Celebrity Look-Alikes

For some odd reason, I always enjoy pointing out who people resemble......everywhere I go.  I was watching a movie with Liza Minnelli in it today, and I couldn't believe I had never noticed how much she looked like Anne Hathaway.  So to cure my boredom, here is my little list of celebrity look-alikes that I've observed. :)

Alexis Bledel / Sara Paxton

America Ferrera / Jordin Sparks

Amy Adams / Isla Fisher

Anne Hathaway / Liza Minnelli

Ashley Judd / Katherine Heigl

Ben McKenzie / Russell Crowe

Dakota Fanning / Amanda Seyfried

Emma Watson / Kendall Jenner

Eva Mendes / Jessica Simpson

Helen Mirren / Jennifer Lawrence

Helen Hunt / Leelee Sobieski

James Franco / James Dean

Javier Bardem / Jeffrey Dean Morgan 

Jennifer Garner / Hillary Swank

Young Jodie Foster / Young Helen Hunt

Katy Perry / Zooey Deschanel

Keira Knightley / Natalie Portman

Kim Kardashian / Nicole Scherzinger

Kristen Stewart / Avril Lavigne

Mila Kunis / Vanessa Hudgens

Mena Suvari / Nicole Richie

Minka Kelly / Leighton Meester

Healthy Refreshing Pina Colada Smoothie

Refreshing Pina Colada Smoothie

This smoothie is a refreshing and energizing start to your summer morning, and you might feel like you're on a tropical island for moment.....

1/2 Cup Coconut Water
1 Cup Fresh Pineapple
(Not sure how to tackle cutting open a fresh pineapple?  Scroll to the bottom of this post.)
2 Sprigs Fresh Cilantro (remove stems)
1 Whole Large Banana
1/2 Cup Frozen Mango Chunks
(or 1/2 cup Absolute Fruit Mango Sorbet for smoother, less gritty texture)
1/2 of a 5.3 oz Container of Chobani Coconut Greek Yogurt
(If you want to go dairy-free, Almond Dream has a great coconut yogurt)
Approx. 1 Cup of Ice

Blend until Smooth :)

Here's how to cut a fresh pineapple:

MORE Subscribe-Worthy YouTube Channels (Beauty, Life, Health, & Cooking)

1. Vivianna Does Makeup (Anna Gardner)

What can I say about Anna?  I love love LOVE watching her videos.  Her cute and cheery personality (and adorable British accent) pulled me in within the first few moments of the first video I watched.  I think I remember saying "Wow, I like her..."  and before I was finished with the first video, I think I had to pause it and click subscribe before finishing it.  She is just so humble and makes her videos fun while still keeping it professional. (I don't know about anyone else, but I can't stand sometimes when these beauty vloggers get too silly and start using weird voices and poking fun at themselves every 10 seconds - Anna is nothing like that).  Such a delight, seriously.  She mainly focuses her videos around makeup and fashion, but has recently started doing weekly vlog videos about her daily life, which I really enjoy.  Please check her out immediately, you'll really be glad you did.

2. Kayley Melissa

I found Kayley while searching for hair styling videos geared toward fine hair.  This chick is a hair genius.  She has so many great hair styling tips and tricks.  I have already learned so much from her, and I've only been subscribed a few weeks,  I don't know how she keeps coming up with stuff!  If you're looking for hair help, Kayley is your girl.

3. A Fab Life  (Leah Ashley and Mary Darling)

Leah and Mary are any Pinterester's dream team.  They come up with the most creative and budget-friendly ideas for decor and fashion.  Their videos are just plain FUN!  Their goal is to help us all have A Fab Life on a budget.  If you love Pinterest, you will adore these two.  That's all I have to say about that.

4. EssieButton (Estée)

I just discovered Estée today actually, and was hooked from the start.  She's a Canadian gal who packed up and moved to the UK with her boyfriend.  Although I haven't had chance to watch a lot of her videos yet, I gather she's mainly a beauty vlogger.  She definitely puts it out there that she is not a professional makeup artist, but she gives good advice and just tells you what works for her.   I think she has just the right amount of silly and serious for my taste.  Again, I subscribed after watching just one video.  I look forward to watching her more in the near future.

5. Pixiwoo (Samantha Chapman and Nic Haste)

Sisters and makeup artists Sam & Nic offer really educational makeup tutorials and advice.  Their videos are fun and I really like the dynamic between them.

6. Alexandrea Garza

Alex focuses her videos on hair, makeup, and fashion.  She has a really nice mix of the three, but I have really enjoyed several of her hair tutorials.  Who wouldn't want that hair, I mean, seriously....

7. Lisa Eldridge

Lisa is a professional makeup artist (to the stars, I might add).  It's really amazing to have an inside look at a professional makeup artists tip and tricks.  She has often featured tutorials on red carpet makeup looks she has done on several Hollywood leading ladies, SO cool.  I think my favorite video of hers was the one she did on how Marilyn Monroe achieved her iconic look.  So, so interesting.  Here's the link if you'd like to watch it.  Excuse me while I watch it again.....

