About Me
Hi, I’m Sophie. Welcome to happy hour!
Happy Hour with Sophie is an online community that feels like meeting up with your girlfriends to catch up, gossip, and laugh with a cocktail, or mocktail, in your hand. Here, I talk about all things travel and share fabulous city guides for fabulous people.
I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. Miami has an immensely vibrant culture, mouthwatering cuisine, and stellar beaches. I loved growing up in Miami. I’m a beach girl at heart and feel most at peace by the sea (even more so with a fruity cocktail in my hand).
Being an only child, I was my mom’s honorary travel buddy from a young age. From eating our way through Savannah, Georgia, to sailing the fjords in Norway, our adventures are some of my favorite memories. She’s my forever favorite travel partner.
Throughout my childhood, I had one dream. Living in New York City. New York had always been this majestic fantasyland oozing with fabulosity, hustle, creatives, and scandalous romances. As you can tell, my idea of the city was shaped by TV shows like Sex and the City and Gossip Girl. But, at the time, I believed my life wouldn’t truly begin until I was living out my New York City dream. In my senior year of high school, I only applied to colleges in Manhattan. Much to my parents’ apprehension since I was the first person in my family to ever move away for college.
I’ll always consider New York City to be my first love. It’s where I met my best friends for life and found true confidence within myself. It’s also where I discovered my affection for a good happy hour. Those four years were an electric time in my life. I was young and constantly surrounded by people. I had the energy to work two jobs, study full-time, and go out every night. I never wanted any of it to end.
It was my Junior year of college when *drumroll please* a global pandemic took over the world. In 2020, it felt like the world was ending. I had also just quit a toxic job with an abusive boss and I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life after graduation. The job market I was entering was virtually non-existent and I couldn’t afford to live in New York without my scholarships funding my living costs. It was time to move back to my childhood home in Miami.
To my core, I am, and always have been, a dreamer. I knew it was time for me to chase a new dream. So, I took a chance and decided to pursue a master’s degree in London.
A few months later, my five suitcases and I were boarding a flight from Miami to London.
Initially, I was nervous and emotional. I may or may not have cried to a complete stranger on the plane. Who did I think I was, moving to another country where I didn’t know a single soul? But, despite the initial trepidation, my year in London turned out to be the most incredible, fulfilling adventure of my life.
London is as charming as it is elegant and historical as it is vibrant. If New York City was my young and reckless love, London was my gratifying and steady one. Life slowed down, but it was never so exciting at the same time. I was head-over-heels enamored with everything about London. I created a beautiful life with a remarkable group of women. I worked retail part-time in order to afford holidays in countries across Europe that I’d always dreamt of visiting.
I experienced solo travel, as well as friend trips. From listening to live music alone at a pub in Ireland to sharing Sangria with friends in a Portuguese castle, time and time again, I thought to myself, “I am meant to see as much of this world as I possibly can.”
After my dreamy year living across the pond, I begrudgingly wrapped up my dissertation and headed back home to Miami, where I am currently based. I work full-time in Communications and am ferociously nostalgic for my life abroad. I’m starting this blog at a time in my life when I’m searching for creativity, direction, and a new kind of thrill. I have not traveled the world (yet), nor can I afford to right now because of my arch nemesis, student loans. And, oh boy, are they a real b*tch! However, I continue to travel every chance I get.
I love happy hour— there’s a playful energy to it. Here at Happy Hour with Sophie, we escape real life and transport to the best cities across the planet. Welcome and enjoy— this round’s on me.