B and I recently were able to take some time off – a week! – and decided to go on a roadtrip to some eastern states in what we were dubbing our “fall foliage tour.” Yes, that’s how I know I’m getting older – we are planning fall foliage tours. What am I, almost 30? (rhetorical question – don’t answer that)
It was a great way to spend a week off- it was relaxing (even though we were active), we got a chance to do some of my favorite fall activities (hiking and apple picking) and even got to spend a day seeing my parents and a day seeing a friend from college. Just what I needed in some time off! Some highlights from the trip:
We started with a quick stop to see my parents and go apple picking (full blog post here).
Then headed to the town of Schroon, New York to see our friend Mitch and run the beautiful, hilly Adirondack Half Marathon along Schroon Lake (full blog post here).
After the race
On our way to our next stop, we hit up Ticonderoga, New York. We visited the small downtown area and then visited Fort Ticonderoga.
B and some old cannons
Great views from Fort Ticonderoga!
Then we headed to the beautiful state of Vermont! It was B’s first time there and we spent a few days in Northern Vermont, staying in Burlington, checking out their pretty waterfront, trying the local food, walking around their fun downtown area, taking quick trips to neighboring small towns and touring Ben & Jerry’s!
Hello from the town of Stowe, Vermont!
Being goofy at Ben & Jerry’s
The flavor graveyard. RIP cookie dough frozen yogurt 😦
sunset along the waterfront in Burlington
On our way to our next state, we made a pit stop in New Hampshire for a hike through the White Mountains. We spent a few hours hiking around Mt. Eisenhower. Unfortunately the weather was drizzly and foggy that day so we didn’t get in any amazing views that we’d heard about. But we did get in some activity – something I’d been craving, since it had been a few days since our half marathon.
pre-hike
Then we headed to Portland, Maine. Full blog post coming about this trip, but we had a great time walking everywhere, trying the local food and craft beer (Shipyard Pumpkin FTW!) and I even got in a few runs while I was there.
Our last quick stop was Boston. We walked around our alma mater, Boston College, stopped by the place we got engaged, and hit up the North End for dinner. A perfect end to a great vacation!
Back at BC!
Some questions for you:
Are the fall colors changing where you are? What’s your favorite way to see fall foliage? On a run? A hike through the mountains? A Sunday drive? Apple picking? Other?
Do you like pumpkin beer? What’s your favorite? I’ve heard of some beer snobs who can’t stand it! I liked trying the Shipyard, but Pumking may still be my favorite.
What’s your favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor? I loved Vanilla Heath Bar fudge (they don’t make it anymore now that they’re GMO free … RIP Heath bars!) but also love their new core flavors (any with vanilla as a base) and love anything with Caramel. Oh, and Cherry Garcia. Do I have to choose just one?
As you probably know by now, B and I love to travel. We’ve gone to some great places – international and in the U.S. – together and had a great time trying out new meals, meeting new people and getting in as much of the local scene as we can.
We have two more trips planned this year – what we’re calling an “East Coast Foliage Tour” (which will include stops in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Boston and New York) and a trip to Asia (Hong Kong and Vietnam for now). So as I started to get excited about what’s to come, I began to also think about all the great trips we’ve had over the past few years. Here are some old photos from past trips, 2010 through last year:
2010 – New York City to see my brother play at Carnegie Hall
2010 – Road trip to Pittsburgh – checking out the city for the first time and of course their Hofbrauhaus
Not sure if this counts as travel … but we go to upstate New York quite often to see my parents. These pictures are from our engagement shots in 2010 🙂 (thus the cheesiness)
2011 – trip to Chicago! We tasted our way through local beers and deep dish pizza, and did a walking tour, tried the architectural boat tour and got in great views.
2012 Cape Cod – we ate lobster, went whale watching, tried tandem biking and even walked on the beach (even with my boot :()
Also in 2012 we went to Ireland and England! More hiking, local food and drinks, and siteseeing.
And we ended the year in Montreal and Toronto. In a snowy winter wonderland! We still managed to walk around, check out some amazing food (crepes, poutine, Chinatown) and had a great time.
2013 started with a winter surprise vacation in Miami – which meant sunshine, running along the beach, fresh seafood and fruity drinks!
