COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND IN WASHINGTON D.C

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Three day weekends roll around every once in a while, and when they do it's always great to take full advantage of them. One of my favorite things to do when one arises is to go on a short weekend getaway. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, it can be something quick and nearby. I just feel like it's enjoyable to escape for a bit and unwind. I spent Columbus Day weekend in the DMV (D.C/Maryland/Virginia) area, after my friend Chloe invited a few people to spend the weekend with her in her hometown. The last time I was down in that area I was 14 and with my school on a field trip. Years later I got to revisit everything I once saw and take pictures of course. Surprisingly it was fairly warm considering it's the beginning of October, so shorts were my go-to the whole weekend. 

Thank you for reading!

Sebastian

MADE IN AMERICA MUSIC FESTIVAL | Labor Day Weekend

Okay you guys so I have been on a roll with the music festivals this summer. I remember looking back before summer even started I was hoping that I got to attend a cool music festival sometime during the summer. Now summer is almost over and I just came back from Made In America in Philly! This one happened so spontaneously! About a month ago, Sprint, which is my cellphone provider held a special for their customers where they were offering the music streaming app Tidal free for 6 months. I am a sprint customer and always wanted to try Tidal so I was like okay this is dope why not. When I went to the Sprint store to get the free trial of Tidal I was informed that I was also eligible to win tickets to Made In America in Philadelphia during Labor Day Weekend. I didn't put much thought into but then a few weeks ago I was informed that I had won the tickets.

Around this time, one of my high school best friends Ellen was staying with me while she was visiting New York for a few days. I asked her if she wanted to come with me to Philly and go to this music festival and immediately she said yes and extended her trip. Ellen is one of the most "down af" friends that I have and it's one of the many reasons I love her lol! Long story short we had the best time at Made In America even though it rained for part of the weekend. We put on a poncho and made the best of it. The lineup was INSANE! We saw the one and only Cardi B perform, 21 Savage, Migos, Marshmellow, Kaskade, The Chainsmokers, Jay-Z, and many others.

Ah what a time! Legit sooo much fun! I wish I could do it all over again :P

Life Moves Pretty Fast - Searching for Wheels Journey

Time goes by so fast! It's literally almost scary to think about how quickly life is moving. I feel like it was just the other day I started this blog and graduated high school. I mean it wasn't that long ago, but at the same time I never expected to be here in this moment this fast. I also remember what it was like waiting what seemed like an eternity to turn 15 and take my permit test. Not only that, but also having to wait until I was 16 to receive my actual driver's license.

When I found out I was moving to New York for college, my dreams of driving my own car were crushed because I knew that living in New York meant a car wasn't really necessary. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love living here, but I miss the feeling of being able to drive myself anywhere whenever I want and not have to rely on public transportation.

As time rushes by, college graduation is quickly approaching and I actually can't believe I'm saying that LOL! The thought of jumping into the real world and having to figure out my future already begins to stress me out. Of course, it's exciting but there are so many things I have to start thinking about and you know life isn't easy. One of those things is the place I will reside after graduation and my method of transportation. Car shopping can be quite stressful, especially having to think about financing fresh out of college.

Luckily, Capital One's Auto Navigator site has been making my future car buying experience a breeze! With the Capital One Auto Navigator site you can see if you pre-qualify for auto financing, "test drive" your financing options, look at different term lengths, prices, vehicles, and more. What's cool is that you can search through over 12,000 dealerships' inventory by make, model, price, and see an estimated monthly payment as well as APR on the cars that you choose. You save time, energy, and it doesn't affect your credit score.

Even though life after college is quickly approaching, I feel better about having to do things on my own and have some weight of my shoulders thanks to the Capital One Auto Navigator site. I really can't wait to finally be driving my own car! If you are ever on the search feel free to visit http://captl1.co/2esc4tM for more information and a simple car shopping experience.

In partnership with Capital One all opinions expressed, however, are my own.

M O N T E C A R L O - Monaco (3/3)

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Once upon on a time there was an extravagant place filled with every luxury you could possibly imagine. A place where Ferrari's and Rolls Royces were bountiful throughout the land. A place where 1 in every 3 people are millionaires. Nope, this isn't a fairy tale or a dream, this is Monaco. Considered to be the smallest country in the world (if you don't count The Vatican) located near the south of France alongside the Mediterranean.

