in San Fran

November 2010- Sunny, Clam Chowder, Walkable, Close.

In an effort to fit in an many "mini-moons" as I could before baby G. arrived I crashed one of Brad's guys trips to our Northern neighbor San Fransisco. I've actually been a few times now & EVERY time I go, the weather is PERFECT. It's only ironic because I often hear from others how foggy & rainy it can be, so we keep lucking out!

This is me, saying 5 months preggers :)

On this particular trip we did some sight seeing & first drove to Stinson beach which is a beautiful beach not too far out from the city. There's a quaint little town nestled in the mountains by the beach & while I couldn't live there now, I could see retiring to a similar place one day. Plus, they had a yummy little shop for ice cream :)

Also, on this trip we went to Muir Woods, which was quite the experience. I've never seen trees so tall in my life, I can't wait to take baby G. here one day, he's gonna love it.

One of our last pit stops out of the city we stopped at Tonys Coal Fired Pizza on Stockton & I gotta say it was DELIC, so if you're in town, try it!

And finally the REAL reason we went, an Eagles game (baby G's first!) They WON.

in Ohio

October 2010- Chagrin Falls = cute & quaint, downtown Cleveland = deserted. 

It's not often people vacation in Ohio, let alone take a "mini-moon" trip there, but when one of your best friends gets married there, you're on the first plane. One of Brad's best friends from childhood Pat Chapman married his beautiful fiance Meg in Chagrin which is an area near where she grew up. When we first landed in Cleveland we felt like we were in a ghost town, especially when we couldn't find a single restaurant open downtown on a Friday afternoon. However, once we got outta the city & enterted the cute town of Chagrin we knew why Meg & Pat chose it. The town super quaint & very Americana, classic & authentic feeling. Plus, there are falls right thru town. 

This is me saying I'm 4 months preggo!

 Here's the estate where the beautiful bride & handsome groom said "i do."

And because we're suckers for tourist attractions we were very excited to find out the house where they filmed "A Christmas Story" wasn't far away, so OBVI we had to go! We got a private tour all by an older gentleman who was an extra in the film he got to roll the in "frag-ee-lay" crate, he was very excited to tell us all about the "movie making experience." We didn't have the heart to tell him we lived in Hollywood!

 

  

in Newport

August 2010- easy, close, staycation.  

Only 10 weeks into my pregnancy we decided to embark on a "mini-moon" staycation, why not?! Off we went to Newport Beach, the weather was gorgeous & we just RELAXED. Plus, I was nearing the end of all my glorious (I kid...) pregnancy symptoms, which was even more reason to celebrate! Yeah, I know I don't really look pregnant, but I DEFINITELY felt it :)

Yes, that's us showing "10 weeks" aren't we clever? It didn't occur to us that we were going to run out of fingers for the other weeks & should have been doing "months" instead, haha.

After a great beach day we went to an awesome dinner at Javier's Crystal Cove, it's right on the PCH & you literally feel like you're in Mexico. The atmosphere is straight out of Cabo, white walls, candles, loud music = LOVE. But fair warning it's packed so wait until you're starving to go because you will have a WAIT, but they do have yummy chips & salsa to munch on & for those of you who aren't pregnant delicious (according to Brad) margaritas!

in Oahu

May 2010- Surf, Sun, Sand & Sea Turtles

For Memorial Day weekend (& a belated 1 yr. wedding anniversary celebration) Brad & I thought it would be fun to Get Lost in Hawai'i. Actually it was really MY idea, but after a few cocktails, I was able to convince Brad it was HIS idea. Once he was feeling "relaxed," all I had to do was casually put the credit card within reach & BAM, he didn't know what hit him...actually I didn't either, because we both passed out, only to wake up & not remember having bought the plane tickets in the first place, oops! But the damage was done & off we went... (in our cheesy, yes we're tourists in Hawai'i, convertible!)


If you want to follow in our footsteps & experience the truest essense of Getting Lost you must surrender your will & not plan your trip (which if you know ME, is a huge challenge). Nevertheless, we left for Hawai'i without hotel reservations or itinerary, our "plan" was just to figure it out when we landed. Here are some of our highlights...


Snorkeling, Surfing, Seafood & No Salads?
If you want to snorkel Hanauma Bay is the spot. Truly breathtaking, plus its the perfect place to get up close & personal with the endangered species like the gigantic sea turtles that scared the bajesus out of me! It's a preserved park, so there's an entry fee of I think $7, & you are forced to watch an annoying video about wildlife protection, but it's totally worth it, trust me please. Speaking of fish, not only are they beautiful to watch, but they are DELICIOUS to eat! I honestly had fish for every meal , soups, sandwiches, salad, tacos, you can get it in everything & I did!


