travel

Windy City Weekend Eats: Part 2

/ Kelly / 4 Comments

Welcome to Part Two of my Chicago eats recap! Part One featured vegan diner food and fantastic pho, and Part Two only gets better. :)

After slurping pho for lunch, S and I switched to forks for our dinner experience. The next restaurant on the docket was Karyn’s on Green, where we transitioned from a fast-casual lunch to a fancy-schmancy sit-down dinner. I dined at Karyn’s Cooked last year, so I knew I could expect delicious, delicious eats from a Karynian establishment, and I wasn’t disappointed. I don’t have a photo, so you’ll just have to trust me. S ordered a pizza with arugula, caramelized onions, potatoes, and a cheezy topping, and he graciously let me share, so I can vouch for its deliciousness. I chose the Sweet Pea Risotto, which features white truffle oil, sweet peas, and pea pods. I’m not sure I can adequately describe how fantastic this was. Perfectly creamy, the entire risotto was infused with a delicate sweet pea flavor, turning it a gorgeous shade of light green. The crispy pea pods were a perfect textural counterpoint to the otherwise creamy dish – it was very well-balanced. It was also quite filling; S had to help me finish it. I’d absolutely love to recreate it, but I’m not sure I could do it justice!

Beyond its amazing food, Karyn’s had fantastic customer service. Through some oversight or miscommunication, S and I weren’t given menus for about ten minutes after being seated (we did have bread with an herbed butter to munch on, however), and our server was extremely apologetic and offered us a round of free drinks on the house. We both chose the specials of the night; S’s featured muddled watermelon and other things I can’t remember, and mine was a minty, chocolaty affair that was a rich, creamy delight. We rounded off our meal with a to-go dessert, a chocolate-peanut butter pie that I might have eaten for breakfast the next morning. Maybe. I can’t say for sure. Overall, our experience at Karyn’s was fantastic, and I still dream about my risotto.

Our final eating destination was a new-to-Chicago establishment, Native Foods. The Wicker Park location opened in early August, and it seems like it’s already gained a fan following. We just beat the lunch rush on Sunday and sat outdoors munching on a meatball sub (S) and a chicken-ranch burger (me). This is the type of thing I’d never make on my own, so I loved the opportunity to try it!

I swear it wasn't this neon IRL...

Native Foods does faux-meat really, really well, so it makes total sense that their new location was hoppin’ on a Sunday afternoon! My chicken-ranch burger was the special of the day, so I got a free side. Obviously I chose the sweet potato fries, and they were crispy, sweet, and salty perfection. I also got a lavender lemonade, which hit all the right notes – tart and tangy with the slightest floral flavor.

And that’s all she ate! Despite trying four fantastic vegan-friendly restaurants, our Google doc has many more options yet to be tasted. I resolve to one day try the famous Chicago Diner, Handlebar Bar & Grill, the Loving Hut, the Green Zebra, and one (or two… or three) of the vegan-friendly bakeries in Chitown.

Windy City Weekend Eats: Part 1

/ Kelly / 9 Comments

Although I didn’t spend last weekend in Portland with all the cool vegan kids, I’ve had my fair share of adventures this summer, including an action-packed weekend trip to Chicago with my manfriend, forthwith to be known as S. We had a great time, and I’m breaking up my recap post into two parts because it’s just too darn long (twss)!

So, Chicago. S and I have both done most of the standard Chicago touristy activities, so instead of taking photos at the Bean or buying overpriced mass-produced souvenirs at Navy Pier, we chose events that appealed to our interests. We took an architecture boat tour of the city (#protip: If you take the 8:00 AM tour, tickets are 50% off), visited the Museum of Science and Industry (agriculture [read: dairy] exhibit, gag!), marveled at the Baha’i Temple, checked out Ikea (my first time!), and ogled cute animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo.*

And, of course, we ate. Weeks prior to our trip, I created a Google doc with a list of possible eateries, so when we felt rumbly in our tumblies, we pulled the document up on my man’s phone and found somewhere nearby to eat. (Incidentally, I have almost been convinced that smart phones aren’t the devil now that I’ve learned how frakkin’ easy it is to navigate public transit with one. You basically say, “Oh, I would like to take the bus to Destination X; tell me how!” and the smart phone is all, “Yes, my liege! beep boop beep Here are step-by-step instructions on how to reach your destination! It will take you this many minutes and this many stops and, also, feel free to watch your progress via this small blue dot moving along this map! Have a great trip!” For those of us prone to travel-induced anxiety, it’s a godsend.)