I have always dreamed about one day visiting Monte Carlo, Monaco. I had read about its existence and seen pictures of it in the European magazines my grandma reads, but I couldn't believe it was an actual place. The port itself was unlike anything I have ever seen before docked only with gigantic yachts, the biggest in the world. Some larger than the size of a house. #Goals! Lets not forget about the roars of Lambo's and opulent sports cars you hear as they speed through the entire city. As if it couldn't get any better, high end stores, hotels, and the infamous Monte Carlo casino are right at your disposal. All of this in a picture perfect hillside coast with magnificent views and cotton candy sunsets.

If the bougie deep down of you isn't LIVING then why are you even in Monaco? Being there was so surreal and I felt like I was walking in a place my mind had made up. I hate to sound like a materialistic, lavish obsessed snob but I really enjoyed visiting Monaco and seeing how the top percentile of the world lived. It served as motivation to keep working hard because anything is truly obtainable. Everyone has different goals and often times we think they are too far of a reach and are only realistic in our dreams but being in Monaco reminded me that, that isn't always the case. If you can dream it you can achieve it!

Hope you guys enjoyed the pictures and reading about my visit to Monaco. It really felt like a fictitious land but the fact that it wasn't and an actual place like Monaco exists really put things into perspective for me. On that note, remember to never give up because ANYTHING is possible.

Sebastian

Saturday Summer Fun

Hey guys so I know it's been a little while since I've last updated you on my life happenings. Recently, I've been trying to keep up with how fast this summer is going. It literally makes my head spin and I'm just here trying to take a moment to understand how we are already half past July. Anyway, as you know, I'm currently in Miami and I love being back here because this is my hometown and I enjoy catching up with family and friends.

Last weekend was my friend Melissa's birthday who I've known for 8798 years. We started the day with some breakfast at Green Street Cafe in Coconut Grove! Green Street is one of my go-to spots when in town. I was introduced to it by another one of my best friends & have been hooked ever since.  Everything on their menu is tasty but my favorite plate would have to be the nutella stuffed french toast. Not only is the food amazing, but it is also Instagram worthy.

Later on that day, we headed over to the Miami Beach for some "fun in the sun," as most would say. Miami has some of the best beaches with perfect warm blue water. We decided to park near the FontaineBleau Hotel so that we could enjoy the beach and have the hotels pool at our disposal. The FontaineBleau is one of the nicest hotels in Miami and I love coming to the pool here because of the nice atmosphere and fun vibes. The pool is huge and they play really loud music which makes the environment exciting and "poppin". Hope everyone is having a fantastic summer! 

Tumblr Tuesday

Gloomy Brooklyn Vibes

I still remember that day we met in December...

My good friend Ashley and I explored the Brooklyn Bridge park area back in December and I can't believe I've taken this long to post these pictures. It's really gloomy and foggy today in New York and it reminded me of that gloomy day back in Brooklyn. These pictures are from the beginning of December when it was starting to get cold but not all the way so I was able to just wear a sweater. When walking around we discovered a cool restaurant that sits by the edge of the water and has magnificent views of the Brooklyn Bridge andManhattan skyline.

The entrance of the restaurant is nicely adorned with twinkling lights in its shrubbery and trees. Instantly sparked with a vision we began to just shoot in front of the entrance. I feel like I constantly get visions and ideas of potential blog posts or picture shooting vibes everywhere I go. It's something just that comes to me and pops instantly when I see something I like and can spot potential in. Anyways, I really like how the pictures came out, my friend Ashley is really talented. The background is a bit blurry giving the twinkling lights a bokeh effect and it just looks really dope.

Ashley has a blog of her own called NotHaute. (www.nothaute.com) Her instagram is: ashley.yu

TUMBLR TUESDAYS: A new series

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

So I've decided I want to start a new series called Tumblr Tuesdays which will pretty much be a collection of images that I find cool recently and aesthetically inspirational. Hope you guys like them as much as do!

Spring Break Trip: LOS ANGELES

As you can tell by the title, this article is going to be about my spring break trip to Los Angeles, California! This wasn't any regular spring break trip, however, it was a plunge program with my school's campus ministry. When I first found out about the plunge program and the trips that they held I was very eager to participate and signed up immediately. It's wonderful that my school has this program for students to immerse themselves in Vincentian service and participate in a great cause.

During the trip we stayed in the Skid Row area of Downtown LA at the Cardinal Manning Center. CMC is a homeless shelter that offers a program for men to transition from living in the streets to finding their home.

