Friday Favorites: Round Three

I have to admit that the first week back from vacation was a long one – but none of that matters now because it’s Friday! Without further adieu, here is round three of my Friday Favorites list:

1. Lululemon Scarf

Yes, I realize this is out of season, but I got this scarf discounted at the Lululemon outlet in Myrtle Beach and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. Despite the fact that it was in the nineties on vacation, I found myself wrapping it around me at night as a light blanket. Here’s a video that shows 10 different ways you can wear it and there are tons of other videos out there showing even more ways.

2. Maybelline Line Stiletto

I’ve been making more of an effort recently to take better care of my skin, specifically my face and around my eyes. As part of that effort, I’m switching from gel eyeliner to liquid because it’s easier to apply without pulling your skin taught. I happened to have this eyeliner laying around, and I actually love it. For $4, it has great color payoff and staying power.

3. Eyes Shut by Years & Years

I hope everyone is getting used to hearing my favorite song each week, because it’s going to a permanent fixture on this list. My favorite this week is off the newly released “Communion” album by Years & Years. I hadn’t heard of this band before Apple Music (surprise, surprise) but I’m so happy that I know of them now. This is my favorite song off the album, but the whole thing is worth a listen.

4. Essie Topless & Barefoot Nail Polish

I’ve been a fan of Essie polishes since college, but I’ve just recently started wearing polish more often. Topless & Barefoot has to be my favorite so far – it is a beautiful pinkish nude that is perfect for both summertime and looking professional at the office. Bonus: the color is light enough that you can wait a couple extra days before removing it because the chips don’t show easily 🙂

Posts you might’ve missed on Arches & Arrows this week:  Myrtle Beach: Things to Do, Myrtle Beach: Restaurants

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I hope everyone has a great weekend! As always, you can follow my weekend on:

Instagram  // Twitter // snapchat (@hmsuver)

Myrtle Beach: Restaurants

Alex’s family has been going to Myrtle Beach for years, so they’ve found all the best spots to eat in the process. There are two places we typically go for dinner, either Broadway at the Beach or Murrells Inlet, which is about 25 minutes from Myrtle Beach.

Drunken Jacks – the first of the two restaurants I’ll be covering from Murrells Inlet and my favorite on this list.  Fair warning – I don’t think I’ve ever been there and waited less than a half hour for a table, and the wait is usually over an hour.  That said, it’s totally worth it. And there’s a great lounge with live music from 6-10 pm daily. Justin Mychals is the entertainer most often, and he is pretty amazing. He can play songs from today and years ago and plays country and popular music.  Justin is also so personable – whether it’s your first time at Drunken Jacks or your 100th time, he will come up and ask how your night is going, see if you have any requests, etc.

Once you get a table, you’re served fresh hush puppies with butter. Another warning, my friends, these are highly addicting. My favorite entree is the crab cakes, but I typically make a meal out of just clam chowder soup (best I’ve ever had) and way too many hush puppies!

Wahoos – Wahoos is right next to Drunken Jacks in Murrells Inlet.  They’re known for their fish, but I got the filet and it was amazing. It is served with a red wine demi glaze on top that is to die for. We also ordered some sushi while we were waiting to be seated that was delicious. I want to go back and try the Lemon Pepper Seared Tuna!

Margaritaville – Onto the restaurants of Broadway at the Beach. The first, and most popular restaurant that I’ve ever seen is Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. One day we walked up at 2:30 pm for a table and the wait was two and a half hours. People LOVE this place, and it’s easy to see why – it’s a great family atmosphere with fun decor and an hourly hurricane that dumps margaritas into a giant blender in the middle of the restaurant. My favorite dishes there are the fish & chips and signature fish sandwich.

Liberty Brewery and Grill – Liberty is a unique restaurant at Broadway because they also brew their own beer (and who doesn’t love that?) I tried the White Ale, which was delicious, but I wish I would’ve been more adventurous and got the Schweet Tea Wheat! There’s always next year… I ordered the fish & chips which were incredible when dipped into the accompanying spicy tartar sauce.