Anyway, we ate. On Friday night, our first stop post-Madison and pre-Chicago was Ravinia Park, where we watched Fellowship of the Ring on a huge open-air screen while the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played the soundtrack live. Oh yes. It was as awesome as it sounds, despite the fact that we were 4,395 miles from the screen and had to perch atop a picnic bench to be able to distinguish Sauron from Saruman. After the movie ended, we hightailed it to – wait for it – a vegan-friendly 24-hour diner. 24-hour diner, y’all. Pick Me Up Cafe is located in Lakeview and has some amazing vegan options. It took me ages to decide between french toast and tostadas; I couldn’t decide if I wanted brekkie food or dinner food at 1:00 in the morning! S had less trouble deciding and chose a seitan-based sandwich, the details of which I cannot remember because I was waffling back and forth between my two options. Ultimately I went for the french toast, and I did not regret it:

Toast of the French!

Pardon the crappy colors, but it was late/early, the diner was dark, and I wanted to get my toast on! This is French toast like I remember it from my pregan days, thickly sliced and super filling. And our waitress even let me know that the butter on the side was vegan! Rapture! I also shared a creamsicle milkshake with S, and it was sweet and cool and delicious. Diner food at its finest.

Our next meal of note was a first for me. I’d never had pho before, but S is a bit of a pho connoisseur and has sung its praises repeatedly. So we were thrilled to discover that Chicago has at least one vegan pho option, Bon Bon Sandwiches in Wicker Park.

Phantastic!

This was the perfect meal on a rainy Saturday (it cleared up later, never fear!), and I really enjoyed the variety of flavors in each spoonful/chopstickful. S said the broth was not as flavorful as its beef-based kin, but adding various sauces and spices helped. I’d love to try to make this some time!

And that’s all for part one. I’ll finish up soon, I promise. And in the meantime, let me know if you have any tips for making homemade pho!

*Re: zoos. Zoos aren’t very vegan. As an institution, I feel pretty darn uncomfortable with them. Keeping animals in captivity for the sake of keeping them in captivity is ethically wrong. But I do think zoos can do some good when they promote breeding in species that are endangered because of something good ol’ humankind has done to them or their environment. And I also think they could conceivably foster awareness in visitors, particularly children, who might have that “aha!” moment when they realize that the cute animals they’re seeing in zoos are not so different than the cute animals that are butchered and cooked and served up for dinner. For me personally, any interaction I have with animals, at a zoo or elsewhere, reminds me why I’m vegan and reinforces my belief that I’m making the best choice I can. In my ideal, vegan-friendly fantasy world, zoos would be replaced by centers for the rehabilitation of injured animals and the breeding of endangered animals, and they’d be open to the public in an educational capacity so families could come and learn about our multi-legged friends. A girl can dream, right?!

California Eatin’

/ Kelly / 2 Comments

Greetings from not-so-sunny California! Never fear – the reason it’s not sunny is because it’s barely 6:00 AM. I’m sitting at the airport waiting for my flight back to Madison (via good ol’ Minneapolis) after spending a couple days in Laguna Hills on a work trip. Okay, that’s a lie, because I started typing that last Wednesday and didn’t finish it until now. Truth be told, I’m sitting on my lazy butt here in Madison. Cough. With that out of the way, let’s resume the narrative, shall we?

Said work trip was rather frustrating (Kelly + inefficiency = RAAAGE), but at least I got to make up for those annoyances by seeing my grandfather and his wife and eating delicious food. On my second night in California, my grandfather and his wife picked me up at my hotel and we went out to dinner. I very rarely see them, so I was quite excited when I realized that my work trip serendipitously took me very close to their area of residence. I wasn’t sure how they’d feel about the vegan restaurants I suggested, but they weren’t fazed at all and it took it in stride. My step-grandmother had just read a book about veganism, and she asked all sorts of great questions. Hallelujah!

