Issue #17 May: My Experience at Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour 🤠

Plus highlights from my trips to NYC and Ojai, CA 

May has been the most eventful month of my life! I kicked it off with a Beyoncé concert in LA, followed by a girls’ trip to Ojai, CA, and wrapped it up with another Beyoncé concert and long weekend in NYC. There was also my partner’s birthday and Mother’s Day sprinkled in there as well. 😅 In an effort not to make this newsletter super long, I’m switching up the format a bit to focus on my travel adventures and will cover SF-specific things in future issues. Next month, I’m off to Chicago for a “The Bear”-inspired food tour. 🐻 Now let’s get into the Beyoncé rodeo!

Experience 🙌

Cowboy Carter Tour (SoFi in LA and MetLife in NJ)

Calling a Beyoncé show a concert doesn’t quite capture the full depth of what is actually a life-changing experience. This is why seeing her show once is never enough! Those who know me are aware of my obsession with her, but even for the not-as-obsessed, a Beyoncé show is truly remarkable.

For the Cowboy Carter tour, she performed for about three hours singing and dancing all the hits from her recent album as well as select songs from Renaissance. She, of course, threw in some fan favorites like Single Ladies, Irreplaceable, and my personal favorite, Love on Top. She flew around the stadium not once, but twice! First on a horseshoe for Jolene and II Most Wanted and then again in a bright red car for the finale singing 16 Carriages. (The production to make this happen in an open-air stadium so seamlessly with drone cameras following her is a feat in itself.)

She brought back her Renaissance robots to serve her a shot of SirDavis (her whiskey label) and later rode a gold mechanical bull for Tyrant. Her daughter Blue Ivy, who made her debut on the Renaissance tour, has stepped up as a main dancer this tour, even recreating her mother’s iconic choreography to Deja Vu. During Protector, Beyoncé brought out her younger daughter Rumi to wave to the audience (look, ma, the crowd loves me!). 🥹

And then there were the costumes. Stunning works of wearable art created by the world’s best designers made Beyoncé look even more mesmerizing on stage. What’s even more amazing is that many of her costumes change every show (not just every city), making each night a unique and unforgettable experience for her fans. Another Beyoncé hallmark is the visual installations in between her costume changes, which could be a standalone show. One was a montage of her 30-year career, which brought me to tears because I realized in that moment that besides my mom, Beyoncé is the only other person I’ve loved for almost my entire life. I’m so grateful to be alive the same time she is and I cannot wait for act iii. ♥️

Visit ✈️

New York City, NY

NYC is my second favorite city in the US after SF. I visited last May as well so check out that issue for more recs.

Eat 😋

• Hangawi 🍲 (Koreatown): In a neighborhood of grilled meats, vegetables take center stage at this vegetarian Korean restaurant. Leave your shoes at the door and settle in for an evening of handmade dumplings and kimchi stews.  
• Nana’s Green Tea 🍵 (Koreatown): NYC loves their matcha and dessert cafes. We were definitely the oldest people there, but the matcha warabimochi parfait was the perfect way to end the night. 
• Starbucks Reserve Roastery ☕ (Chelsea): I’m making it a personal goal to visit all the roasteries around the world. This one is not only stylish, but also has a great playlist.
• Ippudo V 🍜 (Brooklyn): I’ve had Ippudo’s ramen in numerous cities, but this was the first time coming across their plant-based restaurant. Honestly, the “tonkotsu” with tofu chashu is just as creamy and delicious as the pork version.
• Danny & Coop’s 🥪 (East Village): Bradley Cooper opened up a cheesesteak shop and it’s probably the best I’ve ever had. Perfect balance of tender steak and melty cheese on a soft sesame roll. My only regret was not getting both the hot and sweet peppers. 
• Parm 🍝 (multiple locations): I’ve given up on trying to get into Carbone, but luckily there’s Parm, the casual sister restaurant from the same owners. They serve up the same delicious Italian classics like the rigatoni, Caesar salad, meatballs, and garlic bread. 
• Salswee 🍰 (Flatiron): This popular French-Asian bakery is known for their beautiful edible fruit desserts and often sell out of their selection, which is exactly what happened to us. I couldn’t get a cake that looked like a mango so I opted for the mango rice pudding cake, which was so lovely I forgot about my disappointment. I also picked up a coconut flake bun for the next day.
• Cosme 🫓 (Flatiron): From the chef behind Mexico City’s famous Pujol is Cosme, the kind of sexy restaurant only found in NYC, serving modern Mexican food honoring the humble corn. There’s nothing more satisfying to me than a fresh tortilla and they come with everything on the menu. Standouts were the guacamole and their famous duck carnitas, which literally every table around us also ordered. 
• DIG 🥗 (multiple locations): Similar to Sweetgreens, this is a great fast-casual option for that point in the trip when you just want a fresh salad.

