I have been a very bad blogger lately! I haven't posted anything in a long, long time.
Today I came home sick from work as I was feeling super nauseous and dizzy. The subway ride home was pretty brutal but now that I'm cozy and in my bed I'm not feeling as terrible. Yay!
Earlier this summer BF & I traveled to Grand Rapids, MI for my cousin's wedding.
Getting to GRR from NYC was really, really difficult. To make things as infuriating as possible for myself, I decided to make a mistake booking my plane ticket and didn't realize until the night before we were supposed to fly. When I originally 'booked', my ticket was about $200. The only tickets that were available the night before were about $600 and at 6am.
This meant that I would no longer be travelling there with my BF because he properly booked his ticket months earlier (like I thought I did). THEN icing on the cake - I somehow slept through my alarm and missed my 6am flight. I have never done that before and couldn't believe I missed a flight - on top of my inflated ticket price I had to pay a hefty change fee & was super late! Usually when I have something to get up early for, I wake up every hour on the hour before my alarm goes off. Craziness!
Anyhoo, despite the trouble we had getting there I actually did make it. Luckily, the town was very pretty and had a gorgeous beach + pier that BF and I walked along.
So pretty right? Who knew that Michigan had such nice beaches.
It seems like so long ago and this was only August. Does anyone else feel like September just never happened?
Well, I'm going to watch some Workaholics & try to fall asleep. Later :)
Not too long ago, I was lucky enough to visit my aunt and uncle at their winter home in Florida.
This was a well needed escape from the gloomy New York weather. It has been pretty warm here lately so I'd like to think that I brought the sunshine with me :)
Stone crab, fries with malt vinegar and coleslaw - amazeeeeeey
pretty view crossing the bridge to Fort Myers
their pretty pool. i spent the majority of my time here :)
If you live somewhere warm, you should know that I am very jealous. I grew up in Canada and now I live in New York BUT I do not like the winter weather. Le sigh*
I recently found out I'll be going on a company trip to the Dominican Republic in May. That's right - I'll be in my bathing suit in front of co-workers. This gives me a tremendous amount of anxiety. Needless to say, I've been upping my exercise regime and trying to cut calories and carbs as much as I can. Here is what I've been doing lately to kick things off:
Friday 2/24 - the hardest pilates class I have ever taken.
Saturday 2/25 - walked 38 blocks and stayed in (aka, didn't drink)
Monday 2/27 - the 2nd hardest pilates class I have ever taken
Tuesday 2/28 - Astanga Yoga with many sun salutations and muchos warrior series
Tomorrow, 2/29 - Soulcycle spinning in Tribeca. Have you done this? It's like spinning on crack. Can't wait :)
Any tips for kicking it (your body) into gear for a deadline?
Vienna is one of the loveliest places I've ever been to.
The streets are clean..
The people are friendly...
There are horses everywhere....
Everyone is classy...
You can drink hot wine in the street (that you can buy right there, on the street!!)!!!
My friends and I met at the Vienna airport on the 31st. I flew out of
New York and the others flew out of Toronto / Dubai. These ladies are
the best friends a girl could ask for - fun, supportive, ambitious,
intelligent and kind. We all met in university and this trip was our
first "big girl" vacation together. It was a blast. We ended up going to
Vienna, Bratislava and Prague. Each city was very differently wonderful
and I'm so happy that my first Europe experience was in these amazing
cities with my amazing friends. My only complaint while we were there: it was really bloody cold (-18 C). Luckily there was lots of hot wine being sold on the streets in convenient to-go cups to keep us warm!
We rented a beautiful apartment off of booking.com. Check it out:
me, out front
1 room
the other "bed"
very cool desk with old pics and letters under the glass
Here are some very cool things I saw / did:
The Spanish Riding School
The Spanish Riding School
The Spanish Riding School
Schoenbrunn Palace
Schoenbrunn Palace
The Albertina Gallery
Palmenhaus Restaurant
The Albertina Gallery
Magritte at the Albertina
St. Stephen's Cathedral (German: Stephansdom) - right near the apartment
I'll share some awesome meals I had soon!
Happy Valentine's Day! Tonight BF is taking me out for dinner. What are your plans?
Here is an email I wrote to my dearest friends today. We are planning to go to Europe at the beginning of February 2012. Woohooo :)
I have never visited any European countries and am taking a first stab at getting my group of girlfriends organized! Any thoughts on my 2 ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Darlings!
I’ve been doing some brainstorming about our trip and I’ve
come up with 2 potential options that I think would be wonderful. These are
just some thoughts I’ve had while procrastinating at work!
Idea #1 : Prague
& Vienna –
a.Vienna!