Amici’s – We dropped by Amici’s toward the end of our trip for lunch. I was getting a little bit sick of seafood by that time so I welcomed the Italian menu.  I ordered pepperoni pizza and loved it. I can’t really say what “authentic” pizza tastes like, but when I imagine it, it’s that pizza. The dough was perfect, the cheese was rich and delicious and the pepperonis weren’t too spicy or too sweet. Yum.

Hard Rock – Alex’s dad is probably in the top 50 Hard Rock fans in the world. Everywhere he goes that has a Hard Rock, he eats there. I love them too – the rock decor is fun and unique to each location, the music is great and I’ve never had a bad experience there. I tried the nachos for the first time on our trip and was not disappointed. It’s a massive serving of chips, cheese, pico de gallo, jalapeños and sour cream. What could be better?!

Overall, the trip was relaxing, the food was tasty, and the company was wonderful 🙂 You can’t ask for more than that!

Have you been on vacation this summer? Where is your favorite place to relax?

Myrtle Beach: Things to Do

Helloooo Monday – I’m back from a relaxing and sunny week in Myrtle Beach! I spent the week laying on the beach, eating great food, and spending time with my boyfriend’s family. It was a great trip! Today I’ll be sharing my favorite things to do there and Wednesday I’ll be covering the best places to eat 🙂

Broadway at the Beach  – Broadway is home to shops, restaurants, nightlife and other attractions. It’s the best combination of everything that you’ll find in Myrtle Beach. Below are a couple of my favorite attractions, but they also have a ton of unique shops that are worth seeing.

• Ripley’s Aquarium – I wasn’t sure what to expect from the aquarium except for that really bad fishy smell they all seem to have. Instead, Ripley’s was clean, not smelly and home to some pretty incredible creatures. We saw everything from Nemo clown fish to jellyfish to giant squid to sharks – it was amazing!

• Hollywood Wax Museum – we visited the wax museum on our trip last year and it was really cool. There are a ton of stars that you can get pictures with, a mirror maze and a haunted attraction called Outbreak that features zombies. There is something for everyone!

Outlet Malls – there are two Tanger Outlets within a half hour of each other in Myrtle Beach. TWO. Some of my favorite shops include Kate Spade, Fossil, Lululemon and J. Crew. I could spend a several days shopping at each mall, but it’s really the perfect way to escape the weather when it’s super hot or raining.

Medieval Times – this year was also my first time at Medieval Times. Though this may be considered more of a young family activity, my twenty-something self really enjoyed it (just see below 😀 ) The stands are divided into sections for each knight competing in the “Battle of Champions.” The show consists of a full dinner (eaten without silverware, per the time period) and a show in which the knights compete in several activities culminating in a jousting tournament. The show is fun for everyone and includes some impressive acts by both the actors and the horses!

#nerdalert

Pirates Voyage – similar to Medieval Times, Pirates Voyage offers a dinner and show. The show includes acrobatics, sea lions, tropical birds and mermaids on land and in the water.  The sea lions are adorable and the acrobatics are exciting! It’s certainly worth going to – again one of those family / younger kid things that I still think are really fun.

Here are a few other things to do in Myrtle Beach (though the list is really endless):

• Barefoot Landing
• Wonderworks
• Apache Pier

Friday Favorites: Round Two

Fair warning everyone – my favs this week are heavy on a vacation theme! I leave for Myrtle Beach tomorrow and it’s consuming all a lot of my thoughts 🙂

1. Weathered by Jack Garratt

I’ll start with the only thing that isn’t vacation based on this list – my favorite song this week.  It’s been playing on Beats 1 for the last couple weeks and was just released on Apple Music this week. I’ve listened to it at least 50 times since then!

2. LOFT Swimsuit

I bought this swimsuit in April and I’ve been waiting to go on vacation to wear it. I love the nautical feel of the striped navy & white, but also that the stripes turn into solid navy so it’s really figure flattering. My swimsuit is sold out, so I linked a very similar one from LOFT – if I didn’t have mine I would probably buy this one. I’m a sucker for anything black & white and this one has polka dots! So cute.

