One of my favorite recordings we’ve done for our Christmas CDs is “O Come O Come Emmanuel” hands-down:
Carlee’s voice is so insanely good and takes you to a place where you’re really saying okay people Mary and Joseph need a place to STAY they’re having a BBY and he’s THE KING OF THE WORLD.
You know what I mean?
So that’s more exciting for some of you than it is for others.
Below are more links to listen wherever/however you stream music!!
It’s that time of year again!! You know, the thrilling season of tapping through everyone’s Spotify year wrapped! It’s a really cool feature, and while I personally do not use Spotify to stream music, there is no denying it’s got style.
Plus I love finding out which of my friends is a top 40 radio regurgitator, a total festival floozy, an indie individual, a ‘wow I didn’t realize you were such a hardcore hero’, a ‘points for the most obscure!!’, or an ‘omfg my top five are all Celine Dion’—-you know what I mean, the fun part. (Important note: I love it all, from the regurgitator to the floozy and from the individual to the obscure heroes and of course the die-hard Dion fans!!)
The “WRAPPED” series for artists is also very cool and dives into your audience, letting you know where your music was played, where it’s been played the most, where your audience has grown the most, etc. It’s all really cool insight so, you know, I guess that’s their way of making up for paying artists $0.0034 per play.
2019 wasn’t a musically prolific year,but the 📀📀📀 i dropped was 🔥🔥🌞😄🔥🔥♻️.
I continued to put out songs with a bit of whimsy, a dash of satire, and a whole lot of personality.
Songs like:
‘PLASTIC’ , released Earth Day 2019. If you haven’t given it a spin yet, I encourage you to do so–if only to think “turns out plastic ain’t so fantastic’ each time you reach for a straw or some other needlessly single use item and opt for a more planet-friendly option.
OR like:
“NO BAD DAYS”, which came out on my fifth month birthday (June 24) and urges people to remember that there really is no such thing as bad days, just bad moments. Let those fly by as the come and don’t let them outweigh all the good from your days. Life is too short, people!
AND like:
I covered a song from “Hamilton” and released that on September 15, a day King George III would remember fondly as the day the British took Manhattan. Anyway, I digress. “YOU’LL BE BACK” was really, really fun to sing and perform and I think that comes through in the record. So I’m glad I did it.
With those new additions and the solid gold hits of 2018 I’d already released, chasertheprince‘s Spotify 2019 WRAPPED looked a little like this:
Listen, I am not sitting here pretending to be wowed that my songs were streamed 1,200 times on Spotify alone. I am sitting here legitimately wowed that you guys streamed songs about Seahorses and Avocados 1,200 times on Spotify alone!!
But in all seriousness, I am actually so happy and impressed that Spotify subscribers from FORTY TWO nations around the globe have given at least one of my songs a spin. How cool!?!!! 42!!
Also, I’d like to pause here in this moment to give a huge shout out to those BADASS bitches in NEW ZEALAND!! I mean a 200% growth in my audience (from probably 0 to 2 but hell yeah)–that means we’re talking real GROWTH over here, people!
Anyway, I really appreciate all of your support for my lil ditties about avocados, seahorses, plastic, and kicking that concept of a bad day (ESP YOU, NZ!).
It’s cool that with little advertising there’s a niche, niche, niche, niche market for this kind of weird shit.
I’m already cooking up some exciting stuff for 2020, I’m just not sure when I’ll feel like dropping it.
Okay people, we’re about to talk about one of my favorite places on the planet–a tiny mountain enclave of rustic luxury tucked just 2,774 feet above and to the east of Salt Lake City.
I’ve skied here a few times in middle and high school, but kept coming back for the CULTURE and the VIEWS and my COUSIN who, it just so happens, moved there a few years ago.
I’ve been there 4 times this year you guys. A minor obsession maybe? IDK I mean look how pretty though!!!
Anyway, below is a short list of my fave things to experience/do/see/instagram in Park City.
(duh) MAIN STREET PARK CITY:
Main Street is the old hub of this picturesque town, with shopping and restaurants galore, not to mention some hotels, trails, coffee shops, art galleries, fur traders, *free clean public restrooms*, I mean you name it and if it seems a little mountainy, a lot Western, and casually luxe, it’s probably here.