Also, that year we spent a week checking out another midwestern city – Milwaukee!
Sunday was my mom’s birthday! She’d kill me if I told you how old she is, but since it was a somewhat milestone celebration, my dad, brother and I wanted to do something special. She is definitely not a surprise-party person (she’d probably also have killed me if I had planned one of those) but she does enjoy the occasional surprise. So, between my dad, brother and I myself we managed to surprise her with a weekend getaway to Vermont.
Being from NY, Vermont is only a short drive away (hour or so) and growing up we often spent long weekends at the various inns, B&Bs, and so on in the beautiful state. Unfortunately, the inn that we so often stayed at was booked with a wedding for her birthday weekend, but we managed to find another great Inn (the Inn at Ormsby Hill) not too far away in Manchester. So we booked the Inn, made Saturday night dinner reservations, and waited hoping that she wouldn’t find out. She knew I was coming home for the weekend and spending three days home (Sat-Mon) but that was it.
I got in from Cleveland around 11 pm Friday night and just relaxed with my family before heading to bed somewhat early. Saturday morning I got in a quick run, and then it was time for the surprise. During breakfast, we handed my mom a birthday card. Inside the card was a picture of the Inn. She was confused, obviously. She didn’t know why the photo was there or what the picture was of. After we explained everything to her, she was pretty much in shock. She had no idea that we had planned her weekend away and even had planned a quick meeting in her office Monday morning (that she was able to postpone).
Me and the birthday girl!
What a great weekend in Vermont! Not only was she surprised but we had a wonderful time relaxing, reading, drinking wine, trying Vermont cheese, sight-seeing and eating. My flight back to Cleveland got delayed a day – and while somewhat an inconvenience, it meant spending an extra day with my family and celebrating my mom.
Breakfast at the Inn. This was a polenta egg bake and it was amazing.
Another Inn breakfast. We all had our own mini omelets!
So easy to relax with chairs like this.
We drove to the top of the Equinox.
Great view from the top!
Beautiful parents before dinner
Dressed up for dinner in downtown Manchester
We also drove to a museum (the Shelburne) that ended up having a bunch of land and tons of crazy buildings (including a boat!) on site.
The Shelburne also had a merry-go-round
Enjoying some local Vermont cheese.
Thai for dinner one night
Surprise! Birthday candle @ the Thai restaurant
Happy Birthday to the most wonderful woman I know … my mom!
Some questions for you:
Any July birthdays? I feel like everyone I know is born this month! Okay maybe not everyone. But quite a few people!
Have you ever been to Vermont? What’s your favorite place to visit in the state?
Have you ever had a birthday surprise? Or surprised someone for his/her birthday? How did it go?
OK, this was a really hard post to write. Why? Because I’ve only been to Costa Rica twice, and when I was there I was only able to visit a few cities. So I’m by NO MEANS an expert. AND because there are so many things to do while you’re in Costa Rica that choosing five is nearly impossible! So I apologize in advance if I missed something terribly important … but just let me know in the comments!
In no order … if you are visiting Costa Rica, here’s what I recommend you do:
Try out ziplining in Monteverde.
I had been ziplining once before – also in Monteverde when in high school – so I knew what to expect. And I really enjoyed it again. B, who has a somewhat fear of heights, also enjoyed the zipline – and at the place where we went, Selvatura, the last zipline included a “couple’s zipline” – meaning we zipped holding onto one another for 1,000 m. For those of you Americans, that’s a little more than 2/3 of a mile long. It was so long that we couldn’t see the end of the line but still amazing. And we enjoyed some breathtaking views.
I know other areas have ziplining (including Arenal) but our experience was awesome. And 1,000 m is far longer than the longest Arenal zipline from what I have seen. I did see signs in Monteverde for the “longest zipline in Costa Rica” that was 1,600 meters (aka 1 mile) so there’s always that option as well if 1,000 m is 600 meters too short for you!
ready to zipline!