8. Laura in the Kitchen (Laura Vitale)

I discovered Laura one day when I was searching for a recipe to make for my boyfriend.  I ended up glued to my computer screen while watching her beef burgundy video.  After watching her make it, I had to try making it.  Although it was my first time cooking beef (excluding ground beef), it turned out pretty well!  I have since kept my eye out for her videos, and have caught some really tasty-looking recipes.  Her videos are styled just like your average cooking show.  She's very professional and instructional, and makes you want to jump in the kitchen and try out whatever she's cooking up.  She's definitely worth a watch.

9.  Fully Raw Kristina (Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram)

Kristina is a raw food enthusiast.  She went fully raw and vegan years ago to help treat some medical problems and low weight issues.  Her health has since dramatically turned around and she is now sharing her story to the world about the joys and benefits of living the fully raw lifestyle.  Although I am not following the raw or vegan lifestyle, I enjoy most of her videos.  They offer up many different healthy alternatives to mainstream foods.  It amazes me sometimes how she can take something like apple pie, for instance, and make it completely from raw ingredients (that means no flour, sugar, eggs, artificial flavors, etc).  She often shares great juicing recipes, as well as some very tasty smoothie recipes.  Check her out, if you're raw or not!

New York City!

- The Drive -

We got an early start (around 5am) from the Cleveland area.  Despite taking a longer alternate (and more scenic) route by mistake, the trip there wasn't too bad. 

- Times Square -

We arrived in NYC around 2ish, and once we settled into the hotel room, we started walking through Times Square (less than a block away).

This photo of the "Naked Cowboy" is actually from our last night in the city.

- More Sight Seeing -

After Times Square, we continued on to The New York Library, The Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, and NBC Studios.

- Drinks on the First Night -

This pub was cool and the bartender was really nice, so we stayed for a couple drinks.  It was called Malloy's Irish Pub.

- 9/11 Memorial,  Freedom Tower & The Financial District -

Thursday morning, we took a cab down to the Financial District to see the 9/11 Memorial and the new Freedom Tower.  The Memorial's twin reflecting pools are each nearly and acre in size (so much bigger in person than they seem in pictures or on TV).  The waterfalls within the reflecting pools are the largest manmade waterfalls in North America.  It's kind of an eerie feeling knowing that these pools sit within the footprints where the original Twin Towers once stood.  Being there and seeing all the inscribed names of those who perished was so moving.

The Freedom Tower (now America's tallest skyscraper) was such an impressive structure.

Does anyone know what the structure is that is being built near the 9/11 Memorial? I thought it was really interesting, but have no idea what it is.

After visiting the memorial, we continued on through the Financial District to see the New York Stock Exchange and (after much searching) the Charging Bull.

- Staten Island Ferry & Statue of Liberty -

We hopped on the Staten Island Ferry, which provided us with a view of the Statue of Liberty and the Lower Manhattan skyline.  Best of all, the ferry ride was FREE!

- Lunch at Roast Kitchen -

We just walked past this place and the food looked good, so we went in.  Let me just say, this was probably some of the best food I've ever had.  We need one of these places in Cleveland immediately!  Sadly, they are only located in NYC.  :(

Anyway, it has the same kind of style as Chipotle (the whole order-whatever-ingredients-you-want-in-a-bowl thing), except they have SO many more options.  You choose your greens, 4 mix-ins (fresh veggies and herbs), sauce, grain, and a meat.

I got:

Bok Choy, Kale, & Spinach

Avocado, Cilantro, Zucchini, Roasted Summer Corn

Salsa Verde Sauce

Jasmine Rice

Spicy Chicken

It was soooooooooooooooooooo good.

Check them out here.

- Miscellaneous Sight Seeing -

Tiny old building amongst skyscrapers

A back alley at South Street Seaport & a couple more photos from the Seaport.

The Municipal Building

Street Performers

- Little Italy -

- China Town -

- Grand Central Terminal -

- Chrysler Building & Radio City Music Hall -

- Drinks on the Second Night -

We found another Irish Pub near our hotel.  It was not busy at all.  We were kind of surprised that the bars and pubs weren't busier near Times Square.  This pub was called Emmett O'Lunney's Irish Pub.

- The Plaza Hotel -

- Central Park -

Since the park is so huge, we just walked around the very south end of it.

(At this point, we knew we'd probably be leaving at the end of the night, so we went back and got the car and drove ourselves to the rest of our destinations.)

- Cathedral of St. John the Divine -

I couldn't wait to see this place again.  I remembered it being one of my favorite things from my 2009 trip to NYC.  

There were massive pieces of art hanging from the ceiling of the cathedral.  They were large dragon-like birds.  Steve and I inspected them and found that they were made from a random assortment of car parts, bamboo, fabric, steel beam, tools, and tiny LED lights.  The exhibit is called "Phoenix" by Xu Bing.  Read more about it here and see more pictures here.

These are messages to the artist, Xu Bing.

- Tom's Restaurant -

Steve and I were both really looking forward to seeing this.  I didn't get a chance to get a close view of it last time I was in the city, and it was Steve's first trip to NYC.  We were actually really hungry at this point to we decided to to stop in and have lunch.

- The Brooklyn Bridge & Manhattan Bridge -

- Spray Paint Art in Times Square -

I had seen videos of this before and I wanted Steve to see it.  He was so impressed, he bought the first one he saw the guy make!  Here's the video of his being painted, and a picture of the finished product.  It was made using only spray paint a couple random tools......pretty amazing, huh?

- The Search for Fireworks -