The New River Gorge Bridge Walk!

June 23, 2017 Rebecca Fernandez

TCS Bridge Walk from rebecca fernandez on Vimeo.

This week on The City Slicker, I’m taking you to… The New River Gorge Bridge Walk!

While every resident and visitor of West Virginia has driven over the famous New River Gorge Bridge…. How many of you have dared to walk right under it?!

You’ll experience the walk of your life on the catwalk, underneath the bridge that’s 851 feet high.

“Just experiencing something that you drive over everyday and take for granted, and then to come under here and feel so isolated and private and you feel like you’re under here by yourself and looking out and seeing this while beautiful state,” said Stacy Butcher & John Dodds, West Virginia residents.

Scared of heights? Don’t worry… the cables have you locked in tight so you’ll feel safe and secure!

The New River Gorge is one of the highest and longest bridges in the world. This catwalk is one of the only bridge walks in the world and is actually the highest!

You can feel the vibrations from the cars and trucks passing just right on top of you, and right below you, you can see the rafters and everyone else who’s enjoying the New River Gorge.

The guided, interpretive tour is over a mile long, and lasts anywhere from 2 to 3 hours depending on how long you want to spend looking at the breathtaking views and learning about the history of the bridge.

Doug Coleman, a team member from Bridge Walk, told us, “Over the years, it’s become an iconic symbol for West Virginia. As you know, it shows up on phone book covers, highway maps, and the West Virginia quarter.”

So for those of you looking to share an adventure, the New River Gorge Bridge Walk awaits!

Until next trip! Catch me if you can!

Exhibition Coal Mine – A Tour Through WV’s Underground

April 30, 2017 admin

This week on The City Slicker… I’m taking you to Exhibition Coal Mine!

Here, visitors ride through the dark passages of a vintage coal mine that is one of four underground mines that could be toured in the United States.

It’s offered to give people a sense of what Coal Mining is like, and the coolest part about it… the guides are retired miners that provide firsthand accounts of the daily life of a Coal Miner!

“It’s a good life. I wouldn’t trade it for a $10,000 bill.” – Cliff Hunter, Retired Miner

“Meeting the people and discussing different things. We tell them about the coal mines and they tell us about things that we don’t know about, so it’s interesting.” – Marvin Turner, Retired Miner

The coal mine is 1500 ft deep, and has a temperature of 56 degrees year around! But that doesn’t stop hundreds of people from coming to take a tour of the mine, and learn about the daily responsibilities and stories of past and present Coal miners.

“Without Coal you don’t have steal and you don’t have commerce, and it’s so very important. The people locally don’t really understand that, they just know that their grandpa or their brother or their uncle, was a Coal Miner, but they don’t understand the economic importance of it and neither do the people who visit here from out of state.” -Leslie Baker, Director of Exhibition Coal Mine

To plan your next trip and experience living through history, visit GoToWV.com.

Until next trip… catch me if you can!

The Greenbrier Estate, West Virginia

April 24, 2017 Rebecca Fernandez

One of the greatest gems I’ve seen since I moved to West Virginia two months ago…

Located amid the breathtaking mountains, The Greenbrier is a National Historic Landmark and world-class resort that has been welcoming guests from around the world since 1778.

With a guest list that includes 26 of our country’s 44 Presidents, “America’s Resort” has long been a favorite destination of royalty, celebrities and business leaders. Today, The Greenbrier invites a new generation to come out and play, and set out an amazing adventure together.

I went to The Greenbrier when my parents came to visit for a weekend. We spent a whole day at the estate and had lunch on the golf course. However, since we didn’t plan this trip in advance (It was Easter weekend), all the activities were sold out! Ooops!

BUT we learned that there are tons of activities to be found at The Greenbrier. From hiking trails, to historic bunker tours, to golf, to horseback riding, to the spa, to the casino, to a movie theater, to the pools… no one could ever get bored there!

Everyone seemed to take so much pride in the rich history of the resort, and given how long many people worked there (the gentleman who valeted our car had been there for 30 years!), I think they’re each a huge part of carrying on the tradition of what makes The Greenbrier such a gem. It’s easy to see why so many families have traditions of visiting The Greenbrier year after year!

I will be covering the Greenbrier Classic in July. and coincidentally, my whole family (yes, the whole gang) will be visiting that same week, so we WILL be making plans and reservations at the estate starting now! So more details on all the activities coming soon!

Caught in Bimini, Bahamas

July 13, 2016 admin

You know that vacation spot your family goes to every year? That one place that you look forward to for weeks? And no matter how many years pass, it will always have a significant place in your life? Well, my special spot is Bimini. What started as a small island that only fishermen knew about, has now turned into one of the most popular vacation spots for all Miamians.

DISCLAIMER – I do miss the good old Bimini days when no one knew about the island, and there were only 10 of us there playing “catch the crabs” with the Bahamian locals. But hey – I cant’ be selfish forever.

I can go on and on bout how beautiful the island is forever, but since I know most of you reading this already know that, I’m going to let you in on even more little secrets that aren’t on all the resort itineraries or website.

Radio Beach

This beach is the real one. There’s about a mile of white, soft sand with no tourists, no chairs, no partying. This is what the original Bimini was all about.

Make a right onto the street right after the straw market in town, and go up the road until you see the beach right in front of you.

Edith’s Pizza

Homemade pizza made by the one and only, Edith, is not made like your average pizza. The dough is actually Bimini Bread (THE BEST!!!) and the toppings are out of this world.

My personal fav: Lobster Pizza

If you haven’t had Bimini Bread, you haven’t been to Bimini.