– Not just the name of that terrible, terrible tramp from the Bachelor (I miss
watching this with you gals), but also is often said to be "The City of
Dreams" because it was home to one of the world's greatest interpreters of
dreams, Professor Sigmund Freud. (lets go here http://www.traveldestinationinfo.com/vienna/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Vienna-2.jpg)
Vienna has 23 districts or wards know singularly as Bezirkin Austrian German. They vary immensely in
size and each has its own flair – perfect for a group of curious and
adventurous young Canadian women. One thing that I find quite interesting about
this place is the fact that they have a large dedication to the sport of
horseback riding, specifically Lipizzaner horses. This particular breed of
horse walks with blissful bounce and appear to be dancing – very appealing.
Vienna is also famous for its coffee
culture. "Let's have a coffee" is a very commonly heard
phrase. Although it is off season, the city has a lot of beautiful vineyards;
luckily, beer is next in importance to wine. - Dearest Amy, we will find you
something gluten free!!! Let’s go make our dreams come true in the city of
Vienna.
b.Prague!
Or the “Golden City” - In addition to seeing the beautiful gothic and
renaissance buildings in Prague (and things like this clock http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Praga_0003.JPG)
, we would fit right in with the local street style (http://www.stylemewhimsy.com/2011/11/travel-list-prague.html
( this is a great blog by the way, check it out.) Beer in the Czech Republic
has a long and important history. Prague or ‘Praha’ as the locals say, is
widely regarded as one of the most charming cities in Europe. Another beer town
- the first brewery is known to have existed in 1118. (thanks Wikipedia) –
since we really like beer, charming architecture and interesting facts about
weird countries, I believe this would be a great choice.
c.Did
you know that driving from Vienna to Prague only takes a little over 3 hours?
The super mobility of a car will save us time and money in locating budget
accommodations in small towns away from tourists and train lines. If there is
anything I’ve learned from you, the best way to experience a country is to get
to know the locals. Think of all the fun we could have stopping at little
boutiques, or packing a picnic and checking out a small art gallery along the
way. Driving would allow us to find little gems that we will remember forever.
If there is time, we could even go to Salzburg! Just a thought…..
d.Another
great things about going to these two countries is that the flights are
relatively cheap / comparable to other locations (ie London).
Idea #2 : Paris &
Amsterdam
a.We’ll always have Paris – Even though I have
never watched Casablanca, I quoted it anyways. Why you ask? Because every
movie, book and person I’ve ever talked to has told me that Paris has SOMETHING
special about it. Magical even – when you’re there you just feel it. Look at
this blog and you’ll see why - http://www.theclotheswhisperer.co.uk/2011/11/wandering-whisperer-paris-prepares-for.htmlThe magical feelings could be related to the
amount of wine that people consume in the city; but, if we drink wine together
in Paris we can high five each other on how we’ve grown since the days of box
of wine. Now that Brooke has been here a few times, she knows what is worth
seeing and some great places to stay. How great would it be if we had a
friendship photo in front of some of these historical monuments – that’d be a
framer! A VERY important tidbit about this place is cheese. Cheese. We all love
it, Danielle always takes the biggest piece because she loves it so much. Here
is a site that boasts “What to know where to get the best French Cheese? Here
we tell you about one of the best cheese makers in Paris” http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/france/Best-Cheese-in-Paris/623Added value bonus: Danielle speaks French and
will help us get the best wines using her knowledge of fine François culture.
b.Amsterdam
– This city fans out from the central railway station and we could easily hop
on a trainto get here from Paris. In
the early 17th century, when immigration was at a peak, a comprehensive plan
was developed that was based on four concentric half-circles of canals with
their ends emerging at the IJbay (to
get a better idea, please see this helpful photo http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/AmsterdamLuchtfotoBmz.jpg)
. Do you know what this means? We can take a little row boat through a canal
together. Have we done that before? NO. People who have been have told me that
there are 2 places you must visit while in the city: special cafes and the red
light districts. Once we do that, there are lots and lots of other cool things
we can do. Ie) Beer Sampling http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/things-to-do/dutch_beer
During our down time, we should wander neat little shops and make new friends.
c.Flights
are about the same as idea #1.
After reading this, you might be thinking “wow this sounds
expensive!” or "wow caitlin was really bored today".
I am also concerned
about $$$ therefore, I am happy to agree that hostels / splitting
accommodations is definitely a YES. Buying food from little groceries instead
of eating a zillions of restaurants is a YES. Having the most fun ever is a YES
YES YES.
Let me know what you think . Miss y’alls.
Have you been to Europe? Where should I go as a first timer?
This past Sunday, BF and I had a belated birthday celebration
for him in Atlantic City. We had originally planned to go in August but
unfortunately, Hurricane Irene had a different plan and we had to reschedule.
Although we had to celebrate BF’s birthday a bit late this
year, it was worth the wait because I ended up scoring a great deal on Groupon
for the Borgata. It included a 1 night stay in a beautiful room, a prix fixe
dinner for 2 at Seablue, 2 tickets to a comedy show and $25 free slot spending.
