navigation challenge

you know when you're on vacation in a new city and you don't know your way around and you're nervous you're going to get lost in a bad neighborhood because you have no idea where you're going? i love that.

it's actually my favorite part of any trip {beside time at the airport, which i know is weird but i enjoy}. i really love exploring new cities and enjoy the challenge of finding my way around, especially without gps security. i think it's the only way to really experience a new city. i have a friend that likes to make itineraries for every trip she goes on, but then i think she misses so much character of the city that she can't find on google.

my friend and i drove to the twin cities with no more navigation than "take I-94." the cities were a little confusing at first, but after one weekend, we figured out how to get quite a few places. {there was only one minor mishap. that's bound to happen on any trip though.} it's actually not a difficult area to learn, but we're still proud that we did.

we did the same thing on the subways in new york and boston. it was fantastic. now that we know the are a little better, we have to go back. my friend and i are also talking about taking a trip to san fransisco. i think that may be a little more difficult to navigate though. but i enjoy a good challenge.

mini-sota road trip

You know how when you’re really excited for the weekend the days just drag on and on. That’s this week.

This weekend, a few friends and I are jumping in a car and heading up to Minneapolis for a baseball game. I’m really excited for the game, but also for the road trip. I’ve been on a few road trips {to South Padre Island, New Orleans, Memphis, Tuscon and New York} and have loved them all! There’s just something about squeezing into a car with five friends that makes the trip. I know to most people, this probably doesn’t sound like a great day. Who would like to be smushed in the backseat of a Ford when you could just fly and make it to your destination in a quarter of the time? ME.

While this is just a mini road trip, we’re still following THE LIST {necessities for the perfect road trip}:

• iPod playlists or CDs {mostly fast, pump you up music}
• A loose itinerary {my friend Alyssa was always the best at this}
• Snacks and lots of drinks {in our case, mostly coffee}
• Nice weather so you can roll down the windows
• Good GPS or someone who knows how to read a map {if those people still exist}
• A roomy car {though not totally necessary}
• Good pillows
• A driving buddy to help you stay awake during that 3am shift {or again, more coffee}
• AND, most importantly, a few good friends :)

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{photo via weheartit}

I Heart Canada

Maybe it's my annual obsession with hockey, but I really want to take a trip to Canada. I'm thinking a cross-country road trip would be best: see the sites and the beautiful scenery on the way. But that may be a bit much, so I choose Vancouver, British Columbia.

It looks like a beautiful city full of charm and history. A few things I'd love to do: grab coffee and do a little shopping on Robson Street, walk through Chinatown, visit the Vancouver Art Gallery, taste a few Canadian microbrews in a local pub, maybe catch a show at the Arts Club Theatre Company and just explore. It would also be interesting to see the Olympic Village.

I'd even like to pitch a tent in one of Vancouver's beautiful parks. {Surprising for me.} Without one of these guys to wake me up though.

{images via 1. vancouver 2-5. vancouvertrolley}

thoughts from a roadtrip

first, woah, what a long ride, why did i volunteer to come?

my sister did a great job keeping us calm while driving though chicago traffic in a moving truck towing a car behind.

welcome to indiana - the crossroads of america. it smells.

diet coke is your best friend.

maggie rode through most of ohio asleep with her head on my knee. good idea. there was nothing to look at.

moving trucks are not comfortable, especially for three people.

pennsylvania is beautiful but very high. my fear of heights coupled with my driving anxiety didn't make it an easy trip through pennsylvania. i took lots of pictures though.

scranton, penn. is fare more interesting to look at than The Office shows. still cool to drive though the city of a favorite show.

truck stops do not serve any healthy food whatsoever.

the hudson bridge is beautiful. especially when lit up at night.

i heart roadtrips

big news. i'm going to help my sister and brother-in-law move to new york this weekend. i know it's kind of a last-minute decision but i want to get in as much time with them as i possibly can.

we're going to drive out to poughkeepsie, ny {directly adjacent to hyde park, home of the culinary institute of america} on saturday in a uhaul and i'll fly back on thursday. i'm really excited to help them move and see their new apartment. i heard it's really nice and, i'm sure, has a ton of character already.

on tuesday, patrick's first day of orientation, maggie and i will be able to walk around the culinary institute campus and attend a few friends and family informational sessions. i'm interested to see what his school is like. {so far, i've heard it smells delicious :)}

i think we're also planning on doing a little poughkeepsie exploring, that is if the unpacking is done. i hope we get a chance to take a day trip to new york city but i kind of doubt there will be time. it's going to be a hectic few days.

i'm going to be terribly sad to get on a plane and leave my sister and brother-in-law hundreds of miles away. it's going to be weird to not have them around anymore. i'm going to miss them dearly.

{image via weheartit}

vacation daydreams

It's been so cold around here lately that I've been daydreaming nonstop about vacation. More specifically, I daydream about jetting off to Venice, Italy for a week of wandering roads and rivers, drinking coffee, photographing history, visiting the sites...

{all photos courtesy of my brother-in-law}

It's HOT in Arizona

Everyone says that 115 degrees in Arizona isn't nearly as bad as 80 degrees in Chicago. (It's dry heat after all.) I agree it's not as bad, but geez it was HOT.

