Fabulous Fashion in Los Angeles

Last week I visited Los Angeles it got me thinking about the several treasure boutiques and shopping stores that tourists may miss when they come to visit. I've lived in Los Angeles for 9 years and as I was visiting my friends they showed me around to several places I had never heard of living in Florida. Here's a list of stores I enjoyed and you most defiantly might want to try and visit in your next trip to LA.

Soto

4865 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, CA 91364-4228 (818) 346-7686 ‎

Soto is a small quiet boutique located in Calabasas with a variety of nice women’s clothing (shoes, tops, jeans, jackets, dresses, etc). However when I went I found that they had a wide collection of unique jewelry for example, these tie dyed colored hair ties that may also be used as bracelets.

Sogno

4906 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, CA 91364-3112 (818) 704-9808 ‎

Sogno is also a small hidden boutique on the opposite street of Soto that has a similar collection of clothes yet a more colorful diverse atmosphere. Sogno actually appears to target a more young fun adult rather than Soto whose classical clothes may be worn by older more mature women.

Brandy Melville

Santa Monica Third Street Promenade
Tel. 310.434.1945
1413 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Hours: Monday-Thursday 10am-10pm, Friday & Saturday 10am-11pm, Sunday 10am-9pm

Started 30 years ago, Brandy Melville is an urban store that has moved to the U.S from Europe. I found that the prices were reasonable and that the clothes appeared to be made with considerable quality. This store was probably my favorite because of the way it easily stood out with all the beautiful decorations.

Free People

Westfield Topanga Mall Canoga Park, CA 91303 (818) 716-8069

Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 11am-7pm

Free people is a new store I discovered during my visit and I could probably compare it to our Delia’s. Everything’s very girly and cute. There’s a lot of drapery in the clothes which appears that the store might be going for a chic hippy look. Although the store is a bit pricey, (its pricing is similar to Urban Outfitters) the clothes are well made and the sale rack has a nice variety.

Sweet Summer Travels

Traveling is my passion, I love to see how different people and places are just a few miles away or across oceans.

Just a couple of weeks before school ended I spent a few days in St. Augustine which made my urge to travel grow and made me be set on traveling as much as I can this summer. I fell in love with the Old City and made sure to remember every bit of its fascinating history.

The culture up there is so different from what we have here in Broward, it's a different world altogether! But it is beautiful, everyone is extremely nice and helpful, and it gives you a glimpse back into the past and as to how the Spanish used to be. Definitely a place to check out for any history buffs out there. I fell so in love with the city I'm even considering applying for their college.

We're already a few weeks into our summer vacation and I've already started my travels and planned more for the weeks up ahead.

The first week of the summer started with a trip to Orlando and the surrounding area. Everyone loves Orlando because of Disney World, of course, but this time I wanted to see how the city is from a local's point of view. My family and I ate and shopped at local places whose profit doesn't directly come from tourism. The hospitality was still there though, and that's something I really love about Orlando. Whether in the middle of the tourism market, or on the outskirts hanging with the locals, the warm feeling and treatment of the people never changes.

Now I'm getting ready for a trip down to Key West this Sunday. I'm taking a tour of the city with my dad, always fun to travel with him. He is a person who loves traveling close to how much I do. I'm hoping the trip turns out great and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures (another one of my passions)!

The Southern Most Point Soothes

The school year is finally over, and the buzz of summer is taking control. I have high expectations for the upcoming two months: I plan on sleeping in as often as I can, but still have a blast.


This past school year I've worked extra hard, and I'm so glad that I finally have a break from all of the pressures of the FCAT, etc. Next week my family and I are going to Key West for a few days just to relax and see the sights once more. Key West is one of my favorite places in the world, and here's why:

It has that New York City vibe, a small island packed with people and shops on every corner. The sights and sounds are a playground for the senses, everywhere you turn there's a guy on stilts or chickens happily strutting around.

There's a lot of cool places to visit, like Ernest Hemingway's House (filled with six toed cats), The Truman Annex, and Duval Street which is filled with awesome shops.

I've been to Key West many times, but I've never been on a haunted tour. Personally, I love learning about the paranormal, so the tour that I'm going to take with my stepdad is definitely going to be one of my highlights of the trip. I want to meet Robert the Doll, who's supposedly possessed.

Ghost Tours aside, Key West is truly a relaxing place. I plan on just chilling on the beach and soaking up some sun.