Shopping in Tallahassee

The most difficult task in Tallahassee is finding something to wear for a special occasion especially if it has to be a specific color (i.e. gameday). I am a very petite person and have always found shopping to be a daunting experience. If there is a wedding or gala I get to go to then I will class it up and have the girls at Cole Couture dress me. There are great local boutiques around town such as Narcissus, Kenzie Girl (more for college crowd), and Divas and Devils for the vintage style. My first choice is always Marshalls because it's cheap and unique. They also have shoes on clearance for a steal. A new DSW just opened and I have learn to appreciate their clearance sales, but that's about it. The good thing about DSW is you can buy the shoes online and return them in the store if they don't work out. Plus they have a great customer rewards program so shipping is free.

The mall has a few good stores if you can catch their sales such as White House Black Market and Ann Taylor. There also is a Banana Republic, Limited, and Express. Dillards is the best department store we have. It has decent young lady designer labels, juniors casual dresses, and shoe sales. I have become addicted to shopping at Nordstrom online because shipping is always free even if you return it. So you can buy it, try it on, and return it at no cost.If you are looking for something for a easy one time wear, I would suggest Forever 21. They also have great cheap jewelry. I am about to tell you a huge secret about a store called the Country Dollar. It's next to Pier 1 off the parkway and north of I-10 by Starbucks. They have crazy crap jewelry all for $1. You need to really judge the jewelry you are buying there or else when you wear it it will break or you will look cheap. The best part is you can buy jewelry already made and just deconstruct it and use the beads. They use a ton of seed beads.

Local Boutiques
http://www.colecouture.com/
http://www.narcissustallahassee.com/

Online Shopping
http://www.laversei.com/
http://www.tobi.com/

Gameday
http://judithmarch.com/
http://www.twelvesaturdays.com/

More Online
http://shop.nordstrom.com/
http://piperlime.gap.com/

Gator Gameday

This blog doesn't necessarily pertain to Tallahassee, but I know there are a lot of gators out there that live in Tallahassee. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on some amazing tickets for the UF vs LSU game so my boyfriend and I along with another couple drove down for the day. No need to get an overpriced hotel room, just leave early in the morning, tailgate, scream your lungs out at the game, and head home. Luckily I didn't have to drive, but the trip wasn't bad at all!



I want to suggest a couple of shops to purchase game day dresses (FSU too). Laversei.com has adorable chic trendy dresses that come in colors that can be worn to seminole and gator games. I tried a few other places, my go to shop Marshalls, which didn't have much and Forever 21. If I had the money to burn I would suggest Cole Couture and Narcissus and their dresses probably could have been worn again for other purposes. The end result was a Angie dress from Dillard's (http://www.dillards.com/product/Angie-Lattice-RuffleTop-Dress_301_-1_301_503226014?df=03758553_zi) in orange. I will address shopping in Tallahassee in another post...Back to Gator Gameday! So we left around 9am and picked up some Publix subs when we got there and started tailgating around 11:30am. It was my boyfriend's first time in Gainesville but we didn't have much time to show him around to the hot spots. If I had a weekend there, here's where I would go:

Guide to Gainesville:
Swamp Restaurant - get here early and get a table sit on the porch with a pitcher for a taste of tradition

The Garden Restaurant - Right behind Swamp with better food - great balsamic vinaigrette

101 Cantina - A little wild on game day weekends, but fun for a margarita

Balls & Salty Dog - Grungy typical college bars

Rue Bar - What used to be my favorite club downtown

Lillians - Fund bands to dance to classic rock


Looseys - Used to be Market Street, not sure if it is still fun but it used to be!

Food:
Paramount Grille - Upscale dinner best food in all of Gainesville


Dragonfly - Delicious sushi you MUST get their crab rangoon, best in the world!!!


Emiliano's Cafe - Cuban Fusion - delicious Tres Leches and maduros

Ivey's - Yummy breakfast when you're heading out of town

Harvest Thyme -  Yummy deli sandwiches

Leonardo's - 706 or By the Slice - Great pizza and tuna club

Manuel's Vintage Room - Upscale italian in an intimate setting

The Top - for the hipsters, buffalo tofu! good vegan brunch

Where to Stay:
Hilton - If you can get a room, usually booked or pricey

University Center Holiday Inn - Best location not the nicest

Magnolia B&B - adorable secluded B&B downtown with cabins off the main house for privacy

Paramount Hotel - A little south of campus, average hotel

 

Event: Game Day Weekend - FSU vs Clemson

Tallahassee was buzzing this weekend with Florida State fans flooding the streets of Tallahassee. My Saturday started off pretty productive, a little pilates and some shopping. Then my girlfriend Shannon arrived and it was time to enjoy some Florida State football fun! The highlight of my weekend was the many hours spent with friends sweating the day away in the stadium parking lot. The tailgates were amazing on Saturday, filled with live bands and DJ's, top shelf liquor bars, and political celebrities. I made a few new friends, Larry and Ingrid were my favorite though. An older couple who partied harder than us 20 somethings. Larry was the life of the party and his wife Ingrid, the diva! He introduced me around the MAC tailgate which had a great band and even better bars. I wandered around to a couple other tailgates including Tailgate for America. They are no strangers to the college game day tailgate. Well equipped with fans, an enormous smoker, and a new theme every week they surely know how to throw a party!  We took advantage and jumped in their winning Publix Tailgate of the Week photo.
We skipped the game and headed to the RV lot to pick up a couple of out of town guests to continue the party. We ended up at Potbellies where we got to see Chris McCarty jam out. Shannon and I were no stranger to this band since he used to play in Gainesville when we were in college. Yes, I went to UF and I now live in Tallahassee.
It was a late morning on Sunday but I wrestled out of bed and threw some cinnamon buns into the oven for us to chow down on before Shannon had to hit the road. A little El Jalisco for a late lunch and the weekend was complete!