By: Sammy Harris
I want to preface this by saying that I love Miami and I love Oxford, ESPECIALLY in the springtime when I am walking to class in shorts and a sweatshirt with iced coffee in my hand and the sun shining bright on our beautiful campus. However, I also think that staying in Oxford for long periods of time can get mundane and take a toll on our mental health, at least for me. Freshman year, I NEVER went home and I took pride in that, thinking it proved something that I was happy here. However, as I have gotten more self-aware and self-assured during my time at Miami I have learned that giving myself breaks by changing my surroundings every now and then is really beneficial for my mental health; as a matter of fact, I like Miami more when I leave for a couple weekends intermittently throughout the semester. When I take myself away from Miami for a brief moment, it really makes me appreciate what I love about the school and people to begin with. Whether it’s going home and seeing my family or going on a small weekend trip with friends, I have a huge appreciation for these breaks. In fact, the latter of the two is what I did this past weekend and wanted to share with you all. I went to Cincinnati with my boyfriend for a night and it was the perfect getaway for relaxing and resetting before returning to finish the last 4-5 weeks of my Junior year.
I love finding the cutest Airbnbs that are in great locations and most importantly, AFFORDABLE. Two major tips I have, especially after planning this trip: book early and book on weekdays, so Thursdays if you are not trying to miss school. Doing these two things will save you money and widen your options of awesome finds, like this one that I booked for this past Thursday night is ADORABLE and within walking distance of Findlay Market and Over-The-Rhine’s vine street shopping and food.
Speaking of food, one of my favorite things about breaks from Oxford is exploring new and exciting restaurants. As you can see from my previous blogs, I am such a foodie so this is my favorite part of any traveling. I love to find unique and niche places through bloggers and foodies from the area I am traveling to, so that is exactly how I found Goose & Elder: a casual American Eatery from James Beard-nominated chef Jose Salazar that is located across from OTR’s Findlay Market. I kid you not, this was the best veggie burger that I have ever had, and the margaritas did not disappoint.
DETAILS:
Veggie Burger: falafel burger, lettuce, tomato, onion, haloumi cheese, za'atar mayo, sesame bun
Elderberry Margarita: tequila, triple sec, simple syrup, lime juice, elderberry syrup drizzle
Another favorite thing of mine, in areas that I am less familiar with, is to explore the parks and green scenes as well. This photo to the left is from Washington Park which was the perfect park to walk off our heavy (but delicious!) breakfast Friday morning, and we lucked out with beautiful weather as well that made such a nice park that much more enjoyable. In fact, we did not get hit with rain until the ride home on Friday, so we got to admire the double rainbow the whole car ride back which made us very happy and excited to return to Oxford after a perfect relax and reset trip to cincy.
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Please feel free to reach out to me (Via my Instagram) and/or GreenHawks Media with any suggestions, requests, questions, etc. I cannot wait to keep sharing my love for intentional cooking/eating, in addition to tips & tricks for our mental health during the current insanity!
Photos courtesy of Sammy Harris.
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