My Name is Claudia

oldflorida:

Florida spaces. ca.1964 

Exactly what I picture the Sterling Cooper offices to look like if they relocated to Florida.

oldflorida:

Ft. Lauderdale, 1950’s.

(Alvin Lederer Collection)

My current home…60 years ago.

Fireworks from my balcony

out of the closet thrift shop
2097 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
P: 954.358.5580

FINALLY! for week’s i’ve had every intention of checking out out of the closet. it’s a vintage clothing store that was once voted best thrift shop in south florida. well, it had it’s good and bad.

good: pretty big store. not just limited to clothing. nice selection of vinyls (only $1.00 each!). big selection of men’s clothes. books galore ($1-2.50 each). carries furniture, appliances, home decor, etc. purchases go toward supporting the AIDS healthcare foundation.

bad: not a wide selection of women’s clothing. some of the clothing isn’t in the best shape. 

verdict: like any thrift store, you have to have patience to look around. i did end up leaving with a white j.crew cardigan (only $4!) and two books (only $2.50 each!). so all in all, my purchase was less than $10. i would definitely go back, but i might wait a while in hopes that they’ll have more clothes donated to the women’s section.

(photo of women’s clothing racks at the store, taken with my iphone)

anthony’s coal fired pizza

yesterday, my boss took my co-workers and i out for lunch at anthony’s coal fired pizza. we started out with a GREAT salad. i got there after he ordered, so i think it was a sort of chef’s salad. it had lettuce, olives, boiled egg, baby tomatoes, and a yummy gorgonzola or similar type of cheese. so delicious! and best part, it’s bottomless salad, so you can eat as much as you want!

we ended up ordering a pizza with prosciutto and mushroom and another with sausage and onion. SOOO delicious. obviously not the healthiest lunch option, but we all have to splurge now and then. i highly recommend this place for lunch if you’re ever in the south florida area.

discovering miami: miami beach bars
(photo of neon sign above the abbey brewing company, courtesy of their website) 

since moving to south florida six (!) months ago, i actually haven’t made it to miami very much. in fact, i can count on my hand how many times i’ve driven down there (well, maybe two hands). it’s only a half hour away from where i live, but the lack of parking and high prices (for nearly everything) is a huge turn off, so i usually avoid it. BUT, i decided to join one of my friends for drinks down there last night, and we hit not one, but TWO bars (one of which i’d been wanting to try for a while now).

first up, clarke’s miami beach. reminded me of an irish pub i’d find back in nyc. it had great food (my friend and i split the steak and mushroom pie and the mac & cheese, both incredibly delicious) and enough TVs for us to finish watching the NFL playoff game last night. so all in all, great food and a decent sports bar. would i go again? absoultely.

next up, the abbey brewing company. it’s “one of the oldest bars in miami”, although after finding out they opened in ‘95, it’s not nearly as impressive. i love, love, love this bar. it actually reminded me of a combination of bars in new york city. first and foremost, it reminded me of the magician in the LES. it had a similar layout (minus the bigger space in the back) and a similar clientele (hipsters, if that’s what they’re called in miami), great indie music, and overall, a great vibe. one thing better than the magician? this place takes major credit cards. and as someone who doesn’t carry much cash and pays with her debit card, this is a major plus. and of course, they carry their own brewed beer. i recommend the immaculate IPA. good stuff.

definitely check them out if you’re ever in miami. and added bonus: they’re probably a mile apart from each other. but a word to the wise…bring plenty of quarters for parking! these are both places that are near street parking, in which you have to feed the meter (12 minutes for .25 cents). happy drinking!

alright, i’m all for a little bit of winter weather (and i welcome it). but man, it was FREEZING when i walked the dog this morning. then again, that’s probably because i wore a sweatshirt and shorts.

At Beerfest. I’d feel more guilty if I hadn’t dine a grueling, one hour body sculpting class.

So here I am surrounded by dozens of beer vendors, sampling delicious brews.

so apparently the “big s beerfest” is going on in downtown fort lauderdale tonight. i don’t know what the “s” stands for, but i’m intrigued. however, the $25 fee is kind of a turn off. had i found out about this event earlier, i might have planned ahead and bought my ticket in advance (which would save me $5). not to mention that i’m not really in a binge drinking mood. i’m sure if my friend harasses me enough, i’ll give in.

so i had the opportunity to go to a “business lunch” today. i don’t get the chance to go to those very often, so i was thrilled when i found out we were lunching at yolo in fort lauderdale.

although i’ve had the pleasure of going there for drinks (outside by the fire pit is awesome), i’d never eat there for lunch or dinner before today. everything on the menu looked delicious, but i ended up going with the old school burger (medium well). other items that were equally delicious (according to the ladies i was dining with): the deluxe grilled chese, the prime rib sandwich, and the mediterranean grilled seafood salad. all of the above mentioned items are only $10-17, so definitely a nice place to take a visiting out of towner or a co-worker. and although i didn’t pay for my lunch today, it’s nice to know it’s something i can afford in the future. i definitely recommend it if you’re in the area.