Well, I have managed to fit 8 days in a carry on. If you haven't read that post yet, you can read it here.
The journey of our trip started because my boyfriend was the best man for his cousin's wedding. If you know me, I like to extend trips, and visit more than one place if possible. So we did just that. Austin, Wilmington, Charleston.. here we come!
Austin has always been on my list of places to visit. We flew southwest and travel time was about 2 1/2 hours from Las Vegas. We decided to Uber instead of renting a car mainly because our Airbnb was in walking distance to downtown Austin. First place we checked out to eat was called Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill. It was a mom and pop restaurant and in a great location.
We walked up 6th street and there were bars on every corner, restaurants, shops, you name it. Oh, and lots of cool street art. Don’t bother wasting time finding cool spots to take pictures at on Instagram. No matter where you walk, you’ll find something unique.
We went to a place called Brew and Brew. Coffee and beer bar. We obviously loved it. Who wouldn’t?
We ate about 3 minutes away at Revelry Bar to watch the Vegas Golden Knights game, ordered a couple beers, tacos, and wings. Perfect food for watching our hockey team. Did I mention how Pilates is going to kick my ass when I get back to Vegas?
We walked up 6th street again till we hit a place called The Blind Pig. Cool bar, good live music, and a rooftop deck.
Next day we got coffee at Cenote which has the cutest decor inside, and picnic tables outdoors.
We took an Uber to 1012 W Baylor street to see cool street graffiti. If you're in Austin, check it out!
We ate at Bangers for some sausages which were delicious, and definitely had to continue trying the Austin local beers on tap.
KJ shared a moment with me here. I knew he was stressing and nervous about his best man speech coming up in a few days, but I knew he would be alright.
We headed over to Easy Tiger which is a bar that has an outdoor area to play a few games and overlook the river. They have a cafe/bakery inside, and a beer garden outside with snacks to enjoy as well.
For dinner we ate at Fixe, and it was a very great dinner. The food was amazing, and we didn’t leave a crumb on the plate. We ordered two cocktails, deviled eggs, duck breast, pork chop, and smoked oyster fried rice...... which you need in your life. Just saying.
Next stop was The Roosevelt Room. It is a MUST DO. The ambience alone makes you feel as if you traveled back to the 1800s. It’s a speakeasy, so you walk in and there is a hostess that seats everyone party by party. At the door is a curtain so you really don’t know what you’re in for until you step foot past it. Live jazz band playing. We sat at the bar which is probably your best bet unless you have a large party. Craft cocktails with a bright light shooting straight down from ceiling to the cocktail glass. The drinks were amazing, we each had a couple.
Our last day in Austin rained, but we were okay because we had an early afternoon flight. We packed up, took an Uber over to Brew and Brew but only had coffees this time. Airport was a breeze, Delta flight from Austin to Georgia with a 30 min layover to our next flight to Wilmington.
If you’ve never been to Wilmington airport, just know it’s as small as a house. Seriously. Smallest, cutest little airport. We took an Uber to our beach home for the next few days... and.. I met the family. We arrived at the destination and I hear music, and people on the balcony. Oh boy, put on your best first impression suit, Steph, cause here we go. They were all super welcoming. Gave me hugs and kisses on the cheek. We settled into our cute bedroom, freshened up, and headed out the door with KJ’s family. We went to our first bar, which was pretty cool, watched the VGK game, and played some darts. Left that place and headed to a bar called The Palm Room.
This bar was recommended from someone from the last bar we were at. Great thing we listened to him, cause this bar was packed and had amazing live music from bands I listened to as a kid. Thanks dad for blaring classic rock music since birth.
Next morning we all went to get brunch at Oceanic - about a 3 minute walk from our beach house.
