New Orleans 2011

This spring break Jared and I went down to New Orleans for a long weekend and it was great! Jared had been a few times before to volunteer after Katrina, but I had never been before. We got the plane tickets through frequent flyer miles and the hotel through priceline, so it was supposed to be a cheap trip, but man it is easy to blow some dough in the Big Easy. Anyway, we had an awesome time!

Eat
New Orleans is a great food town. Be warned, you might gain 5 pounds a day, but it will be worth it. We also lucked out because oysters and crawfish were in season.

We had raw oysters and a Po'Boy at Felix's which was awesome.

These guys shucked oysters like there was no tomorrow

And then we ate them like there was no tomorrow..

We also tried Muffaletta at Frank's where they have both traditional cold and new-fangled hot muffaletta - both were delish.



To take a break from all the heavy Southern/Cajun/Creole cuisine, we ate one night at Angeli on Decatur. It was delicious lighter Mediterranean/Italian fare.



And of course, we had beignets and chicory coffee at Cafe du Monde-it lived up to the hype!




To cap off an amazing food weekend we ate at Commander's Palace. Jared and I agreed it was probably the nicest place we have been together, with the best service I've ever had. I have to give you a break down of what we ordered because it was amazing (and I forgot my camera to take pictures). I had crawfish bread, the veal chop and their pecan pie and Jared had the trio of soups (gumbo, turtle soup, crawfish bisque) and the Pecan-crusted fish. Every dish was more amazing than the next. Definitely one of the more decadent meals I've eaten!


Drink
Abita Amber is such a great beer for hot weather, and we drank that almost the entire time. I also tried a Hurricane which is like a ridiculously sweet daquiri.

So, we obviously strolled down Bourbon Street, but wasn't really my thing. (Lots of sketchy people, super touristy, avoiding stepping in vomit...) Instead we went out on Frenchmen Street, which I think is the place to go. It's a few blocks long, and you can just bar hop and hear awesome jazz for little or no cover. My favorite placed was the Spotted Cat.



Another cool bar we went to was Jean Lafitte's on Bourbon. It's really old (read has no electricity, just candle lighting), so it was a very cool old New Orleans atmosphere.

Do
New Orleans is a great walking city. We walked all over the French Quarter, strolled the River Walk and did a self-guided walking tour of the Garden District.

In the French Quarter

Jackson Square

Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District

One of many beautiful old mansions in the Garden District

In Jackson Square, we happened upon the Easter Parade where there were lots of horse and buggies parading around women in some of the most ridiculous hats you've ever seen...quite the Southern scene.

Sleep
We stayed at the Quality Inn which was located about 2 blocks from the French Quarter. It was a great price on priceline, good location and had a huge free breakfast buffet, so it was perfect for our needs.

Nashville

This February I had the pleasure of traveling to Nashville, TN for a competition with school. Just like my trip to Chicago, I didn't have a ton of time for site-seeing because of the competition, but I did love the parts of the city I did get to see!

We stayed at the Embassy Suites near Vanderbilt because of the competition, and it was great - awesome complimentary breakfast and a two-hour free happy hour.

Eat
I feel like I gained 10 pounds over this weekend because of all the heavy southern food and bbq, but it was definitely worth it.

Monell's- Paula Deen would be proud. A ton of Southern food served family style- delish!


City House- Located in the Germantown neighborhood, this restaurant was great and served southern-inspired fare. It kind of reminded me of my favorite places in Brooklyn relocated to Nashville.

Taco Mamacita- This was a nice Mexican joint and a nice break from all the southern fare.


Drink
Obviously this section excludes the drinking that took place at the two-hour free happy hour at the hotel ;)

Patterson House- Yet another place in Nashville that reminded me of Brooklyn...although at home, I do avoid paying over $10 for a drink. Definitely pricey, but this speakeasy had a very cool atmosphere and my drink (el diablo) was awesome.

Tootsie's- Tootsie's is a honky-tonk favorite and it was a blast. The live music was great and don't forget your cowboy hat!


The Stage- Another famous Nashville venue with great live music and quite a bit larger than Tootsie's.


We also really wanted to go line dancing at the Wildhorse Saloon, but alas, it was closed for a Lady Antebellum concert.

Do
Shooting range- Yup, 6 city-slickers went to a shooting range. It was an experience for sure. I can now say I've shot a gun, even though I didn't hit the target once!


Next time in Nashville, I'll make sure to get to Ryman auditorium and Grand Ole Opry, but I did get my fill of country just bar-hopping downtown and listening to the live music at all of the venues.

Caribbean Cruise- December 2010

Normally my family tries to get together for a week at the beach to reconnect and spend quality time together. Unfortunately, Jared and I ruined that this year with our Costa Rica trip- oops! So instead, we went on a cruise. Win-win-win.