Joe’s Conch

Something amazing about the Bahamas? Being able to watch the locals catch the conch and make you salad or fritters right in front of you. Joe has had his little shack for about 20 years, and it’s still the best conch on the island.

Make sure to leave your mark on the wall! Ask them for the permanent marker!

Caught in New York City

June 30, 2016 admin

I can give you a “touristy view” of the city, but… what fun is that?!
See everything New York City offers while enjoying the exhilaration of riding the waves! New York Harbor Jetski is only a short train ride away from the NYC, and you leave to explore Manhattan- from the water- at Pier 13 in Hoboken.

Ultimate Bucket List Trip: South Africa

June 6, 2016 Rebecca Fernandez

If you could take one vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go? South Africa was my family’s top choice.

Because I have written a lot on the topic of once-in-a-lifetime vacations, adventures, and “Bucket List” experiences, I’ve been blessed to be able to visit some of the most interesting places in the world, from Ibiza to Dublin to skydiving and skiing in the Swiss Alps, and thinking about all of the places I’ve been, I realize how hard it is to top South Africa.

The main reason people tend to go on vacation to Africa is to go on safaris and see all the wild animals the massive content offers. But, South Africa offers far more to see and do than “just” safaris. In South Africa, you really can have it all – and with the favorable exchange rate and cost of living, it is a bargain, especially for food, drinks, and shopping! What was even better than all of this? The impeccable service. We stayed at the 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa during our time in Cape Town, and were treated like nothing less than royalty.

While the quality of wildlife might be equaled in other places, the quality of the experience is not: South Africa has by far the best collection of luxury safari lodges. We stayed at the private game reserve of Kapama Karula. We had our own personal waiter for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as our own game ranger and tracker for all 5 days!

Going to Africa was most definitely the best experience – and trip, I’ve ever had. There are not enough words to explain how incredible our two weeks in South Africa were, but here’s a recap video of our trip that could give you just a little glimpse. As well as the day by day itinerary we had!

South Africa from rebecca fernandez on Vimeo.

Thursday:
Dinner at The Harbour House in the V&A Waterfront

Friday:
Table Top Mountain
Abseiling 130 meters then hiked back up
Long Street & Kloof Street
Dinner at Azure

Saturday:
Breakfast at Old Biscuit Mill
The Winelands, Stellenbosch region
-Rust en Vrede vineyeard
-Delaire-Graff vineyeard
-Lanzerac vineyard

Sunday:
Great White Shark Cage Diving
12 Apostles Spa
Dinner at The Butcher Shop & Grill

Monday:
Cape Point
Cape of Good Hope
Boulder’s Beach- Penguin Colony

Tuesday:
V&A Waterfront
Dinner at The Test Kitchen
(7-course tasting menu and a wine pairing, #28 restaurant in the world)

Wednesday through Saturday:
Kapama Karula Private Game Reserve

RAY ALLEN’S “GROWN” MIAMI RESTAURANT

May 2, 2016 admin

Grown Miami from rebecca fernandez on Vimeo.

Former Miami Heat player Ray Allen, and his wife Shannon, opened Grown, a new fast-food concept in South Miami. Developed by the couple, Grown is said to be “real food, cooked slow, for fast people,” meaning it fuses a farm-to-table concept using organic, local, and nutritious ingredients with the essence of a fast-food locale.

COACHELLA 2016

April 29, 2016 Rebecca Fernandez

What do you get when you put hundreds of thousands of people clad in a mixture of boho chic and hipster attire in a desert over a two-weekend span to party to all types of music?

You get one of the most popular festivals in the world—COACHELLA!

This year was my first time going to Coachella. Although, I’d heard about how amazing the experience is, I had no real expectations when I first arrived in the desert. The less expectations the better, right? Well… it was even more than I could have imagined!

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Stiltsville

April 18, 2016 admin

“Stiltsville” is a village of sorts situated about a mile south of Cape Florida in Biscayne Bay. It’s an iconic Miami landmark, but somewhat hard to get to since it’s surrounded by water. These homes were built in the shallows on stilts starting in the 1930’s and the number of structures peaked at 27 during the freewheeling Stiltsville heyday. After many decades and a few hurricanes, there are currently only seven remaining wooden structures and all are now part of Biscayne National Park.

Not many people know about it unless they frequent Biscayne Channel by boat. These “shack-like wooden structures” just sit there, like monuments in the landscape, a landscape of ocean blue.

Stiltsville had a very colorful past, hosting fishing, drinking and partying clubs during Prohibition, the first of which was the Calvert Club, later followed by the infamous original Quaterdeck Club and Bikini Club, but now it offers boaters, and locals, a different view of Miami.

For more information about Stiltsville’s past and how to get there, visit here.

KOMODO MIAMI

April 7, 2016 admin

Komodo: a three-level, indoor-outdoor, Asian-inspired restaurant that seats about 275 people. This is the description of Miami’s newest hotspot that is not only a restaurant, but a lounge as well!

David Grutman, owner of mega-nightclubs LIV and Story, is the man behind the concept, along with Jeffrey Chodorow, who’s best known locally with his work with China Grill management. The menu is self-described as “Asian cuisine designed to take guests on a culinary journey of the Marco Polo trail.” Translation: expect dishes like dim sum, peking duck, tuna porterhouse, wasabi shrimp and of course, plenty of cocktails.

Grutman isn’t exactly known for doing things low key, and Komodo is no different. The three-story, 17,000-square-foot space features plenty of teak, 40-foot-high red ceilings, and lots of greenery.

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