Atticus–The best coffee shop / book store / stop at the bottom of Main Street. Whimsical and fresh, Atticus has fun gifts, gr8 coffee (and matcha!), chill vibes, and I think they’ve already worked through the 7 years of bad luck for opening that umbrella indoors so that’s a plus.
Egyptian Theater–Hit up the Egyptian on Main for a show during your stay–comedians, musical acts, plays, musicals, movie screenings and more!
Banksy attacks Park City: The infamous Banksy made his mark on Park City thrice, though only two of those graffiti graphics are on display in the alleys they were born in. The third is actually on a former stage storage door for the Egyptian, but has been moved for safe keeping bc vandals are trying to destroy the vandalism!!! What monsters, tbh.
Daly Hike–So if you just keep walking up Main Street past like Grappa and stuff and just keep on trucking, you’ll eventually end up on a street called Daly. If you take that up some more, you run into this trailhead for this fun lil trail that takes you past some abandoned mine buildings and houses and stuff and then spits you out at the top for some pretty okay views.
Check out this site for other hiking with prettier views but less spooky cabins so idk take your pick i guess.
SUNDANCE RESORT:
So it’s pretty much non-stop-views from every angle in Park City HOWEVER, you simply must head to Robert Redford’s place of respite near the sky, Sundance Mountain Resort.
It’s insanely beautiful, incredibly rustic, immensely instagrammable (r.e. this gorgeous fuqqin babbling ass brook I saw in real life), AND only 40ish minutes from Main Street.
You can walk the grounds, hike the trails, chill out by the fire pit, go on a full moon ski lift ride, AND check out the famous Owl Bar. It opens at 4 and not a minute earlier, and ALL photography is banned.
I know this first hand because i was ACCOSTED by a waitress for taking this shot of my cousin when we went there for her birthday last January. Turned out to be a dope pic though, so you know.
They also have all kinds of seasonal activities going on for the whole family. They had this haunted playhouse area that led to the lifts for a Halloween-themed haunted lift ride. We didn’t go up (heights, as well as a world with no mirrors, are my biggest fear). But I did make my dad conquer one of his biggest fears (clowns) and take a photo next to one of the bizarre statues.
Check out the restaurants and the lodging here if you’re trying to truly immerse yourself in all that Sundance has to offer.
Mr. Redford says of his mountain top escape: “Sundance is an arts community, a recreational community, a community of people who appreciate the beauty of nature and feel the responsibility to preserve it.”
And let me tell you something, I am all about that shit.
There’s an Winter Sports Center with a lil museum and gift shop, a bobsled ride, a Nordic Jump for tubing, Discovery Zone for youngins, a place to watch professional skiers practice, and a zip line! All of these are seasonal, so make sure to double check that what you want to do is open!
SKIER?
Of course if you visit during ski season, you simply must take at least one spin on one slope! In addition to the aforementioned Sundance Mountain Resort, here are the other Park City options:
Park City Mountain: I’ve never skied this mountain but i think there is night skiing and that would be dope–definitely on my list for when I’m in a skiing mood.
Deer Valley I have skied this one in the past, and though it’s been a minute I do remember it was fun and pretty and the lodge had pizza that was good, so do what you will with all that info.
YOU HUNGRY?
Maxwell’s pizza– It’s been voted the best pizza in Park City several years in a row and let me tell you something, I know why. It’s good.
Squatters Roadhouse Grill– Gr8 breakfast and drinks!
Washatch Brew Pub– A legit brewery so they’ve got all kinds of exciting beers (bonus points if you try the jalapeno one–it’s v good) and great burgers, sandwiches, etc.
Grappa– For something a little fancy and a lot italian, try this beaut at nearly the top of Main St.
JavaCow– Seriously good ice cream, people!
Stoked Roasters + Coffeehouse– Cool coffee shop, great coffee. During Sundance Festival I was stationed there for a panel event and saw Ava Duvernay, Octavia Spencer, Sandra Oh and others speak (so that was cool).
AND LITERALLY SO MANY MORE ALL THE WAY UP & DOWN MAIN STREET, IN THE KIMBALL JUNCTION/PARK CITY AREA, AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN.
YOU TIRED?
