Brunch at Magpie Cafe in Sacramento, CA

I'm off to brunch in Long Beach this fine Sunday, but wanted to share this amazing food spot that Scott and I ate at while visiting Sacramento last weekend. I had a friend that saw on social media that I was in Sactown for the weekend and sent me a slew of restaurant suggestions, one being Magpie Cafe in Midtown.

Naturally, the restaurant was incredibly busy on a Sunday morning with everyone getting their brunch on (we were looking at a 40 minute wait), but that gave Scott and I an opportunity to take a stroll around the area, which is surprisingly quaint and colorful. We came back to Magpie and grabbed a spot at the bar and enjoyed mimosas while waiting for our table.

We were seated outside and it couldn't have been a better day to be dining on the patio. The restaurant has industrial, modern, and natural design elements which makes the dining experience intriguing. Our server was exceptionally friendly and gave us recommendations on food dishes as well as beverages after we found out the drinks we ordered were sold out.

While looking over the menu, I was drawn to the classic and comfort breakfast dishes that had a more adventurous culinary twist to it. It was really difficult to choose, but Scott chose the Magpie Breakfast Plate which has a little bit of everything, and I had the Summer Benedict. These dishes can usually be extremely heavy and overwhelming, but we had seen a preview of some of the dishes while hanging out at the bar earlier and were taken away by the impeccable presentation of all the dishes being served. We ate our breakfast with refreshing Sacramento Summers (Magpie made honey lemonade, pilsner with mint).

Scott raved about the house-made sausage, which was the best he ever had. The chef was clever to add in smashed potato on the Benedict between the toasted biscuits and poached eggs, as it provided another texture and taste (that didn't get lost in the sauce). There was also a side of heirloom and cherry tomatoes drizzled in pesto, balsamic, and oil which was the perfect flavor departure from the creaminess of the Benedict. When in Sacramento, you'll have to stop by Magpie for Brunch, Lunch, or Dinner!

Magpie Cafe

Magpie does not take reservations
1601 16th Street
Sacramento CA 95814
916-452-7594
hello@magpiecafe.com

Hours
Monday - Wednesday: 11am - 9pm
Thursday - Friday: 11am - Close
Saturday: 8am - Close
Sunday: 8am - 2pm

The Highroller at the Linq, Las Vegas

I've seen the High Roller Observation Wheel the last few times I visited Vegas and really wanted to ride it but didn't get the chance. The past trip to Vegas, Scott and I decided to ride it after having dinner at Shake Shack.
Standing at 550 ft tall, the High Roller is the world's largest observation wheel and located at The LINQ's outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment promenade. Each cabin on the wheel can hold up to 40 people, when we rode, there were 8 people in the pod; and it took approximately 30 minutes to finish one full revolution. A bar can even be rolled into the cabin for an extra fun time. Check out the rates, how to buy tickets, and how you can book a cabin for an event, bachelor or bachelorette party, or even a wedding ceremony.
The High Roller was voted the Best of Las Vegas'  2015 Amusement Ride, Attraction, and Place to View the City.

High Roller
3545 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109

1-866-328-1888
Valet and self-parking for The LINQ and High Roller are conveniently located under the wheel. Take Flamingo Road to LINQ Lane or Koval Lane to Winnick Avenue.

For orders of 10 tickets or more or for cabin buy outs, please click here or
call 702-322-0537.

Attire: CASUAL

Visiting Vietnam's Pink Church - Nh� th? T�n �?nh

While in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam this past Summer, Andrew and I were on the way out from having lunch at The Lunch Lady, when we got to exploring the area and stumbled upon this amazing pink church! I can't handle how glorious the church is with it's bright pink color and Romaneqsue architecture; which was built during the French Colonial period in the 1870s and later refurbished and repainted to it's memorable pink color in 1957. It stands as Saigon's second largest church in the city and is one of the favorite churches alongside the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica. I wished I could have gone inside but you can read more about the history and see photos of inside the pink church here! If you're planning on visiting Saigon, you must visit this church, here's how:

Nh� th? T�n �?nh (Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ/ The Pink Church)
289 Hai B� Trung, Phu?ng 8,
Qu?n 3, Th�nh ph? H? Ch� Minh

Telephone: 84 (0) 8 3829 0093
E-mail: vovananh@hcm.fpt.vn
Visiting Hours: By permission of Father V� Van �nh, from 8am-11am, 2pm-4.30pm Tue-Sat

