Whoever said there's nothing surprising in Indy?

When a girl in my small group, Allison, invited me to her wedding in Indianapolis, I was thrilled...not only to be celebrating her and Greg's fabulous marriage, but also because I had never been to Indy. Now, I know some of you are probably thinking "big deal" - and I realize that Indiana is not necc a must see, but you have to also know that I just have a fascination with new places, regardless of their notoriety. I like to think that most places have their sweet spot..something that I can enjoy. Plus, being from Oklahoma, I fully understand that sometimes the draw isn't the place at all...it's the people! And I'm just fine with that!

Thus, a few girlfriends and I set out on a Friday after work driving the 3 hours to Indy. I have to just stop here and say that I really really love road trips, esp with good company. We seriously talked the whole 3 hours and the fact that we all forgot our iPods didn't bother us in the least! One of the most noteworthy conversations led us to the realization that all of us in the car, an accountant, lawyer, PR specialist and Advertising executive, combined were the basic skills necessary for starting a company. We then proceeded to share our business ideas which were vast and incredibly inspiring. So, who knows...perhaps the fab 4 will venture out into the great unknown again together - in a figurative sense!

Wanting to fully embrace the suburbia we were experiencing, and it was the only decent option, we pulled into an IHOP for dinner. And sadly, this pancake palace used to be my gold standard for a hearty breakfast, however, it was pretty disappointing this time around and I now blame it on my refined taste buds that are spoiled by the many delectable brunch restaurants in Chicago.

We rolled into Indy around 11 and were staying with Katie's mom, who was the most incredible hostess! She was waiting eagerly for us and greeted us with love and food...2 keys to my heart, haha! She had the most amazing spread for us to nibble on and although we were bursting we couldn't resist her offer of 3 mini scoops of the most delicious ice creams with berries! So cute! I definitely want to get one of those mini scoops for future hosting! I would show a pic, but I ate it too fast ;-)

The next morning we were up and ready to work off the late night noshing with my Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred video. It was pretty hilarious to watch all 3 of us crammed in the living room doing jumping jacks, walking push-ups and crunches! After a good sweat, breakfast was served - the most amazing cheese and meat filled pastries, wow, the dough was sooo soft! If anyone remembers the name of them, please share below!!!

Then we were off for a stroll through Broad Ripple, a more hip/college, Lincoln Park esque part of Indy. And...I loved it! So cute, great little boutiques and restaurants to boot. We grabbed fro-yo and then hung out in the sun, yes, did i mention the weather was AMAZING? And watched some young musicians play for a fundraiser. It was perfect. Next, back to the house to get ready for the wedding!

The wedding was at this gorgeous Presbiterian church. It was a beautiful ceremony and all was well, until right before he pronounced them man and wife, one of the grooms men fainted! It took us a second to realize why the pastor awkwardly stalled before announcing the happy couple, haha. But a few moments later the guy was ok and they were able to proceed as planned, whew! I think this was the first time i'd actually seen someone faint at a wedding, but have been demanded to not "lock my knees" in the numerous past weddings i've been a part of!




The reception was at the Children's Museum of Indy. Such a fun idea. Many of the exhibits were open, which made for lots of fun and silly pics (which I always take full advantage of)! We ran into, Sadie, another friend from church who we didn't know would be there, which was fun. One of the most touching moments was Allison's dad's speech. He talked about how he had made Greg sign a contract when he asked for her hand detailing how he would treat Allison - PRECIOUS! Of course, you have to follow-up sappy with sass on the dance floor! We rocked it out for a bit before the lights were turned on and we were forced to leave.

One would think that this was the last of the excitement for the trip, however, there was one last surprise...After going home that night, my friend got sick with a horrible migraine in the middle of the night. She tried to sleep it off, but it just became more debilitating, so...at 4am she wakes me and we decide an ER visit is necessary. I roll out of bed, brush my teeth (i can't help it) and then found the nearest hospital on the Tom Tom GPS. Minutes later we were in the ER, and she was getting treated via IV and i was sitting in the dark room with her (while she slept) Tweeting and chatting on Facebook, of course,haha! Ya, i couldn't believe someone else was up either! 2 hours later we were being released and sent home to sleep it off. Nichole was feeling better when we finally woke up, and so we made our way safely back to Chi.

What a weekend...life is just full of surprises. Who knew Indy could be so exciting??? Not me! Will I go back? Sure - for the Indy 500 someday, maybe!

Spilling the Beans...

Hello Beantown!!!

