Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.

Did you know that I went to San Francisco in January? No, you didn’t, because I’m a terrible blogger and I never tell anyone anything.

This was a work trip – I supported a customer going live on our software for two days. And because I’ve never been to San Francisco, I asked work if they would fly me home a few days later so I could do some tourist-ing over the weekend. So many people find it surprising that a young woman like myself would want to spend a few days alone in a strange city, but how could I miss an opportunity to travel to such an amazing place (for free!)?

My beautiful hotel was right downtown, near Union Square. In short, I could walk or hop on a cable car to Chinatown (the largest outside of Asia!), Haight-Ashbury (Summer of Love), North Beach (Little Italy), Fisherman’s Wharf, the Marina District, and the Golden Gate Bridge. And I did. I walked more than I have in ages, and hopped on public transit when I couldn’t walk anymore. I visited Alcatraz and ate some great food in lots of different neighborhoods. I suffered through a rainy first day of sightseeing before enjoying a beautiful, unseasonably warm second day, which is the day I chose to walk the Golden Gate.

Some notes:

• People are not lying when they talk about SF’s hills. On multiple occasions, I climbed many stairs in places where streets and flat sidewalks simply ended because the hills were too steep for through-ways.
• Although touristy, DO ride a cable car. It’s incredibly cool, especially if you stand on the rail in front while you’re careening down a hill. Don’t feel bad either, because even locals ride them.
• The Grove in the Marina district has great breakfast. I had a waffle and a strawberry smoothie, and I would do it again.
• Visit Alcatraz. It’s worth the three hours, and the boat ride gives you a great view of the city and the bay (even when it’s cold, drizzly, and gross).

Camping to get away from it all.

Due to the stress and craziness that has been my life lately, Joseph and I jumped at an invitation from my brother to go camping in Blue Mound State Park, the highest point in southern Wisconsin. I spent the weekend recharging my battery and getting back to nature, and let me tell you, it was just what I needed. Thank you, Mother Nature, for this weekend’s record high temperatures!

On Saturday, Joe had to drive back to Middleton for work (for those who don’t know, he has recently begun working at Roman Candle), so my brother and I spent the day partaking of activities such as ladder golf (a tailgating game that you might know by its name referring to the male genitalia), sleeping in a hammock, getting sunburned, and reading. At one point, an extremely intoxicated man walked by (this being St. Patrick’s Day and all) and, shortly after attempting to slur something at us, our dog Pepe raced over to him and barked and growled at him until he went away. Our little guard doggie.

This was my first time ever sleeping in a tent at a real campground, and I can’t wait to do it again. Like, next weekend.

 

Hiking in New Glarus Woods State Park.

A visit to Cackalacky.

*Author’s note: Cackalacky refers to the region comprised of both North and South Carolina, otherwise known as “The Carolinas.”

In a fit of school spirit, Joseph and I purchased tickets to the ACC Championship game in Charlotte, North Carolina immediately after Clemson clinched a spot in the game upon defeating Wake Forest on November 12. Shortly after that, we had our behinds handed to us in the final two games of the regular season, which made Joe and I wonder whether we had made a mistake in buying the tickets. Although we had already beaten Virginia Tech once this year (handing them their only loss), we doubted we’d be able to beat them twice.

So imagine our surprise, after enjoying a spirited tailgate in downtown Charlotte, when Clemson dominated Virginia Tech to win the title of ACC Champions! It was quite a thrill to see our Tigers play so well in the stadium where the Carolina Panthers play.

Following this exciting game, we spent several days in Joe’s hometown York, where we did family things. A highlight of the trip was the epic convergence of our two families – Joe’s family hosted a delicious dinner for my dad and stepmother, and festivities ensued. We had a great time together – unfortunately, my family left the rest of us with the unfortunate gift of a stomach virus.

All in all, however, the trip was a lot of fun. Family, friends, and football! Go Tigers!

Sweet home Chicago.

Two months ago (shame Katie…shame!), Joe and I ventured down to Chicagoland for a weekend of sightseeing and general carousing. Joe had never been to Chicago before, so I found myself in the unique position of tour planner extraordinaire.

In short, we had a fantastic trip that involved lots of on-foot sightseeing, eating, and drinking. We criss-crossed town on foot after taking the El into town. We got off the train in the Loop and set off for the museum campus on the southern edge of the city, making a few detours along the way(Congress Plaza Hotel has the most amazing Tiffany’s mosaics in the lobby…). When we reached the museum campus, we realized the lines were far too long, and that we should plan to return the next day.