Rappel and try out other canyoneering activities (cliff jumping into jungle rivers, rope/vine swinging)
Let me start by saying I’m NOT an adventurous person. I don’t like to be scared. I have never skydived and have no idea how to waterski (I guess that’s not adventurous but I just wanted to show you how lame I actually am). Using the high-dive at the public pool during summer camp is probably the bravest I have ever been. But when in Rome … (or Costa Rica)? B had booked us for a half-day canyoneering trip and I was scared. On the bus ride to the canyon, the guide was explaining the trip. “First we do a rappel down next to a big rock. You must stop halfway down on the rope, see the rock, and then continue down into the raging river of the canyon. Then we do a tarzan swing on a rope into the river, but be careful because it’s not that deep. Then a longer rappel but you have to be careful on this one because the cave wall is narrow and you can’t swing out or you’ll cut yourself on the rock. Then a zipline. Then a rappel down a waterfall and you’re not allowed to use your hands…” You get the idea. Let’s just say I was not looking forward to it and nearly had a nervous breakdown on the van ride over.
Yup, scared.
B and me mid-canyoneering trip…you can sorta see our matching shoes!
jumping into the water after a rappel. yes, we got wet.
BUT somehow I REALLY liked it. Was I an expert rappeller? No. But did I have to be? No that’s what our guides were for. The first one made me nervous. But after that? And a few dunks into the water?? I was good as new.
Enjoy the local cuisine and drinks
I am such a fan of the food in Latin America. I know you won’t all agree with me, but my love for spicy food, fresh seafood, amazingly fresh fruit, along with living in Ecuador probably helps my tastebuds. Anyway, here are a few things to try while you’re here:
Casados: Literally it means married (i think?). It’s great. It’s a protein (fish, chicken, pork, etc.) with rice and beans, sometimes plantains, a salad and cheese. I can’t get enough of their queso fresco – my favorite cheese. You won’t leave hungry.
one of the many fish casados i enjoyed. this was at tico y rico in monteverde.
Sopa: I LOVED the black bean and egg soup. I love black bean soup ordinarily, but the Costa Rican version is sublime. Plus it has a hard boiled or even sometimes softer egg in there which is pretty awesome.
black bean soup with an egg at don luis in monteverde
Fried plantains and plantain chips: Sweet or salty/savory, what’s not to like about these banana-like fruits?
Yuca: I love yuca in all its forms. Fried yuca. Yuca chips. Yuca bread. Mashed yuca. YUM!
Guaro: Guaro is the local vodka-like alcohol. Guaro sour is a popular drink and it’s pretty delicious if you like sweet/sour drinks. Local rum is pretty good as well as the local beer.
Ceviche: I love almost all ceviche but the ceviche in Costa Rica that I had was also amazing. I had it about 6 times, so nearly every other day. And that wasn’t nearly enough!
ceviche by the pool at hotel nayara
All of the fruit: Seriously. Eat it all. Best pineapple I’ve ever had (even B ate it. And he hates pineapple), amazing coconut from the side of the road, the maracuya and guanabana are also awesome.
fresh fruit breakfast at sugar beach
There are so many more foods to try, but since I had given up meat for Lent, I stayed vegetarian/pescatarian the entire time so the above recommendations are based on that.
Enjoy some hot baths and hot springs in Arenal
The volano Arenal is not only beautiful, but from what I can tell, it supplies tons of heat for the hot baths and springs in the neighboring town. Tabacon has some of the best hot springs (went there in high school) and B and I also enjoyed the baths at Baldi – there were many options, each pool had a swim up bar, and most had a “cool pool” (of like 65 degrees) so you could heat up in the hot bath, then cool down, then heat up, etc.
sitting outside one of the hot pools
Snorkel, swim, and enjoy the ocean(s)
Due to time constraints, B and I only had time to experience the western and Pacific coast of the country. But if you go, see both coasts. They are different. See different beaches, swim in the oceans, snorkel, experience black sand beaches and more. I even was able to see a blowfish – and touch it! Yup. You’re in a tropical country – do it all, put on some sunscreen and enjoy!