Anyway, I think you may get the picture by now that I definitely recommend Park City as the next adventure for legit anyone. Bring an appreciation for the beauty of nature, a rustic-chic wardrobe, a couple pairs of cool sunglasses, and a spirit of adventure and you’ll get everything and MORE out of this gorgeous mountain town–and that’s a promise.
-chasertheprince
***Note–I own some of the images above but definitely not all of them and I’m okay with that***
The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, as per usual, certainly did not disappoint! Honestly it was a bit more of a concert to me than an awards show, but, hey–I’m okay with that.
Since the opening of the show was a bit of a snooze for me *cough*cough*, I’ll get started with a few quick takeaways before I move into most important performances:
i still am not sure who the host was, don’t want to find out
why is this in new jersey
the snake really flaunted the fact that she worked with the LGBT community to bring forth “you need to calm down”
Shawn and Camila were IRRESPONSIBLE with my emotions
Men’s heeled boots (calm down I’m taking a 4cm heel at the most) are the only footwear to take seriously (peep examples further down in this post)
The future of live performance is dominated by tech animation and i am not mad in the slightest!!!!!!!!! The way these artists utilized the crazy amount of screens was srsly dope
even though she used to drug men and rob them, I really like cardi b. she’s funny, she’s real, she secures her own bag and encourages you to do the same.
missy elliott can still GET IT
Now, on to my favorite performances of the night, in no particular order (except Miley at the top bc duh):
I mean let’s be real; Miley is 100% the queen of the VMAs for the decade. I mean NO ONE has had such an incredible array of performances AND even hosted a show. All hail, for real. Her performance last night was a departure from the her typical VMA antics but HOT DAMN she sounded sogood.
LIZZO- how lucky we are to be on the planet a the same time as LIZZO! one of her best award show performances to date five sure, she killed it last night:
THE JONAS BROTHERS: they were banished to perform in a different location but it was still good–plus i’m always down for a denim look (also peep the heeled boot on Nick)
SHAWN MENDES & CAMILA CABELLO: I mean I have not been this affected by a performance since Miley and Shawn’s collab at the Grammys. Also i was about 600% sure Shawn was definitely going to make a point of making out with Camila but i think the coy eskimo kiss was actually the perfect move (peep the heeled boot on Shawn)
MISSY ELLIOTT: I mean what is there to say except she killed. The vibe was the perfect blend of nostalgia and futuristic aesthetic. HOW does she move in those heavy ass jackets though?!
H.E.R.: I love H.E.R. and really, that’s all there is to say. She’s unparalleled in her craft and niche and I am here for every guitar solo she strums out and listen, I’m not big on guitar solos.
ROSALIA-She is dope, sounded amazing, and killed. From the flowers on the screens to the dancers, this performance screamed latina icon and I’m here for it. (Also her nails!!)
LIL NAS X: he really took us to the future in his performance, with a set design the likes of that movie ‘tron’ maybe? (the one daft punk did the soundtrack for?). Not exactly my favorite song (he didn’t sing it live anyway), the performance was more about what’s possible with 10,000 screens and honestly whole new ballparks are opening right in front of my eyes.
Overall, a pretty chill night. The caliber of performances made up for the fact that someone I don’t really care for won a fuqqin BUNCH of the awards…BUT at least it was for a song with a good message, right?
Storms slightly interrupted and delayed the show (never, of course, when I wanted it to) but we all survived intact and that’s what’s important, right?
One thing is for certain, though: I can’t wait for next year’s show.
-chasertheprince
******I do not own the above images, videos, or music and I am ok with it ok*******
It’s the hottest part of the summer so you know what that means!!! It’s Video Music Awards TIME and you know what that also means!!!! It’s LIVE TWEET SZN!!!
First of all, I think it necessary to inform you all that i have absolutely no idea who the host is. His name is allegedly Sebastian Maniscalo and apparently he is a comedian……so, ……we’ll see. We all know nothing will top Miley’s 2015 hosting , tho.
FIRST OF ALL, THE PERFORMERS
Missy Elliott VIDEO VANGUARD HONOREE
Missy Elliott is the 2019 MTV VMA Video Vanguard Honoree so she’ll get to do a mashup of her greatest hits and honestly, we are all here for that so hard. The other performers are as follows:
Bad Bunny
Camila Cabello
J Balvin
The Jonas Brothers
Lizzo
Lil Nas X
Rosalia
Shawn Mendes
A snake (who?)
