when I thought about this fast so I just gave those up as well. Water became my best friend and now I just go for water more now as my first beverage choice as I should anyways. I haven’t even indulged in coffee since the fast ended on 1/23 and I feel pretty good about that since I normally start my day with a fresh cup of coffee. The fast helped me to see and appreciate a lot of principles that I normally don’t pay attention to. Discipline, faith and commitment are the biggest ones I would like to mention. We often doubt ourselves and say we can’t do or commit to something before we even try. I was so proud of myself throughout this journey because to be frank it was quite tough to go out and order the “healthy food” or all veggies or NOT stop by neither of the 100 donut shops in LA you pass everyday. I can say I feel better energy wise and overall I just feel more connected and in tune with myself. Now I will not say I’m not eating meat again but I will be mindful of the intake of it along with other things that I was so use to consuming before. I’m a continuous work in progress so here’s to a better me!

The DAMN Tour

I have been a fan of Kendrick Lamar for quite some time now. To see how much he’s grown as an artist is just simply amazing. The first time I saw him live was back in 2009 or 2010 at 1OAK in Las Vegas. The next time was at an intimate art gallery space in Brooklyn. I’ll save the story behind how I finessed my way in but it was definitely worth it seeing that it was right after the release of Good Kid Maad city. The time after that, I saw him again in Brooklyn, Williamsburg to be exact, and he did a show for like $10 or $15. This was around the time the Meek Mill beef was introduced and quickly ended once Kendrick made it clear he was not a force to be reckoned with. The next time I saw him live in concert was right after my birthday celebration in Vegas in 2015. I literally hopped off my flight and went to Terminal 5 in New York to catch Kunta’s Groove Sessions. Something about him and his performances that I never want to miss. So here we are now to speak about the DAMN Tour.

When the album first released I couldn’t wait to hear it. There was so much anticipation for it. I wanted to know the theme he would have for this one, the overall tone of the album, if any artists would be addressed, etc. After hearing the complete project, to say I was elated would be an understatement. I listened to both Element and Lust over and over again, loved the vocals from both he and Rihanna on Loyalty, reminisced about my own childhood with Fear and smiled uncontrollably on my train ride to work when I heard ‘God’. At the time when the news about the DAMN Tour was released, I stayed in New York and decided that I wanted to experience the show in Los Angeles. Fast forward a few months and I not only relocated to California but kept my wish and saw Kendrick live at the 2^nd show in Staples Center. To be able to attend the show in LA meant everything to me.

Before the show, Kendrick tweeted about a pop-up being hosted at Blends in Downtown Los Angeles. Of course I stopped by and was able to snag a tee. The wall was plastered with the iconic picture from the DAMN album and filled with merch including DAMN tees, coach jackets stamped with ‘Pray for Me’ on the front and tour dates on the back, hats and hoodies. The pop-up setup was very simple but effective. Okay now I can re-focus on the tour highlights.

The tour opened with the high energy of DRAM and Travis Scott. Both did a phenomenal job live but the performance from Travis Scott on the eagle throughout his set was pretty epic. The Butterfly Effect and Goosebumps would have to be my favorites of the night from him. Now it was time for Corn Row Kenny himself to make an appearance. The moment was finally here. A brief news clipping aired while smoked filled the stage and then Kendrick appeared with a yellow tailored fit for his DNA opening performance. The crowd went wild! As the night continued, Kendrick stayed true to the Kung Fu Kenny theme with interactive film scenes and live fighting scenes to add to the theatrics of the show. Although this was a tour for DAMN, I loved how he gave the audience hits from prior albums. He comforted us with “Alright” and let us knew that no matter what even when being tested in this thing we call life, we will be alright. The momentum of the crowd continued to heighten with each song from Good Kidd Maad City including ‘Money Trees’ and ‘Swimming Pools’ and we even got to his infamous untitled album with his performance of ‘Levitate’. Everyone sang every word and we even got to show our true talent with our acapella version of ‘Humble’. I watched all of the performances of each song in pure amazement and awe. I know I actually experienced this show to the highest potential because I didn’t get a lot of video. I wanted to be in the moment and actually enjoy the show. The final song the Compton born legend performed was very fitting; the song entitled ‘GOD’. I will continue to follow him throughout his musical journey and I’m so glad he shares his life and experiences with us through his lyricism. You may not grasp the full message the first go round or second or third. But once you really listen and consume his music the way he intended, there are meaningful and powerful messages throughout each album. Kendrick Lamar I thank you! Enjoy my instastory below and a few snapshots of the pop-up.

Kendrick Lamar- The DAMN Tour, Staples Center from Lifeofacitygal

California Dreaming: A Leap of Faith

As of June 9, 2017, new beginnings were just ahead for me. That was my official last day at my current 9-5 and my final night living in NYC. My husband and I decided we’ve conquered the jungle and wanted to change the pace just a bit. Be somewhere more aligned with our lifestyle and actually be more at comfort while at it. We decided to take our talents west. All the way west to the City of Angels better known as Los Angeles. The next morning we finished packing, loaded a Caravan and started a journey towards our true dreams. When I shared this story, a lot of people could not wrap their finger around the decision to quit a full time job without having another one and the idea of abruptly leaving NYC to road trip it to California. We also didn’t have a place of our own just yet. This just added to the craziness and idea of packing up and taking it across country with pretty much ourselves, clothes and shoes.