I was so excited to discover at least three all-vegan eateries within 20 minutes of my hotel, and at the rather exuberant recommendation of the hotel desk lady, we hit up the Veggie Grill at Irvine Spectrum. I didn’t realize that VG was so fake-meat-centric, but as it turns out, fake meat is just the ticket to convince omnis that a veg-based diet is totally doable! My grandfather wasn’t super hungry, but he ordered some “chicken” tenders that he said were pretty indistinguishable from their fowl-based brethren. My step-grandma enjoyed a portobella burger, and she couldn’t stop raving about it! I had a chipotle BBQ burger, featuring strips of faux beef, and I was quite surprised to find that I really enjoyed it – normally, I can take or leave fake meat. But this was just plain tasty, and I got to talk about the merits of veganism with receptive relatives, so I’m calling the whole experience a success (even if I didn’t get any pictures).

Another success: vegan pizza! There were only a few restaurants in the vicinity of my hotel that delivered there (I didn’t have a rental car), and I was a bit concerned that I’d have to order a salad and french fries for dinner one night. But a quick internet search led to this post, which taught me that BJ’s Brewhouse has easily veganizable deep dish pizzas. Hallelujah!

"Friday was pizza day, the best day of the week...!"

This crust was seriously tasty. I was initially a bit wary of deep dish pizza, because the only other time I’d had it was in Chicago in my pre-vegan days, and it was so damn cheesy and heavy that it sat like a brick of dairy in my poor tummy for hours afterwards. But this crust was perfectly light and chewy and everything I could have dreamed for in a delivery pizza. I got it with artichoke hearts and tomatoes and a side salad, and ate the whole damn thing in one sitting with no ill effects. Woo!

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately. I’m also super excited because I’ll be back in RI on Friday to attend my little bro’s college graduation, yay! What exciting things have you done lately?

Oh, and happy day of the mothers to any moms who might be reading! I can’t wait to see mine later this week. :)

Austin/Easter

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

Eep! My poor, neglected blog. I’ve been so busy! Austin was fantastic; I got to spend time with lots of lovely people, basking in the sun and getting a tattoo (more about that later!) and eating tons of yummy vegan food (Mother’s Cafe! Whole Foods! Counter Culture! Other places! Etc!). Then I got back to Wisconsin and froze to death (lie) in the cold and the rain and the FROST ON MY WINDSHIELD, HOW DARE YOU MOTHER NATURE.

Buttttt anyway. I don’t have photos of my Austin eats, because, quite frankly, I was too busy cavorting and finding moonlight towers to photograph my food. However, when I returned to WI, the one consolation for the nasty weather was an Easter package from my marvelous parents. Mumsie and Daddy sent me a bunch of goodies from Pangea! I got chocolates, jelly beans, soap (Mum, do I smell?!), lip balm (perfect timing, because I just ran out of my Crazy Rumors!), and a cute pin.

Easter basket?!

Yay! Thanks, padres! The truffles are delicious; they have little bits of hazelnut in them, and they remind me of one of my favorite pre-vegan candy bars: Kinder Bueno bars. My friend Justine and I fell in love with these bars when we were in London way back in 2004, and we’d always try to pick up a box of them whenever either of us returned to Europe. Alas; they’re not vegan. But now I know I can approximate their flavor with these tasty truffles!

Now I am getting ready for yet another trip, this time to California! It’s a work trip, but I am serendipitously stationed close to where my grandfather lives, so I will get to meet up with him and his wife. :) Yay! How are y’all?

Vegan on the Go: Northstar Café (Friday Flashback)

/ Kelly / 3 Comments

Let’s jump in our Delorean and do a little time-traveling, shall we? Don’t worry, we’re not going very far – only four days back, to late Friday afternoon. I’d just arrived in Columbus, and I’d picked up my rental car and was feelin’ more than a bit peckish. I wanted a tasty dinner before beginning the drive to Zanesville, so I headed over to a location fairly close to the Columbus airport – Northstar Café.

