48 hours in: Brisbane

Last weekend we went to Brisbane for some girlie time together before I set off on my road trip. I wasn't really sure what to expect. But it turns out I kinda love Brisbane. A shiny, sunshine-fuelled city set on either side of a river with a wealth of markets on offer. You got me. 

We stayed with friends in New Farm, one of the top areas on my recommendations list so I was pretty stoked. I'm going to stay it was a pretty food-orientated weekend. Here's a quick run down...

Day #1

Sister of Soul, St Kilda

Sam and I went to Melbourne for five days, excited to see what the city had to offer (more on that later). Usually on trips I am all for trying as many different restaurants and bars as possible, picking up tips from locals and fellow travellers. However, on this trip we fell in love with a place just round the corner from our air bnb apartment (which was perfect by the way) and ended up eating there two days in a row.

Australia

So, I made it. Four years after promising my best friend I'd make it over to her country and here I am. And let's be honest, how happy am I right now? Sometimes you just have to go ahead and go with your gut, no matter how sad you might be at leaving all your other favourite people, places, and activities behind at home. I've been settling into Northern Beach life, but have plenty of travel plans being mapped out at the moment for the coming months.

This is just a quick post of some sparkly scenes I've encountered in my first two weeks here. You can be sure there'll be plenty more posts, likely starting off with our four day trip to Melbourne and some of the delicious food I've been dining out on. I've been enjoying my sunshine-fuelled active lifestyle so much with plenty of beach runs, ocean and ocean pool swims, hiking, and general outdoor adventures. I'm jumping out of bed in the morning. And loving a good activity or adventure, including new ones like skateboarding, paddle boarding, and bikram yoga. Vitamin D guys, it's good for the soul. So here's some of that shiny stuff to start you off with…

Sunny Saturday ♥

With just a week to go before I head out of London (Christmas, moving to Australia...you know) it was high time to make the most of the few days off I had left. A frosty morning filled with sunshine greeted me as I headed off to meet Ally in London Bridge. I've worked in the area the last three months which has been lovely, but the area is even better when there's no limit to your lunch break...



First up was a wander through Borough market, but with stomach's not yet rumbling we grabbed coffee from a spot I'd been eyeing up, before taking a walk along the river. The coffee house in question was that of the Gentlemen Baristas and we loved the interior, branding, and of course - our drinks! If you're in the area, check them out - and find them on Twitter here.

winterSUITCASE x Modern Society

Now there's a pop-up. I just love party season, here's one of many I have to update you on...



Kindly invited down by Suitcase magazine I swung by the winterSuitcase x Modern Society pop-up for their Christmas drinks on Monday, with the lovely Ally in tow. An amalgamation of Suitcase magazine style, Taylor Morris eyewear and their big ideas, and Modern Society's influential and exciting pop-up expertise I knew it would likely be love at first sight (apologies bank balance...)

#BRGRCOTHNKSGVNG

So you know that piece I wrote about Thanksgiving Pop Ups for About Time magazine? No? Well here you are then, give it a read... http://www.abouttimemagazine.co.uk/discover/top-5-thanksgiving-pop-ups-london/

So, that one - the one that includes the delectable BRGR.CO Thanksgiving burger..well, I was invited down to BRGR.CO in Soho on Tuesday night to try out the Thanksgiving burger, actually served TWO ways along with a whole host of other naughty bites to tickle my tastebuds, with some lovely blogger friends.

I give you the #BRGRCOTHNKSGVNG blogger dinner...!
(Ps. See the end of this post for a super exciting spoiler!)

Photo c/o BRGR.CO

Back to the Countryside (The Linton Kitchen)

A whirlwind summer of Glastonbury, America, Latitude, graduation, working for a festival website, and catching up repeatedly with friends in London...has dropped me back at home for about four weeks. Initially a bit daunted - it's easy to feel isolated when you're surrounded by nothing but fields - I've actually begun to thoroughly enjoy rediscovering my local area. See, during my four years of University I spent very little of the holiday period at home. Instead I would be rushing around London, visiting friends and family, travelling abroad, or making the most of my University home and city to hang out with friends, feel independent, and work my ass off at those typical part-time jobs. So it was pretty evident to me that what my home town - and villages - had to offer was hardly on my radar any more. I had little idea what had closed up, opened up, and felt more than a little disenchanted with the whole thing. Luckily a few days out quickly destroyed those feelings and I'm more than happy to be at home before I head back up to London and then Australia... Australia? More on that later!

Amsterdam: A Hidden Gem & Eating Out

We started our last full day wandering in the direction of the Van Gogh Museum (definitely visit - no photos allowed, sorry!) and en route found a delicious deli-cum-bakery where we of course had to collect coffee (real good) and pastries (the perfect crispy-soft kind). You can find Stach here.