Shall we take bets on whether or not Shawn will find it necessary to make out with Camila on stage during “Senorita”????
Second of all, NOMINEES:
So, to be so honest, I was kind of out of the loop on a LOT of the music videos this year. However, I did do the due diligence of watching all of these so that I can come to an informed conclusion on my picks for the year which are in italics, bolded, starred, AND I’ve included the video so you can watch easily!!
SIDE NOTE: I AM SO PISSED that Miley and Mark Ronson’s masterpiece “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” is suspiciously not ANYWHERE on any OF THESE LISTS.
brb calling MTV’s management.
Okay anyway, here we go!!!!!
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
-21 Savage ft. J. Cole – “a lot”
-Billie Eilish – “Bad Guy” -Ariana Grande – “thank u, next”**********
-Jonas Brothers – “Sucker”
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)”
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down”
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
-Cardi B -Billie Eilish ******
-Ariana Grande
-Halsey
-Jonas Brothers
-Shawn Mendes
SONG OF THE YEAR
-Drake – “In My Feelings” -Ariana Grande – “thank u, next”*************
-Jonas Brothers – “Sucker”
-Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – “Shallow”
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)”
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down”
BEST NEW ARTIST
-Ava Max -Billie Eilish******** -H.E.R.***********
-Lil Nas X
-Lizzo
BEST COLLABORATION -Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)”******* (SIDE NOTE: i watched this video and listened to this song all the way through for the very first time whilst doing research for this post. It’s not my favorite but it’s a pop culture phenomenon and I’m a fan of anything that bucks the norm and involves a Cyrus so fuqq it)
-Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – “Shallow”
-Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – “Señorita”
-A Snake ft. Brendon Urie – “ME!”
-Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber – “I Don’t Care”
-BTS ft. Halsey – “Boy With Luv”
PUSH (BREAKTHROUGH) ARTIST OF THE YEAR
-Bazzi
-CNCO
-Billie Eilish
-H.E.R.
-Lauv -Lizzo******** (note: I chose LIZZO for this because 2019 was the year she broke through. She’s no new artist; she’s been in the game for a while now ok)
BEST POP
-5 Seconds of Summer – “Easier”
-Cardi B & Bruno Mars – “Please Me” -Billie Eilish – “Bad Guy”***************
-Ariana Grande – “thank u, next”
-Jonas Brothers – “Sucker”
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down”
-Khalid- “Talk”
BEST HIP HOP
-2 Chainz ft. Ariana Grande – “Rule the World”
-21 Savage ft. J. Cole – “a lot” -Cardi B – “Money”***********
-DJ Khaled ft. Nipsey Hussle & John Legend – “Higher”
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)”
-Travis Scott ft. Drake – “SICKO MODE”
BEST R&B
-Anderson .Paak ft. Smokey Robinson – “Make It Better” -Childish Gambino – “Feels Like Summer”*************
-H.E.R. ft. Bryson Tiller – “Could’ve Been”
-Alicia Keys – “Raise A Man”
-Ella Mai – “Trip”
-Normani ft. 6lack – “Waves”
BEST K-POP
-BTS ft. Halsey – “Boy With Luv” -BLACKPINK – “Kill This Love”*************************
-Monsta X ft. French Montana – “Who Do You Love”
-TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Cat & Dog”
-NCT 127 – “Regular”
-EXO – “Tempo”
BEST LATIN
-Anuel AA, Karol G – “Secreto”
-Bad Bunny ft. Drake – “MIA”
-benny blanco, Tainy, Selena Gomez, J Balvin – “I Can’t Get Enough”
-Daddy Yankee ft. Snow – “Con Calma”
-Maluma – “Mala Mía” -ROSALÍA & J Balvin ft. El Guincho – “Con Altura”************
BEST DANCE
-The Chainsmokers ft. Bebe Rexha – “Call You Mine”
-Clean Bandit ft. Demi Lovato – “Solo”
-DJ Snake ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B – “Taki Taki”
-David Guetta, Bebe Rexha & J Balvin – “Say My Name”
-Marshmello & Bastille – “Happier” -Silk City & Dua Lipa – “Electricity”****************
BEST ROCK -The 1975 – “Love It If We Made It”******************
