Travel

Alaska – The Last Frontier, My First Foray Back into Travel

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I just returned from the trip of a lifetime to The Last Frontier! It’s been a LONGGG time since I’ve written a blog about my travels, but I am #vaxxed and ready to explore again! Initially, I wanted to travel internationally but it was incredibly complicated and then they canceled our flights last minute soooo we decided to go domestic but as FAR as we could get from New York.

My best friend and I booked our flights 7 days in advance. They were $259 round trip. If that isn’t a meant-to-be price, I don’t know what is. Plus, it opened up a lot of our budget to do amazing cool things basically every day. I won’t bore you with ALL of the details, but our rough itinerary was:

Night 1: Fly into Anchorage, arrive at 2 am Alaska time, 6 am Eastern Time. Woof.

Day 1: Explore Anchorage, drive to Seward

Day 2: Kenai National Park Fjord Tour (on a boat), explore Seward

Day 3: Drive back to Anchorage, stop along the way at the Wildlife Conservation center and in Girdwood at the famous Alyeska ski resort to take the tram to the top. Drive to Thunderbird Falls for a quick hike, then to Eklutna Lake for more photos and scampering about.

Day 4: Matanuska Glacier Hike. Drive to Denali, stopping along the way in Talkeetna.

Day 5: Drive to Fairbanks, stop in Nenana, explore a bit of Fairbanks, see the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, see NORTH POLE Alaska, say hi to Santa, go to the Chena Hot Springs, dinner in Fairbanks at a BBQ place recommended by Guy Fieri

Day 6: Denali Bus Tour (the only way to see the park besides multi-day hikes), drive back to Anchorage

Day 7: Fly on a TINYYYY plane to Lake Clark National Park. VERY long hike (was supposed to be 3 miles, ended up being 8, oops), cook dinner for ourselves

Day 8: Fly back on tiny plane, explore Anchorage, see world’s largest chocolate fountain, the railroad depot, and a suburban street where every house has its own airplane hangar (atlas obscura FTW).

Are you tired reading that? I am! I need a vacation from my vacation! Honestly, this blog could be 20 pages long, so instead of going into each of those things in depth, I’ll talk to you about the highlights:

Food and Drink

As I read many blogs in the 6 days between booking our flights and getting on the actual flight, a lot of people talked about how expensive the food is because everything in Alaska is imported. We didn’t have that experience, but that is likely because of 2 things: 1. We live in NYC where everything is ungodly expensive so anywhere we go, things are cheap in comparison. 2. We ate 1-2 meals a day because we were so busy.

Mostly, we went to breweries. There were bars and breweries EVERYWHERE! Maybe because there is not much else to do, or maybe because after hiking, all you want is a beer. We went to Seward Brewing Company, Denali Brewing Company, and 49th State Brewery (twice!). The food was great, kind of like elevated bar food. Most days, we opted for seafood because it was amazing and fresh. We had fish and chips with fresh Alaskan Halibut, we had clam chowder/seafood chowder more than once, we had panko-encrusted tilapia, etc. etc. Also, we tried some gamey meats. Reindeer sausage skillets, yak burgers, etc. Honestly, everything was delicious. My favorite was probably the crab artichoke dip or the crab cakes. If you go to Alaska and want food reccos, come to me!

We also tried lots of local beers, usually only one per day because of the amount of driving we were doing. But in Anchorage, there were multiple breweries walking distance from our hotel – score! Also, we bought 3 bottles of wine at Walmart on Day 1, so we had some alcoholic supplies on the road for the hotel rooms after our longer drive days.

Freedom of a Rental Car/Having Two Drivers

Speaking of drive days… WOAH did we drive! We picked up the rental car the day after we arrived (or the day we arrived, technically, since we landed at 2 am and passed out immediately). The car was by far our biggest expense ($1500 for the week, plus $20/day for an extra driver), but it was necessary. We never would have been able to see what we saw without one. It was fun to have the freedom to add or remove stops whenever we wanted. Like on the last day, I decided to go to 3 random places I saw on Atlas Obscura. And on our drive to Fairbanks, we realized we were 15 minutes from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline so we went to go see it.

Not to mention the freedom of leaving all our crap in the car. As a New Yorker, I forgot about that! On Day 1 we bought a case of water and we drank almost all of it. Great way to stay hydrated on the road and not have to physically carry much. Also snacks. So many snacks. We were slightly worried about being BEAR AWARE with all the snacks in the car, but thankfully we moved them all to the trunk each time we parked and we were safe.

The best part of a road trip: two drivers. There’s no way I could have done multiple days with almost 8 hours of driving by myself. Most days we switched off every 2 hours, but on days with a lot of driving, or when it was getting late, or we got up really early, we switched off every hour. Sometimes we had a place to stop along the way, and sometimes we just pulled over and did a quick switcheroo.

Long Days

I mentioned long driving days, but I didn’t mention that the days were literally LONG. I’m talking 5 hours of darkness long. This really came in handy because we had days that were packed from sunrise to sundown, so like, 6 am-midnight. Knowing we weren’t trying to beat the sun meant we could drive longer, eat later, and do things until far into the night. Also, it meant we didn’t need to worry about being stuck in the forest on a hike with no cell service in the dark. This came in handy because we got lost on a hike. As in… a 3 mile hike turned into an 8 mile one. Woops! Good news, it stayed light. Bad news, we were STARVING because all food was required to be in bear-safe containers, which we didn’t have, so we didn’t bring any with us!

Wildlife

Speaking of bears… the wildlife in Alaska is top-notch. First, moose. They are EVERYWHERE. Actually! Most roads have 12-foot fences because they roam onto the road. In fact, they are killed often by cars and you can even get on a roadkill list where they will give you a killed moose to eat! We saw 3 while driving, just standing beside the road, and we saw many, many more in Denali National Park. Also along the road, we saw porcupines! I had no idea these were in the wild. In Denali we also saw Dall sheep (the only white sheep in North America), hawks, and many, many caribou.

But even cooler than the land animals were the sea animals. On our second full day in Alaska, we went on a boat tour to the Kenai Fjords and National Park. It was the craziest day for wildlife viewing that our boat captain had ever seen. He kept saying “Wow ladies and gentleman, what a day for a sail. I’ve been doing this a long time, and… we are having a very lucky day.” We started straight out of the port with a bald eagle. Then we saw many seals laying about. THEN WE SAW WHALES. Not just saw, they literally swam up to us, around us, under us. It was crazy. The humpbacks were the largest animals I have ever seen. After the humpbacks we saw Orca (killer whales) and they were jumping all around us! We also went right up to the Holgate Glacier.

Glaciers, Waterfalls and Other Amazing Scenery

Everywhere we went in Alaska, the scenery was breathtaking. On our very first day, we drove down to Seward and along the way we stopped at a place called Beluga Point, trying to see Beluga whales. We didn’t see any, but the views were actually unreal. They looked fake! I kept saying I felt like I was on the Truman Show. Throughout our trip we were constantly in awe with the beauty of nature. We stopped multiple times in the middle of a drive just to look around and take pictures.

My two favorite parts of the trip revolved around amazing nature: the Matanuska Glacier Hike and the Hike to the Tanalian Falls in Lake Clark. The glacier hike was pretty difficult. We were in the port-o-potties when they assigned groups, so when we came back, we needed to quickly tell them if we were in the “advanced” or “slow-moving” group. We picked advanced, not sure why, since we are city dwellers who have never donned a pair of “micro-spikes” before, but there we were trekking along with our helmets. It was AMAZING. We got to see crevasses wider than cars, and moulins (basically the black hole/kitchen sinks of glaciers), and we even got to refill our water bottles from a glacial waterfall.

Speaking of waterfalls, the Tanalian Falls were so beautiful. Honestly impossible to capture in photos or in words. Even though it took us 3 hours longer to get there than it should have, it was worth it.

Planes!