That's right, a few weekends ago, I had the privilege of spending the weekend in Boston with one of my oldest besties (from Jr. High, eek). She is in her last year at Harvard Law School and is set to graduate in June - aka, I had to hurry up and get my butt there to visit! Nothing like a little motivation.

And seriously, you don't have to twist my arm to get me to go on vacation! I happily hopped a plane for the weekend to explore this gem of a city. Upon arrival to Boston International, I already loved it. Seated by the window on the plane proved to me that love at first sight can indeed exist! The terrain was green and backed right up to the blue waters with a sole, quaint lighthouse breaking the waves.

Friday night we chose to bum around Cambridge, seeing as Aminta practically lives on Harvard's campus. After dropping off my belongings and freshening up, we headed out for a tour of the campus. I got to check out the classrooms, musty libraries (where tons of dutiful students were spending their Friday evening) and of course the infamous statue of Mr. Harvard of which Aminta shared all the campus "urban legends." The most notable being that freshmen are required to pee on the toe of the statue, another being it is good luck to touch the toe. I decided to play it safe and stage my "toe touch", haha! Then we were off to Harvard Square or "The Square" if you're a local, in a quest for the best burgers around - which of course led us to Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers. By this time it was near 9pm and there was a line down the sidewalk for this place and I knew we had arrived. The burgers were satisfying (insert: greasy and delicious), but the best part about them wasn't the taste...it was the names. All of the burgers are named after politicians or well-known public figures. Aminta and I both had the Mitt Romney...please note, choice of burger does not neccesarily = political affiliation, haha. To check out the full list click here! Almost forgot to mention that they had the most A-Mazing fresh squeezed lemonade! After dinner we bounced around to a few bars and coffee shops, ulimately settling on the Starbucks in The Garage (not to be confused with a parking garage).

Saturday morning came bright and early. You see, I have started this new workout called the 30 Day Shred that requires you to do a 20min video workout for 30 straight days, thus I needed to get up and do it before the exploring began. I had packed my video and my 2lb dumbbells, ridiculous I know, and was all set to workout when, gasp, Aminta's DVD player that she's literally had since our Sr. Sleepover in High School kept messing up and wouldn't play my workout :( Ok, being a problem solver, I decided that I could work around this. There was a common room on the first floor of the dorms that I could workout in, but would just have to risk there being people down there to ridicule me (at this point I was feeling very legally blondeish)! Making my way into the room I noticed one girl studying and I was not intimidated. So I got the DVD all set up and then noticed that there was no remote. WHAT!?! No remote meant that I couldn't select the workout from the menu, ugh...Essentially, I had spent 45 precious minutes trying to do a 20min DVD and could have been sleeping the whole time! Lesson learned!

After that debacle we set out to conquer the town. Did I mention that it was the most gorgeous weekend in Boston. In the 80's each day with lots and lots of sunshine! Getting to don my new Summer dress made my day! We first hit up brunch at Sonsie on Newberry Street. A trendy French infused restaurant with great atmosphere and unique food selections. I opted for a German pancake puff...but the greatness of it turned out to be fluff. I think i'll stick to American pancakes next time! Crossing the street we headed over to American Apparel. I had been longing for their V-necks for what seems like forever and now they were within reach! An even more pleasant surprise came at the register when the cashier told me there were NO TAXES! Pinch me, I think i'm dreaming! Coming from the city in the US with the highest taxes, this was unbelievable!



A hop, skip and a jump later, we found ourselves on the Freedom Trail. Which if you aren't familiar, is a 2.5 mile path that leads to 16 of the country's most significant historical landmarks. Pretty cool, right. And the "trail" is even marked for you with a red painted or brick line (they were conscious of the directionally challenged). Some of my favorite stops were:
Boston Common - America's oldest public park and once the site of hangings, duels, public celebrations, plays, ice-skating and other festivities.
Massachusetts State House - The oldest building on Beacon Hill and in 1874, the dome was gilded with 23 carat gold!!! Holla!
Granary Burying Ground - Final resting place of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and as luck would have it...Mother Goose, haha!
King's Chapel - First Anglican Church built in 1688 and attended by George Washington in 1789. I loved that instead of pews there were family boxes with little doors. You don't even have to face the preacher...wonder how many people slept through church???
Faneuil Hall - Served (and continues to serve) as a public meeting place and open-air market. Housing tons of culinary treats and Beantown souvenirs.