Day Two in Amsterdam

Our second day meant breakfast by the river as we made our way bright and early to the famous Rijksmuseum. We'd spent time debating which of the many museums on offer we'd make it too, and this one is not to be missed if you visit Amsterdam. It contains far too much do in one day, the range is just astounding and we enjoyed locating works by some of our favourite, or well-known, artists as well as stumbling across others we fell in love with but had previously never heard of. I decided not to share many of the photographs I took of the artwork - it's just so much better in person, so you'll just have to visit yourselves! 

Van Gogh - Self Portrait

A Day Out in Amsterdam

So many people have an incredibly one-sided view of Amsterdam as a city. Those people, in my opinion at least, can only be missing out on an incredible place with so much to offer culturally, gastronomically, historically - the list goes on. We spent four days exploring the place, staying on Amstel, and it was the area to the West of Singel which became my absolute favourite. The streets Herengracht and Keizersgracht, and those that link them (more specifically the Jordaan District and Nine Streets). This is where we found all sorts of incredible design stores (check out 360volt), independent clothing brands, perfect bakeries to pick up morning treats, and delicious restaurants to spend our evenings in. 

Eating in San Francisco: Beretta

I found this beautiful place for my 21st birthday meal with my sister, during my year in the city. Perched at the top of Valencia Street in the Mission District where I spent so much of my time it had rave reviews and the menu looked decadent without being over the top. Not only did it live up to my (pretty high) expectations, but it surpassed them.

To dine at this little gem you can only call an hour ahead to pop your name on the wait list, no reservations.

So we arrived and were told there was a 15-20 minute wait for the table. There was really only one thing for it, cocktails at the bar. The place was already bustling and we stood taking in the dark wood surfaces, hanging line of bulbs and high, open ceilings while we sipped on apple/gin/lemon/basil/honey concoctions.

Alcatraz, San Francisco

On an island in San Francisco's bay sits... 

The Workshop, Norwich

#foodie

The Sampson Sisters had a little reunion this past weekend which basically translates as a food tour of whatever area, city, town we are in... On this occasion the other one came to visit me in Norwich, my current city of choice. It's a beautiful little place - filled with tumbling lanes, river walks, a stunning cathedral (check it out in Harry Potter) and enough independent spots that the sis will have to visit many more times to tick them all off...

Here's the first spot we swung by, closest to my home. A cosy place filled with warm people, board games, and walls of books.
The Workshop. And here's what we got stuck into...

This made me nostalgic for childhood holidays abroad. Peach flavour!

Fohr Card

Back in September's Fashion Week I was working on the UK Launch of Fohr Card. A brilliant company concept hopping over from New York. It's US takeover has been swift, featuring most recently on the front cover of The Wall St Journal, but now it was time to launch in London. We had three days to pull a party together and somehow, office hopping on a daily basis having no set space, we managed it. The party was thoroughly enjoyable, hosted in the beautiful Spring Studios with a jazz band, and flowers & candles adding to the atmosphere. Thanks to everyone for making it down. Any other brands or blogs have a hop over to fohrcard.com and check it out for yourselves - it is 100% worth signing up for your future.


Handle Cards

Coachella Snapshot

Clearly this is ridiculously delayed but as the end of my year in America comes flying towards me things are undoubtedly going to be sporadic. This weekend we went North to Portland and it was an incredible weekend away, very different to the trip we made up in January too (which included Seattle). But more on that later. Here's a few snapshots of our weekend at Coachella Music Festival...

It was ridiculously hot and falling out of the tent in the morning to lie on the shady grass was so relieving. Add that to beautiful art work (including a huge moving painted snail), the infamous magic hour (as the sun sets over the desert) and some performances with serious impact (James Blake, Lumineers & Pretty Lights for me in particular), and you've got one of the best weekends of our lives, thus far at least.
 We even watched the moon set...

Words cannot fully describe. Photos don't do justice.

x

Art work in the campsite

The giant moving snail...

Do Lab in the foreground, Ferris Wheel in the back

Favourite moments at magic hour

First day chilling out

Ferry Building Farmer's Market

My parents came to visit a few weeks back and, having not seen them since August, it was incredibly surreal showing them the city. I was completely spoilt, and benefited from being a tourist all over again for a week - discovering new areas I hadn't even ventured into before and getting a bit more background from tour guides! 

One morning we headed over to the Ferry Building for the Farmer's Market and were greeted by endless stalls of produce and other items for sale and to eat. There was such a variety and it lulled the separation from the countryside a little bit. I'm a big supporter of fresh produce, particularly from local growers - the less packaging, processing, and air miles the better! It was a brilliant education in the best things to grow in California and the variety that's available locally. I also enjoyed all the little free tasters far too much...

Here's some snapshots of things we saw...and ate!

Ferry Building with the City behind it. The clock tower mimics Big Ben in London!