sunsets along the beach = awesome
BONUS: Take a coffee tour
Okay, okay, I couldn’t pick just 5. While you’re in Costa Rica, you must see a coffee plantation. Coffee is one of the country’s top 5 exports, so why not se how it’s produced? I must admit that the coffee tour we went on when I was in high school, while enjoyable and educational, was pretty touristy. We got free coffee samples, walked around the grounds (pun intended hehe) and saw stations that showcased the different processes of making coffee. The tour B and I did – Monteverde Coffee Tour – was MUCH better and seemed much more authentic – I highly recommend you go on this. We had a nearly private tour of some Costa Rican farmer’s land – saw all of this livestock, learned about what they all did on the farm and how they contributed in some way to the coffee process/circle of life, walked among real coffee and other plants (banana trees, lime/orange trees), and really learned about life as a Costa Rican and a farmer. And more than i ever wanted to know about coffee. They didn’t try to sell us anything at the end (we had to ask them if we could buy coffee) and we enjoyed some amazing locally made (that day!) goat cheese from their goats.
how our coffee was made
pretending to do work
B participating in the cupping portion of our tasting
PS – Happy birthday to my brother Greg! This has nothing to do with Costa Rica but I thought he deserved a shout out.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Growing up in an Italian and Jewish household in upstate NY, I admittedly didn’t really know much about St. Patrick’s Day. I never wore green (and remember being confused about why everyone it seemed in my elementary school was), and didn’t try corned beef and cabbage until I was way into my 20. That being said, living in Boston and then Cleveland, both two very Irish cities that wholeheartedly embrace the holiday- and marrying into an Irish family- I’ve learned to embrace the holiday and enjoy everything about the celebration. Including the color green.
Anyway, this year, B and I had decided to check out the St. Patrick’s weekend celebrations in a city I heard knew how to party – as well as get in a half marathon – the Get Lucky Chicago Half Marathon (full recap coming soon).
It was an AWESOME weekend. For a few reasons:
1. I love Chicago and it was so fun to see the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations – including the river turning green!
2. We were lucky enough to spend the weekend and celebrate with a few of B’s siblings – his sister Mary drove in from Cleveland, and his sister Katie (her boyfriend lives in Chicago) and his brother John (who goes to school in Chicago) – and B’s cousin Tom who was in town visiting a friend.
3. I MET MY HALF MARATHON GOAL!!!
Yes, that’s right – I finally got a sub-two hour half marathon, coming in at 1:57:32. It’s been my goal to get this done for a while, and I really didn’t think that I’d make it this race. I hadn’t done enough outdoor runs thanks to the wonderful winter we’d been having – and the ones that I had done had been far from as speedy as I’d been running this summer. Like 30 seconds – 1 minute/slower per mile slow – oof!
Anyway, I’ll post more about the race later, but here are some highlights from a gorgeous green weekend. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
We started Saturday off at the Get Lucky Half Marathon and 7k. There were 3 of us doing the half – B, his brother John and I – and 3 doing the 7k – his sister Katie, her boyfriend David and David’s dad.
B and me in a pre-race photo
After the race, we enjoyed our free beer and some sunny (but chilly) weather.
And then made it back downtown, cleaned up, and checked out the river. It was SO GREEN!
B and the water
GREEN water!
And of course we made time for some deep dish pizza! Giordanos FTW. We met up with B’s cousin, Tom and his friend and feasted. I gave up meat for Lent so while B and the rest of the guys were eating the pepperoni and sausage pizza, I got the veggie feast. It was amazing.
the guys’ meaty pizza
Decked out in green and awaiting our pizza. Doesn’t the race sweatshirt that B’s wearing look awesome?
Not photographed, but also fun: some shopping downtown, eating a delicious meal at a place called Naf Naf (it’s like Chipotle for Middle Eastern food … aka amazing!), and of course some St. Patrick’s drinks.
Some questions for you:
Have you ever been to Chicago for St. Patrick’s Day?
Have you taken a weekend trip for a race before? I have been wanting to do this for a while. Go to a new city, run a Saturday half marathon, and then spend the rest of the Saturday and Sunday just siteseeing.
I remember last New Years Eve, hanging out with B and a few friends and family, and talking about 2013. I remember thinking that it was going to be a lucky year – my dad AND B are both born on the 13th and both of their birthdays were on Friday the 13th this year, so how could 2013 be a bad year?
Was it eventful or life-changing? Not quite. But was it great? Yes. Here are just a few memories from the year – in no order (seriously, there is really no order here):
Traveling to the West Coast with B, and seeing some old friends as well as the Pacific Ocean.