After trapesing around downtown, we ended up in the North End where we stopped for a treat at Mike's Pastries (a reco from my friend Sam). A delicious stop indeed! I actually got two things...one to eat and one for the road! :) At this point we headed to Old North Church making that our final stop on the trail. Tired of walking we found a lovely place in the harbour to sit, listen to the waves and relax. What a day!


Then it was on to a little establishment called CHEERS in Beacon Hill for dinner. I was so pumped about this. I remember watching the show at my granny's house back in the day. What I didn't realize was that the actual name of this bar was the Bull & Finch Pub! We had a decent dinner - I had to try Boston Baked Beans...pretty tasty, but beware if you have a unexplainable disliking for hot dogs b/c that's what's in them! We hit up the gift shop and were off...swag in hand! Saturday night we met up with some of Aminta's law friends for a wine and cheese party. Which turned out to be pretty fun despite my fear of being a little "too much" for the introverted studious types, haha. They warmed up to me just fine and it was fun to meet her friends. But they did not warm up enough to join us for dancing afterward. So, Aminta and I hit up the Redline bar for a night of dance mania...and that it was! The place was so packed and we got swarmed by a slew of not so gentlemen the moment we hit the dance floor! Fortunately, we could hold our own and had a knack for "saving" each other!
Sunday we went to church at Aminta's usual place and found out that a couple from her church were actually from Oklahoma! Small world, i'll tell ya! We ate at the church's "Soul Food" meal and then were back to Harvard. Aminta had to pack for a trip to Africa, yes Africa that night and so I took the afternoon easy at the park reading and sunbathing (didn't wear sunscreen and got scorched). It felt so good, I just couldn't leave! Aminta met back up with me for a late lunch and some delicious ice cream at J.P. Licks, mmmm...all homemade! And then she had to depart for the airport.

Of course, I wasn't going to let this stop my exploration, so I made my way to Fenway and found the most awesome place to watch the game called Stadium Bar. You see, it's built right into the stadium and has one wall that looks directly onto the field...you are practically watching the game from the outfield - so cool! And FREE! Double score! Grabbing a sausage from a street vendor on the way out, my weekend was complete. I'm not sure if it was all the history, good food, warm weather or quaint streets, but I must admit...Boston is "my kind of town!"

Livin' in Beverly Hills...

Recently (as in last weekend) I took a trip out west to discover LA in a whole new way. I set out with my best friend Lindsey to experience life like the stars (not the celestial type) in one of LA's hottest hoods; Beverly Hills! Here's our story...

DAY 1
Just a quick housekeeping note...cabs from LAX to Beverly Hills will try to rip you off!!! Apparently there's a flat rate of $38 that we didn't know about and got scammed for $55 the first day :(

The Four Seasons Beverly Hills Wilshire is the epitome of glamor, luxury and exquisite service. Upon arrival Linds and I were immediately greeted with personal service and cute attendants (Sean). They took our bags straight to our room and wished Linds a happy early birthday (random greeting girl said it - kinda creepy...how'd she know?) but impressive nonetheless!

Two hours later, we were still lounging about our hotel room, trying to figure out dinner plans, ultimately deciding to head over to West Hollywood to dine with Eva Longoria. Ok, we dined at her restaurant, Beso, which was fabulous. I must now disclaim our 2nd cab mishap. You see, we are used to mildly inflated cab fares in Chicago, but never fathomed we'd be experiencing highway robbery. That's right, our round trip cab to dinner was more than our dinners combined!!! Yikes! Yep we paid a pretty penny ($65 to be exact) for that 12 mile trip!!! After swallowing this news, we were almost no longer hungry. However, we were still able to scarf down some amazing guacamole and chips, soup and salad. All in all, the food was pretty tasty. Yest the service left something to be desired. The waiter was a bit rude after we didn't order alcoholic beverages (prob thought we wouldn't be big spenders - he was right). And then the food runners kept bringing us other people's appetizers as a harsh tease! Heading home on sunset boulevard, filled to our heart's content we conceded that it indeed was all worth the dough we forked over to get there!

Day 2
Friday it rained. But we would not melt. Even after our driver tried to convince us that the .9mile walk between the restaurant he dropped us off at and Fred Segal was an impossible walk, we did not fear. Nope, we strapped on our mid-west walking shoes, and held our FS umbrellas high and went about our day. The morning started with a run down Rodeo Dr. and then lunch at the famous Urth Cafe (fab grub).


