eveready diner

when i was in new york, we stopped at a roadside diner in hyde park my brother-in-law said he heard great things about. turns out, he heard those great things from guy fieri on the food network. eveready, a 1950s-style diner, was featured on diners, drive-ins and dives and it definitely lived up to its hype.

the atmosphere was absolutely charming and the food was even better. our waiter said eveready is most known for their ice cream and deserts so my sister had a delicious cherry coke float with a million cherries and i had a brooklyn egg creme {a combination of seltzer, whipping creme and syrup so i'm sure it was incredibly healthy}.

overall, i really loved the pace and would definitely go a lot more if i lived in the area. my sister did point out that we have out own diner, drive-ins and dives treasure in our hometown: frank's diner. i think it's about time i checked out their garbage plate.

first day at the cia

i was such a proud sister sending my brother-in-law off on his first day of school at the culinary institute of america. he was so excited and that excitement definitely spread to my sister and i. {it was sweet how excited and proud of him she is.}

while patrick was at orientation, maggie and i sat in on a few discussions on parent-student transition and an informational session about the school. we also explored the area and ate twice at theapple pie bakery cafe, a restaurant in the school where all baking students work before graduating.

for breakfast, i had a spinach and goat cheese turnover and maggie had an edleflower and chocolate creme danish. both were absolutely delicious. the danish just melted in your mouth.

for lunch, i had macaroni & cheese {tubetti pasta with gruyere cheese and parmesan cheese topped with crisp bread crumbs} that was to die for! my sister had a tillamook grilled cheese {with bacon and hudson valley apple served with a mache & arugula salad dressed with truffle cinaigrette}. yes, we are from wisconsin. the food was incredibly delicious. i wish i could have stayed longer so i had time to try everything on the menu.

also, the campus was absolutely beautiful.

dear poughkeepsie {and hyde park}

you are much nicer than the new york reputation. i guess people are just nicer outside of the city.

though your main highways have been conquered by chain stores and restaurants, you hide your personality and charm in neighborhoods. well done.

i'm not a fan of the randomly-placed one way roads, especially those that come without warning. {it's difficult to tell when you can only park on one side of the road}

you are lucky to have the culinary institute of america and all the delicious food that comes with.

it took a bit, but we found some great places to hang out {soul dogs, the derby and blue mountain cafe}.

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.

points

for making new friends on the metra. a twenty-something girl and an old lady bonding over books. 3 points each.

the dad covered in stickers and hanging out with his two-year-old son. 5 points.

my uncle mike for admitting slapshot is one of his favorite movies. {and for telling my sister to say hi to everyone in new york for him.} 2 points.

my coworkers for rejoining our trivia team on thursday nights. 2 points each.

the high school friends talking at the coffee shop for starting an amazing tradition. i hope. 5 points.

my friend for suggesting the lovely bones. it's a great read so far, definitely better than the movie. 2 points.

the guy walking down the street decked out in blackhawks gear. 3 points.

happy weekend

hope you all have a fantastic weekend! i know i will.

my weekend is going to get a bit busy: dinner plans with family on friday, spending all day saturday with friends in chicago {one of my best friends from college, who currently lives in memphis, is in for the day. i'm so excited to hang out, chat, eat and, of course, shop.}, then as soon as i get back from chicago, it's off to new york with maggie and patrick. it's sure to be an amazing time. a lot of commuting, but an amazing time. i'm sure sunday will involve lots of unpacking and probably a little exploring {i hope we don't get lost}. i'm excited!

i'll tell you later all about poughkeepsie and the trip.

{image via mahmah}

little notes

dear sam.

i'm so happy you made the trip to chicago from denver. {also to lizz and maggie} it was great to get lunch and catch up with you all. i miss all of my medill friends. we really need to get together more.

dear metropolis.

you are indeed one of my favorite coffee shops in chicago. i can't wait until we can share another weekend afternoon.

dear big star.

you are the reason i look forward to march. your food is absolutely delicious {and greasy}. i just wish it didn't take an hour to order your amazing burgers. opening weekend, i suppose.

dear jenny.

thank you so much for covering me at work so i can go to new york for a week. i truly owe you big.

dear dave at u.s.cellular.

i really appreciate your help getting a new phone. you made the process far simpler than i expected. i am writing a letter to u.s.cellular so they also know how great you are.

{image via audreyhepburncomplex}

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}

Afternoon at Ashling

On Sunday, my sister and brother-in-law had a little lunch at Ashling on the Lough to see friends and family before they move to New York on Saturday. It was great to see friends and family that we don't get a chance to see often. {It's so difficult to get everyone together now-a-days. Especially family since everyone is at a different place in their life and most with busy schedules.} It's a pretty big restaurant and about three quarters of it were there to see Maggie and Patrick off on their new adventure.

I had only been to Ashling one time prior to Sunday but I really like it. It's an Irish pub and restaurant with an upscale, cozy feel and traditional Irish food.

I only tried the reuben but I heard from others that everything on the menu is absolutely delicious.

Don't you just love the feel of Ashling? It's great on a Sunday afternoon for lunch or for a beer on Friday night.

happy monday

Luckily, my normal 'case of the Mondays' isn't as bad today as it usually is. I think it's because I had such a great weekend and have another to look forward to in just a few short days.

I spent Saturday afternoon in Chicago with friends {Sam flew in from Denver for the weekend}. We ate lunch at an amazing Indian buffet, which was perfect because I'm on a crazy Indian food kick lately. {I've been averaging twice a week.} After lunch, we met some other friends for coffee at Metropolis on Granville in Edgewater. I heard many great things about the shop and I'm so happy it lived up to expectations. I had such a lovely time talking with friends that I don't get a chance to see often, I loved it. I was also able to squeeze in a little shopping on Michigan Ave and at Water Tower Place mall before heading home.

Actually, I didn't go home. I went straight to downtown Milwaukee on Water St. to celebrate another friend's birthday. We went to Bootleggers {where I swear I saw Mario Batali of Iron Chef America fame} and then caught a show at Comedy Sportz. It was a fun but very crazy day.

Sunday afternoon, my sister and brother-in-law had a going away get together with lots of family and friends. Then, movies and Big Star {!!!}, which took about an hour to get because of the craziness of opening weekend.

Great, GREAT weekend! Hope yours was fabulous too!

{image via smashingmagazine}