I LOVE vacation runs. There are a great break from my usual running route and are often scenic and a great way to see a new city. A few of you have asked how I manage to get in so many runs on vacation and how I have kept up half marathon training (we’re running Rock N Roll Cleveland this weekend!!) while taking two weeks off from work. Honestly, it hasn’t been hard at all. I’m not working so I have more time to run. I’m on vacation, so I can do really whatever I want – and if what I want to do is run, then I can do it! Here are some tips from a non-running professional:
Incorporate running into your itinerary B planned our trip itinerary and knows how important running is to me so he literally wrote down our runs into each day’s plans. It was a rough itinerary with suggested activities but this helped us stay accountable. I knew exactly what we were doing each day, including our runs, ahead of time so there were no surprises.
Pack accordingly Yes, this should be obvious, but bring sneakers, socks and running clothes, in layers. Running is great because you can pretty much do it anywhere if you have the right clothing (no gear needed!), so pack it! I knew we’d experience different weather from Seattle to LA, so made sure to pack shorts, capris, tank tops, long sleeves and short sleeves. Plus, I brought fun running clothes, where possible (bright shirts and shorts that I like wearing) to make it funner.
some of my fave running clothes – bright pink shirt, bright blue shorts!
Research routes ahead of time Do some research ahead of time to find out if where you’re staying will be in a running-friendly neighborhood or if you’ll have access to a treadmill. If not, find some fun parks or places around where you’re staying to get in your run. Try searching online to find your route – it’s often just easy to google “Running around [name of city]”. You never know! For example, I knew we would be in Hollywood when we wanted to do our 15k so I googled, “Running around Hollywood” and found a reservoir that had a 3 mile loop for walking/running, along with a few other parks that runners had recommended. Always google ahead of time, even if you think you’re in a running-friendly area. For example, in Napa it sounded like the X Trail would be a great place to run. It’s a trail, right? WRONG – it’s actually just a road and I found that a few people actually stated that it was not good for running. Another great place to look is on local running stores’ websites – I found a local running store in Napa that had Saturday morning runs I could have participated in if I had wanted to!
The Hollywood Reservoir ended up being a perfect loop for our 15k in LA – and we found it by just googling running paths.
Make the runs fun! Unless you’re going for time or training with speedwork or something, consider taking along a camera or your phone to take pics! We had a few days of easy runs so decided to stop and take pics along the way or run through neighborhoods we wanted to visit anyway. No – it’s not ideal if you’re doing 4x400s and going for time or heart rate, but if you have an easy run scheduled and don’t mind sacrificing your time, then try it out!
We planned this San Fran run around touristy locations so we could take pics
See, running AND being a tourist!
Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a run or stray from the schedule We didn’t follow our schedule perfectly – and that’s okay! For me, it was most important that I cover the basic mileage, especially the longer runs. Since we still have a few weeks until our half marathon, I was okay with missing a speed workout or even missing a shorter running day. For example, when looking at the schedule on Wednesday night, we realized that doing our 15k Saturday morning before our 9 a.m. pre-BC game festivities may not be the most fun, especially after going out for B’s birthday Friday night and hitting up a 10 p.m. comedy show. Since Thursday was a scheduled off day, and we both felt fine after Wednesday’s 3 miler, we decided just to do our 15k Thursday when we knew we’d have the time. Same thing with Napa – we did our 10 miler on a Friday when we were supposed to do a 5 mile pace run. The 5 mile pace run may have never happened, but a few days we walked plenty of miles around the cities and on the Sunday we left LA (a rest day) I got in an easy 5 miler instead. Remember – it’s your vacation so just enjoy! In a few weeks you’ll likely remember the time you spent sightseeing and hanging out with friends, not the 3 miles you skipped because you went to a brunch.