We then headed to go celeb sighting at Fred Segal, but the only celeb we saw was the designer name on the jeans Linds fell in love with! We then headed to the famous Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf shop for some Chai and Jasmine tea, mmmm! And this is the point that our driver in the Mercedes S550 almost left us bc Lindsey's cell wasn't getting his call. The man had a tude...but we didn't let him steal our thunder, haha! Then it was back to the hotel to change and prep for dinner at AOC Winebar & Tapas. Which, both Linds and I would argue were the BEST tapas of our lives! If you go to LA look it up!

Back at the hotel we hit up SideBar for some dessert and to check out the scene. Good food, sub par scene.



Day 3
Linds surprised me with the gift of matching pj's for V-day...so sweet! We then took a run to Toast, apparently a celeb-sighting breakfast spot, but i guess we got there too early for the party animals. The only thing worth looking at there was our waiter Rory...and the food, haha. It was afterall, Valentine's Day! Rory, an Indiana native, quickly bonded with us Midwest gals and shared some recos for nightlife along with his number. He gave us a free Red Velvet Cupcake for the occasion too! Love Rory. We walked back 2.5 miles to the hotel and hit the hot tub to soothe Linds's shin splints and then laid out to dry off for a bit. Today was the warmest, sunniest day of the trip.

We then got ready and were picked up by our mutual friend Kristine who lives in L.A. She was going to show us the sights in Hollywood. Our first stop...IN-N-OUT Burger - WOW! This place certainly lived up to it's legacy and was by far the cheapest meal of the trip. Next was the red carpet, Kodak Theater and Chinese Theater. We were amused by the stars and hand prints and of course the Asian tourists who in their typical fashion mauled us at all the great photo opps! haha...gotta love em! Then we were off to the HOLLYWOOD sign for a hike up through Beachwood Canyon. We got a little lost and caught a lucky break. An elderly man who had lived in the hood for 20+ years was friendly enough to talk to us through his window and guide us to the best view of HOLLYWOOD and downtown LA. Thank you sir!

Then it was back to the hotel to clean up for a romantic night out at one of the city's hottest sushi joints, KOI. Rolling up in the Rolls Royce Phantom, we felt like kinda a big deal! We got lounge seats (after about an hours wait) and savored every delicacy we ordered. Kristine even salvaged a piece of my Eel and Avocado Roll that fell on the floor - "It's too good to waste". Indeed it was! Then we split a molten chocolate cake with berries that was sweeter than any boy, haha. We had high hopes of going out and making a splash this night, but after dinner was over at 11:30, we lost our motivation and went back to the FS to chill in our new upgraded room that overlooked Rodeo Dr.!

Day 4
Sunday started with church at Mosaic, which was held at the Beverly Hills HS (scene of Beverly Hills 90210 if you remember that show!). Great message and awesome people. Ended up seeing a guy Linds knew from Chicago and making friends with others. Then off for a pizza lunch at Pizzeria Rustica, Linds' birthday choice. The guy there was super nice and obviously though Linds was a babe and gave us quite the deal. Then it was back to the hotel for a tour of the Penthouse Suite, compliments of Lindsey's old co-worker. The place was A-Mazing and only $10K/night!!! Beyonce and JayZ were just there, no biggie! Next off to the hot tub and spa! The steam room was incredible and we cooled off in the aroma therapy shower.

Back at the room we enjoyed a complimentary surprise birthday treat from the hotel and then it was off to El Torrito (yay, Mexian) to meet Linds' high school friend for her birthday dinner. The food was delish. Complimentary chips, salsa, tortillas and honey butter - awesome! And we all sang happy birthday to Linds over her fabulous flan delight! PS. the female server insisted on spoon feeding Lindsey her first bite, hehe!

We capped off the night with a stop at Crumbs bakery and went home with 3 decadent cupcakes to share. I think we were all feeling sick at this point...3 desserts in one day, whew!

Day 5
Our last day in Beverly Hills. A sad one indeed. We finally decided to take advantage of our 50% off discount on on-site dining at the Boulevard restaurant. So...we decided to go big and go home! We somehow managed to spend $107 (pre-discount) on breakfast. Oops! Who knew Fiji water would be $8??? He asked me, "Would you like sparkling or flat?" Thinking "flat" meant "tap" I chose that. The next thing i know he's walking over with a Fiji bottle and two stem glasses!!! We just couldn't say no! haha.

