Category Archives: TRAVEL

A WEEKEND TO BEAT ALL WEEKENDS

October 21, 2013

I spent the last few days in the magical cliffside town of Big Sur and I’m feeling so refreshed and inspired. I’ll tell you what, I’m addicted to that California coast and that’s a fact. We almost didn’t come back, but normal life beckoned yada yada blah blah. Normal life is the pits sometimes.

Can’t wait to share all of our adventures. So many photos to come. Not gonna lie, my camera’s 32g memory card FILLED UP half way through the trip. If you aren’t familiar with the science of memory cards, that’s like a ginormous amount of storage. The first step is admitting you have a problem.

MORE LATER.

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CHICAGO PHOTO DIARY

August 8, 2013

Filed Under : TRAVEL

Chicago: the land of the Cubs, deep-dish pizza, and lots of butterfly tattoos. Seriously, I’ve never seen so many butterfly tattoos in my life. Oh but I love you! This was my first time in Chicago and I enjoyed every second of my visit. It was a perfect storm (pun intended) of amazing weather, delicious food, great company, and FUN. Don’t you just love when that happens?

We spent 3 full days in the city: 2 days exploring and 1 at Lollapalooza (Saturday). I’ll share our Lolla adventure in another post, but our days exploring were PACKED with activities that really gave us a taste of the city. We wandered through Wicker Park, went to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field (magical, I tell you), watched a show at Second City comedy club (SO FUNNY), did the architecture boat tour on the river that flows through downtown (I couldn’t recommend this more!!), took photos at the infamous Bean, and ate deep-dish pizza not once BUT TWICE.

^^The Architecture Boat Tour is a great way to learn about the city and it’s history. I can’t remember the last time I learned so much?

^^Two of my travel companions included my brother, Jake (left), and cousin, Spencer (right). Ladies, they’re single! Hit em up.

^^Wicker Park was such a beautiful neighborhood with the most quaint and well-manicured housing. Can I move in?

^^We randomly came across Fish Bar for a late afternoon snack and it ended up being one of our favorite meals. Salmon tartare, shrimp tacos, chowder, and tater tots. Give me all of that again.

^^Of course my main boo was there too.

^^We loved Heritage General Store, a coffee and bike shop with a whole lotta character. Marcus Mumford rented a few bikes from there just before we walked in. UGHS.

^^Obligatory selfies at the Bean in Millenium Park!

^^Obligatory Bud Light at Wrigley Field for the Cubs vs Dodgers game? We almost caught a few foul balls and it was so funny hearing the Chicago fans taunt the opposing players on the field. So much shit-talking happened and I loved every minute of it.

^^We had the Doughnut Vault for breakfast one morning and if I didn’t say they were mouthwatering bites of heaven, I’d be lying. Not proud of this moment.

^^Chicago has a great (and cheap!) bike loan system in downtown that makes it real easy to get around the city.

^^View from the Architecture Tour. Told you it was fantastic.

^^And a blurry pic of deep-dish pizza from Lou Malnati’s because seriously, who takes a clear pic of deep-dish when it’s been cooking for an hour and comes out to your table like a ray of sunshine from the heavens and smelling like pure butter and cheese? I sure as heck don’t.

Now, a few places we visited and loved:
Birchwood Kitchen for breakfast/lunch (I had an amazing greek yogurt parfait and the boys had sandwiches they raved about)
Wormhole Coffee for nostalgic decor and delicious iced chai
Penelope’s, a great men’s and women’s store, with an array of awesome brands like Ace & Jig and APC
Heritage General Store for pour-over coffee and tea, plus an awesome selection of bike gear
Fish Bar for yummy shrimp tacos, oysters, and fresh fish
Crosbys Kitchen for delicious pre-Cubs game fare
Doughnut Vault for heart attacks and the like
Rooftop at The Wit Hotel for afternoon snacks and drinks
Lou Malnati’s and Pizzeria Uno for deep-dish pizza
RPM for late-night Italian and some amazing cannolis

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CHICAGO, YOU HAVE MY HEART.

August 5, 2013

Filed Under : TRAVEL

Did I mention I was going to Chicago? Well I’m back! If you follow me on instagram, you’re probably up to speed on the happenings of said Chicago trip, which included lots of exploring, a Cubs game, and Lollapalooza. I was with THREE BOYS (Kyle, my brother Jake, and my cousin Spencer) and even though that sounds like total madness, we had such an amazing time. I even got a foot injury! Talk about a good time! I judge how good of a time I’m having by the amount of injuries I get, by the way. Foot injury = BEST TIME EVER.

More photos coming this week!

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DAY TRIP: ANGELES CREST HWY & LAKE ARROWHEAD

June 6, 2013

Filed Under : TRAVEL

Southern California, you really know how to make a girl swoon! Over Memorial Day weekend, we took an impromptu day trip to Lake Arrowhead and said OH WHAT THE HECK and drove the long way. Up in the mountains and through the canyons, to be exact, along Angeles Crest Highway. No shortcuts over here, my friends. It took us double the amount of time it normally takes to drive to Arrowhead but worth every extra minute. Sure, I thought I might pass out from the curving roads and scary cliffs, the lack of cell service and the motorcycles flying past us, the rolling fog and the deep valleys, but we made it. Who needs wide freeways and shorter routes anyway??

^^^That’s my explorer stance. I’ve been REALLY trying to perfect it. How am I doing?