We spent the week volunteering at multiple places such as: Maryvale, Hotel Dieu, The Hippie Kitchen, Meals on Wheels, and Midnight Mission, as well as connecting with members of the fellow Vincentian family.

Maryvale was the first orphanage in Los Angeles established by the Daughters of Charity. The organization takes care of orphaned, abused or neglected children. At Maryvale we played and had lunch with a group kids from the orphanage. It was great spending the afternoon playing basketball and just making sure the kids had a fun time.

Hotel Dieu is pretty much a senior citizens home that also doubles up as the Meals on Wheels headquarters in Los Angeles. Meals on Wheels is a nationwide organization that focuses on providing meals to those unable to make their own food or go and get it. What is great about Meals on Wheels is that no senior citizen has to worry about not being able to pay for their own meals because the fee ranges from free to no charge depending on what each person can contribute. At Hotel Dieu we played bingo with the senior citizen residents and helped out in the kitchen to prepare the meals for delivery. After the meals were ready, we were each split into route groups and sent off with a driver to go around Los Angeles delivering meals. 

The two days I participated in Meals on Wheels I probably knocked on 40-50 doors in the West Hollywood Area and about 35 close to the Downtown LA area as well. It was nice to see how appreciate the clients were when we knocked on their door to deliver the food. Some people were really happy to see us because for many the volunteers at Meals on Wheels are the only people they see throughout their day. This portion of our service trip kept reminding me of my grandma. Although, she is very healthy and productive it made me think that all those people have kids and grand kids as well and if they were my grandparents I'd want them to be properly taken care of just the way l'd want my grandma to be.

Another one of our days of service consisted in waking up at 5am to participate in The Midnight Mission of Los Angeles. Their mission is to help those that have lost everything regain their former life again. At the mission we worked during breakfast and we each had a spot behind the counter of the food line to serve the homeless that would be coming in to eat that morning. I was in charge of serving the pancakes and the syrup!

A really fun volunteer experience was working at the Catholic Worker's Hippie Kitchen in Skid Row! The Hippie Kitchen also known as Hospitality Kitchen is pretty much a soup kitchen were people volunteer their time to prepare home cooked meals for the homeless. What is great about the Hippie Kitchen is that it is free and it is opened to anyone who simply wants to get in the line. As a volunteer, I did a variety of tasks such as picking oranges, cutting vegetables, to stirring the extremely large pots they had. The vibes at the Hippie Kitchen were incredible! Everyone was so warm and friendly and they were so happy to have us be there volunteering. The kitchen is full of murals with great messages and they even have a beautiful garden outside in the back with bird cages and where those seeking a meal can sit down and enjoy their time there.

Furthermore, one thing I should mention is that we visited Homeboy Industries during our time there and took a tour of the facility. Homeboy industries is an organization that helps decrease gang activity and recidivism by providing support, tattoo removal, job training, as well as job placement to ex-gang members. It's wonderful to me that everyone there has been a gang member before and they are their because they want to change and better themselves. It's great that they use their enterprise to benefit and provide a mean of improvement to those who seek it. Definitely recommend checking out their Homegirl Cafe, and Homeboy Diner if anyone is ever in the Los Angeles area. The food is great, and it supports an incredible cause.

Overall, my spring break experience was amazing. It was my first time spending my spring break volunteering and I am completely glad that I did. It felt so great knowing that I was contributing my free time in a productive manner doing service to help the Los Angeles community. Not only that, but it also happened to be my birthday during the week. Los Angeles, to much surprise has a homeless population of around 44,000 people. It is insane to think that so many people are just living in the streets without a shelter. The trip was a very eye opening and humbling experience. I am also glad I had the opportunity to have gone with an amazing group of people who I had the opportunity to get to know throughout the week. Everyone on the trip showed true compassion and love of god with the people we helped and they each taught me something individually.

P.S shout out to my plunge group for surprising me the day of my birthday with a cake!

Thanks for reading!

Sebastian

City Evenings: The Met / The plaza Hotel

Hello Upper East Siders, it's me Sebastian giving you the inside scoop on what went down on a chilly Saturday evening in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. A couple of young creative individuals climbing the infamous Met steps looking to explore the museum at nighttime. Myself included perused around the intricacy of the museum stopping at the exhibits we found most interesting. At one point, we each made coin wishes at the Egyptian exhibit's reflection pool reminiscing Hilary Duff's trevi fountain scene from her movie in Rome. Everyone needs their Lizzie Mcguire movie moment right?

