Alex Takes A Trip To... Tallahassee

There comes a point in every Gator's life when he or she randomly decides that it's somehow a good decision to take a trip up to "That School Up North."

This Gator girl had one of those moments this past weekend, right after the end of her first TV2 shift.

One of my best friends attends Florida State University, and occasionally, yes, we do like to visit each other.

My best friend Camilla and I, May 2013.

So, on this weekend where there weren't any sporting events, plans with other friends or family, visits from my long-distance boyfriend, or basically anything in general, I made the two-hour journey to FSU to visit Camy.

And, no, I did not party up and down the Strip or go to any crazy clubs or parties. We had a nice, low-key girls' weekend, full of working out, manicures, shopping, lunches, coffee shop dates, and cupcakeries.

Friday night was low-key. Camy and I went out to grab sushi at a restaurant called Sakura. According to her, it was "the third-best sushi restaurant in Tallahassee," but I still thought it was pretty good, so I only wonder how great the other two places are.

We both ordered a spicy tuna roll with double tuna and avocado, while I ordered a small spicy salmon roll and she ordered a small Alaska roll and a miso soup on the side.

It. Was. Delicious.

NOM.

Saturday, Camy and I started our day with a workout session at her apartment complex's gym. After about 40 minutes of cardio and a breakfast of an egg white, spinach, ham, and avocado scramble, the two of us along with her roommate Cecile headed out to a nail salon called Nailbar, otherwise known as "one of the 60 things you need to do in Tallahassee before you graduate." Camy opted for a shellac french manicure and Cecile for a light coral shellac manicure, while I went for a deep burgundy regular manicure (just 'cause this girl's on vacation doesn't mean she still isn't on a budget).

I didn't see what the big deal was except for the fact that there were two fully-stocked liquor bars inside the salon (hence the name, I suppose). To me, it was just another excuse for these Noles to get drunk all of the time. Also, it took forever and a half for us to be seated at a manicurist's area.

However, they did do a very good job, and even though I messed up about half of my manicure less than five minutes after leaving the salon while waiting in line for the best lunch ever (aka, Chipotle), my manicurist was more than happy to fix it up for me. Needless to say, I've been on a manicure kick since the weekend, and I'm already planning which color I want to wear next!

Classy.

After manicures and lunch, we stopped at this "cupcakery" that I've heard tons and tons of great reviews about, which peaked my interest because a) I am OBSESSED with cupcakes and b) I'm obsessed with cupcakes so much that in high school, I dedicated my entire year to going to different cupcake shops in and around South Florida and ranking them from personal best to personal worst.

It's called Lucy and Leo's, and it's located just outside of FSU in this quaint, adorable little coral-and-turquoise colored cottage-looking building, next to a boutique that sells cute clothes and gameday dresses (but to my dismay, said boutique had already closed for the day).

Camy treated me to a warm, fresh-from-the-oven cookies and cream cupcake topped with a mini Oreo cookie and herself to a red velvet cupcake with a cream cheese swirl and multicolored sprinkles. I also received a pink candle on my cupcake to celebrate my first visit to the bakery.

These cupcakes were amazing, y'all.

They were nice and crisp on top and so deliciously moist the more you ate into it. The icing was sweet, but not overwhelmingly sweet to the point where you felt sick afterward. And they were just so warm.

Happiness in a little paper cup.

The more I think about it as I type, the more I'm craving one. It's too hard to resist.

Saturday night was rounded out with some shopping at a boutique called Henri Girl (they have one here in Gainesville in the new building next to How Do You Roll?, another sushi favorite of mine), where I managed to snatch a $35 white, chiffon, high-low blouse with a cutout back on super-sale for $9, and a caffeine fix at Atomic Coffee, a local coffee favorite whose new location opened on the lobby of Camy's apartment building. I ordered a S'mores latte for myself, since it was 30 degrees and freezing, but was slightly disappointed at the fact that I couldn't taste the chocolate and marshmallow syrup until I reached the bottom of the cup.

In all, I really did have a nice, relaxing weekend with my best friend. I made new friends, went to some new places, and most importantly had some new adventures and new experiences. Maybe Tallahassee isn't so bad after all...

Just kidding. GO GATORS!