Then off to the airport armed with our new knowledge of the $38 flat fee rule. We were sad to say goodbye to the ritz and swank of Hollywood, but ultimately knew our Oklahoma and Minnesota roots ran a lil' too deep for the skin thin likes of L.A. Chi is "our kind of town." :)

January Restaurant Raves

One would think that with the start of 2009 amidst some of the worst economic times, most people would inevitably go out to eat less frequently in hopes of spending less of their hard earned money. Well, folks I'm not like most people. Nope, I DID go and buy an exorbitant amount of groceries the first of January, but I have also somehow managed to eat out 6 times this week, yep...count em'...1,2,3,4,5,6! Not that i'm proud of it, but thought I'd at least start a monthly blog posting of the fab (or not so fab) restaurant finds in Chicago!

1. Aperitif 21
2221 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 281-4400
aperitif21.com

Sunday, in a quest to find a restaurant located between my house and Lindsey's that we both had not been to, I stumbled upon this quaint Mediterranean gem. We were due for a late lunch (around 2pm) and thus anticipated a pretty quiet scene. We were right...only one lone family (likely the owners) dining when we arrived. Ordering hummus and pita appetizer was a given. It arrived warm and delicious and while noshing away, we were unexpectedly offered complimentary soup du jour. However, we were quite perplexed because we'd had a rather awkward exchange with the ESL (English as a Second Language) waitress about what the soups were and had a rather jumbled explanation about the color of beans in the soup. Linds ordered a Mediterranean salad and I got the vegetable kabobs. All in all the food was "decent", I mean you can't go wrong with hummus. But my fave part of the meal was the water that was served. We each tried guessing its unique flavor blend, (me - lemon, Linds - orange). Both to be proved wrong...it was green apple, strawberry, and lime, quite delish! The most disappointing part of the meal was the service, which is ironic since we were basically the only patrons. So, for this, Linds gives it "Apairoftwhothumbsdown"! And I'd have to agree...too many awesome places in the city to waste your time, money or heck, calories here.

2. Bar Celona
3474 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 244-8000
barcelonachicago.com

TAco Tuesday at Bar Celona is a MUST! When my girlfriend Emily told me about this magical place where you can get $1 tacos and free chips and salsa, I thought she was talking about heaven. Or better yet, that we were taking a whirlwind trip to Spain. Fortunately, for my budget, we only had to head north to Wrigleyville to this Spanish hot spot. The lighting was dim and seating comfortable. On one of the coldest nights, it still drew a decent crowd and the wait staff was friendly and attentive. They didn't even mind that my friends and I stayed for about 2 hours and rang up a $20 tab among the 3 of us. We each got to choose from variety of tacos, chicken, beef, vegetarian, and shrimp - each of which was delicious. And single ladies, watch out...irresistible professional athletes hang out there and offer to buy you drinks (ok, they were professional table tennis players, but whose keeping track)! So, if you can't make it across the Atlantic, Bar Celona is a close second any day of the week (they have ridiculous nightly specials)!

3. Chili's
2 E Ontario St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 943-1510
chilis.com

Now, I must preface this one by saying I ordinarily would never go to Chili's in Chicago, but there are exceptions to every rule and believe it or not, I'm trying to be a good steward of my income and I was given a gift card for Chili's for Christmas. So, thus, i took my friend Molly on a date to Chili's on Wednesday to catch up (plus, it's right across the street from her office). We opted for the Kickin' Jack Nachos over the usual chips and salsa (we thought, heck, it's free...let's go krazy)...big mistake...the nachos were nicely laid out with even amounts of cheese and jalapenos, but they were just a little too unconventional for my liking. Back to bottomless chips and salsa next time. Molly got some soup and I got the black bean burger that I've almost tried a thousand times and have been non-committal. I should have kept it up. It was dry and disappointing. The sweet corn on the cob that i substituted for mixed veggies, on the other hand was especially satisfying. We capped off the night with a Chocolate Chip Molten Chocolate Cake. There was a bit of debate between this new version of the Molton Chocolate Cake and the original, but we were rather bold this night and went against convention one last time. And as luck would have it, the 3rd time was a charm. This dessert was A-mazing! Note to self: Next time just get the chips/salsa and dessert! No shame!

