Travel Archives - Life in the DayngrZone

Burgers and Cupcakes in NYC

{ October 21, 2012 } - Trish

I’m a sucker for a good burger and a delicious cupcake so when I found Burgers and Cupcakes in NYC I knew I had to try it out. You’ll want to, too!

If you’re ever in New York City’s Garment District, be sure to stop into Burgers And Cupcakes for a burger and of course, a cupcake or two. I found this spot while on business in NYC and colleague and I gave it a try. The burgers were out of this world. Just phenomenal. So good in fact, that I was so eager to dive in, I didn’t snap a picture! I know, I’m awful, But it looked so good and tasted even better.

The Burgers and Cupcakes Menu

They have a wide variety of burgers to choose from like their Turkey Burger, Veggie Burger, Grilled Salmon Palliard Burger, Lemon Grilled Chicken Breast Burger, Crispy Chicken Breast Burger, Portobello Mushroom Burger, and the traditional Beef Burger. They also offer a daily burger special, too. There are plenty of toppings to choose from and lots of options for sides, too. So good! My mouth is watering just thinking about this place. It’s become one of my favorite restaurants to go to whenever I’m in New York City.

Raspberry Fizz Drink

If their burger selection was impressive, even more impressive is their variety of cupcakes that ill surely satisfy your sweet tooth. They offer daily specials and also offer some cupcakes that are decorated to celebrate the seasonal. As you can see, we were there close to Halloween (hence the decorations on the cupcakes) so I picked up a four-pack to bring home to the kids. They’re going to love them – guaranteed.

While ordering my burger, I couldn’t resist trying one of their berry fizz drinks. It was so cool and refreshing. It reminded me of a spritzer. I’ve got a plan to try to recreate them at home with my own mason jars. I’ll keep you posted if that ever happens!

Over the years, I’ve gone back to Burgers and Cupcakes many times and even had the opportunity to bring the kids. They loved seeing it in person. You will, too.

Burgers and Cupcakes NYC

Burgers and Cupcakes is one place you won’t want to miss for a casual bite and a cupcake (or two!) to go!

Burgers and Cupcakes
458 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10018
(212) 643-1200

My Memorial Weekend Crystal Coast Trip

{ July 29, 2012 } - Trish

I had this crazy idea in my head to just pick up and move. That’s right, to quit complaining about the sucky school system, the snotty school administrators, the teachers who thought they could bully, the crappy traffic, the lack of parking everywhere, the crime, the litter and the overall attitude you get from the majority of people in Miami and actually DO something about it.

Yup, I was sick and tired and I’d had enough. So, Memorial weekend I packed up the kids and took a spontaneous trip to the lovely east coast of North Carolina to check it out. I’d been thinking about getting away from what Miami had become for a while and knew I wanted to move somewhere that had four moderate seasons, plenty of green spaces, a more wholesome environment and was family-friendly. I’d been looking at real estate in a few states and figured the long holiday weekend was as good a time as any to check out some of the homes I’d liked, along the Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coastal Living

Once we arrived, the kids got a taste of coastal living. My cousins live right on the beach in Emerald Isle. What a treat!

The kids loved waking up in the morning and having the beach right in their backyard. In fact, they loved it so much that they went to the beach more times in that one weekend than they had ever been, in the entire time we’d lived in South Florida. (You know what I mean if you’ve ever tried to find parking in South Beach close to the actual beach – or in Ft. Lauderdale) Plus, they loved getting to see their aunts and cousins. It was looking like moving to North Carolina wasn’t going to be a hard sell.

Doing it Dayngr Style

In true Dayngr-style, that weekend I found a house we all loved, made an offer and planned the big move as soon as the kids got out of school on June 7th. Miraculously, we closed on our house June 26th (less a month after seeing it) and packed up our sweet, small, South Florida bungalow and it the road. We had one goal. Make sure we were in our new house in time to celebrate Bella’s birthday, before the 4th of July.

Making Our Deadline

The good news was, we made our deadline and we did it just in time to celebrate Lola’s birthday and have an Independence Day celebration. The big party was a great way to kick-off our new life in our new home and it was a great excuse to spend some quality time with my family. The only bad news was that not everything went as planned with the big move and my orchid died on the way. Other than that, everything went smoothly.

A little crazy, but life is short, right? Go for what you want!

Blue Skies and Clear Roads

{ January 10, 2012 } - Trish

2012 is here. Can you believe it? I didn’t write as much as I could have or probably should have throughout 2011 but for good reason. I was busy with my newish job as a senior community manager, blogging and writing a whole lot more at work. Working full time for such a powerhouse in social media and being a mom has kept my schedule incredibly full.

