Last weekend, the husband and I spent three nights in Vegas. It was my fourth time in the city, and each experience has been completely different. Our most recent trip was with a group of couples for a friend’s 30th birthday. We went to shows, ate out and of course, had a few beverages. I had planned on doing a post about this specific trip, but thought it might be more helpful to give tips from each of my trips instead. Continue reading
Venice
On our last day in Venice, we got up earlier than usual to catch the water bus to the airport, and the city was bathed in a rose-colored light. Mostly empty, it’s easy to see why so many people have fallen in love with Venice. With narrow, winding streets leading to quaint squares, it’s easy to get lost here. And, we did, pretty regularly.
While I’m glad I saw Venice, I wish we would have missed the busy season. Cruise ships drop hundreds of passengers into the city each day, making the area we stayed in very congested. That being said, you should still plan to see it, just don’t stay so close to St. Mark’s Square. Continue reading
Florence
A skyline dotted with terracotta colored roofs and highlighted by the Duomo, Florence is breathtakingly beautiful. There are few major sights to see here, like the David, the Duomo and the Uffizi. But, the main attraction, in my opinion, is the food. Every meal was wonderful, which was a welcome change from the cuisine in Rome.*
When we started planning our trip, I had every intention of spending the most time in Rome. That is until I talked to Megan, who raved about Florence. Thankfully, we listened to her and reorganized our trip, so that we spent the majority of our time there.
Rome
I haven’t mentioned it here yet, but the husband and I spent 10, really wonderful days in Italy a few weeks ago. Our trip went pretty smoothly, which was due in large part to suggestions from friends. E-mails and conversations about their favorite experiences, all told with dreamy looks, guided us from city to city.
In the spirit of fair play, I’d like to share some of my favorite tips for each of the three cities we visited. You can use these, or just consult the cast of the Jersey Shore. I suppose it all depends on the kind of trip you’d like to have. Continue reading
Summer Wishlist
Summer officially starts this week, and I can’t wait for long days, flip flops and time outside with friends. Here’s my new wishlist, but with a summer spin.
- Try my hand at canning. I’ve picked up a few books on this, Tart & Sweet and Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects, but have been too nervous to try it so far.
- Make a batch of popsicles, using these.
- Eat lots of plums, peaches and nectarines.
- Dine on egg sandwiches with fresh tomatoes and this basil mayo.
- Harvest vegetables from my garden.
- Decorate my toes with shockingly bright polish.
- Treat myself to a summer blockbuster on a weekday afternoon.
- Work on my tan. (I could pass for Edward Cullen’s sister right now.)
- Try to bring back the spritzer.
- Find some new jewels to perk up my summer basics and a cute hat that fits my big head. (I’m not fishing for compliments. My head is very round, which makes it hard to find hats that fit.)
- Take a trip or two.
- Perfect my BBQ skills.
- Go to a few concerts.
- Read.
- Declutter my closet and our storage room.
Places: Chicago
Chicago is one of my favorite places. I interned there in college and quickly fell in love with the city. Since my internship, I’ve returned twice, once as a newly engaged couple and most recently with my husband this fall. Although I’d lived there before, I spent a lot of time researching where we should eat and what we should see before our trip. Below is a map of the places we visited this time around.
View Misc – Chicago in a larger map. Continue reading
