Oh, Seattle

A few weeks ago I ventured over to the Northwest and found myself in Seattle. I had no clue what to expect, but I didn't think I would love it as much as I did. The only thing I really knew about Seattle was that the Seahawks are from there and the Space Needle is located there (which by the way surprisingly took a lot longer to find/see than expected). As you can tell I really didn't have any knowledge about Seattle, I still don't have much knowledge but now I know what the city is like.

I would describe Seattle as the child of San Francisco and London. Why? Well they have similarities, but don't believe for a second that Seattle is identical to those two cities. Seattle is its own city and one that I highly recommend visiting.

One of the first things I did was attend a Seattle Sounders game and boy, was I surprised. The whole city turned into a ghost town while the game was going on. I expected there to be a good amount of people since it was at the CenturyLink stadium, but I was not expecting that many people to attend a MLS game.

The next two days involved exploring the city. I went to Pike Place Market, to the Space Needle, found an amazing sushi restaurant (Umi Sake House), and walked up and down many hills.

Introduction | YouTube

I decided a few weeks ago that I'm going to start doing more YouTube videos. I really think that YouTube is an awesome network and a community that I really want to be apart of. On that note, I made an introduction video, it's very short, but I would love for you to see it so you can get an idea of what I plan to do with my channel!

Updates

Hello lovelies,

I know I've been M.I.A. lately, but have no fear, posts that will excite the inner traveler in you will be posted soon. The reason for this is, because I plan to embark on several mini road trips throughout 2015, which is pretty darn exciting if you ask me.

In the meantime, I'll try to keep you all intrigued by talking about other things that I'm into like music, fashion, art, etc. So get ready for more posts! I will try my best to constantly keep this blog updated!

xoxo

mel

Night Time Coffee Stops

In every city there is an abundance of coffee shops, so sometimes it can be really hard to pick the right one to go to. I'm no expert on which coffee shops to go to in Phoenix/Tempe, but I can guarantee that Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe is amazing! The atmosphere in the shop is relaxed, which is what I love about it. I also love how it's designed. The coffee shop has sacks and sacks of coffee beans on one side and couches, tables, and chairs all around the shop. As soon as I walked into the shop, a strong smell of coffee hit me and that's when I knew that whatever I ordered was going to be great.

Cartel is known mainly for their coffee, obviously, but because I'm more of a tea fan I decided to get some hot Chai tea. I had the option of adding espresso to it, but since it was pretty late I decided to go with normal Chai tea. The thing that I loved about their Chai tea was the thick, creamy foam that was on top of it. This aspect of the tea is probably why I think that it was one of the best Chai teas that I've ever had!

So if you ever find yourself in Tempe, be sure to visit Cartel Coffee Lab. There's also a location in Downtown Phoenix!

#MelTakesFlagstaff

This wasn't the first time I had been to Flagstaff, but the experience this time around was a lot different.

I was only there for a weekend, which wasn't long enough. However, in that short amount of time I fell in love with the city. It is such a wonderful place to go if you love nature and want to experience that whole small town feel, but without it being extremely small.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was going to Downtown Flagstaff, because it had so many interesting shops and restaurants. Everywhere you went was a little treasure on its own.

My other favorite part was the fact that no matter where I looked I would be able to see some form of forest or a mountain. It was like every nature lovers dream. Not to mention that Flagstaff has the San Francisco Peaks, where Humphreys Peak resides, which is the highest natural point in all of Arizona. I wasn't able to hike the great peak that weekend but plan to the next time I visit.

If you ever find yourself in Flagstaff here are a few places you should check out:
- Mars Hill
- Humphreys Peak
- Lowell Observatory
- Crystal Magic in Downtown Flagstaff
- Armadilla Wax Works in Downton Flagstaff
- Basically all of Downtown Flagstaff

Here are a few pictures from Flagstaff. I'll be posting a video soon as well!

#MelTakesGirne

I'm aware that this post is long overdue, but I've finally had time to put together the footage from my time in Girne, Cyprus, together in one nice video. The trip to Cyprus was amazing and I honestly would love to go back there again. The video shows a glimpse of some of the historic places found on the island. I also have included a few photos so you can understand how beautiful it is in Girne.