No worries though, I still have plenty to share here and tons of photos. Instead of writing in my spare time, I used that time to get out and about with my sweet babies, who I lovingly refer to as the Dayngrous Duo.

In fact, we traveled to New York (their first official plane trip) and we went to Gainesville, FL twice and we ended our year with a surprise trip to Disney where we stayed at one of their resorts. All in all it was a year filled with adventures – there were some bumps along the way but they just made us more appreciative and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

How was your 2011? Did you get done all you’d set out to do? How is 2012 shaping up?

Coral Castle and Adventures Across South Florida

{ July 30, 2011 } - Trish

I love our adventures across South Florida and last weekend was quite an adventurous one. We decided to go out and check out some places we hadn’t been to before. We went to Coral Castle, ate at Shiver’s BBQ (see this post), and as you may have read in an earlier post, we went to The Aviary Birdshop at Cauley Square.

Coral Castle, Coral Castle Miami, Coral Castle Museum

Though I’m a Florida native, I’d never been to Coral Castle so I was pretty interested in checking it out. Rex and Bella were excited to see a real castle right here in Miami. If you’ve never heard of Coral Castle, it’s pretty amazing.

About Coral Castle

Edward Leedskalnin was jilted by his 16-year-old fiancée Agnes Scuffs in Latvia, just one day before their wedding. As a tribute to her, Ed spent 28 years single-handedly and secretly carving over 1,100 tons of coral rock. His unknown process has created one of the world’s most mysterious accomplishments. Coral Castle is noted for the mystery surrounding its creation, considered to be built using magnetism and/or supernatural abilities.

From 1923 to 1951, Ed single-handedly and secretly carved over 1,100 tons of coral rock, and his unknown process has created one of the world’s most mysterious accomplishments. Open every day, the Coral Castle Museum welcomes visitors from around the world to explore this enchanting South Florida destination.

So much mystery surrounds this iconic tourist destination. Pretty bizarre, isn’t it?

Next Stop, Shiver’s BBQ

Shiver’s BBQ is a family-owned and operated restaurant in Homestead, Fl. It has been serving authentic hickory-smoked barbecue for over 60 years! Shiver’s specializes in slow-smoked meats such as baby back ribs, pork spare ribs, beef ribs, chicken, beef brisket, pork, and more.

On the way, we stopped at a little restaurant we found – Shiver’s BBQ. It was small and quaint and the food was made fresh. While there we tried the Fried Mac and Cheese (so good!) and Jalapeño Cheese Grits.

I’d never had grits before but was told that if made well, they’re very tasty. I admit they were quite tasty. Not sure if I’ll be making grits a part of my regular meal plan but it was fun to try something new. I couldn’t get the Dayngrous Duo to take a bite though. If you like BBQ and you haven’t stopped in, put Shiver’s BBQ on your list!

Final Destination, The Aviary

Our final stop was The Aviary at Cauley Square. Rex and Bella loved this place and we’ve been there several more times since last weekend. Below is a photo of Jessie putting on a show for us. She’s looking for a good home if you’re interested (Can’t remember how much she costs).

We enjoyed our weekend and are already thinking about more adventures across South Florida. I’m currently trying to figure out we can do for the next mini-trip that’s fun and a little adventurous, too. I’ll keep you posted.

What Kind of Car Would a Giraffe Drive?

{ March 6, 2010 } - Trish

What kind of car would a giraffe drive? Naturally, he’d drive a convertible.

This photo was taken at Hwange National Park during the ChevyROAR event at Lion Country Safari sponsored by Chevy. Yup, that’s a shiny, new 2010 Chevy Corvette.

About Lion Country Safari

Lion Country Safari is a drive-through safari park and walk-through amusement park located on over 600 acres in Loxahatchee, in Palm Beach County, Florida. Founded in 1967, it claims to be the first ‘cageless zoo’ in the United States. In 2009, USA Travel Guide named Lion Country the 3rd best zoo in the nation.

Lion Country Safari is home to over 1000 animals in the drive-through preserve and in the Safari World habitats. Among the more notable species on display at the park are lions, white rhino, chimpanzees, zebra, and giraffe. Additionally, they have a walk-through area, splash park, petting zoo, and even a KOA Campground and so much more.

So Much Fun

We had a great time during our visit and I took so many pictures! Have you ever been to Lion Country Safari? Let me know in the comments.