The last amazing piece of the trip was the planes. Planes, planes everywhere! Supposedly you learn to fly in Alaska when you are 14 and there are more unlicensed pilots in Alaska than in any other state. There was a lake right by our hotel in Anchorage where planes take off and land from the water all day and night. And we even went to a suburban neighborhood where each house sits on a private runway and has an attached airplane hangar like a garage! Totally wild. For our final adventure to Lake Clark, it is only accessible by plane. We took a 10-seater and tried not to pee our pants. It was VERY scary but SO COOL. They let us sit in the front seat as copilot (me on the way there, my friend on the way back), and the views of Alaska from the sky were even more breathtaking than from land.

If you were thinking about going to Alaska – do it!!! Warning, they barely wear masks at all there, so get vaccinated first. If you have questions or are building an interior Alaska itinerary, I’d be happy to give you all of my recommendations. Now today I’m off on my next adventure. I’ll update you on that soon!

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Lake Tyler Covid Getaway

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Well guys, it’s been 6 months of quarantine/social distancing. SIX. MONTHS. HALF A YEAR. How is it possible that I feel SO TIRED from doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?? I know I am coming in strong with the all-caps. I promise to calm down. I wanted a great way to express my frustration with 2020. Yelling via capital letters seemed fitting.

After 5 months of sitting in the house, my fiancé and I decided we needed a weekend away. Or rather, I decided I needed a weekend away, and he said he’d come with me. I promised to do all of the work as long as he split the cost. I know there are people out in Instagram-land who are now comfortable traveling by land or by plane, gathering with friends, renting houses together, going to the beach together etc., but the more I look at the science and facts about Covid, the less comfortable I am doing any of those things, which limited the scope of my “weekend away” plans. I had three goals in mind:

  1. Change of Pace/Change of Place
  2. Alone
  3. On the water.

For the past 6 months, we have been staying at my fiancé’s family’s house. Don’t get me wrong, we are thankful. It is beyond generous that they have allowed us to stay this long. But I have not lived with kids or parent-figures in 15 years. And I have lived ALONE with my boyfriend for more than 3 years. It is not the same to have kids running around asking if I’m working (yes, it’s Monday), or if I can play (no, I’m working). There are also (cough cough) certain parts of a relationship that are difficult when there are 6 other people constantly in the house.

And as for a change of place on the water… I really miss the beach. I am a Florida girl at heart, and despite not living by the beach for a decade in New York, I ALWAYS make at least 2 trips to the beach per year. Sometimes it’s the Jersey Shore, sometimes it’s Greece and Italy. Being land-locked in a state larger than most countries has felt a bit like being in jail. I missed the water. A lot.

I went on VRBO and started looking for waterfront properties within 5 hours driving distance of our house. I set a budget of $400/night. If there was a hammock, it got extra points. I whittled my list to 5 properties and sent it to Chris to pick. (This a strategic thing I always do, so that if the property ends up being bad I can blame him. But if it’s great then of course it’s because I put the list together!) On the list, I had a few lake-front properties in Texas and Louisiana, and one in Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico. We went with a place in Whitehouse, Texas, on Lake Tyler, which was only 2 hours from our home. It was $199/night and only slept 2 people – perfect! Our plans were almost ruined when the dueling hurricanes in the Gulf threatened to hit our place, and I felt very lucky that Chris picked a property in Texas, not Louisiana. Go Chris!

We drove to the house after work on Thursday, and thankfully Chris drove so I could snack. Sure, the drive was only 2 hours, but I packed enough road trip snacks for an approximately 24-hour drive. We hit a slight roadblock when Google Maps led us to a road where there was no house with the number on it. Thankfully, the property owner picked up his phone right away and explained there were TWO roads with the same name. After a 15-minute detour, we got the right place and unpacked our things.

If you are looking for a blog about all of the things we did on our vacation weekend, you won’t find one, because we did NOTHING and it was GLORIOUS. Most of the time was spent sitting outside on the covered deck. Eating meals. Reading books. Listening to music. Reading more. Listening to an audio book. Watching Love Island. Eating some more and lounging around. It was fabulous.

  • Every morning.
  • Coffee and fresh air, nothing like it.
  • But are we cute? DUH.
  • Thumbs up for lazy days.
  • You can find me with my Kindle and Pina Colada.

I am a HUGE Fitbit fan, and despite working from home, I have been trying to keep up with my 10,000/day step goal since social distancing began. The last day I had not met my 10K goal was April 6th. The first day at the lake I got 3.9K steps. And I was proud of that.

The second full day we were there, we did a few activities. We rented paddle boards from the owner of the house, I floated around in blow-up floats I bought from Amazon for the weekend while we listened to country music on our Sonos speaker, and then we played Corn Hole on the owner’s lawn. There were so many games in the house including mega-Jenga, Horseshoes, Poker, and cards. We played a few rounds of Phase 10 in between episodes of Love Island.

Not to be corny, but it felt like we were on our own love island! The house itself was AMAZING. We didn’t know at the time of booking, but it was set back behind the owner’s house, completely separate from his home, and surrounded on all four sides by water. It was fully renovated with a dishwasher and bathroom and water views from every room. Also, there was a covered and uncovered deck. The décor was adorable, with “Lake Life” and “Lake House” accents everywhere. Also, it was tricked out! They had a state-of-the-art dishwasher/fridge/ice machine/blender/convection stovetop, fully stocker Keurig, etc. They even had a wine cooler. There was an Apple TV (we brought our own, because duh), and a Bluetooth speaker we could bring onto the deck (we also brought our own because duh), and I wish I could have stayed there a whole week.

The only issue with Covid “vacationing” is the food. We had to BYO everything and we weren’t sure about the availability of delivery. Especially in Texas, we wanted to limit our time in grocery stores/anywhere in the sticks where people are less likely to wear masks. There were many trips back and forth from the car; 3 meals a day for two people is a lot of groceries! Not to mention a case of beer and pina colada mix. To make cooking easier than it is at home, I made Chris sit down and meal-plan with me before we left. We had options for each meal. Breakfast: eggs/cinnamon rolls/sausage. Lunch: Sandwiches/grilled cheese/tacos. Dinner: Burgers/Frozen Pizza/Chicken Parm. Cooking was easier with only 2 people’s dishes and a dishwasher. For some reason it felt WAY simpler than cooking at home.

  • Breakfast
  • More Breakfast
  • More Lunch
  • Dinner
  • More Dinner
Covid Vacation Home Cooking

The owner was available for any questions all the time, and we saw him a few times when he came down to take his boat out (not included in the house LOL), but he always texted first to warn us. Also, he gave us a better deal on the paddleboards than he advertised on his listing, and provided life jackets, which was nice of him. He was kind enough to mention to me that we just missed the Trump Boat Parade the weekend before. (Not the infamous one from last weekend. See pics below, there were still plenty of boats left with flags on them.). Chris lost his Goodr sunglasses in the lake and I left my flip flops on the grass (guess I had too many ciders playing corn hole) but besides those two losses, we had only wins and successes. My best friend had been telling me for months how important it was for mental health to get away and have a change of pace; I should have listened to her earlier.

We booked one more weekend trip for this upcoming weekend, our LAST weekend in Texas! This time, we got a BIG house, lakefront again, and we’re bringing the whole family as a last hoorah! I can’t wait to share more with you about it. And if you’re ever in the Lake Tyler area in Texas, I’ll send you the VRBO listing, I can’t recommend it enough!

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Pre-Travel Tips and Tricks

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It’s almost time for another vacation! Even though I didn’t blog about my recent adventures to Italy and France, you probably still know that I travel A LOT. When I turned 27, I realized I had barely traveled outside of the USA/Caribbean, and I starting budgeting and credit card churning to make sure it happened more often. I’ve been making up for lost time, and for this upcoming trip to Greece, I paid for my flights completely on credit card points!

When you travel as often as I do, you get it down to a science. I want to share a few tips with you that I use to make my packing and traveling seamless. Last year, I took 10 round-trip flights, and if you include train travel, I made even MORE trips. I’m a pro.

Tip #1: Have a Good Suitcase.