#MelTakesBodrum

Well look what it is, the long awaited Uyku Vadisi video! It is a bit shorter than I was hoping, but I hope that it's enough for you to want to visit it if you're in Bodrum ever.
I have one more video to put together. It'll be up hopefully by this week. Hope you enjoy this one though.

#MelTakesBodrum

Now this isn't the Uyku Vadisi video that I promised you all, but it is another video from my time in Bodrum. Don't worry though, the video of Uyku Vadisi will be posted soon. I just haven't gotten around to editing the footage. So for the time being enjoy the video I put together of my boat ride off the coast of Turkey. It was a lot of fun!

#MelTakesBodrum

After surviving off of the wifi found on the beaches, I'm finally able to share my adventures in Bodrum with you all!
Bodrum is exactly what you would expect it to be like. Full of amazing beaches and people sun bathing. Aside from all this there are actually things you can do that don't involve going to the beach like hiking! I can easily understand how hiking doesn't sound like something one would want to do during summer, but Uyku Vadisi is a place that you wouldn't want to miss. About 11 km from the Bodrum airport, Uyku Vadisi is a stunning place with a small waterfall, hammocks to rest on (or sunbathe), a pool, and even a restaurant/café. It also has a trail that you can follow which leads up to the mountains. There you come across rivers, caves, and even an abandoned house up on the mountain.
Uyku Vadisi is a great place for nature lovers and those who want to get away from the party life of Bodrum for a bit to relax.

I'll be posting a video soon of my adventures there because these pictures are not enough!

#MusicMondays

Oh, no! Looks like my attempt of being consistent with posting a playlist each Monday failed. Well, have no worries! I am back with a playlist for this week. I do however apologize for not posting one last week.

This week's playlist is inspired by summer and what I think are some nice summer jams. It's also the type of playlist I plan to listen to as I get ready to head down to Bodrum, a southern city in Turkey where a good amount of people flock to for summer holidays.

Enjoy!

#MusicMondays (No.2) from melohhh on 8tracks Radio.

#MelTakesIstanbul

I recently went on a Bosphorus tour that took me to several different places located on the Bosphorus. It was fun and extremely refreshing.

This video contains footages from that tour as well as a few clips from when I went to Bebek, a town located along the Bosphorus.

If you're ever in Istanbul, I highly recommend giving this tour a shot. Although it isn't the type of tour that stops at different locations, allowing the passengers to get off and look around, it is a great tour to just sit, relax, and enjoy the scenery.

There may be different locations where they have this tour available, but the one I went on is located in Ortaköy, which is another place that I recommend visiting.

#MelTakesIstanbul

I've been to a good amount of places already during my stay here, so I decided to put together a little video documenting my adventures. Hope you enjoy the first of many to come.

#MelTakesIstanbul

I've been in Istanbul for a week now and have managed to visit all the places that I've found interesting in the past. Two of my favorite places being Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar) and Nişantaşı, because of the shopping. Most people may not think of Istanbul as a place to go shopping but you can find so many unique stores in Nişantaşı and even more interesting objects at Kapalı Çarşı (one of the popular tourist attractions of Turkey). 
For those of you wanting to go to more familiar stores then there's Zara, Topshop, Topman, and Miss Selfridge to name a few. All conveniently located near each other in Nişantaşı. If you're looking for designers then you've also come to the right place because there is an abundance of designer shops all lined up next to each other on different roads. It's almost overwhelming how many designer shops there are on one street.
Since Kapalı Çarşı is a touristic place it is the perfect location to find really interesting souvenirs to get for yourself, family, lovers, and friends. Word of advice: try not to get lost since it's pretty large. Best way to describe it would be like Diagon Alley, minus the open air. 