4. Karyn's Raw
1901 N Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 255-1590
karynraw.com

Founded by Karyn Calabrese, one of the most popular and innovative leaders in the holistic health industry, this unique restaurant serves only RAW food. What?!? No hot meals? Nothing baked, steamed, fried, or grilled? Nope...only dehydrated and in it's natural state. How can this be you ask? Well, frankly, I have no EARTHLY idea. I have been interested in trying Karyn's for quite some time (being an adventurous eater and all), so I went on Saturday with 3 girlfriends. It was a nice place, white table cloths, fresh flowers on the table, and an expensive menu to match. I was very impressed by the variety of things they have learned to make out of raw food...stuffed pizza with a crust made from nuts, veggie burger with homemade bread from nuts, flax, and barley and homemade mustard, tortilla chips out of corn and nuts, ravioli made from turnips and zucchini. Everything was edible, but no one finished their small plates. This food is really salty and dense and sits heavy. My fave item was the guacamole, obviously, i mean, even i can make raw guac, haha. If I had to sum up the experience in one word, it would be "Interesting". I'm def not going to rave about how awesome raw food is, nor will I go back on my own volition for $20 of cold veggies and nuts. And I should caution you, more than one of us had some not so fun repercussions from the naturally fibrous and dense "goodness" in these foods, so I don't recommend it for a first date. Enough said.

5. Lalo's Mexican Restaurant
1960 N Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 880-5256
lalos.com

Lalo's is Tex Mex at it's finest. Complimentary chips and salsa. Extremely large margheritas. And cheesy Mexican inspired decor. And I love it. This was by no means my first venture to this chain, however it was my first time to the Clybourn location. And, it just so happens, I like it better than the LaSalle location. It seemed a tad more authentic, had good energy and great service. My friend and I shared two appetizers and the portions were so generous that we couldn't even finish them. We got nachos with beans and cheese with guac, pico de gallo and sour creme in the middle. They were awesome (kicked Chili's mediocre attempt). And I tried Sopes for the first time - a round dough with pinched sides (like pie crust) topped with beans, lettuce, cheese and your choice of beef, chicken or pork. Quite tasty. My only compliant: Don't get the iced tea if you are a tea snob like me. They serve instant, eww!

6. R.J. Grunts
2056 N Lincoln Park W,
Chicago, IL
(773) 929-5356
leye.com

If you find yourself really hungry, then this is the place for you. If you have an adventurous spirit at the salad bar, then this is the place for you. If you like to be seated before your whole party is in attendance and like nice servers, then this is NOT the place for you. Sunday night two friends and I went after church to get some dinner and arriving at 8:45 were made to wait until 9pm when our other friend joined, mind you, the restaurant closed at 9pm. The snarky waitress even came by while we were waiting at the front and made a not so kind remark to my friend about closing time...seriously? How rude! When we were finally seated (before 3rd party member arrived) she made a huge fuss about how the kitchen was "closed" and we should get the salad bar (which we already intended to). And then reneged her "closing statement" when our male friend came in to join us and she basically made him order from the menu. We felt discriminated against, haha. Oh well, enough complaining...the salad bar exceeded expectations, more options than the alphabet and our friend's meal was ginormous. I'll most likely go back, but only because I can't resist a good customized salad!


7. Cuernavaca
1158 W. 18th St.
Chicago, IL

When it comes to Mexican cuisine, I like it all. Tex Mex, Authentic, Chipotle, and even Taco Bell all make my list of acceptable options when i crave refried beans, chips, guac and salsa! Back in January, my friends and I decided to take a trip down to Pilsen (Hispanic Chicago Neighborhood) for the real deal! Cuernavaca definitely met my expectations...the chips and salsa flowed like water and the service was exceptional. Our lone waitress did a great job attending to the needs of the 15+ people in our group. The food came fast and my tacos came with soft corn tortillas (not my preference, but traditional in style) and a good portion of beans and rice. The burritos looked exceptional! The atmosphere was lively, colorful and reminiscent of it's native country. The best part of the night was when my roomate, Brittani, and neighbor, Alex, (who were alienated at their own table because the tables were unmovable) received a Shirley Temple for two from one of our friends and a romantic dinner for two ensued. :)





Alex & Britt...

Seizing Stockholm!

Stockholm - The Windy City of the West...

That's right, Stockholm turned out to be a rather windy stop on my adventure, and i don't think that politics had anything to do with it. I was blown away not only by the forces of nature, but also by my distant, unrelated Swedish cousin Charlotte, who my Uncle had put me in touch with. She had just returned from a 4 month adventure in India and shares my passion for travel!