-Fall Out Boy – “Bishops Knife Trick”
-Imagine Dragons – “Natural”
-Lenny Kravitz – “Low”
-Panic! At The Disco – “High Hopes”
-twenty one pilots – “My Blood”
VIDEO FOR GOOD
-Halsey – “Nightmare”
-The Killers – “Land of the Free”
-Jamie N Commons, Skylar Grey ft. Gallant – “Runaway Train”
-John Legend – “Preach” -Lil Dicky – “Earth”****************************************************
(possibly my favorite music video of the year)
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down”
BEST DIRECTION
-Billie Eilish – “Bad Guy” (Directed by Dave Meyers)
-FKA twigs – “Cellophane” (Directed by Andrew Thomas Huang) -Ariana Grande – “thank you, next” (Directed by Hannah Lux Davis)*********
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)” (Directed by Calmatic)
-LSD ft. Labrinth, Sia, Diplo – “No New Friends” (Directed by Dano Cerny)
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down” (Directed by Drew Kirsch & Taylor Swift)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
-Billie Eilish – “when the party’s over” (Visual Effects by Ryan Ross, Andres Jaramillo)
-FKA twigs – “Cellophane” (Visual Effects by Matt Chandler, Fabio Zaveti for Analog)
-Ariana Grande – “God is a Woman” (Visual Effects by Fabrice Lagayette, Kristina -Prilukova & Rebecca Rice for Mathematic)
-DJ Khaled ft. SZA – “Just Us” (Visual Effects by Sergii Mashevskyi) -LSD ft. Labrinth, Sia, Diplo – “No New Friends” (Visual Effects by Ethan Chancer)**
**I’ll vote for anything with Maddie in it…but also this srs visual effect territory so it was a no-brainer in both ways.*******
-A Snakeft. Brendon Urie – “ME!” (Visual Effects by Loris Paillier & Lucas Salton for BUF VFX)
BEST EDITING
-Anderson .Paak ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Tints” (Editing by Elias Talbot)
-Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)” (Editing by Calmatic)
-Billie Eilish – “Bad Guy” (Editing by Billie Eilish)
-Ariana Grande – “7 Rings” (Editing by Hannah Lux Davis & Taylor Walsh) -Solange – “Almeda” (Editing by Solange Knowles, Vinnie Hobbs, Jonathon Proctor)*
-A Snake– “You Need to Calm Down” (Editing by Jarrett Fijal)
BEST ART DIRECTION
-BTS ft. Halsey – “Boy With Luv” (Art Direction by JinSil Park, BoNa Kim (MU:E))
-Ariana Grande – “7 Rings” (Art Direction by John Richoux) -Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)” (Art Direction by Itaru Dela Vegas)**************
-Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – “Señorita” (Art Direction by Tatiana Van Sauter)
-A Snake – “You Need to Calm Down” (Art Direction by Brittany Porter)
-Kanye West and Lil’ Pump ft. Adele Givens – “I Love It” (Art Direction by Tino Schaedler)
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY -FKA twigs – “Cellophane” (Choreography by Kelly Yvonne)*************
-ROSALÍA & J Balvin ft. El Guincho – “Con Altura” (Choreography by Charm La’Donna)
-LSD ft. Labrinth, Sia, Diplo – “No New Friends” (Choreography by Ryan Heffington)
-Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – “Señorita” (Choreography by Calvit Hodge, Sara Biv)
-Solange – “Almeda”(Choreography by Maya Taylor, Solange Knowles)
-BTS ft. Halsey – “Boy With Luv” (Choreography by Rie Hata)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY -Anderson .Paak ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Tints” (Cinematography by Elias Talbot)
-Billie Eilish – “hostage” (Cinematography by Pau Castejon) {{Honestly this should be nominated for best direction, best choreography… and I’m kind of mad it isn’t?}}
-Ariana Grande – “thank you, next” (Cinematography by Christopher Probst)
-Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – “Señorita” (Cinematography by Scott Cunningham)
-Solange – “Almeda” (Cinematography by Chayse Irvin, Ryan Marie Helfant, Justin Hamilton)
-A Snake ft. Brendon Urie – “ME!” (Cinematography by Starr Whitesides)
BUT THE REAL AND RIGHTFUL WINNER OF ALL THE 2019 VMAs:
Tune in to the 2019 VMAs Monday, August 26th @ 7:00 CST!!