3. Lug Yoga Bag

My boyfriend’s mom got this bag for me and I’ve used it for countless things ever since – to and from the gym, yoga class, as my carry on, on weekend trips… you get the idea. It has pockets everywhere and storage for everything from a water bottle to keys to your smelly gym shoes. It is perfect.

4. L’Oreal® Paris Voluminous Original Mascara Waterproof

This mascara is an old favorite of mine that I had forgotten about until recently. I can’t believe I ever went away from using it! It adds incredible volume to my not so impressive eyelashes and is really waterproof. Perfect for the beach or walking around in the sunshine!

5. Fossil Mini Crossbody

I picked up this crossbody at the Fossil Outlet in Myrtle Beach last year and have used it more than I ever thought I would. It’s perfect for a casual summer night out, so basically for my entire summer! I especially love it with white jeans and light blouse. I linked another bag above that is on sale and has blue and white stripes – anyone else seeing a trend here? 😉

I’ll be taking next week off of blogging to enjoy beachin’, but please follow along on:

Instagram  // Twitter // snapchat (@hmsuver)

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Posts you might’ve missed on Arches & Arrows this week: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Girls Weekend in Louisville

Have a great weekend!

 

Louisville

On Saturday I headed to Louisville with a few of my girlfriends for a quick weekend escape.  We left Columbus around 8:30 am and made it to Louisville before noon! The car ride was just long enough to feel you were getting away for the weekend,  but not so long that you wanted to punch out a car window because you just spent the last several hours in the car (am I the only one who gets that way?!)

We drove straight to Ramiro’s Cantina for lunch. The complementary chips were served fresh and warm from the oven with both spicy and mild salsa – delicious! I ordered a Coronarita to drink and the chicken fajita quesadilla for lunch.  They were both amazing. The Coronarita wasn’t too sweet; the quesadilla had great flavor from the fajita veggies and a wonderful richness from the cheese. It was the perfect start to the day!

Hotel check in wasn’t until 3:00 pm, so we stopped by Haymarket Whiskey Bar on East Market Street for a beer. Yes, I know I should’ve ordered whiskey but it felt way too early in the day for that! Haymarket has a very retro feel thanks to the vintage arcade games in the back of the bar and a jukebox near the front.  The walls are lined with countless beer bottles and keg taps, while behind the bar is stocked with hundreds of bottles of whiskey. It was a great chill place to grab a cold beer in the afternoon and relax at the bar, but I can imagine it getting really busy at night.

After a couple drinks and walking around downtown in the mid-afternoon July sun, we were ready to check into our hotel. We stayed at the Residence Inn in the heart of downtown Louisville. It was the perfect hotel – everything was very clean and we were able to book a two bedroom, two bath suite for the five of us.

Freshly showered and ready for dinner, we headed to Against the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse. Against the Grain is located in Louisville Slugger Field within a former train station, adding character to the brew house and dining room. Despite this, we decided to enjoy the perfect weather in Louisville and enjoy our dinner on the patio. I ordered a “My Hammy Weiss” beer and the pulled pork sandwich with Gouda grits. My grits were a bit thin, but the pulled pork was tender and flavorful.

After dinner we went to Molly Malone’s and O’Shea’s on Baxter Avenue to enjoy the weather and see more of the city.

Since we were only there for one night we obviously didn’t get to see everything Louisville has to offer – here are the places on my list for the next trip!

• Fourth Street Live
• Kentucky Derby Museum
• Churchill Downs

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Two weekends ago my dad and I went to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio for the Mid-Ohio Vintage Grand Prix. While you should probably enjoy car racing at least a little to go, Mid-Ohio is a great place to visit for many reasons. It’s a quick hour drive from Columbus and the surrounding woods provide a beautiful backdrop for the course. It’s a great way to spend time outside and enjoy the scenery!

I don’t watch a lot of races on TV, but it was really fun to watch them in person. A general admission ticket gave us access to all of the viewing areas which included both the grandstands and the observation mounds. Throughout the day we walked to each area and enjoyed a different view of the course and each race.

We also strolled around the paddock areas and admired the cars. They are amazing to see up close and I have a lot of respect for the teams and drivers that race – it takes a lot of time, knowledge and effort to get a car on the track and it was very cool to see up close and personal.

