When I told my friends that I’d be driving from NYC to Miami on a media (and social media) tour of the East Coast, they thought I was nuts. Especially when I just casually named the whole thing “my Cadillac Roadtrip.” I got comments like, “well, obviously the post-baby hormones are screwing with your brain,” and “you obviously aren’t thinking straight.” Luckily, my uber-supportive husband simply said “well, the Cadillac will be an easy ride and the baby will just sleep while Ben watches movies in the back.” He was so right. We easily had 3-4 hour stretches of driving time while Rivkah slept and Ben watched sing-along movies on the CUE system in the car (for those of you not in the Caddy-know, that’s a ridiculously addictive in-car entertainment and nav system that becomes hard to live without once you’ve tried it). We went armed with little more than some swim-attire, diapers, our Stokke stroller, comfortable shoes to drive in (my Therafits were perfect, phew!), Aveeno wipes (they do triple duty to keep kiddie fingers un-sticky, makeup removal, and complexion enhancing), and a TON of Bamba (more on Bamba another time).
When we left NYC our first stop was just outside Washington DC to meet up with some social-media junkies to tweet up, meet up, and talk fashion. Then we drove through the night straight to Raleigh, N.C. I hit up News 14 there to share some momma-travel ideas there (and learned that my Von Vonni maxi transformer dress and red lipstick might’ve been over dressing for drawly-Raleigh). From there, I did what any good Southern-loving NYC girl would do: I calculated the exact amount of miles between Raleigh and North Miami Beach, Florida (our end point) and figured out where the middle would be. Why? So I could stop and go to Waffle House. I know what you’re thinking. Probably something like “Bryce, aren’t you supposed to be writing about luxury?” As far as I’m concerned, waffles are a luxury after you’ve popped out 2 babies. In fact, eating regular meals is sort of a luxury even with a nanny (kudos to you, SAHM’s… your job is insanely hard!). My 4 year old, Benjamin, announced to the whole waffle house (somewhere in the deep south) “this is my favorite place ever! And my favorite day ever! I got movies in the car and maple syrup on my tongue!” It was a far cry from his normal reading books and eating broccoli routine.
Speaking of health and diet routines, eating on the road basically destroyed whatever salad routines I had gotten used to. At home we eat mostly vegetarian, home-cooked things (it’s just so much easier to know what you’re really eating when you prepare it yourself). On the road through America’s South, you’re hard-pressed to find a salad without a heap of bacon or a really aggressive amount of processed cheese. Simply put, that’s not the style my arteries prefer (listen, the waffle thing was a special occasion craving). So I stopped at a grocery store along the way to buy a giant heap of organic, fresh-picked mint for frequent teas (every rest stop and hotel has hot water), a few pounds of grapes for the whole family to enjoy, and oodles of oranges and clementines. A few cups of fresh mint tea per day helps detox your whole system even if you’re without a steady stream of salads.
By the time we hit Florida we were ready to let loose. We were all itching for some sunshine, swimming, and access to fresh squeezed orange juice (although the SRX can do literally a million things, it sadly cannot produce fresh orange juice). We checked into the Turnberry Resort in Aventura (one of my faves) for a perfect blend of old-Florida glam, quiet elegance, good scene (the restaurants in the hotel are local hotspots at night), and a cabana at the famous Laguna Pool (complete with waterslide).
We also hit up Turnberry’s beach club a couple miles south of the resort, for some sand and hammock action.
As you are reading this, I’m just getting back in the Cadillac to head back north. You see, as I write this, it’s 11 PM on Monday night after a long day of taping segments at NBC 6 in Miami (by the way, I love the entire team there), boating, applying sweet-scented sunscreens, and wondering if sunscreen washes out of silk caftans (listen, it’s a hard life and someone’s gotta live it). Side note: if anyone knows if sunscreen washes out of silk, seriously, please give me tips. So I’ll keep you posted as I head back to NYC to make it back in time for Fashion Week, Ramiro Encizo’s Tranny Mermaid presentation (really, that’s a thing), and my backstage interviews with top designers.
xoxo
Loved the piece! Also thank you on the mint tea tip, am going to start stocking up. Who knows, maybe they’ll get rid of my Jewish thighs 🙂