I just got back from a lil jaunt up the coast to the Monterey Peninsula and let me tell you, I. was. mesmerized. By everything. There is so much to see it’s crazy so I have compiled a lil list of some things you simply have to do when you visit this magical place, okay?!
Of course, the first stop one needs to make on the journey around the peninsula is Bixby Bridge:
From there you can drive south to Big Sur (highly recommend–it’s nuts beautiful) or back around the peninsula, but no matter where you are, everything is beautiful, like literally everything:
For the purposes of this post, we are starting at the bridge and working our way north around the peninsula.
GOING NORTH: CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
Downtown Carmel-By-The-Sea –
Hang out in downtown Carmel-By-The-Sea for a few hours: walk up and down really, seriously charming streets with lil shops and restaurants of all kinds:
((A fun game is taking a hit off of your vape pen every time you see a picture of or reference to Clint Eastwood throughout downtown Carmel)) (((He is kind of like a town elder?))) ((((remember his ex-wife’s show on E! a few years ago? It was based here….they ate at Forge in the Forest on the show and you can eat there in real life!!))))
ANYWAY
At the top of the series of hills that is Downtown Carmel, you may notice the police station where {SPOILER ALERT} The Monterey Five go to purge themselves of the lie:
Stop by Carmel Bakery for something delicious to snack on while perusing downtown. Founded in 1899, it’s the oldest running retail business in Carmel and the cookies are excellent, ok.
Carmel City Beach –
Walk all the way down to Carmel City Beach at the bottom of downtown and chill out as you watch the waves crash on the white sands of Carmel-By-The-Sea:
GOING NORTH: PEBBLE BEACH
If you’re a golfer, chances are Pebble Beach has been in a few of your more suggestive dreams. There are plenty of golf courses laid out around the north-western part of the peninsula. The best way to see it all? The 17-Mile Scenic Drive:
****bonus points if you roll the windows down, open the sunroof, and que up “No Bad Days” it’ll cure your blues!! ******but also bonus points if you’d like to wallow in some blues but also pretend like you’re a recent widow closing one chapter of your life and about to open a new one and blare “Ride” –or really Lana Del Rey’s entire discography–it’s powerful*********
From there, head around to–
GOING AROUND: LOVER’S POINT
Technically in Pacific Grove (“PG”), Lovers Point Park has walking/biking trails, park benches to chill and take in the scenery, coastal access, easy parking–I mean, what more can you ask for?!
MONTEREY:
Cannery Row –
It’s a little too touristy for my taste, but it’s an easy 20 minute walk around and see it all, check it off the list type of stop. Honestly, the hotels on the Row are the best part–they’re mostly all very pretty and have great dining.
City Hall –
It’s a nice stroll!
Friendly Plaza –
The corner of the block that city hall is on has been made into a little park commemorating the relationship between the Spanish, Mexicans, and Americans in the town since the 1800s. Plus, it has this tree that went to the moon once:
Downtown Monterey –
It’s your cute little by-the-bay kind of downtown. There are a bunch of shops and restaurants and a theatre and all the things, you know? Head from Downtown toward the Fisherman’s Wharf, and you’ll pass State Historic Landmark #1, the Custom House. Built around 1827 by the Mexican government to preside over their port on the Alta California coast, it’s the oldest government building in California.
Commodore John Drake Sloat of the US Navy came along a lil later and raised the American flag over the Custom House in 1846, claiming over 600,000 square miles of territory including what is now California, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
so that’s kind of interesting! You can go in it but I did not, so you know. Walking through Custom House Plaza does it justice though I think.
Fisherman’s wharf –
If you like clam chowder you are in for a treat! Nearly 79% of the restaurants on the pier specialize in clam chowder which seems weird to me but I am not a clam chowder fan and also how can you eat something named clam chowder don’t you get grossed out when you hear the name? It sounds like Plankton served it at the Chum Bucket. But anyway, it’s pretty AND has a bunch of italian restaurants because Monterey was a hub for those Roman Reelers (there are bunches of statues commemorating them as well–the backbone of the community if you will):
There’s a great path that runs all along here connecting it all, so if you have some time and just want to stroll by the harbor I highly recommend it!! The views are so, so good.