Overall the trip to Mid-Ohio was awesome and very enlightening! I’m planning to go back at the end of July for The Honda Indy 200. What fun day trips have you taken lately?

Friday Favorites: Round One

While I would love to share a fun restaurant I visited or a great trip I took for every post, I don’t have enough visits and trips to make that happen (at least yet 😉 ) So, every Friday I’m going to do a round of my Friday Favorites – links, products, etc. that I am loving each week. Let’s go round one!

1. Apple Music & Beats 1 Radio

I hinted at my love for the new Apple Music in my last post but didn’t go into much detail. I’ve had Spotify for almost three years now and have loved it. I hate buying music and a monthly access fee was absolutely perfect for me. But over the last several months, I have been stuck in a musical rut. The Browse feature of Spotify was helping introduce me to new music here and there, but overall my library was pretty stagnant. Enter Apple Music. I’ve listened to (and loved) more new music in the last week than I’ve heard in the last year! Beats 1 Radio is awesome for finding great new music you wouldn’t normally listen to. I am sold on Apple Music and will be a long time user!

Favorite song this week: “New Americana” by Halsey

2. Black Maxi

When I say I’ve been looking for a black maxi for years, I am not exaggerating. I have a few colorful maxi dresses and skirts, but a plain black maxi has stayed on my wishlist. I finally found one last weekend! And even better, it was super cheap! I’m heading to Louisville for a fun girls weekend on Saturday and this dress is coming along for sure. New summer uniform, anyone?

3. Monogram Necklace

I got this monogram necklace from Etsy last month and have worn it almost every day since. The quality is amazing and you can’t beat the price! I’ve already thought about ordering another one in a different size 🙂

4. iPhone Background

Okay, I admit it. I’m a sucker for iPhone backgrounds with beautiful pictures and an inspirational phrase. I found this one and I’ve been loving it! It’s a great daily reminder to do something out of the ordinary or just out of your comfort zone.

5. Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Pressed Powder SPF 30

Every article about skincare in your twenties says the best thing you can do is wear SPF every day, so I added moisturizer with SPF to my morning routine about a year ago. I was excited when I recently discovered that Physicians Formula makes a pressed powder with SPF 30 to wear over my moisturizer. It’s also perfect for reapplying mid-day when the SPF you put on in the morning wears off. The coverage is very sheer, but it does a great job of making your face matte without feeling cakey – perfect for summer days at the office or spending time in the sunshine!

That’s it for my favorites this week – see you next Friday for Round Two!

I’m heading off to KY for the weekend! Follow along on: Instagram  // Twitter // snapchat (@hmsuver)

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Posts you might’ve missed on Arches & Arrows this week: The Pearl, Road Trip Essentials

Have a great weekend!

Road Trip Essentials

I’m heading on a few road trips this year, so I decided to put together a list of my must haves for a great road trip! I’m always making lists before I travel, so I thought this would be a fun thing to share.

1. Phone Charger

I realize that this might be seen as a given in 2015, but this car phone charger I got from Amazon last year is awesome because it has a lightning cord attached and has a USB input for another charging cord. It’s perfect for trips with friends and family when you need to change multiple devices at one time!

2. Playlist

While I would like to use this time to point out how amazing Apple Music is, I will try to refrain. Basically music makes everything better, especially road trips. So gather up your favorite songs and hit the pavement!

3. Sunglasses

My parents gave me Ray Bans a few years ago for Christmas and I absolutely love them. I used to wonder how people paid over $20 for sunglasses, but after wearing my polarized aviators almost daily for years, I totally understand! You can’t compare the clarity and lack of glare to regular shades. Perfect for summer drives!

4. Audiobooks

This goes along with a playlist, but audiobooks are really amazing if you are taking a solo trip. I swear time goes faster if you are listening to a book instead of music! I love Audible because it gives you a book a month for a set price. I have a few books backlogged waiting for my trip to Myrtle Beach in a couple weeks 🙂

5. Wireless Speaker

These last two items are more for once you arrive at your destination, but I still wouldn’t go without them. I’ve had a wireless speaker on my wishlist for a couple years now and finally pulled the trigger when I realized I could get one for under $30! Now this speaker won’t be loud enough for a party (tried it over the fourth of July weekend 😉 ) but it’s perfect for pregaming, small gatherings, and listening at home which is exactly what I wanted it for.