For more than a year, I had a suitcase that only had two wheels and one of them was jacked up. I basically had to drag it through airports using sheer strength. Don’t be like me. I ordered a new suitcase from Amazon that was $60 and had a year-long warranty. It has 4 working wheels and it is a breath of fresh air. Especially when you live in New York and your pre-travel travel includes blocks of walking, subway turnstiles and many stairs, a good suitcase is essential. I won’t say “invest” in one because they’re NOT EVEN EXPENSIVE!

Tip #2: Use Packing Cubes.

Nowadays, you basically always need to use a carry-on bag because airlines charge you for everything from a seat to air. Suitcase space is limited and very important. The best way to cram as much stuff as your can into your suitcase, while still remaining organized, is packing cubes. First, I accidentally purchased a set of varying sizes and only the smallest two sizes worked for my purposes, so I found smaller ones that work much better. They were $21 and life-changing. You can basically view them as zip-able drawers for your suitcase. I usually separate underwear, swimsuits, socks, and sports bras in one, workout clothes in another, dresses in another, and jeans (rolled) in the 4th.

Tip #3: Keep Your Travel Toiletries Ready and Together.

This is probably my biggest time-saver. I keep a Ziploc bag pre-packed with travel body wash, travel/disposable loofah, shampoo, conditioner, razor, lotion, zit cream (I’m so refined), toothpaste etc. It’s all in one place so I can just throw it in my bag when I go on my next trip! The key here is that you need to refill everything when you come home and replace the loofah. This way everything is set to go next time!

Tip #4: Use & Keep a Pre-Made Packing List

THIS IS CLUTCH. Personally, I use an app called Wunderlist on my phone. I put EVERYTHING on this list. Every. Thing. My current list has 84 items. I even put toothbrush and toothpaste as separate items. This insures that I do not forget anything! I only check the item off when it is physically in my bag. If I am wearing my sneakers to travel in (more on that next), I do not check it off until they are on my feet that day. Also, if I forget anything, I add it to the list ASAP. This happened fatefully on a girls’ trip to Spain with LOTS of drinking when I had forgotten Advil. Never again.

Here’s a tip: you can have multiple lists for different kinds of trips (international, business, leisure beach, leisure in the winter), OR, you can just have one big list and include anything you’d want for any type of trip. I choose to do the latter and I check off the items first that I know I don’t need. For example, there’s no need to bring my Global Entry card or electricity converters for a domestic trip, but I just check those off first when I’m going within the country. Another tip: don’t check the item off if you want to triple check for it before you leave the house (I do this with “Passport”).

Tip #5: Plan to Travel in Your Largest/Heaviest Outfit.

This goes without saying, but clothes take up space, especially if you are 5’11” like me. Shoes also take up space. I try to wear my largest items like my jacket and my sneakers (or boots, depending on season). Like I said before, having a small/light suitcase is more important than ever, so try to remember that strategically!

Tip #6: Bring an Empty Reusable Water Bottle.

Once again, airlines have started to suck more and more. Some airlines refuse to offer water now. Even on international flights. This just happened to me on my way to France. Be aware of the airline you are traveling on because dehydration on planes is a huge thing! You are allowed to bring a water bottle through security as long as it is empty. Every airport I have been in recently has water fountains by the gates, so fill up your bottle before you board. You’ll thank me. You can also use it when you get to your destination. DRINK MORE WATER, PEOPLE!

Tip #7 & 8: Print Everything and Give Someone A Copy of Your Itinerary.

I know we LOVEEE our phones. Trust me I know, I have 3 Instagram accounts. But sometimes phones mess up, or get stolen, or there’s no wifi, etc. Print out your arrangements before you leave, whether it’s hotel reservations, train or museum tickets, or Groupons for Segway tours (duh). Also, write down your itinerary, bring a copy with you, and give a copy to someone else stateside for safety! If you are a crazy person (like me and my friends), you can just put it in a Google Sheet, print a copy, and share the document by email with your emergency contact. Safety First!

I have many more tips, but I should probably stop writing and start packing – I leave in 48 hours! Hopefully I will have time when I get back to tell you about my trip and share GORGEOUS photos. If you aren’t already, follow me on Instagram for daily updates!

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Free Walking Tours

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I love free walking tours. First of all, they’re free – my favorite price. My very first blog post was about finding free things in New York, and this is a great way! Second of all, they allow you time to walk around and explore new places while learning. And best of all, they require no tour books or preparation; you just show up and absorb knowledge.

It feels like there should be a catch, but in fact, there is not one. Here’s how it works: You google the place you want to explore + “free walking tour” and then you show up at the specified place at the specified time. Sometimes it requires a sign-up ahead of time, but they never require payment. Then at the end of the tour, you tip the guide whatever you think the tour was worth. This varies based on the tour (and the country… Americans always tip more!).

I discovered free tours last year in Spain, where I went on 5 tours in 4 cities in 10 days. You may think I got carried away, but why not? Tours last anywhere from 1-3 hours, and sometimes cover a lot of miles. I went on tours in Cordoba, Sevilla, Granada (x 2!) and Madrid. As I said above, the best part is learning about your surroundings, both contemporary and historical, without having to get a book from the library. Also, you can meet other tourists and locals. I love to walk close to the guide and pepper him/her with questions along the way. In my experience, they always know more than they let on, and rarely can’t answer a question. My favorite part of the tour is always the end when I ask local tips about the best happy hours, free tapas, best paella, etc. The local guides are the key!

Also, the guides know their way around if you need directions. Once, we were on a tour when the skies opened up and it started to pour. Our guide found us a covered place to wait it out, but when it became obvious that the rain was not going to stop, she told us how to navigate the back roads of Spain to get to our Air BNB as quickly as possible with the most overhead coverage. Also, if you are booked back to back (I often over-plan my trips), the walking tour guides can tell you which attractions are must-see, and which ones you can skip. And their advice and tips are all free!

Although I have taken free tours internationally, and I find them to be more popular in Europe, they also have them all around North America! I went on a tour in Chicago last year after my success in Spain, and I LOVED it! Our guide was a young woman who had a true love for the city, which came through in her tour. I learned about architecture, city history, and some of their landmarks. I was so inspired, that I decided to also go on a free tour in my own city! I had a random day off last summer (Jewish holidays FTW) so I went on a free tour of the Financial District, Little Italy and Chinatown in New York City. I learned a LOT about the original colonization of New York, the Native Americans who were displaced, and of course, the mob in Little Italy. Later last year, I went on another free tour from the same company, Free Tours by Foot, of Grand Central Terminal. I found that one incredibly interesting because it’s a place I have walked through MANY times, but never knew anything about! Did you know the famous clock in the middle is made of opal and is worth $10-$20 million?? Did you know that there are hidden acorns throughout the terminal architecture because it was a Vanderbilt family symbol? Try to find them, like hidden Mickeys!

Inside Grand Central Terminal, with the most valuable clock ever.

Although I said there is no catch for the FREE tours, the way most of these companies make money is that they offer tours for a cost, as well. Often at the end of the tour, they will plug their non-free tours, and offer discounts if you sign up then. In Cordoba, we happened to be in town during the infamous Patio Festival (Fiesta de los Patios). In fact, our Air BNB was even one of the Patio destinations! After our free walking tour, we found that the same tour company was offering a tour (for a cost) of the patios. Since these patios are hidden all around the city, we decided it was worth it. It was. Not only did we get to see hidden gems of beauty throughout the village, we also learned history of the festival, found out how winners are chosen, and learned about how the owners of these homes work all year to prepare their courtyards for the fiesta. Our guides were amazing. Best part: your guide is a built-in photographer! She took fantastic group pics of us, some of our only non-selfie group shots of the trip!

Patio Festival with our tour guide photog.

If you haven’t realized yet, I am addicted to these free tours. I am now in the habit of googling “free tour + [some city]” whenever I have a free block of time! Most recently, I went on a free tour of the New York Public Library and learned a BUNCH. I also got to see the original Winnie the Pooh dolls they have on display in the children’s reading room. And that one didn’t even require a tip because the docent is an employee! I am leaving for Italy in 3 weeks and you can bet I have a few free tours on the itinerary. I can’t wait to report back! Do you guys have any free tour ideas for me to check out? Let me know in the comments!

