Back from paradise

        Hey strangers! I'm finally back from vacationing! Starting out in Brooklyn, then to Long Island, back to the city for the Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival, Key West for a week, back to Long Island, and then finally home again.
       Here is a little glimpse into what the last few weeks consisted of, and what I made sure to pack for this epic adventure.

      First up: The Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival. This festival featured Buddy Guy, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, John Mayall, Quinn Sullivan, and He's My Brother She's My Sister. A dream lineup paired with the beautiful location of the world financial center made for a wonderful couple of days with friends and family.

       While visiting my boyfriend's home on Long Island, I was surprised with a date to a cut your own lavender field! Lavender By The Bay in East Marion, NY has a field with both varieties of lavender. The English variety (which is short stemmed) is used for cooking and baking, and has a more subtle smell. The French variety is used for potpourri because of its strong scent.
       We spent the afternoon cutting our bouquets, bought some homemade soap and postcards painted by the owner, and stopped for roasted sweet corn on the way back.

I wore: top from Free People, skirt from H&M, bag from Nine West, hat from Aerie. 

      Soon after it was time to leave for Key West. We arrived there Saturday evening, exhausted and hungry, and still managed to pack in almost a day's worth of activity. After settling in to the cottage we were staying at, we made our way to the famous Margaritaville for dinner. After taking in the Buffett-madness we headed down to Mallory Square, a place full of street performers, vendors, and interesting people.
      I got my tarot read by a woman on the main strip, sat by the water, and listened to the Cuban music being played around the corner.

 The cottage we stayed at was located right next Fort Zachary Taylor beach. Every time we had a free moment that was where I headed.

 I loved this woman's colorful outfit. Look at those beach bags!!

        Before the trip I had to do the hardest part of trip shopping/packing: buying bathing suits. I knew going in that there were three styles I was interested in. I liked the vintage high waisted/bustier look (remember that awesome Mara Hoffman suit in this Typographie post?), bohemian fringe top bikinis, and the floaty look of tops like this:

         I knew going in that this was pretty specific criteria for someone who was on a budget shopping in a relatively rural area, but my hopes were high. After having a near melt down about a half an hour into shopping, my dear mom convinced me to look at J.C. Penney- I was being too snobby.
       The rest was history. I found a perfect salmon polka-dot bustier and a purple fringe top set. They were comfortable, fit well, and at $25 a suit, near impossible to pass up.

  

My boyfriend also got a cool pair of swimming trunks from Cotton On. I love how classic the red looks with the white stripe and waistband.

          After a week in Key West with my boyfriend's wonderful family, it was finally time to say goodbye to paradise. We made our way back to Long Island and had a relaxing few days lounging by the water, crabbing, and catching up on sleep.

 I wore: black tank from Walmart (literally $3...), skirt from Rue21, belt from Free People.

    Over the course of a week in Key West we had snorkeled, visited Hemmingway's house, gone to a butterfly conservatory, drank coconuts right off the tree, and got a pretty good tan.  Until next time Margaritaville...