Come On Down To Florida

Come on down to Florida, I got somethin’ for ya. We could see the kilos, on a keys, baby, oh yeah. Lana Del Rey as an entry seemed like a pretty good idea for this post about my trip to Tampa, Florida a few weeks ago. I flew out on January 24th with one of my best friends for her father’s second wedding. Because same-sex marriage became legal on January 6th, her two dads thought it was the perfect time solidify their 14 year union. Incidentally, it was also the perfect time to escape New York. We left just in time to skip the winter storm Juno entirely. Lucky us!

We packed our bags with lighter clothes and bikinis to head out to a much warmer climate. Once we landed, Eli’s dad Paulo greeted us with his fiancé Mark, with open arms and a trunk full of booze. We made our first stop at the market in their neighborhood to pick up lamb chops for our first dinner there, then arrived at their beautiful condo to settle in. Later, we all headed out to the community deck to grill our chops and drink wine. It was definitely a much-needed evening of relaxation.

The next day was Paulo’s birthday and we had reservations at the restaurant Ulele, so Eli and I got all dolled up to celebrate in style. I wore a black dress and shoes by Alexander Wang for H&M with a velvet cape blazer by Nasty Gal. The weather was fabulous and the dinner was amazing! For an appetizer I ordered Okra Fries, while Eli ordered Florida Jumpers (frog legs). It was our first time eating those little guys, but to be honest, they taste just like chicken. The tuna I ordered for my main course was also really good. We drank red wine and sang Happy Birthday when dessert came our way. The night was topped off with more wine back at the condo, along with talk about my interest in tattoos and life as Floridians for the couple.

In the morning Eli and I jumped out of bed for freshly squeezed blood orange Mimosas and a huge breakfast spread. With our full tummies we took a peek out on the balcony for some sun in our bikini tops and shorts (as seen in my featured image). The following days were spent by the pool with cold beer. Even though the sun made the temperatures feel like it was 80 degrees, the swimming pool water was still very cold. But no matter, we basked in the sun either way, even on the guy’s big day. Eli and I sneaked in some rays before we got glam for the wedding.

Prior to leaving Manhattan, the night before my flight, I quickly popped into Bloomingdales in SoHo in search of a LBD. I came across a stunning black dress from Sandro that I immediately snagged because it was gorgeous and on sale. I paired the dress with shoes by Steve Madden. The wedding brought tears to my eyes, but I couldn’t allow myself to ruin my makeup, so I cried on the inside like a winner. Everything from the Brazilian hors d’oeuvres to the polka-dot and swirl cake, was perfect. Everyone just watched in awe as the two newlyweds partied in bliss.

After the wedding Eli and I helped gather things back to the condo where we continued the festivities. It was turn-up city and the population was five. A neighbor of Paulo and Mark’s came back to finish the champagne and party with us. We stayed up till the wee hours of the morning. Since Eli and I only had one more day to enjoy sitting poolside, hangover or not, we showed up in our swimsuits (in my case a Jocelyn Fifi Marabou Feather bolero and Emilo Pucci triangle bikini) to drink beer by the pool. The next day we had an early morning flight so the night ended with an unglamorous family trip to Five Guys for greasy burgers and fries, then off to bed.

The trip was a really fun break from New York and the beginning of my travel diary. I hope you enjoyed these images just as much as I enjoyed taking them. I would love to know your thoughts in the comments below.

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