All posts filed under: Travel

Old Town through new eyes

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Five days away with the kids. Someone fetch me a gold medal because I honestly feel like I earned it.  :) Jay and I took the kiddos to one of our favorite haunts, Old Town Alexandria in Virginia. It seemed like ages ago when I worked in a small office on King Street, pre-kiddos and pre-husband, so it felt like a reunion of sorts introducing our kids to this familiar-to-me town. We enjoyed slipping into the city lifestyle for the short time we were there, soaking in the sights and sounds (thank you, blaring fire truck during that one nap time…). Here are a handful of my favorite snaps from our trip – enjoy!

Chi-town!

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After years of Chicago staring at us from our bucket list, we finally get to check it off. But not without thanks to our dear friends, Paul and Melina, who decided to have their wedding close by and to our amazing family who watched Quentin for us while we spent the weekend away. Thank you! Here was our weekend in a couple of snapshots… A drive-by shot of Wrigley Field. Where can you park around there?!The John Hancock Center  was surrounded in clouds when we arrived, so no observatory for us. Womp womp.  We left for the D.C. airport at 4:30 a.m., so when we finally made it into the city, we were understandably pretty hangry. Uno Pizzeria & Grill to the rescue…  Pizzas apparently take 35-45 minutes to make, so you can order up front while you wait for a table to open. I’m usually a thin-slice pizza kind of gal, but I must admit this deep dish won me over.   I don’t even want to tell you how much we paid to park in this garage for …

Coastal Maine

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“‘Someday’ happened.” — A sign above the garage of a home overlooking the Atlantic coast in York Harbor, Maine. Have you been to coastal Maine before? It’s a beauty. Last fall, my husband planned and booked a trip there for the two of us to celebrate our five-year anniversary. I’m not one to brag, but I have to say he scored prett-ay high in the husband and father categories last year. I’m a lucky lady. We stayed in York Harbor, but by the end of our trip, had added 715 miles to our rental car’s odometer. Here is what we did… The Stage Neck Inn bed and breakfast became our home base, and it sat right at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Hard not to ponder life’s biggest questions when this expansive view is in front of you. Maine and lighthouses go hand in hand, so we set out to find one. Erected in 1879, the “Nubble Light House” at Cape Neddick Light Station was no disappointment. An hour north, we got out of the car and …

Exploring wine country

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After our brief stint in San Francisco, our party of four (including two pregnant women) escaped to wine country for a couple days of relaxation, drinking (for the boys) and eating (for the girls). It was baby moon bliss! In a couple of photos… Our first victim:  Morimoto in downtown Napa. Who needs wine when you have amazing sushi? Can you guess how many wineries we visited in two full days? Find out at the end… Our first two stops included Goosecross Cellars and the Baldacci Family Vineyards. The Baldacci wine caves. Mmm, look at all of those tasty cedar barrels. Confession:  Jay and I watched “Bottle Shock” the night before we visited Chateau Montalena Winery. We were star-struck for sure, but how you can not be? This place was beautiful. We stopped at Auberge du Soleil to enjoy some drinks on their terrace. Check out the view! Acacia’s olive trees were speaking to me.  Artesa’s panoramic views were hard to beat. The Cline Cellars‘ tasting room is held in an 1850s farmhouse. Swirling my San Pelligrino water at Round Pound Estate. No …

Hi, San Fran!

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I met San Fran for the first time on a beautiful sunny October afternoon. She hosted us for several days in which we walked, bused and cable-car’d ourselves silly. We ate ourselves even sillier. I should mention that I was seven months pregnant at the time, and we traveled with another pregnant couple, which meant double the hunger hormones. This, of course, isn’t a bad thing when you’re in San Francisco. :) Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip… Tourist trap:  the Painted Ladies. Cue the “Full House” theme song!A view from the Golden Gate Promenade. Aquatic Park My husband was not going to leave the city until he rode in a cable car. I have to admit that I’m so glad we did! Vibrant Chinatown. I could’ve spent a week here alone – so much to see and eat. On our first full day in the city, we were honored to attend our friends’ wedding at the Trocadero Clubhouse in Sigmund Stern Grove. It was absolutely charming. These doughnuts = happy …