-- Funny side story - Prior to meeting Charlotte, I had only seen one picture of her and knew that she was middle-aged with red hair. So, I go up to the lobby of my hostel at the pre-appointed time to meet her and i see this lady sitting alone as if she's waiting for someone...and she has red hair! So, I kinda slowly approach her and make eye contact and she reciprocates my inquisitive looks. And I say, "Charlotte?" and she nods and gets up and steps toward me and I say "Hello, I'm Michelle. Nice to meet you." And she kinda smiles and says something unmemorable and I lean in and embrace the woman as if I've known her all my life. Then we sit down and make small talk and before I know it, she is asking me where someone is...Some guy of whom i have no earthly idea...And I must have looked ridiculously confused, so I cleverly say, "I don't know." And within 20 seconds, the man who apparently is with her comes in the lobby and says that he found the people they were looking for. Talk about AWKWARD! We both looked at each other, smile, and laugh nervously and she gets up and proceeds to leave with her "real" person. Haha...afterward, I just sat there with the hugest grin on my face chuckling inside at my error and the fact that I will just hug anyone, haha! --

Luckily, a few minutes later the real Charlotte arrives and she is younger, prettier and more energetic than my former "Charlotte" and I am ever thankful that Charlotte #2 is mine! We went to the waterfront that night for a nice & pricey (not to be confused with the "nice price" menu at Burger King) meal on a floating restaurant. This meal was basically the equivalent of what I had hoped to spend in 2 days...but sometimes life calls for being flexible and I just opted for enjoying every savory moment. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, rain was in the forecast and we ended up back on the shore for an after dinner tea under heat lamps and fleece blankets. At this point, I couldn't help but question my decision to come to such a mild climate during summer (my fave season). But Charlotte's warm and cheery demeanor lifted my spirits and dissolved any doubt. She was a blast to be around and has lived a fascinating life full of travels and adventure. I walked away a bit jealous of her experiences, but also encouraged and motivated for my own adventures ahead!

Day 2 - Began with a tour of the Stockholm City Hall Tower. It was quite a beautiful thing. Not only are there 3 internal observation balconies, but you can also continue up to the top and outside to get a 360 view of the city central, which was quite the sight! Despite the fantastic view, I didn't stay out there long because the winds were pretty ferocious, it was cold and my nose was pretty much a leaky faucet. I snapped some quick photos and made my way down the winding brick maze. After the City Hall Tower climb I finally gave in to the Scandinavian fetish for hotdogs and feasted upon a French style hotdog. Basically, it's a baguette with a hole in the middle in which they pour your condiment of choice (mine being ketchup) down the hole first and then insert an oversized hotdog. So basically, after you eat all the way to the bottom, there is no meat left and I found myself eating just bread and ketchup (which is fine with me b/c I loooove that sweet red stuff)! And of course, I washed it down with a Coke Light!

Next I was off to tackle the Vasa Museet (museum) - home of the Vasa warship built in 1628 that sunk in the Stockholm harbor on her maiden voyage, and not salvaged until 1961. This impressive museum was one of my favorites from the trip b/c the museet was built around the ship and they have done a rather impressive job of engaging onlookers in the boat's rich history. The whole time I was there I just really wanted to reach out and touch it...it was so big and just looked like it came straight from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean"!

Finishing up the Vasa, I headed to nearby Skansen - the first open air museum and zoo in Sweden. It was founded in 1891 to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era. All that being said, I particularly wanted to go this night because every Tuesday of the summer Skansen hosts a live TV show called "Allsong" in which a celebrity singer performs and interacts with the crowd and it's taped live. So, after wandering around Skansen checking out the cute little cottages and interesting animals like peacocks and long-haired guinea pigs, and meeting a family from Northwest Indiana, I made my way over to the stage to catch the rehearsal. It was a pretty cool thing to witness. Mostly young teenagers and families were packed into the outdoor amphitheater and it was good people watching. I just sat back and watched and listened and was delighted when the one song I could understand came on..."I Love Europe", yep that's right...I just beamed and sang along! I had planned to meet Charlotte that night and go over to her place so i could have an opportunity to see how Swedes really live. She had a quaint pseudo 2 bedroom place with a small kitchen, bathroom and no living room (bc her Greek roomate occupied what was once a living room that now had a door). She treated me to homemade punch (sprite, fresh lemon and kiwi, and something else) and some yummy snacks. We sat out on her balcony forever (it stays light until midnight) and shared pictures and stories wrapped up once again in our fleece blankies. It was another great night in a great city!