Let’s travel back a little further – earlier that week, when I realized I’d be in Columbus for an evening, I took the logical step: I solicited advice for vegan eats via Twitter. Brian, the [not so] Crabby Vegan, responded and tipped me off about a very timely series over at Eat Pure, where Sarah-Mai was just finishing up a series about vegan food in Columbus. Serendipitous, no? I was quite impressed by the variety of food available, but ultimately I chose the Easton Northstar because it was closest to the Columbus airport. :)

When I arrived on Friday, I took a look at the menu (which isn’t available online for the Easton location!) and got pretty excited about the Buddha bowl. Sadly, though, my inquiries revealed that the sauce used in the bowl contains honey. But a helpful waitress was only too willing to point out the honey-free vegan options, and eventually I settled on the veganized Northstar Burger: Just made with organic brown rice, black beans and beets, topped with white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion.

 

 

 

 

Lookit those grill marks!

 

 

Beets in a burger?! I’m totally sold! I had to eat this with a fork and knife because it was so darn big and the bread was so darn thick, but I didn’t care – it was delicious! The beets, rice, and beans created a crispy, delightfully-textured, and superbly-flavored creation that I totally enjoyed and that played well with a mustard-y spread on the bread-bun. It also came with a really yummy, crunchy, salad, with fennel and onions and lettuce and all sorts of yumminess covered in some sort of oil-based dressing. Oh, and the pickle was dreamy, too.

My only complaints about this meal were that the burger was a little too salty and the salad was a tiny bit too oily. Other than that, however, it was fantastic. If I ever find myself back in Columbus, I’ll be sure to pay Northstar a second visit.

What’s the tastiest vegan burger you’ve ever tried? The most exotic?

Vegan on the Go: O’Happy at O’Hare!

/ Kelly / 11 Comments

DUDES. I discovered the most amazing thing in O’Hare airport this morning! Check it:

O M G!

Initially I was a little confused as to why that banner was there – it was on one of those closed-off, in-construction type areas where they were obviously building a new eating establishment, so originally I thought it was saying that this was a “coming soon” type of thing. But then I realized that it was right across from the actual/current location of Cibo Express, so I realized it was an advertising tactic. Anyway, it worked – I could not resist investigating a vegan option! Not being a Portland native with vegan options hitting me in the face every time I turn a corner, I still get giddy and excited whenever I see the word VEGAN in the rEaL wOrLd.

And OH MY WORD! I was so thrilled to discover that Cibo had tons prepared, ready-to-eat, veg foods! Fruit cups, [various types of] sushi, packages of hummus and veggies, even [an admittedly tiny] KALE SALAD! And sandwiches GALORE, all explicitly marked as vegan! They had a jerk tofu one that looked particularly good, along with more varieties that I can’t remember. I think all the sandwiches are made in a local Chicago restaurant and then sold at the airport, which is cool. And there were tons of yummy organic and healthy drink options, too. There were also some non-veggie items, but we won’t talk about that. ;) Here’s what I ended up getting:

Hey there, vegan yumminess!

I purchased this at 7:30 in the morning on my layover in O’Hare, thinkin’ I’d eat it on my flight from Chicago to Madison. For some reason the idea of a “chicken” salad sandwich, as boring as it might seem, was really appealing; since it was early, I didn’t want anything too spicy. But the Chicago-Madison flight is so short – and I was so busily knitting – that I didn’t end up eating it until I was back home, maybe around 10:45. Still, it was reallllly tasty, totally like the chicken salad of yore. My only complaint was that the bread was a little soggy, but maybe that’s because it was sitting in my giant purse for two hours. Oops. The iced tea was also delicious; I’d never seen that brand before but I enjoyed it; it was subtly flavored and very refreshing.

Needless to say, I’m thrilled to know that decent vegan eats exist at O’Hare; you can find Cibo Express between terminals 1 and 2, by the big plane that’s sort of suspended in an odd corner in some sort of display (clearly I wasn’t awake enough to absorb any more detail than that). I’m also thrilled that my company will reimburse me for this meal. ;)

Anyway, that’s all for the moment – I’m quite exhausted after this trip!* I still have one more on-the-go type post to share, but I’ll save it for later. And now I need to catch up on all the awesome MoFo posts I undoubtedly missed during the past few days – don’t be surprised if y’all receive boatloads of random comments tonight!