Besides a minor heat stroke, the trip was fabulous. My friend surprised me with a trip to Tuscon to El Rancho de Sebastian (my friend's house) for an overnight stay. He had the most amazing view. We watched a storm over a mountain range while relaxing on his back porch.

We also climbed A Mountain, went to a Diamondbacks game, walked around Phoenix, went to the Hard Rock Cafe, played sand volleyball, drank a ton of coffee, hung out in Tempe on the ASU campus and spent every afternoon laying out next to the pool.

Sitting Poolside

Greetings from Arizona!

My friends and I have been spending most afternoons poolside, tanning. Well, trying. I can't believe it's been nice enough to spend all day and night outside. This has been an amazing trip.

I'll tell you all about it when I get back!

{photo via LIFE}

Off to Arizona for a Week!

I wonder what it will be like. All I can imagine now is a nice ranch like in the show Hey Dude. (What a great show! Like I said before, I miss good TV.)

I'll let you know all about it when I get back!

{photo via gluce0922}

Roadtrip? Hell Yes. Camping? Hell No.

My friend Alyssa called me a few days ago to ask if I wanted to go on a road trip. I LOVE road trips with friends so it sounded like a great idea. I asked for a few details.

Itinerary: Drive to Phoenix. Stay one night at a friend's place. Drive to Vegas. Stay two nights at a hotel. Drive to LA. Stay one night at a hotel. Drive to San Francisco. Stay two nights with a friend of the family. Drive to Yellowstone. Camp two nights. Drive to... WAIT!! CAMP?!?

Umm, sorry. I'm busy that week. Well, not so much busy as just terrified at the idea of camping.

To me, "roughing it" on vacation means no cable TV or one-ply toilet paper in my fully-functioning bathroom or maybe the shower water is only luke warm or the sheets weren't washed with enough fabric softener.

Anyway, you see, I don't camp.

In all seriousness, I am really considering the trip. It sounds like so much fun, and hey, maybe there's a hotel nearby.

{Photo via Flickr PJEFFY}

A Little Bit of Memphis

My trip to Memphis was fabulous. We spent the afternoon at the Civil Rights Museum where I have never felt so amazed, proud and ashamed at the same time. It was a moving experience. We also spent time wandering around the downtown area, visiting the zoo and got dinner at a cute Irish pub. (I know, Irish isn't really Memphis, but we stopped for BBQ later on the trip. One word: Delicous. Capital D.) Overall, a great mini-vacation.

A few observations of Memphis--

• It is much more spread out than I thought it would be. There's really no large 'downtown.'
• First thing I learned: "If the street is named after a president, avoid it."
• The best BBQ ever really is found in Memphis. (Check out Central if you go.)
• It's odd how there are little pockets of terrible neighborhoods in the middle of nice ones.

A wall mural in the downtown area.

The Memphis Zoo. Definitely one of the best I've been to.

I'm going to Graceland

My friend called me two days ago: "Do you want to go to Memphis?" she said. I need to be more spontaneous, I thought, "sure."

I'm a planner, a list-maker; I always have been. Since graduating from Northwestern with my masters degree and no job prospects, I've decided I need to be more spontaneous and open to new experiences. So I am.

I'm off to Memphis on Sunday. I'll be back on Wednesday to tell all

about it.

Also, here are a few links to my favorite songs about Memphis: "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn, "Maybe It Was Memphis" by Pam Tillis, "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles and "Honky Tonk Woman" by The

Rolling Stones. Enjoy.

{image via Wikipedia}

Arizona, Here I Come

Two weeks from today I will be enjoying a nice dinner outside with my friends... in ARIZONA. My friend Jessi and I are visiting our friend Sam for a few days. She lives in Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix, and promised to show us all around the area. I'm so excited! Let the countdown begin...

{Image via Flickr robotography}

Miles Away

My friends and I have officially hit that 'grown up' milestone: we're all moving away. Some of us are moving for work, some for med school and some just for the hell of it.

While I welcome the many possible vacation destinations (Phoenix, Chicago, Memphis, Charleston, Raleigh, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Washington DC... to name a few), I'm said that we will no longer all be able to meet for a cup of coffee or a quick lunch. I'm going to miss being able to call up one of my friends for a walk or a midnight movie.

I already miss the closeness.

We all grew so close in college, I'm now worried that the hundreds or thousands of miles between us will change that. I really, truly hope it won't.

Retiring to New Orleans

I was talking to a friend the other day about our dream retirement cities, that is of course, assuming that I had a brilliant career and money were no object.

I absolutely adore Boston. However, I think I would rather retire to New Orleans, but only if I could live in the Garden District. The last time I was in New Orleans, I spent hours just walking around the neighborhood looking at all the houses.

I love New Orleans' charm and relaxed, comforting atmosphere. I think I could retire happily there: reading books, sipping lemonade and rocking back and forth on my porch.

My Love Waits There in San Francisco

My friend and I have been talking about planning a trip to California for a while now. I'm not sure if we'll really end up going or not, but if we do, we'll probably end up in Los Angeles or San Diego. Me, I'd rather go to San Francisco. I don't know if it was Sinatra or Full House, but I've always wanted to go to the city by the bay. It seems like such a charming, delightful city.

San Francisco, your golden sun will shine for me.