But really, the views are so, so good everywhere on the peninsula so just hop in the car and find a scenic spot to pull over and stare in barefaced awe of the majesty of mother nature and the upscale elegance of the cities that dot this ridiculously pretty part of the California coast.
There’s so much more to do and see but this will get you started, ok?!
What are you waiting for?! Drop everything and head to the Monterey Peninsula today, ok?!?!
I found this incredible sweatshirt-cardigan at a thrift store years ago and have always wanted to wear it in Santa Fe. This cardigan is truly 61% of why Kennady and I went to Santa Fe in the first place, and you’ll see why:
Forgive my hair, it was a mess. But see what I mean? A total Santa Fe cardigan. I saved it for this occasion–legitimately I’ve only worn it twice in the years I’ve owned it.
And let me tell you, Santa Fe bitches loooooved it.
We Air BNB’d a cute little casita with the nicest owners super close to the Plaza so getting around was a breeze! The weather was perfect. We pulled into town late friday night, woke up Saturday morning ready to take on the town.
A couple Santa Fe Musts:
Clafoutis:
Charming French bakery and restaurant!! It’s a popular spot, so be prepared for a wait. It won’t feel like long though, as French phrases fly from the mouths of the owners and insanely delicious looking pastries pass by on trays and in hand. I had a crepe and it was great. just look at it:
Whatever you get, you legit won’t regret it.
Meow Wolf:
So, to be fair, I’m not a spend-all-day-at-the-museum type of person unless it’s a history museum. Meow Wolf is definitely not a history museum so that may give you an indication of where this is going. Don’t get me wrong, it was cool–i just don’t have the patience or the desire to figure out what happened at this place. I would definitely recommend it, but it was definitely different than I imagined.
There are a bunch of cool things to look at, though so that’s always good.
And honestly there’s not a great deal more to do in Santa Fe, so you might as well spend a few hours there.
A Spirits Tour of downtown.
I definitely recommend doing something like this, otherwise you won’t know where to drink or what to have. Our tour in particular began with a quest to meet this girl wearing all black and a grey backpack at the fountain.
She was chill. She had folders prepared for each of us with leaflets on local spirits (like booze not ghosts) and the hot late night spots. Stook us around to these bars and we had the following drinks peppered with light discussion on the rich history of the town:
Low & Slow: (a lowrider bar–lowriders are extremely popular here?) (I had to get clarification on what exactly a low rider was) (not just a jean cut)
we had ‘the last word’ which was like some kind of weird gin drink. We then dove into the first part of our New Mexican history lesson ((I sort of got in trouble with the group when i burst out laughing when she went into describing a conquistador’s ruthless ruling to cut the right foot off of the oldest male child from each family.)) (((i laughed similarly when the Pueblo Revolt came back to bite the spanish in the ass, though I did make a much more concerted effort to tone the laughter down a bit))) ((((Not because I’m heartless, because of the way she phrased it AND the reactions of those in our group who c-l-e-a-r-l-y did not know much about suppressing revolts. it’s not a humane business, people. it’s regrettable, but it’s life)))).
Tonic:
we had the ‘bliss behind your eyes’ and it wasn’t something I’d order again but I drank it because why? I’m a team fuqqing player.
Del Charro:
we had the ‘Silver Coin Margarita’ it was spicy and I was happy. Apparently, margaritas are some sort of specialty in this town, so honestly a margarita crawl would’ve been something a bit more my speed.
Cross of the Martyrs: We then rounded out our stay with a “hike” to the cross of the martyrs which is on a “hill” “overlooking” the city. The hike was paved and took ~7 minutes. The hill did overlook the city. The cross was about 1/6th of the size of Life Church’s in Edmond but you know, they tried!!
We then piled up in the car and said “see ya”.
Overall, I’m happy we stopped through there and I enjoyed the time we spent. If nothing else, Santa Fe is a chill place super easy to navigate. A weekend is the perfect amount of time here, promise.
-chasertheprince
*****I do not own most of the images above, but some of them I do*****
