NOLA: Spring Break 2014

NOLA/ Nawlins/ New Orleans was hands down one of the craziest cities I’ve ever been to. Admittedly, we did get there just in time for Mardi Gras 😉 …But trust me, this city has NO shortage of activities. 

The Big Easy treated us very well, and if you haven’t been yet, you are missing out on, what is in my opinion, one of the best cities in America. 

New Orleans is beautiful–inside and out. I was swoon from the get-go. The culture of this place is unparalleled to any other city I’ve been to in the U.S.. The music, the food, and the pure love of life that exudes from every street corner is something to revel in.

My friends and I were in New Orleans for 5 days and by the end of the trip we were all wishing we lived there. The vibe of NOLA is super relaxed and if you just let yourself wander, you’ll stumble into the most incredible things and truly get the most out of this city:

• The French Quarter
• Bourbon Street (Hand Grenades & Huge Ass Beers)
• Frenchman Street (Live music >>>)
• The French Market & Shopping District (The flea market and vintage shops are to die for!)
• Take the trolley up and down Canal Street (Hop on, hop off, get lost!)
• Any and every side street (Seriously, they’re all great and have something unique to offer.)
• Hole-in-the-walls for local food (I can die happy knowing I stumbled upon the best Creole food in New Orleans…)

Who’s been to New Orleans before? I’d definitely like to go back again and would love to hear more suggestions!

PS- If you want to see more pictures from my trip, check out my Instagram and Flickr! xx

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Nashville: Noms, Nights, & Sights!

For spring break this year some friends and I decided to road trip down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras (Not to worry- I’ll post about that trip too!) But first, we decided to spend a weekend in Nashville…and I thought I’d share some of the noms, nights, and sights from that leg of our journey!

For those of you who haven’t been to Nashville, you have to get there ASAP! This city is amazing. Seriously. There’s something happening on every street corner, the people are unbelievably friendly, and you just feel completely at home. 

My friends and I spent 3 days and 2 nights in this town and I desperately wished we had planned for more. But hey, that gives me an excuse to come back, right? 

Some MUSTS in Nashville (AKA Music City) are:

• Shopping on Broadway and in ‘The Gulch’ 
• Dinner and drinks at Wildhorse Saloon (Hit up Robert’s Western Honky Tonk & Tootsie’s afterwards) 
• You’ve GOTTA get some BBQ (Jack’s or Rippy’s)
• Centennial Park (The Parthenon replica is actually really impressive, plus it’s right by Vanderbilt’s campus which is neat to walk through…)
• The Johnny Cash Museum OR The Country Music Hall of Fame
• The Opry House (try to see a show here one night!)
• Head to some of the bars in Midtown (Way more locals=way more fun; My favorite: Winners & Losers Bar)
• Jack White’s Record Store, Third Man Records
• The Ryman Auditorium (Even if it’s just outside, you’ll appreciate the architecture)

Like I said, there is a lot to see and do in this fabulous city, so it is definitely worth your while to visit…and the next time you do, don’t hesitate to invite me!

Have any of you been to Nashville? Where are your favorite spots? I’d love to hear about them!

Food Tripping

Since we’re already on the subject of going green, I thought I’d share a new app I recently downloaded. It’s called Food Tripping, and I love it! The app was created by the stud from the show Entourage (In real life he goes by Adrian Grenier) and his friend, Peter Glatzer.

The goal? To lead you to the closest healthy eateries, farmer’s markets, juice joints, and vegan spots all over the US via GPS technology!

Why is this app so great? Because it’s a collaborative effort between the founders, Ford (the duo recently teamed up with the auto company), and the community of people who use the app. This ensures that the spots are not only accurate, but current.

I live in a small town in Michigan, so I was a little hesitant to download this, thinking that it was meant for bigger, more conscious cities. I extremely underestimated how useful this app would be! Food Tripping has led me to over 10 new places that I had never heard of, and now I’m sure to become a regular. Download this app! (<–Are you hearing me? Seriously, download it!)

Read more here.

Perfect Day For A Picnic

When the sun shines in Michigan, it is truly beautiful ..And speaking as a true Michigander- I do not take the nice weather for granted. Last week there was snow on the ground, but today my friends and I had a picnic under a perfect blue sky. We exchanged great food and even better stories. I always cherish the time I get to spend catching up with these lovely ladies!

Let the Countdown Begin!

Only 4 days until I fly to sunny San Francisco! I’ve been putting together my to-do (to-see) list for a while now, and I wanted to share it with all of you!

• Bay Bridge (Grand lighting ceremony March 5th)
• Original Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory
• Alcatraz (Which I still need to buy tickets for! I hear they sell out a week in advance! Hope I’m not too late!)
• SF MoMa (AKA The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)
• Full House houses (do these have a formal name??)
• Bibliohead bookstore
• Nob Hill Tower
• Presidio of San Francisco
• Vista Tower
• Mile Rock Beach
• China Town
• Fisherman’s Wharf
• Union Square
• An “Off the Grid” food event (at the Fort Mason Center)
• Ferry Building (Go Saturday morning/ early afternoon for the Farmer’s Market)
• IN N’ OUT BURGER
• Golden Gate Park
• Make sure to go to these Ice-Cream parlors: Bi Rite Creamery, Humphrey Slocombe, & Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous
• Make sure to go to these Coffee shops: Four Barrel, Sightglass, Philz, Blue Bottle, & Ritual.

Do you think I can do all of that in a week? My cousin also just told me she has a ton of other things for us to see as well. Do you have any suggestions on anything else I can’t miss? Please comment below!

PS- Thank you to Nellie  for the awesome food suggestions, make sure to check out her page!

Chicago!

Just returned home from a [quick] trip to Chicago!

 

My friend Brittany and I went to the city on Wednesday to go see Swedish House Mafia perform. The group is currently on their last tour because they are all going to venture out as individual artists. I have always loved electronic dance music and SHM is one of my all-time favorite groups. Their music puts me in such an amazing trance and just makes me so happy. Even though the show was during the week, and I had to miss some classes, I couldn’t not see them.

The show was unbelievable and I am so happy I decided to go.

 

Thursday, Brittany and I just explored the city. We’ve both been to Chicago enough times that we’ve done most of the “touristy” things, which means we didn’t really have an agenda. It was so nice to just walk around and explore. I think that’s when you see the most, when you’re not really looking for something in particular, or trying to get somewhere in a hurry. We ended up getting a bit lost but it was great because we saw some wonderful new areas we’d never been to before.

As with any trip, food is most important, here are some snapshots of some of the eating I did while there:

While in Chicago, I also got to meet up with one of my friends from Luleå, Sweden. It’s been 5 years since the last time we saw each other! She’s studying at the university in Chicago now, so we’ll definitely be seeing more of each other. I missed her so so much.

Overall, the trip was great. Chicago is always a pleasure to visit and I cannot wait until my next trip back!

 

Eat this ..and this, and this, and this, and this, and this…

Best foods to try when traveling abroad:

I can vouch for almost half! the rest I still need to try!