Food was eh - probably because KJ and I split a crab melt instead of crab cakes - and drinks were Coronas for cinco de mayo. We had KJ’s cousin's dinner rehearsal a few hours later which was at a cute restaurant that was set up just for us. Ate, drank, did a few toasts, and enjoyed our time together. Later that night we ordered food to go, and KJ and I picked up some Mexican food from a nearby restaurant. The rest of the night we took it easy, and KJ and I worked on his best man speech. I, of course, was next to him with some goldfish, listening and watching him write something special and from the heart. I read it out loud so he could hear how it sounded, and then he read it. We had a good system.
Next morning was Dan and Kat’s wedding.
I was on Pinterest looking up up-do’s since it rained the night before and was extra humid. I ended up doing a side fish tail braid and ended up loving it. KJ and the rest of the groomsmen left an hour earlier to get to the venue and I drove with his aunt, uncle, and family friend Joe. The venue was absolutely beautiful. The ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and that best man speech that made me fall for KJ even more than I already was. This kid was so nervous, our whole trip, and he nailed it. He did it the absolute best right there, in front of everyone, just as I knew he would. I teared up because I was just so proud of him. Everyone laughed at those funny parts he was worried about, teared up at those special sentimental parts, and cheers to the end when we celebrated the newly weds. KJ walked over to me after the speeches were over, and I saw him vulnerable a second time. He stared into my eyes and I saw him tear. No girlfriend ever wants to see their man cry, unless they are happy, vulnerable, tears of joy. Because after all, it’s a joy to be a Lacroix. I wanted to catch the bouquet - I didn’t. KJ wanted to catch the garter - he didn’t. BUT somehow the bouquet and garter were brought to us, and KJ was told to marry me. True story. We ate, we drank, we danced, we took a picture with a Polaroid camera, and boy did I shake it. When the wedding was over, we took a party bus over to the bride’s family beach home. Smoked cigars on the patio, feet up by the fire pit and listened to the ocean waves. Nothing better than that.
The next morning we took it easy. No place to rush to, besides our rental car that we had to pick up in the afternoon. We enjoyed the last day with KJ’s family and they dropped us off at the airport to get the "cahhhh," - if you've never heard a Boston accent, there you go - then met up with them for lunch in downtown Wilmington. We ate at The Copper Penny and I definitely recommend this place.
It was on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. (Poor KJ couldn’t remember the TV show name and kept throwing those words out of order). After lunch, KJ and I were on the road to Charleston, SC!
This drive was one of the prettiest drives I’ve ever been on. We blasted his Spotify and I sang the whole way there. It’s a good thing KJ loves my voice. I think I love him a bit extra for that. We checked in to the Waterfront Marriot Hotel in downtown Charleston.
It was perfect location, very clean, over looking the dock with boats, also had a city view, and a pretty courtyard with a pool. I recommend staying here if you’re new to Charleston, want a decent priced hotel, and in a great location. We got in at about 7:30 at night, showered and went to dinner at The Darling Oyster.
Get the oysters obviously, but also get the squid ink tagliatelle with muscles. Mouth waters just thinking of it. We walked up and down King street where you will find majority of restaurants and bars. We drove all around in the dark, and stopped at the Calhoun Mansion on Meeting street. Beautiful. We drove up Bay Street as well which is closer to the waterfront park. This spot is pretty during the day as well.
Next morning we got a pour over coffee at Black Tap Coffee, and then we were on our way to take photos at pretty pink, blue, yellow, and purple walls. Hello, Instagram. We also took photos at beautiful homes that overlooked Waterfront Park. I could picture myself living in one of those homes. Next stop was a boutique on King Street. I found a pair of earrings I loved, and KJ decided to surprise me and buy me them. So sweet.
We bar hopped and ate. Started at Leon’s (thanks @charlestonblonde for recommending) and then had a couple fish tacos over at Mex 1 Coastal Cantina in Sullivan’s Island.
We walked to the beach, dipped our feet in the sand and water, and noticed something special to us. We planned on walking along the water, and needed to remember which boardwalk we came in from. We both looked up and saw a pole with the number 22. Which is our lucky number together; that was easy to remember. We decided to check out a brewery more up north called Holy City.