  • Outside the infamous 5th Avenue Library (yes, it was in the Sex & The City Movie)
  • The Reading Room
  • The original Winnie the Pooh dolls!
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Harris Hill Ski Jumping Road Trip

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Last weekend I went to Vermont to watch an event most people will never see in their lives: ski-jumping. And guess what, it wasn’t even my first time. I hopped in the back seat of the car with my sister and brother-in-law, loaded up with snacks from Trader Joes, and we took off for Brattleboro, Vermont Saturday evening. It’s quite a drive to begin at 7 pm, but we made a few stops along the way.

To start at the beginning, my sister and brother-in-law have been attending the famous Brattleboro Ski Jump competition at Harris Hill for 6 years. My brother-in-law went to college in Vermont, which is sometimes a detour we make on our road trip, but I don’t even know if that is how he originally found out about the event. Two years ago, I made my first trip up to watch, and it was everything I dreamed of and more. This year, since it was so fun, I made my best friend come, too.

I did some pre-ski-jump-watching braiding, because duh.

This year’s 38-hour road trip included a few stops to see my brother-in-law’s friends, and a quick beer at one of his favorite college bar hangouts, The People’s Pint in Greenfield, Massachusetts. We stayed for the night in a DELUXE SUITE at the Comfort Inn (jk, but they did have free breakfast!). The next morning, we went into downtown Brattleboro to get delicious coffee at Mocha Joe’s. We were not the only ones with that idea – there was a line out the door! But we had stopped there the last time I went on the road trip, so I knew it was worth it. I got a maple latte, which was AMAZING, and we headed to the hill.

  • The town of Brattleboro’s biggest event! There were signs up in every store’s window.
  • GREAT coffee.
  • THE CREW!

Ski jumping is a sport that most people have seen on TV in the Olympics, and let me tell you, it’s nothing like how it is in real life. People plummet down ramps at 55+ mph with no padding or anything, and only skis on their feet. Then they free-fall/fly with their legs and arms akimbo like a flying squirrel, and somehow land on their two feet. And you can watch it from feet away from them. If you’re thinking, “WHAT?!,” then you’re thinking the same thing as me.

Each year, male and female jumpers in Junior, Open and Masters categories jump to their death. Well, hopefully not to their death, but it surely looks that way to a novice. Speaking of novices, the junior category is comprised of CHILDREN. And speaking of jumping to their death, we actually witnessed an injury this year, where a 14-year-old girl became unconscious after a fall. Thankfully she was fine, we followed up on her on the internet. Anyway, there is definite danger involved. And despite the fear of injuries, people come out every year to watch. It’s the most extreme sport I’ve ever seen up-close.

The competition began back in 1922 and is a two-day event that attracts jumpers from around the globe. This year, there were jumpers from Slovenia and Austria who jumped up to 102 meters down a hill and landed on their skis. It was amazing to watch. Even better with hot coffee in my hand and trail mix in my pockets. We watched the warm up jumps from the bottom of the hill, so they landed and skied right in front of us. Also, this put us next to the commentator’s tent. It was helpful to listen to the commentary, because I knew nothing about the sport, and they explained quite a bit as they were killing time. One of the commentators, Nicholas Fairall, was a former Olympian in the ski jump, who was paralyzed from an injury. Even with his injury, and after witnessing the 14-year-old girl lay unconscious on the snow, he said that the sport was “one of the safest.” I do not believe him at all, but I was still happy to watch safely from the sidelines.

  • Our view from the bottom. Look how high that is!!
  • FAST BRAIDS! This was one of the jumpers.
  • ALL FOR THE GOLD AND THE GLORY!
  • These super young jumpers, ready to plummet.

The best part of a sport that consists of one single downward slope, is that there is no bad place to watch! After the warmup jumps and the first round, we went on the stairs up the side of the hill to watch the final round. Being on the stairs means that I could see exactly where they landed on the hill after they appeared from nowhere, flying over the edge of the slope. It is impossible to describe, so I will refer you to my Instagram videos for videographic evidence. It was thrilling to be so close to the action.

  • Our view of the bottom, once we went up the stairs.
  • HOW COOL IS THAT!?
  • They landed right in front of us!
  • Spot the flying man!
  • An almost-fall.
  • And back up again!

The weather was GORGEOUS and sunny, but it was melting all the snow and ice from the previous days. After a few hours standing in cold slush, we left and grabbed lunch in town, then headed back toward New York. We took a final pit stop at another friend’s house and ate dinner at the quaintest place called The Norwich Inn, and continued our drive back to the city. We stopped one MORE time for food, because of course, at The Donut Dip in West Springfield, MA. The donuts were supposed to be phenomenal, but it was 9:30 pm at that point, so they were just ok. An ok donut is better than no donut, though. I’d like to go back and try them fresh in the morning. Maybe next time!

I can’t wait to go back and watch again. Maybe next year I’ll compete, the entry fee is only $25 and it includes lodging! KIDDING MOMMY, THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. But I will most definitely watch from the sidelines.

  • Next year… meet me at the top!
  • That’s me!
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Travel

Mystery Weekend in Hudson, New York

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I love surprises. I don’t understand people who don’t. Why would anyone not like the suspense and excitement behind someone planning something for you!? It’s the best! Thankfully, my mystery (emoji) boyfriend knows this. I mean, he better, it’s been a while, ya know? In honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s a blog about one of the best surprises he’s pulled off.

He has taken me on many mystery date nights before. From random restaurants he has found, to dinner at a restaurant I love but he doesn’t, and even to row 4 tickets of a Broadway show! You may remember that he even took me to a staycation once in a hotel room that overlooked the freedom tower. I know, I know, I bagged a good guy, here. Well, not to gloat, but he outdid himself. This time he planned a whole getaway!

I went to Washington DC for MLK weekend, and since I was going to be away all weekend, he asked me what I was doing the next weekend. I assumed he wanted to Netflix and chill, because we are old and that’s the usual date night for us. But then he asked me what my plans were for all weekend, and I knew he had something up his sleeve! I told him I’d reserve the weekend for him. The next Friday, I packed an overnight bag, and we walked 4 blocks to Avis. He had told me that Amtrak was too expensive (it generally is, if you only book a week in advance), so he rented a car instead. I had no clue which way we were going until we got on the west side highway toward the George Washington Bridge and realized we were going north.

I wish I could tell you I figured it out then, but I didn’t. Plus, with traffic, we were barely out of the Bronx an hour later. And then I had to pee. Word to the wise: don’t drink coffee before a road trip. We had to stop at McDonalds for a pit stop and a few Chicken Selects. Because duh. We finally arrived at our destination at 10:15 pm, thankful for the fast food sustenance along the way.

We were in Hudson, New York! Not Hudson Valley, Hudson Hudson. I knew we were driving for a while, but I didn’t realize how far it was until our Uber driver later told us he lived in Albany. I gasped and said “wow, you must have taken a long trip to get here!” And he told me it was 40 minutes. Woops.

Unfortunately, we arrived so late that only two restaurants in town were open, so we took an uber to one of them, and had drinks and appetizers. The food was good, but we were exhausted. We went back to The Wick, where we were staying, and fell asleep within minutes.

Thank goodness for these drinks after a long drive!

Hudson, New York is home to a very quaint strip of restaurants and stores, and is supposedly a food destination. This is why my emoji man chose it for our getaway. What he didn’t know, is that it is also home to Etsy headquarters. I happen to have a good friend from the gym who works for Etsy, and she spends a good amount of time in Hudson. As soon as she saw I was there (because if you don’t Instagram it, it didn’t happen), she started sending me recommendations. Funnily enough, when she goes to Hudson for work, she stays in the same hotel we were in! She told us the best food and drink spots around town, and we took one of her recommendations, Le Merche, for brunch. She did not lead us astray! This place was fab. I had an egg sandwich on SUPER fresh bread, and my bf had the Croque Madame, which was delicious, fresh, and HUGE. I tried it, of course. And the side of potatoes… let’s just say that the food was so good I barely had time to take a photo of it. And we all know how rare that is.