#MelTakesLondon

The last few days spent in London were very relaxed, but also very exciting. I went to the East side again and went to a food festival that I had heard about. I was a bit worried that the festival wouldn't live up to my expectations and that we all would regret making the trip, but it was definitely worth going and I'm glad we did.
Street Feast is the name of this food festival and it is located at Dalston Yard, which you would easily miss if there weren't signs and a massive group of people heading towards the yard. Of course people go there to try the variety of food that each stand has to offer, but going to see just the setting is worth it as well. It is a perfect place to hang out with friends and enjoy some cold beer. There is even a cocktail stand at the back of the yard which is right next to some greenery. Everything about Dalston Yard is great.
Street Feast happens every Friday and Saturday until September starting at 5 PM and ending at midnight. It's free entry until after 7 PM, then you need to pay three pounds to get in.

After eating some delicious food at Street Feast we headed home to rest before the game that everyone had been waiting for: England vs. Italy. This was the first time where I went to a pub to watch a soccer game and it was everything I imagined. Although England did not win I was proud to have a giant England flag draped around me. The whole experience of watching the game was fun and exciting, especially since the pub was split in half. One side were the English supporters and the other side were the Italian supporters. Seeing how captivated everyone was by the game was great to witness. I also meant a few cool people who had some interesting stories to share. So if you're ever in London and happen to be there when the England national team is playing a match or there's a big game coming up, be sure to go to a pub and watch it. I would recommend The Kings Arms in Chelsea, because it had a really nice setting and the people there were all such characters. 

I'm going to miss this city and how there's something to see on each corner of every street. I'm going to miss the weather and all the people I've met and how friendly everyone is. 

Next Stop: Istanbul 

#MelTakesLondon

I've been in London for about two weeks now and have a few more days remaining. Leaving is going to be bittersweet, because I've grown accustomed to this city in the short amount of time I have been here, but I'm also excited for the adventures that await. 

For those of you who are here or plan on coming here be sure to do as much as you can in a day. Make the most of it. Be sure to explore places and streets that may not be tourist locations. There are so many wonderful locations to discover in London and I think wandering around the city, markets, parks, etc. will help you to love London even more. Be a tourist for a day and try to be a local for a day as well. It will give you a different perspective and will make your trip that much more fun. Also, if you don't want to stick out and be labeled as a tourist; try to leave the giant maps at home, especially since people who use them still seem to get lost and need help. Instead, if you happen to have an Android device or iPhone get the app CityMapper. It truly is a lifesaver. It is the app that I've been using during my stay here and not once have I gotten lost. In fact, I've been mistaken for a local several times due to the fact that it looked like I knew where I was going/doing.
Although I still have a few more days left to discover places, here are a few places that I highly recommend checking out:

Trafalgar Square:

Although this is a tourist location I think it is worth the time to visit. They have several street performers there and some are definitely worth seeing. When I went I saw a breakdancing trio who were not only humorous but skilled. There is also a giant fountain in the center where people sit to relax.

Covent Garden Market: 

I absolutely enjoyed every moment that I spent at this market. There are so many places to shop and several small businesses setting up to sell their products. My favorite stand was the Mstrand stand that sold handmade soaps and lotions.
There are also many places to eat and several street performers at the market, so there's a lot to see and do.

Portobello Road:

From pastel colored buildings to street performers to the flea market, there is so much to do on this street. Be sure to go on the weekend before 4 PM, because most of the stands close by 4 and the stands are only there on weekends. While here be sure to stop by at the vintage store One Of A Kind where you can find loads and loads of vintage Chanel as well as other designer brands. It is also a really cool place to get lost in. The store may seem small once you step into it, but there are so many small rooms waiting for you to explore. Be sure to ask to see the hidden room as well. 

St. James's Park: 

Most people rave about Hyde Park and the other parks, but I absolutely fell in love with St.James's Park the moment I stepped foot. If the weather is nice go grab some food from one of the places located in the park or bring a sandwich with you, bring a blanket, book, and lay there while enjoying the nice English weather. 

Old Spitalfields Market and Nearby Streets: 

Although I don't have any pictures of Old Spitalfields Market it is a really cool place to find antique things as well as small boutiques and shops. If you wander out of the market and to random streets, you will discover an abundance of street art, which is what I really enjoyed about this side of London.