6. Dry Shampoo

I’m somewhat convinced that one hour in a car makes my hair infinitely more oily than any other hour. A quick fix up with some dry shampoo and you’re ready to go!

What are your essentials for a great road trip?

The Pearl

I finally made it to The Pearl with a friend a couple weeks ago! I’ve heard great things about The Pearl since it opened in 2012 and got a taste of what it had to offer during a Short North food tour, but I still hadn’t sat down for an actual meal there. The day I went was the Friday of Comfest, so the Short North was a mess of pedestrians, closed streets and so much traffic, but once I finally parked and walked into The Pearl I totally forgot about all of that! While lots of people say they love the atmosphere in The Pearl, I am not that crazy about it. The design and décor of the restaurant itself are beautiful, but it is really loud. The tables are close together and because of its popularity, I felt a bit claustrophobic walking to our table through a packed bar area (a good problem for The Pearl to have!) Once we were seated I didn’t feel that way anymore, but you’ll definitely still be talking louder than usual to hear each other.

After a quick look at the drink menu, I decided on my summertime drink favorite – a Moscow Mule.  They’re served in the usual (but still lovely) copper mugs.  The flavor was fresh and light – perfect for a hot summer night! My friend, Frankie, and I decided to split a few small plates instead of ordering one entrée – we had to try as many things as possible! We ordered the deviled eggs, tater tots, N’awlins style baked oysters, and Parmesan baked clams.

The deviled eggs were served creatively on a wood cutting board with a metal chicken silhouette holding up one of the eggs – look at the picture, it’s weird in writing but it was actually very cool! They were delicious (as expected 🙂 ) and again perfect for summer because they tasted so fresh.  The tater tots were incredible as well, combining the perfect crunchy outside with a soft and light center.  Our clams and oysters came out last and looked incredible. Both were served with a nice hunk of French bread to eat with the broth underneath the shells – yum! I would like to say that I’ve never had clams or oysters before eating at The Pearl, so I don’t have lots to compare these to – but I think they have to be up there with the best because they were amazing.  The melted cheese and spice of the N’awlins oysters made them my favorite of the two.

I will definitely be going back to the Pearl ASAP. So many entrees sound tempting – the Cuban sandwich and hanger steak sound particularly delicious to me. Have you been to The Pearl? What’s your favorite dish?

The Rossi

As I mentioned in my Life Lately post, I crossed the first restaurant off my 5 restaurants to visit this summer list when I visited The Rossi a few weeks ago. I heard good things about it, but The Rossi was kind of mysterious. I feel pretty familiar with the Short North and I couldn’t picture where it was on High Street and most of my friends had never been. As a 20-something in Columbus, it’s odd when most of your friends haven’t been somewhere in the Short North! Turns out that it is right on the corner of Price and High, separate from most places I visit in the Short North. The restaurant itself is smaller than I expected, but I love the exposed brick and classic feel.  I took a long look at the menu and had a tough time deciding between the mouth-watering Rossi burger and the espresso-braised short rib poutine. I decided on the poutine because you can’t get it everywhere. It was absolutely the right choice. I mean just look at it! The Yukon Gold fries, fried egg and goat cheese made the dish rich and delicious. The short rib was incredibly tender and flavorful – basically it was perfect.

My boyfriend, Alex, and I also split the crispy braised pork belly appetizer. It was good, but it only came with four small pieces of pork belly! It was one of those times when I ordered something and thought it was probably above my culinary understanding – too fancy for me, if you will. Despite that, the cherries that came with the pork belly were delicious and seriously whiskey soaked. I took a bite of one and was really surprised by how much the whiskey flavor came through.  Alex ordered pizza for his main course and let me try it – it was amazing! Overall, I loved the Rossi and hope to go back and try that burger (if I can convince myself to order something other than poutine 🙂 ) Have you been to The Rossi? What’s on your must try list?