My hubby Brad is the surfer & I am the reading-on-the-beach-lying-out type of wife...& I think that's how he wants to keep it. But, how could I go to Hawai'i & not try it? When in Rome right?
On the beaufiful (always sunny) beaches of Waikiki, our good friend & surf instructor Mike Burns from Ty Gurney Surf School taught me how to surf. It was amazing, exhausting, slightly painful, but amazing! I've never given Brad enough credit for the insane amount of power & energy one needs to paddle out in the ocean, ride a 2 second wave & do it all over again. It kinda reminded me of skiing without the luxury of the ski lift, can you imagine? The next day I literally had bruises on my rib cage & hip bones, which quickly told to me & my nervous hubby that I would be returning to my reading-on-the-beach-lying-out ways. And yes, I do think I heard a HUGE sigh of relief in the distance...(brad.)

One thing I can say is that Hawaiians aren't exactly healthy eaters, one place we went to did not have a single salad on their menu, you know who you are Boots & Kimo's! One thing they did have was their infamous Mac Nut Pancakes, everyone says it's the best breakfast joint on the island, but Brad & I were not impressed. Yes the pancakes were fluffy, but the blob of macadamia nut marshmellowness on top was too sweet, almost like cotton-candy, no thank you.

Another overrated bfast joint, Eggs n' Things was also subpar, people raved about omelets, blah, the pancakes were good, but in our opinion this place was not worth the wait.


Yes, that's me (in the black hat) waiting...


One thing that is worth the wait, or at least the drive is Pearl Harbor. Brad & I didn't really have any "plans" to go, but on a cloudy morning decided, why not. We did a self-guided, only look at what we wanted to look at tour & it was perfect. Um, what guy doesn't think huge battle ships & missles are cool?


Don't mess with me...
No trip to Oahu is complete with a drive to the North Shore. Yes, this is the Hawai'i we all imagine in our dreams, the uninhabited land, untouched waters & local angry surfers. If you go to Oahu you MUST eat at a shrimp truck. There are many to choose from, but our recommendation is certainly, Giovanni's, it's $11 for a dish (we did 1/2 spicy, 1/2 garlic) & it's soooooooo good!




To round out a nearly perfect trip (of eating & drinking), we decided to hit up the Orginal Roy's in Hawai'i Kai. I've seen Roy on the food network's Top Chef & I've always wanted to try his food, so what better than to visit the orginal. Not only was the food fresh & delectible, but the service was outstanding. They had complimentary champagne waiting for us, streamers with a card, a gift certificate to return again & a romantic & tasty dessert to celebrate.




Other great food joints we enjoyed include The Shack (it's where all the lowkey "locals" hang), Doraku Sushi in downtown Waikiki, we had no clue its rated the best/afforable sushi joint on the island, don't you love it when that happens? And last but not least, Dukes, where they serve Brad's ALL-TIME FAVORITE DRINK....the Lava Flow, it's super girlie & comes with an umbrella, but when you're in paradise, it's hard to care or at least that's what I'm guessing goes though Brad's mind, hehe!



We LOVED Hawai'i & can't wait to go back, maybe next time, Maui?

in Vancouver

February 2010- Crisp Air. Fresh Seafood. Snow-Capped Mountains. Foggy Mornings. And the Olympics.

Vancouver was a truly breathtaking city with so much to offer. It's small, but not too small, walkable & easy to find your way around. Good food, friendly locals, the word delightful comes to mind. We recently had the pleasure of visiting during the 2010 Winter Olympics with our great friend Ed.

The Olympics were MAGICAL, hundreds of thousands of people donned their country's colors & got crazy! Everyone we met was friendly, jovial & well to be honest, drunk. Cow bells rang, people chanted, danced in the street, think Mardi Grad (minus the smell of vomit & urine).

As you know Brad & I LOVE to eat, especially in new cities and lucky for us, Vancouver has some amazing places to grub, these are some of our FAVS...
Go Fish
If you're craving, "straight-off-the-boat seafood," this is your spot. A cute and quaint shack on the water's edges just east of the Granville Island entrance you will find Go Fish. I read about it & once we arrived, we had weary and protective locals asking "how did you know to come here or who told you about this place?" Of course, once the questions started we knew we had found a hidden gem. If your navigation skills prove worthy & you find it, definitely go for the FISH & CHIPS, the fish is super crunchy (breaded in panko), first dip it in the tartar sauce then add a little sirachi & it'll knock your socks off. We happened to go on a cold overcast day in which there was no line, but beware because when the sun is out, we heard the line for Go Fish, goes on & on & on...

The Seafood Shack

Lee's Donuts
Brad & I RARELY if ever eat donuts, and yet as soon as the cab driver told us to go, it's all we could think about... and so began our donut mission. Hidden (ok not really hidden, we just kept passing it without realizing) in the Public Market on Granville Island you will find the original Lee's Donut counter. Just follow your nose to the sweet smell of sugary dough & delight. They're truly light, fluffy, melt in your mouth delicious! We recommend the original glazed flavor (sigh) what I would do for one warm tasty donut right now...