It took 3 days to make it to California with 2 pit stops in Texas; one in Dallas and the other in El Paso. After trying to capture all of the state welcome signs, I finally saw the one I had been waiting to desperately see after over 30 hours of travel. Welcome to California!! Within 2 weeks, I landed a job and a little before 3 weeks secured an apartment. I say all this to say, never give up on your dreams and do not live a life with fear. With the faith of a mustard seed, things were able to come into fruition and just fell into place so perfectly. I’ve made a number of trips to LA and decided awhile back this would be my next home. So many things I have yet to do but I now can scratch off move to Los Angeles 🙂

Thank you for staying with me on the journey with Lifeofacitygal. This is a passion project of mine and I will continue to bring great content, food recommendations and a bit of fashion sense. That being said, this cute little number came from one of my favs, H&M, and is absolutely perfect for LA nights. I paired it with my classic neutral mule to give me a little height due to the length of the dress. Stay tuned for more greatness and again thank you for your continued support. Don’t forget to share this with a friend!

Powamekka Cafe

What happens when Tupac envisions his own restaurant and leaves the blueprint for the concept? Sweet Chick, nestled in the Lower Eastside of Manhattan, brings this idea to life 20 years later and becomes Powamekka Cafe for you to enjoy over a 3-day stint. It was time for yet another much needed catch up and I’m so happy she suggested going to this.

The cafe was filled with pictures of Tupac from childhood to adulthood, portraits of what I took to be some of his musical influences and even newly designed restroom signs for the “playaz” and “divaz”. Handwritten notes from Tupac about the restaurant concept, infamous quotes from the artist himself and never seen before poetry also lined the walls of this pop-up cafe. Classic songs from Tupac flowed throughout and definitely made you feel his presence. Although I knew this was not going to happen, it felt like at any given moment Tupac was going to appear surprisingly and thank the patrons for stopping by and supporting his vision. That’s just how much the ambiance made you feel his presence even in his absence.

The menu was made up of the artists’ favorite meals so for my entree I went with the meatloaf. This wasn’t just ordinary meatloaf; it actually was made with duck and short rib. The dish also came with mashed potatoes and a creamy mushroom sauce. Delicious is an understatement for this one. I cannot recall what was in my mixed drink but I definitely picked it solely based on the name “Queen of Cali”. Overall I was very happy with my experience at this Tupac inspired restaurant and Sweet Chick did a phenomenal job of executing the concept that was laid out for Powamekka Cafe. Enjoy the pics below.

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Meet Tia: Whole New You

When one of your favorite girlbosses comes in town, you must be where they are right? Despite the rescheduling due to the snowstorm and the brittle cold, I made my way to see Mrs. Tia Mowry-Hardrict in support of her newest venture. She released a cooking/lifestyle book titled ‘Whole New You’ and the book signing was held at Barnes & Noble in the Tribeca area.

This wasn’t just your typical book signing. Like buy the book, hey guys I’m here, sign the book and then that’s pretty much it. Tia had an intimate conversation with us and did a brief Q&A as well. She discussed her new book of course, her battle with endometriosis which was a huge contributing factor for the book and gave helpful cooking tips. I definitely wouldn’t consider myself an executive chef over here but it was nice to hear that these recipes weren’t that intimidating or hard to make. I absolutely love Tia and everything she stands for. A successful actress, very family oriented, shows there can be true work life balance, host of her own cooking show and overall a real go getter. Tia is the epitome of a true girlboss and an inspiration to many many people, including myself. It was such a pleasure to finally meet her. I always thought I would see her randomly while in LA but New York you made it happen! Hopefully we will cross paths again soon as the journey of this citygal continues.

#Girlboss

The last couple of months had been pretty busy for me and led me to forget one of my #1 girlbosses, Sophia Amoruso, would be in town promoting her new book Nasty Galaxy. I missed the signing in Union Square on 10/4 and thought well I live in Brooklyn so I could catch her the following day. Unfortunately, after looking into this on the day of I discovered it was a ticketed event and already sold out. Bomber! I double checked the schedule just once more in case I missed another NY date and there it was. 10/20 at the Brooklyn Museum! This event was a part of an Q&A series sponsored by Squarespace on Thursdays and was absolutely free! Lucky me!

The Q&A was hosted by Alyssa Mastromonaco, COO of Vice Media. Also a pretty bad ass Girlboss herself coming from the deputy chief of staff and now chief of operations with Vice Media. The conversation went just as I expected. Very candid and you got to know a little more personal attributes about Sophia and her journey to becoming a notable girlboss with a spot on the Forbes list. Her latest book, Nasty Galaxy, was much different than her first, Girlboss, as the latter is more of a read dedicated to inform readers about her background and the many failures and successes that led to her now multi-million business Nastygal. Sophia also has a radio podcast infamously named Girlboss and an original series backed by Netflix coming in 2017. Nasty Galaxy is a must have coffee table book with dope photography, quotes from Sophia’s catalog of influential persons in her life and great stories of other girlbosses she’s met along the way.

Of course I purchased her new book at the event and to our surprise, were able to not only meet Sophia but snag a few pics too. Sophia you are definitely an inspiration and thanks for sharing your story! Girls rock!!