My delicious breakfast sandwich on freshly baked bread.

The rest of afternoon I spent doing nothing, while my  bf worked. I asked him before we left if he was sure he wanted to go away with so much work to do, and he assured me that he did, and a change of scenery would be nice. Meanwhile, I read a book and styled my hair 5 different ways. I need to keep creating content for Braid in Manhattan to keep my followers happy! Also, my bf is becoming quite the insta-husband. He is so great at taking hair photos! I told he better be careful or I’ll make him go full-time.

  • So many hairstyles.
  • And even more hair pics.
  • Spot my gray hairs?
  • Emoji man loves to take pics when I’m not ready.

After many hours of blissfully doing nothing, we went to dinner at W.M. Farmer & Co., which we heard was the SPOT. In fact, every online article about food in Hudson mentioned this as the best restaurant. We made a reservation. Unfortunately, we are underwhelmed. The food, although farm to table, and not bad, was not overwhelmingly good, and it was very expensive, even for people from Manhattan. The one remarkable part was the cocktails. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a GREAT drink. We each had two and were very impressed.

Since the only reservation available was at 6:30 pm, we had plenty of time after dinner to mill around. Unfortunately, it was 20 degrees outside, so we speed walked to a bar my friend had recommended. It seemed like a cool vibe, but the inside was very smoky (maybe because they are famous for a mezcal slushy?) and we decided it was too much for us. We went to a bar next door and had a beer. Then, surprisingly, after a day of doing absolutely nothing but eating, we were tired and went back to the hotel. We watched Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in bed and went to sleep. We really are an ancient couple. But that bed was so comfy!! I just love a king size bed. Someday when I move out a shoebox NYC apartment, I’m going to get one of my very own!

The next morning, we packed up and got ready to leave. The life of a man in finance means work on a Sunday, so we had to get back to the city. However, we needed sustenance first! Thankfully, my friend offered a final breakfast recommendation 10 minutes outside of Hudson, Gracie’s Luncheonette in the Catskills. We went from watching Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, to pretty much being in an episode of our own. We ate more delicious food and got a freshly-made donut for the road. We tried to leave quickly, because it started to snow as we ate. Not just flurry, but SNOW! I’m from Florida, and my bf is from Texas, so neither of us are too used to driving in a white-out. Thankfully, he took the wheel and I handled the donut. I’m pretty talented at feeding the driver, if I do say so myself.

We took toll roads back to the city, and got back within 2 hours! My bf dropped off the luggage and me, then returned the car, and I settled back into regular life and meal prep. Overall, it was a great 42-hour getaway with plenty of food and relaxation, and time with my better half. I have to keep reminding him of how much fun it was, so he knows to plan more surprises for the future! I promise to keep you guys posted. Do you have any fun mystery date ideas? Do you know my mystery man behind the emoji? Send him a text with an idea!

  • Morning Catskill Kisses in the Snow.
  • Evening FREEZING stroll. Doesn’t my bf look cold? 😉
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Travel

Travel Recap 2018

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PHEW what a year! People always comment about how much I travel, but I honestly didn’t realize until I saw it written out in black and white. If you weren’t one of the lucky 73 people to get a holiday card from me and my emoji bf, I recapped the travel we did this year, and spoiler alert… it’s a LOT. I would simply post a PDF of the card, but that would require a lot of emoji-placement on my sweet boyfriend’s face, so instead I’ll just recap my travel here. There is still going to be some emoji-placement.

Maybe after you see how I spent half of 2018 in airports, you’ll forgive me for posting infrequently here. I left the state every single month of the year with the exception of July, when my best Australian buddy was here in the USA so I had to stay and eat Tim Tams with her.

January – Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia

I wrote a blog post about this trip, which you can back-reference here, but the main highlights were a lot of amazing food, gorgeous views of Granville Market and Deception Pass, having an all-night dance party, finding $100 on the floor of a pub, Segway-ing up the crazy hills of Seattle, and of course spending QT with my bestie! Lowlight (is that the opposite of highlight?) was leaving my phone, which was on airplane mode, in a cab. Somehow it was miraculously recovered! Not a lowlight after all.

February – Los Angeles, California

I didn’t blog about this trip per se, but I did go to a lot of ice cream places and blogged about that! I had to continue my #30Years30IceCreams with a travel edition. Also, I’m 31 now, but ice cream is still just as good. This trip was mostly for work, but every time I am in LA I try to tack on a few extra days to hang out with my college roommate! I also got to see another friend from college and watch the Olympics with him. Side note: LA is SO FAR! I always hate that long transcontinental flight, only to land in the SAME COUNTRY! I’d rather go to Europe.

March/April – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I went to the first Passover Seder at my sister’s house in NYC, then the 2nd at my parents in Philly! I dragged my emoji bf with me as well. He is a Seder pro now. It also happened to be my mom’s birthday that weekend. My family surprised my mom by chipping in for a YMCA membership for her birthday, the one thing she wanted. She was so happy, she cried, and the video warms my heart! Thankfully, Philly does not require an airplane ride, and for this trip, I took my sister’s car. Much more convenient!

April – Chicago, Illinois

I wrote a post about this trip! (Maybe I wasn’t as bad at blogging this year as I thought!?) My work’s annual conference changes place every year, and this year I was super excited to go to Chicago because I’d never been! Technically the conference was in Skokie, but I extended my trip with my work bestie to explore the city! Highlights included: A Segway Ride, gorgeous weather, deep dish pizza, a GORGEOUS view from out penthouse Air Bnb, which had the electricity turned off for non-payment while we were staying there. Oops.

  • Vancouver Exploring
  • Gorgeous Walk to Granville Market
  • FOUND: $100!!
  • Road trip with purple bear back through the Canadian border to Seattle.
  • Quick stop at the GORGEOUS Deception Pass.
  • Deception Pass Pics
  • Hike in the mountains outside Seattle with her adorable pup, Charlie.
  • Segway with the Space Needle!
  • California Nitrogen Ice Cream
  • Quick Stop to pose with famous art at the Getty
  • Why so prickly? (#cactusgarden)
  • My happy place.
  • Road trip up to Malibu to a secret beach.
  • Can you tell she’d been crying?
  • CHICAGO!! Beautiful view from our penthouse AirBNB before the electricity was turned off.
  • Always gotta pose with Long Legs where I find them.
  • CHI-TOWN & SEGWAYS!
  • How gorgeous is this??
  • Also gorgeous: deep dish pizza.
  • Chicago Bronze Cow.
  • THE BEAN.

May – Cordoba, Seville, Granada, Madrid, Spain

Yeahhhh… this must have been when my blogging fell off because HOW DID I NOT TELL YOU GUYS ABOUT THIS TRIP!? It’s also when my Braid in Manhattan Instagram began, and I’m pretty sure there’s a correlation/causation there. Anyway, SPAIN. GO THERE. I fell in love with all the places we went, but my favorite was Granada. They have free food! Literally! Buy a drink, get amazing food for free. How can any place like that be bad? Also, we planned this trip during the famous Patio Festival in Cordoba, which was breathtaking. Cordoba now has the most UNESCO heritage sites as of this year! Jump on it before everyone else does. Trust me.

I loved traveling abroad with a group of girls. We all packed in backpacks and took trains around the country. I can’t wait for the next excursion.

June – Charleston, South Carolina

My best friend and I went to visit another friend in Charleston, SC and it was my first time there. It was fun to travel with a friend, especially since I usually fly solo (plus purple bear). We had lots of girly time, and I discovered the amazingness of Truly, a sparking water that is alcoholic. What? Amazing. We hung out at the pool, and the beach, and we rode around her neighborhood in her new golf cart. The next time we see each other will be at her wedding in ITALY! I’ll definitely have to tell you guys about that.

July – Beacon, New York

I said I didn’t travel in July but that is sort of a lie, I went upstate to Beacon, NY for my friend’s bachelorette! There was no airport involved (thank goodness) but it was still fun to get out of town for a bit. If you missed my blog about it, you can find it here!