BONUS: Have a running partner / friends that support your habit The thing that made it easiest for me to run during our entire vacation? Having an awesome running buddy to hold me accountable – B! I don’t know if I would have kept up with all the runs if he hadn’t been there to run nearly every run with me. He helped me make sure they were fun and didn’t interfere with our vacation activities, and of course pushed me when I needed to. Don’t have a running partner vacationing with you the entire time? Find a running group in the city you’re visiting (as I mentioned above, I found a Napa Saturday morning running group on the local running store website, visit friends who enjoy running (both Katie and Melgar enjoy running and it was great to run with Melgar so that I could spend more time with her!) and can give you running route ideas, or even just make sure to visit friends that “get” runners. We all know those friends up get annoyed when we work out, we run, etc. We all have a few of those. Wing is not one of them – he may not be a runner, but he was more than happy to go for a walk while we ran and also gave me the keys to his apartment complex gym so I could get in a run one morning while he and B slept – both things I really appreciated.
Running with Melgar meant our fastest vacation run!
AND running with B mean I can take pics like these
And because I know you’re all wondering, here are our vacation miles from our West Coast adventure – some of our final training miles as we get ready for the Rock N Roll Half Marathon in Cleveland THIS WEEKEND!
Saturday: 9 mile run on the schedule Actual – ran 9 (in Cleveland) right before hitting the airport. I ran while B packed/did laundry/etc.
Monday: 4.5 mile run on the schedule Actual – ran 4.55 throughout Seattle Tuesday: 40 minute tempo run on the schedule Actual – ran 40 minutes but focused on fartleks, including a 2 minute sprint up one of Seattle’s hills (ouch!)
Wednesday: 3 miles on the schedule Actual – ran 3.1 miles in Seattle
Friday: 5 miles at pace on the schedule Actual – ran 10 Saturday’s 10 miles Saturday: 10 miles Actual – ran 3.5 miles at pace around downtown Napa
Monday: 5 miles on the schedule Actual – ran 5 miles around San Francisco
Tuesday: Interval run, 9×400 Actual – ran 3 miles around San Francisco, just above pace time
Wednesday: 3 miles Actual – ran 3 miles sub-pace (8:45 min miles)
Thursday: rest day on the schedule Actual – ran 15k around Hollywood Reservoir
Saturday: 15k on the schedule Actual – rest!
Sunday– rest Actual – ran 5 miles on the treadmill before our flight! I find it much easier to sit for 4 hours if I’ve run ahead of time. With our flight not leaving until 1 p.m. ET, I knew I’d have time to run while B and Wing slept, and after two rest days my legs were itching to move!
Some questions for you – and my answers as well
Do you run on vacation?
What tips would you add? Stay hydrated! At work I keep a big 32 oz water bottle on my desk and make sure to drink at least 2-3 of them a day. During vacation it’s not as easy, and we often are imbibing on drinks and salty food, which can make runs more difficult.
What’s the hardest thing for you about staying on schedule on vacation? Early morning runs. If I don’t run in the beginning of the day, I know it won’t happen when I get started on all our other activities. I also feel guilty sometimes running when I’m spending time with those that don’t run – it’s as if I’m missing out on spending time with them.
What’s your next race? The Cleveland Rock N Roll Half Marathon! This weekend. Wish us luck!
After an amazing time in the Bay Area, we were off on another drive down the coast and ready to spend a few days in Los Angeles as we wrapped up our West Coast adventure. We would be staying with B’s friend (and Best Man), Wing, who moved out West just this year thanks to an awesome job opportunity. And we would also be lucky enough to see my friend and roommate from college, Kate, who moved out to LA right after we lived in Boston together.
So, what did we think of our time in LA? Some overall impressions:
The city is SUPER spread out. I’d heard that it was but seeing it in person made us realize it even more and also put a slight damper on some of our plans as we weren’t able to accomplish as much as we wanted to in our time there because it took so long to get from one place to another. There are tons of different neighborhoods that you can walk in – but to get to and from places, you really do have to drive.
There is SO MUCH TRAFFIC. Again, I’d definitely heard that but as we drove everywhere this really made a difference and also made it hard to get as much done as we wanted to.