We found ourselves meandering back north through Grant Park and Millennium Park. The Chicago Marathon was the next day, so the whole city was in disarray in preparation. We decided to stop at the Art Institute – the only major museum in Chicago which I had never visited – and enjoyed some ancient Asian art, basketry, the miniature room, and some Impressionist and Contemporary painting.

After our stop at the Art Institute, we were famished, and found it immediately necessary to find some deep-dish pizza. We made our way through Millennium Park, stopping to ogle at the amphitheater and the Bean before landing at Giordano’s.

A pitcher of beer and one deep-dish pizza later, we were revived and ready to go. We continued our trek up Michigan Avenue, stopping briefly to sit in a storefront window with a mid-afternoon coffee for people-watching. We crossed the Michigan Avenue bridge over the Chicago River and dived into the heart of the Magnificent Mile shopping district. Of note here, besides the absolute droves of people, was a huge tribute display to Steve Jobs at the Apple store. People had written their thoughts on sticky notes, supplied by the Apple store, and carpeted the entire storefront with colorful remembrances.

Our next stop was the top of the John Hancock Tower, where we enjoyed a gorgeous panorama of big blue Lake Michigan and the amazing Chicago skyline.

The rest of our evening consisted of visits to several historic taverns which I had dug up in my research. The first, the Clark Street Ale House, was a craft beer emporium, with both a lovely beer garden and an open storefront, which was a wonderful way to enjoy the nearly 80-degree weather we had enjoyed that day. Next stop was a little Mexican joint that we hunted down after having a sudden attack of tamale cravings. Finally, on our slow walk back to the Loop, we stopped at Miller’s Pub, where we were served by a mischievous bartender nicknamed Beaker, after the Muppet whom he strongly resembled.

The following day, we enjoyed the madhouse that was the Chicago marathon, and spent a number of hours wandering the halls of the Field Museum of Natural History. We emerged exhausted and dying for a Chicago-style hot dog from a street vendor, which we promptly hunted down and ate. Reluctant to leave town, we made a final stop at a beautiful rooftop bar and restaurant in the heart of the Loop called Plymouth Bar. We watched the trains go by and reflected on our excellent weekend.

All in all, the Chicago trip was a great success. To see the whole slew of photos we took, visit my Facebook album here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100164806343688.2482913.12704139&type=1&l=56ec9d6180

Autumn panoramic in our neighborhood.

The Village Green: Where everybody knows your name.

Upon moving to a new town, one of the most important decisions a girl must make is the neighborhood bar that she chooses to frequent. After extensive research, Joe and I can say with some confidence that the Village Green is going to be that place for us.

Unassuming and small, the Village Green is a little local bar where you can frequently find one of the two brothers who own the place operating the flat-top grill. They only have a few taps, but they offer good beer (it’s the only place in town I’ve found where you can get the Great Lakes Burning River on tap) and a handful of nice bartenders. Some good fried appetizers (Spudsters – breaded and deep fried mashed potatoes…need I say more?) and excellent burgers round out the mix. There’s usually some interesting local folks there, and about half the time one of them offers to buy us shots.

What really sealed the deal for me was our experience last night. Joe and I were pumped up to watch an exciting Clemson vs. Virginia Tech football game, so we went to a bar that we knew had tons of TVs, figuring they’d be willing to put our game on at least one of them. But alas: they refused. So we decided to take our good money somewhere else, and landed at the Village Green, where they turned one of their five TVs to the Clemson game for us, despite the grumbling protests of some of the patrons.

It’s hard to find places like this – it’s not really anything special, which is exactly why it’s a comfortable and relaxing place to go. It becomes someplace special as you come to know the folks there and feel at home. Last night we parked our butts in stools and watched our Tigers emerge victorious (and now we’re a top ten team!). Our neighbors bought us tequila shots to celebrate, and another group helped us perform our fight chant (1-2-3-4  1-2-3-4 C-L-E-M-S-O-N  T-I-G-E-Rrrr-S! Fight Tigers, fight Tigers, fight fight fight!) and mistakenly (and perhaps drunkenly) cheered on our alma mater Clemmons, even though they didn’t know a thing about it. Who could ask for anything better?