  • Backpacking for the first time ever!
  • First train of MANY.
  • Our adorable Air bnb in Cordoba, actually one of the famous patios!
  • 1st day Cordoba exploring.
  • First of a LOT of ham and sangria.
  • Free walking tour! We did one of these in every city.
  • The famous
    Calleja de las Flores (Street of Flowers)
  • GORGEOUS patios.
  • Inside the Mezquita ( The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, aka the Great Mosque of Córdoba)
  • City #2: Sevilla!

  • Spanish Square (Plaza de Espana)
  • Alcazar
  • Blogger Photo at the Alcazar
  • Secret Flamenco show in Seville
  • More Trains Busses and Automobiles!
  • On the way to Granada
  • ALHAMBRA!
  • SO. MUCH. HAM.
  • posing on a hike up into the gypsy cave territory.

  • Flamenco show in cave of the Sacromonte of Granada
  • Final city of Spain: Madrid!
  • Mojitos on the top floor od a department store with an amazing outdoor patio
  • Charleston with my ladies!
  • Golf Cart Chillin.
  • Truly Sparkling and a FAB pool.
  • Bachelorette Party to Beacon!
  • Wine Tour commence!
  • How many vineyards can we hit in one day?
  • Hiking off the wine from the previous day!
  • More Vineyards
  • Out of Order Charleston Cycling
  • Any Airport with an insta-frame in a friend of mine.

August – WEDDING SZN! New Jersey, Philadelphia, Brooklyn

Within 5 weeks’ time, my emoji bf and I went to 3 weddings in 3 states. Gratefully, they were all accessible by train, and we even hitched a ride home from the New Jersey one in my cousin’s car.

September – Dublin, Ireland

What. A. Whirlwind. Thanks to my job and the many many Jewish holidays in the Fall, I was able to take a trip with my mom without taking any vacation days. We based ourselves in Dublin and took a few day trips out of the city to Cliffs of Moher, Cork, Galway, Blarney Castle, Rock of Cashel, and many other sites. We went to the Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol (a historic jail), The Whiskey Museum, and a National Camogie Championship game. Then, as if sightseeing all day wasn’t enough, it happened that my friend from Florida was in Dublin at the same time with friends, so I went out and partied with them every night! I think I slept a maximum of 4 hours/night. It was SO fun, and I can’t wait to travel again with my mom.

October – Cancun, Mexico

This trip was for one sole purpose: relaxation. I definitely needed it after Ireland. Also, this trip came at the perfect time because it was in the middle of The Great Bed Bug Scare of 2018! It was Emoji-bf’s birthday, and all we wanted to do was sleep in and lay by the pool and read. Sure enough, that’s what we did! We also drank a lot, went to a glow party, and made new friends. But mostly, we relaxed.

November – Los Angeles, California

I went to LA again for work and hit up my favorite spots: Santa Monica beach path for a few runs, Philz for coffee, and Sidecar Doughnuts because DUH. Also, I got to have dinner with my college friend, and extended my visit to stay with my college roommate! We saw the BEST burlesque show EVER, Cherry Boom Boom, and now I follow them on Instagram and fall in love with every post. Also, we took a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park which was AWESOME. When we got back to Santa Monica, the smoke in the air from the wildfires was very intense. It’s been a rough year for the LA region.

  • Wedding #1! I was a bridesmaid in this one.
  • Wedding #2. How snazzy is my date?
  • Wedding #3! Same emoji, different dress.
  • Sister-Sister!
  • IRELAND! Whiskey barrels.
  • And lots of kegs.
  • Visiting one of the oldest jails.
  • GUINNESS!
  • Inside the Four Courts.
  • Up early… out late!
  • Cahir Castle and a few cannons
  • Inside the Cahir Castle.
  • Blarney Stone!
  • Climbing in and around the Blarney castle (my mom skipped this one).
  • Rock of Cashel!
  • Croke Park and CAMOGIE.
  • Outside the stadium
  • Cliffs of Moher
  • Selfie at the Cliffs
  • More Cliffs of Moher.
  • Largest glass of whiskey out there.
  • Galway City.
  • Trinity College
  • Selfies in Dublin.
  • RELAXIN in Mexico!
  • Beach and Bf = happy Emily
  • Glow par-tay.
  • I must be back in LA… SIDECAR!
  • My happy place.
  • First time at Joshua Tree. So gorgeous!
  • Explorin.
  • Joshua Tree Handstand.
  • How gorgeous is this??
  • KING OF THE WORLD!

November – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

After we spent real Thanksgiving in NYC because I was in the Macy’s Parade (did you guys really think I wouldn’t bring that up again??), we went to Philly for the weekend to see my parents and celebrate a belated Thanksgiving. This meant two feasts, which I will never say no to. My brother came, too! We ran a 5K together as a family and I did surprisingly well, considering how I swore off running for 6 months to heal my ankle. Most of our time in Philly was spent relaxing, but we capped off the weekend with a DELCIOUS third feast at a dim sum restaurant in Chinatown called Ocean Harbor.

December – Delray Beach/Boca Raton, Florida

At the beginning of the year, I was determined to travel more internationally, which meant forsaking a trip to Florida for the first year since I moved to New York! But by September, I really missed all my friends and I found a $207 roundtrip ticket on JetBlue and packed my bags. It’s so fun to visit my friends and soak in the warm temperatures.

December – Dallas, Texas

Every year we visit my emoji-bf’s non-emoji family in Texas for Christmas. It’s fun to get together and hang out, watch movies, wrap presents and eat way too much! I even snuck in a workout class and a run with his sisters. Even my brother drove from San Antonio to spend a few days with us. We went out for dinner and yummy cocktails with a college friend in Deep Ellum one night but other than that, we stayed pretty close to home. Also, Santa got me a new phone! Better resolution braiding pics coming soon!

Are you guys exhausted reading this? Because I am!! I love traveling, and I hope to do more of it in 2019. What are your plans for the new year? Any exciting destinations?

  • Our first 5K together!
  • Always on so many modes of transportation.
  • It’s a family affair.
  • FRIENDS!! I love these ladies.
  • How cute are we??
  • Aqua Aerobics and tanning. #FloridaLife
  • Besties!
  • Tree pics. Necessary.
  • Bro-Sis time in the Lone Star State.
  • Cutest Elf Family you ever did see.
  • End of the year is for family!
  • Cutest emoji couple out there.
  • Here’s to more travel in 2019!
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Miscellaneous, Travel

Sara’s Beacon Bachelorette

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This may sound unbelievable to you, but over the weekend, I went to my FIRST EVER bachelorette party! I know, I know, you’re all calling me a hypocrite since I always talk about weddings but it’s true! I am a PROFESSIONAL wedding guest but a total novice bachelorette attendee. I think this is because most of my weddings are out of state, so it is either impossible to attend both the wedding and the bachelorette, or I’m just not invited to the pre-festivities because my friends know I can’t come. In the case of last weekend, it was the opposite! The wedding is out of state, and I can’t go because I’m DOUBLE booked with weddings, and they are on the same day in different states! Since I can’t go to the actual simcha (HEBREW WORD ALERT!), I knew I needed to go to the bachelorette to shower the bride.

Even though this was my first time attending a bachelorette, and it was the least bachelorette-y bachelorette ever. Thanks to the bride-to-be, of course. She is a very low-key gal, and she insisted on no sashes, tiaras, penis necklaces, etc. When asked if we were a bachelorette party, she insisted we were just a “group of girls.” (Cue “Huge Group of Girls” below.) One of them just happened to be about to be married.

Our festivities started at Grand Central Terminal, where all great festivities begin. Clearly being facetious there, but to be honest, it’s nicer than any airport, and it’s less of a hassle because I can carry any liquids I want. Our fearless leader, aka bachelorette-organizer-extraordinaire, aka Arielle, got to Grand Central early and purchased our tickets. We were all miraculously on time, and boarded our chariot to Beacon, NY. Chariot = Metro-North Train.