My partners in crime for the evening and I continued gallivanting through the museum occasionally pausing to admire pieces but mostly to take pictures like the ones below.

Here is my friend Reza who is also a blogger (http://funkykissestakesny.com) channeling her inner Blair Waldorf. It's actually funny how much she resembles her appearance wise. So much that we kept calling her Blair Waldorf throughout the night just because. Igee Okafor, a men's fashion enthusiast is also pictured above admiring art work with Reza and happens to be a blogger as well (www.igeeokafor.com). Be sure to check them both out and their awesome blogs!

After the museum, we carried over to one of Manhattan Classics, The Plaza Hotel. Pictured above is the entrance/lobby area with a large chandelier that looks super fun to swing from haha! The attention to detail this hotel has is incredible. Although the hotel has been around for a really long time, it still manages to captivate anyone that walks passed its golden revolving doors. From the elegance and poise of the display and chandelier to the gold accents on the walls and ceilings, it all gives you a sense of vintage antique nostalgia. 

*Fun Fact* The Movies Home Alone and Bride Wars were both filmed in this exact hotel!

Ah, the iconic Palm Court! Located in the center of the hotel just passed the main entrance with the chandeliers. The picture above basically sums up why the restaurant/lounge's name is the Palm Court.  The trees and stained glass ceiling give you the impression that you are in a tropical garden and I am all here for it. It's the perfect ambiance for a professional business meeting, a night out for cocktails, and perhaps afternoon tea. Scone anyone?

Just leaving this picture of me here as I have my Suite Life of Zack & Cody moment! Shout out to all the millennials who will understand my Disney Channel references.

Until next time y'all!

MY FIRST BLIZZARD EVER

To be honest, I've actually had multiple blizzards before...the Oreo ones from Dairy Queen that is. The delicious ice cream so cold that the worker behind the counter flips it upside down before they hand it to you just so you can see how cold it is. Although I love Dairy Queen's blizzards, those aren't the ones I'm referring to.

Moving to New York, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to avoid the harsh winters and *ahem* snow. Growing up in a tropical climate like Miami, winter was a foreign topic for us. When news broke out that a blizzard was coming to the North East I was pretty excited. Most of my friends who are blizzard veterans kept telling me not to be because it wasn't all that and that I would hate it soon enough.

The day came and regardless, I was excited that there was actual snow falling from the sky. It was an entirely new concept to me and I decided to go outside and play with it. After taking countless pictures and, of course, snapchats (sebascintron) for my family and friends back home I went back to my dorm room and hibernated the rest of the day. The snow was fun for like 5 minutes and then it was annoying because it kept hitting my face and melting instantly. Not just that, but trekking through the snow was extremely difficult especially since I was unprepared and did not wear snow boots. 

One of the perks of having a blizzard and over 3ft of snow was the fact school was getting cancelled for the day. To take advantage of the situation I decided to head over to Central Park and make the most of the snow day. Let me just say that the blizzard turned Central Park into a literal winter wonderland! Everything was so white and so clean it was incredible seeing everything completely covered with snow. It was a nice moment of realization for me soaking in the fact that I live in New York now and I'm able to experience the beauty of a snowy Central Park! Walking around just admiring the picturesque scenery was great.

Here are some photos I took of the park:

In addition, I filmed a vlog about my whole Central Park experience! Watch it here & don't forget to comment, like, & subscribe!

Thank so much for reading!

-Sebastian

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK!

Even though the holidays are over and I am a tad late on the Christmas blog post. I am writing one anyways because mentally I am still in holiday season mode.

Christmas time itself is just such a wonderful time. There is such a great spirit that fills the air and everyone seems to be in such a great and giving mood and it's honestly amazing. Now, Christmas time in New York City on the other hand, is a whole other spectrum on its own! There is just something magical about Christmas in New York! Growing up in Miami, the Christmas spirit did not feel as present and it was almost like people did not take it as serious either. Perhaps it was the 90 degree weather in December that just didn't make the vibes Christmas-y enough? It feels like summer year round in Miami. Moving to New York and getting to experience actual seasons and a cold December made Christmas time for me extra special.

Not only that, but the entire city seems to be in Christmas mode. From the weather, to the store front window displays, to the street decorations and so much more it's like New York doesn't let you forget that it's Christmas time. The picture above is from the inside of Macy's which felt like an absolute Christmas dream.

Here is a slide show with a few pictures of some of the Christmas decorations throughout the city.

