Category: travel

Chicago Weekend Getaway

I’m a big fan of a web site called Babycenter.   Three plus years ago when I was pregnant with Alex, I entered my due date and got all kinds of tips and information about my pregnancy…but the best part was joining a “birth club” with other women due to give birth at the same time.  A handful of ladies formed a subgroup that I joined focused on having a fit pregnancy, and after our babes were born we named ourselves the Hawt Mamas and became very close as we talked about life with our two year olds and other kids, husbands and jobs.  So this year we planned a girls weekend, kid-free, in Chicago! One friend lives and works in Chicago so she found us a fabulous three bedroom condo to rent (cheap!) in the heart of downtown, right on Lake Michigan.  Two girls flew in from Minneapolis, one from New Jersey, one from Florida, and of course I flew from Houston.  We have three other friends who just couldn’t make it.

It was an amazing experience.  We knew each other so well that when we met in person it was almost as though we had always been neighbors.  The warmth in our group is palpable even though we each lead very unique and different lives…but we all have the common bond of raising two year olds.

We noshed on fabulous Giordano’s Chicago style pizza Friday night and walked around downtown for hours waiting for the last of our group to arrive.  Chicago is heavily decorated with Blackhawks paraphernalia right now, since they won the Stanley Cup last week and had a celebratory parade Friday morning. It was nice to see the city pride, but a little over the top for me since they beat my Philadelphia Flyers. 

Saturday we got some rain so we opted to check out the Field Museum with all its dinasours and natural history.  It was very cool and really big.  One highlight was a photography exhibit called “100% Hapa”.  Beautiful and personal portraits with some words from the subject about their identity.

We stopped by the famous “bean” to take lots of photos, and then headed to the Chicago Blues Fest in Grant Park, just a couple blocks from our condo.  I was so happy we were there the same weekend as lots of incredible free live music! Then we popped into a sports bar called Sweetwater to catch the end of the USA verses England World Cup soccer game.  That was fun.

For dinner we chose Cafe Iberico, a fantastic tapas restaurant that I recognized because I had dined there before several years ago.  The food is fantastic and you can get sangria by the pitcher which makes the dining as a group very inexpensive.

After dinner we walked down Navy Pier and stumbled across a cover band doing OLD hip hop, which left us singing and dancing to the Humpty Hump and Waterfalls.  We wanted to check out the fireworks but it was a bit chilly so we thought we’d head back to our 38th floor condo which has a fantastic view of Navy Pier. Unfortunately the fireworks were actually slightly south of the pier and mostly blocked by a building in front of us.  But it was cool to see the reflections off all the skyscrapers around us.

Sunday morning we headed to West Egg for breakfast and it was delicious!  I had french toast made with raisin bread and bacon that made my tummy happy.  We walked home past the Sheraton (where I usually stay) over the North River and packed up to go home.  On the way to the train station we popped into the Art Institute store to hunt for treasures to bring home to our kiddos.

I love city life and this weekend gave me a great taste of it.  I also love how the internet has connected me with this fabulous, beautiful, talented women.  We could have sat in the condo talking about our kids and watching World Cup soccer together all weekend and I would have still been happy.

Travel Review of Alexandria, Virginia

Back in April I had the chance to make a brief business trip to Alexandria, Virginia, and specifically spent some time in Old Town Alexandria.  I had been there maybe once before and driven through the area countless times, but I never realized how much I would love it.  I’m not much of a history buff but living in Texas where nothing is especially old, I realized I missed the beautiful look and feel of colonial architecture.  In Old Town they have done a fantastic job of keeping the old and making the new match the style.  Cobblestone streets are interspersed with concrete streets, historic placards hang everywhere, and even the Starbucks is housed in a very traditional looking building. 

Old Town Alexandria sits right on the Potomac River, neighboring downtown Washington D.C.  I flew into Reagan National airport which is literally a stones throw from Alexandria.  I could see all the great monuments surrounded by gorgeous water as I landed.  What I didn’t realize till I got there was my timing…it was in the middle of the Japanese Cherry Blossom festival in D.C.  EVERYTHING was in bloom due to a warm spring and in Old Town that meant walking around in a cloud of pollen, terrible on my allergies but absolutely beautiful. 

I stayed at the Crown Plaza in Old Town due to it’s proximity to my meeting at the Water Environment Federation’s headquarters.  Unfortunately for me, a massive group of school kids were also staying there during a spring break visit to D.C.  They had some chaperons that made sure they were in their rooms by about 10pm, but at 1am I awakened to the sound of a loud bass beat in the room next door.  I waited about two minutes, thinking of calling the front desk, till it stopped and I got back to sleep.  The next night they were gone and replaced by a group of extremely handsome young men in town for some kind of coast guard training.  And the third night they were replaced by the New York Fire Department’s Drum and Pipe Corps…there to march in the cherry blossom parade. 

The hotel was expensive but in a very lovely neighborhood, just a block from the water and surrounded by gorgeous trees and houses.  I was annoyed to find out they charged an exorbitant fee for WiFi, which I had been told was complimentary.  But the biggest perk was a free shuttle to and from the airport and to and from King Street, the central tourist and shopping spot just a few blocks away.  I walked down to King Street and back once but the shuttle was much faster. 

I enjoyed some great food during my stay.  The first night my sister came to visit me and we were starving so we stopped at the first place we found, a cute little Italian bistro called Villa de Esta.  It was moderately priced but the food was absolutely divine.  Totally fresh and unique.  I had some kind of ravioli in a Parmesan cream sauce and some bruscetta.  My sister loved her meal as well.  I ended up dining there again a second night with my WEF compatriots and everyone enjoyed their meals…especially all the fresh seafood.  The wine was exceptional as well.

Then for breakfast some of my friends who visited WEF headquarters frequently insisted we skip the bagels and juice our meeting hosts were offering and head to The Royal a block away for their famously delicious breakfast.  It was packed and I could see why.  I had the blueberry pancakes, but I lusted after the omelets and bacon my friends ordered.  Service could have been better, it was very slow, but worth the wait. 

My friend Alexis from Philly drove down from her companys’ headquarters in MD to hang out with me for a night and we opted for Mai Thai, a fusion cuisine restaurant right on the water at the bottom of King St.  I had some kind of red chili chicken that had the perfect level of heat for me, along with just the right dash of sweetness.  I inhaled it, and it was a very memorable dinner with one of my very closest friends.  Then we walked up the street, popping in a few shops, and settled on drinks at O’Connell’s Irish pub.  It was the second time I’d enjoyed the pub that week, the first was when my friend Kevin and I wandered the area on a photowalk and settled at a sidewalk table in front of O’Connell’s for a couple of beers. That’s us in front of the pub in the photo. 

It was packed Friday night and the bartenders were incredibly charming to us with their genuine Irish brogues.  Best of all? They served Yuengling  lager on tap! It may not be the best tasting beer in the whole world, but since I can’t get it in Texas it hits the spot with me.   After awhile there we headed over to the other Irish pub on King St., Murphy’s.  It was packed too and they had a fantastic Irish singer up on a tiny little platform doing songs that of course encouraged participation from the inebriated crowd.  We didn’t stay long but it was a fun time. 

Overall this was one of the most enjoyable business trips I’ve had in ages, and I think Alexandria would make a perfect vacation destination for either families or just couples.