After the long and scenic drive, we spent a couple hours at Lake Arrowhead with a waterfront picnic for two. A few tacos were eaten, a caramel apple was shared, and a VERY friendly squirrel tried to join in on the fun. The town felt a little like Disneyland, with lots of tourists and kitschy stores, but I kind of like Disneyland so it suited me just fine. Plus, the water is the bluest of blues. So blue that it’s kind of green. That’s pretty dang blue, in case you’re wondering.

Overall, the day was extra lovely and full of adventure. 10 points for the first weekend of summer! (I know the summer doesn’t offish start for another few weeks but let’s not talk about it)

^^^Thanks for turning the sky a bright shade of purple, iPhone! Does your iPhone do that?

DAY TRIP STATS
Location: Lake Arrowhead, CA
Miles from Los Angeles: 94
Route taken: Angeles Crest Highway (136 miles if you go this way)
Hours spent at destination: 4
Photos taken: 73
Number of squirrels that took a bite out of my caramel apple and probably gave us rabies: 1

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MONTREAL: WHERE WE ATE/SHOPPED

May 23, 2013

Filed Under : EAT - TRAVEL

Ok now on to the good stuff. We were pretty clueless about where to eat and shop in Montreal and relied purely on recommendations from internet friends, Foursquare lists, and one episode of Anthony Bourdain’s The Layover. What we discovered? Montreal has really good food. I mean REALLY good. Although we ate and shopped a TON, I’ve narrowed down our favorite spots below. The photo quality is reminiscent of blogs circa 2008 so bear with me. I only used my iPhone and at the time, I wasn’t thinking about taking high-quality pics because I was stuffing my face and slipping in and out of food comas. #blogfail. Anyway, the favorites –>

Olive et Gourmando
This was BY FAR our favorite place. And by “favorite,” I mean we had lunch here 3 times and I’m not kidding. It’s an adorable cafe with a daily-changing menu of sandwiches/salads/soups and a case full of delicious pastries. I can’t decide what I liked more: the cajun chicken, guacamole, and mango sandwich OR the quinoa salad with chickpeas, haricot verts, snap peas, and tiny peppers. I tried something different each time and couldn’t resist something sweet from the pastry counter after each meal.

Marche 27
This restaurant calls itself a “tartare bar” so we knew we had to check it out, being that we love tartare and all. It was lively, hip, and we ate some of the best tuna tartare I’ve ever had. My favorite was the tuna with sesame vinaigrette because it reminded me of poke bowls. We also ordered the mac & cheese poutine and easily gained 5 pounds each. Two thumbs up.

Joe Beef
I was legitimately scared to go to Joe Beef and I can honestly say it was the craziest of our experiences. It was also beyond amazing. Let me explain. This restaurant specializes in MEAT. Lots of it. If you’re wondering why 2 semi-vegetarians (we don’t eat red meat or pork) went here, I have no answer. The menu, which changes daily, is written on a chalkboard wall…in French. Yes, I took French in high school but I can’t read “horse heart” and “sea urchin fried in cornflakes.” We had the waitress read us the entire menu and ended up finding quite a few things we’d enjoy. We ordered burrata with green beans, an egg gelee, lobster spaghetti, and halibut with mussels. Oh and a few glasses of sparkling wine and a bloody mary or two (the bloody mary comes with an oyster and a crab leg, NBD). Everything was beyond delicious. I still have dreams about that lobster spaghetti and I don’t think I’ll have better lobster ever again. Sigh.

Aux Vivres
This little vegan cafe is perfect for lunch and we both loved it. I had a tempeh bowl with brown rice, veggies, and a thai peanut sauce that really hit the spot. They also had a full menu of teas which made my heart happy.

Taverne Gaspar
On our last night in Montreal, we dined at our hotel’s restaurant and I’m so glad we did. There was a band playing, soccer games on tv, and the food was simple and delicious. We ordered fish & chips, a nicoise salad, and a half dozen oysters. It was a perfect meal to end our trip. Plus, they served the best beer of our lives: Kronenberg 1664 blanc.

Juliette et Chocolat
We went to this chocolate-only dessert bar one night and split a crepe with nutella and strawberries. Ok why aren’t there dessert bars in Los Angeles? This would totally be my jam on a Saturday night if there were.

Rooney
Kyle’s a longtime lover of Rooney’s online shop so this was a must-stop for us. It’s a well-curated men’s & women’s store with brands like Gitman Vintage, Saturdays NYC, and they even had some sweet New Balances. I wanted that Apolis market bag SO BADLY, but my mom calls me “bag lady,” meaning I probably don’t need another bag in my life.

Les Etoffes
This was another great store we visited with a line-up of really unique designers, like Dana Lee and Apiece Apart. I haven’t seen a store so well-curated in a long time. Plus, I wanted their plant stands soooo badly (not for sale, of course).

Alright and because I loved the place so much, two more photos from Olive et Gourmando. That’s cous cous with a tomato-based sauce and roasted veggies, topped with pistachios and minty yogurt. I mean, really? So delicious.

Last thing! I haven’t mentioned our Montreal hotel much, but we stayed at the Auberge du Vieux-Port and loved every second of our experience. It was smack in the middle of Old Montreal, the room was beautiful, the staff was so accommodating, and there was complimentary breakfast every day. And I mean GOOD complimentary breakfast, like eggs benedict and waffles. It was nice to save a few bucks each day by eating breakfast in our hotel.

And lest you think my blog is turning into a travel blog, it’s back to regular programming tomorrow!

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