Bundled Asparagus - I love the purple heads

One of the first things I saw and smelt...spit roast - quickly induced hunger!

Fresh greens

All types of colourful mushrooms inside the building

We may have had some oysters for breakfast, overlooking the Bay Bridge...

Crunchy but sweet pears...

...which we paired with this delicious sheep's milk cheese (cured for 70days). And took the remainder on a walk around Land's End.

A perfect city day intertwined with the outdoors.

I'm off to Coachella next week...hope all of you there this weekend have a brilliant time!

For more regular updates find me on Twitter @mlle_milly
& Instagram @millysampson
x

Wandering the West Coast: Portland

A seriously whirlwind tour of our trip to Portland...

Top tips include:
Brunch at JAM on Hawthorne and be prepared to be full all day
jamonhawthorne.com
Visit the Pearl District for some posh eats and cute shops
explorethepearl.com
The area around Powell's Bookstore on West Burnside has record shops, vintage clothing & the flagship Dr Martens store - as well as Sizzle Pie - before heading down to the infamous Voodoo Doughnuts
powells.com
voodoodoughtnut.com
Pop by Reed College campus if you want to see English boarding school style buildings planted firmly in the American landscape. You can even take a walk round its very own 'canyon'.
reed.edu
Eat at Old Town Pizza (mac&cheese and garlic knots are highly recommended) & soak up the surroundings

oldtownpizza.com

Infamous Voodoo Doughtnuts...

Voodoo Doughtnuts extensive menu and colourful store (there is a LOT of pink)

I went with the 'Old Dirty Bastard'...chocolate frosting, Oreo's and peanut butter !

Powell's Bookstore - you can pick up a map of this wonderful, and very large, independent book store inside. 

Grab a slice at Sizzle Pie across the road from Powell's - perfectly concocted pizza.

Coming soon...back to the city for restaurants, days out, exploring new areas and much more.
Plus adventures down Route 1 / the Pacific Coast Highway and visits to San Luis Obispo.

We also can't wait for Coachella in two weeks time, can you?!

x

Wandering the West Coast: Seattle

A while back the girls and I headed North for a little adventure. We crossed state lines to visit Seattle (Washington) and Portland (Oregon). A lot of fun, wandering, and, of course, eating - here's a whirlwind tour of some of the spots we visited in Seattle via photographs...

We drank a lot of coffee and read our books (The first Starbucks was in Seattle don't cha know?) at some beautiful little independents, wandered the infamous Pike Place market, rode the Monorail, visited the space needle and more. 

First ever Starbucks

Seattle Fire Truck !


Infamous Pike Place Market


Fish inside Pike Place Market.
The guys on the 'Pike Place' specific stall draw people in by throwing fish to each other amongst the counters and crowd whilst yelling... We also tried 'Salmon Jerky' - seriously good.


Bubblegum Alley...two of the girls added to this beautiful? wall


Blue trees in the city centre...


Top of the Space Needle

Next stop was Portland, Oregon...
Where have you been visiting lately?
x

Lately...

The past two weeks have been crazy busy with parents visiting from England, midterms and deadlines, and it finally getting round to Spring Break ! While every one of these adventures is filled with photos and notes that I'll be sharing with you soon enough - here's a quick overview of some of those moments via Instagram. 

I'll shortly be sharing new purchases, restaurants, tours, travels, and much more with you. Plus tomorrow sees me leaving on a road trip down the West Coast with the girls - another adventure? Always.

Chilling by the pool in San Luis Obispo on a spontaneous trip to see a friend from home (Cambridge) !

One of the highlights of my year long adventure - our Coachella wristbands arrived.

Sharing an incredible pudding at Millenium (Vegan restaurant near Union Sq, San Francisco) 

 Indulging myself on Pink Champagne Truffles from England

 Soaking up the Spring Sunshine on our balcony

Visiting the infamous Alcatraz Island prison with my parents on a sunny day

More soon, I promise.

Or you can find me here on Instagram:

millysampson

How's Spring Break (if you're in the US) and Easter (if you're at home) treating everyone? 

x

Outerlands, SF

This little spot is seriously worth waiting for - just sign up on the list and take a walk to the beach in the mean time. It's got a beachy feel but also reminds me of a lot of the fancier little cafes I frequent in London in the summer months. It also features one of my favourite things about restaurants - you can see into the kitchen! We took a seat at the window, looking out onto wooden benches, and I ordered a delicious gingery warm cider. The menu is something that took a lot of contemplation. There's not too much on it but it's all oh so tempting. 

In the end I went for the grilled cheese and soup deal - and luckily it was the perfect choice. Their grilled cheese is to die for, I'd go for it alone. Perfectly full we opted out of any sort of coffee/pudding ideas, but I'd definitely go back. 

Find them at: outerlandssf.com
4001 Judah St @ 45th Ave

Hope you're having a good week! 

xxx