There were 6 girls total, which is a great number. Not too many girls, but not too few that someone feels left out. Also, it turned out none of us knew each other too well, which was fun! I feel like I got to meet awesome new people, and since we weren’t close to begin with, there were no cliques. Arielle told me she was not a big photo-taker, so I nominated myself to be the picture-taker. I have plenty of practice thanks to this blog. (Do you know how many ice cream photos I took during #30Years30IceCreams?? More than 400.)

Anyway, after taking the obligatory train selfie, we arrived in Beacon, and grabbed a cab to our hotel. We stayed at the Roundhouse in Beacon, which was a very bougie hotel. Unfortunately I did kill a bug on our bathroom, and the sheets had questionable stains on them. But hey, we got money knocked off our bill, so #WorthIt!

We dropped our bags down, and boarded our second chariot of the day, a large black SUV! Arielle had liaised with a concierge-type service for wine-tasting, called Hudson Valley Bucket List. We had our own private driver who doubled as our Instagram-bf for the day (Shoutout Jonathan! Awesome pics!), and they took care of everything. They dropped us off first at Nostrand Vineyards, where we tasted 6 wines, and decided on two to buy to accompany our lunch. Our concierge wine tour set up an adorable pop-up picnic on the lawn behind the tasting. We had private cheese plates, bread, and sandwiches. We even had a green salad. Everything was perfect, besides the heat. But I am basically in a constant state of sweating from May-September, so I cannot blame the wine tour for that. After lunch, I didn’t think I was too drunk but… I guess I was. Because I forgot my phone. I was too busy taking pics, I guess! Double shoutout to Jonathan for turning around and getting my phone. Also triple shoutout to Jonathan, driver-extraordinaire, for having warm chocolate chip cookies for us in the car! Once we picked up my phone, we headed to the second stop: Glorie Farm Winery. This one had a much more rustic feel to it, but it was fun because it had actual grape vines we could pose with. Jonathan came in clutch with yet-another photo opp. We shared another bottle of wine and then packed back in our SUV to return to the hotel.

The original plan was to take a nap or freshen up for 2 hours before dinner. Most of us realized that if we went to sleep, we’d never wake up again, so we went to explore the town of Beacon. We left our one California girl to take a nap, since she had been awake for about 30 hours at that point. We took a (sweaty) walk down main street, looking in the shops, and had a stop at the end for ice cream at Beacon Creamery, much needed by that point. You know I love me some ice cream, especially in new places, and this one did not disappoint! They had a lot of obscure flavors, which is my favorite. I opted for Ginger-flavored ice cream, which was yummy and even had pieces of ginger in it!

We went back to the hotel, SHOWERED, and changed for dinner. Then we walked to dinner, and thankfully it had cooled down a bit. We didn’t know at the time, but that was because it was about to torrential rain. We got to dinner just in the nick of time. We ate at The Kitchen Sink, an amazing farm-to-table restaurant where everything was fresh and yummy! Props to Arielle, our organizer, for making a reservation, because multiple people were turned away! We hung out at the table, trying to wait out the rain, but eventually made a mad dash next door to a wine bar for dessert. The wine bar was… interesting. It had live music so we thought it might be raucous. But no. It was veryyy romantic. And date-y. We stuck out. We didn’t even order wine. We decided to walk back to the hotel in a light drizzle of rain. Another girl in our party had the foresight to call the hotel and ask if they could set aside dessert/coffee/tea for us, and they said they would.

When we arrived at the hotel, there was some miscommunication about the desserts, but the GM had our backs. The main bar area was closed for a wedding afterparty, but he brought us coffee and tea to a side lounge area. He apologized for the miscommunication about the desserts, but luckily we had Jonathan-warm-chocolate cookies leftover that we brought down from our room. 5 minutes later… SURPRISE, the GM found our desserts! The pastry chef had set aside macarons for us before he left for the night. They were delicious! Not as good as the chocolate cookies, but still.

FREE MACARONS!

We called it an early night (I told you it was a non-traditional bachelorette!), and woke up early-ish for breakfast in the hotel. After some frittata, I started braiding. Are you surprised? You shouldn’t be. Remember, it’s my new obsession! Our activity for the day was hiking, so we had to have our hair up and away from our face!

The hike itself was great, but HOT! The humidity was stifling, but the views were worth it. We hiked Mt. Beacon, specifically we hiked the Casino Trail. It’s named after an actual casino that burned down. The cool part is, many of the old ruins are still there and you can climb on and around them! There are also ruins from the Mount Beacon Incline Railway,  which was shut down in the 1970’s. Pretty cool. As opposed to the temperature. Unfortunately, since we had already check out of the hotel, we had to settle for a bathroom-sink-shower. You all should be lucky you were not sitting next to us on the train home. We stopped for a quick lunch at Royal Crepes, which was SO GOOD, and then took an uber back to the train station.

 

The night before the weekend, emoji boyfriend had asked me if I was excited, and I told him I was, but I was also nervous because I didn’t know anyone. Luckily, none of us really knew each other, and we all ended up as friends! One of the girls friended me on Facebook, and it turned out we had 56 friends in common! Small world. I’m totally down for another Bachelorette. Who’s next??

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Travel

Chicago

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I’m finally back from España! I already know what you’re thinking: this is not what I signed up for. This blog was entitled “Chicago.” That’s right, 3 weeks ago I was in Chicago, and then I went to Spain. My poor Long Legs are dying from sitting in these small airplane seats. My immune system doesn’t love me either. Planes are not comfortable or sanitary places. But enough about air travel, let’s talk about my new favorite American city: the Windy One.

For some reason, I’ve always had a feeling I would want to live in Chicago. Some part of my #sweatzilla self really gravitates to a place that is frigid 75% of the year. Also, it’s still a large metropolitan area with public transportation, but the cost of living is drastically lower than New York. Considering the amount of weddings I attend in a year, I always figured I would end up in Chicago for a ceremony, or a bachelorette party, or engagement party, or other extraneous wedding-related event that has left me in debt. But somehow I was 30 years old and I had never been to Chicago! I was excited when my work decided to have their annual conference in the Chicago suburbs because it meant my flight would be comped. However, Skokie, IL is not exactly Chicago, so I twisted my coworker’s arm and convinced her to stay downtown a few days after the convention to hang out with me and explore the city. Full story: she has two kids and I think she thanked me for requiring  her to have a kid-less 2-day vaycay.

I won’t bore you with the specific details of my day-to-day activities, but I’ll give you the highlights. Starting with food, because duh.

FOOD

People say New York has amazing food, but Chicago is not far behind. We didn’t have much time (2 full days), but we tried to have one of everything. Obviously deep dish pizza came first. Everyone we asked had their own preference for their favorite deep dish place, but after 4 12-hour work days, we settled for the most famous place in Chicago that also happened to be across the street from our Air BNB: Giordano’s. #CheesePull photo on fleek. We all know Chicago is about hotdogs, too, so we couldn’t let our pizza be outshined by the classic Portillo’s hot dogs. And we were told by multiple people that a visit to Portillo’s would not be complete without a “cake shake.” Yes, this is what it sounds like: a chocolate shake with a legit piece of chocolate cake blended into it. It was so decadent that we weren’t able to finish it even sharing between two people. But do not fret, we walked a couple thousand more steps along Lake Michigan and the Magnificent Mile to make room in our stomachs for more food. The next stop was recommended to me by a friend from elementary school who happened to go to college in Chicago and is a huge foodie. I knew her recommendations could be trusted. She said, “go to XOCO, a Rick Bayless restaurant where they fry churros to order.” Say no more. O. M. G. these were so good. Plus, a little cup of chocolate to dip them in?! No words.

Dinner was also fantastic, and recommended to me by a local friend of mine. We went to La Sirena Clandestina, a Brazilian/latin place in a different, up-and-coming neighborhood of Chicago, Fulton Market. Google moved into the neighborhood a few years ago and brought a very Williamsburg-y market along with it. Along with the trendy techies come trendy chefs. And the food was FABULOUS. It helped that my friend knew the manager and they brought us PLATTERS of free steak and chorizo. I’m a sucker for anything free. But free and delicious? I was sold. Of course no dinner is complete without a post-dinner drink, so we went across the street to Swift & Sons and met up with another friend of mine who actually lives in New Jersey, but for some reason I hadn’t seen him in years. Nothing like a business trip hundreds of miles away to bring friends together!