Similarly to Macy's, stores like Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and countless others throughout the city had an array of incredible Christmas window displays. Walking around and seeing the Christmas vibes everywhere definitely made you feel happy and excited for the holiday season. Of course we cannot forget the Rockefeller Christmas tree and ice skating rink which are a New York City Christmas staple! Every year thousands of people gather each day to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree which definitely is a sight to see. You can also rent a pair of skates and skate under neath the famous tree!

Although Christmas is celebrated everywhere, there is just something special about Christmas time in New York City!

Here is a video I made that captures the NYC Christmas magic!

Christmas time in New York City is literally a dream! From the rockefeller tree, ice skating in central park, to decorations in store fronts, the holidays in new york are definitely special. Its exactly the same as it is in the movies.

Thanks so much for reading. If you've ever experienced New York during the holiday seasons let me know what you think!

DIY MARBLE LAPTOP CASE!

Recently, I've been obsessing over all things marble! I've been obsessed with the whole black and white aesthetic for a while now but black and white marble has taken a toll in my life. Black and white are really elegant colors and they go with anything. Even my closet has seemed to be affected by this because everything looks black and white. Now marble itself is such a cool design and I decided to see if I could get a case for my laptop! After doing some research online most of the marble laptop cases were super expensive and over $80. I was not trying to spend that much money on a laptop case. So I decided to make a DIY (do it yourself) video and make the case myself.

Here is a video of how I made the case it was super quick and easy and it honestly looks FANTASTIC!

GET THE MARBLE CONTACT PAPER HERE: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006NYDQJE/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687582&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00504QXM0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1F75R35CN2G1CKKWMH4F * SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS * ∆ T W I T T E R: @sebascintron https://twitter.com/sebascintron ∆ I N S T A G R A M: @sebascintron https://instagram.com/sebascintron s/o to my roommate JB for helping me w/ filming.

FALL

There is nothing like the FALL! The weather begins to get cooler, the leaves start to change color, and the stereotypical white girls pull out their Uggs and order pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. Fall is something I have always wanted to experience but never had the chance to because of the lack of seasons where I am from. To some it might seem ideal but when you've lived in Miami your whole life its not that exciting. I've always watched movies or read about people playing with leaves and it seemed like fun and felt great to be living in New York to experience actual seasons!

My campus looks so nice especially right now with all the different color leaves.

THE MET

Took a trip to The Met Museum aka The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Had a great day looking at all the cool art pieces and sculptures. Such a massive museum, if anyone has ever been lmk what you think about it. If you haven't I definitely recommend you check it out!

Global Citizens Festival!

Music. Central Park. Do I have to say more? Not really but I will anyways. I'm posting this about a month later than I should've but midterms have been taking over and its been hard to keep up with everything. 

Global Citizens is a musical festival held in NYC every year and hosts special performers to benefit the great cause of ending poverty and other problems world wide. What's cool about global citizens festival is that its a ticket event, however, not anyone can just buy the tickets. As a matter of fact, the whole point is that you don't have to buy them. It's technically a free event but in order for you to obtain tickets you have to do "missions" or good deeds. Anything from community service, to sending emails, or making phone calls to prime ministers and world wide leaders count. Finally, after achieving points for doing these missions you get placed into a lottery to receive tickets.

I was actually able to win 4 tickets because of the many missions I completed and decided to bring my roommates and my best friend from back home. We were super excited because Beyonce and Cold Play were part of the lineup along with a few other artists. We decided to arrive an hour before the gates actually opened thinking we'd get a decent spot, however, once arriving to Central Park we realized it was crazy because there were people who had been camping out for days. Beyonce fans go hard! Haha, once they opened the gates and inside we managed to get a decent spot on the grass way better than what we had expected.

WOW. Beyond is such an incredible performer. I was completely blown away by her ability to kill it on the stage. It's actually kind of scary how good of a performer she is. Let's not forget about the graphics, lights, stage set up, and back up dancers that definitely helped in bringing everything together.

Overall, it was such an amazing experience except for the $8 chicken chipotle wrap which i regret consuming.

I love music and I love festivals! To me it gave me some coachella vibes in the middle of the city with much greener scenery, of course. Seeing Cold Play perform gave me goosebumps because I realized how blessed I am to be able to see the live in the iconic Central Park in none other than NYC! The fact I live her now definitely kicked in and made me super appreciative. If any of you have been to Global Citizens or any other music festival comment below and tell me about your experience :D