Seablue was great. “the restaurant combines cutting-edge
technology and design elements with Mina's signature and acclaimed approach to
seafood. SEABLUE will showcase seasonal and pristinely fresh fish from all over
the world cooked over a wood-burning grill as well as whimsical versions of
classic American dishes.” - http://www.theborgata.com
tuna tartar with pinenuts, topped with egg yolk. yummy
lobster bisque (Bf had this - so good)
BF's steak. He said it was good.
my bbq'd salmon with a bed of spaghetti squash & smear of more mystery squash.
The salmon was overcooked but okay overall.
The best part of the meal....
Rocky road ice cream with whipped cream, topped with a crunchy cookie and melted chocolate.
OMG
Getting out of the city was fun. It was nice to spend
some time out of the norm with my wonderful BF.
Did I love Atlantic City? No. It was fun and cute, but with a side of trashy-ness. I ended up
spending too much, drinking too much and eating too much. BUT, for a quick weekend getaway AC delivered a good time.
I hope you're all having a good week so far. I love how it feels like Tuesday today, but really its Wednesday (woohoo!)
Today I spent a fair amount of time browsing vacations online. From Iceland to the Virgin Islands to Helsinki.
checked out!
I am constantly pondering where I want to go for my 2 next vacations. I would like to go somewhere warm this winter with the BF and in the new year, I'd like to go on a best friend trip to a really unique destination. Do you know any great travel sites? I've been browsing CheapCarribean, LivingSocial, Cheaptickets etc.
Anyways, here is what I had for dinner last week after work one day. I'll likely have this again tonight!
Easy Tilapia & Avocado Salad
you will need this stuff, garlic,and some frozen tilapia
cook on your stove top in olive oil. i like mine a little burnt!
add to romaine lettuce with blue cheese, sliced avocado and top with balsamic vinegar.
Easy & delicious. Well I'm off to the Upper East Side for some of this salad and perhaps a workout!
I'd love to hear any tips on planning an affordable, awesome vacation!
The only downfall was I took the godforsaken bus from NYC to Toronto on Friday, and then back
last night. My advice to you: never do this, ever. It was a bad choice for me personally. I do not do well with sitting next to big scary strangers who smell funny and I do not do well without sleep. We got in at 8:30 this morning and had to go to work after a quick shower. Moving forward, I will save money to fly :)
the motherland!
Even though the bus was terrible, I had the chance to do lots of great things. I ate yummy food, spent a lot of time outdoors, played with cows & horses, went kayaking and had an opportunity to enjoy my first glimpse of fall in my home land.
mmm canadian thanksgiving :) not pictured - lots o pie
the water was still nice in Bobcaygen!
me, pretending to be outdoorsy
cute!!
look! the leaves have started to change!
It certainly is different than NYC at home in Ontario! I'm glad to be back but a part of me misses those pretty leaves :)
This weekend I am taking a bus from NYC to Toronto, I leave at 7:30pm and arrive at 5:45am --> a bit worried about how I will manage with the claustrophobia. Luckily, BF will be on the bus with me. We are going to a wedding this weekend! I'm so excited, I love weddings! Last night I stopped at Trader Joe's and got some bus snacks.
Some serious pretzel action - honey, mustard, & onion AND chocolate peanut butter covered. Whoa!
Other news, I joined Pinterest, and I recommend that you do too! It is a very cool way to waste time. Follow me! Click below & check it out.
You will come across food, clothing, and travel destinations that you
didn't even know you love.
Recently I have tried a some new products and wanted to share my thoughts on them with you!
1) Soy Joy bars - Coconut Mango & Apple Walnut
Note, these were free at a bar that I was at on Wednesday night. (There were some post marathon folks who did not want them.) In a nutshell, these suck. I would never buy these because they have such high sugar, relatively low protein and they are just plain gross. Their hyper-sweet, fruit cake texture was not for me & at 140 calories per bar I am not impressed with the "keeping Caitlin full" factor that I look for in a snack. Maybe I'm crazy? Have you had them? If so, what did you think?
2) Trader Joes Tuna in Green Curry Sauce
I loved this stuff - it is hands down one of the best meal-ish products I have ever gotten at Trader Joes! The package contains yellowfin tuna in a spicy, creamy, extremely flavorful sauce. I opened the package into a bowl & microwaved it for a minute or so. This would be great with brown rice too. The portion was perfect to bring for lunch and is was very affordable (I
think it was only $1.69 per package). The instructions specify warming the bag in boiling water but microwaving was just fine. TJ's also had a red curry on the sauce which I will definitely try next time. Have you tried this? You should!!
I hope you all have an excellent weekend filled with Columbus Day / Canadian Thanksgiving fun! I am going to Ditch Plains for a lunch with some co-workers.