Day 3 in Stockholm, was a loooong and busy one! I was off to a late start due to the dungeon room I was staying in and had to walk twice as fast as normal to get to the docks to catch the 1130am Historical Boat Tour. After making the boat, I enjoyed gliding slowly through the water while listening to the headset tour in English, although slightly bummed that the guide was a recording. I did learn some super important things about Stockholm though, like that Ace of Base, ABBA, and the author of "Pippy Longstalking" are all from Sweden...and I'm sure there were other less interesting tidbits I missed :)

Next I had my sights set on a lookout tower called Katarinahissen or Katarina Lift, which takes you to a perch that extends 38 meters over the waterfront overlooking Galma Stan (Old Town) complete with breathtaking views. From here I spotted the youth hostel that is on a boat and decided that was a good point of interest and I'd be stopping there later. Making my way down from the lift around lunchtime, I noticed a rather long line at this particular food vendor stand. Realizing that it was probably locals on their lunch break I decided to follow suit and get me some Scandinavian lunch...as they say..."When in Rome...". It turns out that all the fuss was for something called NYSTEKT Stromming. I quickly figured out that they served fish (the sign was in the shape of a fish) despite having a menu strictly in Swedish. I was forced to go off the not too aesthetically pleasing food photos. Perhaps it was my fondness for Mexican that swayed my decision but I decided to go with the "Stromming Rulle" (roll). Let me just tell you...this thing was huge, rivaling a Chipotle burrito and was filled with seared or fried fish patties, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, sprouts and herbs all mixed together. Quite a lot going on there if you ask me. But overall, it was quite tasty and filling and I felt local:-)

This particular day, 6/25/08, happened to be quite lovely in respect to weather so I got gutsy and broke out the Birkenstocks for the first time of the trip. I was relishing the sun and decided to cop a squat and get in some good reading of the book I had brought with me (The Glass Castle - quite an amazing read).

My next stop of the day was the boat youth hostel, but this idea proved rather disappointing - the hostel was only accessible by tenants and thus I was shut out of my planned mini-adventure. So, I headed on to my next boat tour, the Royal Boat Tour, for some additional laid back entertainment. On the way, stopping at the Swedish Tourist Office (headquarter) acting confused so that I could use their restroom for free, hehe (i was tired of paying to use the restroom!). On the Royal Tour, a most interesting God Incident occurred...I had been kinda lonely that day and prayed that God would bring someone in my path to hang out with. And low and behold a few minutes later I am waiting in line for the boat ride right behind an American girl with a Purdue shirt on! I immediately strike up a conversation with her and find out she is from Indiana and is in Scandinavia for her friends wedding. So, I sat by Thelma (new friend) and her friends during the tour and before long we found out we were both taking the Norway in a Nutshell tour on June 30th to Bergen,NO and staying at the same hostel that night!!! How crazy and amazing is that??? We parted ways after the tour and exchanged info so we could get in touch on our next leg of the trip!

That night I stopped in the hostel to check email and met a nice Texan from Austin. We chatted a bit and I invited him to watch the semi-final futbol game (Turkey vs. Germany) with me, Charlotte and her college friend. We went to a Spanish Tapas restaurant by her place and all enjoyed the game and camaraderie, despite the multi-minute lapses of game footage due to power failures, lol. During these periods we had to listen on the radio in Swedish and Charlotte would interpret :) As it turned out, Germany won (to my dismay) and they were on to play Spain in the finals. It was a fabulous last night in Stockholm, and I was ready to press on to Norway the next day!

BTW...Stockholm was my favorite "big city"! Especially Galma Stan...I just loved the narrow cobblestone streets and pastel row houses - very quaint!

Lessons from Nonna

In celebration of my (BBBS) little sis Mia's 10th birthday, we visited our friendly neighborhood mom and pop pizza shop. Nonna's Pizzeria offered us not only a deliciously cheesy good time for a bargain price of $22 for 5 people, but also great memories and life lessons on the house.

Mia and I were joined by her mom (Bobby) and two neighbor friends for the birthday feast. As we ate the whole wheat crusted cheese pizza to our hearts content, I was able to get to know Bobby a little better and learn about Mia as well.

Mia beamed over the hodgepodge of gifts I stuffed in an oversize birthday bag, equally as excited for each gift, as if they were each little treasures in a newfound chest. I just love the simplicity of children...they are amused by the smallest most seemingly insignificant things...I believe what is left most to be desired for many kids is simply attention. This they crave just like a big slice of gooey pizza.

After consuming the whole pie, everyone still had room for chocolate on chocolate cake - a special request from the birthday girl. The generous employees at Nonna's were kind enough to supply us with extra utensils and even sing along the all to familiar "Happy Birthday" song. A song that everyone knows, yet no one seems to grasp the right pitch...making it all that more special.

I'm sure the evening looked quite different from the eyes of outsiders...the lone yuppie entertaining folks from the Marshall Fields Garden Apartments, but from my perspective, all was right with the world - A world where love conquers race, culture, education and class.