Have you ever found a surprise!vegan option at an airport or similar travel-type location?

* Proof: I originally typed “O’Hair” instead of “O’Hare” in this post. The Irish version of Hair, perhaps? Now I’m picturing lots of freckly redheads running around nakie and singing hippie songs. Hee hee hee.

Vegan on the Go

/ Kelly / 2 Comments

After a day of traveling, I made it safe and [mostly] sound to Zanesville, Ohio. The work part of my work trip begins in earnest tomorrow, so tonight I’m taking it easy and trying to get rid of the headache and sore throat that’ve plagued me all day. For that reason, enter Super Cop-Out Post Numero Uno!

Question: What’s a vegan to do when she’s traveling to a small town, working 12-hour shifts at a hospital for three days straight, and said small town features mostly restaurants like Steak ‘n Shake and Bob Evans?

Answer: Snack it up! This was my suitcase this morning:

Case o' snacks.

That big ol’ bag features mostly Larabars, pretzels, sesame sticks, assorted teas, and… oatmeal. Or oats, rather, ready to be made into oatmeal at a moment’s notice. Except I don’t have a microwave in my hotel room, come to find out. Oh well – I’m sure I can be resourceful and figure something out. I’m counting on the hotel’s morning breakfast spread to include fruit that I can squirrel away for later, and my snacks along with whatever vegan fare I can rustle up at the hospital cafeteria should hold me over throughout the day. However, I’m not quite sure how I’ll survive at dinner time when I’m hungry after a long shift… I’ve a feeling that snacks won’t cut it then! I’ll report back and let you know how I fare. ;)

What are your on-the-go eating strategies when you know you won’t be in a vegan-friendly location?

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Possibly My New Favorite Place EVER.

/ Kelly / 3 Comments

I’m writing this post in Pages (Apple’s anti-Microsoft Word) because lately my internet has been le suck. After spending yet another weekend out of town, my Google Reader is desperate for attention, but my internet refuses to load it! It’s super frustrating. :(

Anyway, like I said in my last post, I recently spent a magical week in Florida with my family as a surprise 30th anniversary gift to my parents. They’ve been married for thirty years, dated for six years before that, and produced three top-notch kids (heh heh), so we decided they deserved somethin’ special! Plus… we wanted to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. :) My whole family has been Potterfans for ages, so this trip pleased everybody.

Welcome to Hogsmeade!

And what can I say – Harry Potter World is abso-freakin-mazing. I was filled with such geeky, fangirly glee the whole time we were there, gazing up at the rustic, snow-capped buildings as I wandered the streets of Hogsmeade, buying a pumpkin juice from a crusty old street vendor, and window-shopping at Zonko’s joke shop. Although those of the iron-fisted, true-to-canon-only persuasion may recoil with horror at the fact that Diagon Alley shops are nestled next to Hogsmeade shops, I managed to let that slide, because the overall atmosphere is just so realistic and authentic and wonderful. Packed to the brim with merchandise and not-for-sale decorative, thematic knick-knacks, stepping into one of the crowded, cluttered stores that line the streets of Hogsmeade is like stepping into the Hogsmeade of J.K. Rowling’s books. The store clerks all wear Potter-appropriate clothing, although some of their combinations (bizarre striped pants and tunic-type shirts) are more reminiscent of a wizard trying to dress like a muggle, a la Cornelius Fudge. From the street vendors pouring out frothy mugs of butterbeer to the Hogwarts Express conductor roaming the streets, braving the heat while wearing a full-on conductor’s uniform, the staff adds an indispensable touch of life to the atmosphere that makes the whole experience that much more realistic.

GRYFFINDOR 4 LYFE!

And, of course, there are rides. Not many rides, but enough to satisfy anyone who needs to supplement their wide-eyed wandering through Hogsmeade with a little adrenaline rush. The Dragon Challenge ride is basically the old Dueling Dragons ride from Islands of Adventure; with a fresh coat of paint and a few minor changes to the interior line and waiting area, it’s passable as an interpretation of the dragon challenge from the Triwizard Cup. The ceiling of the loading area is particularly impressive; it’s meant to look like you’re in a large tent, and shadowy figures of dragons swoop down among the outlines of treetops. The ride itself is just Dueling Dragons, a fun, quick, roller coaster with lots of loops and turns and an element of “competition” as your dragon (either the Hungarian Horntail or the Chinese Fireball) races against the other.