The city is not really walkable. I love walking everywhere. Every other city we pretty much left our door and walked everywhere to get some sightseeing in. In LA we really had to hop in the car and plan which neighborhood(s) we may be visiting, and drive there. And we didn’t really know how long it would take because of the traffic. (See #1 and #2)
The weather is awesome. They were having a “cold front” when we were there, meaning the weather was in the low 80s, upper 70s. AKA perfect weather. It was cool in the morning, meaning it wasn’t bad for our run (we had a 15k planned that I was dreading because I thought it’d be super steamy but it wasn’t too bad – it hit nearly 80 by the end but it wasn’t humid), and then got hot during the day but not sticky. Perfect vacation weather 🙂
There’s so much to do. Aside of all the touristy sightseeing stuff that we wanted to do, there’s just so much in general going on, all the time. Comedy shows. Concerts. Great food. Bars. Clubs. And of course – the BEACH! If I lived in LA I would live at the beach, or at least go there as much as possible. And then try to fit in everything else.
Okay, enough blabbering, here are some photos and highlights from our trip.
SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN LA!
Stopping for In & Out as soon as we get in – B’s first In & Out meal!
B’s first In&Out!
Running around the Hollywood Reservoir – we did our 15K without any problems. We found the reservoir, which had some good views of the downtown and the Hollywood sign and was a 3.3ish mile loop – perfect for us, as we were able to do 3ish loops as Wing walked around once, carrying water for us. Yup, he was our awesome water boy!
post 15k run around the Hollywood Reservoir
Going to the beach!
People watching at Venice Beach
Being touristy and taking photos of the Hollywood sign
hollywooooood
Taking in a Dodgers game! AND they were playing the Giants so I got in TWO Giants games on this trip. Also, we got the all you can eat seats and feasted on the famous Dodger dogs, plus nachos, popcorn and peanuts. I need a detox after this vacation.
Go Giants!
Coffee at Urth Café (always featured in the show Entourage)
it’s a bird! Urth Cafe goodness.
Brunch from Homegirl Café. I had been wanting to go to this place since seeing the awesome movie G-Dog at the Cleveland International Film Festival. You must read about them and Homeboy Industries if you don’t know their story. Here’s just a short blurb: Homeboy Industries serves high-risk, formerly gang-involved men and women with a continuum of free services and programs, and operates seven social enterprises that serve as job-training sites. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?
Catching a BC vs. UCLA game – sadly, we lost – but it was great to see them play (it wasn’t planned!) on our trip, see their huge stadium and of course meet up with Kate
HUGE stadium – former home of the Olympics in LA!
Kate and me! Former roomies!
Enjoying Dim Sum for B’s birthday brunch – Wing lives in Chinatown and brought us to an amazing place
Birthday breakfast!
And then a really good meal, and beers, at My Father’s Office – I definitely recommend if you hit LA
the boys loved their burgers – I loved my butterfish!
Seeing some amazingly fun comedians at the Laugh Factory – in just one show we saw a TON of comics! Highlights include Dom Irerra (who we’ve seen before), the super cute Chris D’Elia AND the guy who plays Montez on Workaholics!
Hanging out with Kate and experiencing some of the Culver City nightlife
Hookah bar!
What a great trip! Now, it’s back to real life and back to the grind. Getting back to work after any trip can be stressful, but just knowing and remembering our amazing two week West Coast adventure will hopefully help with the struggle of getting back into things. Here’s to a GREAT weekend!
Some questions for you:
Which of the cities I visited have you been to? Which is YOUR favorite?
When was the last time you saw your college roommate?
B and I spent 3 days in the Bay Area and had a GREAT time. I’d been there before, to visit my roommate Caitlin (who now lives in Denver – remember when I visited her a few months ago?) but never spent too much time sightseeing, so exploring the area with B was awesome. And as we tend to do on vacations, we spent most of our time walking around, running around and exploring the city by foot as much as possible. Here’s what we ended up doing:
We stayed in Union Square, which was perfect. Our hotel even had a free sherry and tea happy hour each night which we took advantage of.
Tasting beers at the 21st Amendment and then watching a Giants Game – and a win in Extra Innings!
wearing orange and black to support my dad’s favorite team!
people watch Giants games from the water!
And that was just one full day (well 1.5ish days). Yup, we do it big and walked A TON (in addition to our training runs) to see as much as we could around the city. Stay tuned for San Fran, part two!
Full additional recaps are coming for the rest of my trip, but here are a few photos from our West Coast Adventure for you to enjoy in the meantime. Happy Wednesday!
I Crashed The Web 