Donuts with a smile
Tojo'sHave you ever wondered who invented the California Roll or the BC roll? Well I haven't, but that's neither here or there, because there's no need to wonder anymore, it's Chef Hidekazu Tojo. He's basically the Mr. Miagi of sushi & not only did we have the pleasure of eating his unbelievable sushi creations, but we also got to meet him and watch his crazy fun loving antics around the restaurant. While our eyes ended up being bigger than our tummys, we highly recommend starting with the Tuna Tataki, followed by the specialty salmon roll (by far the best I've ever had). A classic, but also a favorite was the spicy tuna roll, which had the perfect balance of spicyness & fish, you could actually taste the tuna for once! Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth every penny? Yes.


Isn't he just how you imagined?
Jap-a-dogA trip to Vancouver isn't complete without a jap-a-dog. After many weeks of seeing it featured on the TODAY show, Anthony Bourdain, and Samantha Brown (she still has my dream job), we knew we had to track the Jap-a-dog cart down. After getting an insider tip, we located the cart on Burrard & Smithe & waited (impatiently) in line. We each tried a beginner dog; "the Terimayo" which has teriaki sauce, Japanese mayo, and seaweed, plus I added some sweet chili sauce for fun. It was ummm great... well truth be told I can't say it was amazing because I think the seaweed had an aroma that threw us all off a bit, but it was a definitely an experience! Plus, who wouldn't want to try a Japanese hot dog from the same cart the artist Ice-T has a picture on?
p.s. rumor is they're opening an official shop on 530 Robson St.

NubaAnother yummy spot for food in Gas Town. Serving authentic Lebanese cuisine we dined on hummus, tabboleh, olives, meat kabobs, fresh pita & more. Really tasty, cool ambiance (down in a basement), crowded, fun & easy on the wallet.

Chill Winstons
Once you're in Gas Town, be sure to pop over for an after-dinner drink. This bar lives up to its name in that it's a chill...cool bar, nice people, great decor....however beware, bars are really strict about filling up to capacity & if you peek in a place & see spots open at the bar, but all the stools are taken, chances are, you're not getting in & they'll be "at capacity." Weird!

Of course, you can never go wrong at the Four Seasons & the restaurant bar Yew, serves great grub & drinks, we found ourselves there for happy hour each night before we went out, plus the bartenders are really cool & give great suggestions. Other places we heard about but didn't make, Pour House, Irish Heathers, Lift, and Goldfish Pacific Kitchen. Just too much to do, too little time!

A few more pictures to share for fun!

Me trying to wave to everyone on the TODAY show (top right!)Brad making us laugh...can you read the word written to the left?
GO TEAM USA! Team Pursuits Speed Skating

Brad getting crazy with the locals...
What's the Olympics without a medal? Bronze Medalist Jordan Malone
Anyone up for London 2012?

in Big Bear

Jan. 2010- Freezing Cold. Icy. Snowy. Dangerous.

I'd like to blog about all the fun we had at Big Bear Mountain this past winter, but I can't because we didn't get to really go to Big Bear. I mean if you want to get technical, yes we did make it up the mountain (after 7 hours!), but were we able to get into the house we rented? Nope. Were we able to find a hotel room at 1am? Nope. Were we able to go skiing or snowboarding? Nope. Were we forced to sleep in our car in a parking lot? Yep. One set of snow tires, a cooler full of food, 4 adults sleeping (sitting up) in a Ford Explorer, & a few pictures in the snow trying to look like we're having fun.
What we imagine our rental house would have looked like...


Me & our fearless driver!


No gas for us...or anyone else for that matter!


There's really not much else to say.

in Joshua Tree

October 2009- Hot. Desert. Cactus. Dry.

Somewhere in our marriage Brad has managed to turn me into a bit of a hippie. I never thought the day would come, that I'd actually WANT to go CAMPING, but low & behold it's happened. Even better, my mother got wind of our new found hobby & for Christmas this year "Santa" surprised us with a new camping equipment.


Besides being one of the greatest albums in history, Joshua Tree is also a great camping spot. And if you're wondering, yes, we did listen to the album as we drove "In Gods Country." (we couldn't resist)!


Exhibit A: A Joshua Tree




Eat/Stay
We don't have any food recommendations to make since we cooked our food over an open fire (hot dogs & red wine if you're interested), but if you want to throw caution to the wind & try this new "camping thing" out, we recommend Black Rock Campground, it's one of the few sites you can actually make reservations, plus it's not far from the main park entrance and they have BATHROOMS, nice ones that look & smell CLEAN!

Hiking
If you like to hike (or pretend to like it) try the Ryan Mountain Trail. It's the perfect length (about 3 miles) & only takes about 2-3 hours round trip. It's a great climb & has a safe trail (little kids were doing it), plus when you get to the top of the Mountain you feel really accomplished all of the sudden & can see for miles.

Brad & I will hit up Joshua Tree again sometime, "With or Without You..."