We took a Royal Caribbean cruise on the Navigator of the Seas and it was great! I think a cruise is a pretty ideal group vacation when you have a group that spans generations. My grandmother enjoyed herself just as much I did, and if my toddler nephew's favorite word wasn't 'no,' I think he'd say the same. We went to Grand Cayman and Cozumel, which were both beautiful. I had previously been to Grand Cayman and experienced Sting Ray City (where you wade around with sting rays) and since I kind of freaked out, I figured I could skip that. Then in Cozumel, I offered to babysit my nephew while the others went snorkeling. (Best aunt ever?) So, I didn't really take full advantage of all the destinations had to offer, but that was fine with me. My primary goal of the trip was rest and relaxation.



The ship was huge and really nice and new. Food was great, spa and gym were amazing and the entertainment was hit-or-miss. Some shows were just geared towards a younger audience and others were just pretty kitschy. The ballroom dancing show was amazing though!

Here are some of the activity highlights:

Krystle singing karaoke

Bobby doing the belly-flop contest

This guy doing the belly flop contest

Buela listening to Christmas Carols

Gail and Elijah playing in the sand in Cozumel

Midnight buffets and dance parties

Rock-climbing 14 stories above the ocean- awesome


Family dinners :)

And here are just some nice pictures from the trip

Double rainbow from the ship

Me in Grand Cayman- gorgeous water!

Jet-skier in Cozumel- also gorgeous waters

The beach we went to in Cozumel- pretty much an inflatable playground. The ten year old in me was dying climb the floaty iceberg.

Chicago- November 2010

This Fall I had an awesome opportunity to travel to Chicago for a competition with school. I also got a great end of the deal because I was just part of the competition team, and not a competitor, so the trip was pretty stress-free. But that's all just background information and also an excuse for not being able to experience that much of the city. Overall, I liked the city a lot and am looking forward to going back! (Maybe warm weather next time?...)

We stayed at the Hotel Allegro which is part of the Kimpton chain, and I highly recommend the hotel! The rooms were gorgeous, good location and they had free coffee and wine. I also got a great tip from my mom that if you sign up for Kimpton rewards you get free internet and $10 towards the mini-bar....nice.


For dinners we ate at Kinzie Chop House, which was awesome! Before you order your steak they walk around with a tray of the raw meats and you pick your cut. Below is the prime rib I ordered, which was quickly devoured.

We also ate at Le Colonial. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because the decor of Le Colonial was gorgeous. Food was also good too :)

And fear not, I also tried Chicago deep dish pizza at Giordano's. After eating 1.5 slices and a short cab ride, I was feeling a bit queasy. I'm glad I tried it, but give me New York thin crust any day!

Since we were busy at the competition most of the time, we didn't get to see much of the city although we did walk down the Magnificent Mile and check out Millenium Park. I dig the bean!

Chile- October 2010

This October, my mom and I ventured to Chile for a long weekend for our dear friend Pachy's wedding. Since we were there with a purpose and for a short time, we didn't travel around the country, but we did get to experience the lovely Valle Colchagua. Pachy's town and site of the fesitivities, Lolol, is in the Valle Colchagua which is located a few hours south of Santiago. Her town was very close to the recent earthquake's epicenter, so unfortunately there was still a fair amount of destruction.

The region is absolutely beautiful though- a valley of rolling hills at the base of the Andes. At one point we actually were looking at both the Pacific Ocean and the Andes. Also, if you're a wino, you've probably had some Chilean wine from the Colchagua region- it's great!

We stayed in Santa Cruz, which is the 'big city' near Lolol. We stayed at a very cute B&B, Hostal Colchagua, that seemed to host mainly Chileans but we also saw some Europeans apparently trekking off the beaten path.


Breakfast was great, but my one complaint is that they only had instant coffee! Although apparently this is a Chilean phenomenon, so the hostal can't be blamed.

Every morning the owners would make breakfast in this antique stove and oven, which we thought was very cool.

We also went to a great restaurant in Santa Cruz, Alma Campesina, although to tell the truth, we didn't eat a bad thing in Chile. You can't go wrong with fresh local beef and red wine.


Ceviche- one of my favorites.


But, back to the reason for the trip: Pachy and Maxi's wedding! What a beautiful couple.


While we were there, we also got to tour one of Pachy's family member's farms and witness charcoal making and sheep-shearing. I think I've had my fill of sheep-shearing.

Charcoal-making, Chilean style

Sheep-shearing

You also cannot exaggerate Chilean hospitality- Here are some pictures of the day after the wedding feast held by Pachy's aunt, whose house, of course, had a vineyard attached.

And to cap off a great trip, here's that gorgeous Chilean scenery..can't beat the Andes and the Pacific!



Also Maxi bought us salt at some salt-flats