desert oasis

(Bella Bleu Boutique's Moon Collection dress, H&M boots, thrifted necklace, Cathy Dang sunglasses)

Photo Credits: I AM BRIAN PHOTOGRAPHY

http://iambrianphotography.com/

I recently got the opportunity of working with the amazing Mr. Brian Bustos!  He's simply superb (for lack of better words) at what he does... We roamed this fabulous location that he chose after I told him about my styling idea for this shoot that I just had to have specifically him do. He claimed that such scenery would make my attire pop out and, boy, was he right. Talk about having the "camera eye." I ended up loving practically all of his edited results and had a hard time choosing which ones to post on my blog. Thus, please excuse the excessive collection of photos here...

Anyway, I highly recommend working with him as he's professional, highly cooperative, dedicated, and quick with responses. Just above, I've linked his upcoming website for anyone interested in getting some sweet retro/urban vibe photos. You won't be disappointed. Trust.

High Museum of Art

 

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta is known as the best and most visited in Southeastern United States. It's website reveals a great collection of all sorts of art ranging from abstract and folk art to modern day, contemporary art. On my visit, I noticed a huge concentration of older, classical American and European art pieces, especially sculptures. Although I'm very fond of French designs, this museum wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I have a higher preference for contemporary art and was bummed to find only one floor dedicated to my taste. The museums I've gone to back West better quench my thirst in terms of art. Regardless, they do half off admissions every Thursday evening ($9), so it was a good chance to get out of the house. 

a sea so surreal: Georgia Aquarium

Being in Atlanta, I took on the opportunity of touring the "world's largest tank" at the Georgia Aquarium. I've attached a youtube of the breathtaking view below as this youtube exactly depicts all of the aquatic life that I was able to gawk at with my own eyes... 

The Georgia Aquarium boasts an extreme variety of sea life and is noted for its young whale sharks, beluga whales, and manta rays. Being able to pet some was definitely a thrill. With a tank holding over 8 million gallons of marine and fresh water, you can literally stare, stare, stare and get lost in the deep blue trance of the sea for hours...maybe days. Ok just kidding but hours would seriously do you justice and get your money's worth. In terms of the other exhibits aside the Ocean Voyager, however, I felt as though the Long Beach Aquarium back home has a greater variety of activities that actually engage the curious lingerers.

Nevertheless, the Georgia Aquarium does seal the deal with its humongous tank. It's a real trip when you're standing up close by the tank's 2 feet thick glass, and a mammal 100000000000000x(times) your size swims up SO close to you that you naturally jump back by instinct, forgetting the glass wall of separation. No lie. This is definitely one of those places where "you've got to see it to believe it."

urban revitalization

Little Five Points, located in Midtown Atlanta, is definitely a sweet soul spot. This restoration boasts a handful of trade and sell shops/boutiques, which is a favorite for finding unique and thrifty goodies. The only familiar places this district contains that can also be found at home in Los Angeles include Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, and Rag O Rama. Every other store was a completely unheard of new joint to me. What adds even more flavor to this area is the euphoria of street art. There were several cops strolling around but the street artists here (as captured above) coolly do their thing without legal disturbance. Dope! I was loving the aura, no doubt.

Random outdoor and indoor eateries are also pleasantly scattered along this part of Georgia. To my luck, I stumbled upon The Vortex Grill & Bar off of yelp and discovered that this sick dining was featured on Man vs Food! So I had to try it, and this restaurant definitely has the BEST burgers in town. Hands down. From the decor to the menu, everything about this place deserved to be on television. Despite how awesome this area was, the humidity of peak hour over here (5:00 p.m.) eventually made it too overwhelming to survive any more strolls for adventure... Regardless, I was pretty satisfied with my findings.