For the younger muggles, the park features Flight of the Hippogriff, a tamer coaster that wends through the Hogwarts grounds and past Hagrid’s hut. Riders sit in a wicker-like car that’s fronted by a Hippogriff-head of sorts.

The park’s tour-de-force ride, though, is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which takes place inside the Hogwarts castle.

Hoggy warty Hogwarts!

The castle itself – and the line for the ride – is a major attraction; Universal did a truly amazing job recreating key rooms from Hogwarts, from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to Dumbledore’s office. Packed with magical objects and paraphernalia, the attention to detail is incredible. I could’ve spent hours just oohing and aahing and exclaiming over everything.

House points… looks like Gryffindor’s in the lead!

The moving portraits might have been my absolute favorite detail, however. One whole room of Hogwarts, one tall, narrow, glorious room, is filled with a haphazardly-placed array of portraits, pictures of wizards and witches and magical folk. Just like in the books, they really and truly resemble oil paintings – there’s that same sort of crackly gloss to them. But they move! The characters move and talk and interact and jump from one frame to another. I think I loved them so much because their styles were so varied, as if this was really a collection of paintings that started centuries ago and that current inhabitants kept expanding. It was, in a word, enchanting.

‘s magic.

And the ride itself? Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is easily – easily – one of the best theme park rides I’ve ever experienced. I don’t say that lightly, either; I’m a bit of a roller coaster enthusiast and a ride junkie, but this is hands down in my top three. It’s a little difficult to describe the type of ride this is; the story is that you’re invited to a Quidditch match, but you have to sneak in, so Hermione enchants a school bench to fly you there. Once you’re seated in the bench, the ride begins in earnest. The bench itself seems to move around on some sort of gigantic robotic arm, twisting you and turning you and jostling you around as you fly through a Quidditch pitch (“Showing off again for your muggle admirers, Potter?” Draco sneers) and dodge Dementors in the Forbidden Forest. The ride uses a combination of video screens and animatronics; the Whomping Willow that nearly knocks your bench off course is a three-dimensional moving object, while the swooping scenes of water as you fly over a lake are obviously shown on a huge screen that surrounds you and gives you the sensation of being there. The bench’s movements are perfectly synchronized with what you see, so when you dive off a cliff towards the water, the bench drops and so does your stomach. It’s truly incredible. And although the lines can be long – 90 minutes! – my family lucked out on one mildly rainy night when we practically walked right on… three times in a row. :)

And if that harrowing journey leaves you hungry, the Three Broomsticks is waiting with authentic Potter-esque fare. While the menu isn’t extremely vegan-friendly, I managed to piece together a decent meal of corn on the cob and potatoes and salad when my family ate there one night.

Nom?

Adjacent to the Three Broomsticks is the Hog’s Head pub, where you can grab a cider or a pint of the Hog’s Head home brew. I tried a sip of my brother’s, and it was quite tasty! If you’re not up for alcohol, the pumpkin juice is a ridiculously delicious alternative. Perfectly pumpkin-y and superbly spiced, the juice tastes best when ice cold – perfect for a hot day in Hogsmeade. The pumpkin juice avoids tasting like pureed pumpkin pie; instead, it combines a few different fruit juices (pumpkin, apricot) with the perfect amount of complementary spices to create a unique flavor that’s surprisingly addictive. I’m definitely planning on trying to recreate it at home! But – of course – pumpkin juice isn’t the star beverage…

Drink of champions.

…nope, that would be the ubiquitous butterbeer! Served either warm or cold, you can get a glass of this beverage nearly anywhere in the park. Butterbeer jockeys pour it from a cart in the middle of the street while bartenders serve up sloshing glasses in the pub, glasses filled to the brim with the caramel-colored beverage and topped with a thick, foamy head. I’d read up on butterbeer before heading to the park, and because others described it as tasting like cream soda and sugar and butter, I assumed it wasn’t vegan-friendly. The day after I left, though, I got a text from my sister saying, “The butterbeer’s nondairy!” Serves me right for not asking! In any case, my family described it as almost overwhelmingly sweet and creamy, perfect if you’ve got a major sweet tooth. (Note: I can’t confirm that “nondairy” means vegan; I’ve also heard it has whey in it.)