I found my favorite beer called Hot Stove, with hints of a habanero pepper, sounds scary, but absolutely delicious. After 2 flights of beer, we got back on the freeway to head to the hotel. Unfortunately KJ accidentally took the wrong exit and we were heading opposite way over the Ravenel Bridge. We hit some traffic, but I knew I could save the day with my awesome singing talents.
Finally we arrived, freshened up, and went to dinner at a restaurant called Husk.
We tried making reservations but they were booked. They told us they accept walk in parties of 4 or less. We checked in and it was about 45min-an hour wait. Luckily they had the extended bar (two stories) next door that we had a cocktail at. We were able to pay and sit outside in either the back patio or front courtyard, and we chose the front courtyard.
We sat down at dinner and ordered
1. Gnocchi
2. Beef tartar
3. Duck confit
4. Pork
All absolutely delicious.. and last but not least our dessert which was the oatmeal cake, with granola crumbles and a scoop of blackberry ice cream.
We got back to the hotel, and decided to crack open the bottle of Makers KJ got as a gift from the groom. We sat out front in the courtyard, sat on some rocking chairs, looked up at the stars, and relaxed. I feel at ease when I’m with him. I know he takes care of me as I take care of him, and I could see us balancing one another.
Our last day in Charleston was spent going to a breakfast spot called Another Broken Egg Cafe.
I checked in on Yelp before arriving to be put on the waitlist. I would do this to save yourself from a 20-30 wait. Yes, it was a Wednesday and still busy. I had the lobster omelette with Brie cheese and licked the plate clean. We really didn’t have much time to explore because our flight left at 4pm, but we still made the best of it.
Remember how I said the bouquet and garter were both given to us? Well KJ and I decided to place the bouquet somewhere special.
KJ and I parked on King Street. We were about to put money in the meter and noticed there was already an hour and a half left in it. How lucky. We walked up and down that area to get a coffee from a coffee stand called SassyAss, then walked back to the car and were about to leave but decided to check out a few more spots in the area. One of which called Kudu.
I got out of the car and remembered that bouquet. I told KJ we still needed to put it somewhere. Well, right where we parked was a place called Courtyards on King. I walked in further to have KJ take a picture of me, and I looked in the window - speechless - to find wedding gowns on the mannequins. What better place to leave it than there? So I placed it on the ledge.
We walked away from that spot, and I knew that was the last piece of our puzzle of a trip. It felt complete after that moment. We head to the airport with less time than I would like to have left by, but we managed. We turned in the rental car, went through security, and still had 10 minutes to spare.
We got on the plane and head to Nashville since there weren’t any direct flights to Vegas. Land in Nashville with an hour and a half to kill so we ate at a live music restaurant in the airport which was pretty cool. Ordered a beer, and some chicken tenders since we thought it would be the quickest thing.. we were wrong. We rushed to eat, downed those beers, and I ran to the restroom before our flight was about to board. I’m washing my hands only to hear over the intercom “last call for flight 558 to Las Vegas.” I ran out of there as fast I could, and noticed KJ standing closer to the entrance and yells “let’s go!” I run, and just barely made it on our flight. What a rush! Kind of like what you see in the movies, just never thought that would be me. We sat all the way in the back of the plane, and got separated. Thanks Southwest for your seating arrangements. Well I sat window seat with a nice older couple, and KJ sat middle with a random guy and girl. There was no way we could go 4 hours without having his shoulder to fall asleep on. So luckily the guy who sat next to KJ switched with me. Thanks!
KJ and I wrote our own versions of our trip the whole way home. Now here we are, back in Vegas, after 8 days of traveling on 5 different planes to 3 different states. We landed in Vegas and go back to our usual routine.. RAMEN.. and Amen to that! We took an uber to our favorite place called Ramen Tatsu. Ordered our usual bowls, with a large sake and cheers to our first solid trip together.
To see more photos of our trip click here. If you have any questions on any of the places we stayed at, ate at, or visited in general, email or comment down below. Have you ever visited any of these places? What were your favorite experiences and things to do?
Would love to hear from you! xo
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