Shop 🛍️

• Colbo 🎷 (LES) : This is the kind of store non-fashion people love rolling their eyes at. Why are there only beige garments on the racks next to an espresso machine while a vinyl DJ plays smooth jazz? I don’t know, but I’m into it. My next challenge is trying to style this cone top I purchased.
• Shop and Son 👕 (Soho): Super cool men’s shop with a few home items and a fun vintage collection downstairs.
• Leset 👚 (West Village): The first store from the made-in-LA brand dedicated to easy, elevated basics. Their stirrup pants are a travel staple for me, but I wanted to try on their popular margo tee and pointelle shirt, which are both as comfortable as advertised. I was reminded of this Cut article while shopping there, but honestly, these West Village girls know a great shirt. 
• Printemps 🇫🇷 (FiDi): This French fashion concept is more of a design and architecture stop than an actual shopping destination since there wasn’t much merchandise to actually buy. They say more products will come so in the meantime, we can just stare at the calla lily cages in the salon.

See 🖼️

• Superfine: Tailoring Black Style at the Met 😎 (UES): This year’s Met Gala red carpet was an exciting watch so I was thrilled to catch the exhibit. It featured amazing styles from prominent Black designers like Virgil Abloh, Pharrell Williams, Grace Wells Bonner, and James Jeter. There were also costumes worn by dandies like André Leon Talley, Prince, and Frederick Douglass (who knew the abolitionist was also so stylish?). The gift shop also sold items by contemporary Black brands like Brother Vellies and Pat McGrath. 
• Oculus World Trade Center and Wildlife Wonders 🐙 (FiDi): A quick, but worthwhile stop to check out the jaw-dropping architecture of the World Trade Center and the super fun animal sculptures in the plaza. Wonders indeed!

Visit ✈️

Ojai, CA

For the last few years, a couple friends and I have been taking girls’ trips to hippie towns where we spa, hike, and eat. This year, we went to the land of sweet tangerines, Ojai! 🍊

Eat 😋

• Farmer & The Cook 🥪: Plant-based cafe with a relaxing outdoor patio perfect for dog-watching. 
• Rory’s Place 🦪: Our favorite meal! Standouts include the aguachile, sardines with ritz crackers, Japanese sweet potato, and the prettiest passionfruit meringue for dessert. We loved the food here so much, we even bought their shirts!
• Rory’s Other Place 🍊: The cafe next door because we just couldn’t get enough. The pixie latte is the best specialty coffee drink I’ve ever had and the matcha affogato is just divine. The sandwiches and pastries are also great. 
• Ojai Tortilla House 🌮: Tiny Mexican restaurant serving the town's best tacos with handmade tortillas. Their hot salsa is really hot. 
• The Dutchess 🍛: Popular bakery by day and Burmese-Californian in the evening. Standouts include the pork belly noodles, chickpea curry, and tandoori chicken. 
• Ojai Ice Cream 🍨: Unique and classic flavors. I think we all got the pixie tangerine sorbet though.
• Brophy Bros 🐟: We came here after our Ventura island adventure for their famous clam chowder and fresh catch of the day.

Shop 🛍️

• Bart’s Books 📚: The world’s largest outdoor bookstore. I could just live here.
• Cercana 🖼️: Well-curated art and gift shop filled with unique treasures from around the world. I fell in love with a piece of Ojai’s “pink moment” from Wrona Gall.
• Noted 📓: Super cute gift and stationary shop. I picked up a card and a little felt acorn. 
• Ojai Olive Oil Company 🫒: Tasting room featuring all the olive oil and balsamic vinegar from their family owned farm. I tried the umeboshi white balsamic and immediately had to bring a TSA-approved bottle home.

See 🥾

• Valley View Preserve 🌳: We hiked the Pratt, Foothill, and Fox Canyon Loop for breathtaking views of the valley. My friends also enjoyed spotting all the wild flora.  
• Channel Islands National Park 🐋 (Ventura): Known as the "Galapagos of California," this hidden national park was definitely the highlight of our trip. We visited the largest island, Santa Cruz, and took a kayak tour to see the sea caves. I had only kayaked once before this and little did I know, doing it solo in the ocean against the wind and beds of kelp is really, really hard. So hard that I thought I might just drift away to sea (there are worse ways to go out), but luckily, our very kind instructor came to my rescue and towed me back to shore. The crazy thing is surviving the kayak adventure wasn’t even the most memorable part of the day. During the ferry ride to the island from Ventura, we saw a once-in-a-lifetime megapod of dolphins and humpback whales. It was truly the most spectacular sight of nature I’ve ever witnessed. My only response was to burst into tears, feeling both insignificant and incredibly alive. It was as if I was transported outside of my body into Finding Nemo.

Stay 🛏️

Ojai Valley Inn ⛳: After hearing rave reviews about this resort, our expectations were pretty high, but we still weren’t prepared for just how stunning this place was. We audibly gasped as we drove along the path covered in white roses to check-in. The property stretched far and wide with the greenest grass I’ve ever seen interrupted only by thousand-year oak trees with lamps hanging from their branches. Our room had a beautiful view of the golf course and surrounding mountains. The resort offered several restaurants, a cute boutique, complimentary wellness classes, bike rentals, firepits, a gym, and a lovely spa where we got massages and ate tangerines by the pool. It’s truly the perfect place to unwind and appreciate California.