What else can I say? I loved this place. I felt like a five-year-old again, I was so excited to be there. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, it’s probably the closest you’ll get to ever living in his wonderful, magical world!

K-k-k-kale!

/ Kelly / 3 Comments

Holy green goodness, Batman!

Oh, what’s that, you ask? Oh, y’know… just a giant bowl of organic kale that I just HARVESTED FROM MY GARDEN. No big deal.

JK, it *is* a big deal – it’s my first harvest of the season! And I did it at 8:30 at night!! It’s totally worth the 8,639 mosquito bites I sustained in the process!!! Totally, totally worth it.

My work offers garden plots for free to employees, since our company owns 500+ acres in semi-rural Wisconsin. The garden is organic – no nasty pesticides allowed. The kale is one of only two plants I didn’t start from seed; when I saw organic kale plants for sale at the farmers’ market a few months ago, I couldn’t resist. And it’s doing well, as you can see! I look forward to a summer full of green monsters. :)

I haven’t been blog-absent because I’ve been diligently working in my garden, though. I actually spent last week at the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park (along with Universal + Disney) with my family as a semi-surprise belated 30th anniversary gift to my parents. It was FREAKING AWESOME and totally magical. If only I could really live at Hogwarts. Siiigh.

I’ll post some geektastic photos later, but I’m not sticking around too long – tomorrow I’m hoppin’ a plane for Austin, Texas for a weekend mini-reunion with some of my best friends from college. We graduated a year ago – it’s insane! It’s going to be great to catch up with everyone and pretend we’re young again. :)

Has anybody else been anywhere fun lately?

Mambo Italiano

/ Kelly / 4 Comments

Three days ago, I said arrivederci to Italy and headed back to the US of A. I spent an amazing week in Rome with a two day Florentine interlude in the middle, and I think I’m officially besotted with the country. Florence especially captured my heart; the Duomo is quite possibly the most beautiful building I’ve ever seen, and the view from the top is utterly breathtaking.

I could spend hours typing up detailed descriptions of everything I did and saw, but I’m not going to do that. I may be an English major, but I know that sometimes pictures really speak volumes (see what I did there, messin’ with your aphorisms?), so I’m going to keep it simple. Here are 20 minimally-captioned photos showing you what we did on our Roman holiday.

Busts, busts, and more busts.
We admired art – frescoes and paintings and statues, ancient and not-so-ancient.

Oh really?
We laughed at unintentionally amusing sign placement.

Stairs, stairs, and more stairs.
We climbed seemingly interminable staircases to reach tiny cupolas atop huge domes.

In vino veritas?
We toasted time well spent and company well kept.

The Arno.
We admired storybook views.

Paninininini.
We boggled at the ubiquity of pizza and panini shops.

Naptime.
We savored the simple joy of an afternoon nap.

Duomo doors.
We felt humbled by the beauty and grandeur around us.

Sister love.
We climbed more stairs to see even more amazing views.

Famiglia.
We discovered the change in family dynamics that accompanies growing up.

Lining up for the Uffizi.
We waited in more lines for a chance to see more breathtaking artwork.

Colosseum.
We caught glimpses of the past in the ruins of today.

Romantic poets, anyone?
We found surprises that made our [my] literary hearts glow with delight.

Siblings.
We bickered and lost our tempers and had moments of familial bliss.

The neverending Appian Way.
We posed for far too many photos.

Walking.
We walked until our feet were sore and swollen, and then we walked some more.

Fountain bliss.
We took time to stop and enjoy the serenity of a summer afternoon in a beautiful park.

Cold hands.
We learned to appreciate water fountains.

Surprise performance at the Trevi Fountain.
We were delighted by the serendipity of stumbling onto a free opera performance on our last night.

Colosseum at night.
And we enjoyed one last bella notte before saying goodbye.

Even though I forgot to throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, I know I’ll be back to Italy one day – I left too many museums unvisited and too many bottles of wine undrunk. ;)

Ciao…