HISTORY & INNOVATION

The coolest part of our business trip was a visit to 1871, a startup incubator and center for technology and entrepreneurship in Chicago. As part of our work convention, we took a field trip to their headquarters for a panel discussion on innovation and technology, and then a presentation from their CEO about the future. The company is named after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and about what happened afterward, when engineers, architects and inventors came together to build a new city. It was founded in 2012 to support Chicago’s digital startup community and it has become the hub for the city’s technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The actual office space is a huge, open-office 150,000 square foot facility. The technology of the office, even the water machines, are unparalleled. The talk from the CEO was enthralling, interesting, and a bit scary. He talked about how everything we know now is changing, and it’s changing quickly. I don’t really think of Chicago as a place of innovation or technology start-ups, but simply being in this space changed my mind.

The entire city’s history is based around the fire of 1871, but there is also a lot more. Coming off a trip to Spain, of course I realize America’s history is incredibly brief relative to any country in Europe, but it is still interesting to see history of my own country’s cities. After the work convention, my coworker and I went on a free walking tour in Chicago, where our guide was a spunky, awesome girl in her late 20’s with a passion for Chicago. She showed us sites all around “The Loop” including theaters, old department stores, street art and sculptures created specifically by artists for Chicago. She also showed us the beginning (and end!) of Historic Route 66. We ended our tour at The Bean, aka Cloud Gate, because of course, and she taught us how it was supposed to look like a drop of mercury. Makes sense!

SEGWAYS

Segway everywhere!! There’s only one thing I love more than Segways: introducing other people to my love of Segways. I forced my coworker to take a Segway tour because I found an awesome deal on Groupon. She loved it! Who wouldn’t?! We went on a 2-hour tour of downtown Chicago, where we rode past Soldier Field and learned about its history as a National Historic landmark, we went by the Shedd Aquarium and learned about the oldest captive fish, 90-Something-Year-Old Granddad, who died last year, and we went by the Field Museum. Our tour guide was awesome, and he told us about the more than 8,000 acres of public parks (more than 8% of the city!). But the best part of a Segway tour is always the Segways. I love those things. I obviously did not follow our guide’s instructions and took plenty of selfies/selfie videos while in motion (big no-no). I also gave at least 10 high fives to pedestrians as I rolled by. I can’t wait for my next Segway opportunity! And our guide was fab at photo-taking. Check it out below, #NoFilter!

Chicago was a slamming success, but I had to go home to do laundry and prepare for Spain. #FirstWorldProblems. More about that trip later!

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Food, Travel

30 Years, 30 Ice Creams – West Coast Edition

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Hey guys! I know I’ve been sparse on the blog. It’s been hard to keep up between moving apartments, crazy work season, and starting a bullet journal (more on that later). Also, I’ve been trying to keep up with all of my resolutions, which includes planning free nights for myself! I’ve been watching a lot of Olympics.

Anyway, fear not, I have still left myself plenty of time to stuff my face with ice cream. Even while traveling! I have had three new kinds of ice cream in my travels in the past 6 weeks. Thankfully, I’ve also stuck to my new year’s resolution of swimming to even it out. Does anyone have suggestions for a waterproof, affordable, fitbit-like device?

Quick Ice Cream Recap aka #30Years30IceCreams on the road:

As with my many weeks of recaps last May/June, I will review each mission on a scale of 1-10 in 4 categories: (1) Aesthetic (2) Flavor (3) Texture (4) Overall.

Kurt Farm Shop, Seattle, Washington, Local, CHEESE Ice Cream!

Aesthetic (4) Flavor (9) Texture (4) Overall (5)

I didn’t PLAN to go get ice cream, per se, but after a car ride back to Washington from Vancouver, and 3 hours of car ride snacks, we weren’t in the mood for a full-size dinner, and we were in the mood for a walk. I found this place on Foursquare and figured, DUH, ice cream is the answer. This is a little shop that sells ice cream, but also sells cheese from local farms and creameries. The custard base is made with organic cane sugar and it’s flavored at the store.

According to Foursquare it’s the #3 ranked ice cream place in Seattle, but I was drawn by the promise of unique flavors. I saw reviews about Szechuan Peppercorn, and Rose flavors, and most importantly, FLORA’S CHEESE. What’s better than cheese? Ice cream. What’s better than Ice Cream? CHEESE FLAVORED ICE CREAM. Obvi. They were very generous with their samples, so of course I tried every single weird flavor on the menu. I opted for half cheese, half pumpkin. It was delicious, plus it was served with a real spoon, always preferred. Only drawback: there was a strange coating left on the top of my mouth from the cheese flavor, probably due to the way they pasteurize the milk. Still worth it.

Creams & Dreams, Santa Monica, CA, Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

Aesthetic (if you count the nitrogen show) (9) Flavor (6) Texture (10) Overall (8)

Love the name of this place. Love even more that I found this place on a business trip and insisted on bringing my boss here. This place makes liquid nitrogen ice cream, and if you have never had any, go out right now and find a place for it. The fact that this ice cream begins as a liquid, and is then frozen in small batches, just for you, makes it the creamiest ice cream I have ever tasted. I tried a similar place, NiceCream in Arlington, VA a few years ago, and I never forgot about it. The only bad part about having a hand-made batch of your own ice cream is, it’s impossible to get samples.

Going here is like dinner and a show. If you consider ice cream as dinner. (It is.) They hand-pour your flavor (I love the Nutella and Cookies and Cream), and then they pour liquid nitrogen on it to create a smoke show. Last time I was there, the guy even threw some toward us to make us laugh. It feels like cold water, but it doesn’t get you wet. So bizarre.

They have some strange flavors as well, like Maiz Con Queso, and Fresh Avocado, but I stuck with the classics here. Cannot recommend enough. It is a staple for all of my SoCal trips now.

Salt & Straw, Venice, CA, Weird, Delicious Flavors and Samples

Aesthetic (4) Flavor (10) Texture (8) Overall (7)

After a 4-day whirlwind work trip, I had a day to myself to spend on the beach. I threw an apple and a beach towel in my backpack, picked up an iced coffee, then hit the sand.

(Side note about the coffee: GO TO PHILZ!! They even have two shops on the East Coast in DC. I got the famed mint mojito iced coffee and it was TO-DIE-FOR. Not only is the coffee amazing, but they buy only the highest quality green beans AND they have a generous donation program to Food4Farmers and World Coffee Research, to incorporate conscientious care for everyone in the supply chain from farm to cup. Caffeine + fair trade = win-win. Read all about their values for their workers and farmers, and environmental protections here.)

Anyway, as great as my coffee and apple were, by 3 pm I was starving. I walked along the beach from Santa Monica to Venice, and I was doing some window shopping when I realized a line of people across the street. Like any good New Yorker, I gravitated to the line. If people want it, it MUST be good, right?? Well my New York instincts did not steer me wrong – it was ice cream!! And boy was it amazing.

I read the tips online as I waited in line, and saw that I could ask for as many samples as I wanted, and that I could order a “split scoop” so I could have multiple flavors, but without overloading on ice cream. Samples are super necessary because the flavors here are exotic and ever-changing. I tried everything from 24 Blackbirds’ Lavender Truffle, to Roasted Strawberry Coconut, and about 4 others. I basically told the guy I love weird flavors, and he let me try every single one. I was already full by the time I got my cup! I decided on a split scoop of Avocado & Oaxacan Chocolate Fudge (SO creamy and refreshing), and Black Olive Brittle & Goat Cheese (best flavor ever, with bits of crunch). This was the perfect afternoon post-beach snack.

Guys, this place is a must-go-to. Also, if you really love ice cream, join their Pints Club and get five brand new flavors delivered to your door every month!

That’s it guys. #30Years30IceCreams lives on for the whole year! I’ll keep you posted as I hit up some new places. I have 3 months left of my 30th year! How many flavors can I fit in that time?

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