Due to the heat and humidity (this was during July, yes, monsoon season) that I wasn't accustomed to, I  had packed plenty of loose and light clothing, but which also gave me coverage so I wouldn't be eaten alive by mosquitoes. My Michael Stars tops were perfect for this weather as they were not only light, but also breathable. For my this look, I styled a full-leg jogger pant with a loose tank (bralette underneath) and tied a long sleeve shirt around my waist in case I needed to wear it later to cover up my arms. My LeSportsac Small Edie Backpack, which not only matched the pink church, was the perfect travel companion; it was an easy size but held all my essentials, has a side zipper for seamless access into the backpack if I don't want to open the flap, and it has a main drawstring and flap closure which makes it's more difficult for pick-pocketers to open. See the details of my entire look below:

Aviator Sunglasses, Ebay
Small Edie Backpack, LeSportsac
60 Singles Scoopneck Tank, Michael Stars
Button Up High Low Shirt, Michael Stars
Drawstring Pant, Ebay
Sandals, H&M
Photos taken by Andrew Nguyen

Visiting Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

While visiting Vegas, Scott and I wanted to explore the Red Rock Canyon National Conversation Area, which was an easy 25 minute ride (17 miles) from the Vegas Strip. We enjoyed a 13-mile scenic drive and stopped at a few different spots to take pictures (no hiking this time, check out when we hiked Zion); and we saw quite a few desert tortoise crossing signs, hoping to catch one, but no luck!

You can choose to just drive the scenic route, or park alongside the road or in one of the designated lots and hike or do other recreation activities within the Red Rock formations. The cost to visit the park for one day is $7/Private Vehicle, see all of the other Amenity Fees and Passes here. The Visitor Center was also very informative and houses innovative exhibits to share knowledge about the Red Rock's geology and surrounding area, and has a bookstore (a major plus that there are clean restrooms as well).

This was a great nature detour before continuing onto the rest of our stay at Downtown Las Vegas; can you believe that more than a million people visit the area every year and can experience more than 30 miles of hiking trails, rock climbing, horseback riding, mountain biking, road biking, picnic areas, and nature observing? All in all, Red Rock Canyon should be a definite stop when staying in Vegas; and check out my outfit from this trip here.

Zion National Park Emerald Pools Trails

I finally fulfilled dream of visiting and hiking in Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah a couple months ago with my now boyfriend, Scott. We first traveled to Vegas for one night, then onto Zion for a day, then back to Vegas. Since most of the day was spent driving to Zion from Vegas (2.5 hours), grabbing lunch, and the time change, we only had time to do a short hike; so we chose to do the Emerald Pools Hike, which totaled 2.6 miles. We stayed at the Bumbleberry Inn approximately 1 mile from the Zion National Park entrance gate. Since it was the winter season, there weren't any shuttles available to take us into the park, so we drove.

The gate has two lanes for entry, those who are entering the park for the first time and need to purchase a recreational pass ($25 for our car) and the other for those whom have already purchased a pass and are returning. There are weekly, annual, and lifetime passes available, see all of the fees here. Upon receiving our pass, we also received the park newspaper which included a comprehensive hiking map and guide. Scott and I had researched beforehand and decided to do the Emerald Pool Trails since it was at a beginner level and we could enjoy the scenery and know we could easily complete the hike. The newspaper map was a great guide, allowing us to see where we were in relation to the other landmarks and trails within the park; and the park itself was easy to navigate with signs posted.

We had just enough time to complete the hike before sunset; we didn't want to lose light before climbing down from the mountain. Although the Emerald Pools were not as turquoise as some photos have depicted them to be (which I'm guessing the water has more color during the spring/summer months), the overall hike was beautiful and peaceful. Everything that surrounded us, nature in all of its glory was very humbling; it was quite the majestic sight to see water flowing freely off the top of a rock ledge into the Emerald pools, as well as how the light of the sun setting perfectly highlighted the top of the mountain rock range.

Upon leaving the park, Scott and I were starving and it turned out that restaurants closed fairly early (around 8pm/9pm), so we were glad to be able to stumble upon a grocery store to be able to buy microwaveable foods. So note to self if you're planning your visit, also plan for your dining accommodations. 

For our next trip to Zion, we definitely want to camp as well as hike the Narrows, the narrowest section of Zion Canyon and an awe-striking gorge in which hikers walk through the Virgin River.